Free Republic

Something doesn't pass the "smell test" here: From the article: "Fisk had handily defeated incumbent Merrill Sanford in the October election to become mayor." /then/ "Mayor Mary Becker was named acting mayor, the newspaper reported."

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said where GOP candidates stand on amnesty and immigration will be “huge” in determining which candidate she potentially endorses in this election cycle if she decides to make an endorsement that may well determine who will win the GOP presidential nomination. Palin praised Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)82% —who is the top champion of American workers in Congress—saying that he is “so good on immigration.” She added that it is probably “his number one issue that he thinks is most impacting on the future of America.” “He’s going to pick one candidate who’s strongest on that...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin thinks a President Donald Trump is "a very real possibility." "I think it's a very real possibility because people are really tired of professional politicians who, you know, won't call it like they see it and maybe don't have life experiences that allow them to prove a track record of success," the former vice presidential nominee said in a radio interview with WBT Charlotte's News Talk radio on Thursday. "That's refreshing about Trump," she said. "He's a fighter. We know he's gonna put America first, and he really nailed it early on what the main...

"I want to go home," Arkansas State Senator Jon Woods whimpered last weekend.The poor, pitiful politician announcing he would not seek election to another legislative term cried that he had not "been fishing with [his] brother in a year.""I have friends in my district who I miss," he further lamented.Before reaching for a tissue, however, consider: the legislator lives roughly three hours from the capitol in Little Rock and the legislature has only been in session for about 100 days in the last two years.Certainly, that Senator Woods has any friends left is news at least, non-lobbyist, non-legislator friends. Mr....

ANCHORAGE – Sen. Lisa Murkowski is running for reelection in 2016 to seek a third full term as Alaska’s senior senator. She made the official announcement at the Williwaw restaurant in downtown Anchorage Friday. “We’ve got a year in front of us, and I don’t take anything for granted,” Murkowski said. During the last election, Murkowski lost the Republican primary to Joe Miller, but ultimately succeeded in the general election through a write-in campaign. On Friday, the senator said this time, she’s doing it “the old-fashioned way.” At least 100 supporters gathered at Williwaw for the announcement. “She does for...

The state of Alaska will now own more of the big Alaska LNG Project. It will have to shell out more money for it, too. Alaska's Permanent Fund may have to be put up as collateral, also. Legislators have been meeting in special session in Juneau since Oct. 24 to review Gov. Bill Walker's proposal for the state to buy out TransCanada's share of the planned $45 billion to $65 billion pipeline and liquefied gas project. On Nov. 3 and 4, the state Senate (16-3) and House (39-0) gave their approvals. The acquisition is to be effective Dec. 1, under...

Last night's off-year elections produced a number of noteworthy outcomes, none larger than Republican Matt Bevin's upset victory in Kentucky's gubernatorial race. Bevin ran as a hard-charging outsider conservative, warts and all. Public polls gave his opponent, Democrat Jack Conway, a modest but stable lead throughout the race's home stretch, averaging out to a three-point Conway advantage in a three-way contest. They were off by double digits. Bevin won handily:DailyKos tweet at link ... Bevin, boosted by a massive investment from national Republicans and help from his former nemisis Mitch McConnell, nationalized the race, tying Conway to President Obama at...

Bottom line: The book is a good read, an unusually detailed front-row seat view to how strained campaigns always are, and a compelling insight into Palin's perspective. Its long-term publishing and political impact are unknown for now, though as Palin moves out of the mainstream media monster publicity machine and into more hospitable, relevant political terrain, the prospects for success on both fronts improve exponentially. But its impact on personal and professional relationships is a sad one indeed and one I hope conservatives don't let it divide us just when we are marching toward a promising midterm, which reflects an...

Appearing on Tuesday's "Today" show, Republican strategist Mary Matalin slammed the media for its "hair-on-fire" coverage of Sarah Palin's selection as the Republican vice presidential nominee of John McCain. In particular, she corrected a previous segment by David Gregory which asserted that the Alaska governor had hired an attorney to defend herself against an ethics probe into possible attempts to dismiss a state trooper. Matalin asserted to host Matt Lauer that it wasn't true "that she's hired a lawyer to deal with this trooper issue. The attorney general, state attorney general hired the lawyer." She forcefully added, "That's what they...

