8     August 11, 2006 - 8:58am | ilovelucy

Palin's Problem

The Republican Party is in melt-down. Ruedrich & Large aligned themselves with the loser(s) and they're in panic mode as they see their power and influence evaporate. But Palin's no different - she's every bit the politician. She saw an opportunity, not an ethics problem, when Ruedrich arrogantly broke the law. She lost a job but gained a following. She's got people fooled, even the misguided gay man who commented to this story, into believing she's a moderate. Go to http://eagleforumalaska.blogspot.com/
and read her replies to questions about a woman's right to choose, gay marriage and labor unions. She's extremely right wing. But not honest - when asked the question about abortion on a talk show, she (mis)quoted a 19th century feminist - she took a statement about a woman's right to custody and tried to appease both sides. When pressed about whether or not she'd sign a bill outlawing abortion, she sidestepped and said the legislature wouldn't pass such a bill without a vote of the people. And if the people supported it, well....
She's awfully clever, but not honest. And not moderate.

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  7     August 10, 2006 - 1:59pm | akpoliticalanimal

HELLO No One Cares

Are you all listening to yourselves? No one in the real world cares about who pushed whom. Whether signs were allowed at a Republican picnic or whether Bill (aptly named) Large sweats. They care about health care, education and if we're ever ever going to get a gasline!
Sarah sounds like a junior high girl in her email message writing to her girl friend about a fight with another girl.
This whole event is entirely juvenile.
I think that's what's wrong with the Republican Party in Alaska. They're all focused on fighting and power and unethical behavior--not on whether the poor people in Hooper Bay have a home or if our schools have books. I'm ashamed to be a Republican today.

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  6     August 10, 2006 - 12:51pm | mpeters

I was there

I was at the Alaska Republican picnic on Tuesday...I helped organize the event. I was part of the Republican Committee which planned the picnic. I attended three out of four picnic committee meetings and nothing was mentioned to me about a policy against folks standing outside with political signs.

I was standing on the sidewalk outside with several Palin supporters when Alaska Republican Party (ARP) Attorney Bill Large approached me and with a raised voice said that Sarah Palin supporters were not allowed to stand outside the building. He was very upset, shaking badly, and dripping with sweat. I did not smell alcohol on his breath. I asked him why he wanted us to leave and he said it was illegal for us to be there. He later said it was a violation of ARP policy to be standing outside the building with yard signs.

I have attended ARP picnics in the past, and there have always been dozens of supporters of various campaigns standing outside the building with yard signs. I pointed this out to Attorney Large.

Then a local Attorney asked Mr. Large if he could produce something in writing that showed that the Palin supporters were in violation of the ARP policy. Mr. Large took the folder he was carrying with him and violently tore it in half and proceeded to write out the "policy" of the ARP on the spot.

Attorney Large became even more heated and vocal when we told him we had a First Amendment right to assemble and that if we were doing something wrong or illegal, he should call the police.

A few minutes later, Attorney Large yelled at Sarah Palin when she tried to introduce herself to him. Large then proceeded to call the Palin supporters Communists and made a reference to Nazi Germany before storming off.

Sarah Palin had so much support at the picnic, it made the other two Republican gubernatorial candidates (Binkley and Murkowski) look badly understaffed and disorganized.

There were over 100 Sarah Palin supporters at the picnic wearing red Palin for Governor T-shirts.

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  5     August 10, 2006 - 11:49am | billy_muldoon

Was there any liquor involved?

That's what Billy can't help wondering. This whole things smacks of an excess of, shall we say, high spirits?

Any of the witnesses see or smell anything on any of the parites that would shed any light on this question?

Billy Muldoon
Seldom seen, often heard

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  4     August 9, 2006 - 10:16pm | akmike477

Palin against the machine...

I was at the GOP picnic and I witnessed the tail end of what happened and I can tell you what is in the e-mail is true. Mr. Large did push Ms. Perdew. He was not outnumbered 10 to 1. There were about 5 of us out front and we were not causing a problem. He came at us very aggressively and after shoving a retired peace officer he called us all communists. I don’t know how Mr. Large, who is allegedly an attorney, can call citizens who were exercising their constitutional rights in public place, communists. I also find it interesting that Lisa Murkowski had supporters doing the exact same thing last year at the picnic and not a word was said. If it weren’t for Sarah I would leave the Republican Party all together. This incident just shows how desperate Mr. Ruedrich and his friend Mr. Murkowski are.

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  3     August 9, 2006 - 7:19pm | lauriejo_6

Palin has to win!!

Someone has to clean house in the republican party. As if being immoral, inept, and indebt to big oil wasn't bad enough, ruedrich is trying to be a bully. Sarah Palin would be just the person to put these gasbags in thier place. Palin is the only candidate who has any chance of beating Knowles in the general election and these morons running the party here in alaska are to stupid to realize it. I wonder if ruedrich thinks if frank can't win, then hell let the dems take it. Seems like something a paranoid megalomaniac might come up with!

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  2     August 9, 2006 - 4:54pm | quixoticneophyte

There is no such no-campaigning policy

This is the establishment up to its usual tricks.

There is no policy that prohibits campaigning. It's a political picnic, and at political picnics, we do... political things! (duh)

Although I did not witness this event, these picnics have always had supporters for all Republican campaigns actively campaigning. It's what the picnic is about. If Ruedrich and company claim they have a "policy," please tell them that a policy is not their personal agenda written out on a piece of paper and used to harrass others.

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  1     August 9, 2006 - 4:41pm | jlhobson

I don't know Mr. Large and I

I don't know Mr. Large and I didn't attend the picnic last night (I was invited by the campaign but made phonecalls instead), so I'd normally be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I do, however, trust Palin. She has no need to cause a ruckus over anything: she's the candidate to beat, based on every poll! And as a moderate, disgruntled, and utterly disgusted Republican, I don't put it past state GOP officials to act in this manner.

It was a REPUBLICAN picnic. Is it somehow incorrect to show support for a REPUBLICAN candidate at a partisan event? Not to say anything of Reagan's 11th Commandment. But more than that, shouldn't the traditional party of individual liberties not want to encroach upon voters' constitutionally enshrined right to peaceful assembly an free speech, in a public park?

If Palin somehow loses the primary, I'm going to have to vote for Halcro, because I can't stomach the GOP establishment any longer.

The time is near, fellas: honesty has returned to Republican politics in this state. I suggest you guys find a new job (and I don't mean one that enables you to do partisan work on the clock).

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