Mark Begich hits One Million Dollars!

The Begich Campaign announced this while I was on the air on Cary Carrigan's KUDO 1080 morning show. From the Begich Blog:

We're proud to announce that we broke the $1 million mark in the 2nd quarter of the campaign. We received 4099 contributions -- a whopping 73.6% were under $100. Mark Begich commented on his fundraising success this morning:

“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the support our campaign is receiving. I think it shows Alaska’s families are excited to have a candidate with an open and transparent style, and someone who can bring new energy and ideas to the U.S. Senate.”

“What this shows is real grassroots support for what we’re doing. We’re connecting with Alaskans and showing them I will work hard on the issues they face, from energy costs, to education, health care and more.”

Yup...I'm one of those "$100.00 and under" folks. I went to a 7:00 am breakfast just to give him money!!!!

Also, I've been meaning to mention his new ads and how impressive I find them to be. I like the old "End of the Road Show"-like music in the background...does that mean a famous "Homeroid" is a supporter?!

The Ted and Sarah Show...conspiracy theories, misinformation...so many "gold nuggets," so little time.

Ted Stevens should never speak...never. I can just imagine how the Begich Team's mouth must have started watering when they saw the latest diatribes on ADN's Alaska Politics and Dennis Zacki's "Alaska Report" and Blog.

One tidbit was in regards to Alaska Democrats:



Watching this made me flash immediately onto Grandpa Simpson.



The Democrats won this round of "Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots":

Anchorage, AK – The Alaska Democratic Party (ADP) reacted today to Senator Ted Stevens and called his recent allegations conspiracy theories. Yesterday, Stevens refused to answer tough questions about his record on oil speculation, which has caused gas prices to skyrocket leaving Alaska families behind. He then accused the ADP of being controlled by outside interests. The ADP issued the following statement in response:

"Senator Stevens continues to refuse to answer Alaskans’ tough questions. Instead, he dodges and distracts the public with conspiracy theories. It's absurd to think that anyone other than Alaskans run the Alaska Democratic Party. This is becoming a pattern – Stevens hiding behind expensive lawyers and national politics instead of answering questions about the FBI investigation and how he’s paying his legal bills. We expect Senator Stevens to answer hard questions and take responsibility for his record."

-- Kay Brown, spokeswoman for the Alaska Democratic Party.

If Ted's behavior remains consistent, I believe our rightful expectations will be disappointed.

Once again, Stevens speaks on ANWR:



Dennis's Blog as well as two excellent pieces by Phil Munger on Progressive Alaska covers Steven's and Palin's proclamations regarding ANWR and oil prices nicely.

Phil's comment here slices right to the heart of Steven's primary tactic during the last few years of his political career...and the reason for his success:

Robert Dillon, a very knowledgeable reporter, covered Stevens' full-frontal assault on the truth this week, by telling readers it was a sign that Stevens is ready to hit back at Begich, and hit hard. No, Robert, it is a sign that only when he has to, as a last resort, do something - his bullshit "energy blueprint" plan is in competition with 18 other bills dealing with this - he'll do as little as possible and make the most out of it he can. Trusting, all the time, that you'll help him tell his fucking lie his way.

This is the same point (though more eloquently stated) that I've been trying to make about Steven's alleged "support for the Veterans"...especially regarding the GI Bill. When Stevens can depend on a lack of research from the Mainstream Media and has a lacky like former aide Ric Davidge using pretty red, white and blue pastels to shade the truth, why would he need to exert any effort on behalf of Alaskans?

Phil is absolutely dead-on when he talks about Ted's deteriorating communication skills (which were pretty poor in the beginning) and when he questions whether blatant inaccuracies are purposeful lies or merely a signal of a fading memory. Even the accusations of alleged wrongdoing which sparked the FBI investigation, if true, seem to signal a desire to benefit from past accomplishments and associations...calling in markers at the end of a long career.

It makes one wonder if the rational part of him is begging for retirement while the "pit bull" part just can't stop fighting?

Countdown: What's REALLY behind high gas prices...and why McCain is a liar

This is the best report I've seen on the subject of "market speculation" regarding oil prices...as well as John McCain's ties to it.



1) But wait, I thought it was the "environmentalists" fault because their regulations wouldn't let us build enough refineries?

Oil Refiners See Profits Sink As Consumption Falls

However much the companies would like to raise gasoline prices enough to pass along the full increases in oil, analysts say they have been unable to do it. Oil prices doubled in the past year, while wholesale gasoline prices rose a mere 39 percent.

“Refiners are having a terrible time,” said Lawrence J. Goldstein, an economist at the Energy Policy Research Foundation...

Their answer? Cut down on refining.

...The rising oil prices have led to a sharp drop in refining profit margins, or the difference between the cost of oil and the cost of gasoline. These margins, at $12.45 a barrel on average, are 60 percent below their year-ago level, and in the lower half of their five-year range, according to a report by UBS.

In response to falling gasoline demand and rising costs, refiners have cut their production rates. Refining utilization rates, for example, slumped to a low of 81.4 percent in the second week of April, compared with 90.4 percent at the same time last year. Earlier this month, refineries were running at 85 percent of their capacity.

2) We need to drill for more oil...open up those offshore areas like McCain and Bush are suggesting.

Wrong...for example, ANWR sure wouldn't have made a difference. According to The Energy Information Administration, which is "the Energy Department's independent analytical arm":

...if Congress had cleared Bush's ANWR drilling plan the oil would have been available to refiners in 2011, but only at a small volume of 40,000 barrels a day -- a drop in the bucket compared with the 20.6 million barrels the U.S. consumes daily.

At peak production, ANWR could have potentially added 780,000 barrels a day to U.S. crude oil output by 2020, according to the EIA.

Nor would it have made a difference with foreign oil:

The extra supplies would have cut dependence on foreign oil, but only slightly. With ANWR crude, imports would have met 60 percent of U.S. oil demand in 2020, down from 62 percent without the refuge's supplies.

But McCain has now changed his tune and is heading down that dead-end drilling route:

Sen. John McCain plans to call Tuesday for lifting the ban that prevents offshore oil and gas drilling along much of the U.S. coastline — but would give states like Florida veto power over opening up their shores.

McCain, who plans to unveil his proposal in detail Tuesday, said Monday that lifting the decades-old moratorium should be a "very high priority'' with gasoline prices soaring. He said that allowing states to explore for gas and oil "and perhaps providing additional incentives for states to permit exploration off their coasts … would be very helpful in the short term in resolving our energy crisis.''

So 5 to 12 years is the short-term to him?

Back in January, he felt a little differently about drilling in Florida:

As far as ANWR is concerned, I don’t want to drill in the Grand Canyon, and I don’t want to drill in the Everglades. This is one of the most pristine and beautiful parts of the world.

I guess not so much now.