Showing posts with label Kucinich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kucinich. Show all posts

Monday, January 21, 2008

HRC visit and other pres campaign info...

From an email courtesy of Doug Mings, chair of the LD17 Democrats -

Barack Obama for President

LD 17 (Tempe) For Obama Organizational Meeting

Where: ASU, Coor Hall, Room 195

When: Tuesday, January 22 at 7pm

What: With 2 weeks left, join Obama supporters, staff, and volunteers tohelp with the crucial final push and sign up for phone banks and canvassing to help organize Tempe for Senator Obama!

Contact: Greg Whitten, Obama Field Organizer Gwhitten@Obamaaz.com
Cell: 602-616-9017;
Office: 602-297-2008

Phoenix Headquarters
22 East Mitchell (between 3rd St and Central, just north of Osborn and southof Indian School)
Phoenix, AZ 85012
602-297-2008

Hillary Clinton for President

Hillary Clinton will visit Phoenix tomorrow, Tuesday, January 22.

She will speak at Caesar Chavez High School, which is 3921 W. Baseline in Phoenix. Doors open at 6:00 P.M. The event starts at 7:00 P.M.

Phoenix Headquarters-2845 N. Central Ave (SE Corner of Central and Thomas)
Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-279-8030 (o);
602-277-5042 (f)

Contact: Tony Wagner, Arizona Field Director
602-279-8030 (o);
602-277-5042 (f)
twagner@HillaryClinton.com www.HillaryClinton.com


John Edwards for President

http://johnedwards.com
East Valley For Edwards

Come out to an event and regardless of your age, background or experience,find out how you can get involved and make a difference.
602-705-7773;

EastValleyforEdwards@gmail.com


Dennis Kucinich for President
www.dennis4president.com/home

Local CoordinatorRick Romero:
602.515.9844;
romero85008@yahoo.com

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Where do they go from here?

My quick take on the Iowa caucus results -

Democratic side...

Obama - Upside? His victory shows that his candidacy has legs - Iowa is one of the whitest states in the Union. If he can win here, he can win pretty near anywhere. Downside? On the other hand, this was basically a home field for him (Iowa and his home state of Illinois are neighbors) - he should have done well here. 38% was just a bit better than expected, however.

Edwards - Upside? His strong 2nd shows that he won't be outshined by the rock star Dems, Obama and Clinton. Downside? Now he has to prove that he can hang with them in a bigger arena (like the rest of the country.)

Clinton - Downside? She went from inevitable to 3rd place. Upside? 29% is a strong third, and she's got the smarts and the staff to learn from what went wrong. New Hampshire might be too soon for any changes to take effect, but February 5th looms as the bigger prize.

Richardson - Downside? 2%. 'Nuff said. Upside? He was totally overshadowed by the big 3, who went all out in Iowa. Now the campaigns have to expand their focus. He'll have a chance to shine through if he hangs on until February 5th.

Kucinich - Downside? Didn't even get enough votes to make most results pages. Upside? He could still garner enough delegates in his home state of Ohio to make the convention interesting.

If none of the big 3 pulls away from the pack.

Biden and Dodd - Downside? They're done. Upside? They get to focus on their duties in the Senate, possibly burnishing their VP credentials.

Gravel - Downside? Makes Kucinich look like a front-runner. Upside? Winter campaigning in New Hampshire isn't going to be much fun, but it beats sitting at home in Alaska.


Republican side...

Huckabee - Upside? Hey - he won, and by a comfortable margin. Downside? Now he has to find out if his combination of economic populism and hardcore theocratic social conservatism can win over chamber of commerce Republicans in places like California, New York, and Florida.

Romney - Downside? The biggest loser in the Iowa caucuses. He spent millions on TV ads alone, and didn't even make it close. If he, the former governor of Massachusetts, doesn't win New Hampshire, his candidacy is toast. Upside? He should win NH, and it doesn't have to be an overwhelming victory now that expectations have been lowered.

And despite the amount of money he spent in Iowa, he's got more.

Lots more.

Thompson - Upside? He came in third, without trying very hard. Downside? He polled better as a potential candidate than he has as an actual candidate. If he doesn't show signs of life in NH or Michigan (January 15), he may not last until February 5th.

McCain - Upside? He didn't try very hard either. Downside? He came in fourth. He has to do well in NH, or he could lose the 'resurgent' momentum that he has been gaining, and considering Romney's home field advantage there, that's very possible. Either McCain or Romney could be done by Tuesday night.

Ron Paul - Upside? 10% for a relatively 'fringe' candidate is nothing to sneeze at. Downside? He still came in behind two candidates who didn't try hard (McCain and Thompson) and just ahead of one who didn't try at all (Giuliani). 10% may be his peak outside of his Congressional district in Texas.

