Some needed perspective on Mary Peltola and the two Dan Sullivans

Josh Marshall has weighed in with some smart commentary on Mary Peltola and the Dan Sullivans. You should read the whole thing, but here’s the heart of it:

I’ve heard a number of people say they’re “troubled” or “disturbed” or unhappy that this happened. All I can say is that I would really recommend that you toughen up because you simply won’t make it through the next few years, even under the best circumstances. There is no crime here and no possibility of a crime here. This is trolling….

Republicans have pulled this same name stunt countless times. No one has ever claimed that it’s a crime because it’s not.

I also want to take note of the media’s total lack of interest in Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, who was the The New York Times principal source and who then disavowed her comments.

Look, anyone who’s worked in journalism understand that sources can run off the rails. I’ve had people tell me something on a not-for-attribution basis and then turn around and say the complete opposite in an on-the-record interview with another news outlet. I think we can assume that Rios was telling the truth when the Times interviewed her. But what, exactly, is going on? Is no one curious enough to try to find out?

I looked at a few Alaska media outlets — Alaska Public Media, the Anchorage Daily News, the Alaska Beacon — and found no significant attempt to follow up other than running with day-to-day developments stemming from the Times’ initial report. Alaska Public Media had an interview with Kellen Browning, the Times reporter, yet let the Rios matter go by with a once-over-lightly.

And though I’m not a big fan of vox populi stories as indicative of anything other than what the person being interviewed thinks, I did get a kick of this, from another APM story:

Keven Kleweno, a registered Republican planning to vote for Peltola, said he was unsurprised by the news, given Republicans’ prior claims of Democratic involvement in Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign.

“That’s nothing that we haven’t heard before,” he said.

But at the same time, he suggested that Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager who spoke to the Times about the campaign’s involvement, was a disgruntled ex-employee who “didn’t like being laid off.”

“I just feel it’s another way to, you know, slander Peltola and try to make sure Dan worthless Sullivan is reelected,” he said.

Four more days.