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With less than a week to go before the election, is there any reason to believe any smear ad at this point?

The answer to the question posed by my post topic (With less than a week to go before the election, is there any reason to believe any smear ad at this point?), the answer is no. Like the bottom of the ninth or the late fourth quarter of a football game, the advertisements for both campaigns at this point are really just a hail mary to try and get through the campaign noise. While they may have some surface effect, in substance they are lacking.

If you can't decide at this point, you should just flip a coin. Of course, if you are that indecisive, I would imagine you are probably leaning toward the Democrat party, since they are really based on the government helping you out anyway.

This Alaskan senator Stevens story, however, needs a quick comment. Here is Sen. Stevens, at 84 years old, now convicted of concealing a quarter million dollars in gifts, still is running for reelection. Are the citizens of Alaska crazy for allowing this guy to continue? Or would they be crazy only if he got reelected. In either case, what a debacle and smear on this guy's legacy.

I am with the majority on this one that he should just resign. So what if his opponent wins the race by default. That's the Alaskan Republican party's fault for not running a viable candidate against him or in place of him when this corruption scandal erupted. I'll save the age card for another day.

What I find disturbing, however, is the split in executive authority over what this guy should do "for the good of the country." On one hand, and in a perfect world, I suppose, he would lose the election because the Alaskan people are outraged. Somehow, I think it more probable than not that he would win. And if he wins, and then resigns, obviously the governor (presumably Sarah Palin or her replacement if need be) would appoint someone and then have a special election afterwards.

At what cost would this be to the Alaskan people? Whatever the cost, it seems excessive given that they can avoid all of this by having him resign up front. For a party of "mavericks" or generally of reduced government spending, it seems like an awful waste of money to have this charade continue. Cf. John McCain calls for Ted Stevens to quit; Sarah Palin doesn't go quite that far with McCain, Palin call for Stevens to step aside. But, as a non-Alaskan citizen, what should I care for?

Full post as published by The Once and Future Lawyer on October 30, 2008 (boomark / email).

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