Our view: Palin out, Parnell up
Less glitter and Twitter, more hands-on governance
Published: July 25th, 2009 05:20 PM
Today in Fairbanks, Sean Parnell will become governor of Alaska. He won't be the star attraction. That title will be Sarah Palin's, as she exits one stage to seek another, whatever it might be. But after today, Alaskans settle down to life after Sarah.
Parnell has been a loyal lieutenant governor. That's only right for a man who rode the Palin wave to the No. 2 position in state government and espouses some of the same fiscal and social conservatism.
But he's already said he intends to be more than a drone carrying on Palin's policies.
What can we expect to change?
First, expect fewer ethics complaints. Some Alaskans made a cause out of filing complaints against Gov. Palin and then trumpeting them for all who would listen -- a violation of state law. Several of those complaints had merit. Most squandered time, money and trust in the public process. It's unlikely Gov. Parnell will be the kind of lightning rod for obsessive attacks that Gov. Palin was.
Second, expect a Parnell administration to be less People magazine, more Governing magazine. Letterman won't be interested. Ditto Politico. This is Alaska, so we'll have plenty of politics, especially with a crowded field lining up for the 2010 governor's race. But this will be more familiar politics -- sometimes half-baked, mostly home-cooked -- with neither governor nor opponents are playing to a national audience.
Third, expect a basic less-government approach from Parnell. In that he'll echo his predecessor, but with less fervor and more thought.
Fourth, politics likely will be less personal for Parnell. Politics is always personal, but Parnell's eight years in the Legislature schooled him in the ability to fight with someone one day and make common cause the next. Once the vice-presidential run began, Palin's camp adopted a for-her or against-her mentality that continued after the November election. Parnell, though clearly a conservative, is a moderate in manner who doesn't appear to require agreement before conversation.
Fifth, expect Parnell to be more engaged with lawmakers, more willing to work directly with them in the nuts and bolts of legislation, budgets and government. He's done such work in both the legislative and executive branches of government. He knows how to make sausage.
Sixth, expect some initiatives that, while not on the scale of the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act or oil tax revisions, could have some long-lasting reach into Alaskans' lives. Parnell has talked about aligning the work of nonprofits and state agencies with outfits like Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and projects to reduce recidivism and domestic violence.
Gov. Sarah Palin does another star turn today, but then it's Gov. Sean Parnell's turn. It's a turn he didn't expect to have without a fight. Now Alaskans will see what he does with it.
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