Alaskans are a pragmatic people, because pragmatism is a trait borne out of necessity from living on the Last Frontier. Alaskans regularly make decisions that go far beyond what most Americans ever have to consider, because sometimes our very survival is at stake.
For the past few decades, thanks to oil discoveries at Prudhoe Bay, we’ve had to be far less pragmatic than previous generations of Alaskans. But, as predicted, our income from oil has passed its peak — and if we don’t start making pragmatic decisions again, beginning with this election on Nov. 8, we risk losing the quality of life that so many Alaskans now take for granted.
How must a pragmatist weigh our current political situation?
It appears that Donald Trump’s lack of self-control will give the Democrats the White House for at least four more years. And even if Trump does manage to pull out a victory at the last minute, he has wreaked havoc on the Republican brand, with some anticipating a civil war within the party. Regardless of whether you are a progressive, a conservative or somewhere in between, it would simply be foolish to deny the significance of this election for our state.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has done nothing but bash Hillary Clinton throughout the election cycle. It wasn’t until a month ago, when Trump’s boasts about assaulting women were exposed, that a flood of Republicans, including Murkowski, finally found the courage to abandon the would-be Misogynist-in-Chief. I personally found it remarkable that a year of attacks against Mexicans, Muslims, women, the disabled, Native Americans, American war heroes and so many other Americans wasn’t enough to convince Murkowski to abandon Trump.
Nevertheless, given Murkowski’s party’s acidic rhetoric of the past few months, it would be naïve to believe the new administration will be predisposed to help Alaskans on a wide range of issues. And Republican party disunity will further frustrate any efforts Murkowski might make to get something done in the Senate. So, come January 2017, the Alaska delegation, which has missed no opportunity to be a thorn in the Democrat’s side on immigration, health care, judicial appointments, women’s rights and campaign finance reform, could be out in the cold without a parka.
But Alaska need not fall victim to this bleak scenario. Alaska has a choice. We don’t have to send a party-over-policy senator back to D.C., a senator who will be in the minority or caught up in the Republican’s civil war and therefore without much chance of taking care of Alaska’s business for the next six years. As an independent in a closely split Senate, I will be sought after by both major parties. I will be able to work with both houses of Congress as well as the executive branch, which means our state will enjoy significant leverage when it comes to ensuring that our needs are addressed. With our state economy in dire straits, we will need more federal support than ever for infrastructure, education, veterans’ services and cheaper health care.
Six years ago, Murkowski begged Alaskans to support her to prevent a career-ending loss to Joe Miller. We wrote in her name because we thought we were being pragmatic. But pragmatism must be based on facts, not dashed hopes. Murkowski promised that her write-in victory six years ago would allow her to be a more independent voice when she returned to D.C.; but as soon as she got back to Washington she bowed to her party’s political bosses and together they engineered a gridlock that has stopped the federal government from performing more required tasks than any other Senate in our country’s history. Alaska became collateral damage in the D.C. Republican war against Obama.
My 30 years living here in Alaska, my experience in the military and on national security issues, and my expertise in immigration and constitutional law give me the background and training to be a successful U.S. Senator. But beyond those basic qualifications, my independent political status also makes me the pragmatic choice. I have the best chance of anyone in this Senate race to get the best possible job done for Alaska. But to get to Washington to fight for Alaska, I need Alaskans once again to become truly pragmatic. Vote for me on Nov. 8. I’m all work and no party.
• Margaret Stock, Lt. Col. (ret.), is an Independent candidate for the U.S. Senate.
