The Other McCain

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BREAKING: Alaska Libertarian Party Calls Emergency Meeting About Murkowski

Posted on | August 29, 2010 | 71 Comments

Sources in Anchorage inform me that the five-member executive board of the Alaska Libertarian Party will convene in an emergency meeting today to discuss efforts by Lisa Murkowski’s supporters to secure the LP nomination for the Republican senator should she fail to overturn Joe Miller’s 1,668-vote margin in the GOP primary.

Meanwhile, about 5 a.m. ET today, Joe Miller sent a Tweet linking to this story by Sean Cockerham in the Anchorage Daily News:

Miller campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto said in an e-mail Saturday that there are many calls going out to Alaskans who voted absentee ballots, asking them who they voted for in the primary. . . .
“I believe, and time will prove it, (the calls) are being done for nefarious purposes,” DeSoto said in the e-mail. “It is definitely not being done by the Joe Miller campaign. It is being done, I believe, by the National Republican Senatorial Committee or someone they contracted with as the beginning of a legal battle to throw out ballots.”
It is public information who requests absentee ballots. Both the Murkowski campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign on Saturday denied making calls to absentee voters.

Yeah, of course they’d deny it. Just like they’d deny harrassing Joe Miller’s volunteers. But there’s more from the ADN story:

NRSC Communications Director Brian Walsh . . . said the single NRSC lawyer sent to Alaska to assist Murkowski with the ballot count, Sean Cairncross, returned to Washington, D.C., on Saturday after 72 hours in the state. “This has been much ado about nothing,” he said.

Wait a minute: How much of its donors’ money did the NRSC spend to send its top lawyer to Alaska for three days? Because I’m planning my own trip to Alaska, I know that flights to Alaska can be very expensive. A short-notice booking for a three-day trip? And I’m betting the NRSC lawyer didn’t fly coach class, either.

UPDATE: Democratic polling firm PPP:

In a three way contest with Murkowski running as the Libertarian candidate Miller leads but with only 38% to 34% for Murkowski and 22% for McAdams.

See, this is how the Palin-hater Andrew Halcro (who is behind the Lisa-for-LP talk) helps out Murkowski, the NRSC and — not coincidentally — Democrats.

Encouraging hope of  a Murkowski third-party bid (“She’s still in it! She’s fighting for you!”) prevents Murkowski’s supports from coming to grips with the reality of her defeat, and thus delays efforts by Miller to unite the GOP base and reach out to independent voters. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Murkowski’s people are talking to McAdams about letting her have the Democratic nomination.

As for Andrew Halcro’s scheme, remember that the No. 2 official in the Alaska LP said it’s “99% . . . no way” that the Libertarians would take Murkowski.

UPDATE III: The Alaska LP executive committee meeting lasted more than two hours, but the committee members were sworn to secrecy about the result. A press conference is scheduled Monday in Anchorage — I’ll update with details later — and Alaska LP chairman Scott Kohlhaas could be making an appearance on Fox News.

Meanwhile, Dan Riehl’s Republican sources say that the NRSC is up to shenanigans on Murkowski’s behalf and adds:

 Murkowski could still win this election legitimately. But, if she wins it any other way, and especially if the NRSC helps her do it, the DC GOP’s house is going to start burning down before they even gain control of the one on the Hill.

Read the whole thing.

Category: Alaska, Election, Joe Miller, Senate

Comments

71 Responses to “BREAKING: Alaska Libertarian Party Calls Emergency Meeting About Murkowski”

  1. EQV
    August 29th, 2010 @ 10:40 pm

    WHY is the NRSC helping Lisa Murkyslutsky, who is just going to pull a Charlie Crist? I know – she can’t run as an Indy, but will play the harlot with the Libbies, who apparently will be happy to get some of her big bucks. Are they all complete imbeciles at the NRSC?

    Call the NRSC tomorrow at 202-675-6000 & RAISE HELL!

  2. EQV
    August 29th, 2010 @ 10:40 pm

    WHY is the NRSC helping Lisa Murkyslutsky, who is just going to pull a Charlie Crist? I know – she can’t run as an Indy, but will play the harlot with the Libbies, who apparently will be happy to get some of her big bucks. Are they all complete imbeciles at the NRSC?

    Call the NRSC tomorrow at 202-675-6000 & RAISE HELL!

  3. EQV
    August 29th, 2010 @ 6:40 pm

    WHY is the NRSC helping Lisa Murkyslutsky, who is just going to pull a Charlie Crist? I know – she can’t run as an Indy, but will play the harlot with the Libbies, who apparently will be happy to get some of her big bucks. Are they all complete imbeciles at the NRSC?

    Call the NRSC tomorrow at 202-675-6000 & RAISE HELL!

  4. Joe
    August 29th, 2010 @ 11:42 pm

    That said, Murkowski could still win this election legitimately. But, if she wins it any other way, and especially if the NRSC helps her do it, the DC GOP’s house is going to start burning down before they even gain control of the one on the Hill.

    Riehl would know about this. He is from New Jersey.

