Alaska lawmakers undo Palin's handiwork

She had refused $28 million in US stimulus funds, but the legislature voted on Monday to override her veto. Will that close the Palin era in Alaska politics?

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Within Alaska, a broad coalition of civic and business groups, including the Alaska Municipal League and the Alaska State Homebuilders Association, supported the veto override.

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Palin’s resistance to federal energy assistance is a big reason for her unpopularity in Bethel and surrounding Yupik Eskimo villages in the tundra delta fanning out between the mouths of the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, said one official from that southwestern Alaska city.

In Bethel, where fuel costs $6 a gallon, Palin is resented for her seeming indifference, said Eric Middlebrook, Bethel’s vice mayor. “It was obvious that her actions and her decisions were based on how it affected her national image,” said Mr. Middlebrook, who was visiting Anchorage on personal business and happened to ride a bicycle past the convention center and the pro-Palin demonstrators.

Ultimately, 45 of Alaska’s 60 lawmakers agreed with the municipal and business leaders who urged an override.

“We live in coldest-climate state in the union, and we should be setting the standard in efficiencies and the way energy is being utilized,” Sen. Lyman Hoffman (D) said during the debate.

The funding will help the poorest Alaskans, including many Native villagers in the bush who face the nation’s highest energy costs, said Rep. Max Gruenberg (D).

“Do we want them getting the [help] through the federal money, or do we want them getting the money from the president of Venezuela?” Mr. Gruenberg said, referring to fuel vouchers given to rural Alaskans by the government of Hugo Chávez.

Even with this battle over, it may be difficult for Alaskan affairs to emerge from Palin’s shadow, said one lawmaker.

“There is that Palin mystique. She’s very polarizing,” said Craig Johnson (R), who voted to uphold the veto but who has opposed the former governor on key oil and gas policies. Wading through the protesters lining the sidewalk, Mr. Johnson said he would prefer that Alaska be known for something other than Sarah Palin.

“I’d like to get beyond that and start talking about this great state and our resources,” he said. But that, he allowed, is unlikely in the near future. “As long as she has that draw, we’re going to be talking about her.”

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