Anchorage, Alaska 2011 Municipal Election: List Of Ballot Propositions Totalling Around $107 Million

Post updated March 13th to include links to three media stories.

Anchorage will hold its annual municipal election on Tuesday April 5th, 2011. Six Assembly seats and two School Board seats will be up for grabs, as well as a number of Limited Road Service Area (LRSA) seats. While Assembly members represent designated geographical districts, all school board seats are city-wide. The MOA Election Page provides all necessary information about the upcoming election, to include how to register to vote and what assembly district you live in. A list of Assembly and School Board candidates are provided in a separate post, and a list of candidate forums is also available. March 6th is the last day to register to vote in time for this election.

In addition, a number of ballot propositions will be presented. They consist of two propositions and eight general obligation bonds. The propositions have now been formally enumerated, and source documentation already exists and the links highlighted below. Bear in mind that while the MOA and ASD are asking us to take on additional obligations, ASD will have retired $190 million in previous bonds between April 2008, the last successful bond election, and April 2011. This list will be updated as needed, to include links to significant media stories.

Update March 8th: Anchorage Tomorrow recommends a Yes vote on Propositions 4, 5, and 6, and notes that the Municipality is scheduled to retire $26.1 million worth of existing General Obligation (GO) bonds in 2011, which equates to almost 72 percent of the proposed 2011 GO bond amount of $36.2 million. This offsets any increase incurred by the passage of the 2011 bonds.

Media Stories and Blog Posts:

-- "Service High Senior Speaks Out On School Bonds", KTVA Channel 11, February 25th 2011
-- "Addressing Alaskans: Muni Election 2011 Bonds & Propositions", KSKA 91.1FM, March 2nd 2011
-- "Local projects go before voters in April", Alaska Star, March 10th 2011. Reports the impact of the school bonds on Chugiak-Eagle River schools
-- "Voters To Choose Fate Of Downtown Parking Enforcement" (Prop. 10), KTVA Channel 11, March 25th 2011
-- "Anchorage School Board Candidates Declare Their Positions On The 2011 Anchorage School Bonds", March 27th 2011

A complete description of each proposition is also available on the Official Election Notice. Here is the initial list of propositions:

NOTE: If the eight G.O. Bonds below all pass, and you live within the designated service areas, and debt reimbursement for the three school bonds is applied, your total property tax increase will be $19.50 per $100,000 assessed value. That means if your home is worth $300,000, your property tax bill goes up by $58.50 per year.

-- PROPOSITION 1 - SERVICE HIGH SCHOOL RENEWAL GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS. Reference AO 2011-7. $37,132,000 of General Obligation Bonds to pay for a portion of the costs of additions to and renewals of Service High School and other educational capital improvements. The Project currently qualifies for a state grant of $21,000,000 based on $9,132,000 of the issuance and also 60% State debt reimbursement on $28,000,000 of the issuance (subject to annual legislative appropriation). Explanation of projects HERE. Annual property tax increase as follows:

---- With State Reimbursement: Annual increase in property taxes would be $5.19 per $100,000 assessed value to retire the bonds.
---- Without State reimbursement: Annual increase in taxes of approximately $9.47 per $100,000 assessed value to retire the bonds.

Service High senior Tessa Bay states her case in favor of Prop 1 HERE.


-- PROPOSITION 2 - EDUCATIONAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND FACILITY BUILDING LIFE EXTENSION AND DESIGN PROJECT BONDS. Reference AO 2011-8(S). $16,865,000 of General Obligation Bonds to pay for educational facility building life extension and design projects and other educational capital improvements within Anchorage. This includes design projects for the future renovation of Girdwood K-8 and Airport Heights, Gladys Wood and Inlet View Elementary Schools, as well as the design of career, technical and vocational education improvements for the West/Romig campus. The Projects currently qualify for 70% State debt reimbursement on $11,765,000 of the issuance and 60% State debt reimbursement on $5,100,000 of the issuance (subject to annual legislative appropriation). Annual property tax increase as follows:

---- With State Reimbursement: Annual increase in property taxes would be $1.52 per $100,000 assessed value to retire the bonds.
---- Without State Reimbursement: Annual increase in property taxes of $4.30 per $100,000 assessed value to retire the bonds.


