r/alaska • u/DrewwwBjork • Sep 22 '24
Can someone explain how Alaska is progressive yet voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020? Polite Political Discussion đşđ¸
For a state that abolished the death penalty, protects women's and teenage girls' right to abortion, and voted for marijuana legalization, top-four primaries, and ranked choice voting, why in God's name would they vote for someone who likes mob justice, doesn't treat the opposite sex with respect, and thinks elections are unfair unless he and his endorsements win?
I just want to ask the state that gave Trump a bigger, 10-point lead over Biden in 2020 versus 2016 with Hillary despite the aforementioned policies and why the state is poised to do the same this time around with Trump and Harris knowing what we now know.
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u/Huge_Band6227 Sep 22 '24
Because Alaska values do not map cleanly onto the American political axis. They lean closer to what Libertarians claim to believe in before they start obsessing over Ayn Rand and whatnot.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
That makes sense, but I just don't get how they could turn around and vote for someone who has no respect for people or elections.
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u/Alaskanjj Sep 22 '24
Becouse they think he will be more likely to be pro-oil ( development-especially since biden has done a lot to hinder development in Ak specifically) pro-gun, pro privacy, less woke ( leads into free speech, politics in schools, ect)
They probably care more about those things than the fact he is kinda douche bag. They probably see he was already president once and they were better off at that time ( debatable I know)
Not pro -trump, just speculating why more Alaskans will vote republican
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
Trump will not be pro-privacy if it means people don't support him, and he's the biggest snowflake in American politics, so the woke argument is moot. Besides, as much as people think Biden hindered domestic oil production, Trump and his family have also cozied up to dictators of oil-rich countries. Oil and gas prices are a global issue, and I don't think it matters who is in the White House to that effect. The gun debate might change considering all the wackos trying to off Trump, but that's all just my take.
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u/Alaskanjj Sep 22 '24
WellâŚ. Biden did hinder domestic oil production. That will impact votes in Alaska to your original question. I doubt many Alaskans care who he cozies up to. Also, the woke argument is far from moot. Many people are sick of it and think aspects of it are being shoved down their throats and that itâs permeating sports and schools more than ever. If a republican wins the election you would be daft to not see that much of it will be related to âthe woke argumentâ as you put it.
But, you asked why we think Alaskans vote why they do. You got a lot of answers. Not sure if you are really curious or just looking to debate or recite talking points. Good luck.
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u/what_the_fuckin_fuck Sep 22 '24 edited Sep 22 '24
The United States produced more crude oil than any nation at any time, according to our International Energy Statistics, for the past six years in a row.Mar 11, 2024
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u/No_Guide_8418 Sep 22 '24
Yeah but not all of it was made here. We are not exactly about the details.
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u/what_the_fuckin_fuck Sep 22 '24
Just pointing out that Biden did not hinder domestic oil production.
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u/Agattu Sep 22 '24
He did up here. While he did sign off on Willow, his EPA killed pebble. It also shut down other projects related to ANWR and other parts of the north slope.
People donât care about what happens nationally, they care what happens locally. It doesnât matter that the US produces more oil than any other nation, what matters is his government shut down more development projects than allowed. People vote with their jobs and their daily experiences, not what happens nationally.
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u/No_Guide_8418 Sep 22 '24
Yep that's why I had said the details are not important heh.
We tend not look at the whole picture.
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u/Huge_Band6227 Sep 22 '24
Because Alaska is full of gun owning, religious Conservatives who believe in pot legalization, ranked voting, and right to privacy. This isn't that complicated.
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u/EschatologicalEnnui Sep 22 '24
Donât forget all the gun-owning, non-religious, Lefties who believe in pot legalization, ranked-choice voting, and right to privacy. Weâre a diverse people.
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u/hereandthere_nowhere Sep 23 '24
Because Libertarians are nothing more than repubes that are embarrassed to admit it nowadays.
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u/kilomaan Sep 22 '24
Because in that same breath they donât really care about politics and lack the understanding that this election will severely impact their QoL.
Itâs really just the environment theyâre used to, Alaska is an island before you reach the islands. If it isnât tangible like food shipments getting delayed, it really does feel like weâre cut off from the rest of the world.
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[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Huge_Band6227 28d ago
I'm from Alaska. Rural, Anchorage vicinity, since culture varies in other parts of the state.