Giuliani - Downside? Low single digits in IA. Upside? Spent the day in Florida anyway. He's going to poll better as the campaigns move eastward; the big question is will 'better' be good enough to win?

Hunter - Downside? He and Mike Gravel could go into pro wrestling as a tag team named "The Utterly Irrelevants." Upside? Pro wrestling is hard work, but pro wrestlers get more respect and better pay than Congress. Oh, and he can say that he outlasted Tancredo.

Later!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Why requiring that people buy health insurance is the wrong approach

Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney offer similar plans to address health care in America. Both plans mandate that people purchase health insurance.

Reasons #1 through 1,824 why Clinton and Romney have the wrong ideas for health care in America...


From AP via Businessweek -


No health care? Higher fines in Mass.

BOSTON

The cost of not having health insurance in Massachusetts is going up.

When the new year begins Tuesday, most residents who remain uninsured will face monthly fines that could total as much as $912 for individuals and $1,824 for couples by the end of 2008, according to penalty guidelines unveiled by the Department of Revenue on Monday.



To sum up what is so wrong about this scheme, first proposed by Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts, it only guarantees revenue for insurance companies, but does nothing to guarantee decent health care for patients.

Both plans expect the American public to continue to confuse "health insurance" with "actual "health care."

Hillary Clinton's health plan here.

Romney's here. (No 'compassionate' conservative he, with him referring to Americans without health insurance as "free riders.")

Other candidates:

Edwards' plan

Giuliani's plan

Richardson's plan

McCain's plan

Obama's plan

Huckabee's plan

Kucinich's plan (probably the best of the bunch; at least he seems to understand the difference between insurance and care)

Hunter's "plan" (scroll a little more than halfway down the page)

Biden's plan

Most of the plans have some kind of tax credit proposal to help poor families pay for health insurance.

Great idea, except that it presumes that those poor families can afford the price of health insurance up front before later taking it off their tax bills at the end of the year.

One last observation: the "mandated health insurance" scheme is very similar to the way auto insurance is required for all drivers, regardless of ability to pay. How has that impacted low-income drivers?

They either can't drive (legally anyway) or they have patronize 'low-cost' insurers, insurers who frequently take their customers' money while providing inadequate or even non-existent coverage.

If the Clinton/Romney/whoever plan is implemented, how long will it take before it becomes illegal to receive medical care without insurance?

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Democratic Ballot for AZ's Presidential Preference Primary

Edit to add - OK, so I was a little bored on Christmas Day, and decided to do a little research on the *ahem* 'lesser-known' candidates on the ballot. Some of the names were all but useless as search parameters and I couldn't find any information that was clearly pertinent to the presidential candidates. Others, however, were useful. A number of the candidates are participants in the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' Project White House. One candidate has even announced that he is on the presidential primary ballot by mistake; he's actually running in CD6 against Jeff Flake (or Russell Pearce, if Pearce can actually pull of the political upset of the century.) Information at the links; however, given that few of the candidates have actual campaign websites, some of the info could be inaccurate.

End edit.

DSW at Sonoran Alliance put up a post detailing the Republican ballot; here's the listing of the Democratic one.

The list of candidates on the ballot for Arizona's Democratic Presidential Preference Primary taking place February 5, 2008 (courtesy the Arizona Secretary of State's website) (major candidates in bold; Arizona-based candidates noted with an 'AZ') -

WHITEHOUSE, SANDY (AZ) - president of the Santa Rita Foothills Community Association.

RICHARDSON, BILL

LYNCH, FRANK

KRUEGER, KARL - truck driver/radio personality

OBAMA, BARACK

EDWARDS, JOHN

BOLLANDER, PETER "SIMON" (AZ)

MONTELL, LELAND (AZ) - real estate agent

SEE, CHUCK (AZ) - ran for President as a Republican in 2000

HUBBARD, LIBBY (AZ) - artist

GEST, LOTI (AZ) - counselor at an addiction recovery center

DALEY, ORION - author

CAMPBELL, WILLIAM (AZ) - this is a lousy name for web searches.

TANNER, PHILIP (AZ)

KUCINICH, DENNIS J.

CLINTON, HILLARY

DOBSON, EDWARD (AZ)

HAYMER, TISH (AZ) - The Abbess of Costello?

LEE, RICH - another name provides lousy internet search terms

OATMAN, MICHAEL (AZ) - IT Guru

GRAVEL, MIKE

VITULLO, EVELYN L. (AZ) - a Democratic candidate for President in 2004

DODD, CHRISTOPHER J.