-- PROPOSITION 3 - CAREER, TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL FACILITY EDUCATION UPGRADES PROJECT BONDS. Reference AO 2011-9(S). $17,000,000 of General Obligation Bonds to pay costs of upgrades at career, technical and vocational facilities at seven high schools, five middle schools and the King Career Center. The Projects currently qualify for 60% State debt reimbursement (subject to annual legislative appropriation). Annual property tax increase as follows:

---- With State Reimbursement: Annual increase in property taxes would be $1.30 per $100,000 assessed value to retire the bonds.
---- Without State Reimbursement: Annual increase in property taxes of $4.34 per $100,000 assessed value to retire the bonds.


-- PROPOSITION 4 - ANCHORAGE ROADS AND DRAINAGE SERVICE AREA ROAD AND STORM DRAINAGE BONDS. Reference AO 2011-10. $30,850,000 of General Obligation Bonds for the purpose of providing roads and storm drainage capital acquisition, construction, renovation, upgrades and related capital improvements. The proposed capital improvements would be located within the Anchorage Roads and Drainage Service Area (ARDSA); only those who live within the boundaries of the ARDSA will see an increase in property taxes, although all voters in Anchorage will get to vote on this. Short list of proposed projects HERE. An annual increase in property tax of $10.00 per $100,000 assessed value will be levied upon ARDSA residents to retire the bonds.


-- PROPOSITION 5 - ANCHORAGE BOWL PARKS AND RECREATION SERVICE AREA CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BONDS. Reference AO 2011-11. $3,000,000 of General Obligation Bonds to improve parks and trails, upgrade and improve football stadium concession and neighborhood parks and family recreation areas and recreation facilities, including the South Anchorage Sports Complex in the Anchorage Bowl Parks and Recreation Service Area (ABPRSA) and related capital improvements. An annual increase in property tax of $0.88 per $100,000 assessed value will be levied upon ABPRSA residents to retire the proposed bonds; no increase will be levied upon residents of Chugiak, Eagle River, Girdwood, and other areas outside the Service Area, although they will also get to vote on this.


-- PROPOSITION 6 - AREAWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRANSIT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BONDS. Reference AO 2011-12. $941,000 of General Obligation Bonds for the purpose of providing public safety and transit upgrades, replace ambulances, support vehicles, bus stop improvements, transit fleet expansions and replacement and technology upgrades and related capital improvements within Anchorage. Short list of proposed projects HERE. An annual increase in property tax of $0.24 per $100,000 assessed value will be levied to retire the proposed bonds.


-- PROPOSITION 7 - ANCHORAGE FIRE SERVICE AREA FIRE PROTECTION BONDS. Reference AO 2011-13. $1,150,000 of General Obligation Bonds for the purpose of acquiring a replacement ladder truck and undertaking other related capital improvements within the Anchorage Fire Service Area (AFSA). An annual increase in property tax of $0.31 will be levied upon all AFSA residents to retire the bonds; no increase will be levied on residents outside the AFSA, although they will also get to vote on this.


-- PROPOSITION 8 - ANCHORAGE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE AREA FACILITIES BONDS. Reference AO 2011-14(S). $250,000 of General Obligation Bonds for the purpose of providing improvements to public safety facilities and related police protection capital improvements in the Anchorage Metropolitan Police Service Area. An annual increase in property tax of approximately $0.06 will be levied to retire the proposed bonds.


-- PROPOSITION 9 - AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AMC SECTION 12.15.015; AND SUBMITTING TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE A BALLOT PROPOSITION AUTHORIZING THE MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE TO GRANT A DISABLED VETERAN REAL PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION TO AN ELIGIBLE WIDOW OR WIDOWER UNDER AGE 60, RETROACTIVE TO JANUARY 1, 2011. Reference AO 2011-16.


-- PROPOSITION 10 - SHALL ANCHORAGE MUNICIPAL CHARTER ARTICLE XXI, MUNICIPAL VEHICLE CODE ENFORCEMENT STANDARDS, BE AMENDED TO AUTHORIZE A LIMITED DELEGATION OF DOWNTOWN PARKING VIOLATION ENFORCEMENT TO A MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY OR MUNICIPAL AGENCY ONLY FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA BOUNDED BY SHIP CREEK ON THE NORTH, GAMBELL STREET ON THE EAST, 10TH AVENUE ON THE SOUTH, AND M STREET ON THE WEST? In short, a Yes vote will authorize the Municipality to transfer parking enforcement in this area from the Anchorage Police Department to an unspecified private parking authority. The private parking authority will not be allowed to cite anything other than parking violations. See the Official Election Notice for more details.