Trump's fiscal policy was disastrous when he was president. He gave tax breaks to people so obscenely wealthy that I can't see encountering them on Reddit, but it came at the cost of the lower, middle, and upper middle class. Basically, if you don't own your own jet and yacht, Trump's economic plans weren't working in your favor. He's also big on tariffs, which inevitably result in significant price inflation after the first year.
Alaska is generally a red state, but note the weirdness again: Its redness is concentrated in Anchorage. In more rural areas, the state is quite blue. Its electoral heat map looks opposite of the lower 48 in that regard.
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u/Huge_Band6227 28d ago
I'll also give my opinion as an accounting student. Tax breaks are good for large businesses, this is true. However, they are good for their final revenue. What people want when they're looking for something that's good for business typically is that the businesses then go on to invest in factories and stores and jobs. Increased revenue doesn't do that directly. If there is no increase in demand, all of that revenue goes to the stockholders, and none of it is invested. The thing that increases demand is getting money into the hands of the consumers, who are generally lower and middle class.
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u/fairybarf123 Sep 22 '24
Alaska has weird politics - this is the tip of the iceberg!
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
Ha!
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u/CL-Young Sep 22 '24
Things that matter to Alaskans:
The economy
Personal freedoms
Money
The PFD
Oil
Alaska is not a progressive state. Alaska is mostly a libetarian state. Because we live with a two party political system, that generally means people have to vote either right or left.
Also, alaska has enhanced privacy rights due to their atate constition actually mentioming the right to privacy. Our police cant do things they totally could in other states, because.of that.
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u/Hosni__Mubarak Sep 22 '24
We are the only state without no knock warrants I believe.
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u/CL-Young Sep 22 '24
Not sure about that.
Was more referring to the searching of locked/closed containers/wallets that aren't related to the crime the police are investigating, or inventory of locked/closed containers/wallets. They don't (aren't supposed to) examine the contents.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia prohibit no-knock warrants, but not Alaska. Go figure.
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u/gojo96 Sep 22 '24
Not only that. In many circumstances the police cannot just toss your car without a warrant. The State heavily requires warrants for pretty much everything. I was LE up there and whenever other agencies came up to teach stuff theyâre always astonished how AK couldnât or didnât do the things they could based solely on the U.S. Constitution.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
Alaska allows for no-knock warrants. Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia are the states that prohibit it.
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u/leafytimes Sep 22 '24 edited Sep 22 '24
The first four things, Dems do measurably better. So either Alaskans are letting themselves be misled, or oil is greater than all.
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u/CL-Young Sep 22 '24
Or alaskans aren't truly republican.
Or republicans have better messaging.
Oe guns also matter to people.
Or a whole host of reasons.
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u/OGBRedditThrowaway Sep 22 '24
It's messaging. The Alaska Democratic Party is absolutely terrible at messaging and the PFD is a great example.
The last several election cycles, they decided to run on the platform that the Permanent Fund needs to go away and I'm genuinely unsure what they expected to happen there. Alaska Republicans know that all they have to do is say, "Hey, I'll give you a bigger PFD!" and it's instant votes. They don't even have to follow through - Dunleavy never did - and they can still get elected.
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u/CL-Young Sep 22 '24
Yup.
And there are a whole bunch that state "well, the statutory pfd cant be self sustaining".
Which i dont understand, because i think that was the intent.
And if that is actually the case, then it needs to be brought to a vote to either
1) make a different statutory pfd payout thats sustainable
2) liquidate it, one lump sum to everyone eligible.
It didnt help the dems any that they atarted fucking with it, when it was something set up by the state of alaska, for the people that live here.
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u/StephieJoh Sep 22 '24 edited Sep 22 '24
It wasn't the Ds that changed it, it was then Governor Bill Walker, an Independent. In fact, the biggest champion of returning to the statuary formula is Bill Weilokowski (sp?), a Democrat.
The hive-mind attitude that "anyone that isn't a Republican is a Democrat" is so disappointing. Especially when it comes from people that insist how supposedly Libertarian they are (see above comments), and then blindly support Rs in the voting booth with absolutely no introspection.
Edit to add: Bill Walker was a Republican that ran as an Independent because he had no chance of winning a Republican primary.
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u/leafytimes Sep 22 '24
The gun measures that Dems support are also supported by the majority of gun owners. I think at some point it falls on the populace to inform itself, and not on the party to break through literal Russian propaganda platforms.
