Alaska Politics Blog : Sunday with Palin (UDPATED: Video)

Alaska Politics Blog

This is the place to talk about Alaska politics, state, local, national. Public life in the Last Frontier has never been more interesting -- Sarah Palin, a new governor, a new Anchorage mayor, the political corruption investigation, the usual hardball Alaska politics. Come here for news, tidbits and information, and join the discussion. We encourage lively debate, but please keep it civil and stay on point. Don't use profanity, make crude comments or attack other posters. Posts that violate the Terms of Use will be deleted. Repeat offenders will lose their ability to post comments.

Contributors

Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

Don Hunter

Don Hunter covers Anchorage city government and politics. He is a longtime ADN reporter and editor and wrote for the Anchorage Times. E-mail Don at dhunter@adn.com

David Hulen

David Hulen, the ADN's state and local news editor, is responsible for political coverage. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com

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Alaska political corruption

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Sunday with Palin (UDPATED: Video)

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: November 9, 2008 - 5:20 pm

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From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

We just returned from Gov. Sarah Palin's home in Wasilla, where we shared a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview with KTUU.

UPDATE: Here are a few excerpts:

Copyright Anchorage Daily News. Reposting or broadcast use prohibited.

As we arrived at the house -- past the the tiny green ATV parked next to the door -- Greta Van Susteren was about to leave. An Entertainment Tonight crew camped out at the nearby Best Western. Inside the home, Van Susteren talked to Todd and moose chili cooked on the crockpot. (Not a prop, Palin insisted.) Also on the menu: Moose cheesedogs and a cake made by Piper, who walked around with an apron and a notebook, asking people want they wanted to drink.

Todd watched the interview from the living room, holding Trig while Meg Stapleton listened from behind the cameras. One of the kids went upstairs, where exercise equipment points toward frozen Lake Lucille, to surf the Internet. Sean Cockerham & KTUU reporter Rebecca Palsha took turns asking questions.

A few of the topics:

-- The dueling Troopergate reports.
-- The future of federal funding for Alaska. "I'm sure there will be fewer earmark requests and they will be sensible earmark requests."
-- Life on the trail. And Tina Fey.
-- Whether Palin plan to continue to charging the state a per diem (meant to cover meals and incidental expenses) when staying at her Wasilla home.
-- Palin's frustration over what she called some of the "goofy" stories that emerged during the campaign, such as the claim that Trig isn't her baby. "I'm Trig's mom," she said, raising her hand.
-- What the campaign should/could've done differently, if anything, and why Palin thinks Obama won. She made a point to avoid criticizing the campaign, rather than expanding on what she said Friday about the anonymous sources within the McCain camp being jerks.
-- Mending fences at home. "Everybody's big boys and big girls in this world of politics," Palin said.

Afterward, Sean asked if she's been asked to go work for Fox News.

"I keep hearing the rumor also,' she said, hands in pockets. "That would require me to leave Alaska probably. So I haven't considered such a thing."