Truemors
Tuesday, November 4th 2008 Barack Obama proved to the world that anything, at least in the United States is in fact possible. (Insert Boston Celtics hoops star Kevin Garnett shouting anything is possible following 07/08 NBA Championship win) and for one evening this reporter rested soundly.
Wednesday, November 5th however was the beginning of a brand-new day, and Obama dominated newspaper coverage from Alabama to Zimbabwe. I suppose I could have used the State of Alaska for dramatic effect but the truth is . . . Obama didn’t exactly dominate the Anchorage Daily News the day after the election, this honour was reserved (in true Alaskan fashion) for two of the Last Frontier very own, fuck the fed vote for . . . Ted, Sen. Ted Stevens {R} and Lipstick on a Pitbull Palin {R}.
Senator Stevens is a savvy pork-barrel baron who has built an empire on a heap of arctic ice. Global warming threatens Stevens kingdom but at eighty-four years old it’s highly unlikely that the Captain will be going down with the ship. Despite this, the voters of Alaska, the people Stevens works for have chosen time and time again to send Uncle Ted back to Washington. Stevens an experienced politician never misses a photo opt, baby kiss or kind word for his constituents he really knows how to connect with Alaska’s people but has been marred this Election season by a corruption scandal and subsequent court proceedings. With little time to rally prior to Election day, no support from the GOP, renouncement from Alaskan Ice Queen Sarah Palin, a Federal conviction hanging overhead and just six days to campaign Ted Stevens managed once again to rally against resistence and acquired 3353 vote advantage over Democrat challenger, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich with 99% of all precincts reporting. With a 1.5% lead 45.2% to 46.7% Stevens, who has brought Billions of dollars in federal money to Americas far north should only need to clear one more minor hurdle before celebrating retention of his Senate seat, 49,000 uncounted votes.
Sadly for democracy, this is not the case.
A top GOP aide was quoted saying "If he wins, there is no chance he stays" referring to the possibility that Stevens would return to the Senate should the final count come down in his favour. It is expected, should Stevens return that he would face expulsion pending a vote by Senate colleagues, who have not spoken kindly of the Senator in day since his conviction.
It is clear that Sen. Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down," McCain said
Palin said in a statement. "He has not done so. Alaskans are grateful for his decades of public service but the time has come for him to step aside. Even if elected on Tuesday, Senator Stevens should step aside to allow a special election to give Alaskans a real choice of who will serve them in Congress."
McConnell, R-Ky., told the Lexington Kentucky-Leader newspaper that Stevens, now a convicted felon, “should resign immediately."
In the wee hours that make up Wednesday morning, following an Election Day marathon I rested my head under the premiss that in this, the United States of America anything was indeed possible. Only to awaken Wednesday morning to the harsh reality that anything is possible . . . except a convict becoming Senator. From the freedom of anything is possible to the rules and regulations of reality all on a trip that lasted less than twelve hours, without getting out of bed. Only in America, land of opportunity, where anything is possible.
Zee
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