day 2: alaska

[minionofmidas]

discuss alaska.

one thing i find most interesting is how insanely well nader did in the state. another is the very large native population's voting patterns.

what's going on?

(And yes, capitalisation in this thread so far is in honour of Walter Mitty.)

[minionofmidas]

Several percent of the state population are Russian Orthodox. Most of them are Native American.

[True Democrat]

before becoming part of usa alaska had at least two finnish governors

there should be russian orthodoxes left in that state in sitka i think

Also in Ketchikan.  There were never more than a few hundred Russians there (Ketchikan), but they have made a big impact.  Everyone in that area even celebrates Russian Christmas.

[WalterMitty]

the libertarian candidate did very well in 1980.

what is the breakdown of the alaskan state legislature?  are there any third party members?

[minionofmidas]

No third party members. Senate is R 12 D 8. House is R 26 D 14. I might add that the House has 4 Native American members (1 R 3 D, didn't check for Senate):
Reggie Joule, not sure what the self-designation of Eskimos from the Nome area is

Mary Kapsner, Yupik

Bill Thomas jr, Chilkoot (the Republican)

Woodie Salmon, Chalkyitsik, ie one of the small groups usually summarized as Alaska Athapascan

[Colin]

I believe there were members of the Alaskan Indpendence Party, the Libertarian Party of Alaska and the Moderate Republican Party of Alaska in the state legislature at one point in time.

[minionofmidas]

I believe there were members of the Alaskan Indpendence Party, the Libertarian Party of Alaska and the Moderate Republican Party of Alaska in the state legislature at one point in time.

Haven't checked on the other two yet, but the Republican Moderate Party was formed by a former State House member and vows to fight the alliance of the Religious Right and the oil companies that (according to them) has destroyed the Alaska Republicans' Libertarian heritage.
In 2002, a pro-choice Republican, Tom Wagoner, won a Senate race on the Republican Moderate ticket with tacit support by the Dems, who had not put up a candidate, then rejoined the Republicans pretty immediately after the election. Basically he used the election as an open primary because he fancied his chances against the religious conservative incumbent in the general to be much better than in the closed primary.

[WalterMitty]

lewis, do you think the increasing social conservatism of the republican party will push away libertarian-minded alaskan republicans?

[minionofmidas]

lewis, do you think the increasing social conservatism of the republican party will push away libertarian-minded alaskan republicans?

The Republican Moderate party certainly hopes so...not as long as the alliance with Big Oil holds is my macchiavellistic assessment.

[danwxman]

I spent some time in Alaska and the people are very libertarian (of course I'm not saying anything most of you didn't know). I stayed over at a friend of the families and his family was quite possibly the most "liberal" open-minded group of people I have ever met. But they were all Republicans.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

In another 10 years this state could go the way of Washington and Oregon.  As the Republican Party goes further right socially, more and more "western" Republicans switch sides.

Right now there are two groups vying for power in the GOP: the neocons and the theocons.  Since Iraq will probably completely discredit the neocons, the theocons will win.  This will make AK much more competitive.

[© tweed]

In another 10 years this state could go the way of Washington and Oregon.  As the Republican Party goes further right socially, more and more "western" Republicans switch sides.

I would agree, but I think Alaskans vote more by blind party loyalty than other states do.  It could be a stereotype due to it's geographic isolation from the rest of the nation, but that's a hunch I get.

------------

Also, are we just going to do the 50 states thing alphabetically?  It makes more sense if we do it like a road trip and do neighboring states most of the time, and it might be more fun.  I can see why we are doing it this way--it must be easier to keep track of.

[AkSaber]

Alaska is staying put.

Oil drilling: A very very sensitive issue up here. Alaskans want to drill very much, and as long as the Democrats keep opposing it, we will remain really pissed off at them.

Gun control: Very pro-gun up here. A losing issue, and the NRA isn't exactly helping the Democrats cause here either.

Capital punishment: 1 of 12 states not to have it, and the Dems oppose it. So what? The death penalty really isn't a big issue here. Can't say that enough. It hardly, if ever, gets any media attention. And murderers usually get a 99 year prison sentence.

