Short Attention Span Musing

...Not sure what it means, but why is it that many of the same Republicans who pontificated that Congressional Democrats messed up big-time when they re-elected Nancy Pelosi as leader in the House after the ugly results from November 2, yet they are gleeful now that they have deposed the GOP state and Maricopa County chairs after the buttkicking that was inflicted on the Democrats (and the rest of the state) because of those same results.

Apparently, they are replacing the GOP symbol of an elephant with a circular firing squad...

...I am probably one of the few on this side of this particular issue, but I've got very little sympathy for the people who are all up in arms about new airport security procedures.  Too many of them, such as certain Republican congressmen, were all in favor of things like a secret "no-fly" list, data mining, and racial and ethnic profiling, pooh-poohing any civil rights concerns as subordinate to security concerns.

Yet now that some of the enhanced security procedures are things that they find concerning, they want to subordinate everybody else's security to their own tender sensibilities. 

I don't like the new procedures, but I don't like getting blown up, either.

And I really don't like hypocrites.

...Republicans, like Arizona's own embarrassment "Congressman" Trent Franks are furious that the first Guantanamo detainee to be tried in a civilian court was acquitted on all but one of the hundreds of charges he faced.  Terms like "travesty of justice" are being thrown around, along with calls for the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and demands that all other trials be held in front of military tribunals, which have a different (lower?) burden of proof for the prosecution to meet.

No matter how this goes forward, there are certain to be cries of outrage from *somebody* - either the Obama Administration backs away from treating the detainees like common criminals and its pledge to try the cases in civilian courts (annoying Democrats and other civil libertarians) or it goes forward with civilian court trials (annoying Republicans to no end). 

In addition, backing away from civilian trials could undermine the credibility of the Obama Administration internationally, yet losing too many of the cases could accomplish the same thing.

Thank the Bush Administration for this mess, and that's not a partisan zinger (don't get used to it :) ).

By having the primary responsibility to gather the evidence and build the cases against the detainees fall to the military, he all but guaranteed the cases would never survive real scrutiny.  He (and his administration) should have allowed the professional investigators and prosecutors of the FBI and DOJ to take the lead in this area, and left the military to do what they do best.

However, people can say "woulda, coulda, shoulda" all that they want, but reality is what it is, and that's what we have to deal with.

Perhaps we should remember one fundamental principle of the American system of justice -

The principle that there is a presumption of innocence in favor of the accused is the undoubted law, axiomatic and elementary, and its enforcement lies at the foundation of the administration of our criminal law.


Coffin v. United States, 156 U.S. 432 (1895)

While the possible acquittal of guilty people would be ("will be"?) frustrating, being seen as rigging the trials of accused terrorists will be worse.

If the cases are now referred to military courts (to unruffle domestic political feathers) and it turns out that an innocent bystander was imprisoned and convicted by a military tribunal (not exactly out of the realm of probability), the U.S. will have zero credibility in the Middle East and across the world.

Credibility it will need the next time that the U.S. needs to do something there, whether it is work on brokering a peace deal between Israel and whoever is trying to destroy them this week, searching for terrorists, or just looking for a place to vacation over the holidays.

Short Attention Span Musing

...Corporate influence has reached even to some of the races at the bottom of the ballot.  The Arizona Multihousing Association is running robocalls in the University Lakes Justice of the Peace race.  They're using John "Hut" Hutson, a former member of the Tempe City Council, to smear the JP candidacy of current State Senator Meg Burton Cahill.  Earlier this year, they sent out a questionnaire to all JP candidates.  A document with questions crafted to determine if judicial candidates are predisposed to favor them and if they would accept PAC money from them. (It includes the question "Will you accept PAC funds?")

Most of the sitting judges that I have heard saw the questionnaire thought that completing the survey could constitute an ethical violation for them.  They were less sure about candidates for judicial office who aren't already judges.

Still, it will be interesting to find out if her opponent, a retired barber, filled out the questionnaire.

...David Schweikert's apologists "supporters" have been responding to charges that Schweikert has profited from the misery of the housing crisis in Arizona by say that the real estate vulture hasn't done anything unethical, nor did he force any homeowners into foreclosure, and that in fact, all of his vultured properties were purchased directly from banks and other mortgage-holders.

They seem to have gone silent on the subject, other than to claim that accusations are all lies and that Schweikert is a saint with a perfect hairdo.  That change in tactic is interesting given the timing - it occurred at the same time that news broke about how most banks engaged in poor, even fraudulent, practices when foreclosing on homes in many states.

Wonder how many of his vultured "legally-obtained" properties were improperly foreclosed on by banks?  Of course, given that this is Arizona, the land of practically-nonexistent consumer protection laws, we may never know...

...Finally in sad news, Arizona lost a statesman and voice for the voiceless on Friday with the passing of State Senator Jorge Luis Garcia.  This year, he was a candidate for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission.

The praise for Garcia and the condolences for his family and friends has been pouring in.

From State Senator Meg Burton Cahill - " I join so many others in Arizona in sadness regarding our state senate Democratic Leader Jorge Garcia's death. I will miss his strength and grace under pressure...He was a public servant and statesman - always working to make sure those of little "voice" at the capitol were represented. I will miss his urging of "Have a peaceful day" daily."

From Tim Schmaltz, CEO of the Protecting Arizona's Family Coalition (PAFCO) - "He was a relentless advocate for the poor and vulnerable, a fellow social worker, and just a fine decent man. He had a gentle soul and cared deeply about family and community and vulnerable people. He was a great champion and ally. May he rest in peace! And may his family be comforted by much love and care. Amen."

(both quotes via Facebook)

From State Representative Kyrsten Sinema - "We have lost a friend today, and Arizona truly is grateful for Sen. Garcia’s tireless work on behalf of Arizonans, working every day to help others. He will be missed as a steward, as a colleague and as a family member. We offer our condolences to his loved ones."

(Courtesy the website of the Arizona House Democratic caucus)

From State Senator Rebecca Rios - "Senator Jorge Luis Garcia was a compassionate and humble man who tirelessly fought on the behalf of others.  We will miss him greatly. We extend our condolences to his wife, Maria, children, Yvette, Dominique and Rolando and four grandchildren."

(Courtesy the website of the Arizona State Senate Democratic caucus)

From Don Bivens, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party - "We all mourn the tragic loss of Senator Jorge Luis Garcia. So many of us owe Jorge a debt of gratitude -- for his leadership, for standing up for the vulnerable among us, and for the lives he has touched. Democrats have lost a longtime friend and colleague. Arizona has lost a true public servant who had much more yet to give. And his family has lost a devoted husband, father and grandfather. We offer our deepest condolences to his loved ones during this difficult time."

(Via email)

The Arizona Republic's guestbook for Sen. Garcia is here.




I didn't know him well, but did meet him a few times during my activities as a blogger at the lege, and always found him to be warm, intelligent, and perceptive.

Some thoughts from southern Arizonans who knew him far better than me:

AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona offers his perspective here.

The LD30 Democrats have their memories of Garcia here.

Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion has his here.

Carolyn Classen, writer of "Carolyn's Community" at the Tucson Citizen, offers her memories here.


My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues.

