Press release of the day

I'm starting to get the hang of knowing which press releases are from astroturf groups - just look for the one with the counterintuitive position.

Today's press release is from The 60 Plus Association.

The first paragraph of the press release -

A report documenting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is understaffed, underfunded and underperforming is all the evidence Congress should need to reject proposed legislation that would add responsibility for tobacco regulation to that overburdened agency.

Sounds awfully considerate of this group that purports itself to be a "national senior advocacy organization."

Perhaps a little out of its bailiwick, but considerate nonetheless.

Then the release goes on the urge Congress to reject HR1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, because, besides adding workload to the already overburdened FDA, it's "unnecessary or already handled by other agencies."

Why would a "senior advocacy" group care about tobacco regulation?

That kind of inspired me to look a little further.

According to Public Citizen's StealthPAC.org, The 60 Plus Association is an astroturf lobbying group, headed up by Jim Martin (a Bush associate for nearly 40 years), funded primarily by the pharmaceutical industry, advocating for Republican candidates and causes.

Besides the electioneering cited in Public Citizen's profile of the group, it also gives out phony, campaign bio-puffing awards (here, too), involves itself in court cases while presenting themselves as a senior advocacy group, while in fact working to protect corporate interests, lobbies for the shutdown of the Legal Services Corporation, and advocates for the release of two would-be murderers with badges.

How does any of that benefit the elderly, other than elderly wealthy Republicans?

Note: CD5's Harry Mitchell is a cosponsor of HR1108. In fact, every AZ Democrat in Congress cosponsored the bill; none of the Republicans has signed on.

It's early, but Pearce is already proposing unconstitutional bills

Maybe it's just an early Christmas gift to "kill 'em and let God sort 'em out wing" of the Republican Party, but state Rep. Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) has already submitted, with Rep. Warde Nichols (R-LD21), HB2012. The bill may be putrid, but at least it's short.

In its entirety -

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 41, Arizona Revised Statutes, is
amended by adding chapter 44, to read:

CHAPTER 44

USING DRIVER LICENSES FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES

ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

41-4401. Out-of-state driver licenses; identification purposes; prohibition

This state and political subdivisions of this state shall not accept as a primary source of identification a driver license issued by another state if the other state does not require that a person be lawfully present in the United States under federal law in order to receive the driver license.

A gentle reminder of the what Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution has to say on the subject -

Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

What's next for Pearce? A motion for Arizona to secede from the Union?

Of course, he could just be working to see that Sen. Jack Harper (R-LD4) doesn't repeat as winner of the 'Legislative Loon' award for the 2008 session of the lege. :)

Scottsdale City Council extends non-discrimination protections

...for city employees.

You know, it's nice when some of my predictions actually come true...

First, the box score -

At Tuesday's meeting of the Scottsdale City Council, the Council passed an ordinance that prohibits "discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in City of Scottsdale employment activities."

As predicted in last night's post, the proposal to update the City's employment guidelines passed by a comfortable margin (OK, it was just 4 - 3, but many folks in the audience thought it might have gone 5 - 2; nobody thought it was going to fail) and delayed consideration of similar non-discrimination ordinances that would apply to organizations that the City does business with and to businesses and organizations operating within the City.

Note: the vote broke down with Manross, Ecton, Drake, and Littlefield in favor, and Lane, McCullagh, and Nelssen opposed.

AZ Rep coverage here.

KPHO coverage here; there is a video of their news report on that page, too.


Now for the color commentary -

It was obvious early on that this was going to be a colorful meeting - the meeting kiva was 3/4 full 45 minutes before the meeting even started; by the time the meeting started a little after 5 p.m., it was standing room only at City Hall, with the overflow pouring out into the building foyer.

Also obvious early on was that while the assembled crowd was overwhelmingly is support of the ordinance, the Council was more evenly divided.

Once the Council took up consideration of the ordinance, Councilman Tony Nelssen's first question/opinion was to wonder if the proposal "could be fixing a problem that doesn't exist?"

That sentiment would be repeated by opponents of the measure throughout the meeting.