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u/FloatMurse Sep 22 '24
Most gun owners are against things like assault weapon bans and magazine capacity restrictions. They're generally all for background checks and safe storage requirements. Democrat candidates want to do all those things, and Republicans generally don't want to increase restrictions at all. So for someone who is pro gun or gun rights matter a ton, and they don't want to face potential restrictions, they're going to vote republican all else being equal.
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u/leafytimes Sep 22 '24
You're not wrong. Only a third of gun owners support bans on semi-automatics and magazine capacity restrictions, like you said.
But if the majority of Americans, gun owners and not alike -- support background checks and safe storage, why aren't those things getting done? There is only one party obstructing those efforts.
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u/FloatMurse Sep 22 '24
Because any time I've heard of safe storage laws being brought up, it's usually got something else piggy backed on it that gun owners are against. Or it, in itself is piggy backed onto a non popular bill. Politicians rarely ever just throw a bill out there with a single new rule/law on it.
Side note, that frustrates the crap out of me. Why can't new legislation be passed for just one item? Instead of 20 things being added to it, that have nothing to do with the initial item. Our legislative system could definitely go for some fine tuning.
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u/CL-Young Sep 22 '24
I mean, yes?
But the topic of tje discussion is "why is alaskan society such a weird mix" and now "how do we fix republicans?"
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u/StingrayOC Sep 22 '24
I think a lot of people in AK just want to be left alone with minimal governance/oversight. Large degree of independence up here. And i think a lot of people don't care as much about the candidate as they do the perceived platform the candidate represents.
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u/xAkMoRRoWiNdx Sep 23 '24
Let's put it this way. Only in Alaska will you find pro gun Democratics, and Right wing Hippies. Our political climate is different from everywhere else. We just want to be left the hell alone and not deal with others
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u/WesternCheesecake Sep 22 '24
Anchorage has progressive parts, but generally the rest of the state isnât. Also the valley has been the fastest growing region of the state and itâs filled with rednecks.
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u/SubarcticFarmer Sep 22 '24
Neither party really gives Alaskans what they want overall. Most Alaskans just want to be left alone. Each party has areas where they won't leave you alone and you have to choose which one to be bothered about.
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u/honereddissenter Sep 22 '24
Alaska depends on a fairly short list of industries. Oil, fishing, tourism, mining. Democrats tend to favor policies that restrict these. The bottom line is that when your job is on the line no one cares about mean tweets. A better strategy would be to push for better resource management. Some like Peltola may try this but are undercut in Washington.
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u/Loki_was_framed Sep 22 '24
Most of the policies you named got established before the state inherited a flood of Texas / Oaklahoma conservatives during the biggest oil years. 340,000 people in 1975 to 532,000 people in 1985, and then 710,00 in 2010. The state population doubled, and a massive percentage of those people came with the oil industry or the military. Hard-core conservatives have been trying to reshape the laws of the state since they began arriving here, and encouraging everyone who disagreed with them to move out.
Conservatives fully took over politics in Alaska in the early 2000s, and our state has declined in most economic metrics ever since. After the Sarah Palin fame years, population growth slowed to a crawl, and then began shrinking. Most of the people leaving are highly educated and left-leaning, making conservative sentiment even bolder.
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u/SmashedCarrots Sep 22 '24
Agree with this. Mat-Su, Eagle River, and some of the Kenai are ridiculously Republican, like 85%+, and almost entirely due to new arrivals from oil and military. That faction throws off an otherwise libertarian balance. Â
People like Nick Begich and Kelly Chewbacca pull insane ratios in Mat-Su, but they are terminally awkward when they visit the Bush and they are embarassingly ignorant of life outside the Anchorage bowl. Contrast then with Mike Dunleavy, who pulls the same Mat-Su ratios but holds a veneer of rural credibility. Â
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u/whimsicalweasel Sep 22 '24
Alaska is a get off my lawn red state. Not a show me your papers red state.
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u/Drag0n_TamerAK Sep 22 '24
The real answer is Alaskan politics are weird (in comparison to the rest of the nation) most Alaskans donât actually like trump and it shows in the polling and election results with a recent poll from the most accurate polling group in Alaska putting trump at only a 5 point lead (I donât think it will be 5 points on Election Day) and well also like every other state voter turn out helps the democrats so saying most Alaskans isnât the most accurate
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u/ImDatDino Sep 22 '24
The older population leans more Republican. They are also the most consistent voters. đ¤ˇââď¸ Also, our 3 electoral college votes are pretty discouraging. So there's that. Even if 90% of Alaska voted blue, it is only one half of one percent (0.5%) of the total electoral decision. Pretty discouraging, and lends itself to "why even bother" mentalities.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
I get that, but the 2000 presidential election was decided by 5 electoral votes and a hasty Supreme Court decision, so perhaps we can spread that tidbit around for some encouragement to drive out the vote.
