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Updated: Quit Happens; Sarah Palin's Constitutional Train Wreck
When Senator Bill Wielechowski came on my radio program this week, he dropped a bomb I wasn't ready for; in order for Alaska to avoid a constitutional crisis, "The real solution...is for the governor to say...'I will withhold my resignation until the legislature can meet.'"
Dead air...please explain, Senator.
Wielechowski pointed out that this was the first summer in years that the legislature was not called into a special session. Lawmakers made plans. Plans to fish, plans to visit friends and relatives Outside, plans to just enjoy an Alaskan Summer. Getting everyone together prior to July 25 (Palin's last day as governor) is almost next to impossible ("...we estimate we can (meet) first-second week in August...").
For some reason, nothing seems simple in Alaska. It would seem with the governor's resignation, the Lieutenant Governor, Sean Parnell, could simply take his seat. The appointed third-in-line would then slip into Sean's chair and we could get back to business.
Sorry. According to both parties, Alaska sits on the edge of a constitutional crisis because of the "chain of command vacuum" created by the governor's abrupt resignation.
The perfect storm of events lined up on February 6, 2009. Senate Resolution 5 passed 16 - 1. It found Todd Palin and the governor's aides guilty of contempt of the State of Alaska Senate. Their refusal to co-operate with subpoenas during the Branchflower Investigation came with no penalties; just the finding. Four days later, Attorney General Talis Colberg resigned. Colberg purportedly advised those found in contempt to ignore their subpoenas.
In February 2007, Palin appointed her AG, Talis Colberg, to serve as successor to the Lieutenant Governor. The legislative body confirmed him. His resignation called for not only a new AG, but a new successor as well.
On April 16th, the nomination of Wayne Anthony Ross for AG was defeated after a long, controversial hearing. Commissioner of Corrections, Joe Schmidt was confirmed as "third in line" in the event the governor or lieutenant governor were unable to fulfill their duties.
Hey, great, constitutional obligations met! Not so fast...
When the governor resigned, Joe Schmidt, who had lobbied for the job and sent thank you notes to those who voted for him, decided "Thanks, but no thanks." Schmidt, a high school friend of Palin's, was a controversial nomination after a 514-19 vote of "no confidence" by the Alaska Correctional Officers Association in 2008. Their lack of confidence had to do with cover up of a contagious bacterial infection, MRSA, among prisoners and guards. In May, the ACOA filed a lawsuit against Sarah Palin's administration for purposefully dragging its feet in getting the legislature to appropriate pay increases, thereby sabotaging new contract arbitration.
It's hard to know why Mr. Schmidt declined his previously sought duty, but a replacement was named by the governor quickly; Alaska National Guard Lieutenant General Craig Campbell.
Last August, just days after Sarah Palin's VP nomination, then Major General Campbell told the AP the governor had no control over the Alaska Air National Guard. He continued breaking down the meme of her experience in an interview with the Boston Globe. Two days later, on Friday, September 8th, Campbell flip-flopped on Fox news. He sang the governor's praises. The following Monday, Palin promoted him to Lieutenant General in the Alaska National Guard-a rank only recognized in Alaska. Now she has promoted him for his loyalty again; this time to Lieutenant Governor.
Here is where the constitutional crisis has a head on.
With Palin's resignation, Joe Schmidt declining the Lt. Gov job, and Mr. Campbell not being confirmed by the legislative body...we are left with one leader, Sean Parnell, and no spares. According to the Constitution we have to have a spare. The only way to get a spare is to have a special session and confirm Mr. Campbell. Palin's newest attorney general appointee, Dan Sullivan, formerly of the Bush Administration, supports the unconfirmed succession of Mr. Campbell. Mr. Sullivan has yet to be confirmed by the legislature.
Oooh, lucky us! An oh-so-special session! Wait!