Short Attention Span Musing: The "That's Just Republicans Being Republicans" Edition

...Terry Goddard (D), Jan Brewer (R) and Barry Hess (L) sat down with the Arizona Republic's editorial board to talk about their visions for Arizona.  Brewer's vision: cut education, health services, the Department of Economic Security, and anything else that benefits the working and middle classes while protecting tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthy.

...Ken Bennett, the appointed Arizona Secretary of State, had pledged to not endorse (at the 14:25 mark in the video) any candidates in a race overseen by his office.  However, that pledge has gone by the wayside, as the man who will run the state's elections has endorsed fellow Republicans like Brenda Burns (Corporation Commission), Scott Bundgaard (LD4 State Senate) and Steve Pierce (LD1 State Senate).

FYI - Democratic nominee for Secretary of State Chris Deschene has pledged not to endorse candidates in elections that he would oversee as SOS, and has stuck by that pledge.

...Democratic nominee for Attorney General Felecia Rotellini has demanded an apology from Republican Tom Horne and his campaign for falsely claiming that Rotellini "has never tried a case in her entire life."  The Arizona Republic article linked to "demanded" indicates that Horne is now aware that Rotellini *has* tried cases before a jury, but hasn't backed down from his statement or issued an apology.  Why should he, when the lie serves his purposes better than the truth.

...Republican candidates all over the state have kept to the master plan of running and hiding from voters whenever possible.  The latest examples of this:  Russell Pearce blowing off the Clean Elections debate in LD18 on Monday and Kirk Adams and Justin Olson doing the same last week in LD19.  In both cases, the Republicans aren't running as Clean candidates and therefore don't have to participate in CE debates, but they aren't participating in other events that put them in the same places as their Democratic opponents and voters.

...Jan Brewer's "Arizona Commission on Privatization and Efficiency" has issued its first set of recommendations on which state services and operations can be given over to private vendors, and other "efficiency" measures, in order to save the state money.

The suggestions include:

Privatizing the state's email system
Selling state parks
Hiring private companies to manage highway rest areas (if the feds approve, not likely, but anything is possible)
Purchasing software that would allow State computers to be shut down remotely

The Commission includes a number of Republican Party/anti-government stalwarts.

Mark Brnovich, chair, current the Director of the Arizona Department of Gaming, and a former executive with a private prison company (Brewer just *loves* those guys, doesn't she?)

Chad Kirkpatrick, Director of the Government Information Technology Agency, and chair of the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers, the Arizona incarnation/affiliate of Americans for Prosperity, a corporate lobbying group

John Halikowski, Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, a former legislative researcher working for the Republican caucus of the AZ lege.  He was instrumental in crafting legislation mandating privatization.  His bio indicates that he spent six years working in executive positions for MVD, and I'm not sure of this, but the math looks right for him to have worked there during Russell Pearce's corruption-laden administration of that agency. Will check into that...

Glenn Hamer, President and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a former Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party, and a man who has never seen a public service that shouldn't be privatized in a way that maximizes some corporation's profits (whether that corporation can deliver the service as well is irrelevant)

Leonard Gilroy, a senior staffer at something called "The Reason Foundation," an organization that claims to be an independent think tank dedicated to "free market" principles, but their dedication to "free" markets isn't free.  According to Sourcewatch, much of their funding comes from industry sources and extremists like the infamous Koch Brothers.

Stan Levine, a retired chemical company CEO and a senior member of Joe Arpaio's "posse"

There were a few more, but none who were there to represent the public interest.

With an assemblage like that, is it any wonder that they want to give state parks, which are supposed to be managed for the benefit of the people of Arizona, to private corporations to be managed for the benefit of those corporations?

It all looks like it's part of the GOP's game plan of running government into the ground (by refusing to actually govern responsibly by say, balancing the freakin' budget), and when government inevitably fails on their watch, use the failure that they've induced as an excuse to further sell off public assets to private groups.


Later...

Short Attention Span Musing

Just a few quick hits for a Saturday...

...Just how crazy/bad does a Republican have to be for Russell Pearce not to endorse him?  I don't know, but apparently Jack Harper does.

...Ben Quayle, one of the gaggle of R candidates jockeying for a shot at replacing Congresman John Shadegg in CD3, received a lot of press coverage this week.  And contrary to the popular saw, not all publicity is good publicity.

First, he denied, then admitted, to writing for a "racy" website, TheDirty.com (at the time, it was called "TheDirtyScottsdale.com").

Then he gained notoriety for airing what has to be the most content-free TV spot of the election cycle wherein he labelled Barack Obama as the "worst President in history."  At no point did he ever talk about CD3 or its needs...or why he would be the best one to serve those needs.

Of course, considering that he recently sent out a "awww, isn't he a great family man?!?" mailer showing him with his kids...only he doesn't have kids, this weeks screwups should have been expected.  Still, with his family name recognition and the vast amount of money from out-of-state contributors that he has access to, he may still pull of winning the R nomination in CD3.

No matter which of the many Rs running in CD3, Democrat Jon Hulburd stands firmly in their way.

...The Parraz campaign is touting some poll numbers in the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.  Their numbers show them behind Rodney Glassman by 3 percentage points, which is within the margin of error.  Those numbers are consistent with other polls, so that is not news.  What is interesting is the data that Latino voters are going for Parraz by a 6 or 7 to 1 margin.  And that Latino turnout is up.

Now, campaigns only release internal polling numbers when they show (or can be spun to show) their candidates' strength, so take the release with a grain of salt.

However, if it is true, especially the part about Latino turnout increasing, it shows a possible path out of the electoral woods for AZ Democrats. 

The Republicans' whole-hearted embrace of the nativist ideals of Russell Pearce and Jan Brewer to gain support in primary races could come to backfire on them in November.

Here's hoping....

...Finally, while the last of the three escapees from one of Arizona's privately-operated prisons is still on the loose (maybe in Montana, though by now he and his cousin/fiancee/drug mule for a white supremacist gang could be anywhere) and Terry Goddard, Arizona's Attorney General and a candidate for governor, has called for reviewing and revamping prison security in AZ, Governor Jan Brewer has been out picnicking "campaigning", with nary a word about private prisons, her administration's ties to private prison operators, or even hearings to look into the failure of the private prisons to protect the public from murderers.

Just another Saturday roundup in the desert...

Short Attention Span Musing...

Haven't done one of these in a while...


...Gloating time:  The Arizona Republic has published a significant number of its primary election endorsements, and as I predicted, they endorsed Susan Bitter Smith in the CD5 Republican primary. 

I so love being able to say "I told ya so."

...Credit where it's due time:  Republican Greg Patterson at Espresso Pundit wrote pretty eloquently on the Shirley Sherrod/"racist" comments/summary firing/apologetic rehiring mess from earlier this week.  He observed unequivocally that the video clip that was originally publicized by conservative blogger Breitbart and then Fox News was grossly out of context.

Now, being a loyal Republican, Patterson didn't criticize Breitbart and Fox News for their deceptive and unethical editing of the video, but neither did he go after the White House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture over their unthinking response.  He earned some slack because of that.

I'm a loyal Democrat, as strong a D as Patterson is an R.  As such, *I'll* criticize the White House et. al. for their response.