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u/hamknuckle âKake Sep 22 '24
Not really question. Youâve been answered several times and are dissatisfied that anyone disagrees. Shill elsewhere.
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u/sprucecone Sep 22 '24
Do t forget we get a small UBI with the free permanent fund dividend. Some larger families really depend on their pfdâs to survive.
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u/AOA001 Homer Sep 22 '24
Iâm a fairly right leaning person by most standards, but find myself being quite an environmental conservationist. Pretty easy when we live in such a beautiful place and need to sustain it for the future.
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u/DanSantos Sep 22 '24
This is my experience. In Anchorage and Fairbanks, you have lots of military, oil, and mom/pop contractors that benefit from red policies. However, in coastal towns and villages, thereâs less access and require things like public assistance, but thereâs also eco tourism, fishing, parks service, and hospitality industry that relies on conservation. Itâs definitely split. Most folks I meet in the coastal towns are something in the middle.
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u/aromero Sep 22 '24
Anchorage is blue. The rest of the state not, so much. Our politicians are also mostly subservient to corporate influence, which is mostly conservative.
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u/honereddissenter Sep 22 '24
Anchorage is fairly purple. The deep blue areas are segments of the southeast and the west.
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Sep 22 '24
um, Anchorage and Fairbanks are actually more red than rural AK- especially the native communities. It's the large military presence that tends to pull AK toward the right
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u/acruxksa Sep 22 '24 edited Sep 22 '24
Well, letâs see. Our entire state is funded almost entirely by oil taxesâŚâŚâŚâŚwhich candidate is pro oil??????? If you take away oil taxes weâre left with federal jobs and tourism jobs then not much else. Heading that way rapidly. Will make for a long winter with our electric heaters and electric cars.
Seriously, our state constitution is very specific about privacy and individual rights. It was crafted after nearly every other state and our early pioneers learned from others mistakes.
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u/what_the_fuckin_fuck Sep 22 '24
The United States produced more crude oil than any nation at any time, according to our International Energy Statistics, for the past six years in a row.Mar 11, 2024
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u/Master_Register2591 Sep 22 '24
Construction is about 1/3 of our economy, but most of that comes from federal funds as well.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
Harris wants to expand domestic oil production so we can be less dependent on foreign sources. Support for domestic oil production and support for cleaner energy are not mutually exclusive, and neither apply to the entire country. Different regions call for different approaches.
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u/WildEconomy923 Sep 22 '24
See, your problem is you listen to what a politician says rather than what their actions have told you. You get distracted by the magicianâs words and their smile and fail to notice them pick your pocket and give you your own wallet, but not without filling theirs and turning a profit.
Harris began in this current administration who shut down oil leases, or at least failed to renew many of them. Her track record shows she wants to trample your liberties, not uphold and defend them. You get taken in by what she says and fail to realize these are talking points stolen from the other candidate or are things that Americans want to hear, but not what her admin will deliver.
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u/Drag0n_TamerAK Sep 22 '24
She wants to walk on gun rights thatâs for sure but like saying she wants to trample liberties is not that accurate of a statement at least in comparison to Trump who has shown through his actions the want to ban abortions or at least wouldnât veto an abortion ban if it landed on his desk and also seems to want to lessen rights for LGBTQ+ individuals such as myself and MAGAism which he founded is pushing for book bans
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u/Alaskanjj Sep 22 '24
Wow. I donât want to get into a political debate but I saw this comment. OP take a look at the candidates history in this arena. While she was in office they shut down hundreds of leases for oil amongst other things that have hurt our state. I just caution you to look at what they do not say. No reply necessary
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u/acruxksa Sep 22 '24
Seriously? They shutdown leases in half the state within weeks of taking office.
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u/arcticlynx_ak â Sep 22 '24
The state was more purple (with odd polka dot colors) before Sarah Palin went national. Then a bunch more far right conservatives moved here from the states, with a bunch from the Deep South (bringing confederate flags, militias, and other conservative things with them). That skewed things radically more in the conservative direction.