-- PROPOSITION 11 - AN ORDINANCE OF THE ANCHORAGE MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY SUBMITTING TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE MUNICIPALITY AT THE REGULAR MUNICIPAL ELECTION ON APRIL 5, 2011, AN ADVISORY BALLOT PROPOSITION ON WHETHER THE MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE SHOULD REQUIRE MANDATORY PHOTO IDENTIFICATION FOR SALE OF ALCOHOL BY PACKAGE LIQUOR STORES. Reference AO 2011-18. This is an advisory vote only; it merely advises the Anchorage Assembly of the voters’ preference on mandatory photo identification when alcoholic beverages are purchased at a package liquor store, but no enabling legislation is enacted. Passage constitutes no guarantee that the Assembly will act upon the results.

---- Assemblyman Patrick Flynn discusses this proposition HERE.
---- Anchorage Press Feb. 3 story about this issue HERE.

Alaska Attorney General John Burns Decries Federal Overreach And Overregulation In Alaska, Says Feds Impinge Upon State Sovereignty

Attorney General John Burns

When the Alaska State Legislature declined to confirm Attorney General candidate Wayne Anthony Ross on April 16th, 2009, I was initially disappointed. However, it eventually paved the way for another attorney general who thinks much like Ross, but who is more credible.

Enter John J. Burns, stage right, who was appointed on November 30th, 2010. The Anchorage Daily News (Feb. 5), the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (Feb. 5) and the Juneau Empire (Feb. 4) have published stories about him. And the common theme to all three stories is that Burns thinks the Federal government's role in Alaska is excessively intrusive, invasive, and oppressive. Burns says overreach and overregulation by the Federal government feed into the social and economic ills plaguing the state, questions where the state's job rate would stand without resource development, and adds that if families aren't supported by jobs, or can't adequately support themselves, that stokes friction. He also believes the Feds impinge upon Alaska's sovereignty; some of the major irritants include the arbitrary application of the Endangered Species Act and its new designations of Wild Lands, the Environmental Protection Agency’s unprecedented exercise of authority, and moratoriums on offshore Arctic drilling for oil and natural gas. Both of Alaska's U.S. senators and Gov. Sean Parnell condemned the remand of air permits issued by the EPA for an Arctic drilling plan, and an official for Shell Alaska said the EPA action was the final factor in a decision to delay plans for drilling this year.

[Ed Note: In December 2010, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the Bureau of Land Management will review about 220 million acres of federal land that's currently not under wilderness protection. The agency wants to see if the lands should be placed under a new protection designation called "wild lands". Areas designated "wild lands" would be placed off-limits to development for 15 to 20 years until Congress decides whether they should be designated as permanent wilderness areas or released. No BLM land will receive "wild lands" status before the final guidelines for the new policy are released by mid-February.]

From the Juneau Empire:

“From our perspective, the ability of our state to become a state, to become an independent entity is critically dependent on its ability to develop its resources,” Burns said, quoting Parnell. Burns urges all Alaskans to read the Statehood Act as well. “The frustration is that, I strongly believe that anybody that lives in the state of Alaska, who has lived here for a long period of time, is an environmentalist. You cannot live in this great state and participate in all that we have and not want to see it continue. But at the same time we recognize that you can have different and responsible development coexisting with that ability to participate. The frustration that I see is that the rest of the world does not believe that we are competent enough to responsibly develop our resources. I don’t think that they believe we care about this wonderful state. To me that belies comprehension. Every Alaskan I have talked to, who has been here for any length of time, is here because it is such an incredible state. The thought that we would do something to ruin it is beyond comprehension to me.”

Burns does not favor litigation as a first choice, but is willing to use it if necessary. If he employs it, he will use it aggressively and with a firm objective in mind. No scavenger hunts.

The Empire also reports in detail about Burns' background, and he is the quintessential Alaskan, having lived and traveled throughout nearly all the state except for the Southeast. This means he understands the needs and challenges of life in Bush Alaska, which sometimes gets lost because of the dominance of Railbelt Alaska. But like so many Alaskans, Burns came here from somewhere else, having migrated from Raleigh, NC with his parents in 1960. One of the factors persuading him to become formally educated and to sink roots in this state was the availability of the student loan forgiveness program. This program may be one of the few entitlement programs that actually promotes empowerment. Burns is married and has two daughters.