There were 18 public speakers on the issue; 11 in favor, 7 opposed.

The highlights included a passionate speech from Annie Loyd, independent candidate for Congress in CD3.

Note: She's openly lesbian, but a quick perusal of her campaign website shows that she is *far* from a one-issue candidate. I don't think she has a snowball's chance of winning in CD3, but she's a serious candidate and both Democratic challenger Bob Lord and Republican incumbent John Shadegg should treat her candidacy as a serious one.

The lowlights included a speech from Peter Gentala, general counsel for the Center for Arizona Policy, the far-right wing advocacy group once headed by former candidate for governor Len Munsil.

He recited a litany of right-wing talking points in his speech, including that the measure was "promoting an agenda," that transgender people have nothing more than a medical "disorder," and that the price of elective surgery would make the policy cost prohibitive.

Oh, and like pretty much every opponent of the measure, he was worried about public restrooms.


Ummm, one comment here - the Republicans aren't in any position to use the specter of 'people behaving badly in public restrooms' to whip up blind fear of "them," whoever the "them" of the day is.

...Just sayin'... :)


Anyway, a subsequent speaker pointed out the "disingenuousness" of the restroom argument.

That's a term that is far more tactful than the one I would have chosen (think compound word, starting with "bull" :) ).

The statements of the members of the Council often reflected or reinforced what had been said during public testimony.

By the end, it was obvious that Mayor Manross and Councilors Drake, Ecton, and Littlefield (something of a surprise there) supported the measure; Councilors Lane, McCullagh, and Nelssen opposed it.

Consideration of the other measures, extending the non-discrimination language to the City's business partners (vendors, contractors, etc.) and to businesses and organizations operating within the city, were postponed indefinitely dues to concerns about the impact on those businesses and organizations. The Scottsdale Charros were an organization that was mentioned by name.

Other observations -

...That last wasn't a surprise - the campaign season has started, and no one, not even supporters of the measure, wants to tick off the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce. While they no longer officially run Scottsdale, the Chamber still wields influence in the city that is far out of proportion to its actual number of members.

...Even people who never before paid attention to Scottsdale politics could tell which folks were running for office next year - Mayor Manross openly deferred to the Chamber of Commerce, Councilman (and probable candidate for mayor) Jim Lane gave a 10-minute speech that used a lot of words to say very little other than that he thought that the Council shouldn't do anything without getting input from Scottsdale citizens and every possible interest group. Joel Bramoweth, a declared candidate for the City Council, gave a rambling speech that expressed support for the HR policy change while also deferring to the business community on the other aspects of the issue.

...These folks (the Mayor, Council, and candidates *really* have to learn the meaning of the word "pithy." After a couple of rounds of Council comment, the debate became an exercise in "everything has been said, but I haven't said it."

...I signed my first nominating petition of the season last night. Joel Bramoweth was outside collecting sigs before the meeting. I haven't always agreed with his positions, and have criticized him in the past for giving rambling speeches in the Council chamber, but every time that I attend a meeting of the city council or a city board or commission, he's there, listening and learning.

OK, and sometimes speechifying, too. :)

I haven't seen any of the other candidates at 'grunt work' kind of events like meetings of the Planning or Transportation commissions.

Anyway, I may or may not vote for him next year, but in my opinion, he's earned a spot on the ballot.

...Last night's crowd, while very passionate in their support of the non-discrimination measure, was also very well-behaved (one early round of applause, one round of hissing, both resulting in an admonishment by Mayor Manross.)

Expect next week's crowd for the consideration of the City's Master Transportation Plan to be just as passionate but far less civil.

Later!

Should be a colorful meeting of the Scottsdale City Council on Tuesday

At first glance, the Council's agenda looks like a quiet one - a short consent agenda (just 8 items! Sometimes, the tally reaches into the 30s) and a regular agenda that starts off with two mundane items - an update to the City's sign ordinance relating to commercial signage and a proposed zoning for a dental office.

However, the last item on the agenda, #11, could get interesting -

11. Non-discrimination Relating to City of Scottsdale Employment Activities; Contractors,Suppliers or Lessees Doing Business with the City of Scottsdale; and Businesses and Organizations within Scottsdale.