Making decisions based on information from Breitbart and Fox News?  People and organizations with a documented history of taking statements out of context and even doctoring video (see: ACORN)? 

The White House is supposed to be better than that.  They're supposed to be smarter than that.

BTW - While Patterson was even-handed in not directly criticizing the principals involved in the dust-up, the commenters on his post were less so.  Even though the White House had nothing to do with the fabrication, the commenters laid the blame squarely at the WH's feet while giving a free pass to Breitbart and Fox News.

...Arizona's fiscal plummet continues time: AKA - "More signs of the success of Jan Brewer's fiscal policies time" - In a story that, if not buried, has been downplayed by the AZ Republic, the state's debt rating has been downgraded yet again, making any future debt issued by the state (like school construction bonds) more expensive.  In short, it will be even tougher in the future to balance the state's books because of ever-increasing debt-service costs.

....Later...

Short Attention Span Musing

Edit later on 10/7 with a correction to a factual error...

Just a few questions that I've been wondering about...


...Wouldn't it be ironic if AZ Senator Jon Kyl's anti-maternity care diatribe during a Senate hearing on health care reform is what pushes Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe off the fence and onto the side of health care reform?

- In a related note, at 1 p.m, State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema and a group of Arizona mothers and medical personnel will rally at Kyl's office (2200 E. Camelback in Phoenix) to protest Kyl's contempt for them and all expectant mothers (OK, so that's a bit of an overstatement, but he served this one up like a BP fastball to Albert Pujols).


...What's going on in the Scottsdale City Hall? There is, as usual, a 4 - 3 divide on the Council regarding most significant issue (Mayor Lane and Council members Borowsky, Littlefield, and Nelssen on one side and Council members Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh on the other).

That divide is actually pretty much par for the course with the Scottsdale City Council. What is interesting is the way that it has manifested itself.

For instance, I've noticed something while attending the meetings of the Charter Review Task Force - the "three," Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh have been at each one, observing intently and taking notes. After talking with other City Hall-watchers, I found out that they've also been regulars at the meetings of the Budget Review Commission.

Considering that the work being performed by the folks on the Task Force and the Commission is vital to both the short-term and long-term interests of Scottsdale, the fact that Council members are paying close attention is laudable.

So why aren't the "four" - Lane, Borowsky, Littlefield, and Nelssen - there too?

Disclaimer: I *did* see Borowsky at one meeting of the Charter Review Task Force, but she entered the Kiva (City Hall meeting area) from the back of the building, watched the proceedings for a moment, and left. She was just passing through, not watching and learning.

Are the "three" more dedicated to their jobs? Or are they just not receiving the same breadth and depth of info from Council staff , which is overseen by Tim Lasota, Lane's chief of staff ?

Edit to add a correction: I contacted Pat Dodds, Scottsdale's Public Affairs Officer, for info about the structure of the Mayor and Council's staff.

It turns out that Council staff members do not directly report to Tim Lasota. It used to be that the staffers for the Mayor and Council reported to the City Manager's staff reported to the City Manager. That was changed earlier this year so that they now report to the City Clerk. While it seems likely that the Mayor's own staffers (an admin and an assistant) are directed by Lasota in practical terms, they and the Council staff do not report to him officially.

Of course, the change in the org chart reporting lines (from City Manager to City Clerk) only serve to highlight the dysfunctionality that currently permeates Scottsdale's City Hall. (see the "jihad" comment below)

Thanks to Mr. Dodd for his quick response with the correct information.

Also. apologies to Mr. Lasota if he was offended by the comment that he was in charge of Council staff. I don't expect that he was offended, but since the factual error was mine, an apology is merited.

End edit...

Disclaimer2: I have never voted for any of the "three", but am beginning to wonder if maybe I should have.


...I am beginning to wonder if the current budget stalemate/meltdown at the Capitol, with all of the very public internecine Republican angst associated with it, was all part of a larger plan to force a smaller, anti-Arizonan, pro-corporation model of government onto Arizona, without bothering with a change to AZ's Constitution?

Let's see some of the signs that have recently been in the news -

The Governor and the Legislature crippling the Arizona Corporation Commission, the fourth branch of government in created in the Arizona Constitution (Article 15), with more cuts to the rest of the government coming due to their continued inaction regarding the budget crisis;

The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District micromanaging the District toward mediocrity (and proudly saying that is their job);

The jihad that the Republican mayor and council in Scottsdale is conducting against professional staff.

This all may not be part of a specific plan for a quiet de facto coup d'etat, but it highlights what happens when a major political party allows a petty and extreme political ideology to triumph over professionalism and a committment to the community.

Stay tuned...

Short attention span musing...

Haven't done one of these in a long time, and since there are a couple of things in today's news worthy of comment, it's appropriate to do one now.

...Colleen Clark, president of the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District has revealed that in July, she was arrested for DUI in Scottsdale. (AZCentral.com coverage here; Phoenix New Times coverage here)

Fellow board member Debra Pearson (nee Brimhall) has called for Clark's resignation, citing the arrest as evidence of "immature behavior."

Ummm...given that when Pearson was in the state lege, she was best known for marching in a parade in a Xena costume, maybe she shouldn't be pointing fingers...anyway, I digress.

On this one, given the facts available thus far - no one was injured, apparently this was a "first-and-only" incident, and she didn't try to use her office and influence to get out of the arrest - she should be allowed to face the music but keep her office.

In the event that some readers think that this opinion is one partisan Democrat supporting another, think again.

Ms. Clark is a Republican and a teacher/coach at her church and works for an Illinois-based abstinence project.

In short, she's easily conservative enough to be a member of the "Bay at the Moon" Club on West Washington.

Even so, she gets to be human (unless one of the material facts cited above changes.)

The Governing Board would have been better served if instead of calling for Clark's resignation, Pearson had pushed for the resignation of member Jerry Walker after the incident earlier this year where he used his office and presence on a District-sponsored field trip to intimidate a student to tears over her advocacy for the DREAM Act.

*That* one merited removal from office.


...Does the Fifester realize that he was pardoned because the President owed a favor to someone who owed Fife a favor, not because he was wrongfully convicted?

Apparently not, because he says he is considering a run for Governor in 2010.

The money quote from the AZRepublic article linked above?

"My record is clean," Symington said. "I won at the end of the day."

No Fife, your record is NOT clean. Of course, in today's AZGOP, that doesn't mean anything.


...Hmmmm...wonder if Laura Knaperek is looking for someone, *anyone*, to take on and defeat Harry Mitchell, who has defeated her so many times? And if "anyone" means "anyone not named David Schweikert"??

Note: Schweikert had the audacity to beat Knaperek in last year's GOP primary in CD5.

Let's see -

One "Ray Torres" has a letter to the editor in Friday's AZ Republic criticizing Harry Mitchell and expressing support for Jim Ward, a candidate in next year's GOP primary in CD5.

One "Ramon Torres," nicknamed "Ray" is the chair of the ORANGE Coalition in Scottsdale (allegedly in Scottsdale, anyway*).

A director of that organization is one...Laura Knaperek, former LD17 state representative and failed Congressional candidate.


