Joe Miller Finally Concedes Alaska Senate Race
Yesterday evening while most of America was turning its attention to New Year’s Eve celebrations, Joe Miller was finally giving up:
Republican Joe Miller said Friday that he is giving up his legal challenge of the write-in election win of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, even as he asserted that his fight was in the best interests of the state and country.
At a news conference at his campaign offices in Anchorage, at which he was flanked by his wife and dozens of cheering and whistling supporters, Miller said it was time to throw in the towel but not abandon the fight for conservative values.
“The time has come to accept the practical realities of our current legal circumstances,” he said, a reference to his series of legal defeats in state and federal courts. He added that he continued to have “grave concerns” about the nation’s direction.
“The way of the past, with its obsession for growing government, out-of-control spending, pork-barrel politics, corrupting earmarks and its disregard for individual liberty, is destroying our country,” he said.
His concession came nearly two months after Alaskans concluded voting. He mentioned Murkowski’s name twice: the first time criticizing her for her recent votes with Democrats in the lame-duck session of Congress, and the second in asking God to “guide Sen. Murkowski in her future actions.” He offered no congratulations and continued his attack of her support by Native corporations that get breaks in obtaining federal contracts.
And if you want an indication of what kind of person Miller turned out to be, consider this:
It was Miller’s first formal news conference since Oct. 11, which followed a debate at the Dena’ina Convention Center in Anchorage. That press event was a one-way affair in which Miller criticized the media, said he would no longer answer questions about his character or background, then turned and rushed out a back stairwell that led to the street while aides blocked reporters from following him.
The Oct. 11 press conference punctuated the testy relationship he had with the Alaska media. He largely shunned local reporters in favor of national cable channels like Fox News that allowed him to speak directly to his supporters around the country, many of whom opened their wallets for his campaign.
At a town hall meeting a week after the convention center event, his security detail handcuffed and detained a reporter who tried to ask him questions about why he was disciplined when employed as a part-time attorney with the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
Miller took about a dozen questions Friday. He acknowledged that “of course mistakes were made” by his campaign, which he said was run by neophytes, including himself.
But the only specific “mistake” he cited had nothing to do with his campaign. Rather, it was the involvement “of federal contractors,” he said, a reference to the Native corporations that contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to an independent effort in support of Murkowski.
Of course you didn’t make any mistakes, Joe. Because having your hired goons attack a reporter is normal campaign procedure, right?
Here’s video of the press conference:
‘Bout time that nimrod finally gave up. Can you say “sore loser”?