In the copious amounts of claptrap and codswallop of Kevin McCabe’s July 10th Must Read Alaska article, the House Rep from Big Lake tried to con Alaskans into believing his votes aren’t really his votes, but something different entirely.
I say “copious amounts of claptrap and codswallop” because it’s simply a more colorful way of saying that Mr. McCabe is trying to baffle us with… bilge.
Let’s be clear: Mr. McCabe is trying to hide his votes and his actions on the House Floor on April 26th behind a cornucopia of… crock.
He uses gun rights issues to cast dispersions on Representatives Kurka and Eastman, accusing them of:
Offering an amendment as a co-sponsor after the original sponsor declined to offer the amendment.
In contrast, Mr. McCabe motioned to advance the Life at Conception Act to the next assigned committee – even though he has publicly opposed the bill several times.
Mr. McCabe is not a co-sponsor of the Life at Conception Act, and he spoke openly against the bill as recently as March 26th.
So why would McCabe advance a bill he has not co-sponsored, and that he has publicly opposed?
Next, Mr. McCabe accuses both Eastman and Kurka of using the legislative process as a weapon – “a FACL tactic” against other “conservative” or Republican legislators.
“Offering surprise amendments, without prior team discussion, is a Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership (FACL) tactic used to try to get others “on the record” prior to an election so their votes can be used against them during the campaign season. This is generally not used against your own party.”
So if “surprise amendments, without prior team discussion” is verboten, then how much more serious is it to hijack a pro-life bill you’re opposed to in coordination one of the most prominent pro-abortion Democrat legislators?
As you’ll see in the video below, that is exactly what Kevin McCabe did to Rep. Kurka.
In the copious amounts of claptrap and codswallop of Kevin McCabe’s July 10th Must Read Alaska article, the House Rep from Big Lake tried to con Alaskans into believing his votes aren’t really his votes, but something different entirely.
I say “copious amounts of claptrap and codswallop” because it’s simply a more colorful way of saying that Mr. McCabe is trying to baffle us with… bilge.
Let’s be clear: Mr. McCabe is trying to hide his votes and his actions on the House Floor on April 26th behind a cornucopia of… crock.
He uses gun rights issues to cast dispersions on Representatives Kurka and Eastman, accusing them of:
Offering an amendment as a co-sponsor after the original sponsor declined to offer the amendment.
In contrast, Mr. McCabe motioned to advance the Life at Conception Act to the next assigned committee – even though he has publicly opposed the bill several times.
Mr. McCabe is not a co-sponsor of the Life at Conception Act, and he spoke openly against the bill as recently as March 26th.
So why would McCabe advance a bill he has not co-sponsored, and that he has publicly opposed?
Next, Mr. McCabe accuses both Eastman and Kurka of using the legislative process as a weapon – “a FACL tactic” against other “conservative” or Republican legislators.
“Offering surprise amendments, without prior team discussion, is a Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership (FACL) tactic used to try to get others “on the record” prior to an election so their votes can be used against them during the campaign season. This is generally not used against your own party.”
So if “surprise amendments, without prior team discussion” is verboten, then how much more serious is it to hijack a pro-life bill you’re opposed to in coordination one of the most prominent pro-abortion Democrat legislators?
As you’ll see in the video below, that is exactly what Kevin McCabe did to Rep. Kurka.
It seems Mr. McCabe used his coordinated effort to smear Rep. Kurka and to damage our ability to advance the Life At Conception Act.
In his MRAK article, he accuses Kurka and Eastman of having “not done any of the work needed to even hear it in committee.” While it’s true that the MRAK article is focused on a different bill, the video from the day’s activity makes it clear that he made the same accusation regarding the Life at Conception Act less than a minute before weaponizing HB 152.
Further, if Representatives Kurka and Eastman failed to provide necessary supporting documents for the bills they’ve sponsored, then why is it Mr. McCabe’s duty to point it out – repeatedly?
This sounds like a “FACL tactic” to me.
But more than that, a quick survey of all the active bills in the House and Senate would show you that Mr. McCabe would have to condemn nearly half of the Legislature as their bills do not have supporting documents.
That sounds like a lot of FACL’ing for Mr. McCabe to get started on.
