Why does Sen Ted Stevens bother to carry on?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Since the Senate is going to get rid of him anyhow. Why does he carry on. He (the convicted) is an embarassment for all.

[TK421]

1. Grasping for power...it's what repukes do best

what are the latest numbers for Begich? Last I heard he was ahead by at least a thousand and ballots are still coming in?

[Blue_In_AK]

6. Begich is ahead by 1,022.

The majority of the remaining ballots will be counted Tuesday. Wednesday is the last day to receive absentee ballots. We should have a winner by Wednesday evening, barring a recount.


Here's what The Mudflats had to say about this today...http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/does-stevens-want-begich-to-win/

Does Stevens Want Begich to Win?

No matter what happens, we are witnessing the end of Ted Stevens. Either he loses the election to Mark Begich, or he wins the election and faces expulsion by his peers. Neither scenario is one he would have chosen, or that Alaskans would ever have believed before his Girdwood home was raided by the FBI in 2006.

I hope that Mark Begich wins this seat for a variety of reasons. But, I think in the deepest recesses of his soul, Ted Stevens hopes he wins too. Stevens is a tough nut, but I suspect that the humiliation of being voted out by his Senate colleagues would be a lot tougher on him than losing an election.

The first official action of the Senate, a meeting in which senators will vote via secret ballot whether to oust Stevens from the Republican conference is scheduled to take place Tuesday morning, before the vote totals are even completed in his home state of Alaska.

Ejection from the Republican conference means losing his committee assignments and his vote on party matters.

Following his felony convictions in federal court before the election, Stevens was forced to step down as the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee and on an Appropriations subcommittee. He now appears in danger of losing his seat to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich

The conference meeting is currently scheduled for Tuesday, the day after Congress returns from its elections recess. While the vote is on the agenda for 9:30 a.m., it’s not clear whether it will take place. Many Republican senators say they would rather wait for the final election results so they don’t have to cast an uncomfortable vote on whether Stevens should stay in their conference.

http://www.adn.com/ted-stevens/story/590869.html

Yes, we wouldn’t want to make them feel “uncomfortable” by voting on a secret ballot to eject a convicted felon from the Republican conference. For those Republican Senators who may be waffling on this decision, I have seven words for you. Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, aaannnnnd……guilty.

Whatever comes to pass, it won’t be long before Ted Stevens is packing up his undeclared massage chair, his fish sculpture, his stained glass window, and the rest. His Incredible Hulk collectibles, and the rest of his office will be finding its way to cardboard boxes, and leaving the Senate building after more than 40 years.

It’s a new chapter for Alaska, regardless of the outcome

[TK421]

8. Best of luck to you people up there...I will keep my fingers crossed

I like Begich...I really do

[Blue_In_AK]

11. Yes, I think Mark's going to do just fine.

[Cha]

22. Mark Begich has an interesting

history..I'm looking forward to finding out more about him.
http://www.begich.com/

[AlinPA]

19. re:"but I suspect that the humiliation of being voted out by his Senate colleagues

would be a lot tougher on him than losing an election.":

Nothing can humiliate that man. He has no feelings, no respect for anything or anyone.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. After a while they don't know right from wrong.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. I have come to that conclusion

[Mz Pip]

3. He's a senile, belligerent

old man with an overblown sense of self importance.

Also half the voters in Alaska voted for him, which says a lot about them as much as it does him.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. I posted this last night

which is my take on why he may be hesitant to leave.

===========

He's been in the Senate since 1968. Sen. Stevens did a lot to benefit the new state of Alaska in his early years, no doubt, and he was responsive to all of his constituents, not just the rich ones, but at some point along the way he lost his moral compass. It's kind of sad, really.

What does he care what happens between now and January? His presence in the Senate wouldn't really benefit Alaskans; it would only reflect poorly on us. I think we the people of this state can manage for a couple of months with only one senator.


============


And that's it, in a nutshell. He has such a sense of his own self-importance that he honestly believes Alaska will suffer once he's gone. Maybe we will -- but it's time to move on.

[Mz Pip]

20. So I guess

people may have been voting for who he was rather than who he is. I can kind of see that. Strom Thurmond got re-elected time after time, even when he was beyond senile. And we Democrats have Robert Byrd, though in spite of his age, he does seem to still have most of his wits about him. Sort of.

And California voted for Arnold just because they thought having an movie action hero for Governor would be cool. Go figure.

[Blue_In_AK]

25. That's very true.

I can't tell you how many times over the past year I heard people say, "But Ted has done so much for us," or "Ted really helped me cut through the government red tape" when they had this or that problem. I mean, he did it for ME even, when I had an issue with HUD back in the early '90s. So I believe it is really hard for a lot of Alaskans, particularly Republican-leaning folks, to come to grips with the fact that his time is over.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

26. I guess apples do go bad

unlss they were bad in the first place

[Blue_In_AK]

29. I guess we'll never know.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. A stubborn old coot.

[Bluzmann57]

4. Money and egomania

That would be my guess.

[Jim Sagle]

5. Because he's a sack of human garbage.

[gristy]

7. The guy is nearly 85 (b'day this Tuesday)

He wants to LIVE!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. Past his sell by date and not because of his age!

[Disturbed]

14. He cannot get a Pardon from W because his sentence won't

be until after Jan. I don't feel that he will get any Prison time. His Appeal won't over turn his Sentence.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. In any case he shouldn't be in office

[Ozma]

17. Maybe this guy will kick the bucket before January anyway

Although it's always the bad that die old.

[snowbear]

31. OMG.. You mean he could lose his seat on his birthday ?!?!?

That's for pointing that out gristy! ~~

[Ozma]

15. Well, he's following Larry Craig's lead !!!!

[AllentownJake]

16. Because if he loses

he has nothing to negotiate for when it comes to sentencing and appealing.

[jpak]

18. Like most asshole republicans, he's a sociopath

n/t

[Jade Fox]

21. Yes, and he's 190 years old....

Retire already, Ted.

[hatrack]

23. Because without the Precious, Senator Gollum will howl and scream and lunge at peoples' throats . .

And that's definitely not going to sit well with George Will and Cokie Roberts and Mark Penn and Karl Rover and all the others who face potential lungee status.

[RollWithIt]

24. That makes sense....

Didn't think of that. Though I doubt at his age he would ever spend a day in prison.

[Jennicut]

28. To give the Rethugs the seat?

[onenote]

30. ego. pure and simple.

I've met the man. Its his ego. Plus, if he gets re-elected by some miracle, the Senate may not expel him until his appeals have run, which could be a while.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

33. we need a clean Senate not this

I'm tired of all this scratching of backs

[1Hippiechick]

32. Luggage? n/t