From KTUU:
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — As confusion over who is legally bound to assume the role of lieutenant governor after Gov. Sarah Palin resigns later this month continues, the House Judiciary Committee announced it will hold a hearing next week.
Committee Chair Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, issued a statement Wednesday saying that his group will consider Lt. Gen. Craig Campbell, commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, to be the next lieutenant governor-designee.
“The governor quit and went fishing,” Ramras said in the statement. “Governor Palin failed to leave specific instructions, so the Legislature is stepping in to bring order to the constitutional chaos she created.”
Joe Schmidt, the Department of Corrections commissioner, had been confirmed by the Legislature during the last session as the next in the line of ascension. He replaced former Attorney General Talis Colberg, who resigned.
Palin created confusion over who would become lieutenant governor amid the chaos of her resignation announcement by declaring that Campbell would assume the post after current Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell was sworn in as governor, bypassing Schmidt.
Schmidt told Channel 2 News over the weekend he no longer wanted the position.
…snip…
“She seems to have planned the succession of state business around a picnic rather than the constitution she told us for years and years she cherishes more than anything else,” Ramras said in a phone interview with Channel 2. “It seems to diminish the process, and I find her behavior irresponsible and deplorable.”
…snip…
According to a legal opinion issued by the Legislative Affairs Agency’s Division of Legal and Research Services, state law is murky, at best, in trying to resolve the vacancy during the Legislature’s recess.
…snip…
House Speaker Mike Chenault said the Legislature will continue looking for a solution.
…snip…
The questions are unresolved mostly because they’ve never come up before. Then-Gov. Wally Hickel resigned in 1968 to become secretary of the federal Interior Department, but his lieutenant governor-designee did not vacate the post and the order of succession was maintained.
30 Comments
July 11, 2009 at 1:57 am
Just as she stated the “Department of Law” would protect her in the White House, she is showing her lack of knowledge once again. She has no clue who is supposed to step up in the job, or fill the void she is creating. She just decided she was stepping out of the picture and the consequences be damned. Let someone else figure out the details.. she is too pretty and too important to worry about anything like that. Details are for the little people.
July 11, 2009 at 3:47 am
exactly, annette. she’s too damned lazy to do any kind of research. she only wants titles. she never wants to do any work connected to them.
July 11, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Next thing she’ll do is ask for special recognition because, unlike her male GOP colleagues, she hasn’t got a mistress.
July 11, 2009 at 9:19 pm
there were some stories about her having an affair with toddie’s friend/business associate. oh, how i would love for that to be proven true. remember the story about her greeting some capt underpants campaign hotshots in her hotel room wearing just a towel? is it really a stretch to believe she’s done some extra-marital flirting and maybe more? inquiring minds want to know!
July 11, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Haters! lol
July 11, 2009 at 9:20 pm
i think the water in alaska needs to be tested. how do people like her get elected?
July 11, 2009 at 5:06 pm
My Mom just told me that the word in Texas is that Gov. Goodhair Perry claims that the Princess is coming here to help him campaign for reelection. Gee, I’m going to vote for someone who gets a quitter to campaign for him, right.
July 11, 2009 at 9:21 pm
i would love to have the kool-aid concession at the gov goodhair/princess rallies. she’s poison almost everywhere else. nobody wants her to campaign for them other than gov goodhair.
July 12, 2009 at 7:03 am
I’ll bet Michele Bachmann would be happy to have her campaign for her. Speaking of Representative Batshit, did you read that Dana Houle AKA DHinMI from Daily Kos was going to work with Tinklenberg to unseat her? I’ve met Dana at the Daily Kos get-togethers here in SE Michigan. I can tell you he’s smart and organized and has killer instinct galore. Rep. Batshit doesn’t know how much trouble she’s in.
July 12, 2009 at 8:04 am
i read that. don’t ask me about dh though. my mom said that if i don’t have something nice to say about someone, i shouldn’t say anything at all.
July 12, 2009 at 3:26 pm
*chuckle* I’m sure there are a lot of people on DKos who are happy that he’s taking a leave of absence as a contributing editor.
July 12, 2009 at 10:30 pm
he doesn’t bother me, because i avoid him like the plague. actually, i think i’d like the plague a bit more.
