Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young has died

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Anchorage Daily News

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Politics
Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young has died
By Anchorage Daily News
Updated: 2 minutes ago
Published: 22 minutes ago

Rep. Don Young in his Washington D.C. office on Thursday, June 25, 2015. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young died Friday, according to his former chief of staff.

Young, a Republican and the longest-serving member of Congress, lost consciousness on a flight from Los Angeles to Seattle, and couldn’t be resuscitated, said Jack Ferguson, a lobbyist who served as Young’s chief of staff.

“Everyone’s learning about it right at the moment. The phone’s ringing off the hook,” Ferguson said. “I’m sad to lose such a good friend, and a person that I’ve known all his political career.”

Young, a Republican, had served in Congress since 1973, when he was sworn in after winning a special election.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/03/18/alaska-us-rep-don-young-has-died-according-to-former-aides/

[L. Coyote]

1. Deja DU: Who's Who in the "Corrupt Bastards Club" ?? Nothing Fishy Here. MOVE ON

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2101151

[ancianita]

19. Hah... bet that got you all nostalgic, what with all that donation data!

[peppertree]

23. Ah, the Bush era. As Greg Palast liked to refer to it, the best gummint money can buy.

That said, Godspeed to Don Young. Best wishes to his loved ones.

[Sanity Claws]

2. 88 years old

A long full life.
But did you notice that the report came from "a lobbyist who served as Young's chief of staff."

[bottomofthehill]

3. Served, not currently his COs.

[Sanity Claws]

6. That is what I thought

but the person who announced his death was a lobbyist. Yes, the two became friends when the guy served as COS but they remained very close after the guy left and became a lobbyist. That doesn't sound right to me.

[bottomofthehill]

7. Not uncommon in congressional circles.

Many COS go on to lobby and remain close to the boss. Often as their chief fundraiser.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. He was 88.

With all due respect -- and I know almost nothing about him at this point -- am I the only one who thinks that elected persons need to seriously think about leaving office and letting a younger person in before they themselves die of old age?

[Haggis 4 Breakfast]

8. You are NOT alone, my friend.

There are many in Congress who should have left long ago. I'm not going to name names, but you can google the folks who are over 80 and draw your own conclusions.

I think that once you reach a certain age, you KNOW you are no longer connected to the majority of your district or state. It is obvious that some of these people are way out of touch, judging by the comments they make and then have to walk back or apologize for.

Medically speaking, most are past their prime and they no longer have the mental and intellectual acuity they once possessed and it shows. Physical frailties become visible. Why- in the face of that - not retire and enjoy what time you have left while you can still enjoy it with your family ?

Lastly, I think it's selfishness and an ego-driven need to cling to power no matter the outcome. As if they are the only ones who understand what's going on in their region or the world. No fool like an old fool.

Yes, it is time for some of them to go. Past time.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. You have expressed it much better than I might have.

I have been railing against elderly lawmakers for some time now, and I'm heartily sick of the justification "They are experienced! They can get things done!"

One reason we've done so badly against Republicans is that for at least two decades now aging Democrats have clung to power, refused to consider that at some point they will be gone and that younger people need to be brought along, while the Republicans cheerfully bring in young folks, groom them to do the job, and they do.

[Haggis 4 Breakfast]

10. Any chance you live in CA or IA or OK ????

Not that we're naming names here . . . .

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. No, lucky me.

I live in NM.

This state, like every state, has its flaws, but so far Senators and Representatives don't stay past their sell-by date.

I was somewhat disheartened when Senator Tom Udall decided to leave office at the end of 2020. He and I are the same age, although he probably looks a good ten years younger -- and at that I flatter myself that I look several years younger than my true age. I've actually met him several times because of involvement in politics, and after the very first time he always remembered me. I was quite impressed, as I'm someone who has trouble remembering people. ("Really? You're my brother? Are you sure?" ) You get the idea here.

Here's my best Tom Udall (sort of) story. In something like 2005 (maybe a year before, maybe a year after) I was taking a Summer Classics course at St. John's College here in New Mexico, some years before I actually moved here. The classes had a certain formality to them, in that we all addressed each other by surname. I was Ms. Oglethorpe. You'd be Mr or Ms Breakfast. Anyway, in my class there was a Ms. Cooper. Nice lady. At the end of the week I was chatting with her and she said something about living in DC part of the year. Now, I've lived there myself, and so I said, "Why would you ever want to spend time in DC if you are here in New Mexico???" She sort of hung her head and said, "Well, I'm married to a Congressman." Turns out she was Jill Cooper Udall, wife of Tom Udall.

