Sarah Palin

The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that the state is investigating $2 million in possibly illegal donations to last year's ballot initiative to limit the Pebble mine. The focus of the investigation is a wealthy businessman, Bob Gillam, who enjoys fishing and was worried about water quality.

That initiative, which failed, has been the subject of intense debate. Gov. Sarah Palin's public opposition to the measure led to demands that she be investigated for abusing her office.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, attempting to recover from various political wounds, is backing a ballot initiative in her state that would require notification of a parent or guardian before a minor may obtain an abortion.

This may prove to be a smart political strategy. What's not smart -- or justified -- are attempts to attack Palin for involving herself in a ballot initiative campaign. Governors all over the country --- both Democrats (Ritter of Colorado and Napolitano of Arizona most recently) and Republicans (Schwarzenegger) -- have led such campaigns, even drafting and sponsoring initiatives themselves. But the left in and out of Alaska has tried to accuse Palin of ethical transgressions for supporting measures. Their argument is that a governor, by involving herself in a campaign, is using the resources of her government office for politics. While I have concerns about governors creating plebiscites, Palin's strategy is hardly out of line, or unusual. And her opponents are allowing her to pose as a champion of free speech by attacking her in this way. It'd be wiser to go after Palin for her views on issues and her less-than-distinguished record as governor.

Scanning email and the news from Bern, here's a bit of d.d. news.

PALIN AND PROPS: The Washington Post takes a look at Gov. Sarah Palin's last-minute intervention on behalf of mining interests against a ballot initiative this August. The Post suggests she may have broken state law barring the use of government resources to support or oppose a ballot measure.

FIRST 'YES ON 8' AD: It's brutal but effective. The supporters of the same-sex marriage ban in California debut a clever TV advertisement that stars Gavin Newsom, a same-sex marriage supporter. They don't make an argument against the marriage. They make an argument that you're being forced to accept same-sex marriage. (Newsom is quoted as saying that such marriages are coming whether you like it or not). It's not an idea pulled out of thin air. The state Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage this spring declared that gay couples had a constitutional right to acceptance of how they form families. It was a strong moral argument, but, in my reporting, some same-sex marriage supporters worried that it might be vulnerable politically (and perhaps legally).

The Republican vice presidential nominee's decision to take the side of mining interests in an Alaska ballot initiative on water regulation last month may have been a violation of state law. And the net roots have given it a name: "Salmongate."

Governors are not supposed to use the state government to advance their side of a political campaign. And Alaska governors, under state law, are not supposed to take sides in ballot initiatives. But Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, appeared to do both those things in a recently concluded ballot initiative campaign you'll likely be hearing more about.

Measure 4, which went down to defeat in last Tuesday's Alaska elections, would have put new regulations on mining -- it was aimed at one particular mine -- in the name of clean water. Whatever its merits, it's clear that the state's Department of Natural Resources, which Palin supervises, set up a web site and had staff advocates against the measure. And Palin, as a point of "personal privilege," came out strongly against the measure. Expect to see Democrats and the press make much of this. The issue is a twofer--Democrats will use it to argue that she doesn't support the environment AND is not the good government reformer she's been billed as.

Get ready, America, for a lesson in one of our country's strangest states. What makes Alaska so different? It's not just the cold and the empty landscape. (CORRECTED 9/4): Alaska is one of a few states to have had direct democracy since its founding. Arizona has had the initiative and referendum since statehood, and Oklahoma since shortly after it joined the union. 

So it's fair to say that Alaska has been shaped more profoundly by direct democracy than almost any other state in the union. As every bit of Gov. Sarah Palin's life is scrutinized, you'll hear lots of odd things for which direct democracy is part of the answer. (Here's my strongest prediction about this choice: once Americans learn how Alaska works, Leno and Letterman will start making jokes -- and it'll be years before they stop). For example, she'll have to admit -- as she has done in the past -- that she smoked marijuna. But she'll have an explanation that may surprise people. Marijuana was LEGAL in Alaska until 1990, and not just for medicinal purposes. Thank the voters for the right. The voters also took the right away.