The ordinance up for approval at the December 4th meeting would "prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in City of Scottsdale employment activities."

Also part of the agenda item is a request to "[d]iscuss and provide direction to staff" regarding a proposal to extend the same non-discrimination language to contractors, suppliers or lessees doing business with the City of Scottsdale and to businesses and organizations within Scottsdale.

I expect that the change to the City's own employment policy will pass by a comfortable margin, with a few grimaces from certain members of the Council; however, the proposed extension of the ordinance to contracts, vendors, and other businesses that do business in or with the City of Scottsdale is a different story.

There will be some screaming over it from the local business community (and probably others), but those components of the change will be put off for as long as the Council can get away with (it *is* an election year, after all. :)) )

Of course, in all of the soon-to-be-hubbub over this, folks may forget that the December 11 Council agenda contains an item that is at once both more boring and controversial - consideration of the City's updated Transportation Master Plan (TMP).

The screaming about the non-discrimination ordinance at the December 4th meeting will be dead silence compared to what will happen the first time that someone mentions 'light rail' at the December 11 meeting.

It should be entertaining...loud...but entertaining. :)

For the record, I support at least the consideration of adding light rail ('high capacity transit' in the TMP) to Scottsdale because it's the 21st century and it's time that Scottsdale moved into it.

Later!


Note: At a meeting in September, the Scottsdale Human Relations Commission voted on these changes (non-discrimination ordinance) and recommended that the City Council approve them. Coverage of that meeting here.

Short Attention Span Musing

This one's a mish-mash of stuff that has been building up over the weekend...

Note - this post was edited to correct spelling, punctuation, poor grammar, and a couple of forgotten sentences. I really should know better than to post late at night after working all weekend. :))

...Bush makes it official - he cares more about killing Iraqis than he does about protecting Americans.

From Bloomberg.com -

Bush Says Funding Iraq, Afghan Wars Is Congress's Top Priority

Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said that funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan should be Congress's top priority when it returns to Washington next week, and he lashed out at Democrats for not acting on his spending request.

From MSNBC.com -

Bush Proposes Dramatic Cuts In Homeland Security Funding

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration intends to slash counter terrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue departments nation-wide by more than half next year, according to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press. New York would be hard hit by deep cuts, according to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

The plan would eliminate programs for port security, transit security and local emergency management operations in the next budget year.

Even the right-wing blogosphere takes issue with cuts to HS funding.

Wonder how soon-to-be Senate minority whip Jon Kyl will spin his blind support of Bush's plans?


...In the candidates and rumored candidates department -

Caveat: all rumors are just that and nothing more. In addition, any Republican-related rumors should be read with the understanding that I am *not* a Republican insider, nor do I know any. It's all just stuff that I've heard.

- - - Long-heard talk has that LD8 State Senator Carolyn Allen won't be running for reelection and that current LD8 State Rep. Michelle Reagan will be running for the seat. What is new to me is the rumor that John Kavanagh, also a current rep in LD8, will challenge Reagan in the Republican primary, setting up the equivalent of Allen-Rosati II, with the pro-business Reagan taking on the role of Carolyn Allen and wing-nut Kavanagh stepping in for Colette Rosati.

If true, this would create a dilemma for Democrats in the overwhelmingly Republican LD8 - lend support (if not votes) for the relatively moderate (and more importantly, sane) Reagan in the primary, even though she would be all but invincible in the general election, or risk the possible elevation to the Senate of Kavanagh, who, while nothing but Russell Pearce with a New York accent, is marginally more vulnerable in a general election.

Note: According to a search of the AZ Secretary of State's website, Reagan's active 2008 committee is for state rep, and Allen still has an active state senate campaign committee.

- - - It's not official yet, but apparently Democrat Stephanie Rimmer may be running for LD8 State Rep next year. She ran in 2006 and mounted a credible campaign against Reagan and Kavanagh; if both incumbents are running for state senate in 2008, she'll have a fighting chance against two Republican rookies in the state rep race.

