Stock, Lindbeck bring reason and hope to Alaska's November ballot

We all have different breaking points. I realize mine may be very different than yours, and Sens. Lisa Murkowski's and Dan Sullivan's, when it comes to our tolerance levels of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Both Murkowski and Sullivan recently came out condemning Trump after a tape came to light with the candidate bragging about sexual assault. He was quite proud of grabbing women in their genitalia and thought it was funny they wouldn't do anything about it.

[Alaska Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski call on Trump to drop out of presidential race]

Not all U.S. senators share the disdain of Trump's statement. Alabama's Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions thought the language used by Trump was "improper" but he wouldn't characterize the unwanted grabbing of women as sexual assault. I guess he hasn't reached his threshold yet.

Texan Rep. Blake Farenthold isn't sure if the statement "I enjoy raping women" falls under "locker room talk." Yes. That's the position of people still defending the systemic behavioral problems of the Republican nominee.

Here's a question to Alaska's senators: What took you so damn long? Was it leadership like Sen. John McCain standing up to Trump that acted like some political stem cells that grew you both new political spines? Was it the use of vulgar words that we can't even print in the paper? Was it because he was talking about sexually assaulting white women?

I suppose the accusation of Mexicans all being drug dealers and rapists wasn't enough. Or that his America would ban entry for people of Muslim faith. That seemed a little anti-First Amendment, but maybe Trump isn't familiar with that.

He's said he'd like veto power over the media, so that would be covered by the same amendment. It's tough to defend the press, considering the close relationship so many reporters have developed with politicians. See: "Call Sean Hannity if you don't believe me!"

For years, Trump has called women dogs and pigs, even publicly stating a Miss Universe was too fat. Really? He has said he'd sleep with his daughter if she wasn't his daughter. Um, is that a reference to the Biblical Lot, like his supporters claim? And you're surprised he's not respectful to women? The Central Park Five were exonerated, but Trump says they are still guilty. Because … Obama was born in Kenya. Who knows.

The call for Trump to leave the race and have Gov. Mike Pence replace him is, well, crazy. For all the mouth-running Trump has done, Pence has been legislating the same disrespect.

He introduced the first bill to defund Planned Parenthood and has signed eight anti-choice laws as governor. He co-sponsored a bill to redefine "rape" as "forcible rape." Think about that. If it isn't forced… oh, my head hurts trying to understand the rationale here. Pence is the same guy who thought the Disney movie "Mulan" was proof women shouldn't be in the military; working mothers stunt their children; smoking doesn't kill you and condoms are too modern.

There's much imagery in the press releases from our two senators — mostly of rats fleeing a sinking ship — a ship that's full of toxic waste, on fire, spilling sewage and half sunk. You just now thought you'd look for a lifeboat? Oh, I'm not saying you've got to climb aboard the Good Ship Hillary, but if we've learned nothing else about Murkowski or Sullivan, we've learned they are political animals who move in full calculation.

[New poll shows Trump leading in the presidential race in Alaska]

Rep. Don Young wouldn't join the senators in their lifeboat-jump to condemn Trump. In April, Young called Trump supporters "a bunch of idiots following a pied piper off the edge of the cliff." Apparently he's now suited with a parachute and is following off the cliffs with all the other lemmings.

I'm happy there's are choices in this election that I don't have to hold my nose to vote for. I know! It seems like all sides are feeling this way in at least half of the races. In our races for the U.S. Senate and House, I don't feel any hesitation or twinge to fill in the oval for independent Margaret Stock or Democrat Steve Lindbeck. It feels like a nice refuge on my ballot. A no-brainer if you will.

Come on Alaska, the bar couldn't be lower for a congressman than Don Young has set, unless he started digging. Cussing out high school students and blaming them for a recent suicide? He's not just out of touch — he has no feeling. Proximity has nothing to do with it.

Whenever the statistic comes up that Alaskans eat more Spam than any other state than Hawaii, I have to shrug. I don't know anyone who eats Spam, and I don't know anyone who admits to voting for Don Young. Frankly, I'm better with Spam eaters than Young voters. They seem more health conscious.

Margaret Stock is brilliant. She has experience. She isn't beholden to either party. She didn't have to do polling or get an advisor to tell her it was time to dump Trump. For all the voters who were duped into writing in "M-u-r-k-o-w-s-k-i" in 2010 — here's your chance for atonement.

It's shocking that anyone is shocked. My vote and my thanks are with Ms. Stock and Mr. Lindbeck for giving me a choice.

Shannyn Moore is a radio broadcaster.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, emailcommentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com