I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If the only thing Alaskans were voting on in the Senate race were television ads, Democrats and Mark Begich would win hands down. Below is the latest attack ad against GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan from Put Alaska First, the pro-Begich super-PAC, featuring Dillingham fisherman and lawyer Joe Faith. Once again, the ad goes after Sullivan for his role in HB 77, a controversial bill that gave unprecedented powers to the DNR commissioner to issue permits. At the time of its drafting, Sullivan was the DNR commissioner. Those who helped draft the bill, including Sullivan, said that it cut through red-tape that was impeding development. The public came out in droves to testify against it and the bill died in the Senate. This is the fourth ad Put Alaska First has made featuring HB 77. The first featured a moose hunter—the claims of which were a ‘stretch’—and the second featured well-known former Democratic lawmaker Sam Cotten. Beth Northlund, the executive director of Anchorage Park Foundation, played a lead role in the third ad. The issue is custom-made for good attack ads. If Sullivan or any anti-Begich super-PAC has found a similiar issue to use against Begich, they’re keeping it a secret.
As a Viet Nam vet serving several years in that hell hole, I will call out DNR Dan in any bar in Alaska and among all of my hunting friends.
DNR Dan went to Afghanistan to write a report, all the while getting blue chip treatment. And he timed the trip in a way that would benefit his PR on the campaign trail. Tacky to say the least.
When DNR Dan comes out to remote Alaskan coastal communities, shakes hands and looks people in the eye and tells us why it’s better to pull us out of the permitting process, have no appeal process, and ‘streamline’ permitting to benefit his agenda of development at all costs to benefit Outside mega-corporations I will be the first to give him kudos.
But he will never get my vote and I stand by my comments that he’s loose with the truth and has no backbone when it comes to mixing with Alaskans off the road system.
Jon K — DNR Dan has NOT been ‘all over the state.’ And HE does not have a fish camp in Rampart. He has yet to visit coastal communities and to him, the word fish is just a four letter word that begins with F.
Really? – Dan was in Galena yesterday. He has been all over this state. He has a fish camp in Rampart. The idea that he has t been to rural Alaska is just wrong.
I hope I explained very well, or at least somewhat well for you, why Dan Sullivan cannot be blamed for the HB77 process; and after all, it was only a process. Anyone who hasn’t had a process go sideways on them has lived a very small life thus far.
I don’t know what to say to someone who says a US Marine who has gone to Afghanistan is a coward. I will speculate that if you say that at any outdoors or shooting club in Alaska you will, at a minimum, be given back your money and asked to leave. I would advise you to not say it in any Alaska bar.
Garand,
You are right that “we may never know what DNR Dan thinks about the HB77 process” because he won’t travel to remote places in Alaska where he can be asked that question.
How can you claim Dan the Sham can’t be blamed for SB77 – when he worked hand in hand with Parnell to craft (and recraft) the legislation as DNR Commissioner?!
When it comes to looking Alaskans in the eye and discussing “inconvenient truths” DNR Dan (OH>MD>AK) is a coward, truth dodger and a blame gamer.
This ad is untruthful but very slick; a big money ad. The process for HB77 was much worse than the bill. The administration was always way behind with the public and with legislators. I give the governor’s office 65% of the blame, but whatever part of the blame goes to DNR didn’t happen on Sullivan’s watch. That is why the ad is untruthful and dishonest.
Had the process been more responsive and reasonable the bill likely would have been improved, enacted and become law. Every administration needs to learn, and some never learn, that you have to be in the lead in a process even if it turns out you cannot lead it where you wanted to go. Exogenous factors, like the Pebble Mine debacle in this instance perhaps, can make going where you want to go impossible but that doesn’t change the fact that if you don’t lead the process it will lead you. HB77 led the administration around by the nose until some legislators did the kind thing and shot it in the head. Afghan Dan cannot be blamed for any of this, and we may never know what he thinks about the HB77 process.
Ouuuch. I really like the “I usually vote republican but I just dont’..” line. The “I’m a registered Republican and I’m supporting” (like with the fbx mayor) always sounds – and I think usually is- pretty phony. But the “I usually vote” sounds more genuine. Good writing and execution, Lottsfeldt.
Yup, bamboozled is the operative word to use.
Not only that, but L48 Dan has garnered support from anti subsistence folks.
How the heck he lives with his morals while pretending to help at a Ak Native fish camp, I don’t know.
The dude needs to go back to Maryland and hang with his war monger friends and brag about his kids Native roots.