That 2-to-1 Republican registration advantage will be tough to overcome, though. Maybe the Republicans will help her by nominating Rosati for a run at a state rep seat.

Rosati's burned enough bridges in her own party that some LD8 Republicans would vote for Hillary Clinton before they'd vote for Rosati; that dynamic will help Rimmer.

Rimmer is a long-time community activist and small business owner and lives with her family in Scottsdale.

No word yet on any other possible Democratic contenders in LD8.

...In LD18, Republican PC (Mesa 32) Ron Middlebrook is running for state rep; the current reps are erstwhile congressional candidates Russell Pearce ('exploring' in CD6) and Mark Anderson ('exploring' in CD5). No rumor this - his Clean Elections paperwork is already filed.

Don't know anything else about him.

Note - if the 'explorations' don't become full-fledged candidacies and they start looking at other offices, Pearce is termed out in the state House, while Anderson can run for another term there.


...and finally, in the "Let's help Jan Brewer puff up her resume before she runs for governor in 2010" department, Republican State Senator Chuck Gray has introduced an amendment to the state constitution, that if it passed the lege next spring and the voters next fall, would change the Secretary of State's job title to "Lieutenant Governor."

It wouldn't change the job description, just the title.

My question - why bother?

Later!

Breaking: Hostages taken at Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire

Edit to add:

It's over, and thankfully, it appears that no one was hurt.

End edit.

From WMUR-TV -

Man Takes Hostages At Clinton Campaign Office

Witnesses Say Man Has Bomb-Like Device Strapped To Chest

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- An armed man has taken two campaign workers hostage at the Hillary Clinton campaign office in Rochester, police said.

Officials with the campaign confirmed that there were two workers taken hostage in the office on 28 North Main St., and NBC News reported that the man demanded to speak to Clinton.

Clinton, who is not in New Hampshire, canceled a National Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia.

As of right now, no injuries have been reported and the NH campaign offices of Barack Obama and John Edwards have been evacuated.

Today's a work day, so I won't be able to update this, but it should be all over the news shortly.

Later!

Anonymity

Hi. My name is Craig McDermott.

Just thought I'd get that out of the way.

Most of the regular readers of this blog know me already, but not everyone who reads this blog is a 'regular' reader.

This fact was brought home to me earlier today in a phone conversation with JoJene Wills, an activist (volunteer, I think) with the Hillary Clinton campaign here in AZ. She had written a reply to something that I had posted earlier this week, leaving her name and number as a contact for the Clinton campaign in AZ.

Today, for a reason unrelated to this blog, I needed to contact her to get a more local name to contact (Ms. Wills is based in Tucson.)

During our conversation, she expressed concern that while I don't allow anonymous comments on my blog, she couldn't find my name on it anywhere. In other words, she seemed to think it was a little hypocritical that commenters on the blog couldn't be anonymous while I, the author of the blog, could be anonymous.

I explained that I wasn't trying for anonymity and that most of the folks who read this blog regularly know me by now, and that the reason that I don't allow anonymous comments is to reduce spam comments (you know, the "click on this link to buy..." comments.)

We then finished our conversation pleasantly and went on with our days.


All of this leads up to the actual reason for this post.

On Saturday, the MCDP is holding its winter meeting. At this meeting a revision of the County Party's by-laws will be considered.

Yesterday I, and presumably every other PC in the county, received an email from email addy 'concerned-dems@wwcom.ws'. This email expressed concerns and objections to some of the by-law changes and the process by which they are being brought up for consideration.

I don't have enough knowledge of the issue to comment on it or the concerns expressed in the email, but I do have a question about the anonymous nature of the email.

The 'sent from' address is a blind one, and the message closed with the line

This is a joint message from many precinct committeepersons, previous County Chairs and current District Chairs.

That's it. No names anywhere indicating who wrote and sent the email.

That deliberate anonymity definitely undermines the credibility of the message (the writing style and layout of the message do that also, but not to the extent that the anonymity does.)

I have some advice for the authors of the email, and it's related to the fact that I opened this post with my name -

Anonymity on the internet is fine for most situations, but if you want to influence folks, be willing to stand up and stand behind your message.