*Hmmmm...the ORANGE Coalition isn't registered as a political committee (even though it was lobbying the City of Scottsdale via its Charter Review Task Force); it's registered as a non-profit Arizona corporation. Both directors listed on the organizational paperwork, including Mr. Ray Torres, list a New Jersey address (or as they like to refer to it - "really eastern Scottsdale").

BTW - the New Jersey address listed is the same as that of the headquarters of American Water, the parent company of Arizona American Water.

Not exactly a shocking coincidence, that.

It will be fun to watch Mr. Ward's campaign finance reports for money from New Jersey and American Water.


Later...

Short Attention Span Musing

The work week was hectic this week and cut into posting time, so here are brief thoughts on some stuff that came up this week..

...Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise!) is a gift to snarky writers.

From AZCentral.com -

There was fresh debate on Friday about a controversial letter written to Arizona voters by Republican State Sen. Jack Harper. A church organization weighed-in on Harper's letter, calling it "unthinkable." Harper defended the blunt language of the letter, saying it was a necessary reality check to Arizonans.

{snip}

Harper said he believes members of churches should increase their charity donations to make up for bad economic times.

"If they want to reach people for the values they believe in, reach people in the name of Christ, it's time for them to step up and show generosity to the church," Harper said.

Jack, Jack, Jack - you want to run statewide next year and yet you are picking on churches, perhaps the one group of voters that might be reliably on your side if you make it to the general election?


...Now Sheriff Joe Arpaio is complaining that the federal investigations of him and MCSO are politically motivated.

From the Washington Post -

The lawyers representing a controversial Arizona sheriff who is under investigation for his treatment of Latino residents accused officials in the Justice and Homeland Security departments yesterday of political motivations in pursuing probes against their client.

{snip}

[Attorney for Arpaio Robert] Driscoll wrote in his letter, referring to the sheriff's office, "When one law enforcement agency becomes subject to three federal investigations in a matter of weeks immediately after a shift of political control in Washington, it is difficult not to speculate that politics played a role in the decision or that policy differences related to hot-button topics such as local law enforcement's vigorous enforcement of immigration related crimes are being litigated through enforcement actions."

Well, if anyone should know of politically-motivated investigations, it's our resident expert on the topic.


...The Republican blogosphere is all aflutter over word that Governor Jan Brewer plans a PR campaign to build support for her budget plan. They're worried that she might be "going after" Republican legislators.

Given that this is the first "governor-like" thing that she has done since she ascended to the office, maybe they're just now learning that the governor's job description does *not* include the line "acts as a lackey of the legislature."


...As expected, the lege passed and Brewer signed into law the proposal to give corporations $5 million in tax breaks and ensure Steve Yarbrough's income at the same time.

My only question is if it fact turns out that Yarbrough's STO has violated the IRS' rules governing 501c3 organizations, does the fact that the Governor called a special session solely to funnel money to Yarbrough and his organization mean that she is an accessory to any of the violations? What about the people who officially sponsored the bills (Rep. Rick Murphy, Sens. Thayer Verschoor, Sylvia Allen, Bob Burns, Chuck Gray, Jack Harper, and John Huppenthal)?

OK, probably not. Elected officials have a way of writing laws in ways that protect themselves (witness this one), but in a just world...

Later...

Short Attention Span Musing

...Think the Palins aren't good* Republicans? Read on...

From the Washington Post -

Bristol Palin gave birth to her much-anticipated baby son on Saturday, People.com reported this evening.

The first grandchild of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, weighing in at seven pounds, four ounces.

Anybody who would name their son/grandson after Linda Tripp definitely qualifies as a hardcore Republican.

* = In this context, "good" means "freakin' loony."

...The U.S. Senate's Democratic leadership can posture all that they want, but they're kind of screwed here.

Also from the Washington Post -

Two Chicago newspapers are reporting that scandal-tarred Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans this afternoon to appoint 71-year-old former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris to President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

In this letter from earlier this month, Sens. Harry Reid (NV) and Dick Durbin (IL), the Senate's Majority and Assistant Majority leaders respectively, threatened to not seat anyone appointed by Blagojevich.

Too bad for them that the Supreme Court has said that the Congress can only judge if members meet the Constitutional qualifications for their chamber.

From Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution -

No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen.

So unless Burris or whoever Blagojevich appoints to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat fails to meet those basic criteria, the Senate Democrats (and the Senate as a whole) probably aren't going to have much choice about seating the appointee.

More later...

Short Attention Span Musing

From the "who says I don't pick on Democrats when they deserve it" file...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) ignored his staff and spouted off about the fragrance of tourists visiting the Capitol.

From The Hill -

Reid’s comment came as he noted the long lines of tourists who come to visit the Capitol during the bitter cold of winter and sweltering heat of a Washington summer. By constructing the CVC, lawmakers hoped to provide a more comfortable and educational introduction to the Capitol with tighter security measures.

"Tourists line up in summer and winter," said Reid. "In the summertime, because of the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol."

Like other high-profile Democratic senators before him (John Kerry, anyone?), Reid simply cannot tell a joke.

He *really* should have listened to his staff.

Of course, compared to Governor Ed Rendell's (D-Foot in Mouth Disease) gaffe, Reid was positively eloquent.

From AZCentral.com -

Rendell made the comment Tuesday at a meeting of the National Governors Association in Philadelphia that featured President-elect Barack Obama.

Rendell said Napolitano is "perfect for that job. Because for that job, you have to have no life. Janet has no family. Perfect. She can devote, literally, 19-20 hours a day to it."

He has since apologized (sort of) for his comment that disparaged Napolitano's single status, but the damage has been done. He has ticked off single people (and many married ones) all across the country.

...From the "PleasepleasepleasepleasePUHLEEZE" department...

There are some rumors going around that John McCain will face a primary challenge in 2010 from none other than everybody's favorite loudmouthed nativist, JD Hayworth (Paul Giblin at the EV Tribune).

The idea has AZ's rightwing blogosphere all breathlessly aflutter at the thought of their darling Hayworth taking on McCain, but like Tedski at R-Cubed, I don't think it will happen. McCain has earned respect from all over AZ (misplaced though I may think that respect may be, it does exist) while Hayworth doesn't have any respect from anybody outside of his own nativist wing of the Republican Party.

That demographic fits a slot on radio, not in the senior chamber of Congress.

On the other hand, if Hayworth does go for it, maybe we can talk Harry Mitchell into running for the Senate seat.

Just for the sheer joy of watching JD's head explode at the mere possiblity of losing to Mitchell yet again. :)

For the record, I don't think Mitchell would be even remotely interested in a Senate run, even if Hayworth does run. For that matter, if it looks like a pure ideologue such as Hayworth will end up as the Rep nominee, Democrats from all over AZ will be elbowing each other hard for a shot at the seat.

...And from the "can we root for both of them to lose" department...

From AP -

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Thursday took the first step toward a run for governor, setting the stage for a contentious challenge in 2010 against fellow Republican Rick Perry, the longest-serving leader in state history.

Let's see...Rick Perry is best known for his perfectly-coiffed hair (Molly Ivins nicknamed him "Governor Goodhair") and Hutchinson is best known as a Bush cheerleader of Kyl-esque proportions.