So, as the GOP moves further right, and the Dems move more to the left, Alaska will stick with the Republicans.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oil drilling: A very very sensitive issue up here. Alaskans want to drill very much, and as long as the Democrats keep opposing it, we will remain really pissed off at them.

Is probably the main reason why Alaska has been quite as strongly Republican as it has been of late.
Isn't there a big fuss brewing over logging as well?

[minionofmidas]

Capital punishment: 1 of 12 states not to have it, and the Dems oppose it. So what? The death penalty really isn't a big issue here.

Bound not to be an issue where it doesn't exist. Unless Alaskans would start going on a sort of moral crusade to abolish this evil - but that doesn't strike me as a very libertarian thing to do. (And yes, that brings us back to that map of America with the Dem regions as "moralistic". Anyone remember that topic?)

[AkSaber]

Is probably the main reason why Alaska has been quite as strongly Republican as it has been of late.
Isn't there a big fuss brewing over logging as well?

Not as much since Clinton left office. The biggest spat that I can remember was in 2000, I think it was, when Governor Knowles sued the Clinton administration because the President wouldn't let us build a road to Juneau through the Tongass forest. I guess it's cause Bush is giving us our land back.

Bound not to be an issue where it doesn't exist. Unless Alaskans would start going on a sort of moral crusade to abolish this evil - but that doesn't strike me as a very libertarian thing to do.

That's just it. There is no big push to bring the death penalty here. Or even a little one. It's an almost non-issue.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

a bill to instate the death penalty in Minnesota appears in almost every legislature, but it never gets anywhere. 2 years ago one Senate one got a vote in commitee, and went down 8-2 (all Democrats voted against it and 2 Republicans crossed lines as well)

[Alcon]

Just a bump here...

Anyone have anything to say about the Native American areas of Alaska and how they vote?  I know that they overall probably vote slightly Republican, but I hear there are some very Republican areas looking for oil money.

I was surprised to know how heavy it was, considering that of the 40 districts in Alaska, Kerry only won one, and that was Juneau, not a Native American area.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Anyone have anything to say about the Native American areas of Alaska and how they vote?

They're Democratic, I think.

[Alcon]

Anyone have anything to say about the Native American areas of Alaska and how they vote?

They're Democratic, I think.

I'm pretty sure there's at least one majority-Native American house district in Alaska.  I know Yakutat City and Borough isp plurality Native American, for instance.

Maybe I'm wrong.

[minionofmidas]

Anyone have anything to say about the Native American areas of Alaska and how they vote?

They're Democratic, I think.

I'm pretty sure there's at least one majority-Native American house district in Alaska.  I know Yakutat City and Borough isp plurality Native American, for instance.

Maybe I'm wrong.

Yakutat is about 50% White, 50% Native, and it's got virtually zero population anyways. As I said above, of the four Native American house members, three are Democrats.

[Huckleberry Finn]

before becoming part of usa alaska had at least two finnish governors

there should be russian orthodoxes left in that state in sitka i think

And how I didn't know that!? I'm in shock!

Who they were? I guess some Finnish officers who served in the Russian army.

[Colin]

Anyone have anything to say about the Native American areas of Alaska and how they vote?

They're Democratic, I think.

I'm pretty sure there's at least one majority-Native American house district in Alaska.  I know Yakutat City and Borough isp plurality Native American, for instance.

Maybe I'm wrong.

Well here's a chart of the percentage of American Indians/Alaskan Natives living in each county in the United States. http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/pct_AIAN.pdf

It appears that there are 8 or more boroughs/census areas in Alaska that are over 50% Alaskan Native.

[MissCatholic]

The only democrat that could do well in Alaska is Landrieu as she has been one of the few democrats in HISTORY to strongly support the drilling of Anwar.

A regular visitor and a real hardcore bible basher could get the dems up to around 43-45%

Dems missed a huge opportunity to get a senate seat. but they could pick up the governors seat. i think its a state that needs a bit of cash.

[Colin]

Anwar.

It's correctly spelled ANWR. Anwar is a first name mostly used in the Middle East and Africa, ie Anwar Sadat.