Do you dream of a cold Alaska?

Alaska – Camera Obscura (from the If Looks Could Kill EP)

There’s a small part of me that finds the possibility of Lisa Murkowski running (and winning) a write-in campaign to be hilarious.  Booted out in the primary by the obnoxious Tea Party dude, but still able to win in the general…it would be a good story.

But the more I think about it, the less appealing it is.  Murkowski is, after all, not planning on doing anything differently if she returns to the Senate.  She’ll caucus with the Republicans, seek to regain her old positions of authority, continue funneling millions to Alaska even while complaining about big gov’mint, and generally making a nuisance of herself.

Indeed, this is precisely why she might win.  As Jay Newton-Small notes: “As the most highly subsidized state, Alaskans are feeling the loss of Ted Stevens acutely; during his 49 years in the Senate he brought billions of federal dollars to the Last Frontier. Add to that losing another senior states(wo)man (remember, the more senior, the more pork) and the prospect of a guy — Joe Miller — who wants to ween Alaska off the federal tit is downright scary for a lot of folks.”

If Miller wins, I sincerely doubt it makes a meaningful difference on this front.  But all things being equal I’d appreciate it if the hypocrisy of Alaskans complaining about big government even while raking in the cash from the government was a little less glaring.

As I said last time I commented about Alaska: “I love the idea of Alaska. Open spaces, snow, Northern Exposure, etc. but I can’t say I’m in favor of the politics there.”