Thank you.

Short Attention Span Musing

...From the "great minds think alike, even if they're 120 miles apart" department...
Spent last evening enjoying good conversation over good food with good people, aka a "Democratic happy hour," this one in Mesa.
One of the first things that I read after getting home was this post from Tedski at R-Cubed about the latest antics of State Senator Jack Harper (R-Surprise!). It seems that the good senator decided to chide a Democrat, Chad Campbell, for taking part in a taxpayer-funded trip to Ireland to study Ireland's economic development efforts.

There was only one "minor" problem with Harper's criticism - the bipartisan trip was privately funded.

Oops.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has read previous posts in this blog concerning Harper - he did win the coveted "Legislative Loon" Award for 2007 (awarded by yours truly :) ).

The current odds have him favored to repeat in 2008. :)

And the "great minds" part?

At the Dem happy hour in Mesa, part of the conversation revolved around how happy we were that Robert Boehlke will be challenging Harper for the LD4 Senate seat next year.
He's running as a Clean Elections candidate, so he won't need much in financial help (just 5s and seed money), but if you live in LD4, when he comes around asking for volunteers, signatures, and votes, help him out.

...Speaking of candidates in next year's elections, Judah Nativio has turned in paperwork for a run at the LD18 Senate seat. While it's still unclear whether he'll be facing incumbent Karen Johnson (R-UFO) or termed-out-as-State-Representative (and erstwhile challenger to fellow Republican Jeff Flake in CD6) Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance), what is clear is that he understands that he is running to represent the *district,* not just a radical portion of one party.

Unlike both of his potential opponents.

I spoke with him for a few minutes tonight - he's a former police officer and was, until recently, a member of Mesa's Human Relations Advisory Board ("recent" as in until AZ's resign-to-run law kicked in); his wife Amy teaches at Taylor Junior High.

Note - arriving after she finished teaching a class was Tammie Pursley, a once (2006) and future (2008) candidate for LD18 House.

Maybe the way to get the lege to tackle the issue of AZ's failing education system is to elect teachers or those who hold teachers near and dear.

Just something to think about when Ms. Pursley and Mr. Nativio come knocking...

More as the campaign season unfolds...


...With the latest Middle East peace conference, George Bush has officially reached "lame-duck" status...

I truly wish success in the endeavor to him and everyone involved, but it seems like that for decades, when U.S. presidents start looking for a way to preserve their 'legacy' (whatever that may mean) their eyes turn toward that seemingly intractable mess in the Middle East.

And some, such as Bush himself, ignore their own contributions to the never-ending strife...but I digress :)) .

Overall, the most of these conferences define success as an agreement by the individuals in the conference rooms that they won't kill each other. Unfortunately, people that aren't in the conference rooms don't take that idea to heart.

Perhaps the problem is that while peace between nations with armies on fields of battle can be negotiated in well-appointed rooms and great halls of power, the strife in the Middle East, particularly that in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, can only be truly addressed at the level of the conflict - street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood.

This might be the only time that I'll ever wish Bush and his associates well (let's face it - 99% of the time, they're nothing but crooks), but on this one, they have my high hopes for success.

Just not my high expectations.


...And lastly, while the weather forecast for the Phoenix area this weekend includes rain, we really should be on the lookout for an ice storm. My meteorological evidence?

I agreed with AZ Rep columnist Laurie Roberts.

Earlier this week, she wrote that "Jesus Manuel Cordova is nobody special."

Mr. Cordova is the migrant from Mexico who stopped and aided a 9-year old boy whose mother had died in a car accident near the border, even though helping the child would result in his detention and deportation by ICE.

Robert wrote -

In fact, Jesus Manuel Cordova is probably nobody special. Just a guy like millions of others, fleeing a country that has failed him, one who stopped and helped a stranger despite the consequences to his own family.

She went on to express hope that this incident causes us to "reclaim the debate about illegal immigration that has been taken over by the extremes in this country, those who would have you believe that every person here illegally is out to rob us and cheat us and steal our country."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Later!

Events Calendar

Edit on 11/28 to add AZ Secretary of State and Citizens Clean Elections campaign finance training schedules and links, at the bottom of the post...

Edit2 on 11/28 to add Mitchell/Packages from Home info...

Edit3 on 11/29 to add cancellation of the Town Hall on December 1...

Thursday, November 29 - Congressman Harry Mitchell will join Packages from Home in preparing holiday care packages at 11:30 a.m., November 29 at 1201 South 7th Avenue, Phoenix. For more information about Packages From Home, the public can call 602-253-0248 or visit http://www.packagesfromhome.org/.

Thursday, November 29 - The Arizona chapter of the National Jewish Democratic Council (AzNJDC) meets at 7:30 p.m. at the Chaparral Suites, corner of Scottsdale and Chaparral Roads in Scottsdale. Jeff Farias of KPHX, 1480 AM, will be the guest speaker.

Friday, November 30 - From 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., join the Young Democrats of Arizona in welcoming Congressman Harry Mitchell to a "Happy Hour with Harry at 'Harry's Place' " at the Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe. More info, including tickets, here.

Saturday, December 1 -The Winter meeting of the Maricopa County Democratic Party (MCDP) will take place on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at the UA Plumbers and Pipefitters 469 Union Hall, 3109 N. 24th St., in Phoenix. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., training and workshops begin at 9.

Note - according to an email from LD17 chair Doug Mings, the Town Hall has been cancelled and should be rescheduled for early in the year.

Saturday, December 1 - An LD17 Town Hall with Senator Meg Burton-Cahill, Representative David Schapira, and Representative Ed Ableser will take place at the North Tempe Community Center, 1555 N. Bridalwreath in Tempe (just south of McKellips and east of Scottsdale Rd.)

Come hear what the upcoming session holds down at the State Capitol from our three legislators. The event starts at 10 a.m.

Saturday, December 1 - Join Harry Mitchell and his campaign team for a "Tailgate Party with Harry" before the ASU Sun Devils trounce the UA Wildcats on their way to a Rose Bowl berth. :))

Festivities start at 3:00 p.m. at 502 S. College Ave, Tempe. For more info call 480-755-3343 or email Herschel[at]Harry2006.com.

And for some comic relief on Saturday, December 1 - Out in LD4, Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be 'roasted' by an assortment of Republicans at the Maricopa County Events Center, 19403 RH Johnson Blvd , Sun City West.

It's a fundraiser, not sure for what, and I don't care enough to find out.

One of the scheduled roasters is professional bigot Terry Anderson; I doubt he had a problem with Arpaio saying that it was an "honor" when his critics compared him to the KKK.

Thursday, December 6 - Tempe City Council candidate Rhett Wilson is holding a campaign reception/fundraiser at Pier 54, 5394 S. Lakeshore Dr., Tempe. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and features such luminaries at former U.S. Senator Dennis Deconcini on former Tempe Mayor Rudy Campbell.

Event contact: Amanda Thorson: (602) 565-6571 amanda[at]themediaguys.com


...And finally, something that isn't an event but is certainly a timely reminder -

From Corey Woods, candidate for Tempe City Council -

"...[P]etition signatures have to be turned in to the Tempe City Clerk’s office on Wednesday, December 12th. If you have a sheet that you would like to turn in, please contact me at your earliest convenience..."

And that's good advice for anyone involved in gathering signatures in Tempe. They're due; get them into the respective campaigns.

...Continuing edit...

Clean Elections' entire schedule here; imminent local sessions -

Wednesdays, December 5 and 12 -
Candidate and Treasurer Workshop
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location /Information: CCEC Conference Room, 1616 W. Adams, Suite 110, Phoenix, AZ

AZ Secretary of State's entire schedule here; imminent local session -

Tuesday, December 11 -
Arizona State Capitol – Executive Tower
AZ Board of Pharmacy – 3rd Floor Rm 312
1700 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Times: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Note- the above links courtesy the Pima County Democratic Party.

End edit...

Have a good week!

AZ's journalistic standards keep plummeting

Well over a year ago, I wrote a post bemoaning the state of investigative reporting in the metro Phoenix area. At that time I wrote that while investigative reporting is almost a lost art in the valley, some local media outlets, KPHO-TV (channel 5) among them, were better than average because of their consumer affairs reporting.

Tonight, channel 5 joined Fox10, the AZ Rep, and the rest of the 'winners' in the "not even pretending to be real journalists" category.

Tonight, they ran a piece on "Teachers Exposing Private Life On MySpace."

Seems they were bored, so they obtained a list of names of new teachers and searched for those names on Facebook and MySpace. The piece, breathlessly pimped in endless promo spots through the evening, recounted the "shocking" results of their research.

From the way the piece was promoted, and the way in began with a somber warning that no parent should miss the report, I expected to stories of child molesters in the classroom or something equally horrifying.

So what did channel 5 uncover?

A teacher with a bad attitude toward an ex-girlfriend (rude song), pictures of obscene gestures, and pictures of wild partying in college.

Oh my God!! These...these...these....*teachers*...actually had a good time in college! Stop the presses!! Yank their licenses!!!

Ummm...OK, maybe not. :))

In the end, the best part was when KPHO interviewed Tom Horne, AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the story. They got him to pontificate on the topic, saying that these teachers shouldn't do anything in their personal lives that they wouldn't do in front of the children that they teach.

Could somebody tell Mr. Horne something for me?

The list of things that they "wouldn't do in front of the children" includes things like making love to their wives/husbands, using the bathroom, and doing their taxes.

Is he suggesting that they stop doing those things completely (ending up horny, constipated, and stuck in federal prison), or that they should do those things in the classroom (which may take "horny" and "constipated" out of the mix, but definitely increases the likelihood of prison)??

Just curious...

Note: KPHO didn't have the clip available on their website tonight but they do indicate that it will be available tomorrow.

Wonder if Jon Kyl sings in the shower?

If he does, is a certain 70's TV theme song in his repertoire?

Earlier today, the Washington Post broke the story of Sen. Trent Lott's (R-MS) impending retirement. The story included a brief recap of his career, it's effect on the GOP, the likelihood of the seat staying in Republican hands (count on it - MS's governor is a Republican himself), and speculation of the reason for the timing of Lott's announcement (beginning next year, there's a two-year "cooling off" period for outgoing lawmakers before they can become paid lobbyists.)
Most of Lott's story is unimportant to Arizona, except for one significant line -

That set off a round of maneuvering inside the Republican conference to succeed Lott. Aides confirmed that Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the No. 3 member of the leadership team, is seeking to replace Lott...

Could someone cue up Ja'net Du Bois, a gospel choir, and Isabel Sanford and Sherman Helmsley?

Daniel at Daniel's News and Views already has his take on this news. In his opinion, the biggest effect on AZ will be that between shilling for Big Pharma and Big Insurance, acting as the President's water-carrier on the Hill, and the increase in his Republican Party-related duties, Jon Kyl won't have time available to actually represent his constituents.

In other words (my words this time), we won't notice any difference. :))

...In other news DC Republican news, Vice-President Dick Cheney was defibrillated on Monday.

Relax - I'm not saying anything nasty there. It just means that he had an irregular heartbeat and received an electric shock to correct it.

Of course, the really shocking news is that Dick Cheney *has* a heart. :))

Later!

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!

Hope this doesn't give Russell Pearce any more ideas...

I mean, it's been a couple of years since his "flags in classrooms" unfunded mandate bill. He is probably feeling the "faux patriotism showboat" itch once again...especially with his need to posture in his campaign against Jeff Flake in CD6.

From Reuters via Yahoo! News -

Patriotism law seeks to halt cars for anthem

A proposed new law to boost patriotism in Thailand would be "chaotic" because it would require motorists to stop when the national anthem is played twice a day, lawmakers said Friday.

{snip}

The bill's supporters say road traffic should stop nationwide when the anthem is played during the raising and lowering of the flag "to preserve tradition and instill patriotism in Thais."

Later!

Things to keep in mind on Black Friday...

and during the rest of the Christmas shopping season...

