Alaska's Big Obama Sign To Grace the Smithsonian

Gene Horner, family and friends created this 8-foot-by-12-foot Obama sign for the Alaska State Fair. They placed it on a corner of Inner Springer Loop, where everyone had to slow down, on their way from Anchorage, to park at the fair. It was torn down once, defaced twice. Fixed three times.

Gene and his wife Priscilla brought it in to Anchorage for election night. Down in the basement of the Egan Center - Anchorage's election night central - hundreds of people started signing the sign. It quickly filled up.

Here it is on display on MLK Day 2009. It is at Mat-Su Democrats' chairman Kevin Brown's office. Tuesday morning, the office will be open for people to come in and watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Judy and I went over today to help some other Mat-Su Democrats get the place ready for the big screen viewing Tuesday. Gene and Priscilla brought the sign over, and we hauled its three sections in. Kevin and I took a lot of maps, signs and other stuff off the office walls today. But we agreed to keep Howard Dean up. He needs to be seen.

Our new U.S. Senator, Mark Begich, ran one of the best campaigns in Alaska history in 2008. But if it hadn't been for Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, and the inspiration some of the early summer Obama kids brought to our Alaska Democrats, Mark might have lost to Ted Stevens.

Judy and I are glad to embrace Dr. Dean: