Ruedrich loses lunch money, but GOP ignores black eye

Frontiersman editorial board

Claiming his behavior was wrong, but not all that wrong, Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich says he'll pay the $12,000 and get back to party business. Ruedrich said he has no plans to step down from the top GOP job, and he seems to have a fair amount of support from inside the party -- including the support of Gov. Frank Murkowski.

Ruedrich admitted to three of four ethics charges related to his performance of GOP functions from his government office at the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, and the state dropped a fourth charge. Even after copping the plea, Ruedrich remained unrepentant, claiming that his behavior wasn't all that bad, and sometimes he didn't even intend to break ethics rules. He also said that, while he was confident he hadn't done anything seriously wrong, he'd rather pay the fine than pursue litigation against the state that would cost him more than $12,000 in legal fees.

Apparently, Ruedrich is more concerned about his wallet than he is about his good name. And why shouldn't he be? The Republican Party is apparently not worried about the party boss's lack of ethical fiber. He's been doing a great job according to many party faithful, so why kick him to the curb over a little bump in the road? It gives one pause.

How does the Murkowski administration draw its ethical line? If Ruedrich is not ethically fit to work in a government office, but he's just right for the top party job, what conclusions can we draw? Is it that this administration sets the ethical bar at different levels for different jobs or different people? Is it that bad behavior only counts until the fine is paid -- and then the slate is clean? Maybe it's not so much that Ruedrich did something wrong, that cost him his state job. Maybe it's just that he got caught. If not, than how can the party justify leaving him in the top spot?

And all this time we thought the GOP was the party of high moral and ethical values -- free from the cloud of relativity. Behavior, according to GOP rhetoric, is either good or bad, and that is not effected by outside influences.

It's becoming more and more difficult to discern the line between the Murkowski administration and the Alaska GOP. Both are exhibiting signs of arrogant indifference to public opinion, and both seem to believe they enjoy a mandate to seek their ends by any means possible. We wonder if the November election will prove them right or wrong.