This Is Classic

When I saw this story, I just had to comment. Fearful of a challenge from Alaska's governor, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is publicly speaking out against the governor running against her in a primary when her seat comes up in 2010:

“I can guarantee it would be a very tough election,” Murkowski said in an interview.[...]

“If she wants to be president, I don’t think the way to the presidency is a short stop in the United States Senate,” Murkowski said.[...]

“One thing that Alaskans clearly appreciate is seniority,” said Murkowski, who was appointed to the Senate in 2002 by her father, who had just won the governor’s race. “If she were to kind of move me over, if you will, to run for national office again at the expense at this seniority that’s been built, I don’t know if Alaskans would look too favorably on that.

The reasons behind Murkowski's concerns are obvious: while Lisa is a shoo-in for re-election over any Democrat in two years, the governor would have an excellent chance of toppling her in a primary. Additionally, that Murkowski would have negative feelings for the governor is not surprising considering the governor ousted her dad in a 2006 primary on the way to being elected in her own right. Sure, during the presidential contest Murkowski said and did all the right things about how she loved the governor and was supporting her. But we all know that was nonsense. What is really telling here is that Murkowski would make this statements publicly. To me, they show tremendous fear by the incumbent senator.

I have one response to this: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

Really, this story is one that involes no heroes and no victims, but two scoundrels who may just deserve each other. In one corner is Murkowski, who was appointed to the seat by her father, after he left the Senate to become governor. She was narrowly elected in her own right in great part because John Kerry's name on the ballot deep-sixed her opponent. The idea of her being ousted by someone even less qualified in a primary would drip of delicious irony and poetic justice.

In the other corner sits Alaska's governor, who is clearly less qualified for the job. Were she to primary challenge Murkowski, it would be for one reason and one reason alone: to give the governor a national platform and a bigger profile for a presidential run. And these ambitions would be completely naked. Any pretext of the move being done for Alaska's benefit would be utter garbage, and rational people would know right off the bat. Not that Alasakans would care, and neither would the governor.

Who would win this battle, the princess who was given the seat by her daddy, or Alaska's grossly unqualified political queen? Hard to say with the contest nearly two years away. That's five lifetimes in politics. My gut tells me that the governor would end up winning. While both ladies are popular in the state, this would be a GOP primary, and thus dominated by the state's most conservative voters, the very same people who made up a huge part of the 48% Ted Stevens got and the 50% Don Young got last month. Because the governor is much more conservative than Murkowski (a point the article makes), the governor would enjoy a strong advantage.

From a strategic standpoint, I wonder if going to the Senate would be the right move for the governor. There's no question that Washington would give the govenor more noteriety than Juneau. However, were the governor to run and win, she would get to Washington in January 2011, one year before the 2012 election the governor would clearly have her eye on. Spending mere months in the Senate before running (and she would have to announce a run sometime in 2011) would likely not grant the governor the perception of enough experience in national (and international) issues (much less true experience; though we all know the perception is what will matter). Plus, making a second run in 2012, would smack of political opportunism that will be impossible to adequately shield from criticism. Oh well. If it happens, I won't be surprised, and neither should you. Still, the whole storyline is hilarious.

Regardless of whether the governor does run, we can be assured of one thing: if she believes it will help her career, she will challenge Murkowski, regardless of whether such a move would be good for Alaska or opposed by scores of other people. Ivan Moore, Alaska's respected political pollster said it best:

“Sarah is interested in what is best for Sarah, and she is not necessarily going to get sidetracked by party loyalties,” Moore said.