What this really comes down to is Kevin McCabe has decided to caucus with the Democrats both in this – and the next Legislature.
How do I come to this conclusion?
First, when you watch the video below, and the unedited version HERE, you’ll see that Matt Claman and Sara Hannan were prepared to object to his motions.
Both Representatives Claman and Hannan were prepared with details and information about the bills in question, reading those objections off of prepared notes.
Since Mr. McCabe’s motion to advance the Life at Conception Act was made during “unfinished business,” it was not scheduled. The motion was not on the agenda. And since the motion to advance the Life at Conception Act was not on the agenda, then how did Matt Claman come prepared to object?
How did Sara Hannan come prepared to object to moving HB 152?
When you watch the video – it’s very short – you see Mr. McCabe reading from his notes.
He was prepared.
Next you see Matt Claman, the Judiciary Committee co-chair reading from his notes.
He too was prepared.
Next, we hear Mr. Claman object to moving the bill because it lacks a Sponsor Statement, Sectional Analysis, and a Hearing Request – none of which, by the way are required to either introduce a bill, or for the bill to be scheduled for a hearing, or for a bill to be transmitted from a committee.
But wait just a minute. Why is Matt Claman, a Democrat and abortion advocate reading from his notes?
In other words, why is Mr. Claman prepared to object to McCabe’s motion?
Did Mr. Claman know – before the Floor Session began – that Mr. McCabe would motion to move HB 206?
If not, then why did Mr. Claman have notes prepared to substantiate his objection?
Are we really to believe that Matt Claman really knows whether the 23 bills referred to the Judiciary Committee meet the same so-called requirements?
Does Matt Claman know that nearly half of the bills referred to the House Judiciary Committee lack some or all of these so-called requirements?
Of course not. But Matt Claman was prepared to object, and Matt Claman was prepared to qualify his objection.
In order to be prepared, Mr. Claman would have had to receive advance notice that McCabe was going to make a motion to move HB 206 to the next committee.
If that’s the case, then who could have told Claman that Kevin McCabe was going to make a motion to advance a bill he himself openly opposes – so that Claman could read off his script his objections to advancing the bill?
As if this isn’t bad enough, we can see in the video McCabe’s response – total surprise that Claman objected to advancing Kurka’s bill, and that Mr. Claman’s reasons for objecting were so “rock-solid” that… well… he had better withdraw his motion to advance the Life at Conception Act.
Did I mention that Mr. McCabe has openly and publicly voiced his opposition to the Life at Conception Act?
And since McCabe opposes the Life at Conception Act, doesn’t Mr. McCabe owe us an explanation for trying to advance a bill that he has not co-sponsored, that he is publicly hostile to, that he did not coordinate with Kurka, the bill’s sponsor before making the motion?
That’s right: the underhanded “FACL tactics” that Kevin McCabe accuses Eastman and Kurka of using, McCabe himself used against Kurka when he motioned to advance the Life at Conception Act from the Judiciary Committee on April 26th.
That’s right: McCabe excoriates Eastman and Kurka in his MRAK article for not coordinating all of their legislative efforts with “the team,” while McCabe is actually doing the same thing he accuses Eastman and Kurka of doing.
Only this time, we see Mr. McCabe and a pro-abortion Democrat using the Life at Conception Act in a coordinated political attack against Kurka and Eastman.
In a twist of irony, I close with a quote from Kevin McCabe himself:
“Mark Twain said it is easier to lie to people than to convince them they have been lied to. Perhaps, armed with this little bit of knowledge, you can begin to separate the truth from the intellectual dishonesty that is out there on some platforms.”
It seems Mr. McCabe used his coordinated effort to smear Rep. Kurka and to damage our ability to advance the Life At Conception Act.
In his MRAK article, he accuses Kurka and Eastman of having “not done any of the work needed to even hear it in committee.” While it’s true that the MRAK article is focused on a different bill, the video from the day’s activity makes it clear that he made the same accusation regarding the Life at Conception Act less than a minute before weaponizing HB 152.
Further, if Representatives Kurka and Eastman failed to provide necessary supporting documents for the bills they’ve sponsored, then why is it Mr. McCabe’s duty to point it out – repeatedly?
This sounds like a “FACL tactic” to me.
