Mudflats on the Grussendorf pick

[Blue_In_AK]

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/03/30/palin-selects-grussendorf-sends-message-to-dems/

Dear Senate Democrats,



Sincerely,

Sarah Palin

Governor

That may as well have been the message, because Palin just gave the Senate Democrats a big fat raspberry, a Bronx Cheer, a nice wet pthththththhtht!

She has selected Tim Grussendorf as the person to replace the recently relocated to Washington D.C. Senator Kim Elton.

Normally, the Senate sends a list of 3 possible replacements to the governor, who chooses one. This time the Senators bucked tradition because one candidate shone so brightly above all others - Rep. Beth Kerttula. The candidate must be a Democrat who lives in Juneau, and Kerttula is smart, very qualified, and ready to step from her role in the house, to a new position in the senate without missing a beat. She is so beloved and respected, that hers was the only name submitted to the governor. This one is kind of a no-brainer, which means right off the bat, we know we’re in trouble.

Here’s the problem.

Kerttula has been an outspoken opponent of the governor for quite some time. And we all know how that works out for people.

So, the governor made an announcement saying she’d like to get applications from other qualified Alaskans who are interested in the appointment. It’s kind of like when the teacher asks a question, only one kid raises their hand, jumping up and down in their seat, and the teacher scans the room and says, “Anybody? Anybody else??” Obviously Kerttula wasn’t going to get the nod. At least not in the first round.

And so after interviews, Palin has made her selection. She has chosen Legislative aid Tim Grussendorf. I, like many of you, had no idea who Tim Grussendorf was. And let me start off by saying, he may be a stand up guy. *shrug* But we know this:

Until two weeks ago, he was a registered Republican. According to Grussendorf, he didn’t realize he was registered as a Republican and it was some kind of clerical error in 2006. I’m not entirely clear on how someone could have gone through the 2008 political season and not realize one was a registered Republican, but that’s the story. I guess the “R” on the voter registration card slipped under the radar. Perhaps he thought all those donation requests, and shiny 4-color postcards, and letters from the Republican party were just coincidence. We may never know.

Grussendorf describes himself as a “conservative Democrat” (which, I suppose, you’d have to be to not realize you were actually a Republican) who supports resource development and believes the mining industry isn’t always treated fairly. Palin noted his “advocacy for responsible development that will lead to jobs in Southeast Alaska.” (Here’s where you can join me in my flashback to the day the governor “took off her governor’s hat” at a press conference and said she would not be supporting the ballot initiative that would require large mines not to pollute salmon fisheries) Palin’s shadowy reasons for throwing Alaska’s fishing and subsistence interests under the bus are still a subject of intense speculation…

Grussendorf was talking to Democratic state senators on Sunday, trying to win their support.

“I know some of them want (Kerttula) to have the seat. But I threw my name in the hat knowing some of the history and I didn’t think the governor was going to select her. And if that was going to be the case I was looking at, well who else can step in there right now and get the job done,” Grussendorf said.

So, it’s clear that the governor’s pick has noting to do with what the Senate Democrats want, has nothing to do with what Juneau Democrats want, and has everything to do with what the governor wants.

Now, if you’re one of the 5 or 6 Democrats in Alaska who generally agrees with what the governor wants, and doesn’t possibly believe her judgment could be off, no need to call your legislator. But if you’re of the mind that the purpose of filling this seat is to respect what those who will be working with this person want, and what this person’s constituents want, then you might consider making that opinion known to your Democratic Senators before they decide whether or not to approve this choice.