President Barack Obama came to Alaska for the first time ever Nov. 12, and how was he received? He got snubbed by three out of four of our highest-ranking elected officials.
Only Sen. Mark Begich showed up to welcome the president to the state. Not surprisingly, Sen. Lisa Murkowski didn't show. She had a meeting scheduled in Kotzebue, but her recently received leadership role in the Republican party seems to require her to be more divisive when it comes to a Democrat. Rep. Don Young didn't bother to come home for the congressional break.
But the biggest disappointment to most was the snub from Gov. Sean Parnell, who wouldn't change his schedule to visit the president. Parnell instead spoke to a group of construction contractors.
Since he took over the governor's office, Parnell has worked to come off as the great "unifier," a man who goes out of his way to speak with all parties involved, to listen to the concerns of all. The hope has been that he'll take that information and make some solid decisions that will strengthen the state's economy.
Alaskans have high hopes for this governor, as they recall how his predecessor went a little too "maverick-y" with the facts and the underlying ethics of the job, and didn't care who she stepped on - the current president included - as she foraged her path to Facebook and Twitter stardom.
But the new governor let a good opportunity to smooth some federal feathers pass him by. Alaska has some heady issues facing it, and the state will need help from the federal government to meet those challenges.
Parnell said he couldn't get face time with the president, so he didn't see the need to change his plans. But that's no excuse for not representing his state.
Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan changed his schedule to attend, knowing he wouldn't get a private audience with the president. In fact, he rescheduled a talk with an oil company and completely missed sit-down interviews with police chief candidates. He's a registered Republican, and he saw the value of showing up.
And honestly governor, Alaska's construction industry benefits greatly from federal dollars - they build the roads, airports and facilities in the state that the feds pay for, projects listed in legislation that President Obama ultimately signs.
We think they would have understood if you rescheduled your lunch to promote their futures. There were two more days left in the contractors' conference, after all.
And what message did our state Republicans send to the soldiers stationed at the bases in Alaska, and the Alaska soldiers scattered throughout the globe?
Our politicians need to work together to promote our state and support our soldiers, no matter which party the current administration.
You were all elected to lead, not pshaw the basic rules of etiquette.
