Ted Stevens in The Economist

On Principles & Values: Uncle Ted voted "Alaskan of the century"

Begich was just six years old when his opponent, Ted Stevens, was appointed to the Senate and began to shower money on his home state. Some years ago Stevens was voted "Alaskan of the century". In the run-up to the primary, Stevens's supporters put up more and bigger signs than Begich's, even in Anchorage. It is a measure of "Uncle Ted's" popularity that Begich has so far tiptoed around the federal indictment, issuing bland statements of regret. Stevens's opponents in the Republican primary were much harder on him, and he beat them handily.

A day after Stevens's indictment on July 29th, polls put Begich 13 points in the lead. Astonishingly, it also revealed that two-thirds of Alaskans believe Stevens to be at least as ethical as most politicians. This seems to prove that Alaskans do not care much about corruption, as long as their representatives keep the dollars flowing.

Source: 2008 Alaska Senate Debate reported in The Economist Sep 4, 2008

The above quotations are from Columns and news articles in The Economist magazine. Click here for other excerpts from Columns and news articles in The Economist magazine. Click here for other excerpts by Ted Stevens. Click here for a profile of Ted Stevens.
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