  5. Joe
    August 29th, 2010 @ 11:42 pm

    That said, Murkowski could still win this election legitimately. But, if she wins it any other way, and especially if the NRSC helps her do it, the DC GOP’s house is going to start burning down before they even gain control of the one on the Hill.

    Riehl would know about this. He is from New Jersey.

  6. Joe
    August 29th, 2010 @ 7:42 pm

    That said, Murkowski could still win this election legitimately. But, if she wins it any other way, and especially if the NRSC helps her do it, the DC GOP’s house is going to start burning down before they even gain control of the one on the Hill.

    Riehl would know about this. He is from New Jersey.

  7. Randy Rager
    August 30th, 2010 @ 4:50 am

    I predict that the Alaska Libertarian Party will bend and spread like the cheap unprincipled whores that they are. It will be very instructive to see a bunch of libertarians suddenly realize that 1) it’s human nature to be corruptible and attention hungry, and 2) the very nature of political parties intensifies this tendency.

    The sooner the LP goes away, the better.

  8. Randy Rager
    August 30th, 2010 @ 4:50 am

    I predict that the Alaska Libertarian Party will bend and spread like the cheap unprincipled whores that they are. It will be very instructive to see a bunch of libertarians suddenly realize that 1) it’s human nature to be corruptible and attention hungry, and 2) the very nature of political parties intensifies this tendency.

    The sooner the LP goes away, the better.

  9. Randy Rager
    August 30th, 2010 @ 12:50 am

    I predict that the Alaska Libertarian Party will bend and spread like the cheap unprincipled whores that they are. It will be very instructive to see a bunch of libertarians suddenly realize that 1) it’s human nature to be corruptible and attention hungry, and 2) the very nature of political parties intensifies this tendency.

    The sooner the LP goes away, the better.

  10. Thane Eichenauer
    August 30th, 2010 @ 5:56 am

    If the Alaska LP goes away will what remains be better?

  11. Thane Eichenauer
    August 30th, 2010 @ 5:56 am

    If the Alaska LP goes away will what remains be better?

  12. Thane Eichenauer
    August 30th, 2010 @ 1:56 am

    If the Alaska LP goes away will what remains be better?

  13. Estragon
    August 30th, 2010 @ 7:29 am

    It’s hard to imagine the ALP ever having any credibility as “libertarians” again – such as is possible – after selling their nomination.

    Do their rules permit the 5-man committee to replace their nominee against his will? In any case, with a federal office involved, money changing hands might be illegal.

    Of course, it would tend to confirm the theory that all libertarians are whores.

    ~~~~~~

    Was there EVER a single SHRED of evidence presented that the NRSC lawyer was helping Murky with the ALP, or “manufacturing absentee ballots,” or any of the other serious allegations which have been bandied about like balloons at a child’s party?

    Or is still just 100% made-up crap? Isn’t that what the propagandists always do – make up a lie and keep repeating it?

    I’m all for holding NRSC’s feet to the fire when they screw up, and they do that often enough to keep the fire going, but there is no need to stoop to wild accusations without any basis in fact whatsoever. Leave the shameless dishonesty to the Democrats – they are better at it.

  14. Estragon
    August 30th, 2010 @ 7:29 am

    It’s hard to imagine the ALP ever having any credibility as “libertarians” again – such as is possible – after selling their nomination.

    Do their rules permit the 5-man committee to replace their nominee against his will? In any case, with a federal office involved, money changing hands might be illegal.

    Of course, it would tend to confirm the theory that all libertarians are whores.

    ~~~~~~

    Was there EVER a single SHRED of evidence presented that the NRSC lawyer was helping Murky with the ALP, or “manufacturing absentee ballots,” or any of the other serious allegations which have been bandied about like balloons at a child’s party?

    Or is still just 100% made-up crap? Isn’t that what the propagandists always do – make up a lie and keep repeating it?

    I’m all for holding NRSC’s feet to the fire when they screw up, and they do that often enough to keep the fire going, but there is no need to stoop to wild accusations without any basis in fact whatsoever. Leave the shameless dishonesty to the Democrats – they are better at it.

  15. Estragon
    August 30th, 2010 @ 3:29 am

    It’s hard to imagine the ALP ever having any credibility as “libertarians” again – such as is possible – after selling their nomination.

    Do their rules permit the 5-man committee to replace their nominee against his will? In any case, with a federal office involved, money changing hands might be illegal.

    Of course, it would tend to confirm the theory that all libertarians are whores.

    ~~~~~~

    Was there EVER a single SHRED of evidence presented that the NRSC lawyer was helping Murky with the ALP, or “manufacturing absentee ballots,” or any of the other serious allegations which have been bandied about like balloons at a child’s party?

    Or is still just 100% made-up crap? Isn’t that what the propagandists always do – make up a lie and keep repeating it?

    I’m all for holding NRSC’s feet to the fire when they screw up, and they do that often enough to keep the fire going, but there is no need to stoop to wild accusations without any basis in fact whatsoever. Leave the shameless dishonesty to the Democrats – they are better at it.

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