Maybe Kinky Friedman can run again. He's not perfect, but he's more interesting than either of those two.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing - Election Hangover Edition

Some stuff that's gotten a little lost in all of the hoopla surrounding the impending change in tenants at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue...

...Russell Pearce (R-Nativist) is showing that with his move to the State Senate, he isn't a one-trick pony any more.

He doesn't reserve his hatred exclusively to brown people any more - he hates education now, as illustrated by his desire to balance the state's budget on the backs of students.

From the EV Tribune on November 13 -

Lawmakers are eyeing an extra $56.7 million collected in tuition by the three public universities, possibly to directly or indirectly help balance the state budget.

Members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee refused Thursday to grant a favorable review to the plan by the Board of Regents to spend the funds. Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said the state's larger-than-expected deficit makes it necessary for legislators to use any revenue for the most critical needs.

So the strident anti-taxer Pearce wants to take money that students have paid that they thought was going to fund their educations, and use it to pay for the state's budget deficit? Make up the shortfall caused by his party's tax cuts for corporations by indirectly taxing education itself?

In an editorial published on November 15, the Arizona Daily Star eloquently pointed out the foolishness of Pearce's (and the Republicans') position on the matter -

We understand the financial straits facing the state. But taking students' money from universities demonstrates the backward tendencies of lawmakers who refuse to accept that Arizona can't grow economically by starving its public educational system.

If I was writing the editorial, I'd have been blunter.

"Electing Republicans to run government is like hiring Jack Kevorkian as your family doctor."


...The Al Franken/Norm Coleman Senate race in Minnesota, with its 206-vote margin (currently favoring the incumbent Republican Coleman) is heading to a recount later this week, pending the various lawsuits and countersuits.

... The Mark Begich/Ted Stevens Senate race in Alaska is turning more and more in Democratic challenger Begich's favor, with the current tally showing him ahead of Stevens by more than 1000 votes.

The only bad thing about the possible defeat of convicted felon Stevens by Begich? We miss getting to watch the Senate expel Stevens from its ranks for being, well, a convicted felon.

...Scottsdale's Mayoral election is still close, but challenger Jim Lane is still leading incumbent Mary Manross by 551 votes (49891 to 49340) and looks to be in position to ascend to the Mayor's office in January.

...In other AZ election news, it's looking more and more likely that Republican Bob Stump will hold off Democrat Sam George for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission, opening up a lead of 1937 votes as of the close of business at the AZ Secretary of State's office today. Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman look to have safely secured the other two contested spots on the ACC.

...In LD20, Democrat Rae Waters has a 593-vote lead over Jeff Dial for the district's second seat in the AZ House; Republican John McComish has a secure grip on the other seat from LD20. Barring a major reversal from whatever ballots remain to be counted, this one should go to Waters.

Note: According to the AZ Rep's Political Insider, approximately 55,000 ballots remain to be counted in Maricopa County.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing - Election Results Edition

...Stuff I was wrong about (and I'm not too happy that it is so)...

When the Reps purged moderate professional public servants such as State Senators Pete Hershberger and Tom O'Halleran during their primary, replacing them with pure ideologues like Cap'n Al Melvin and Steve Pierce, and replacing the late Jake Flake with Sylvia Allen (a Russell Pearce fave), I thought that AZ's Dems with their pragmatic and centrist candidates were in a position to take a majority in one or both chambers of the lege.

I was wrong. We lost a little ground in both.

...Stuff I was wrong about (and happy that it is so)...

When the Reps nominated Marian McClure, Barry Wong, and Bob Stump for Arizona Corporation Commission, I thought that they had put up three candidates that might have been strong enough to beat back the candidacies of Sandra Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Sam George.

Turns out Kennedy and Newman have won seats, and George is neck-and-neck with Bob Stump for the third seat (currently, George is 1052 votes down, with provisionals and dropped-off mail in ballots still being counted).

...Stuff I was right about (and mostly very happy that it is so)...

Months ago, before either party's presidential primaries had even taken place, I predicted that John McCain at the top of the Rep ticket would lead to good things for national Democrats ("President Barack Obama" anyone? Whoo hoooo!! :)) ) but would hurt AZ Dems due to increased Rep voter turnout (see point one about losing ground in the lege).

So long as Governor Janet Napolitano stays in AZ to stand up to the Arizona chapter of the Flat Earth Society, I'll be satisfied with a Democratic-controlled White House and a Republican-controlled lege.

...So how soon before the "Barkley for Governor" talk begins again?

Kevin Johnson, formerly a star with the Phoenix Suns, rode Tuesday's Democratic wave into the mayor's office in Sacramento, California.

From the LA Times -

A Democrat, he likened himself to Barack Obama, noting that both campaigned on a platform of change. Race was not an overt issue in Sacramento, where African Americans make up about 14% of the population.

"The mayor stared blindly into her rear-view mirror while Johnson was focused on the road ahead," said Doug Elmets, a Sacramento political consultant.

Actually, candidate KJ was more the sort of pro-business Republican-lite candidate that Rahm Emanuel would fall all over himself recruiting if he was still running the DCCC, not as an agent of change like Barack Obama, but it's still good to see KJ doing well.

...The denizens of San Francisco aren't anywhere near as colorful as conservative pundits would have everyone believe...

From U.S. News and World Report -

SAN FRANCISCO—Even here, in this defiantly liberal city, it was simply too much. A local measure that would have renamed a sewage treatment plant after George W. Bush was defeated yesterday, with 69 percent of voters opposing it. Thirty percent of voters supported the initiative.

Was it a case of "too much" or was it just a case of not wanting to create any reminders of the worst president in history?

...The 2010 campaign season has already started, with speculation on possible candidates hitting the internet by Thursday. PolitickerAZ has a list of possible gubernortorial contenders, one that includes the usual Democrats, such as Phil Gordon (Mayor of Phoenix), Terry Goddard (AZ Attorney General) and Jim Pederson (Developer and former chair of the AZ Dems).

One other name that was included was something of a surprise - Johnny Basha.

Even if the Basha family hadn't become a bunch of union-busting Republicans, Johnny Basha could never get through a Democratic primary. He's a fundraiser for and contributor to John McCain.

Oops.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing - Primary Edition

...It's looking more and more like absolutely nothing was settled in Scottsdale on Tuesday. According to the City's results page, challenger Jim Lane leads incumbent Mayor Mary Manross by 217 votes. However, there are 849 ballots where the City races were left blank (undervotes), so it appears that he didn't receive the "50% + 1) vote total necessary to win the election outright. In addition, none of the City Council candidates reached that threshold either.

Hence, it appears that we get to do this all over again in November, with two fewer candidates for Council. Oren Davis and Joel Bramoweth, as the two candidates with the fewest votes, will be dropped off of the general election ballot. The other six candidates - Lisa Borowsky, Betty Drake, Nan Nesvig, Suzanne Klapp, Tom Giller, and Ron McCullagh - will fight it out for the three open seats.

Predictions: none for the Council race, there are too many variables, but as for the mayoral contest, Manross should win reelection. She was hurt by the large Republican turnout for the CD5 primary; in November, she will benefit from the increased Democratic turnout.

