For a while I was so caught up in how stupid it would be for Alaskans to elect convicted felon Ted Stevens that I didn’t keep up on what this could have meant for Sarah Palin.  As I discussed in an earlier article, a win by Ted Stevens could have resulted in a special election after his getting kicked to the curb ousted by other party members.  Assuming that Alaskans were voting their ticket, the Republican Sarah Palin (with her fancy clothes) could very easily have assumed Ted Stevens seat in the senate.  What a nightmare that could have been.

Fortunately for Alaska – and probably America as a whole – Ted Stevens didn’t win his bid for re-election and Sarah Palin has lost her chance to get anywhere near the Senate this term.  Sure, that could change in the future, or if you believe in wild possibilities she could be running for President in 2012, but at this point I am hopeful that her 15 minutes of fame have passed and she’ll quietly fade into oblivion.  Heck, maybe she’ll leave her husband and run off with Joe the Plumber.  How many kids would that give them?

Ranter

Fortunately, all is not lost, because this weeks election resulted in a significant number of democrats being elected into senate, which would likely create a difficult road for Stevens if he tried to keep his seat.  The Washington post says it best:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said this week that even if Stevens wins his race, he shouldn’t expect to keep his job on Capitol Hill. “The reality is that a convicted felon is not going to be able to serve in the United States Senate,” Reid said. “And as precedent shows us, Senator Stevens will face an ethics committee investigation and expulsion, regardless of his appeals process.”

Of course, this is where it gets entertaining.  As we all know from other articles, Sarah Palin has some lipstick and $150,000 in clothing (when are they going to donate those clothes?) that might just help her become the frontrunner if any special election should be called.  Sounds like bad news for the Democratic challenger, Mark Begich, and bad news for Alaska.  Of course, this is the same state that’s considering a convicted felon a viable candidate for office – maybe they’ll get what they deserve.

Ranter

Fond of saying “the only special interest I care about is Alaska,” Ted Stevens was convicted today on seven counts of lying about more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations he received from corrupt oil and field services contractor Bill Allen (founder of VECO, Corp.)  I guess he figures because his home is in Alaska, that was an improvement that everyone could appreciate.

A couple of interesting facts as quoted by Fox News:

1. Stevens has held his Senate seat for 40 years.
2. He won his sixth term of office in 2002 with 78% of the vote.
3. In 1999 he was named “Alaskan of the Century” for having the greatest impact on the state in 100 years.
4. The anchorage airport is named in his honor.
5. He plans to continue running for office, although he now faces a tight race with Democrat Mark Begich.

My take on these facts:

1. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.  It’s examples like this that suggest term limits are there for a reason.  Someone that powerful, if at all inclined, eventually thinks that they are above the law.  That’s not the case.
2. Term limits, term limits, term limits.  This isn’t Wal-Mart.  The people of Alaska and every other state need to start thinking about what new people are able to bring to the table.  New ideas; new integrity.
3. When a state reveres someone to this extent, it’s only a matter of time before something like this happens.  Nobody is immune to human nature.
4. I guess hoping that they’ll rename the airport after Barack Obama is out of the question?
5. Can you effectively run an office from prison?  I mean, this is a felony, right?!?!  They have rules about those things, even in Alaska, right?  (Each count is punishable by 5 years in prison.)

So in all fairness, I commend Ted Stevens for what he’s done for the state of Alaska.  I’m sure he’s done some good things – it’s just too bad that’s all for nothing when convicted of a crime like this.  But, Sarah Palin has told us many times that Alaska is not another country (or planet for that matter) and I believe that it’s time the people of Alaska realize that for themselves – there are stupid people in Alaska, too, but that doesn’t mean you have to put them in office.

To acknowledge his years of service and mitigate any damage that he might do to her, Sarah Palin was quick to put out a less than supportive quote:

“The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company that was allowed to control too much of our state. It was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight. And that fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past service.  I’m confident Senator Stevens will do what’s right for the people of Alaska.”

I’m sure Senator Stevens is thinking, “and thank for your support, bitch.”

Ranter