With just three weeks to go until the General Election, Alaskans on both sides of the political spectrum are fatigued with the media frenzy surrounding the U.S. Senate race between Scott McAdams, Lisa Murkowski and Joe Miller. Only coverage of Sarah Palin gives conservatives and liberals alike more intellectual and emotional distress than does that of the current Senate race. Mr. McAdams has been mostly forgotten by the media -- perhaps largely because his message is, well, somewhat forgettable. We already have his views and vision for Alaska represented by Mr. Begich. And Alaska's economy and family values base cannot afford another Begich.
We have Mr. Miller, a soldier seasoned by combat and life experience. Good thing he's tough. He has not been treated kindly by the media, and that's putting it mildly. But then, the media is often disconnected with the values of the people, and their good sense of where the country must go. And because some fear returning to a sure foundation that can save and heal our land, the messenger is brutally attacked. We would all do well to remember that the Constitution is the standard to which Mr. Miller points us, not to himself. Thomas Jefferson frequently argued against slave states and slave ownership, even though he was a slave owner. Jefferson was convicted that slave ownership was contrary to the laws of nature and was an abominable crime. He was a product of the world as it was, yet he saw the world as it could be. For over three thousand years Judaism, and later Christianity, pointed to the Torah and the Ten Commandments as the standard for human behavior, not to individuals who were by very nature imperfect and broken. Mr. Miller lives in the world as it is, and is not wrong for pointing us to the only path of safety -- a return to constitutional government in America, and radical reductions in spending until our fiscal condition supports a strong dollar and low taxes.
Then we have Lisa Murkowski. Her campaign is still in ICU but reportedly now off life support, and she claims she is still "in it to win it." Well, bless her fighting spirit. I only wish we could bless her good sense. Ms. Murkowski is unable to come to grips with the fact that her own party rejected her complacent attitude towards the fiscal crisis of our country and instead, accepted the direction offered by Mr. Miller that America's elected leadership must return to obeying the law of the land, the US Constitution, and turn us back from the brink of insolvency. As Ms. Murkowski is a lawyer, I would expect her to provide a reasoned, thoughtful response to Mr. Miller's promotion of a return to constitutional government, rather than quipping that Mr. Miller keeps talking "constitutional gobbledygook" or words to that effect. It appears from recent primary elections, that there is a nationwide trend of voters insisting that America get back to teaching its founding documents, and obeying the Constitution as the law of the land. Blaming her recent defeat on the Tea Party and "outside interests" insults the good sense and conviction of her own fellow Alaskans, and further casts doubt on her courage to lead us forward out of the perilous hour we are now in.
It is an open political question of whether a majority of Americans love our country, our children and grandchildren enough to make the painful sacrifice necessary to guarantee our sovereign and prosperous future -- and whether we love America enough to campaign and vote on the hard, bitter truth about our condition. To correct our course, America is almost out of time. In three weeks we will see where Alaska stands at this critical juncture.
It's time.
It's Miller Time.
Wes Keller is the current and incumbent House Representative for Alaska's District 14 (Wasilla).
Alaska Dispatch features commentary by Alaskans from across the state. The views expressed are the writer's own and are not endorsed by Alaska Dispatch. We welcome a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail editor(at)alaskadispatch.com .