BTW - if the mayoral results stand without a run-off, Lane owes John Washington. Washington was a write-in candidate for mayor until he dropped out just before early ballots were sent out. If he had stayed in the race, he would have garnered enough votes to force the race to a run off, or even have given the race outright to Manross.

AZ Republic coverage here.

...Republican bloggers all over the state may be gleeful right now because of the large number of moderate Reps who were defeated in primary races, but that glee may be short-lived. It will be much easier for moderate Democrats like Cheryl Cage and Judah Nativio to defeat their extremist Republican opponents (Al Melvin and Russell Pearce, respectively) than the more moderate Reps who were defeated in the primaries (Pete Hershberger and Kevin Gibbons, respectively.)

No smack talk here (I'm not making any predictions. Yet), just an observation.


...Saving the worst for last, but have the Reps chosen David Duke as their national chair? I mean, whatever veneer of civility they might have had has been rubbed off during the pressure of a tough election cycle.

First, there was the abuse levelled at one of their own in LD6, Tony Bouie.

Then, there was Sarah Palin's VP-nominee acceptance speech where she denigrated community organizers in urban communities, but later praised folks in rural, and presumably paler, communities.

But the topper has to be Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-CSA), as quoted in The Hill -

"Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.

And when asked to clarify, Westmoreland confirmed that he indeed meant to use the word 'uppity.'

Yes folks, whether it's Maricopa County Republicans (Arpaio and Thomas) campaigning against Mexicans, or national Republicans campaigning against black people, this is going to be an ugly two months.

Thanks to Tedski for the heads-up on the Westmoreland quote.

Short Attention Span Musing

Finally back from Denver, and as much as I had a blast, I'm happy to be home. :)

It's hard to be snarky when you're surrounded by so much positive energy, and there is so much to be snarky about. :))


...Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as the Rep VP candidate is a good move because it balances things. I mean, McCain needs the 3 electoral votes from Palin's Alaska to even up things because Joe Biden brings 3 electoral votes from Delaware, right?

...Seriously, it's not a bad move (the Palin selection) because it shores up McCain's support among the hard-line social conservatives - she supports teaching creationism in public schools, ardently opposes a woman's right to control her reproductive decisions, is ethically flexible, and is good-looking to boot.

In short, she's a conservative's wet dream.

...On the other hand, it's not such a great move either, because it only shores up McCain's support among the base, and it's not likely they were going to vote for a black Democrat no matter who McCain selected as a running mate.

In short, with this choice, McCain has written off moderate and independent voters.

...Actually, the biggest beneficiary of Palin's selection as the VP candidate may be Sen. Ted Stevens - he won his primary, but with an indictment and trial looming over him, he's going to need all the help he can get in November's general election, where he faces Democratic nominee Mark Begich. An elevated turnout of low-efficacy Reps (aka - "the ones who don't pay much attention to minor things like corruption on the part of their elected officials") is about the only thing that can help Stevens keep his job.

...In "Republicans behaving badly" news, Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has the scoop on how LD18 Republican House candidates Cecil Ash and Ron Middlebrook took Clean Elections $5s from Russell Pearce's favorite neo-Nazi, JT Ready.

Given that Middlebrook is just Pearce without a rug, is this any surprise?

Anyway, while there are no guarantees, the Reps' ongoing self-immolation in LD18 can only help Democratic House candidate Tammie Pursley and Senate candidate Judah Nativio.

...The cynic in me wonders if there if there will be some snickering at the Republican convention (starting Monday) over the fact that thousands of workers needed behind the scenes to make it all happen will have to work on Labor Day, the one holiday on the calendar to honor working Americans?

OK, I have no doubt that there will be some snickering over it. Maybe even some outright glee.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

- Challenger Ed Hermes (D-SD1) is doing almost embarrassingly well against long-time (but never-challenged) incumbent Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock (R).

According to their latest campaign finance reports, Hermes raised $27301.65 in the period from July 1 thru August 13.

Brock raised $6910 , or a little more than 1/4 as much.

The situation has gotten so desperate for Brock that some of the Rep bloggers have taken to criticizing Hermes on his age (24) while ignoring Hermes' experience (State Board of Regents, Arizona Department of Agriculture, Governor Napolitano's Smart Growth Cabinet).

The planted stories aren't doing anything to enhance their credibility or their candidate's.


- In a moment that shows just how out of touch he is with the average American, John McCain forgot how many houses he and his wife own (John: Seven.)

Yes, in an era when too many Americans are wondering how they can keep their one home, McCain has so many that he's forgetting them.


- In all of the hubbub over the soon-to-be-announced nominees for VP, the MSM and both campaigns are ignoring the simple fact that unless the VP ascends to the presidency, no one outside of his/her family members will care who the VP was after the term is over.

Most of the hype is due to the fact that it is political silly season - it's after the primaries and before the conventions. There's note a lot going on other than the occasional press release, so there just isn't much for the MSM to cover. Plus, the VP hype gives the campaigns some free publicity. Always a good thing, even when a campaign is operating on a Presidential campaign budget instead of, say, a school board candidate's budget.


...It really has been a long couple of days, so it is time for sleep.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

Responding to some criticism that my posts have been boring recently (lacking in 'wiseass' content), so how 'bout this????


...From the "they probably expect us to ignore the irony" department -

A U.S. attorney has issued a report decrying the conditions in a jail, citing beatings of prisoners by staff, poor medical, and dangerous building conditions as among the reasons that he found that "the jail had systematically violated the constitutional rights of inmates." (NY Times)

Where is this den of brazen brutality located?

Abu Ghraib? Nope, not even the right hemisphere.

Guantanamo? Much closer, but not close enough.

No, the jail that the feds find so objectionable is the Cook County Jail.


In Illinois.


Apparently, the "do as we say, not as we do" gang is still running the show...


...From the "It must be an even numbered year" department,,,,

On Tuesday, both the House and the Senate voted to override Bush's veto of H.R. 6331, The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. All four of Arizona's Democratic congressmen voted to override the veto, which wasn't a surprise. However, they were joined by a Republican, and it wasn't Rick Renzi, who occasionally (*very* occasionally :) ) crosses party lines on a specific vote.

Nope, it was John Shadegg (CD3).

The same John Shadegg who scored a 100 in the American Conservative Union's rankings and tied for the most conservative in the House in the National Journal's rankings.

One might think that this vote illustrates Shadegg's (new-found) concern for plight of those of his constituents who rely on Medicare, whether as patients or physicians (and we should expect a press release or 5 trumpeting his "heartfelt" concern). However, there is one point that every one of his constituents should remember - on June 24, he voted against the original bill.

And not only did he vote against the bill on its first trip though the House, he tried to prevent even its mere consideration by twice voting to adjourn the House during debate on H.R. 6331. (here and here)

In other words, Tuesday's vote was just for show, not substance - he's only concerned with his own plight.

Possible unemployment after November.

Yep, Shadegg is definitely hearing Bob Lord's footsteps...

Note: The Senate also voted to override the President's veto of H.R. 6331, by a vote of 70 - 26. Arizona's senatorial delegation voted as is their pattern - Kyl voted against Medicare, and McCain skipped the vote.


