Regarding the GovTard appointing herself to fill Ted Stevens' imminent vacancy: it can't happen, at least not in the traditional sense.
After Frank Murkowski resigned from the Senate in 2002 and appointed his vapid daughter to replace him, Alaska's state legislature passed a law requiring special elections within 90 days to fill Congressional vacancies.
The Governor of Alaska does not have the power to appoint anyone, let alone herself, to "fill" such a seat. At most the Governor may be able to appoint a placeholder for a two months until the special election can be held.
Even that is dubious, and doing so would prompt a resolution before the Alaska Supreme Court on the lack of clarity in the 2004 legislation (which notes that special elections must be held but does not clarify whether the Governor retains the power to appoint a short-term replacement – see State of Alaska v. Trust the People).
Whether Palin would resign the Governor's mansion to roll the dice on a crash-course Senate election is unclear.
But she's a "maverick" so who knows what to expect! She could Go Rogue!
Scott says:
Don't you think that Palin is a lock to win in a runoff against Begich, though? Seriously, if a convicted felon like Stevens can eke out a victory, doesn't that mean that Palin would trounce him? They absolutely adore her up there because she stands up to us outsiders from the lower 48.
I really don't understand Alaskan politics or voters…
Kulkuri says:
After making a fool of herself and by doing so reflecting badly on Alaska, she is no longer the darling of Alaskans. But who knows, if they would re-elect a crook, they are liable to do anything.
Brandon says:
And I had read earlier that their d-bag Congressman, Don Young, might be in trouble, but I see he cruised to victory as well. He has his own legal troubles over corruption issues; what is with Alaskans, their elected leaders being indicted on corruption charges just makes them more popular?
Dustin says:
Isn't a governor a more esteemed position than senator anyway? what motivation would she have…
Ed says:
I'm not sure it's possible to rank-order positions to determine which one is "better." I think it's about what she thinks will best position her for 2012. Given the historical reality of presidential candidates, being a Governor would seem to offer better odds than sitting in the Senate.
Scott, I have no idea if the special election would be that cut-and-dried. I really don't. I do know that about 1/4 of the GOP in that state hate her guts and I also wonder if she hasn't sufficiently humiliated Alaska to cause an electoral backlash. But my knee-jerk reaction would be that yes, it seems like if Stevens can win then Palin could also.
J. Dryden says:
Isn't the notion of Palin 'positioning' herself for 2012 a bit like Quayle making similar plans after the Bush ticket lost on the second go-around? Numbers don't lie, and Palin's negatives are ridiculous. When the question of "Why McCain Lost" gets raised, the dual answer of "the Economy tanked" and "He chose a Veep who scared the bejesus out of the bulk of the electorate" is likely to keep getting play. So is this something that anyone in the GOP power-structure is likely to sign off on, given what just happened?
Ed says:
Yes, I find it patently ludicrous and in fact I would practically beg her to run in 2012. Regardless I think the question at hand is what she will do, not what makes sense.
L. Carr says:
Palin's like one of those old school, horror movie monster/zombies that just keeps coming back to life a few minutes after you think she's been killed forever. I'm afraid we're stuck with her. I"m going to buy some garlic.
Scott says:
I think it makes sense for Palin to run for a couple of reasons. First, one of the knocks against her was that she didn't understand the world of major league politics. It's patently obvious that what worked to get her elected in Alaska won't work on a national campaign. Her advisers probably believe that spending 4 years in the Senate will fix that. Second, if we assume that a major fracturing of the GOP is coming, she must be seen as a standard bearer for the religious faction. Serving in the Senate will keep her in the center of the political world and in the public's eye as opposed to the political boonies of Alaska.
With all that being said, I think she's as big of an egomaniac as anyone else in the realm of candidates. She'll do whatever she can to keep the attention on herself.
Ed says:
I apologiz for spam-filtering Jeff's very well-thought-out comment about Stevens' win. I wish I could resurrect it from the dead.