In 2008 I'd moved to Santa Fe, and attended a rally for Barack Obama. On the bus were Howard Dean (who I'd happily supported in 2004) and one of the Raj and Kumar guys and Jill Cooper. I was in the front row, and after the speeches by them, they of course came forward to shake hands and speak briefly with us. All the time Jill was looking at me with the "I think I know you" look in her eyes. When she finally got to me she said, "Do I know you?" I replied, "Archimedes" which was who we were learning about a few years earlier in the Summer Classics class. She then immediately remembered me. Over the next few years I was occasionally at a political event with her and/or Tom, and they both always remembered me.

[riversedge]

15. thanks for the story. lovely to know such fine people. I lived in ABQ for a while-during the time

obama was running for Pres. went to his rally there. I miss the city-and the state. It has beautiful places. I hiked the open spaces in ABQ 3 to 4 times a week.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

18. Ahhh, lucky you.

For ten years I worked at Washington National Airport, and crossed paths with lots of politicians. Here's another story.

One day a very tall man leaned down (I'm 5'2" ), handed me his ticket, and said, "I need you to rebook these tickets because my wife cannot accompany me on part of this trip." It turned out to be a VERY complicated rewrite of the ticket (details are no longer important) but the very tall man was Jay Rockefeller, then Governor of West Virginia. He did not send some aide to the counter for the rewrite, -- I've had that happen and should I tell you about Admiral Zumwalt? -- but did it himself. And he was very patient while I went through everything. And honestly, it was rather tricky, but I got it done. He simply didn't act like 'I'm the Governor of a State' but more like 'I'm a regular person who has made changes in my travel and can you help me?' guy. Wow.

[Haggis 4 Breakfast]

16. What a lovely memory.

Why did Tom Udall "retire" from Congress ? Was it becoming unbearable for him ? And is he related to Morris Udall ? From AZ ?

I, too, spent time in DC (I served as a presidential scholar for two years - one year under GHWB and one year under Clinton) and hated every minute there. Ugh, the heat and humidity in the summer damn near killed me; you'd walk into buildings dripping sweat and straight into bone-chilling dehydration. The winters there were more brutal than anyplace that far south should be allowed to be. The wind coming off the Potomac felt like little tiny knives - and I grew up on the shore of Lake Eric. Another thing that always bothered me there - the constant sound of police sirens. Day and night. It seems they were ever-present.

My better half had family in Alamagordo. We only visited once, but it was so beautiful. Most people see the desert as barren and empty, but the truth is really the exact opposite. If you look, you see life everywhere. And the mountains . . . sigh.

Funny aside. Once when we were driving across the country on I-10, we passed through some part of NM, and saw a roadside sign that read : DO NOT PICK UP HITCH HIKERS. PENITENTIERY NEARBY. We thought, well, that ought to do the trick. And the gas peddle went to the floor. And before we knew it, we were in AZ.

[ancianita]

20. ...

Something on both Udalls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Udall

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

21. Ohh, we need to get together for a beer or three.

I think, without having any actual knowledge here, that Tom Udall simply figured it was time to retire, as he was a bit over 70. He and I are almost exactly the same age.

He is Morris Udall's nephew, son of Stewart Udall. He's currently ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

There was a lot I loved about living in DC, mainly the Smithsonian museums. In 1976 I trained as a docent at the Natural History Museum, specifically to be able to give tours to the many foreign visitors we were expecting for the Bicentennial. I wound up giving exactly one, in French, my foreign language. But doing the training for the tours got me to return to college which was good for various other things.

Speaking of winter winds there. One January morning in 1970, I was waiting for the bus to the airport because I was going to fly to Utica, NY, to visit friends there. I'd already heard on the news that the temperature was something like 3 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill of minus 20. I was so cold, waiting for the bus, that I was nearly in tears. Anyway, I got to the airport, got on the plane, and flew to Utica. When I got off, I laughed out loud, because I looked at the thermometer and it read minus 20. And I wasn't as cold there as I'd been in DC. An excellent example of wind chill, because the wind chill in DC was vastly worse than the actual temperature in Utica.

I lived in DC much earlier than you did, and I'll say I didn't notice constant police sirens.

I have seen the DO NOT PICK UP HITCH HIKERS signs in many states.

[Haggis 4 Breakfast]

24. Docent at the Natural History Museum sounds like a dream job.

How lucky you were to have experienced that and all of the training and the meeting of new friends. Sounds exciting.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. It was amazing.

I already lived in the DC area, was a ticket agent at National Airport, and spent a lot of free time on the Mall or in the Smithsonian Museums. My sister-in-law, my brother's wife, had herself become a docent at the Smithsonian, and knew they were looking for people with foreign language skills to train to give the highlights tour at the Natural History Museum, in a foreign language. She felt my French was strong enough and encouraged me to apply. So I did, and was accepted. The training was amazing. We spent hours in each and every hall of the museum, most of which have been totally transformed since then.

I may perhaps have given a tour or two in English. After all these years, I don't trust my memory. But I do remember very clearly that the experience of becoming a docent absolutely sent me back to college. I enrolled in Northern Virginia Community College, the Alexandria campus. When I was taking geology I sometimes went to the Natural History Museum to review some of the information I needed.