July 12, 2009 at 8:25 pm
More on Palin and Bachmann. Someone on YouTube actually posted a Palin/Bachmann 2012 video. Report on Dump Bachmann.
http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com/2009/07/ol-gitty-up-wants-palinbachmann-ticket.html
July 12, 2009 at 10:39 pm
omg!! gitty and i think alike! i’m going to find a cave to live in and never bother polite society again.
July 12, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Yeah, but you want the same thing for diametrically opposite reasons. You like the idea for the comedy potential. He likes it because he thinks it’s a good idea.
July 12, 2009 at 11:25 pm
is it possible that gitty is really the greatest satirist who ever lived?
July 13, 2009 at 6:20 am
Maybe, but I have my doubts.
July 13, 2009 at 6:47 am
you’re probably right.
July 11, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Let me ask who would you chose to get a surgery from a person who worked hard and received an Ivy League education, or one who does not care about education (especially science) and drifts and somehow manages to get a degree. She showed her true character, by quitting (cut and run) just like her college years. She couldn’t even give a decent exit speech (her railings against the media was sweet until she did an about face and ask them to go on a fishing trip with her to clarify her “Rambling Rose” comments). She was right for Alaska (with a population of less than 700,000), and her education matches it (journalism degree from the University of Idaho in 1987). But if you think anyone who wants to get our country back on track after the fiasco of the last administration with our economy and the fabrication of two wars then you along with the empty party are completely lost (are you surprise about the election results?). For the previous eight years we put up with a dullard president, but no more, you may try in 2012 but our eyes are open. I have heard that Republicans lost because God was against them, I can only say look at the candidates the Republicans put forward on their national ticket and don’t make the same mistake again. Mavericks, please, more like flash over substance (she quit and he fumbled) and the majority of voters saw it. We both know that she is cashing out, book deal, a show (Radio/TV), speaking engagements, she will keep stringing her followers along as long as she keeps the possibility open for running in 2012.
July 11, 2009 at 9:29 pm
hello paul,
welcome to the raisin!
very well said. the doctor analogy is one that i often use. if princess was a doctor, most of her patients would either be relying on web md to treat themselves or dead.
after the fiasco of the chimpy administration, you would think that the american people–even rethuglicans–would demand more in a leader. it amazes me that there is a percentage of the population who would be fine with this lazy, moronic, self-centered bimbo as president.
July 11, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Frankly, my dear, Im GLAD she’s fishing, and not staying in office doing something fishy.
She’d probably auction off the whole State of Alaska to the highest bidder!
Best case scenario– she runs into a bunch of pissed off Polar Bears. They’d show her a thing or two about *chain of command*.
July 11, 2009 at 9:31 pm
July 11, 2009 at 8:15 pm
“The governor quit and went fishing”
Bwaahaaahhaaa!!! And from a fellow repuglican, too!
Maverick Bitch, please!!
No more politics as usual!
July 11, 2009 at 9:32 pm
i love that these quotes are coming from rethugs! i’m really curious as to what will happen in the governor’s race next time. parnell is less than popular. it will be interesting to watch all the daggers coming out.
July 11, 2009 at 9:28 pm
i bet she is gonna collect unemployment from ALaska – the Palins know how to milk every last nickel
July 11, 2009 at 9:33 pm
and she’ll probably try to bill the state for mileage going to and from the unemployment agency!
July 30, 2009 at 9:32 pm
she is getting sewed to the point were she cannot be an affective governor with all the crap she has to deal with. I’m from Alaska and the water is fine…
July 30, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I think you meant, “She is getting sued.” Maybe try some bottled water. :-\
July 30, 2009 at 10:53 pm
July 30, 2009 at 10:52 pm
sewed? you mean people are needling her? the water may be fine up in alaska, but i think the koolaid you added to it is doing bad things to your brain, nofair. her reasons for leaving were pure and utter bullshit that made no sense whatsoever. according to her, no person should ever run for a second term if they can’t run again due to term limits, because they’ll be a lame duck and, therefore, won’t be able to get anything done. she’s a narcissistic asshole who cares for nobody other than herself.