American Crossroads targets Begich on health insurance claim

American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-backed super PAC, has begun web ads that target Alaska U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, along with two other vulnerable incumbent Democratic senators who are running in 2014. The video takes aim at the claim that under the new healthcare law, you can keep your insurance if you like it, which has kind-of-sort-of been debunked.

The situation is more complicated than what the ad would have you believe. In Alaska anyway, the truth is that you can keep the exact insurance policy, but you’ll pay more. Or you can go onto the exchanges, and in many cases get the same or better healthcare and pay less, a fact that Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the largest provider of individual insurance policies, hasn’t pointed out when it sent Alaskans cancellation letters.

However, as they say in politics, he who has to explain the most loses.

In addition to Begich, the videos are also targeting Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.).

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

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Fan of West Wing and House of Cards? Try Alpha House.

Fans of NBC’s West Wing, including me, should mark their calendars for Amazon Studio’s November 15th debut of Alpha House – – a comedy about four unruly U.S. senators living together. The new series will be streamed online, and follows on the success of Netflix’s the House of Cards. Alpha House was written by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau and produced by Elliot Webb and Jonathan Alter. It stars John Goodman, Clark Johnson, Matt Malloy and Mark Consuelos. The series will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video. The first three episodes will be available for free.

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French questions Parnell about allegations of abuse in National Guard

Democratic Alaska state Sen. Hollis French sent a letter to Gov. Sean Parnell on Tuesday asking for more information about allegations of sexual misconduct within Alaska’s National Guard. Among other things, French is asking for information about prosecution rates, procedures and the number of cases that have been referred to law enforcement.

French is running for lieutenant governor with Byron Mallott, who’s running for governor.

The questions were in response to an article published on Oct. 27 in the Anchorage Daily News detailing what appears to be a culture within the Guard of abuse and of the lack of local law enforcement to do anything about it. Since 2009, 29 cases of alleged sexual assault have been reported to local law enforcement. So far, no one has yet to be prosecuted, nor has Gov. Sean Parnell, who has made ridding the state of sexual abuse a hallmark of his campaign, spoken out about the issue or the culture that seemingly exists in the Guard.

Numerous people were quoted in ADN’s article about the problems, including two chaplains who say that women have been coming to them for years and that nothing has been done about it. They also say that Parnell, who oversees the Guard, was aware of the problems as far back as 2010.

One member of the guard, Lt. Col. Ken Blalock had about 15 victims come to him. He said that he told Parnell and the Anchorage Police about the issues, and got his “butt chewed” for going above his chain of command by the head of the Guard Gen. Tom Katkus.

Following the article, Katkus issued a statement and wrote a column in the ADN assuring the public that the Guard takes these issues seriously. In the ADN piece, Katkus answers many of the questions that French poses. Among other things, he wrote that “the Anchorage Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers, was (sic) contacted in 21 cases, and for reasons specific to each case, these law enforcement agencies did not open investigations.”

Mayor Dan Sullivan, who is running for lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket, has also not addressed these issues publicly.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

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Health insurance cancellation letters fail to tell the whole story

It was recently reported that Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield has sent discontinuation notices to about 5,360 Alaskan customers who have purchased the plans on the individual market. The letters say that the insurance company will automatically renew insurance plans at an increased cost unless consumers cancel.

Gov. Sean Parnell has made the letters a campaign issue by pointing to them as proof of the failure of ObamaCare. So have Republican U.S. Senate candidates Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller.

But the insurance company letters do not mention that consumers might get the same insurance at a much cheaper rate through the health care exchanges, if and when they’re up in Alaska.

The same letters went out to Washington state consumers, which caused that state’s division of insurance to issue a consumer alert lightly excoriating Blue Cross and urging its citizens to “know your rights and options.”

“Don’t just take what your insurance company says, make sure you shop around,” the alert says.

The Alaska Division of Insurance has yet to issue a consumer alert and appears to be abdicating responsibility to educate consumers about the health care law to the feds.

An article about the letters sent to Washington consumers tells the story of a woman named “Donna” who got such a letter:

If Donna had done nothing, she would have ended up spending about $1,000 more a month for insurance than she will now that she went to the marketplace, picked the best plan for her family and accessed tax credits at the heart of the health care reform law.

As it happened, Donna ended up shopping on the Washington exchange, which is up and running, and found a policy that was better than she was getting and will pay only $80 a month.

Eric Earling, director of corporate communications at Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield, defended the letters it was sending consumers.

“Our experience is that our customers are already aware that they have other options in the market and that we’ve never had to tell them in the past that we have competitors,” he said.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

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Bill Corbus sells Juneau’s Alaska Electric Light and Power

Washington-based Avista, which operates in five Western states, announced on Monday that it bought Juneau’s Alaska Electric Light and Power. The purchase price was reported to be $170 million, plus cash outstanding.