I also had the wonderful good fortune to be living there in 1976, for the Bicentennial. I had decided I would absolutely go to the Mall on July 4th. My older brother lived in Maryland, and for a while he was dismissive of that plan, saying there would be violence and such. I told him no, he was wrong, there would be no violence, and I would definitely go to the Mall that night.

I was scheduled a day shift at the airport (I was a ticket agent at DCA, Washington National Airport at the time) and when I got off work at 4pm went home, changed clothes, packed a few things, and took a bus to the Mall. Only that was easier said than done. At least three buses passed me by because they were full. Finally one stopped and let me on. I think I had to stand because of crowding. I remember a lot of friendliness and chatting. When I got off the bus across from the Washington Monument, I was overwhelmed by the number of people there. An hour or so earlier my brother, who I was meeting up with, had called me to rearrange our meeting point. I was able to connect with him, but no more than thirty minutes later that part of the Mall was closed to new arrivals. In the end, at least one million people were on the Mall that day. We watched the fireworks and I walked most of the way home, getting a ride for the last mile or so.

I intend to be in DC for July 4, 2026. I will tell every single person I see, "I was here 50 years ago today." My long suffering son (My Son The Astronomer) will be with me, and I know he'll roll his eyes all day long. However, he is likely to be around in 2076, and I've told him he needs to go to Washington DC for the Tricentennial, and be on the Mall that day. He can tell every single person he meets, "I was here 50 years ago today, and my parents were here 100 years ago today." Indeed, his father was also at the Bicentennial, even though he and I didn't meet for another three years. And here's the kicker. None of my four grandparents, and none of my husband's four grandparents had even been born in 1876. Plus, none of them lived in this country. They were all born in Europe, and while they happily became citizens of this country it was after 1900 for all of them.

[cstanleytech]

22. I do not care about age but if you cannot win without an increase of 5% more of the voters

than the last time you were elected you should not be able to remain in office and that should be part of the Constitution.

[oldsoftie]

29. Which is why we need term limits.

[brooklynite]

5. There is ONE Democrat, ONE Libertarian and 6 Republicans in the race

Nick Begich III (R) - Software Executive & Grandson of late US Rep Nick Begich
Gregg Brelsford (R) - Ex-Dillingham City Manager, Ex-Bristol Bay Manager & Attorney
Shannon Scott Evans (R) - Janitorial Service Owner
Bob Lyons (R) - Psychologist, Ex-Truck Driver & Anti-Vaccine Activist
Julio Perez (R) - Supply Company Sales Agent
Randy Purham (R) - Businessman & Retired Army Veteran

Chris Bye (L) - Fishing Guide & Retired Army Officer

Chris Constant (D) - Anchorage Assemblyman, Realtor & Nonprofit Executive

[SouthBayDem]

17. Wait...Nick Begich III is a REPUBLICAN?

His grandfather - the previous holder of Don Young's seat who also died in office - was a Democrat. And his uncle Mark Begich was a Democratic Senator from 2009-15 (ironically he defeated Ted Stevens in the same election where McCain/Palin won in AK, largely due to Stevens being charged with corruption that year).

Nick III said he is a lifelong Republican and more conservative than Don Young. How that happened in a prominent Democratic Party, I don't know (maybe being a software executive draws him to Republican business/economic policies? Or he's a Republican for electability reasons in his state in the same way Joe Manchin is a "Democrat"?)

[SouthBayDem]

11. Second consecutive Alaska at-large representative to die while in office.

Back in 1972, Rep. Nick Begich died in that plane crash; his body was never found.

[NewHendoLib]

12. buh bye, now.

[AZLD4Candidate]

13. I'm trying to feel upset about this. . .but for the life of me, I just don't care.

[Solly Mack]

25. I'm sure the conspiracy theories about how he "really" died will be entertaining.

[rpannier]

30. Tom Hanks in the Study with a Vial of Ivermectin

[BradAllison]

26. Guy was a fucking crook

The epitome of people thinking their own shit (Congresscritter) smells great and defiant in re-electing them.

[halfulglas]

28. I usually think if he's a lousy person but a "good politician" if you can make more money

In office than on the outside, they always want one more one more term because you can never get enough money. If you're a good person and a good politician, the longer you're in office the more you tell yourself that you're needed there, and sometimes that feeling that you're needed is almost like a drug. It's hard to quit, even though someone younger with fresher ideas might be better for the job. It sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. In 2020 I think Joe Biden guessed right because given the circumstances he was probably the only one who could have beaten TFG.

Funny, though, as old as Young was, people weren't calling him senile and feeble.

[Karma13612]

31. Best wishes to his family.....Very sincerely said. Long pause................

NOW, time to move on.

Is his seat safely red or can we try to grab another vote for the good guys in Congress?