But while it's gratifying that we have an attorney general who speaks out against Federal paternalism and who wants us to take charge of our destiny, we did not send that message in November 2010. We chose to send Lisa Murkowski back to Washington rather than hand the baton over to Joe Miller. Of course, much of that was attributable to Miller's miscues on the campaign trail, but, as it is written, "if the trumpet giveth an uncertain sound, who will join the battle". If we're serious about taking back ownership of our state, we must send that message more consistently. Correlation is the key.

Who's The Real "Quitter", Sarah Palin Or Jon Huntsman Jr? Palin "Quit" One Job Under Pressure, Huntsman "Quit" Two Jobs Under No Pressure

Jon Huntsman Jr., standing to Palin's left

Nearly 18 months after Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska on July 2009, a mere 18 months into her first term, many of her detractors still refer to her as a "quitter". This continues to happen despite the fact that Palin made the decision with the greatest reluctance and only after thoughtful consideration, driven by the fact that the endless ethics complaints filed against her, most of which were dismissed out of hand, were bogging down the executive branch and impairing its function. Even to this day, the executive branch struggles to fulfill a request for 26,553 pages of Palin's official e-mails. Palin decided that the welfare of Alaskans took precedence over her personal ego. Furthermore, at the time of Palin's resignation, there was no firm expectation that she would become a millionaire Fox News personality; her legal fees were approaching $500,000.

Yet these same anklebiters have completely ignored the example of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., who recently resigned his post as U.S. Ambassador to China, effective April 30th, 2011. Huntsman resigned under absolutely no pressure at all. In fact, there are no altruistic motives to his resignation; he's said to be clearing the decks for a possible run at the Republican Presidential nomination. It was strictly an opportunistic, self-serving decision.

Furthermore, this is not the first time Huntsman has resigned an office. On August 11th, 2009, a mere 10 months after being re-elected Governor of Utah in a landslide, Huntsman suddenly resigned as Governor in order to become the U.S. Ambassador to China. While this decision was more altruistic, there was absolutely no pressure on him to walk away from the Governor's mansion. In fact, Huntsman enjoyed stratospheric popularity ratings despite being somewhat of a RINO in a deep-red state.

The issue here isn't integrity or competency; Jon Huntsman is as clean as a hound's tooth, and his popularity in Utah attests to his competency as Governor. Instead, the issue is hypocrisy. Once again, many of Sarah Palin's critics employ a double standard, subjecting Palin to a higher and harsher standard than others in her shoes. It looks like Conservatives4Palin noticed the disparity on January 31st. This is one reason why Alaskans4Palin.com came into being; to show the world that there are still fair-minded Alaskans capable of objective reporting about Palin.

The bottom line: If resigning from a job is the primary definition of a quitter, then Jon Huntsman is much more of a quitter than Sarah Palin.

Addendum: What's Jon Huntsman like politically? To put it bluntly, Huntsman's a male version of Lisa Murkowski, except with more class. Huntsman is known to favor civil unions for gays and thinks cap-and-trade is a good thing. Some educated Utah perspective is offered by McKay Coppins in this Newsweek article; Coppins thinks Huntsman is both a serious and electable candidate. KSL Channel 5 discusses how both Huntsman and Romney might interact on the campaign trail, and the implications of a Mormon vs. Mormon contest.

Anchorage Assemblywoman Elvi Gray-Jackson Decries $19 Million Surplus In Municipal Treasury; Opponent Dave Bronson Waits In The Wings

Update March 20th: Post updated to reflect the fact that Billy Ray Powers is also in the race; see the last paragraph of this post.

One difference between the old America and the new America is the attitude towards money. In the old America, saving for a rainy day was considered a virtue; people who fell into bankruptcy or who suffered foreclosure weren't fawned upon as "victims".

In the new America, saving money is considered a vice; it is your "patriotic duty" to spend money and consume. A surplus is considered a sign of hoarding, or selfishness. In fact, a surplus is considered somewhat immoral, and almost criminal. This sentiment is not only deeply entrenched within the Democratic Party, but infects the Murkowski wing of the Republican Party as well.

Anchorage Assemblywoman Elvi Gray-Jackson, one of two Assembly Members who represent the Midtown District, falls into the latter category. On February 3rd, both the Anchorage Daily News and KTUU Channel 2 reported that Gray-Jackson decried the possibility of a $19 million surplus in leftover money from 2010 that didn't get spent. She thinks some of the cuts the city made in its 2011 budget are unfortunate in light of the surplus. These cuts included the closure of the Samson-Dimond branch library, the elimination of some bus routes, and a few layoffs of municipal employees.

