House candidates share a laugh

[Blue_In_AK]

at today's Alaska Women's Political Caucus forum. Parnell allegedly had "other engagements" in Fairbanks and couldn't attend, Gabrielle had to go Outside suddenly to care for her 95-year-old father who recently broke his hip, but Diane, Ethan and Don had a good debate. Don was conciliatory, not his usual arrogant self -- spoke of "bipartisanship" a lot. :rofl: Diane and Ethan both did very well. There's a pretty good write-up about the debate in the ADN political blog.

[snowbear]

1. I noticed at the 4th of July parade, Diane & Ethan shared the same float...

Well..

It was actually the Alaska Democratic Party float, but they had supporters on the back of it waving signs for both of them, along with Begich. Diane was in the vehicle waving at all the people watching the parade ~

I didn't see Ethan there, but he could've been one of the people walking behind the float.. I dunno. I wasn't in the best spot to watch the parade..

I was able to stop and meet Diane in the parkstrip a little while after the parade. ~~She is very, very sweet and friendly!

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Ethan wasn't in Anchorage for the 4th.

I think he may have been in Seward for the Mt. Marathon stuff maybe? I heard somebody say, but I can't remember exactly. Diane shared the float with Hollis French, Les Gara and Patti Higgins, and my husband and I were among the Diane supporters walking the parade. Here's my photo from that one.



I'm glad you got to meet and talk with Diane afterwards. She really is a very sweet person, and very wise. The more I get to know her, the more I like her, not just as a candidate but as a friend. I drove her up to Glennallen about a month ago to attend a function up there, and we had a blast. She had been down in Reno for an American Indian convention the days before and had just gotten back home about 2:00 a.m., so I did the driving and she caught a few Zs in the back seat on the way up. After the conference, we went to an Athabascan "fiddle dance" down in Copper Center, and it was just great. We passed out a zillion Benson buttons, and Diane danced with some old friends from the Pipeline days. We had so much fun, lots of laughs, and didn't get back to town until about 1:00 a.m. :)



I know you're an Ethan fan, and I'm a Diane fan, but I suspect we'll be in good hands, no matter who ends up winning. I feel like this is the year for the Democrats to take the House (and the Senate). Don's done, and Sean Parnell seems like kind of a zero. Of the Republican candidates, I actually kind of like Gabrielle. I saw all the candidates (except Don) at the Hispanic council debate, and I was much more impressed with her than Parnell. It's too bad they stopped her from raising money while in the legislature, while apparently that's not an issue for Parnell. It doesn't seem quite fair.

Don made kind of a big deal about Sean not being at the debate Sunday, which I thought was kind of ironic considering how he refused to debate Diane in 2006.

[snowbear]

3. Great photo Blue!

And actually.. I'd be just as content if we sent Diane to Congress than Ethan.

I just have a feeling that Ethan's time in Juneau.. coupled with his ability to attract voters across party lines may give him an advantage.. But I will definitely support whichever of them wins the primary!

I got to know Ethan back in 2004 when we both attended "Clark Meetups" over at Title Wave. And now I've met Diane twice!

I met her at the crazy sardine-packed Democratic primary (but it was way too crowded to talk to her there).. so being able to meet her in the parkstrip after the parade was pretty cool. She sure LOVES talking to locals!

Sean Parnell is a little worm. He's trying to ride in on Sarah's coat tails... But now that she's under fire and dealing with her own mini little crisis, maybe people will be turned off by what they thought was finally an open, honest and transparant administration?

We'll know soon enough ~

[Blue_In_AK]

4. Yeah, there wasn't much of a chance

to talk to ANYBODY at the caucus. What a zoo. I really am glad you got a chance to speak to Diane personally at the park, though, because I think she really shines in one-on-one conversations and small group settings. You're right, she really does love talking to locals, which is why I think she'd make such an excellent representative. She "gets" where people are coming from, and she takes their comments to heart. I know she has the best interests of Alaskans constantly in her mind (and I'm not implying that Ethan doesn't -- I just know Diane better).

The debates and forums are difficult because the answers have to be kept so short, and the things we're facing really can't be dealt with in sound bites. Alaska benefits because we are a small state, population-wise, and people really can get to know the candidates if they make the effort.

I agree on Parnell. I think he's totally running on Sarah's coat tails, and I distrust that "Club for Growth" that has given him so much money. As much as I dislike Don Young, that ad they're running about him wanting to increase the gas tax to $1 is completely disingenuous. He made that suggestion as a throw-down, a challenge to the Dems in Congress, and didn't in any way mean that he actually wanted to do that. It's ridiculous for Sean and his supporters to suggest otherwise.