Not in any particular order (I wasn't taking notes...oops. File this under "live and learn" :) ):
Because a lot of us (including me) didn't know, Governor Napolitano's veto of House Bill 2577 (the immigration bill) was announced (to a round of cheers). The letter with her reasons for the veto is here.
Harry Mitchell was there talking about how things are going with his campaign, also to a round of cheers (a rousing one actually).
Many candidates were there, to speak, network, collect signatures, or turn in petitions. Again, as noted earlier, I wasn't taking notes, so I can't give you names for all of them. I apologize for any that I forget to list.
The Dem candidates for State Representative were there to talk about the state budget. As would be expected, they mostly agreed on funding priorities (KidsCare, investing in the future, responsible revenue management regarding the temporary surplus, etc.) The candidates included Ed Ableser, Angie Crouse, David Schapira, and Rhett Wilson. They actually all did solid jobs speaking. Picking just 2 to vote for will be tough.
Also present was a candidate for the MCCD Governing Board. His name is Doyle Burke and he is a long-time instructor at MCC who is retiring in December. No website, but I found a bit about him here and here and here.
He has been involved for many years working with the MCCD board but was obviously a first-time candidate more used to speaking to students (a captive, respectful audience, more or less) than to voters (umm...most definitely NOT like his students, LOL). However, he did ok for all that. He will make a fine addition to the governing board.
Also there tonight was U.S. Senate candidate John Verkamp. He is not an electrifying speaker by any stretch, and to be realistic, has a snowball's chance in Phoenix of getting the nomination. He may not even get on the ballot, and that would be a shame. He made a great point about the U.S. Senate.
Thousands of American servicemen and women have died or been injured in Iraq, and tens of thousands (maybe more than 100,000!) Iraqis too, based on a lie (remember WMDs?). Yet what did the Senate consider the most vital issue threatening Americans today, worthy of debating over all day?
Yes, they put it all on the rhetorical line over same-sex marriage.
Mr. Verkamp took Jon Kyl to task for his fervent, almost reverent, support of the war, and criticized Jim Pederson for not having a plan to get U.S. forces out of Iraq.
His time was running short but he also expressed support for universal health care and raising the minimum wage. His positions on both issues, as well as others, can be found on his website.
As I stated earlier, I don't think he has any real chance of winning the nomination, much less the seat in the Senate, but his presence in the race could force the other campaigns to focus on issues that most people are concerned about, not the ones that have been cherry-picked by the Republicans (same-sex marriage and immigrants) to polarize and motivate their base.
On the social side, there will be a get-together on Friday, June 9th at 7:00 p.m. in Stupid's Pub on University in Tempe to commemorate Tom Delay's last day in the U.S. House of Representatives. If you plan on attending, in keeping with the respectful, even mournful, tone of the proceedings...who am I kidding? Bring a friend and share the joy! 2 down (Duke Cunningham was first), 229 to go!
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