Meanwhile, Mayor Dan Sullivan defended his budget and finance teams, saying they've been tracking the extra money. Sullivan said it's not appropriate to call the money a "surplus" at this point because the final expense statements haven't come in yet. He said the purported figure would likely be drastically reduced after those final reports are audited. Sullivan also pointed to the city's many legal cases that it must prepare for, explaining that if there is any extra money at the end of the year, it could be used to help protect the city if it has to pay out money as a result of those legal disputes. A prospective $50 million liability from a suit involving Anchorage Waste Water Utility has to be considered. KTUU news video embedded below:



Fortunately, Midtown residents have an opportunity to hold Elvi Gray-Jackson directly accountable in the upcoming April 5th, 2011 municipal election. Opposing her are two candidates, and one is a particularly well-prepared and financed opponent, Dave Bronson (the other candidate is Billy Ray Powers). As the president of the Alaska Family Council, Bronson has become thoroughly familiar with the rough-and-tumble of Anchorage politics and has compiled an impressive record of political activism. Despite not yet officially filing, Bronson already has an official campaign website up and running (if you're not sure which Assembly District you live in, check this map):

http://www.bronsonforassembly.us/

Bronson notes that "It is plainly irresponsible and self destructive to continue down this fiscal path we have been on for the past several years by continuing to spend more each year while raising taxes on the elderly and those on fixed incomes who are struggling to stay in their own home. The liberal majority is wrong about what government should do on our behalf. We simply can’t afford their way of thinking anymore". He has committed himself to four simple priorities:

-- Find cost savings through greater efficiencies in government.
-- Ensure long-term funding for essential services.
-- Communicate with Midtown constituents on how best to limit excessive government spending and get the most from our tax dollars.
-- Priority Four: Make the difficult decisions which ensure long term fiscal stability.

Much of this replicates the fiscally conservative vision promoted by Mayor Dan Sullivan, which has earned Bronson the endorsement of the Conservative Patriots Group. This means that if elected, Bronson would have a tendency to vote with the more conservative Assembly contingent, to include Bill Starr, Chris Birch, and Debbie Ossiander. Bronson is also a positive and articulate spokesman for those traditional cultural values which catapulted this nation to unprecedented power and prosperity, having taken a courageous stand against the misguided and inadequately-justified Ordinance #64 in 2009 (read his eloquent letter to Debbie Ossiander HERE). Because of his stand against Ordinance #64. Ivan Moore smeared Bronson as a "homophobe" in this November 2010 Anchorage Press article.

Dave Bronson is married with two children; here he's pictured with Mike Huckabee (O.K., nobody's perfect). Read a more detailed biography of Branson HERE, and you can read this series of posts by him on The Alaska Standard for more insight.

Finally, it would be also useful to recollect the unusual manner in which Elvi Gray-Jackson got elected to the Assembly. In 2008, she challenged incumbent Dick Traini. Traini had served two full terms and part of a third; he got a ruling that the partial term did not count against the three-consecutive-term limit. However, a Democratic sympathizer to Gray-Jackson sued to get Traini knocked off the ballot. At the time, Traini had a slight lead. Judge William Morse ruled that Traini should be knocked off the ballot. A couple of weeks before the election, the Alaska Supreme Court overruled Morse. But by then, Traini had lost his momentum, and lost to Gray-Jackson by a narrow margin.

Update March 20th: Since this post was first published, Billy Ray Powers entered the race on February 11th. Powers' primary objectives are to promote fiscal responsibility, create an improved business friendly environment, reduce the tax burden while maintaining necessary public services, and promote educational reform that includes more choice, accountability, and personal responsibility. On those few occasions I've seen him, he appears to have become a more polished and organized candidate than he was when he ran for mayor; he is to be taken seriously.

U.S. Senate Rejects Measure To Repeal Obamacare 51-47; Obama To Appeal Judge Vinson's Decision, May End Up In The Supreme Court

As expected, the U.S. Senate rejected a measure to repeal Obamacare. On February 2nd, 2011, the Senate voted 51-47 along party lines against S.Amdt. 13 to S. 223. The amendment, attached to the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, would have repealed the health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Senator Mark Begich voted No, while Senator Lisa Murkowski voted Yes. The Washington Post has published a detailed story about the vote.

-- Read the full roll call vote HERE.

