Dunleavy employee interviews Dunleavy with no surprises, no hard questions, no answers

What happens when Gov. Mike Dunleavy sits down for a staged presentation with state employee Dave Stieren, the radio talk show guy hired by Dunleavy to communicate gubernatorial wisdom for $135,000 a year?

No surprises. No hard questions. No answers. No details.

Just a campaign chat, masquerading as an actual interview and promoted as a “NEWS UPDATE.”

Not since Dunleavy sat down to talk with the school-age son of another one of his employees has there been such a friendly exchange.

“Is it your opinion that we get sort of wrapped up in our own noise politically where the rest of the world, much like Wall Street vis-a-vis Washington, D.C., sees a lot of opportunity and still wants to invest here?” Stieren asked.

Yes, said Dunleavy, launching into a familiar set of talking points about Alaska’s location on world air routes and economic promise, a spiel known to anyone who has listened to an Alaska politician at any time since statehood.

In a real interview, Dunleavy would have been asked if he still plans to cut $730 million from the budget that is due to be released by Dec. 15, as he told Alaskans on June 28. He would be asked if he still plans to cut education by $330 million next year, which would force the layoff of thousands of teachers statewide.

And he would have been asked about his statement in June that the additional cuts “will put Alaska in a position of balancing the budget without new taxes or a reduction of the traditional Permanent Fund Dividend.”

About the Permanent Fund Dividend, Dunleavy now says, “It’s my hope that we have a PFD, a robust PFD that the people of Alaska can support and that at the same time allows some money to go into government to help pay for our government, our bills.”

The press release from the governor promoting the pretend interview with Stieren says Dunleavy is fighting “for a full PFD,” which may or may not be the “robust PFD” he is now talking about. In a real interview he would have been asked about that. And the fiscal fantasy that still doesn’t add up.