Dan Sullivan's safe space

It's Monday, Alaska! After a weekend filled with hockey, let's catch up on last week.

In this edition: Alaska U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan gave his annual address to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, delivering a full-throated defense of President Donald Trump's first two months back in office that glossed over and ignored much of the pain, chaos and uncertainty that everyday Alaskans have been watching as scores of federal employees have been subjected to mass firings, as millions of dollars of funding have been withheld and as a pointless, ego-driven trade war with Canada threatens to escalate costs on just about everything. As Alaskans flanked the hallway and packed empty-chair town halls across the state, Sullivan and GOP media raced to invalidate concerns and deny reality.

Current mood: 🏒

Dan Sullivan's safe space

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan gave cover to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk during his address to the Alaska Legislature last Thursday, downplaying the pain that haphazard cuts and mass firings have caused to a state that’s more reliant on the feds than most. No, he said, the country’s not facing a constitutional crisis. No, he won’t commit to protecting Medicaid because he thinks more Alaskans should be on private insurance anyway. No, he doesn’t think meeting with Alaskans upset about the chaos would be “constructive and meaningful.” Oh, you're worried about the mish-mash of cuts harming core services throughout the state? Here’s a form, and he might look into it if it aligns with his support for resource development.

“We’ll work with you,” he told legislators, insisting that if they could prove how any of the cuts run contrary to the president’s executive order on unleashing resource development in Alaska, he might be able to advocate for reversing them.

Inspiringly, he said they’ve had “some success.”

In the big picture, at a time when Alaskans are ringing the alarm bells, Sullivan was playing the classics: Democrats bad (he even took time to blast the late President Jimmy Carter), Republicans good, and resource development even better. Any of the many obvious shortcomings of the current administration – including Trump's softball handling of Putin on Ukraine – was met with a "Well, the Democrats were far worse." Much of the consternation, he argued, has been manufactured by the media. Asked about the bubbling outrage of Alaskans over the damage Trump is inflicting on the state, he was dismissive and rejected the need to listen, insisting that meeting with legislators and smaller groups – such as a $100-per-plate dinner in Fairbanks on Friday – was a better use of his time.

“My No. 1 priority has always been constructive and meaningful engagement with my constituents,” he told reporters in Juneau, according to the Alaska Beacon. “And by the way, you want to talk about a town hall? That was the ultimate town hall. There were 60 elected officials who could ask me any question they wanted, on any topic they wanted, and they represent the people.”

He added he's not willing to meet with people who are just going to yell at him.

“And if there’s constructive engagement, I’m all for it,” he said. “If it’s all about screaming and yelling and viral moments that they want to send out to their colleagues? You know, it’s not necessarily the most constructive way to do what I just did in there: an hour and a half with Alaska elected officials.”

That was all in justification of his decision not to hold a public town hall during the congressional recess or attend one of the three empty-chair town halls hosted in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau last week, where hundreds of Alaskans showed up to voice their concerns, even if he wasn't willing to listen.

Alaskans are paying attention and demanding action

At Anchorage’s Loussac Library, it was standing room only for a town hall organized by the 907 Initiative and other local groups that featured a handful of invited speakers as well as open mic time for attendees to voice their discontent to two chairs filled with signs reading “Chicken Nick” and “Doormat Dan.” Attendees shared concerns about everything from the future of Medicaid, USPS and USAID to Trump’s treatment of Russia and heavy-handed treatment of longtime allies like Canada. Many warned that the haphazard cuts handed down by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency would cause long-lasting, painful impacts for Alaskans as critical services are gutted. As the night went on, one attendee kept a running list of all the topics that had been mentioned across large poster boards.

Mike Macans told the audience he’s been fired nearly a half-dozen times from his job at the Small Business Administration and that the chaos will cause real pain for the state. He noted that if not for Trump and Musk, he would likely be working on preparing the state and local businesses for the looming Mt. Spurr eruption.

“Everyday Alaskans are the ones left reeling from the destruction of our critical services,” he said. “Representative Begich and Senator Sullivan refused to sit down with us. They refused to stand up for everyday salt-of-the-earth Alaskans. … Where the hell are you?”

Others took direct issue with the Republicans’ actions, particularly around Sullivan’s support for Trump’s appointees like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has been credibly accused of sexual assault.

“Dan, what were you thinking!” said a woman who said she was a longtime GOP voter but was done voting for Sullivan. “Obviously, it’s not the American people, not the defense of the country. Maybe you have a little Russian in you, Dan!”

The Anchorage town hall counted more than 600 participants, well beyond the capacity of the auditorium, while Juneau and Fairbanks town halls were similarly packed. A protest outside Pike's Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks, where Sullivan attended a $100-per-plate dinner, drew several hundred more.

A safe space for the esteemed senator

But to hear it from the Republican media machine and Sullivan himself, much of the discontent was manufactured – and therefore not valid. Must Read claimed that the protestors outside the dinner had been shipped in by lefty organizations, and Sullivan suggested that the few tough questions he faced during the question-and-answer session with legislators must have been drafted by far-left groups. The denials echo much of the way Republicans have met criticism in the era of Trump, a reflection of a carefully curated echo chamber of far-right alternative facts.

Minority House Republicans took it a head-turning step further by penning a letter filled with flowery and obsequious language, heaping praise on Sullivan and blasting the Democrats for being more deferential.

"It is with sincere regret that we write to apologize for the discourteous treatment you endured from some of our colleagues during the question-and-answer session following your remarks. The tone and manner of certain inquiries – preceded by what can only be described as unnecessary grilling and regrettable rhetoric – fell far short of the respect and decorum you deserve as a United States Senator who graciously accepted our invitation to speak. To say we were merely disappointed would understate the depth of our dismay," said the letter penned presumably with a straight face by the 19 Republicans in the Minority. "Please accept our sincere apologies for this lapse. Know that we have the utmost respect for your leadership, your service, your Alaska centric focus, and the dignity you bring to your office. While we would fully understand if this experience left you hesitant to return, we earnestly hope it will not deter you from gracing us with your presence and wisdom in the future. We look forward to welcoming you back with the courtesy and appreciation you so richly merit."

Barf.

In short, they want to make the Legislature a safe space for Sullivan where he doesn't have to be confronted with the reality of what is happening to Alaska.

And, in the big picture, that's what's so frustrating about this exercise. Alaska is a state that receives more federal funding per capita than any other state in large part because of the attitude championed by the late U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens with the immortal words: "To hell with politics, just do what's right for Alaska." And by and large, that meant bringing home the big bucks. Now, Sullivan and the GOP claim the opposite: that mass firings, withheld infrastructure funding and trade chaos will somehow be right for Alaska in the long run. To them, it sure seems like the motto has become "To hell with Alaska, just do what's right for politics."

As Mike Macans told the audience at the Anchorage town hall on Thursday, “They know who they serve, and it’s not us.”

Stay tuned

Follow the threads: The Anchorage town hall, Sullivan's address

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