GRAYSON, RICHARD (AZ)


Notes:

The biggest surprise? No Joe Biden on the ballot.

Worst draw for a 'top-tier' candidate? Hillary Clinton; 15 candidates, including Richardson, Obama, and Edwards are listed higher on the ballot.

Is there something in Tucson's water? Of the 17 'anybody can run for President' candidates, 12 list a Tucson address. Maybe somebody should tell them that they are more likely to win a Powerball jackpot than the President's job.

Later!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

A quick post about the presidential campaigns

I realized this weekend that while many of my posts have concerned presidential campaign events, few, if any, have concerned the presidential campaigns themselves.

Time to correct that oversight. :)

Think of this as "Short Attention Span Musing - Campaigns Edition."

Some of these topics are few weeks old, but they're still worth covering.

Note - while I haven't firmly decided who I'm voting for in February's primary, I am strongly leaning toward Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico (and former Congressman, ambassador, Cabinet secretary, and multiple-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize). A more in-depth post on that topic will be forthcoming shortly.


...Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been sniping at each other over who is the most qualified in the area of foreign affairs.

See the above summary of Bill Richardson's resume to understand why that discussion is so laughable.


...The Clinton campaign has been playing the "oh...the big, bad, boys are ganging up on poor, little ol' me" card as the primaries draw near and the trailing candidates sharpen their criticisms of the leader of the pack.

A leader of the pack named "Hillary Clinton."

To anyone who buys into the "ganging up" card - criticizing the leader in a campaign race is the job of those chasing that leader. Casting that as a the "boy's club" picking on a woman who's encroaching on territory that heretofore was strictly the domain of the "boy's club" is a shamelessly cynical ploy.

And the fact that the tactic probably helped doesn't mitigate that shamelessness..


...A couple of weeks ago, syndicated columnist Robert Novak wrote a column stating that the Clinton campaign has some damaging information about Barack Obama. The rancor between the two campaigns immediately escalated.

How can the presumably experienced professional operatives of both campaigns place any stock in the scribblings of a Bush/Cheney shill like Darth Novak? This is a guy who publicly outed CIA agent Valerie Plame as retaliation against her husband for criticizing the President.

A little partisan mudslinging is nothing for someone who's soulless enough to do that.


...My information is a couple of weeks old, so things may have changed for the better, but Clinton's Arizona campaign seems to be disorganized at best and practically nonexistent at worst. Reports from both highly involved activists and casual, first-time volunteers are consistent - phone calls and emails aren't returned, information requests go unanswered (I can speak to that one directly :) ), and other signs of a campaign in disarray.

I hope that the Clinton campaign hasn't written off AZ - she doesn't have AZ's primary locked up yet, and if she wins the nomination, she'll need every electoral vote she can get in the general.

And if John McCain isn't at the top of the Republican ticket (something that is looking more likely every day), AZ's 10 electoral votes will be in play.

The Obama, Richardson, and Kucinich campaigns have active organizations in AZ that are not only trying to help their candidates win the nomination but are laying the groundwork for the general election.

The other campaigns, including Sen. Clinton's, should take note of that.

Later!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Kucinich brings resolution to impeach Cheney to the House floor

Edit to update at the end of the post...

The resolution is HRes333. It is available in THOMAS, however, the text of the resolution can be downloaded from Kucinich's House web site here.

The resolution almost certainly won't pass or even be debated - immediately after the motion was read by the House Reading Clerk, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer moved to table the motion. ("Tabling" a motion effectively kills it.)

The vote is currently taking place, and while it is still early, all Republicans are voting to table, as is an overwhelming majority of Democrats.

When will the Democratic leadership stop being afraid of their own shadows?

I'll update with a final vote tally and how the AZ delegation voted (I'll bet that no more than one votes against the motion to table) after the House posts the roll call results on its website.


Update1: In an interesting twist, approximately 80 Republicans who originally voted to table the resolution have switched their votes to 'nay' and as the vote stands currently, the motion to table will fail by approximately 30 votes, though the vote-switching is continuing. End update1.

Update2: The motion to table was defeated; however, a motion to refer the resolution to the Judiciary Committee passed in a mostly-party line vote.

Ultimately, though the House Democratic leadership may be slightly embarassed right now, they ended up in a stronger position, and one that they should have sought from the outset.

They're in a game of hardball with the White House and the House Republicans, and so far, they've been trying to play that game with a wiffle bat. With this resolution now sitting in the Judiciary Committee, ready to be reported out at any time, they've got themselves a Louisville Slugger at the ready. End update2.

