I just got done with a lunchtime forum put on by Commonwealth North.

The title was "How Will Alaskans Effectively Deliver Our Message to Washington?"

Two federal lobbyists, Republican Jack Ferguson and Democrat Daryl Owen traveled from DC to jointly present.

Before becoming a lobbyist, Jack Ferguson worked as Chief of Staff for Don Young and Chief of Staff for Ted Stevens in the 70's.

Daryl Owen was a research assistant, legislative assistant, and Chief of Staff to Bennett Johnston (D-LA) in the 70's and the 80's before forming his lobbying firm. When Owen was a staffer, he worked on pieces of legislation like the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, legislation regarding the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, legislation regarding the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, and legislation regarding the Tongass National Forest and the lumber industry there.

I think this shows both men have the experience to answer the question, "How Will Alaskans Effectively Deliver Our Message to Washington?"

Ultimately, their conclusion, based on their experience and opinions, is that any state will benefit if it has relatively senior senators, which results in effective chairmanships. Additionally, any state would benefit if it had a senator in the majority and a senator in the minority, which results in a higher chance that you will have a senator with a chairmanship, and helps spread the concerns of your state to a larger audience.

They also expressed their opinion that the most dysfunctional committees and the least productive congresses as a whole are ones that have had lots of extreme (right AND left) members.