"The joke is on us, and honestly, at this point, we deserve it."

Well, Mike, you could have just written this one sentence and saved your ink on the rest of it.

Meyers, Chenault, et al, have been giving the people of Alaska the figurative finger for years - and likely marveling at just how gullible we are.

And you're right, with "safe" seats - the concept itself a condemnation of the Alaskan voter - nothing is likely to change until we are desperately out of options.

So if we can't vote these troglodytes out, best prepare for the consequences. 

Me, I'm going with the smartest guys, putting my eggs in a proven basket: I'm loading up on Exxon stock.