Update3: The AZ delegation's votes -

On the motion to table - Aye: Renzi, Mitchell, Giffords; Nay: Shadegg, Flake, Franks, Grijalva; Not Voting: Pastor.

On the motion to refer to the Judiciary Committee - Aye: Mitchell, Giffords, Grijalva; Nay: Shadegg, Renzi, Franks, Flake; Not Voting: Pastor.

End update3.


Later!

Monday, October 08, 2007

Events Calendar - Presidential Campaign Edition

Obama Campaign -

Tuesday, October 9 - The Obama campaign is holding a 'Wine and Appetizers Fundraiser for Obama' at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, 8100 E. Camelback, Scottsdale.

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $40 - $20 to SCI, $20 to the Obama campaign (though more is certainly welcome :)) )
RSVP here.

Saturday, October 13 - The Turn the Page in Iraq Canvass in Phoenix and Tempe

Time: 10:00 a.m.
Places:
Tempe Canvass, Kiwanis Park, 6111 South All-America Way, RSVP here;
Phoenix Canvass, Steele Indian School Park, 300 E Indian School Rd, RSVP here.

Friday, October 19 - Senator Barack Obama visits Arizona. Details available at the October 9th event; I'll post them here when available.


Richardson Campaign -

Friday - Sunday, October 12 to 14 - Richardson Campaign Adopt-A-State weekend in Nevada

Details/RSVP: Ray Glendening at the Richardson campaign


Kucinich campaign -

Saturday, October 20 - Fundraiser for Dennis Kucinich at the Peace Tree House in Tempe. Contact local coordinator Rick Romero at 602.515.9844 (cell) for details.


That's it for now; still waiting to hear back on information requests of the Clinton and Edwards campaigns.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Some Democrats stepped up during Wednesday's debate...

...and others were eliminated from contention (with a couple of others treading water)...

All this happened on one question. :))

Warning: sarcasm ahead...

Governor Bill Richardson, former Sen. John Edwards, former Sen. Mike Gravel, and Sen. Chris Dodd showed that they are intelligent, wise, and undeniably classy; any would be fine choice for the Presidency.

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Joe Biden showed that they are morally, intellectually, and mentally unfit for the Presidency.

Sen. Barack Obama and Rep. Dennis Kucinich showed that the jury is still out - they didn't show the wisdom of Richardson, Edwards, Gravel, and Dodd, but there were extenuating circumstances.

How can we arrive at these conclusions, with months of campaigning ahead before the first primaries and caucuses?

The candidates were asked if they rooted for the Red Sox or the Yankees.

Richardson, Edwards, Gravel, and Dodd expressed support for the beloved Olde Towne Teame. (Whooo hoooo!!)

Clinton and Biden professed fealty to The Evil Empire. (Hiss boooo!!!)

Obama (IL) and Kucinich (OH) proclaimed their loyalty for the respective hometown teams. Not as good as rooting for the Red Sox, but wayyyyy better than being a Yankee fan.

Oh, those poor poor Clinton and Biden supporters - the primaries are months away, and their candidates have already committed a candidacy-killing gaffe.

:))

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Events Calendar

Thursday, September 27 – Arizona for Richardson Planning Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Saguaro Branch Library, 46th St. and Thomas in Phoenix.

Thursday, September 27 - Meeting of the Arizona chapter of the National Jewish Democratic Council at 7:00 p.m., 6991 E. Camelback Rd. in Scottsdale. Contact njdcphx[at]cox.net for more info.

Friday, September 28 - The LD8 Democrats present the Big Picture Film Festival. This month's film, "Plagues & Pleasures On The Salton Sea", will be shown at the Fountain Hills Community Center, 13001 N. La Montana Drive. Contact the D8 Dems at (480)596-8350 for more details.

Tusday, October 2 - The Obama for President campaign will be holding its Rally For Change, 6:00 p.m. at the State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix.

Friday, October 12 - Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector and author of "Target Iran" will speak at the New Vision Spiritual Growth Center, 9659 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Contact number: 480.650.0746.

Saturday, October 20 - Fundraiser for Dennis Kucinich at the Peace Tree House in Tempe. Contact local coordinator Rick Romero at 602.515.9844 (cell) for details.

Tuesday, November 13 - Legislative Workshop discussing the procedures and processes of the legislature. It will be held at the Arizona House of Representatives. Check in at 7:30 a.m.; the program runs from 8:00 a.m. until noon. To register (and pre-registration is required; no walk ups or "day-of" registrations will be allowed) go to http://www.legislativealerts.sirbarratt.com./ The event is free of charge.

The event is run by Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and was publicized by him in the conservative blogosphere; however, the event is open to the general public, not just 'his' people.

