The Elephant wants you to forget the last eight years

A Spectrum, by Mark Chryson

The closed primary was foisted upon the State of Alaska by the Republican Party. Allegedly, this was done to prevent interference by cross-over voting designed to affect the outcome of a contested race between Republican candidates. The closed primary imposed upon Alaskan voters by the Alaska Republican Party was designed after the Liberal California Democratic closed primary model. We are now seeing the secondary purpose behind the Republicans wanting a closed primary.

Recently, you may have received a card from the "Alaska Federation of Republican Women" (AFORW) titled "State of Alaska Election Alert." On the back of the card it extolls you to change your voter affiliation because the Republican Primary is "… where most of the choices are …," and that you will need to re-register Republican in order to vote Republican. The card goes on to state that "… you will receive a form allowing you to change your registration and order an absentee ballot." The card was provided by the AFORW as that organization believes that "… Alaska's best hope for a future of jobs and opportunities is on the Republican Party ballot." On this, the Alaskan Independence Party vehemently disagrees.

The cat is now out of the bag. What is being attempted is the suborning of any third parties and undeclared or independent registered voters to a Republican agenda to eliminate the threat posed by anyone expressing their free will at the voting booth. And, since those not registered Republican are so inept as to express their free will reasonably by voluntarily changing one's party affiliation, why, they will also send you the necessary forms to help you along with the process. How nice. And, expensive. And arrogant.

That the cards received were targeted specifically at registered Alaskan Independence Party voters is not lost upon this party. Our slate of candidates represents the most substantial threat to Republican candidates by A. I. P. since 1992. While the Republicans would like you to believe that their slate of candidates represents "Alaska's best hope for a future of jobs and opportunities" the last eight years belie that notion.

It is our understanding that members of the other parties, Libertarian, Republican Moderate and Green were also targeted.

The Republican Party has enjoyed a majority in the State Senate and the State House for the last eight years. Yet, we have seen an expansion in the growth of government in this state unparalleled since the early 1980s. Approximately 150 state employees were added to the rolls each year, funded by Republican votes in the legislature. All the while extolling "budget cuts" each and every year -- a blatant misrepresentation. Only the governor's "proposed budget" was ever cut.

Not one real spending cut was ever accomplished over the last eight years. Not to mention that the Republican's cost savings resulted in a budget deficit that further resulted in the support by at least 12 Republican legislators for new taxes on Alaskans. One Republican gubernatorial candidate is even calling for the elimination of your Permanent Fund Dividend. And, now, we are all supposed to be so thrilled and enthralled over their "sterling" performance that we should just automatically rubber-stamp the Republican ballot like good little sheep? And, eliminate the Alaskans Independence Party in the process.

It is well known that the Republican Party of Alaska suffers a schizoid identity crisis with its candidates. How many times have we heard that not all of the Republican candidates are really Republicans? Why, you have moderate Republicans and you have conservative Republicans. And, you have Democrats who are posing as Republicans to get elected. What does that make these provocateurs -- Demicants? Or Republicrats?

That is hard to do with A. I. P. after this election. We require that a candidate be a party member for at least 30 days before being eligible to run under A. I. P. We also require that our candidates show party support by signing the party's platform. No other party requires a show of affirming the party's platform in any manner on the part of its candidates. That the Alaskan Independence Party was the target of this campaign by the Republicans is no accident. A I. P. is growing. There are almost 20,000 registered A. I. P. voters statewide.

A. I. P.'s philosophy is in black and white on our Web site at http://www.akip.org. Our strong ethics requirements for our candidates are stated under Article X of our Bylaws. Show me any other party that even has an ethics provision in their bylaws.

The Alaskan Independence Party does need your vote. Our party approved national office candidate is Jim Dorr. A. I. P. has no less than five party-approved gubernatorial candidates to pare down to one for the general election in November.

Please check our candidate Web sites at http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/cand02p.htm and those of the other parties' candidates. This primary, please vote an informed vote, not a Republican lock-step vote.

Now you know why the Republicans wanted the closed primary. The initial goal was to eliminate the cross-over vote in the primary. Now that they have the closed primary, the secondary goal is to eliminate the political dialogue and diverging view points.

The symbol of the Alaskan Independence Party is the Polar Bear shown with the Great Bear Constellation and North Star. The Polar Bear is indigenous to Alaska, the elephant and donkey are not.

Mark Chryson is the chairman of the Alaskan Independence Party and a Wasilla resident.