The Senate vote against repeal means that a Republican repeal bill, which passed the House last month by a 245-189 margin, is now effectively dead in Congress. Both parties are turning their attention to the courts since judges may wield the greatest power to reshape the law. On Monday January 31st, U.S. District (Northern District of Florida) Judge Roger Vinson overturned Obamacare, saying its requirement that most Americans carry insurance or pay a penalty, known as the "mandate", violates the Constitution. Since Judge Vinson determined that the entirety of Obamacare is so inextricably linked to the individual mandate as to preclude severability, he invalidated the entire law. But Judge Vinson did not issue an injunction halting implementation of Obamacare. The states involved in the suit included Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Virginia and Oklahoma sued separately.

-- Read Judge Vinson's 78-page decision HERE.

Three other courts have weighed in on the law, two of them upholding it. U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh in Detroit found in the administration’s favor in a lawsuit brought by the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center, while U.S. District Judge Norman Moon in Lynchburg, Virginia, issued a similar decision in a case filed by Liberty University. Steeh and Moon were both appointed by Bill Clinton, a Democrat. In the third case, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson in Richmond, VA, voided the mandate while allowing the rest of the law to stand. An appeal of that ruling and of a decision upholding the law are slated to go before a Richmond federal appeals court in May 2011. So now we're tied at 2-2.

The Obama Administration indicated it will not only appeal Judge Vinson's decision, but probably ask the U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta to halt the enforcement of Vinson’s decision pending an appeal. While appeals are pending, nothing stops the U.S. from enforcing the health-care legislation outside of those districts where part or all of it has been invalidated. This means that since Judge Vinson's decision includes Alaska, Obamacare cannot be forcibly instituted in Alaska during the interim.

The case is likely to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mitt Romney Appears On CNN's Piers Morgan Program, Characterizes Sarah Palin As A "Great" Candidate As Fellow Mormon Jon Huntsman Jr. Looms On The Horizon

On February 1st, 2011, CNN host Piers Morgan put presumptive Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney through his paces. It's the first time I've seen Piers Morgan in action, and CNN chose a pretty good replacement for the troglodytic Larry King. Then again, it seemed like Larry King had one foot in the grave during his last years with CNN anyway. The Deseret News and the Boston Globe published stories on the appearance.

The appearance is separated into two videos. In the first video, Morgan tries to nail Romney down on his plans, but Romney parries the thrust aside, although he said his wife is leaning on him to run. The discussion then turned to Sarah Palin. Romney said, "I believe she is an extraordinarily powerful and effective voice in our party, that she has generated a great deal of support and attention, that she'd be great in a primary process. She'd bring attention to the process, and frankly, the more people we have on the stage in those debates talking about different ideas and different approaches, the better." When Morgan asked whether Romney could beat Palin, he said, "I don’t know the answer to that".



On the second video, Piers Morgan quizzed Romney extensively on the Egyptian uprising. Romney said that he was not surprised, since he viewed the Tunisian uprising as a harbinger of similar events throughout the Middle East. He did imply that the Obama Administration was caught napping. Romney was noncommittal on the timing of Hosni Mubarrak's departure, saying that the real issue is that change is coming, which effectively meets the objective of the insurgency. Romney doesn't want an immediate transition because he's concerned that Egypt might fall into anarchy, which could be successfully exploited by Islamofascists. Romney doesn't think it's in America's interest to transform every country in the world into a carbon copy cookie-cutter American-style "democracy".



Earlier, Romney guardedly praised Judge Roger Vinson's decision to invalidate Obamacare, although its next stop is the Supreme Court. But Romney still defends Romneycare, although he now concedes that he would probably push for a somewhat different law if he had to do it over again. Romneycare did not stop Romney from winning the Alaska Republican caucus in 2008, and I suspect he could beat Palin in a 2012 caucus in the Last Frontier. A Romney-Palin tag team is also a possibility and would effectively merge Romney's professionalism with Palin's passion; it would keep the Tea Party in the Republican fold.

But Mitt Romney has a new concern. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., a moderate Republican who was well-respective in a markedly red state, announced his resignation as U.S. Ambassador to China. It is widely speculated that Huntsman is interesting in launching a Republican Presidential candidacy in 2012, and Huntsman has not debunked it. This would set up a possible Mormon vs. Mormon clash in the primaries. Huntsman is more of a moderate Republican who favors civil unions and cap-and-trade. Susie Wiles, a political adviser who helped Rick Scott capture Florida's gubernatorial election, is now on board to head a de facto "Friends of Jon Huntsman" political action committee that's ostensibly paving the way for a Huntsman bid.