AEL&P was a family owned business headed by Bill Corbus, who served as Gov. Frank Murkowski’s commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue. He remains very active in the Juneau community, and has been extremely active in anti-capital move campaigns. His interest in keeping the capital in Juneau will likely not subside anytime soon.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

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Peter Micchiche and his sister Maria Downey lose their father

Alaska state Sen. Peter Micchiche and his sister, longtime KTUU-Channel 2 news anchor Maria Downey, lost their father “Pete” on Saturday, Oct 26. Pete was 83 years old. A celebration of his life will occur on Nov. 9 at 10:00 a.m. at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Oakland Park, Florida.

Here’s the Facebook post that Sen. Micchiche wrote about his father:

“My Father passed away Saturday and I will likely be out of touch for the next few days. Peter Frank Micciche (June 1, 1930 – October 26, 2013) lived all 83 years teaching my family to be better people, to care about those that need us most and to always take the time to do the right thing. I know where he is right now, but miss him nonetheless.

He and Mom spent 62 years together through thick and thin; they never believed in a Plan B for their marriage and taught us the same. He also served our country stateside during the Korean conflict.

My Dad was a loving, colorful, and very tough individual that was always there for us when we needed him. He was larger than life, and I believe than death as well. He is a big part of me that I will miss all of the remaining days of my life. I spoke to him daily in the last days and have no regrets.

My primary message here? Call the people you love, forget the little things and learn to forgive if such an obstacle exists. You never know when the hourglass will run out of sand and having no regrets is a significantly better alternative.

As I told him the day before he died. I am proud to have had him as my father, and I’m extremely proud be his son. I strongly believe he left us with a legacy and the philosophy that helps make the world a better place.”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

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Martha McKenna: she’ll work hard to keep Begich in office

You’ll likely never meet her, see her face, or even hear her name, but one way or another, you’re going to be touched by Martha McKenna in the next year. According to Roll Call, McKenna will be leading the independent expenditure program for Senate Democrats in the 2014 race.

The independent expenditure, or IE, arm of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee controls tens of millions of dollars spent on Senate races each cycle, much of which will end up in the pockets of Alaska’s expanding media outlets.

In Alaska, the group will support U.S. Sen. Mark Begich against Republican challengers Joe Miller, Mead Treadwell and Dan Sullivan, who are running in the Republican primary.

Although a party’s IE can be effective, those kinds of expenditure groups haven’t received the kind of attention that the super PACs have received, which have fewer restrictions but cannot coordinate with a party. Often, as opposed to groups associated with a political party, super PACs are homespun and more nimble.

So far in Alaska’s Senate race, Jim Lottsfeldt is running a super PAC to support Begich. Art Hackney is running one to support former DNR Commissioner Dan Sullivan. Stephen Wackowski and Taylor Bickford are is running Mead Treadwell’s super PAC.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com 

Correction: The original story said that Taylor Bickford was running Treadwell’s super PAC. That’s incorrect.

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Washington’s Doc Hastings hunts for big bucks in Alaska

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski recently said that she’s not actively fundraising for her 2016 run in Alaska because there isn’t enough money in the state to go around for others who are running. U. S. Rep. Doc Hastings, who isn’t even from around here, apparently doesn’t view Alaska’s potential campaign contributions as such a limited resource.

On Tuesday, Hastings, representing central Washington’s 4th congressional district, will be in Anchorage to raise funds for his re-election efforts at an event from 12 – 1:30 pm at the Ginger Restaurant. The requested contribution is $500; however, the invitation does point out that individuals can give $2600.

What would be the draw? Hastings is the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. As such, he has jurisdiction over most federal land use and water policies, which include wilderness areas, BLM lands and national forests. In other words, he has a huge say over stuff Alaskans are concerned about, namely oil and gas development, water rights and access to federal lands for hunting, fishing and recreation. And the host committee reflects these interests: Portia Babcock (Conoco Phillips); Deantha Crocket (Alaska Miners Association); Jim Jansen (Lynden Transport); Cam Toohey (Shell): Drue Pearce (federal lobbyist); Randy Ruedrich (former chair Alaska Republican Party); and Tara Sweeney (ASRC).

It’s also not surprising that so far in the 2013 – 14 election cycle, the oil and gas industry has topped Hastings’ list of contributors. ExxonMobil, among others, has given Hastings the maximum allowable PAC contribution.

Also, it’s interesting to note, that according to Heritage Action, the conservative arm of the Heritage Foundation, Hastings has a conservative rating of 62 percent. By comparison, that makes him almost twice as conservative as Rep. Don Young.

