U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens has misused his public office and can no longer represent Alaska effectively, Alaska Democratic Party officials said Tuesday as they announced the launch of a new Web site devoted to shining a light on the senator's record and his alliances.
The new Web site is www.RetireTed.com.
In a press release Tuesday, ADP officials noted that Stevens is currently under investigation by federal authorities for allegedly steering federal contracts to VECO, and that the FBI is investigating whether Stevens had a role in arranging VECO's government contract with the National Science Foundation.
"Power corrupts and Ted's actions have become a national scandal," said Alaska Democratic Party Chair Patti Higgins. "Ted Stevens has been exposed. The FBI and IRS have raided his home. He is under a big cloud of suspicion. How can he possibly be effective in that atmosphere?"
She added that the legitimacy of Alaska's needs might not be believed in Washington because Stevens has lost credibility.
"Alaskans need an ethically attuned senator who can inspire the trust of colleagues and constituents," she said.
The RetireTed Web site is the second constructed by the ADP, which also launched www.dropdon.com last summer that focuses on the record of Republican Rep. Don Young.
At a statewide press conference Tuesday morning, Higgins said the party decided months ago to create a Web site that would provide easy access to information covering Stevens' conduct in office and the ethical cloud under which he now serves.
"It is time for him to retire and bring a new phase to Alaska politics," she said.
Kay Brown, communications director of the ADP, demonstrated how the Web site was designed to function. The home page shows a circled icon with Stevens' photo surrounded by five other circles connecting to issues involving VECO, Defense, Communications, Business and Real Estate, and the Fishing Industry. Each icon brings up a column of information on the left side of the page and, when clicked, opens other pages with more detailed information and links.
For instance, the VECO icon provides purported details about investigations into whether Stevens' steered federal contracts to VECO; the Defense icon includes links to sources covering Stevens' influence over military spending in his years as head of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and the Fishing Industry icon leads to information about investigations into Ben Stevens' and Ted Stevens' influence in that area.
Brown said the Web site would show a pattern of people, industry groups and companies paying "phony consulting fees" to Ben Stevens and how Ted Stevens' actions benefited those groups.
One button labeled "Ted in the News" provides a list of stories and other public-record sources, another focuses on the ongoing "Republican Corruption Scandal."
In total, the Web site should help Alaskans separate "the wheat from the chaff" and determine what conduct has been illegal, what may be unethical and what is immoral, Higgins said.
The ADP is working with national Democratic Party officials to spread the word about the new Web site nationally, Brown said, but its prime objective is informing Alaskans about the disadvantage of being represented by a senator serving for extended periods under an ethical cloud.
"We have had a good run with Ted Stevens, and many things were accomplished," Brown said. "But can that continue?"
Higgins acknowledged that she hoped the Web site would help pressure Stevens, who has served in the Senate since 1968, to retire, rather than run for re-election next year. She said she expects a Democratic Party majority in Congress after the 2008 election, and that Alaska would benefit by having a Democrat in the Senate
Asked whether the party was prepared to offer a positive alternative, Higgins noted that Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich was "being courted" to run by some, but that he has not announced. Higgins also said there was interest in Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, and Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage.
"We have every confidence we will have a high-profile candidate," she said.
Hal Spence can be reached at hspence@ptialaska.net.
News