Palin calls for Stevens to resign

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: CNN

(CNN) – Sarah Palin said Tuesday Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens should resign his Senate seat, in a statement released hours after John McCain made a similar declaration.

The comments come a day after Palin would not say what she thought the best course of action for the recently convicted senator should be.

"After being found guilty on seven felony counts, I had hoped Senator Stevens would take the opportunity to do the statesman-like thing and erase the cloud that is covering his Senate seat," she said in the statement. "He has not done so. Alaskans are grateful for his decades of public service but the time has come for him to step aside. Even if elected on Tuesday, Senator Stevens should step aside to allow a special election to give Alaskans a real choice of who will serve them in Congress."

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/28/palin-calls-for-stevens-to-resign/

[phantom power]

1. Ouch! Thrown under the bus!

:rofl:

[Ramius]

38. Does Sarah get to name his interim replacement, can she name herself???

[Eric J in MN]

2. A reporter should ask her if she'll be voting for him. NT

NT

[MaineDem]

3. Looks like she's not "going rogue" on this issue after all

She got told what to say.

[Blue_In_AK]

11. Not really.

She hadn't really publicly supported him before the conviction. She and Ted have a rather complicated relationship -- they're not really on the same page.

[Xipe Totec]

4. That's not a cloud covering his Senate seat, Sarah...

It's a brown stain.

[LaydeeBug]

5. Like people in hell calling for ice water after they've established their company. nt

[Ms. Toad]

6. Hint....hint...

>>Even if elected on Tuesday, Senator Stevens should step aside to allow a special election to give Alaskans a real choice of who will serve them in Congress.<<

Translation..."Read between the lines, dude, ... Hang on past Tuesday, eke out a win, so I can sound good by telling you to resign, but we can get a second try at a Republican replacement, since resigning now would probably result in a Democratic win and no chance to fill the seat with a Republican in a special election."

[happyslug]

18. A better translation is resign NOW, so I can tell Alaskan to vote for you

Knowing you have RESIGNED, and Palin will appoint a REPUBLICAN to replace him. If he does NOT resign and he loses the election do to this conviction, the GOP is looking at losing that seat for SIX YEARS. If he resign, Palin will pick a GOP successor. Thus it is better for the GOP if he RESIGNS now, thus the GOP can do a blanket campaign for voters to vote for him so the seat can stay GOP controlled. Waiting till after the Election is to late, many people will NOT vote for him do to his conviction, but if they were told he has resigned and if they vote for him it means Palin picks his successor for two years and then a new election, may people will take that option. That is the only way for the GOP to hold onto the seat, and thus Palin request that he resign.

[VP505]

21. I understand that in Alaska

State law requires a special election to choose a replacement. Palin may not have a say, but I don't know that for sure.

[Ms. Toad]

25. My understanding is that she can't pick a replacement.

They have to hold a special (open) election.

I agree, the best bet to keep the seat is for him to create an open seat by resigning. Palin doesn't get to appoint a replacement, but at least there will be an election (in a heavily Republican state).

I'm not sure what happens from a legal perspective if he resigns before the election, but wins anyway. Is a resignation treated the same as withdrawal from the race? If so, the Democrat might be the automatic winner and no special election, since there is no vacancy.

So - I read her comment as, "I have to tell you to resign cuz I'd look bad otherwise, but if you hold on I'm bettin' enough Red blooded Alaskans will vote for ya anyway that ya'll win, then you can quit and we can find a good replacement to run agin' that commie-pinko-hippie in a special election."

[happyslug]

29. See #28 below, yes she can make an appointment but only good for 90 days

n/t

[Ramius]

39. I don't see why that doesn't mean she can't name an INTERIM replacement until election is possible.

[JimDandy]

22. Ooooh - you speak good Palinese! n/t

[Ms. Toad]

26. I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not...n/t

[JimDandy]

37. Definitely a compliment. It's always good to know as much as you can about your opponent.

"Knowing your opponent" helps you beat her. :evilgrin:

[begin_within]

7. so she can appoint herself to his Senate seat? Then resign as governor, then

we are faced with Senator Sarah Palin? Then in 2012, she makes a run for


the border.

[juno jones]

9. She can't do that

The replacement has to be voted in by a special election. She has only previous corrupt Alskan repups to blame for that.

[happyslug]

28. Palin can make the Appointment but only good for 90 days

First the Federal Constitution permits the States to permit their Executive to appoint a Senator after one has died or Resigned:

Paragraph 2 of Amendment XVII

When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxvii.html

Alaska modified its statute, permitted under the above amendment, to restrict the time period such a Senator can serve:

Sec. 15.40.140. Condition and time of calling special election.

When a vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator or United States representative, the governor shall, by proclamation, call a special election to be held on a date not less than 60, nor more than 90, days after the date the vacancy occurs. However, if the vacancy occurs on a date that is less than 60 days before or is on or after the date of the primary election in the general election year during which a candidate to fill the office is regularly elected, the governor may not call a special election.

Sec. 15.40.145. Temporary appointment of United States senator. ..

When a vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator, the governor may, at least five days after the date of the vacancy but within 30 days after the date of the vacancy, appoint a qualified individual to fill the vacancy temporarily until the results of the special election called to fill the vacancy are certified. If a special election is not called for the reasons set out in AS 15.40.140 , the individual shall fill the vacancy temporarily until the results of the next general election are certified.

http://www.legis.state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/stattx07/query=senate/doc/%7B@7242%7D?

