The big political issue in Alaska revolves around the state's lucrative oil industry — and it has created some odd bedfellows. On Tuesday, Alaskans will vote on a package supported by Republican Gov. Sean Parnell that will cut taxes on oil companies, which supporters say will rejuvenate drilling in the state. But critics say the package is overly generous to the industry, depriving Alaskans of crucial tax revenues that help keep the state free of sales and state income taxes.
One of those critics is former Gov. Sarah Palin, who, along with some very liberal Democrats, is advocating for the resurrection of a 2007 tax package that was one of the signature achievements of her tenure. Here's The New York Times with some details of the feud:
Ms. Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate, had been mostly quiet about the ballot measure, but she came out late last week with a blazing attack in favor of repealing the Parnell plan. In an online column and a video at her new subscription-based website, she railed against the "outside influence" that she said had infiltrated state politics.
"For years outside Big Oil tried to tell us, 'Hush now, little Alaskans, just trust us to do right by you,'" Ms. Palin wrote on her Facebook page, which has 4.3 million "likes," about six times the population of Alaska. "We won't be suckered again by multimillion-dollar P.R. campaigns and crony capitalists wanting us to fall for scaremongering." [The New York Times]
The vote is expected to be a close one.