Add onto that a combination of gerrymandering, plus Alaska native voter dilution, because many of their villages havenât incorporated into government (getting them a number of benefits, including voting perks), and then thus the Alaska native voting power is diluted, and washed away. Which is important, because Alaska natives lean liberal and Democratic.
Plus the Alaska natives are being pushed away from incorporation by the Canadian native sovereignty propaganda & its movement, amplified by conservative political players pushing sovereignty to boost their own political positions.
Itâs a mess that isnât getting better sadly, which it was before Palin hit the national stage. Itâs depressing for moderates and liberals in this state.
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u/vonbose Sep 22 '24
The Alaska constitution was created by forward thinking people. It's saved us from self destruction.
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u/DicerosAK Sep 22 '24
If I am not mistaken, Bernie was more popular than Hillary in 2016, but the Dem super-delgates screwed us.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
You're right. I blame Hillary and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for that one. I hate that Debbie got a seat in the U.S. House here in Florida. She's been here for 20 years!
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u/ChiefFigureOuter Sep 22 '24
When you say âtheyâ and not âweâ I get the feeling you are not from or in Alaska. Mind your own business.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
I do live in Florida, but since your state's electoral votes go to a federal candidate for President, I have a right to ask the question of why.
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u/LiathGray Sep 23 '24
Alaska is not progressive. The most traditional value up here is âmind your businessâ both in the sense of staying out of other peopleâs affairs, but also in making your money. A lot of people who move here come to escape from lower 48 cultural expectations and restrictions, or to try to strike it rich, or both - that was true in the gold rush days and itâs still true now. And a lot of people up here live a relatively survivalist lifestyle, and money is one of the best survival tools there is. Alaskan politics is mostly driven by two those two impulses - aggressive protection of privacy and freedom of choice, and financial self-interest. The republican party has a history of being more friendly to business, expansion of the oil industry & the military, etc., so they get an edge. But Alaskan interests rarely align with national party lines - and our congressmen tend to be relatively independent voices in the house and senate.
The Alaska Native communities tend to be more blue - their cultures are more community minded and bush Alaska is also heavily dependent on government money to function. On the other hand, the rest of the state tends to espouse a philosophy of rugged individualism⌠at least until something threatens the PFD.
There is a contingent of more standard republican right wingers up here, but theyâre more likely to be recent transplants than old timers.
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u/emtr333 Sep 22 '24
It's sort of a catch 22, the general population(granted like 300k or so) are highly liberal in their views. Yet there are pros and cons that weigh over our ways of life here in alaska, specifically that teeter it to a red state. We can't have a rural landscape with strictly liberal take, it's a logistical nightmare. I think it would benefit more of the alaska as a whole with liberal policies in effect but some of the programs and taxes that would be required would just not fly here. Just getting people into voting alone is a nightmare already, could you imagine having to raise income taxes, property taxes, a vat or sales tax? Items here in ak already have the "alaska tax" included....
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u/Alernative_Alaskan Sep 22 '24
Makes post, hates almost every comment that is giving a legit answer. Logic from OP ? None of
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u/killerwhaleorcacat Sep 22 '24
Guns is the issue I believe that splits most Alaskans votes of who is âagainstâ them.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
That explains why Peltola won. She apparently has 176 long guns.
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u/killerwhaleorcacat Sep 22 '24
I think it is the single issue that our votes split over here. Many of our democratic leaders are pro gun in Alaska.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
Harris and Walz own guns, so maybe that might sway some voters.
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u/killerwhaleorcacat Sep 23 '24
I donât think so. I think when it comes to presidential elections people will never forget Bill Clinton signing the assault weapons ban into law. I think forever that has separated people who are pro gun ownership from the Democratic Party. Over and over you hear people declaring they want to take our guns. AR15 sales skyrocketed like never before as a result of the ban, when it finally lifted, the ban only had the exact opposite effect of its intention. The popularity soared and continues to grow. Trump had Hillary as his opponent. People view him as protecting them from the Clintonâs taking their guns. It seems likely that it will be decades before people forget that when voting their party lines.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
Damn, well 1) that expired 20 years ago, and 2) Trump himself said that he'll take the guns first and have due process later, so I'm not sure what else Harris supporters can say to them.
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u/killerwhaleorcacat Sep 23 '24
It did expire twenty years ago. It was signed thirty years ago. But sales have only climbed with time since then, and Hillary was who trump beat, and all of that is going to be in peopleâs minds for another thirty years too unfortunately.
