Thursday, August 26, 2010

Entitlement Mentality -- Alaska Senatorial Race -- Absentee Ballots Not Counted

Alaska absentee ballots will not be counted until next week so we still don't know the results of the US Senate race between Lisa Murkowski, the incumbent, and Joe Miller.  Murkowski's Dad did not do her any favors when he appointed her to that seat and gave her what looks to be the entitlement mindset after winning six years ago.

What is Lisa Murkowski going to do if the absentee ballots don't go her way?  Are rumors true that she will run on the Libertarian Party ticket and perhaps defeat Joe Miller that way giving the Senate seat to the Democrat?  That would be short sighted and frankly arrogant to risk a Republican seat because she feels entitiled.  Reminds us of another former Republican, the NO PARTY Charlie Crist, of Florida when faced with losing the primary to Marco Rubio went NO PARTY.   

It is time for Murkowski to pledge to support Joe Miller if he turns out to be the winner of the Senate race and put all thoughts aside of running for Senate.  The people of Alaska will have spoken and she needs to honor their wishes.

Getting very tired of this entitlement mentality by some of our candidates.  We are seeing it in Florida where Attorney General Bill McCollum thought he had the nomination for Governor all sewed up, but along comes Scott who is tired of the lobbyists and power brokers in Tallahassee and threw a wrench into the plans of McCollum.  All of this would have been avoided if Crist had not decided he preferred to be Senator instead of Governor.  Arrogance ruled the day.  Now McCollum is wishy washy on his support.  Same McCollum who got Tom Gallagher out of the Senate race in 2002 so he would not have to spend money in the primary.  Powers at be in Tallahassee should have told McCollum that day -- NO!

If you run for office, you accept your victory with humility and any loss with grace.  After the race is over, then you support the winner not with a lukewarm response but with the same response you would have expected your opponent to give you if you won.  That should be the first lesson every candidate learns before setting foot in the political arena. 

In Colorado after a tough race between Ken Buck and Jane Norton for the Senate seat, the two candidates on election night were shining examples of how to win with humility and lose gracefully. Jane Norton didn't hestitate to throw her full support behind Ken Buck which was very refreshing. Ken Buck, likewise, talked about how they were friends before the race and would be after.

Time for the candidates in the remainder of our Republican primaries to follow the example of Ken Buck and Jane Norton on election night.

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