[bumped old thread]Breaking News:GOP mayor of Fairbanks Alaska endorses Obama

[Lunar]

This is over now.  The Republican brand has sunk a little in the last frontier.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/12/mayor-whitaker-endorses-obama/

FAIRBANKS — Republican Mayor Jim Whitaker has said he is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

“My goal is to let Republicans have a clear understanding that their right to vote should not be restricted by any party affiliation,” the borough mayor said. He said the economic and political challenges facing the state and country are broader than political parties alone can address and suggested Republicans should consider crossing party lines by focusing on the strongest candidate this year.

Obama spokesman Jeff Giertz on Monday called Whitaker the “highest-profile” Republican in the state to endorse the Democratic senator.

Whitaker, a former state lawmaker, said a comparison of Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain — neither of whom he has personally met — leads him to believe Obama has the stronger “intellectual capacity” and a greater ability to manifest it. He said his endorsement should not be viewed as one of the Democratic Party, noting that absent criminal convictions of Republican Sen. Ted Stevens or Rep. Don Young, he would be supporting their respective re-election campaigns.

Whitaker, who as a politician has often focused on energy issues, said he sensed an open-minded approach in Obama’s campaign toward traditional, alternative and renewable energy issues that can benefit resource-rich Alaska.

[Alcon]

I was about to say "too bad for Obama that it's not the mayor of Anchorage," but then I remembered that I'm a moron.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

What kind of effect does this have?

[Associate Justice PiT]

What kind of effect does this have?

     AK = Safe Obama. Then again, maybe not.

[Alcon]

What kind of effect does this have?

Fairbanks proper is less than 5% of Alaska, while Fairbanks metro is about 12%.  So, not much, but it's probably the most useful endorsement that Obama could have picked up.

[WalterMitty]

let me get out that short list...

[Josh/Devilman88]

A little, if the race is close.

[ChrisFromNJ]

The good members of the Alaska GOP are getting tired of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republican Party.

[Gustaf]

The good members of the Alaska GOP are getting tired of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, the good members of the Atlas Forum are getting tired of the culuture of repetitive posting that surrounds the Obama hacks of this forum.

[MarkWarner08]

I was about to say "too bad for Obama that it's not the mayor of Anchorage," but then I remembered that I'm a moron.

LOL. I was thinking the same thing. This is great news. With Begich and this guy backing him, he could close the gap. McCain's fight against ANWR is as politically idiotic as his crusade against ethanol. It would be hilarious if it cost him AK.

[ChrisFromNJ]

The good members of the Alaska GOP are getting tired of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, the good members of the Atlas Forum are getting tired of the culuture of repetitive posting that surrounds the Obama hacks of this forum.

Don't humor yourself, dude.

[Sbane]

I guess Mccain not supporting ANWR will hurt him. Funny how he thinks oil drilling offshore is less damaging to the environment than on land. But I don't think people are smart enough to figure that out so it only hurts Mccain in Alaska I guess.

[Alcon]

The good members of the Alaska GOP are getting tired of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, the good members of the Atlas Forum are getting tired of the culuture of repetitive posting that surrounds the Obama hacks of this forum.

Let's not be unfair to the Obama hacks by lumping him in.  He's an establishment Democratic Party hack first, a Clinton hack second, and a reluctant Obama hack only by virtue of the first.

[Gustaf]

The good members of the Alaska GOP are getting tired of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, the good members of the Atlas Forum are getting tired of the culuture of repetitive posting that surrounds the Obama hacks of this forum.

Let's not be unfair to the Obama hacks by lumping him in.  He's an establishment Democratic Party hack first, a Clinton hack second, and a reluctant Obama hack only by virtue of the first.

I know, I know. I thought of it as an Obama hack thing but I've realized that it is actually very much a Democratic party hack thing on here. It is true of several posters here who support Obama because they are Democratic hacks.

[Verily]

What kind of effect does this have?