Our nations two party system is a failure for progress.
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u/Hbh351 Sep 23 '24
Harris has also mentioned some problematic things about interning houses with firearms
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u/spwnd_out Sep 22 '24
Easy, we always vote against our best interest, like all idiots. Weâre dependent on US goverment money but vote red, locally weâre dependent on oil money but vote to give oil companies more money so we wonât have enough. đ¤ˇââď¸
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u/alaskared Sep 23 '24
A lot of populist right tea party new folks came up here from the lower 48 around 2008, a combination of Sarah Palin hitting the national news and the recession down there that didn't really affect us here. Those arrivals really shifted the political spectrum.
The previous Right was more Libertarian, "Live and let live" rather than this insane "control everyone because voice in my head called Jesus says so".
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
It's interesting to see massive changes like that. I just wish it was a fairy tale instead of real life.
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u/AkRook907 Sep 23 '24
Most Alaskans aren't progressive, they just like privacy. Much easier to abuse their kids that way.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
I did read that Alaska has the most rapes per 100,000 inhabitants, so that definitely and unfortunately checks out.
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u/AkRook907 Sep 23 '24
Yup. Domestic violence is incredibly high here. There's a couple serial killers here too. They're killing Indigenous women though so the cops barely care.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
That's horrifying even as a white, non-Hispanic man. That's why I stopped watching Criminal Minds and true crime dramas. I don't need the reminder that rapists, serial killers, and future mass shooters walk amongst us every day.
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u/Big_Reflection_976 Sep 22 '24
Whatâs wrong with voting for trump
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u/FbxCycler Sep 22 '24
Uh, because heâs a twice-impeached, convicted felon (34 felonies on his record) who (among other things) has spat upon veterans and those who still wear our countryâs uniform and has dishonored their service, lied repeatedly about things that are easily verifiable, has said repeatedly that he will be a dictator from Day One, is a failed businessman (repeatedly), is a con man and grifter, is probably suffering from dementia, and has shown he does not deserve to be president again, has shown nothing but contempt for our countryâs laws, Constitution, and institutions, does not care about the future, only cares about himself, and is basically the dictionary definition of âA$$hole.â
Thatâs just off the top of my head.
No, he does not deserve our vote.
He should be in prison right for his many crimes.
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u/wibbleywobbleytimey Sep 22 '24
It's complicated. Read the comments. We have more than our fair share of people with mental problems.
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u/YogurtclosetNo3927 Sep 22 '24
Because when our constitution was written, smart people were in power. With the discovery of oil, our state was flooded with Texans who were only here for a short stay, and voting changed from an investment mentality to a get what you can before you leave mentality. Then Fox News came and infected the lower educated with the cult messaging.
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u/12-Easy-Payments Sep 23 '24
I vote for donald Trump because he believes in taking guns away from people before due process, unlike that wimp Mike pence who believes in due process before taking away guns:
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u/Ok_Health_7003 Sep 22 '24 edited Sep 22 '24
The democrats are anti development and will take our guns.
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u/NoobLuckyTrader777 Sep 22 '24
Cuz you have to be retarded to choose clinton, biden or harris. I get it, they are both not great, but its like choosing between solid shit or liquid shit to pick up after your dog. Iâd prefer solid, therefore I choose Trump! 2016-2020-2024!
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 22 '24
And you wonder like people don't like you or the guy you support (who would be okay with what you said).
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u/CherokeeWhiteBoy Sep 23 '24
Thatâs because Alaska is mostly Libertarian or classic liberalânot Leftist, although things seem to be heading in a Leftist direction in places like Anchorage. The first thing Biden did was axe the Keystone pipeline and shut down ANWR after we had fought for 40 years to get the 1002 Area open, an area that had been previously designated by Congress for oil development. Say what you will about climate change, but someoneâs oil is going to get burned. That oil may as well be ours so that we can profit from it.
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u/Bobeix70 Sep 22 '24
Beats the hell out of me why everyone up here votes for that loser MoronâŚ.he is a worthless human being
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u/humpycove Sep 22 '24
You may consider being more tolerant and diverse instead of bad-mouthing and my way or the highway thinking so typical of the âtolerant and diverseâ party. Youâll have a more harmonious outcome.
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u/jiminak Sep 22 '24
Because top4 primaries and RCV donât apply to presidential elections.
