Alaska’s junior senator, Mark Begich, visited campus Thursday night, speaking to crowd of about 70 College Democrats and interested observers.
Begich, who defeated longtime Republican Ted Stevens in 2008 by a razor thin margin, addressed a series of issues, ranging from policy, to politics, to Sarah Palin and the Tea Partiers.
He explained that though he agrees with President Obama’s $50 billion infrastructure initiative, more needs to be done, because “infrastructure in this country is in desperate need of renovation.”
In terms of the critics who claim that Congress and the White House are spending too much, Sen. Begich retorted “no one talked about it (spending) for 10 years,” while “millionaires and companies that shipped jobs overseas received tax breaks.”
He expressed concern that, to “the obstructionist Republicans, it’s not about policy, it’s about politics.”
When asked about the Tea Party, Sen. Begich explained that there are currently two groups propelling the movement, “a very, very hard right extremist group and those who are just mad” because of economic problems.
He went on to state that it’s important not to paint them all as radicals, as well as reminding the audience, “we (Democrats) had that group two years ago who were mad at Bush.”
Describing Glen Beck as an entertainer, Sen. Begich stated, Mr. Beck is “tapping into this anger and reaching out, trying to deliver his message.” He went further, labeling Mr. Beck dangerous because he was riling people up.
In perhaps the most comical portion of the evening, Sen. Begich, sarcastically referring to Sarah Palin as “our favorite governor,” commented on Ms. Palin’s role in the economy. “Sarah Palin is just another constituent who quit her job,” Mr. Begich stated, a quote that received a round of applause from the audience.
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