The governor of Alaska told The Star News Network that Alaskans, and other Americans, will punish at the polls President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and Democrats, whose policies are not aligned with their interests and values.
“I think if the national Democrats in Congress and the Biden administration keep doing what they are doing, I think you are going to see a Red Wave,” said Republican Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy, who, like the president grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The former village schoolteacher said the political landscape for Republicans is very favorable in Alaska. “You’re going to see a lot of Republicans elected,” the governor said.
Democrats are in trouble because they lost touch with regular Americans, he said.
“They are so disconnected from the average person when it comes to crime when it comes to values when it comes to the future of America – I’d be shocked if they weren’t thrown out of office,” he said.
Biden’s policies seem designed to hurt the 49th state, in particular, he said.
“He’s made it a point that he is going to make it very difficult for oil and gas, which is Alaska, mining, which is Alaska, and timber – we have the largest national forest in the entire country, the Tongass National Forest.”
“He is not helping, across the board, he’s not helping,” said Dunleavy, who lives with his wife Rose and three daughters in Wasilla.
“From our perspective, what doesn’t make any sense at all is that the world is still going to demand these products, these resources,” he said.
“So, he wants to do them overseas? Ship the jobs over there. Ship the wealth over there. Ship the revenue over there – and he says he’s doing this because he wants to protect the environment,” he said.
The problem regarding protecting the environment when you ship the energy, mining, timber and other industries overseas is that you are always shipping overseas the environmental watchdog function, he said. “And, they don’t have any environmental rules.”
The 60-year-old governor, who worked as an educator in the Arctic communities of northwest Alaska for roughly 20 years before his 2012 election to the state Senate, said from all perspectives Biden’s policies hurt, not help.
“It’s a lose, lose, lose, lose across the board the United States and Alaska,” he said.
Dunleavy said another negative impact of Biden policies on Alaskans is the rise in inflation, where prices are already higher than in the lower 48.
“It’s driving prices up for everybody,” he said.
“Everything is more expensive in Alaska – a lot more,” he said. “If you’re in rural Alaska, it’s even more expensive, so plan on $8, $9 gallons of heating fuel oil – you name it, any type of commodity, any type of foodstuff that has to be flown in, it’s going to be a lot more expensive.”
The tragedy is that there is no reason for it, he said.
“It is unnecessary,” said the governor elected to his first term in 2018 and up again in 2022.
“We were the energy giant, a year ago, a year-and-a-half ago, and now that’s reversed. We’re actually asking the Russians to get us oil and the Saudi Arabians to get us oil – it makes no sense,” Dunleavy said.
“This does not help America. This does not strengthen America.”
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Neil W. McCabe is the national political editor of The Star News Network. Follow him on Twitter: @neilwmccabe2.
