Well, I'm surprised. Gov. Sean Parnell announced Friday that he will run for governor again.
"Fantastic! I get to vote for Sean Parnell as governor again!" said no one within earshot of me ever. The anticipation of his announcement, and the speculation around it, was fierce. Would he give Mark Begich a run for his money for the U.S. Senate? Would he figure his work was done, having succeeded in passing a bill to give billions to oil companies for no guarantees, and just start picking out wallpaper for a K Street office?
He's dug in like a tick.
I realize that hoping he would pull a Palin and quit was just wishful thinking.
There's not as much drama with Sean as we had with Sarah, but there's a downside to that. Parnell seems awkward in public, a strained smile and that math teacher laugh -- which is probably why we don't see him as often.
Sean Parnell, constitutionally speaking, is the worst governor Alaska has ever had. Ignoring the principles of the Owner State, he has taken us from surplus to deficit spending and we didn't even have to invade Iraq to do it.
Parnell said, "I think we've got a lot more work to do." I'm pretty sure he didn't mean fixing all the backward legislation he shoved through a gerrymandered Legislature. Pebble mine hasn't been permitted yet, but he's already bending over backward to sacrifice our renewable salmon resource on the altar of foreign mining interests.
The Chuit River hasn't been REMOVED yet for coal extraction, so that will be on his to-do list. Putting the state into debt to make energy available for said mining projects is yet to be accomplished -- though we're getting close. While the governor's idea for the puny little gas line to Cook Inlet passed the Legislature this year -- in a clever move akin to shipping sand to the beach -- someone might yet see what a waste of money that is and make a fuss, so he needs to baby-sit that.
The for-profit school voucher vultures are still circling for their piece of the pie. And someone needs to guard the borders to keep health care out.
Parnell went further: "I think Alaskans trust this administration." News flash, buddy, government doesn't run on trust. It runs on accountability. But good luck with that, citizens. The Parnell administration is so secretive and so dismissive of open government rules, we're all turning into mushrooms.
"I think they know what they can expect, that we will continue to look out for them, and I want to do that."
Who wrote that line for the governor? We're so confident the governor is looking out for us that hundreds of volunteers are collecting thousands of signatures to repeal SB 21, the governor's grand legacy, the bill to give away the farm without so much as the promise of an egg. If that endeavor succeeds, the governor will be running in a primary on a ballot that includes dumping his signature "achievement."
The Republican Party is ripping itself apart in a power struggle between the corporate overlords and the don't-tread-on-me crowd. Sean Parnell may have to actually debate someone who doesn't agree with his vision of Alaska as an oil colony. Bill Walker isn't going to bring a library book about knife fighting to a gunfight.
But here's the truth of it: Reelecting Sean Parnell will be a disaster for regular Alaskans. There's too much at stake for us to zone out and let this one pass by. Let's get ready for fishing season now, but in August, let's send him packing.
Shannyn Moore can be heard weekdays from 6 to 9 p.m. on KOAN 1020 AM and 95.5 FM radio. Her weekly TV show airs at 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays on ABC affiliate KYUR Channel 13.
Shannyn Moore
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