Anyone watching the town hall from Anchorage on C-SPAN? I can't take it.

[Berry Cool]

It's a freeper-all. I mean, a nice, peaceful, quiet town hall full of freepers who all agree that government health care would be the worst possible fate to befall all of us. Even Lisa Murkowski is standing up there trading stories about how horrible the UK and Canadian systems are and how they make people wait months, no, years, for care. Also a lot of stuff about how Medicare has failed Alaskans and pays only a teeny percentage of their health care costs, so why do we want more of that? And who's going to pass judgment on your lifestyle to determine that you "deserve" care? We should all be greatly worried about that.

See, they figure that if there is government health care it will be run the way Republicans would run it--namely, it would be given only to the "deserving."

Oh, and a guy says this is just going to make the government bigger and "I don't want it bigger--I want it SMALLER!" Greeted with cheers and adulation.

No one asks him "Why? Why do you want it smaller?"

I can't watch anymore.

[onehandle]

1. If Alaska didn't suck on the teat of federal welfare, it wouldn't exist.

Give Alaska back to Russia.

[baldguy]

4. Alaska is a welfare state.

Every citizen gets an oil revenue check from the state govt every year. The reason Palin is so popular is because she increased the payments.

[Vincardog]

2. They hate socialism. This from the state that has never sent MORE to DC than they took OUT

The BIGGEST Donor state of all.

[subcomhd]

5. And they all get big fat checks from oil revenues.

[Critters2]

13. Biggest recipient state. nt

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Lisa doesn't fool everyone.

Check out this editorial from this morning's Anchorage Daily News:

http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/909891.html

Our view: Playing both sides
Murkowski brings home bacon while disparaging government

Sen. Lisa Murkowski may have been trying for a laugh line when she said the following at her town hall meeting Thursday evening: "I don't believe the government should be running health care. The government is good at some things, but don't ask me to tell you what they are."
Or maybe she was just pandering to the anti-government sentiment in that night's crowd.

This much is clear: One thing she thinks "the government" is "good at" is writing checks from the federal treasury to Alaska:

Here's a recent sampling of things she has bragged about in press releases since the last week in June:

Alaska stood to get $24.5 million from a bill funding rural water and waste water disposal grants, Sen. Murkowski announced on Aug. 3.

In the same release, she described rescuing "a $17.5 million high energy cost grant program important to Alaska rural communities." (Leading the attack on that program was none other than her party's 2008 nominee for president, John McCain, who carried Alaska with 59 percent of the vote.)

Sen. Murkowski's July 30 press release touted this news: "Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Bill that Includes $20.1 Million for Alaska Projects." That one came right behind a release with this boast: "More than $54 million in projects for Alaska has been included in the Energy and Water Development spending bill that cleared the full Senate today."

July 29: "U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, secured $200,000 for the Abused Women's Aid in Crisis, or AWAIC, shelter in Anchorage."

July 28: "Murkowski Announces $16.8 Million in Funding for Alaska Projects in Appropriations Bill for Health, Education and Labor Departments."

On July 24, she said she would introduce a bill that "would authorize $750 million for 2011 and 2012 for the construction of two polar capable icebreakers." (A good idea, perhaps, but a pretty high price tag coming from someone who has warned against running up the federal deficit.)

On July 6: "The Defense Department would spend nearly $336 million in military construction on Alaska's Army and Air Force installations."

June 25, she noted 14 Alaska items totaling nearly $45 million in the Interior Appropriations bill.

The same day, Sen. Murkowski boasted about $82 million worth of spending in the Commerce, Justice and Science funding bill.

Add it all up, and Sen. Murkowski is aiming to steer well more than $1 billion federal dollars toward Alaska.

Sen. Murkowski continues the congressional tradition of having it both ways: Get all the federal money you can get, while also complaining about federal spending. It would be well for her to at least assure Alaskans that she'll ensure that the money she got will be spent well -- something she didn't do Thursday night. Otherwise she only helps fuel the current popular resentment of the federal government, a process she described to the Daily News editorial board Thursday:

"There is -- I don't know, call it a tipping point or a boiling point, where people are saying, 'Enough already ... You guys -- you're spending a heckuva a lot of money ... It's not only my money, but my kids' money and potentially my grandkids' money and are you sure you're getting it right?'"

BOTTOM LINE: Sen. Murkowski works to bring home federal money while playing to anti-government sentiment.

And please do not be fooled into thinking everyone in Anchorage is a freeper. Far from it.

[Berry Cool]

8. This is what I don't get.

I get the impression that if anyone gets a lot of handouts from Washington, it's Alaska. Yet, like Sarah the Quitter, there seem to be a ton of people up there who have bought the idea that they are rugged, independent pioneers who don't need nobody else lock, stock and barrel.

Healh care help from the feds? They don't need it! All they gotta do is kill and skin a moose, and they can make medicine from every part of its body and treat themselves!

I am sure the conceit is quite flattering, but I doubt there is as much reality to it as they claim.

[Arctic Dave]

15. You hit the nail on the head on a lot of these people.

Hell, most of them probably get a majority of their paycheck from the govt spending but their too dumb to realize it.

[Jennicut]

10. Thankfully there are some liberals there like you.

Funny how these Alaskan Repubs put down gov while they take all the handouts they can get!

[jbnow]

16. Anchorage sure had an impressive turnout for the caucus

From 200 some in 2004 to about 4,000 in 2008. I know the primaries were earlier b such record turnouts In February!
I always think a caucus might be a good chance for Dems to connect and really breathe life into the party right to the local level.

(Odd that election turnout was lower in 11/2008 though. Between Obama and palin it seems everyone would have turned out)

There are good Dems in every red state and freepers in every blue state. What can you do?

[elleng]

6. Fortunately I watched Howard Dean and Jim Moran in Virginia!

[Lex]

7. Another Clown Hall.

nt

[Berry Cool]

9. Yeah. It's a relief to know that they're not all like that.

Gets to the point where you have to remember all the bloggers who told the truth about Miss Sarah back when most of us in the Lower 48 were getting nothing but the Repug media spin. And thank them for it.

[Jakes Progress]

11. Such a beautiful state

and it seems to be taken over by the nastiest hypocrites you could imagine.

I thought my beautiful state of Texas was befouled by these cretins. Alaska is beginning to make us seem enlightened.

Such a shame.

[Lebam in LA]

12. I lasted about 30 secs

Guy stated that she had what the government and Obama didn't. Earned trust. Grabbed the remote

[Critters2]

14. Very wise high school kid speaking right now.

Asking why people complain about spending money to help others, but didn't care when spending money to harm people in Iraq. I have hope for the future.