I was born and raised in Alaska, and it's been my home for over 60 years. I find the constant barrage of political ads claiming one candidate or another isn't really "Alaskan" silly.
As if the length of time one spent in Alaska determined that.
The legal definition of residency is pretty minimal. As I understand it, residency is primarily a function of intent. You can get a driver's license and register to vote here almost immediately upon arrival and get a Permanent Fund dividend after one year.
I am referring to claims by Mark Begich that his political opponent isn't "Alaskan" enough because Alaska has been his opponent's home for only 17 years while he has lived here longer -- implying that should override your personal judgment about whether a person is fit to hold public office.
Mark Begich's claims to the contrary, a label does not a leader make. By his own definition, Lisa Murkowski is far more qualified than he is to be senator because she has lived here longer and was the first native-born Alaskan to be elected to national office. But that isn't why Alaska elected her in a historic write-in campaign. She was elected because she was the best candidate.
My grandfather, Ernest Gruening, was born in New York and became governor of Alaska in 1939 before he ever moved here. According to Begich's definition, Gruening, later one of our first U.S. senators and acknowledged as one of the "fathers of Statehood," wouldn't have been qualified to be a dogcatcher.
That same definition also rules out his own father, Nick Begich, who was a relative newcomer when elected to the Alaska Legislature in 1962 -- not nearly as qualified as Ted Stevens, who was elected to the state Legislature two years later with twice the number of years in Alaska as Nick Begich.
While growing up here, I met people who were relatively new to the state but immediately understood how to be Alaskan. They were self-reliant, independent people who didn't make excuses and exhibited intense pride in their state and country. They believed in public service and helping others. They spoke directly and did not equivocate. They stood for something.
Conversely, I have known people who lived their entire lives here and never really understood what being Alaskan meant. They were complainers and excuse-makers who dodged issues by blaming others. They felt they weren't accountable for their actions and deserved respect simply because they had lived here a long time. Often, they straddled the fence instead of taking a position because they did not have any true guiding principles.
Well, I don't respect that latter kind of Alaskan, and I bet you don't either. Why Mark Begich has decided to define his U.S. Senate campaign this way instead of discussing the issues is a mystery. He has a record to run on, why not let us know what it really is?
It could be because after almost six years in office Begich has only passed one bill (renaming a post office) and never gotten one of his own floor amendments passed. Or that while he was voting for Obamacare and other administration-sponsored bills, the state was getting nowhere on drilling in ANWR even though he campaigned on getting this done. And why won't he state his position on oil taxes in Alaska? Is he afraid he might lose votes?
It could be that he is so desperate to win he will do or say anything (or nothing). Why else would he go so far as to outrageously and wrongly accuse his opponent of being responsible for the murder of an elderly couple and the sexual assault of their 2-year-old granddaughter?
I guess we won't ever know the answers to those questions because Begich isn't talking about real issues or his record. He's too busy defining "Alaskan."
Win Gruening was born and raised in Juneau. He retired as a senior vice president at Key Bank in 2012. A longtime member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club, he remains very active in community affairs and has been involved extensively in many local and statewide organizations. In 2003, he was named Juneau Citizen of the Year by the Juneau Chamber of Commerce.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.