Fairbanks proper is less than 5% of Alaska, while Fairbanks metro is about 12%.  So, not much, but it's probably the most useful endorsement that Obama could have picked up.

Well, it's a 12% (or 5%) that is normally solidly Republican. Whereas Anchorage is marginal and Juneau is solidly Democratic. (Thus your comment on it being useful; I assume the mayor of Juneau is a Democrat.)

Edit: Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Botelho

[Alcon]

What kind of effect does this have?

Fairbanks proper is less than 5% of Alaska, while Fairbanks metro is about 12%.  So, not much, but it's probably the most useful endorsement that Obama could have picked up.

Well, it's a 12% (or 5%) that is normally solidly Republican. Whereas Anchorage is marginal and Juneau is solidly Democratic. (Thus your comment on it being useful; I assume the mayor of Juneau is a Democrat.)

Edit: Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Botelho

Is Anchorage marginal?  I always thought that with the suburbs, like Eagle River, it was pretty solidly GOP...I think there's one competitive Dem district, one or two semi-competitive GOP-lean districts, and then everything else was a Bush landslide.  I may be wrong though.

(Paging Lewis...)

[Torie]

The mayor's rationale for jumping the fence seemed rather labored and vague to me. I wonder what's really motivating him.

[Verily]

What kind of effect does this have?

Fairbanks proper is less than 5% of Alaska, while Fairbanks metro is about 12%.  So, not much, but it's probably the most useful endorsement that Obama could have picked up.

Well, it's a 12% (or 5%) that is normally solidly Republican. Whereas Anchorage is marginal and Juneau is solidly Democratic. (Thus your comment on it being useful; I assume the mayor of Juneau is a Democrat.)

Edit: Yes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Botelho

Is Anchorage marginal?  I always thought that with the suburbs, like Eagle River, it was pretty solidly GOP...I think there's one competitive Dem district, one or two semi-competitive GOP-lean districts, and then everything else was a Bush landslide.  I may be wrong though.

(Paging Lewis...)

No, it was definitely around 55% for Bush or so. But that's marginal for Alaska and pretty easily winnable for local Democrats (see Begich).

[Kaine for Senate '18]

The mayor's rationale for jumping the fence seemed rather labored and vague to me. I wonder what's really motivating him.

The Vice Presidency!

[Lunar]

The mayor's rationale for jumping the fence seemed rather labored and vague to me. I wonder what's really motivating him.

The Alaska GOP is the Titanic post-iceberg right now and he's using a lifesaver known as bipartisanship to secure his political future.

[AndrewTX]

yay

[Eraserhead]

The good members of the Alaska GOP are getting tired of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, the good members of the Atlas Forum are getting tired of the culuture of repetitive posting that surrounds the Obama hacks of this forum.

Let's not be unfair to the Obama hacks by lumping him in.  He's an establishment Democratic Party hack first, a Clinton hack second, and a reluctant Obama hack only by virtue of the first.

I know, I know. I thought of it as an Obama hack thing but I've realized that it is actually very much a Democratic party hack thing on here. It is true of several posters here who support Obama because they are Democratic hacks.

Yeah well there also seems to be a Republican hack culture "thing" here. And a Libertarian hack culture thing. Such are political forums.

[Keystone Phil]

Oh wow! I'm surprised they didn't interrupt the Olympics for this breaking news!

[MarkWarner08]

Oh wow! I'm surprised they didn't interrupt the Olympics for this breaking news!

C'mon, Phil. You know you'd be jumping for joy if the Mayor of Pittsburgh backed McCain.

[Keystone Phil]

Oh wow! I'm surprised they didn't interrupt the Olympics for this breaking news!

C'mon, Phil. You know you'd be jumping for joy if the Mayor of Pittsburgh backed McCain.

Ultimately, it means next to nothing especially since I have a thing against going crazy over Mayor Luke. Everyone goes crazy for him already.