newsminer.com

The strength of the presidential candidates in Alaska might well be measured today in the mental toughness of some of their supporters.

The thermometer explains it all.

The temps of 40 to 60 below zero that are expected acrosss large swaths of Interior Alaska could cause some less-commited voters and caucus-goers to stay home this evening. I mean, really, why go through all the hassle for Mitt, John, Hillary, Barack, Ron, or Mike when it’s cozy inside?

The softer among the political animals are surely going to ponder that tonight up here in the far north.

For those outside of Alaska and living in the (vastly) warmer Super Tuesday states, here’s what lots of Alaskans will do this evening to cast a GOP vote or participate in a Democratic caucus in the Fairbanks area:

1. Plug in the car. No, we don’t have electric cars. But our vehicles do have engine block heaters, oil pan heaters, transmission heaters and battery heaters. All those plugs need to get connected to an extension cord and plugged into the life-giving electrical outlet. No juice, no warmth. No warmth, no car. Just a frozen hunk of steel.

2. Make sure the fuel tank is full. That’s because we’ll probably leave the car or truck or minivan running while voting or at the caucus site. Don’t want to risk it freezing up and being stuck on what would then be a very unSuper Tuesday. Nothing like trying to get a tow truck at 8 p.m. on a dark, 40 below night.

3. Make sure the kids are dressed correctly. A layer of this, a layer of that, mittens, thick cap. Maybe pack some spare gloves in case you lose one while casting a ballot or caucusing.

4. Hope the ice fog isn’t too bad in town.

5. Start to think that maybe it would have really been better to have kept Alaska’s nominating events later in the year, when the temps were 40 to 50 degrees on the positive side of zero.

Could this be why we didn’t see any candidates campaigning in Fairbanks this year?