Here's something you don't see every day: Jon Stewart defending Sarah Palin. During a "Daily Show" segment entitled "P-mail," Stewart pounded the media for providing "full team coverage of the arbitrary release date of Sarah Palin's non-urgent e-mails"--and for feeding the former vice presidential candidate's sense of self-importance. "Where would Palin get this notion that we're hanging on every word she's said or written?" Stewart asked, before playing a video montage of media outlets bracing for the release of a trove of 24,000 pages of emails she wrote as Alaskan governor. "Oh right. She got that idea because we are.""For...

When The Post's front page declares: "Republicans are on the verge of ceasing to function as a national party," it's time to ask: How did this come to pass? You can choose from a litany of insurrections, government shutdowns and other self-inflicted wounds. But this year's carnival-like GOP presidential primary makes one event, in retrospect, stand out as a crucial turning point on the road to upheaval: the 2008 embrace of then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be a heartbeat from the presidency. Palin's blatant lack of competence and preparedness needs no belaboring. What's critical is that substantive, serious Republican leaders...

 All that's necessary to assure our compliance is shaming us into silence.  Our best hope for substantial political change in the past generation was Sarah Palin. When she self-imploded during her Iowa Freedom Summit address last January, what we saw was, not just a personal failure of nerve, but the sure-thing, efficient result, the calculated application of ridicule as one of the key techniques of thought reform. The more one examines this field of study, the more pessimistic one becomes about the prospect for any meaningful resurgence of American democratic republicanism. When Sarah jumped the shark, she was showing understandable...

As part of the Friday night news dump, the Obama administration did a complete about face on the subject of Arctic oil exploration. After years of supporting research and efforts to keep our options open for future energy development, Interior Department boss Sally Jewell sent out word that extensions or expansion of permits for drilling off of Alaska’s coast would essentially be extinguished. (Seattle Times)

The Obama administration gave its final stamp of approval Wednesday to Shell Oil Company's application to drill oil and natural gas in the Arctic Ocean. Under the approval, Shell can start drilling exploratory wells as soon as its fleet arrives at its prospect in the Chukchi Sea, about 140 miles off Alaska's northwest coast. But the two “application to drill”s approved by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) included key restrictions that bar Shell from drilling in areas known to contain oil, since its safety equipment is not yet fully ready. The decision is a major...

The Obama administration gave conditional approval on Monday for Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. to start drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean this summer. The approval is a major victory for Shell and the rest of the petroleum industry, which has sought for years to drill in the remote waters of the Chukchi seas, which are believed to hold vast reserves of oil and gas. “We have taken a thoughtful approach to carefully considering potential exploration in the Chukchi Sea, recognizing the significant environmental, social and ecological resources in the region and establishing high standards for the...

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday staked out her opposition to Arctic oil exploration, a day after the Obama administration gave Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) final approval to drill off Alaska. "The Arctic is a unique treasure," Clinton said in a Twitter post. "Given what we know, it's not worth the risk of drilling." On Monday, the Obama administration gave Shell final approval to resume drilling into the oil zone off northern Alaska for the first time since 2012. Shell obtained the leases during the administration of former President George W. Bush.

President Obama will announce on Thursday a suspension of all applications for offshore oil drilling in the Arctic through the remainder of the year, an Alaska senator said late Wednesday. The decision essentially extends an informal moratorium that Mr. Obama had set shortly after the BP accident on April 20 that led to the spewing of millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The new restrictions would suspend new offshore drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico and off the North Slope Alaska until the cause of the accident is determined and stricter safety and environmental safeguards...

Eighteen U. S. senators have urged the Obama’s administration to halt Shell’s Arctic drilling plans saying that it is an unacceptable and irresponsible decision, says a report in Reuters. Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by seventeen other Senators, has urged the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to halt all offshore oil and gas drilling permits in the Arctic region.

On Sunday, President Barack Obama released an anti-oil drilling environmental video shot aboard Air Force One–an aircraft that has a 53,611 gallon fuel capacity. The video, which shows Obama aboard Air Force One, is interspersed with scenes of arctic animals and wildlife landscapes, reports National Public Radio (NPR). It’s all part of Obama’s ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) newly proposed plan to ban roads, permanent structures, vehicles, drilling, and mining on 12.28 million acres in ANWR. On Saturday, Obama flew Air Force One over 8,000+ miles to India to discuss global warming and other issues.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump set off another political firestorm Friday after implying that President George W. Bush was to blame for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, drawing the ire of his Republican rivals.