Dunleavy joins Trump praise-a-thon at White House with insipid testimony

Gov. Mike Dunleavy , refusing to deal with the health crisis, the fiscal crisis or the economic crisis that threatens Alaska, chose to use public money to go the White House for a Trump campaign event, delivering this nonsense at the presidential praise-a-thon.

 "What you've done here for us, for governors,  and the people of this great country and Alaska, we are part of the great country by the way, Mr. President, you know that.

The president has been up in our state. We've met at least 8 times and when he stops over in Anchorage, Alaska on his trips, he always wants to meet. 

And the first thing he says is, 'Can we meet the troops? And what do you need in the state of Alaska?’

This is a small state population-wise, way up north. This president sees the importance of that state and its people. 

This is really about hope, Mr. President, restoring hope and opportunity. And this is what you've done.

This is really about the art of the possibility.

As the previous Gov. (Brad) Little said, what you've done is historic and it's gonna continue to be historic. In Alaska, for example, we have communities that are 500, 600 miles off the road system.

The telehealth regulations that have been put in place now are not only going to be good for medicine, but they're going to save lives as a result of the work that you and your team have done. 

We look at our resource development. We look at businesses small and big.

And you've restored, you've renewed hope, that it is possible to achieve the American dream. 

These regulations over the past 40 years have really, in many respects, killed the American dream, as you said, strangle the American dream.

And in the end, really what this comes down to is how does it impact the individual American, the individual Alaskan in my case. 

And I want to tell you, what you've done is when the landowner goes and decides that they want to do a little landscaping on their property, do they have to look over their shoulder and wonder if big government is watching them?

Can they do what they need to do on their private property? You've restored the hope that they can. That they can realize the American dream.

And this goes for our corporations. This goes for our entities, our nonprofit entities, this goes for our Native corporations in Alaska. What you've done is restore hope and opportunity. And we're looking forward to more years of this opportunity, Mr. President, so thank you very much.

I have no clue if Dunleavy believes any of this or if he did it because it was exactly what Trump always wants from his supplicants—effusive and unwarranted praise.

The mindless Dunleavy claim that the American dream had been killed and has not been brought back to life is laughable at this moment, given the hard realities created by one of the greatest health and economic challenges the United States has ever faced.

One thing about his Trump tribute makes me think that perhaps Dunleavy revealed more than he had intended about how Trump has made it possible again for corporations to realize the American dream.

During one of Trump’s stopovers in Anchorage a year ago, the president told Dunleavy that he would get the EPA out of the way and and make things easier for the Pebble Mine. Dunleavy did not tell Alaskans about this, but he told the Pebble Mine promoters and worked hand-in-glove with Pebble in secret. The mine promoters gave him ghost-written letters and talking points and coordinated a pressure campaign to get favorable action from Trump, pursuing the corporate version of an American dream.

On Thursday, the U.S. saw a record 71,229 COVID-19 cases and 977 people died of the disease, the highest number since May 29. The nightmare continued. It was not a day for Dunleavy to go to Washington and pay homage to Trump.

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