Alaska Governor called for Walker!

[Vega]

I doubt Walker will stay an Independent for his entire term.

But yeah, Alaska Dems at least have a (atlas) Red LG.

[RI]

He appears to be just as fiscally and socially conservative as Sean Parnell, if not more. For starters, he's clearly pro-life, for spending cuts, and yet, for public works (like Parnell). He also seems to have been sympathetic to some of Parnell's socially conservative moves.

This is clearly not the case. Walker is more fiscally liberal than Parnell on several key issues, including ACA Medicaid expansion, which Parnell is ardently against. He's not a liberal, but he's much more moderate than Parnell. See here.

[Vega]

I'm confused about this trope about Alaska Governors not staying independent. Can someone tell me where that came from? Which governors, and what happened?

It's not a trope exclusively shared by Alaskan Governors, but generally third party/Independent Governors don't stay as such. Lincoln Chaffee is an example of that.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Should be interesting to see how this cooperates with the Republican legislature, Alaska has never had an Independent Governor nor a Democratic Governor since 2002.

No, but had a third party Governor.

[Indy Texas]

Bill Walker is a conservative. It is possible to be a conservative without being an oil company shill who puts out-of-state "stakeholders" before his own constituents, which is what Sean Parnell was.

[Nichlemn]

I'm confused about this trope about Alaska Governors not staying independent. Can someone tell me where that came from? Which governors, and what happened?

It's not a trope exclusively shared by Alaskan Governors, but generally third party/Independent Governors don't stay as such. Lincoln Chaffee is an example of that.

What are the other examples? Walter Hickel of Alaska rejoined the Republican Party, but then there's Jesse Ventura, Angus King, Lowell Weicker and others off the top of my head, none of whom joined a major party in their term as governor.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Yeah, Chafee is the only "indie" to join a party halfway through his tenure that I can think of.

@Cal

Keep in mind that Palin used to be seen as a fairly populist upstart in the Alaska GOP. If you look back through time (on this forum as well) a lot of Democrats said she was one of the "best GOP governors" for working against the oil companies.

I imagine Walker will govern similarly to Palin - against the Alaska elite (figures like the Murkowski family and Treadwell), and economically populist. It is surprising how left GOP governors in red states can go if they frame everything they do as "against the Washington/urban elite".

[Indy Texas]

Yeah, Chafee is the only "indie" to join a party halfway through his tenure that I can think of.

@Cal

Keep in mind that Palin used to be seen as a fairly populist upstart in the Alaska GOP. If you look back through time (on this forum as well) a lot of Democrats said she was one of the "best GOP governors" for working against the oil companies.

I imagine Walker will govern similarly to Palin - against the Alaska elite (figures like the Murkowski family and Treadwell), and economically populist. It is surprising how left GOP governors in red states can go if they frame everything they do as "against the Washington/urban elite".

This frames the Palin endorsement in a very different light. That makes a lot more sense now why she did that and it probably did swing the race to Walker, as Parnell could barely reserve any air time and I'm sure her endorsement swung a few Republican faithful.

As unpopular as this sounds, in another context, had Palin been a competent state executive who was never plucked for vice president, re-elected as Alaska Governor, she could have been a  real contender for the Presidency who would have won.

I doubt that. But she might have been the one running against Begich this year as a popular outgoing governor had things been less maverick-y six years ago.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Yeah, Chafee is the only "indie" to join a party halfway through his tenure that I can think of.

@Cal

Keep in mind that Palin used to be seen as a fairly populist upstart in the Alaska GOP. If you look back through time (on this forum as well) a lot of Democrats said she was one of the "best GOP governors" for working against the oil companies.

I imagine Walker will govern similarly to Palin - against the Alaska elite (figures like the Murkowski family and Treadwell), and economically populist. It is surprising how left GOP governors in red states can go if they frame everything they do as "against the Washington/urban elite".

This frames the Palin endorsement in a very different light. That makes a lot more sense now why she did that and it probably did swing the race to Walker, as Parnell could barely reserve any air time and I'm sure her endorsement swung a few Republican faithful.

As unpopular as this sounds, in another context, had Palin been a competent state executive who was never plucked for vice president, re-elected as Alaska Governor, she could have been a  real contender for the Presidency who would have won.

Yea that is the most accurate understanding of it. Even more crazy is that Parnell was running as a populist outsider against Young in 2008 with Palin's supprt if I recall correctly.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

What kind of hack do you think Bill Walker is, exactly? Please, elaborate.

[SWE]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

lol

[free my dawg]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

okay

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

Of all the gubernatorial races to bitch about, you chose ALASKA where the friggin' FORMER REPUBLICAN won? Tell me, were you crying over Joe Miller's loss in 2010 too?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Miller has far more in common with Walker then with Parnell at this point and not just because of Palin's endorsement but also the part about running against the oil alligned elements of the GOP.

[Lief 🗽]

So the incumbent Democrat and the incumbent Republican both lost at the same time. I feel like that must be incredibly rare, right?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

So the incumbent Democrat and the incumbent Republican both lost at the same time. I feel like that must be incredibly rare, right?

I found Minnesota 1990. It was actually the only Senate seat to change parties that year.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

What kind of hack do you think Bill Walker is, exactly? Please, elaborate.

Parnell was know for his ability to work with Democrats, something which upset the Tea Partiers.  He was Palin's lieutenant governor, and she still endorsed Walker over him.  Walker is nothing but a hyperpartisan, Tea Party Republican hack.

[KCDem]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

What kind of hack do you think Bill Walker is, exactly? Please, elaborate.

Parnell was know for his ability to work with Democrats, something which upset the Tea Partiers.  He was Palin's lieutenant governor, and she still endorsed Walker over him.  Walker is nothing but a hyperpartisan, Tea Party Republican hack.

Why did the state Democrats support him then?

[RI]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

What kind of hack do you think Bill Walker is, exactly? Please, elaborate.

Parnell was know for his ability to work with Democrats, something which upset the Tea Partiers.  He was Palin's lieutenant governor, and she still endorsed Walker over him.  Walker is nothing but a hyperpartisan, Tea Party Republican hack.

lol

[Lief 🗽]

So hyperpartisan that he picked a Democrat to be his lt. governor!

[Vega]

IIRC, there was some sort of coalition in the State Legislature between the Republicans and Democrats.

I remember hearing that it made alot of conservatives mad.

[free my dawg]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

What kind of hack do you think Bill Walker is, exactly? Please, elaborate.

Parnell was know for his ability to work with Democrats, something which upset the Tea Partiers.  He was Palin's lieutenant governor, and she still endorsed Walker over him.  Walker is nothing but a hyperpartisan, Tea Party Republican hack.

...Christ.

[SWE]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

What kind of hack do you think Bill Walker is, exactly? Please, elaborate.

Parnell was know for his ability to work with Democrats, something which upset the Tea Partiers.  He was Palin's lieutenant governor, and she still endorsed Walker over him.  Walker is nothing but a hyperpartisan, Tea Party Republican hack.

what

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Get ready for four years of gridlock, Alaska.  You tossed out the decent, bipartisan Republican for an extreme, hackish "Independent."  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

What kind of hack do you think Bill Walker is, exactly? Please, elaborate.

Parnell was know for his ability to work with Democrats, something which upset the Tea Partiers.  He was Palin's lieutenant governor, and she still endorsed Walker over him.  Walker is nothing but a hyperpartisan, Tea Party Republican hack.

Why did the state Democrats support him then?

Because he was running against a Republican, duh.