But more than that, a quick survey of all the active bills in the House and Senate would show you that Mr. McCabe would have to condemn nearly half of the Legislature as their bills do not have supporting documents.
That sounds like a lot of FACL’ing for Mr. McCabe to get started on.
What this really comes down to is Kevin McCabe has decided to caucus with the Democrats both in this – and the next Legislature.
How do I come to this conclusion?
First, when you watch the video below, and the unedited version HERE, you’ll see that Matt Claman and Sara Hannan were prepared to object to his motions.
Both Representatives Claman and Hannan were prepared with details and information about the bills in question, reading those objections off of prepared notes.
Since Mr. McCabe’s motion to advance the Life at Conception Act was made during “unfinished business,” it was not scheduled. The motion was not on the agenda. And since the motion to advance the Life at Conception Act was not on the agenda, then how did Matt Claman come prepared to object?
How did Sara Hannan come prepared to object to moving HB 152?
When you watch the video – it’s very short – you see Mr. McCabe reading from his notes.
He was prepared.
Next you see Matt Claman, the Judiciary Committee co-chair reading from his notes.
He too was prepared.
Next, we hear Mr. Claman object to moving the bill because it lacks a Sponsor Statement, Sectional Analysis, and a Hearing Request – none of which, by the way are required to either introduce a bill, or for the bill to be scheduled for a hearing, or for a bill to be transmitted from a committee.
But wait just a minute. Why is Matt Claman, a Democrat and abortion advocate reading from his notes?
In other words, why is Mr. Claman prepared to object to McCabe’s motion?
Did Mr. Claman know – before the Floor Session began – that Mr. McCabe would motion to move HB 206?
If not, then why did Mr. Claman have notes prepared to substantiate his objection?
Are we really to believe that Matt Claman really knows whether the 23 bills referred to the Judiciary Committee meet the same so-called requirements?
Does Matt Claman know that nearly half of the bills referred to the House Judiciary Committee lack some or all of these so-called requirements?
Of course not. But Matt Claman was prepared to object, and Matt Claman was prepared to qualify his objection.
In order to be prepared, Mr. Claman would have had to receive advance notice that McCabe was going to make a motion to move HB 206 to the next committee.
If that’s the case, then who could have told Claman that Kevin McCabe was going to make a motion to advance a bill he himself openly opposes – so that Claman could read off his script his objections to advancing the bill?
As if this isn’t bad enough, we can see in the video McCabe’s response – total surprise that Claman objected to advancing Kurka’s bill, and that Mr. Claman’s reasons for objecting were so “rock-solid” that… well… he had better withdraw his motion to advance the Life at Conception Act.
Did I mention that Mr. McCabe has openly and publicly voiced his opposition to the Life at Conception Act?
And since McCabe opposes the Life at Conception Act, doesn’t Mr. McCabe owe us an explanation for trying to advance a bill that he has not co-sponsored, that he is publicly hostile to, that he did not coordinate with Kurka, the bill’s sponsor before making the motion?
That’s right: the underhanded “FACL tactics” that Kevin McCabe accuses Eastman and Kurka of using, McCabe himself used against Kurka when he motioned to advance the Life at Conception Act from the Judiciary Committee on April 26th.
That’s right: McCabe excoriates Eastman and Kurka in his MRAK article for not coordinating all of their legislative efforts with “the team,” while McCabe is actually doing the same thing he accuses Eastman and Kurka of doing.
Only this time, we see Mr. McCabe and a pro-abortion Democrat using the Life at Conception Act in a coordinated political attack against Kurka and Eastman.
In a twist of irony, I close with a quote from Kevin McCabe himself:
“Mark Twain said it is easier to lie to people than to convince them they have been lied to. Perhaps, armed with this little bit of knowledge, you can begin to separate the truth from the intellectual dishonesty that is out there on some platforms.”
Representative Kevin McCabe conspired with pro-abortion Democrats and used the Life at Conception Act as a weapon of revenge against Alaska Right to Life and Representatives Kurka and Eastman.
Representative Kevin McCabe conspired with pro-abortion Democrats and used the Life at Conception Act as a weapon of revenge against Alaska Right to Life and Representatives Kurka and Eastman.