Alaska doesn’t elect a convicted felon to Senate |
Close the Ted Stevens drama curtains, he’s out. 
The Alaska recount wasn’t leaning his way and he said Uncle:
The end was not what Mr. Stevens would have scripted – a defeat just weeks after his conviction in federal court on ethics charges. The final votes were counted Tuesday, his 85th birthday, and the news came after his colleagues considered but postponed a vote on banishing him from the Republican ranks. Together, the developments represented a dismal finale for a man who had handled untold billions in federal dollars, helped create the modern military through his funding decisions and shaped his very state.
During Steven’s final speech to the Senate on CNN this morning he shared his guiding quote: "To hell with politics, just do what’s right for Alaska." Stepping down sooner — like when he was convicted – would have been doing the right thing for Alaska, but hey it worked out the way it should have and those yellow-bellied senators who wouldn’t cast a vote on a convicted felon get off easy.
As the picture shows in this post, they applauded Stevens at the end of his speech. After 40 years of service, I’m sure he deserved it, but all I know about the guy as a non-Alaskan is he seemed to spit in the face of the court’s decision. Had a hard time respecting someone who couldn’t vote in elections in a lot of states imagining he might have been able to vote on laws impacting me. Shoulda, woulda, coulda — it doesn’t matter now.
Alaskans got it right
We also don’t have to worry about Sarah Palin possibly naming herself to an open Senate seat either. The Democrats now have 58 seats with Minnesota and Georgia still in recount stage. They could get to the magic 60-vote threshold.
A friend of mine is concerned about the lack of a balance of power this time around. Look around, the country is a mess right now, no thanks to the Bush years. It’s time for some change and my attitude is let’s see what happens with fewer roadblocks. It could get worse, I’m willing to accept that risk, but having government battle it out while things continue to be unstable in the economy seems a worse path to take.
Did this post make you go hmm?
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Hooray, Stevens is gone.
But I do worry about the Dems getting to 60. I think it’s a good thing if they have to reach across the aisle for consensus, rather than being able to ram through any policy they want. As bad as the Bush years were, Democrats run amok could do just as much damage with the government’s left hand as the Republicans did with the right. I’m all for change, but lets not create another oligarchy to bring it about.
Comment by Sterling Camden — November 20, 2008 @ 1:12 pm PST
I have not crystal ball, Sterling, but your concerns as well as my other friend’s are duly noted. I wouldn’t be truthful if I said it didn’t make me nervous not having the balance of power, but there are radical times where some radical changes are in order. I hope Obama and the congress make the right decisions.
If they don’t, then I’ll regret looking forward to not having the gridlock that would be in play with a more balanced government.
They aren’t at the 60 seats yet though, so we’re talking in maybes at the moment.
Comment by TDavid — November 20, 2008 @ 1:25 pm PST