KSKA and KAKM's Duncan Moon has some explaining to do. A lot. He's offered a tentative remedy to the ham-fisted handling of the Dick Traini dilemma in an article that might appear in tomorrow's print edition of the Anchorage Daily News:Moon said turning Traini away was his decision and he stands by it. But now following the Supreme Court ruling, he's offered to give Traini time on the air to talk about his candidacy - possibly on Monday, the day before the election.
"He's now a candidate, he deserves equal time," Moon said.
Uh, Duncan, your decision Wednesday - if, indeed it actually was yours - ranks among the most rank in recent Alaska media history. 
Another rank decision has been that by the Central Committee of the Alaska Democratic Party to remove references to the only Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. Senate, Ray Metcalfe, from the Party's web site because he raised honest questions about ex-governor Tony Knowles' relationship to big oil when he was in his last elected office. I'll be writing about this story through the rest of the week.
Update - Saturday: Friday early afternoon, the State Democratic Party web site placed Ray Metcalfe's campaign web site up at the Party's candidate niche. It now lists Mark Begich, Ray Metcalfe and Frank Vondersaar.
6 comments:
The Metcalfe issue spilt over into today's Bartlett Political Forum. Rod McCoy stated that Ray's name was removed per Party rules stating that a person who publicly campaigns against a candidate (not as or in support of another candidate) will not receive party support, web page included. As Ray was vocally against Tony, he cannot receive party support. He stated several times that party rules should be followed
Ray then said no one has done more to make democratic candidates electable in the last 20 years than he has. He also said that he is an equal opportunity exposer of corruption, and detailed how Tony may be subject to a RICO investigation, and he laundered money in the same manner that got Tom Delay into so much trouble.
Counter to what Mr. Munger has claimed Ray is not the only Democratic candidate; Mark Begich is also a candidate (he has not filled all of the paperwork, but has started the preliminary paperwork).
It must be remembered that Ray has also claimed that Mark is corrupt. Ray may be right (if he were completely off his rocker when it came to corruption then the FBI would not have come to Alaska to get all those convictions, with more to follow). He may have also known that Becich was a potential candidate for quite a while. Maybe it influenced him.
Interesting, no?
I have a gun, I will shoot myself in the foot!
Mr. Amundson,
A person is NOT a candidate when one has formed an exploratory committee. One is only a candidate once one has actually filed to run for an office. It is a clear legal distinction, important to the FEC, for instance.
de facto, de jure... Mr. Munger is splicing hairs. Mark is a candidate who can legally raise and spend money.
The paperwork can go in two stages. Forming an exploratory committee is a legal act that subjects him to reporting to the FEC. The filing allows him to get on the ballots. But as we have seen, all of that filing is about controlling the money.
Further, why would the Dems move against the de jure candidate? Because they prefer their de de facto candidate.
Just because someone fills one form with the Department of Elections stating they are a Democrat, and another stating that they are running for office does not mean the party wants him in that spot.
don't really know enough about the traini-KAKM deal to comment, but since that never stopped me before... they totally bungled it, but seems like they had a legit reason to bar him from the broadcast that night, since the court ruling [though it was being appealed] at the time said he was ineligible. so 'til i know more about it i tend to cut them a little slack.
After an extended period of 20+ years of continuous cuts in funding for public radio and television, it should come as no surprise that only third-class managers remain in the business. The talented managers left long ago. Public media is in dire need of better state and federal support, accompanied by solid offers of early retirement for many. You get the talent you pay for.
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