I figured it's the right time for a "PSA" post. Of course, the fact that ASU is down 27 in the 2nd half and fading fast has nothing to do with the timing. :)


With the onset of the holiday shopping season, it's also time to pay attention to recalls of toys and other items.

Some items to be aware of (courtesy press releases and other sources) -

Boppy Slipcovers, manufactured in China, imported by The Boppy Company, Golden, CO. Lead contamination and choking hazard.

Children's metal necklaces and bracelets, manufactured in China, imported by Colossal Jewelry & Accessories Inc., of Maywood, NJ. Lead contamination.

Flashing Pacifiers or 2-in-1 Flashing Pacifiers withWhistle Necklaces, manufactured in China, imported by Sailing (U.S.) International Corp., Hackensack,NJ. Choking hazard.

Decorative Stretchable Aqua Bracelets, manufactured in China, imported by Cherrydale Fundraising, Allentown, PA. Lead contamination.

Sparkle City Charm Bracelets and Tack Pin Sets, manufactured in China, imported by Buy-Rite Designs Inc., Freehold, NJ. Lead contamination.

Shaving Paint Brushes, manufactured in China, imported by Discount School Supply, Monterey, CA. Lead contamination.

Crystal Innovations jewelry, manufactured in China, imported by Pure Allure, Oceanside, CA. Lead contamination. Note: full list of affected products at the link.

La Femme NY Children's Necklace and Earring Sets, manufactured in China, imported by La Femme NY 2 Inc., Brooklyn, NY. Lead contamination.

Rachel Rose and Distinctly Basics Assorted Children's Jewelry, manufactured in China, imported and sold by Family Dollar Stores. Lead contamination.

Children's Pencil Pouches, manufactured in China, imported by Raymond Geddes & Co., Baltimore, MD. Lead contamination. Sold in schools nationwide for over 10 years.

Baja ATVs, manufactured and sold by Baja Motorsports, Phoenix, AZ. Injury hazard to riders.

Snow and Sand Castle Kits, manufactured by Paricon Inc., South Paris, ME. Injury hazard to children.

The above press releases were from the Consumer Products Safety Commission; however, before anyone starts thinking that the Nancy Nord-led CPSC has started doing its job, it should be noted that most of the press releases contain the following line -

Note: The New York Attorney General provided information about oneof these products to the Commission.

Some news coverage of other recent recalls -

KPIX-TV

Haaretz.com (yes, they have recalls in Israel)

Consumer Reports' list of unsafe products

WATCH's 2007 list of worst toys

The CPSC's toy recall list; non-toy Infant and Children's products recall list

Or, instead of worrying about which toys are more likely to kill the recipient than make him/her happy, try this:

AdBusters' Buy Nothing Day website here, courtesy Daniel's News and Views

Democratic Convention Hotel Assignments announced

The Democratic Party has announced the hotel assignments for the various state delegations to nexts year's National Convention in Denver.

The 76 delegates from Arizona will be joining the Oregon delegation in the Hyatt Regency Tech Center Denver. It's located approximately 12 - 15 miles from the convention site at the Pepsi Center (downtown Denver). While that's not a prime location, because the trip downtown is mostly a straight shot on I-25, it's only a 15 - 20 minute drive.

Of course, I'll be applying for press credentials as a blogger. If those come through, I'll be staying 2 miles from the Pepsi Center at my sister's house, and will be able to walk to the convention in 20 minutes or so. :))

The most interesting part of the hotel assignments? Florida's delegation didn't get one.

As of right now, Florida has been stripped of its delegates because it moved the date of its primary to one earlier than allowed by the Democratic National Committee.

Expect some drama and angst over this, leading up to the request by the eventual nominee that the Florida delegation be seated at the convention.

Where they'll stay until then is anybody's guess.


Denver Post coverage here.

The complete list of hotel assignments is here.

Thanks to the Burnt Orange Report in Texas for the heads-up on this story. (Texas isn't entirely happy with their hotel assignment, approximately 10 miles from the convention site - apparently they don't like Aurora. :) )

Later!