Pleasepleaseplease don't let me be the only Democrat there; register today. :)

Later!

Monday, July 30, 2007

OK, gradual decline of perceptive MSM political analysis is no more...

because now it's in total free fall...


From TimesOnline (UK):



The US debates Hillary's cleavage



[Shakes head in befuddled wonderment]



Hmmm...a short list of the exciting yet utterly irrelevant topics covered by the MSM, instead of boring things like candidates' positions, background, and ideas, during this presidential campaign season includes (but certainly isn't limited to) -


Hillary Clinton's cleavage (She has some! OMG!)

John Edwards' haircuts ($400! Scandalous!)

Barack Obama's middle name (Hussein! Horrors!)


What's next? Dennis Kucinich's height (or lack thereof) or Bill Richardson's bolo ties?


Maybe we should start a whispering campaign about John McCain, Fred Thompson, and Rudy Giuliani.


What could those three have in common (besides running for President)? Hmmm....let me think about that...







:))


Enough already. With its persistent focus on image over substance, the MSM is only hastening its descent into the dustbin of cultural history.


It shouldn't matter whether a candidate is a woman (with all that entails), has a unique middle name, is short or tall, or is bald or well-coiffed -


These people are candidates for the highest office in the country - image doesn't matter as much as substance*.


* - Except if Salma Hayek runs for office. Then all bets are off.


What can I say? I'm a guy. :))

Friday, June 08, 2007

NJDC, former presidents, and president-wannabes - Events calendar

Later today, June 9 - Dennis Kucinich visits Burton Barr Library in Phoenix at 4 p.m. No admission charge.

Wednesday, June 13 - The next meeting of the Phoenix/Scottsdale NJDC chapter will be held at the King David School at the Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale at 7 p.m.

Mr. Ira Forman, the executive director will attend from Washington, D.C. to speak and answer questions concerning the organization and its objectives. It would be appreciated if reservations were made so that a list may be given the security guard. RSVP to Jerry Gettinger at njdcphx[at]cox.net or call at 480-510-1320.

Monday, June 25 - The Arizona Democratic Party's Heritage Dinner with featured speaker former President Bill Clinton will be held at the Phoenician in Scottsdale. Registration/reception at 6:30. Contact Maritza Lopez at ADP at 602-234-6814 for details.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Kucinich appearing in Phoenix on Saturday, June 9

Shamelessly stolen from Zelph at AZNetRoots -

Hear Dennis Kucinich at a Town Hall Meeting speak about his campaign issues and platform.

Burton Barr Central Library
Pulliam Auditorium
1221 North Central
4:00 PM Sharp!
No admission charge.

Friday, June 01, 2007

Upcoming events, Presidential campaign chapter

Monday, June 4, Bill Richardson

From an email -

Governor Bill Richardson will be in Arizona on Monday, June 4, 2007.The public event will take place at the Burton Barr Library, 1221 N.Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ., the fundraiser will take place in ParadiseValley.

Meeting Room B 3:00PM-3:30PM
Press Availability

Lecture Hall 3:30PM-4:30PM

He will have a town hall meeting focused around energy policy and the environment.
This event is open to the public.

Event RSVP # 505.239.4697
General campaign contact # 505.828.2455

There will be other, private, meetings at the library. In addition, there will be a private fundraiser in PV afterward.


Saturday, June 9, Barack Obama

From an email -

Put Saturday, June 9th on your calendar as your personal day of action for the Obama campaign.

Saturday, June 9th - Click link to RSVP:

Phoenix:
9 AM at Cortez Park (35th Ave & Dunlap)

Tempe:
9 AM at Kiwanis Park (Baseline Rd, west of Mill Ave)

Phoenix area event organizer: Ken Chapman, kchapman2@gmail.com
More details: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/walkforchangefeatured/4jlrk

Tucson:
9 AM at Gene Reid Park (Ramada #31)

Prescott:
10 AM at Granite Creek Park (554 N 6th St)


The Kucinich, Dodd, Gravel, Clinton and Edwards campaigns all seem to have light AZ schedules right now; most are focused on Sunday's debate in New Hampshire.

However, former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker at this year's Arizona Democratic Party's Heritage Dinner on Monday, June 25. I would be surprised if his wife's candidacy didn't come up in one or two conversations that night.

Certainly no more than 3 or 4. :))

The dinner will be held at the Phoenician Resort, 6000 East Camelback Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. Contact Maritza Lopez at 602-234-6814 for details.

Note: I'll be doing this kind of post regularly; I'll be happy to post verified events. Contact me at cpmaz[at]yahoo.com or visit a D17 meeting.

Later!