Governor Palin's $28.6 million veto of federal stimulus funds for energy assistance and weatherization is on the desk waiting for next year's session to start. The legislature has 5 days to override the governor's veto, or forfeit it. The decision was made not to have a special session to flip her decision-not for the lack of votes, but because of the expense.
As more information rolls out, Palin's excuses for leaving office become weaker. The ethics complaints were to blame. "Millions of dollars" have been sifted down to less than $300,000-$296,042.58 to be exact. The ethics complaint Palin filed on herself in a political attempt to derail the Branchflower Investigation cost the state $187,797. That means all of the other complaints combined cost the state $108,245.58. But wait, Alaskan Frank Gwartney's "travelgate" complaint forced Palin to cough up $8,143.62 back to the state coffers. So the net cost of all of the ethics complaints, excluding Palin's expensive political stunt, was $101,101.84.
On June 26, 2007, a joint special session was called to fund a program for low income seniors. The cost of the one day meeting? $103,500.
Here's the rub; Governor Palin aborting her term will end up costing Alaskans more than all of the non-Palin ethics complaints combined. Former legislators I spoke with estimated this session would cost somewhere north of $150,000. $150,000 just to sort out her mess! Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers I've talked to see this "July Surprise" as an expensive constitutional train wreck. Most are projecting the session needing at least a few days.
Let's do the math:
Branchflower Report: $75,000 (Legislative investigation that found Sarah Palin guilty of abuse of power.)
Palin's own ethics complaint: $187,245.58 (A political tactic filed in an attempt to de-rail the Branchflower Report.)
Special Session (Low estimate):$150,000
PALIN'S cost to the State of Alaska? $402,245.58
"FRIVOLOUS ETHICS COMPLAINERS" cost to the State of Alaska? $101,101.84
Maybe we need to start AlaskaPAC.
If the solution to averting a constitutional crisis is for Sarah Palin to stay on as governor for a few weeks, as one Democratic Senator suggested on my radio show, Alaska should be a reality show. "Help, I'm A Celebrity Governor, Get Me Out Of Here!"
UPDATE: Lieutenant Governor, and soon to be governor, Sean Parnell signed a letter naming Lieutenant General (rank only applies in AK) Craig E. Campbell as his temporary substitute effective upon Lieutenant Governor Parnell's succession to the Office of Governor July 26.
Parnell called it a "win-win approach to ensuring a clear and secure line of succession to the office of lieutenant governor."
Parnell is relying on the opinion of the acting attorney general, Dan Sullivan released last week, showing neither party understands the constitutional requirements for succession. Sullivan's opinion is non-binding and in conflict with those of legislative legal. It makes no difference if Palin or Parnell appoints the replacement for Lt. Gov. if the legislature hasn't voted to confirm the nomination. A third successor has yet to be named.
Potential crisis not averted by Parnell's letter. Word of a special session is yet to be finalized.
The new, unofficial Alaska motto: Quit Happens.
Follow Shannyn Moore on Twitter: www.twitter.com/shannynmoore
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Greer group has surprise meeting with Sarah Palin during trip to Wasilla
By Abe Hardesty • City People writer • August 6, 2009
When Chip Sloan stepped out of a tour bus last week in the middle of Alaska, he was happy to take a photo of the “Welcome to Wasilla” sign entering Sarah Palin's hometown.
To his surprise, he found Palin as well.
As Sloan was pointing his camera at the large welcome sign amid a light late-afternoon rain, a black Volkswagen pulled to the side of the road just a few yards behind him. A ponytailed Palin, wearing a jogging outfit and a headband, stepped out of the car.
“I thought, ‘That looks like Sarah Palin, but it can't be,'” Sloan said. “Then, when someone approached her, I heard her say, ‘I'm Sarah.'”
“I was blown away,” Sloan said.
His wife, Margaret Sloan, “was really impressed that she went out of her way to stop and talk. It was exciting. She's a real person. She's genuine.”
