Palin Calls on Stevens to Resign, Sets Herself up to Appoint Successor

Governor Sarah Palin just issued an updated statement on Sen. Ted Stevens' guilty verdict, saying "the time has come for him to step aside." But what stands out most is the next sentence in her statement. "Even if elected on Tuesday," Palin says, "Senator Stevens should step aside to allow a special election to give Alaskans a real choice of who will serve them in Congress."

Should Stevens emerge the winner next Tuesday and then resign, guess who might get to appoint his temporary replacement?

Governor Palin.

Speculating on the power machinations presently in play is too tempting to resist. One scenario sees Palin filling Stevens' post with a Republican seat-warmer, then running for the spot in the special election...

Read the full post at AlaskaDispatch.

Comments

[vaneita]

Goodness, a currupt Governor, now a currupt Senator ! I think it's time for Todd to return to the recession party and take them with him.

[ecg3817]

YOU STEP DOWN SARAH PALIN!!!!!!

McCain and Palin call on Sen. Stevens to step down...what a JOKE...
What are these two fakes talking about? The US Senate is going to expel Stevens anyway...

McCain says:
Stevens "has broken his trust with the people."
The convictions were "a sign of the health of our democracy that the people continue to hold their representatives to account for improper or illegal conduct, but this verdict is also a sign of the corruption and insider-dealing that has become so pervasive in our nation's capital."

Ok...Ok...Ok...

So when is Sarah Palin going to step down?...PALIN BROKE THE LAW...LET HER STEP DOWN TOO!!! WHAT IS GOOD FOR STEVENS IS GOOD FOR PALIN!!!! PALIN STEP DOWN NOW!!!!
Go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/14/rachel-maddow-battles-dav_n_134508.html
And Scroll down and see the second Rachel Maddow video:

Finding regarding Sarah Palin’s:

For the reasons explained in section IV of the Troopergate Investigator’s report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides...

“The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.”

[TrooAmerican]

Alright everyone, look through her highschool yearbook and take bets on which person will end up as the next Alaskan Senator.
lol

[chuckgintn]

As I understand it, Alaska acutally has two conflicting laws on the books, one that the legislature passed allowing the Governor to appoint a Senator when there is a vacancy, and another passed by referendum that would require a special election. Due to the conflict, it would have to go before the Alaska Supreme Court to determine which law would be effective.

Of course, we can only hope that Begich wins (I mean, electing a convicted felon no matter what he has done for your State doesn't speak well for your constituency).

[vicbennett]

I call for Palin, McCain and Stevens to resign!

If American has any good luck, they will!

[boing007]

Levi? Sorry, he's not one of the family. Yet. What happened to Briston & Levi's late October marriage plans? Postponed?

[NamelessGenXer]

This may come to pass... but I predict that this joke of a candidate will NEVER again be *elected* to anything by the Alaskans who have gotten a rude awakening to the sick and twisted, hatemongering, blatantly and unapologetically corrupt Sarah Palin. (I *would* like to see her face off in the Senate against the likes of Clinton, Boxer, McCaskill, Klobuchar, et al).

[Jaxy]

Excuse me, but isn't she the same public official that was recently found to have: (a) betrayed the public truat; and (b) abused her office as Governor? So, it was an ethical violation, as opposed to a legal one. My view on the matter amounts to: "Pot, do meet Kettle ..."

[allwrite]

it was not a violation of a criminal statute, but was a violation of law.

[chuckgintn]

While what she did was not criminal, it was illegal and unethical. She was just fortunate enough not to have violated any criminal statutes that could have resulted in jail or prison. Her behavior is very similar to her senator's.

[Olampean]

If Stevens wins (not altogether unlikely) he will ultimately resign, she'll resign as Governor to be appointed by the Lt. Gov. (they're friendly) who will have ascended to Gov. She would then be able to suggest she has the "creds" for a 2012 run for Pres.

In fact, if Alaska's constituti­on/statute­s would allow it, it would not be entirely out the the question that she would abandon the sinking ship she's on to do that if Stevens were to resign in the next few days and she could take his place on the ballot. She'd figure she might have greater electability than Stevens even with only a few days until the vote.

God help us.

[bdaved]

I don't think Governor Palin would really enjoy being in the Senate we're going to have in 2009. I don't think she would like being one of one hundred, and a very junior one at that. She would either have to stick to her new-found aversion to earmarks or compromise on her, uh, principles. I wonder what kind of committee assignments she could get.
If she's in a position to become a senator in 2009 she's not going to be a very popular political figure. I think "Duncing With the Stars" is a more likely future scenario for her.

[LemonMeringue]

Reading the comments on the Anchorage Daily News it seems most Alaskans are Republicans.

No wonder their politics are so corrupt. Thy should try the other party for awhile, it cannot possibly be worse for them.

[Bruupo]

But the Republican party pays them too much state oil revenue for them to ever vote for a party that wants to "spread the wealth"...

[Alaskan99577]

Alaska is as red as Utah. Scary.

[Willow712]

Something weird about Palin. She spent so much time in Wasilla because her and her family don't like Juneau, and wanted to be in small town Wasilla. Why would she accept the VP nomination knowing she'd be in Washington all the time? She couldn't be VP in Wasilla, could she?

[LemonMeringue]

It's said she only worked 89 days in her 21 months as governor.

It's also said she hated the plum $122k a year appointment she got because of the commute and the regular hours.

I don't think she wants to work that hard. She wants to be a star, not president. And she wants the perks.

Who built her $552k house though?

[webro56]

Isn't this the same kind of s**t Stevens got convicted of or am I just misinformed.

[kycatfan]

I thought I had read on HP that her house was built by the same company that built Stevens'.

[Willow712]

Isn't there someone running against Stevens? If he wins, then there's no problem, right? If Stevens wins, then Palin gets to pick his successor. But if he doesn't win, then she doesn't get to pick.

[Alaskan99577]

Mark Begich, the Anchorage mayor is running against him and they have been in a dead heat. If Begich wins, no problem. If Stevens wins and gets booted, we will have a general election to find his replacement. The gov used to appoint a replacement until Murkowski vacated his Seat a couple years ago and appointed his daughter to the position. Even Alaskans couldn't stomach that trick.

[boing007]

The gov used to appoint a replacement until Murkowski vacated his Seat a couple years ago and appointed his daughter to the position. Even Alaskans couldn't stomach that trick.

That's funny. Palin ran as the anti-corruption candidate and now she is poised to do pretty much the same if Stevens wins. What a Maverick.

[gar38]

Ego-centric must be a prerequisite of being a politician in Alaska. But Palin is just following in her fundamentalistic belief of stomping them when their down ( or shooting them from above) and then skinning them alive and taking their meat and antlers for their own. May we be spared her simplistic holier than thou beliefs and hope alaska survives.

[billreef]

Nobody gets it. She is sending a signal to Alaskans that if they vote for Stevens he will resign and they can vote for another Republican in the special election. Expect him to mirror this announcement in the coming day. They can't stand the thought of a Democrat who gets in because he is replacing another corrupt Alaskan Republican.