The October Surprise Has Arrived

[MannyGoldstein]

And it's Ted Stevens. As in the Mark Foley debacle in 2006, Stevens' conviction will serve as a confirmation of the total bankruptcy of the Republican Party, and will be fresh in the minds of voters when they enter the booth next week.

Fantastic news, fantastic timing.

[OneGrassRoot]

1. Do you think M$M will use this as an opening to expose Palin...

and her history in Alaska more? AIP, her own questionable construction projects, etc.?

While Obama getting elected is my primary goal, the next thing I want to see is Palin made irrelevant in national politics forevermore.

[orestes]

2. Not likely

[DeadElephant_ORG]

8. Palin's the gift that keeps giving. I hope she's around to help marginalize the Right for YEARS

to come.

[OneGrassRoot]

10. Hey, great site! :) n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

3. I can hear the sound

of Mark Begich's tapdance even from here in my office. :rofl:

[hogwyld]

9. Since you're in the 'hood

what's the chance Stevens wins re-election, resigns, and his replacement is selected by Palin?

[rvablue]

11. Holy Shit! I didn't even think of that

she'd just have to appoint herself, right?

Me thinks she likes being "an executive" more and wouldn't do it.

And then she can be tossed out and shamed by voters two years from now.

[Blue_In_AK]

15. That's a legal impossibility.

After Frank Murkowski resigned his Senate seat in 2002, became governor and appointed his daughter to fill the vacancy, everybody here got really mad and passed a referendum calling for special elections to fill vacancies in the future. Here's the statute, AS 15.40.140.

When a vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator or United States representative, the governor shall, by proclamation, call a special election to be held on a date not less than 60, nor more than 90, days after the date the vacancy occurs. However, if the vacancy occurs on a date that is less than 60 days before or is on or after the date of the primary election in the general election year during which a candidate to fill the office is regularly elected, the governor may not call a special election.

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

I don't think he's going to win anyway, though. He and Mark have been running neck and neck. Ted probably could have pulled it off if had been acquitted, but I think that's pretty impossible now.

[jenmito]

4. The media reported that McCain's a long time "enemy" of Stevens. Not sure

about Palin.

[Blue_In_AK]

16. Palin has had somewhat "frosty" relations

with Stevens, although probably more for show than in reality. She did not endorse him in his re-election bid this year, largely because of his legal issues, I'm assuming.

[americanmaverick]

5. don't bank on that

Sarah Palin's abuse of power verdict was largely ignored by the media.

[IsItJustMe]

6. I am thinking along the same lines.

[leftist.]

7. I thought that as well.

Not that we needed more momentum, but we just got it in the form of a gift-wrapped Stevens and this will help us in the same way Foley's nonsense helped us in 2006. That's our senate seat now as well.

I'd also like to remind all of you that the internets is not a truck.

[StreetKnowledge]

12. I believe this will make either 59 or 60 Senate seats for the Democrats

I guess it's the Republicans who now have to suck it up and be our whipping boys for a bunch of years. Good. :D

[...of J.Temperance]

13. We only need either to beat Chambliss in Georgia or McConnell in Kentucky now

To get to 60, both of those races are pretty tight....it'd be satisfying to kick Chambliss out because of what a piece of shit he is, I'll never forget his disgusting campaign in 2002 against Senator Max Clelland, a man who left two legs and an arm in Vietnam and that Chickenhawk Chambliss bastard trashed him.

[WinkyDink]

14. Good luck with the Man on the Street knowing who Ted Stevens is, or caring.