...and from the "See! I occasionally pick on Democrats, too!" department -

From the AZ Republic -

Could Sky Harbor soon become home to an army of one-armed bandits?

It might, if Mayor Phil Gordon has his way. Gordon wants to explore the possibility of partnering with a Native American tribe to bring slot machines to the airport.

Good freakin' God! Don't we drop enough money on air trips already?? What's next? Bingo tournaments on the Red Line (the bus route through the airport? Video poker machines on Supershuttle vans??

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

...In this post, Greg at Espresso Pundit brought up a good point about Scottsdale's elections, and the impact of the move to a September/November cycle from a March/May one.

The point that he made was that the Republican primary in CD5 likely will elevate the Republican turnout for September's election.

This wouldn't be significant under the old March/May municipal election schedule, as Scottsdale's municipal elections are non-partisan.

Under the old schedule, it wouldn't matter that Mayor Mary Manross is a registered Democrat or that her challenger Councilman Jim Lane is a Republican.

However, the new schedule and the expected elevated Republican turnout on a primary day where the only significant Democratic race is for County Attorney (not a race that will elevate Democratic primary turnout - most of us are focused on November, not September) could contribute to a Lane upset over the favored incumbent, Manross.

Greg's point is a valid one, but I'm not sure it quite fits in Scottsdale.

In a city like Scottsdale, partisan political concerns take a back seat to financial political concerns, and Manross is seen as whole-heartedly representing the city's moneyed interests (witness the Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of her); Lane is quiet about it, but he supports the more socially extreme wing of his party (witness his active support of JD Hayworth in 2006).

The CD5 primary *will* elevate Republican turnout in Scottsdale for September's election, but the increased turnout won't just bring out the socially conservative Republicans, it'll bring out the money-focused ones, too.

In short, the elevated turnout *should* help Lane somewhat, but it's going to have some benefit for Manross, too. The key factor in the race could be John Washington's write-in candidacy. If he pulls in enough votes to keep both Manross and Lane below 50% in the final tally, it will force a November runoff, and as Laura Pastor learned in last fall's elections in Phoenix (and Hut Hutson learned in Tempe this spring), it doesn't matter who's favored, *anything* can happen in a runoff.


...Want another reason to understand why change is needed in the Sheriff's office?

The East Valley Tribune is running a five-day series on the MCSO. Wednesday's headline -

"Reasonable Doubt: The evolution of MCSO into an immigration agency"

Just a reminder - the "MC" in "MCSO" stands for Maricopa County, not Border Patrol.

Even though Maricopa County is the stolen car capital of the country, Joe Arpaio's obsession with Mexicans has led to him taking dozens, sometimes hundreds, of deputies off of patrol duties to deploy them on anti-brown people, "broken taillight" sweeps.

Vote to return professionalism to the office of the Maricopa County Sheriff - Vote for Dan Saban.


...On July 20th, there will be two Democratic fundraisers that, while scheduled so as to not overlap, should provide an interesting contrast -

- From 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., there will be a Happy Birthday party for Congressman (and Tempe icon) Harry Mitchell at Shalimar Golf Club in Tempe (contact the campaign at 480.755.3343 or via email to herschel[at]harry2008.com for more details.)

- At 7:00 p.m., the Arizona Democratic Party is holding its annual Heritage Dinner, featuring special guest Congressman (and bane of grassroots Democratic activists everywhere) Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). (Contact the ADP at RSVP[at]azdem.org or (602) 234-6814 for more details.)

Can anyone guess which one will have the larger and more enthusiastic crowd? :)

Somebody should tell the ADP's schedulers that there are 365 days per year, and other than (maybe!) Christmas, Thanksgiving, and election days, any of the other 364 would have been a better choice for the Heritage Dinner.

BTW - I'm just teasing a little with this one - I've already been told that Harry will be at the Heritage Dinner. Turnout should be just fine there, too. :))


...The Arizona Sierra Club's report card for the just-completed session of the Arizona lege is out (and thank to Zelph at AZNetroots for the heads-up :) ).

It's interesting to note that the three Republicans who were in the lege but are running for Arizona Corporation Commission (those darn term limits!), Marian McClure, Bob Robson, and Bob Stump (state reps one and all) each earned "Fs" from the Sierra Club for their efforts in the lege.

It's hard to tell from the name, but the Corporation Commission is the political body best positioned to lead the quest for affordable alternative energy options and cleaner air in AZ.

Well, at least it will be when we elect actual public servants to the board, instead of people who are just as much industrial tools as any strip-mining excavator or coal-powered electrical generator.

Remember: Paul Newman, Sandra Kennedy, Kara Kelty, and Sam George for Corporation Commission - three of them will move on after the primary, and any of the four is better than any of the Republicans running. (Sorry, Sam George supporters, still haven't found a website for him :) ).

House report card here; Senate report card here.

BTW - LD17 legislators Sen. Burton Cahill and Representatives Ableser and Schapira all earned grades of "A" or better. Congrats to all three on jobs well done!

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing -candidates edition (Redux)

I know that I just did one of these, but the campaigns have provided a wealth of material to work with in the last few days that another one is warranted...

...Maybe she should look a little closer to home for the source of the trouble...

From PolitickerAZ:

Bitter Smith accuses Mitchell campaign of push polling

AZ-5 Republican primary candidate and Arizona cable industry lobbyist Susan Bitter Smith is charging that the campaign of U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe) has been "push polling" in the 5th Congressional District - a charge the Mitchell campaign denies.

"Reports have surfaced that the Mitchell campaign has initiated a push pull [sic] in the District specifically targeting Susan," read a press release put out by the Bitter Smith campaign.

Her campaign has been asked by PolitickerAZ to produce a recipient of one of these calls, but they have not done so as yet. Assuming that this alleged push poll is real, one should remember that Ms. Bitter Smith is in a six-way primary fight.

That's six people with more incentive than Harry Mitchell to do this (yes, that includes the inimitable Ms. Bitter Smith herself).

Self-promotion time - less than a week ago, I predicted that this race (CD5 Rep primary) would get dirty.

I'd gloat more, but even I have to admit making that prediction was as difficult, and risky, as predicting a sunny day in Arizona.


...Guess Shadegg hasn't figured out that elections can only be lost in D.C., not won there.

Veterans in his district (and all over the country!) are receiving inadequate medical care, a chunk of his district is scared of the water coming out of their taps, and skyrocketing energy costs are destroying the budgets of working- and middle-class families all over the country, so how does he respond to the needs of his constituents?

By introducing H.R. 6274, a bill to provide legal cover for the Bush Administration and its kangaroo courts (aka military tribunals) and its permanent detention without trial or even evidence in the face of last week's Supreme Court decision granting habeas corpus rights to detainees at Guantanamo.

Shadegg press release here.

Just speculating here, but I have to wonder if he is starting to write off the November election and is planning/hoping/praying for a job in a McCain administration.


...Maybe the McCainiacs should see if the rights to "Running On Empty" are available...

From MSNBC.com:

REP. TO MCCAIN: STOP USING MY SONG!

New Hampshire picked up McCain in the 2000 Republican primary and stayed true to him in 2008. It was fitting, then, that McCain concluded a Nashua event yesterday with the 1976 Orleans' hit celebration of monogamy, "Still the One."