The two retired educators (Chip is a former Greer Middle School principal and Margaret is a former principal at Blue Ridge Middle), joined two other Greenville County couples — Jerry and Peggy Frazier and Bud and Sharon Turner — on a 12-day tour of Alaska's interior that took them from Fairbanks to Denali National Park, through Wasilla and eventually to Anchorage.
They were riding from Denali to Anchorage July 27 when the bus stopped at the entrance of the hometown of Palin, who rose to national prominence when 2008 presidential candidate John McCain chose her as his running mate.
Driven by husband Todd, Palin was planning to jog a few miles shortly after the couple had completed a bumpy, 315-mile ride from Fairbanks. Palin had stepped down as governor a day earlier during a press conference in Fairbanks.
“She said Todd was taking her to jog, but she wanted to stop and say hi,” said Peggy Frazier. “When she got on the bus, someone asked her to pose for some pictures, and she said she didn't have any makeup on — but she did it anyway. She was very gracious. Everybody on the bus was flabbergasted.
“She was so down-to-earth,” Jerry Frazier said. “There didn't seem to be anything pretentious. For her to stop, in a light rain, just to meet some people on a bus, told me that she loves meeting people.”
After chatting outside the bus with the photo-takers, Palin entered the bus to greet each rider individually. She shook hands, exchanged hugs, posed for photos and signed autographs.
As Todd Palin waited patiently in the car, Chip Sloan wandered in that direction for a chat.
“It was like we had known each other a long time. He was as nice as anyone could be,” Sloan said.
Bud Turner said Palin “seemed glad to meet a bunch of new folks. She asked everybody where they were from, and thanked us for visiting. She hugged all the women. My wife even got a picture of me with my arm around another woman (Palin).”
A small thing like a Constitutional crisis certainly wouldn't deter Palin from doing what she wants. After all as she said, she is doing this for Alaska. What a joke. Good blog Shannyn http://newsy1.wordpress.com
pailn: you're a funny girl. you have brought trouble to Alaska. how much more to the whole country?
I just wish Palin would disappear and that is a fact!!!
This woman re-defines the word clueless. Many Moderate Republicans have jumped ship because of her. She has a bad case of Political ADD.
She probably didn't even realize the mess she was making when she quit, just like she didn't know what she was really doing while she was the gov. Good riddance, but I feel sorry for the citizens of AK with all the damage she has done. Yes, Quit Happens, but there are major consequences left for AK citizens to muddle through.
No boasting tweets today? I wonder why.
She's just trying to make Obama look bad by adding to the unemployment rolls.
Looking at the unemployment numbers, I don't think he needs any help. He's doing "better" than Bush on his worst day, and that's saying something. This is so bad, I wish Nixon was back. Or even Carter.
What about Reagan back? Since you are mentioning prior presidents.
BossBabe, tell me. Why is President Obama dragged into every conversation about Palin? She is not even in his league.
I'll bet this is all news to Sarah
Great job! And done under persona threat of law suit! Shannon is a remarkable person as well as journalist. This is what blogging should be about.
http://www.squidoo.com/eugenehrobinson
Where is Sarah Palin getting the real money to pay off all her bills? Her butch husband doesn't make that much money. Graft and corruption must be the answer. Maybe the maybe son in law, Levi, was not really wrong when he said she needed money. After all, Levi knows some real details of the story. Didn't anyone pick up an interesting detail in his blabbing to the press. He was living in the Palin household and knew what was going on. Living under the same roof as his sweetheart daughter Bristol, and Bristol gets pregnant the same time as soccer mom Sarah.
The entire family needs counseling and Sarah is on the edge of a breakdown.
http://www.palindeception.com/blog/2009/06/pulling-palin-my-response-to.html
Good Grief, When you get a minute . . .
Great job of investigative journalism, Shannyn Moore. Example of a blogger who isn't a lightweight.
Seconded!
Go, Shannyn! Go, Shannyn!
Thanks for a great article. You're welcome in the Lower 48, esp. the elitist Northeast, anytime!
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