Thus Palin CAN appoint herself, but it would only be for no more then 90 days, at which point she would have to win the special election she will have to call under the above Alaskan Statute.

Side Note: I do NOT practice Alaskan law and what the term "qualified individual" means is unknown to me. The quantification must meet Federal Constitutional requirements (Be a US Citizen and over age 30) but I did NOT check if Alaska has any further requirements if appointed by the Governor (I suspect NO additional restrictions, for such restrictions can be viewed as violating the FEDERAL CONSTITUTION, but given the problem caused by the former Governor Appointing his daughter to finish his Senate Seat I may be wrong).

[Ramius]

40. Alaska has some kooky laws up there, we don't know what she's allowed to do yet.

[truthisfreedom]

8. Palin's been pallin' with felons!

Fox in Socks

Stop it! Stop it!
That's enough, sir.
I can’t say such silly stuff, sir.


Very well, then Mr. Knox, sir.
Let’s have a little talk about tweetle beetles….


What do you know about tweetle beetles?
Well…


When tweetle beetles fight, it’s called a tweetle beetle battle.


And when they battle in a puddle, it’s a tweetle beetle puddle battle.


And when tweetle beetles battle with paddles in a puddle, they call it a tweetle beetle puddle paddle battle.


And when beetles battle beetles in a puddle paddle battle and the beetle battle puddle is a puddle in a bottle…


…They call this a tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle,
and…


When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles and the bottle’s an a poodle and the poodle’s eating noodles…


…They call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle bottle paddle battle,
and…


Now wait a minute Mr. Socks Fox!


When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle.
THIS is what they call…


…A tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottles paddled muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!


Fox in socks, our game us done, sir.
Thank you for a lot of fun, sir.

[dipsydoodle]

13. Well I guess that's not much different than

playin' with her melons.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. Uh-huh. It's the "special election" thing.

I KNEW that's what they were up to.

[PfcHammer]

12. Yesterday she said it was all good

crazy ho!

[niyad]

14. why? is she thinking she can appoint another repuke in his place?

[Kalifornia.Kid]

15. What ... his conviction finally made onto a Starbucks coffee cup?

[Cronopio]

16. No loyalty among mercenaries, then Sarah?

What nasty little games she plays. Even the sugar daddies don't get a break in hard times.

[fascisthunter]

17. But I Thought He was Your Friend, Palin

[ananda]

19. Well then, shouldn't Palin herself resign?

She was found guilty of breaking the law
in Alaska regarding her abuse of power
re Troopergate.

[foxfeet]

20. For heaven's sake, don't drag logic into this.

[EFerrari]

23. Didn't the report say it didn't rise to the level of lawbreaking?

Barbie tries to operate under the radar and it looks like she just made it.

[Twinguard]

24. I don't get it...

If a doctor violates ethics, he loses his license.
If a lawyer violates ethics, he is disbarred.
If an elected official violates ethics, nothing changes??

Stevens and Palin should both be out on their asses.

[hisownpetard]

31. If a Republican violates ethics, he runs for President.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Psephos]

42. she "pumps out retards and teen preggers..."? Dude, you're on the wrong board

Down children are not "retards"...they're known for their gentle spirits, affability, and freedom from bile and meanness.

No one can say the same of you.

My niece just lost a baby two days after birth. She's nineteen and not married to her boyfriend. If you said anything like that near her, he'd ensure you'd be eating dinner through a straw until Valentine's Day.

Pack that shit away and keep it away.

[manonfyre]

30. Perhaps her running mate should, too

Emptywheel points out that Ol' Johnny McCain's consistent failure to disclose his "high-stakes" gambling winnings and losses on Senate Financial Disclosure Forms is exactly what Ted "Pork King" Stevens was just found guilty of -- "Stevens was convicted of not declaring gifts on his Senate Financial Disclosure Forms."

Will McCain Declare His Gambling Winnings or Follow Stevens Down the Toobz?, by emptywheel

[progressivebydesign]

32. OMG! That's rich! How about SHE steps down for her numerous ethics breaches! n/t

[Politicalboi]

33. Sing Ted Sing

[rcrush]

34. So Stevens says FU to both Palin and McCain?

So if the crazy old senator whos going to jail anyway wont listen to McCain then how is gonna be president?

[jimlup]

35. Never thought I'd agree with Sarah Palin on anything!

But I'm with her on this one.
:rofl:

[The Brethren]

36. What a hypocrite she is!!

Palin's in no position to be judging any politician of their misconduct while in office. She was recently found guilty of abusing her powers in her position as Governor, in the Troopergate scandal. She was not found guilty of criminal charges in that case because there was no profit involved for her. However, they clearly found her guilty of unethical conduct.

Which she then flat out lied about to the press when they asked her about it. She responded by smiling and announced how glad she was that she was cleared of all charges both criminal and ethical. She is a goddamn liar who got caught exploiting her authority.

And now Palin's all upset with Stevens because he didn't do the "statesman-like thing" and step down. I'd like to know why she didn't step down after she was found guilty? And more importantly, why is Palin even allowed to continue to be the Governor of Alaska after that, let alone a VP nominee????