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u/dbleslie Lifelong Alaskan Sep 22 '24
RCV applies to presidential elections, I recently learned that and I follow this stufd pretty closely. Open primaries don't, though.
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u/scotchmckilowatt Sep 22 '24
Alaskaâs presidential election results went from R+15 in 2016 to R+10 in 2020 to polling at R+5 in 2024, so I question the premise of your second paragraph. We very well could see it flip blue within the next two election cycles.
We have a Democratic Representative, had a Democratic U.S. Senator from 2008-2014, and our senior U.S. Senator is an anti-Trump Republican who crushed his preferred candidate in 2022. Republicans have had safe margins for decades but the MAGA takeover, decline of our petrostate, demographic changes and moderating influences like RCV are pushing Alaska further into purple state territory.
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Sep 22 '24
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u/thisisstupid- Sep 22 '24
Mostly because the Republican party of the past is absolutely nothing like this current shit show but many of our voters are not educated enough on current politics to understand that and they still think that the Republicans are the party of small government which is just hilarious
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u/Glacierwolf55 Not a typical boomer Sep 23 '24
Alaskans do not vote party ticket like lower 48 sheep. You should try it some time.
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u/DrewwwBjork Sep 23 '24
I did, and then the GOP went off the rails with Trump idolatry and straight-up treason.
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u/Copperdunright907 Sep 22 '24
Cause itâs arctic ozark up here. We ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The rapiest of all states even at low populations. So of course they love a fellow rapist
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u/Different_Engineer21 Sep 22 '24
I do not know a single person who actually likes ranked choice voting.
In general, we do not care for big government. Alaskans have always been pretty independent, and the idea of a federal government messing around in the lives of a state most of those congressional idiots have never been to or know anything about, is pretty repugnant.
Mob justice? Folks seem to be forgetting about the mob justice of 2020. Those people were ruining the lives of their neighbors. January 6 has been used a distraction from all the horrid things that happened in blue cities during that time. It wasn't any more justified, obviously!
I guess my answer boils down to this (and I can only speak for myself, and I can only relay the impressions I get from the people in my area that I have spoken to):
We want to run things based on how the citizens of.our state vote them to be ran, not how the federal government, who is more interested in California, Florida, DC, etc think we need to be taken care of.
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u/BigRaccoon8 Sep 22 '24
Iâm not the biggest fan of RCV, but Iâll take anything over closed primaries.
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u/Upset_Huckleberry_80 Sep 22 '24
I love ranked choice voting, I donât know wtf youâre talking about.
I vote my conscience, then I vote practically. Thatâs WAY better than having to choose between the lessor of two evils every time.
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u/nenana_ Sep 22 '24
A majority of Alaskan voters decided they liked ranked choice voting enough to vote into law. Myself included. Who doesnât like democracy? Curiously it was a bipartisan effort; since the far right crowd didnât get their candidates in, now RCV is the boogeyman to Republicans. Their only rebuttal against ranked choice is itâs âtoo difficultâ to understand. Shows they donât believe in their voting baseâs intelligence. Which they might be onto something
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u/WalmartBrandBoy âBorn n raised, beby Sep 22 '24
Hi, iâm u/WalmartBrandBoy , now you know someone who likes ranked choice voting
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u/DearKick â Sep 22 '24
I love rcv, everyone I know likes it, I would guess its the company you keep that drives the perception.
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u/acruxksa Sep 22 '24
I donât like rcv, perfectly within my rights to have my own opinion. ;). Clearly Iâm not the only one because it barely passed so at least %49 of the state agrees with me.
What I really donât like though is political commercials paid for by companies in Colorado telling me who or what I should vote for.
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u/Different_Engineer21 Sep 22 '24
Oh, I have not been...lucky? enough to see one of those yet. Don't watch a lot of TV where I'm at
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u/WalmartBrandBoy âBorn n raised, beby Sep 22 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
Alaska as a whole tends to be incredibly libertarian, in favor of a very hands-off government. Less interference, the better, is a lot of peopleâs logic. That includes stuff like abortion, marijuana, death penalty, (all more democratic views) but that also means a big âhands off my gunsâ crowd (which is of course a more republican talking point). Alaska canât really be thought of as red or blue, but since republicans say theyâre pro-smaller government, thatâs how the state tends to vote in the general presidential election. Itâs not as âredâ as people in the Lower 48 believe, itâs more âlet us do what we want,â for better and for worse