And if you’re not wired Doc’s way, or if you want to hedge your bets, on Nov. 7th there’s a fundraiser for state Reps. Harriet Drummond and Andy Josephson at Rep. Les Gara’s house on the Parkstrip.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

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Gay rights bill set to pass Senate with support of Murkowski and Begich

With the support of a handful of Republican senators, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, it’s likely that the most significant piece of gay rights legislation passed by Congress since it repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010, will pass out of the Senate next week.

All of the Senate Democrats support the bill, including Sen. Mark Begich.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is crafted to mirror Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, though unlike that act, it has certain religious and small-business exemptions.

A version of the bill passed the Democratic controlled House in 2007, but the Senate filibustered it.

The landscape has changed since then, and it’s likely that the bill has enough support to stave off a similar filibuster. Murkowski is one of our Republican senators supporting the bill. The other three are Mark Kirk from Illinois, and Orrin Hatch from Utah, and Susan Collins from Maine.

One more vote, and they get to 60, which is the magic filibuster-proof number. Four Republicans are said to be wavering: Rob Portman (Ohio), Patrick J. Toomey (Pa.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) and Dean Heller (Nev.)

In recent years, Murkowski has been an advocate for gay rights. Some say that such a stance will hurt her reelection chances, particularly in the Republican primary, where she’ll likely be challenged.

But a lot can happen between now and then, and perhaps because of the evolution of support of gay rights, opposition to this bill hasn’t been nearly as strong as with other bills dealing with the issue. The Family Research Council has apparently decided not to expend political capital on the fight. The political action arm of the Heritage Foundation, Heritage Action, is urging members to vote against the act. They say that it would “severely undermine civil liberties, increase government interference in the labor market, and trample on religious liberty.” But it appears that they aren’t putting too much time into it.

Although the bill is expected to die in the Republican-controlled House, gay rights advocates think that they have a winning issue here, and plan to use congressional members’ votes against them in the mid-term elections.

It’s unclear where Rep. Don Young stands on the issue. His spokesman did not return a phone call requesting comment. In any case, his appears safe, and a vote either way probably won’t change that.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

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Republican Party imposing primary purity to punish purity

From the New York Times:

“[T]he National Republican Senatorial Committee this week informed a prominent Republican advertising firm that it would not receive any contracts with the campaign committee because of its work with a group that targets incumbent Senate Republicans. Even more striking, a senior official at the committee called individual Republican Senate campaigns and other party organizations this week and urged them not to hire the firm, Jamestown Associates, in an effort to punish them for working for the Senate Conservatives Fund…” NRSC spokesman Brad Dayspring said, “Purity for profit is a disease that threatens the Republican Party.”

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State bigwigs slated for higher paychecks

18737767_mGov. Sean Parnell makes $145,000 a year. The Alaska State Compensation Commission this week has recommended Parnell’s compensation be increased almost $6,000 to $150,872.

Governors across the country are paid on average $133,348 according to the Council of State Governments. In 2013, governors in Idaho, Indiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Tennessee got raises. The average raise was $4,115.

The highest paid governor is in Pennsylvania and the lowest in Maine, being paid respectively $187,256 and $70,000.

The State Compensation Commission also recommended that the lieutenant governor’s salary be increased from $115,000 to $119,657. Salaries for lieutenant governors across the country range from a low of $30,400 in Idaho, to a high of $153,907 in Pennsylvania. Many other states, including those, also have secretaries of state.

The largest increases recommended are for cabinet members who are the commissioners that serve as the principal department heads in state government. Commissioners are currently paid $136,350. That would increase almost $10,000 to $146,142.

The recommendations are slated to take effect in the new fiscal year on July 1 unless the Legislature passes a bill denying the recommended increases within 60 days of their submission in the 2014 legislative session.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com 

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Legislators on the Facebook case

16906605_mThe Legislative Council chaired by Rep. Mike Hawker decided that legislative staff will no longer be able to use their personal Facebook accounts while working in renovated offices, the cost of which was approved by the same Legislative Council, at a cost of $281,638 a month and was the result of a no-bid contract with developer Mark Pfeffer, a prodigious campaign contributor and on the board of the Alaska Municipal Bond Bank Authority. Glad our legislators are on the case.

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Happy Halloween: Pete Kelly goes as Joe Paskvan

It could have been a Halloween joke, and if so, it would have been a doozy if legislators had a sense of humor. Most don’t and it wasn’t and the legislative directory was fixed before it went to press. Anyway, click on the link below to see what Sen. Pete Kelly would look like if he were really Joe Paskvan. Wait! Are the omniscient people at the Legislative Information Office trying to tell us something?  Has anybody seen or talked to Paskvan lately? Is that an SOS sign behind him?

Legislator Photo Sheet updated

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