It was 'fitting' until the song's co-writer, and current progressive Democratic Congressman from New York, John Hall, spoke up, objecting to its use.

You know, while the songwriter of "Running On Empty", Jackson Browne, is known for being fairly liberal himself, he might approve the use of his song by the McCain campaign.

It's totally appropriate - they've got nothing left in the tank.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

...First up: The No-Snarkiness section of tonight's post...

Congressman Harry Mitchell will be holding the grand opening party for the headquarters of his reelection campaign on Saturday, June 14, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. The office is at 123 E. Baseline Rd. in Tempe (SE corner of Baseline and Mill) It's in the same retail/office complex as his 2006 office, just in a different part of the complex. Follow the streamers, balloons, and other signs of festiveness. :)

For more info or to volunteer, contact the campaign at 480.755.3343 or via email at info[at]harry2008.com.


...Does Randy Pullen own stock in Dolan Media?

Dolan Media is the parent company of the Arizona Capitol Times, the weekly devoted to covering the goings-on on West Washington.

The Cap Times has a feature called "Best of the Blogs". As might be expected from the name of the feature, it is supposed to feature the best commentary from AZ's blogosphere.

As a blogger, I welcome any MSM recognition for the work done by many of us, left, right, or middle of the road.

However, the Cap Times' "Best of..." feature has been exhibiting a bit of a pattern.

The blogs selected for inclusion tend to fall into one of two groups - The Yellowsheet Report, the Cap Times' own premium "blog" (it's more of a tipsheet than a blog), and AZ Republican Party press release "faux" blogs.

Since the issue dated May 2, 2008 (the earliest issue that the Scottsdale library had out on the main floor) -

Blogs featured May 2 - RedArizona, AZHouseGOP, Red State Arizona, and Yellowsheet Report.

May 9 - While the website has something, there was nothing in the print edition.

May 16 - Sonoran Alliance, Zonitics, Liberty's Apothecary, Seeing Red AZ, and Yellowsheet Report.

May 23 - PolitickerAZ, Red State Arizona, Arizona Political Heat, Yellowsheet Report.

May 30 - Arizona Political Intel, PolitickerAZ, Yellowsheet Report.


That's 16 "blogs" featured over 5 issues.

25% of the time (four) it featured its own (Yellowsheet); nothing surprising in that, Cap Times is a business, and part of that business is pimping advertising itself.

12.5% (twice) of the time, it featured a 'neutral' blog in PolitickerAZ. Some might question it's "blogness" as it is more of an "online news outlet," but it's close enough for our purposes.

For the remaining 62.5% of the time (10 times), it featured hardcore Rep blogs.

[And even there, Cap Times showed bias against original content - six of the ten, Arizona Political Intel, Arizona Political Heat, Red State Arizona (twice), and AZHouseGOP aren't much more than press release outlets for the AZ GOP.]

And, in the most recent period covered by the five issues, none of the blogs featured could be considered Democratic.

Now, I don't really expect them to feature Dems on a regular basis (though Ted Prezelski, Eli Blake, Man Eegee, Michael Bryan, some of the Democratic Divas and others do some great writing, definitely worthy of recognition) - as long as the Reps have a registration advantage and control both chambers of the lege, the Cap Times will lean toward the buttered side of their bread, the Republicans.

However, even allowing for that consideration, where's Espresso Pundit, Exurban League, Arizona 8th, or even a few of the others? They're all loyal Republicans [as such, they're usually wrong, but that goes with being *Republicans* :)) ] but at least they publish their own words.

If the Cap Times wants to publish GOP press releases, that's their right, but they should be honest about it.


...Speaking of MSM outlets showing bias, the Republic shouldn't show preferences in their coverage of local elections, except in their endorsement editorials.

They dropped this line in an editorial in the Scottsdale edition of the Rep -

Joel BramOweth [sic] has been campaigning for more than a year, speaking at virtually every council meeting. Few observers take him seriously, but he has the money to mount a full campaign.

I've met Mr. Bramoweth and even signed his nominating petitions. I might not agree with him on every issue, but he's worked harder than any of the other candidates at participating in and learning about Scottsdale's governance (he's been at every Council meeting that I've been to and has been at many of the commission meetings that I've attended, too (Planning, Transportation, Human Relations). While some of the other candidates make the occasional appearance at a Council meeting, I haven't seen any of the others at commission meetings.

In addition, earlier this year at a meeting of the Community Council of South Scottsdale, he was the only candidate or sitting member of the Council to say something when one of the other attendees started spouting off some nativist bs about Mexicans.

In short, he may not always be right (that's the job of wiseass bloggers :) ), but he's an intelligent, hard-working, and decent human being.

If that kind of candidate shouldn't be "taken seriously," what does that say about the state of Scottsdale's politics?


...Oh, and speaking of the Community Council of South Scottsdale, their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 19, with a special guest speaker on the subject of promoting humanity, unity, and civility in our culture.

Joe Arpaio.

This shouldn't be a surprise - I'm sure that he'll get to those subjects if he has any time left after promoting himself, nativism, bigotry, and hatred.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

If it's Friday, my attention span must be 'Fri'-ed (either that or I just like bad puns :)) )...

...As the June 4 deadline approaches, more and more candidates are turning in their nomination petitions.

- Sandra Kennedy, candidate for Corporation Commission, turned in thousands of signatures, many more than the minimum required.

From her press release -

"This brings me one step closer to fulfilling my promise of clean, affordable energy for all Arizona, with the extra jobs and vital economic development that come with more solar and renewable energy in Arizona," said Kennedy. "Arizona has enough solar resources to be energy independent and have sustainable economic growth."

- Dan Saban, candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff, kicked off the official start of his challenge to Joe Arpaio by turning in more than three times the amount of sigs needed, an indication of both his organization and the heartfelt dissatisfaction that many citizens have for the way Arpaio is performing his duties.

From an EV Tribune article on Saban-

Former Mesa police Cmdr. Dan Saban filed thousands of signatures with the county on Friday to get his name on the ballot, setting up a rematch with Joe Arpaio for Maricopa County sheriff.

Saban, who stepped down last week as police chief of Buckeye to focus on the race, turned in 8,040 signatures from registered voters throughout the county, far more than the 2,100 needed to qualify.

...We've had governors, congressmen, legislators, state treasurers, state mine inspectors (and more!) indicted and/or convicted while in office. Could Arizona be adding a senator to that distinguished list in the near future?

From USA Today -

Sen. John McCain secured millions in federal funds for a land acquisition program that provided a windfall for an Arizona developer whose executives were major campaign donors, public records show.

McCain, who has made fighting special-interest projects a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, inserted $14.3 million in a 2003 defense bill to buy land around Luke Air Force Base in a provision sought by SunCor Development, the largest of about 50 landowners near the base. SunCor representatives, upset with a state law that restricted development around Luke, met with McCain's staff to lobby for funding, according to John Ogden, SunCor's president at the time.

Wonder if he learned that trick from Rick Renzi, his former campaign co-chair, or if McCain was the Miyagi to Renzi's Daniel in that particular instance?