...Actually, that title is misleading; he hasn't come up with a new trick as much as he has found a variation on an old trick.
A year ago, I put up a post studying a pattern to Congressman Jeff Flake's anti-earmark crusade - his amendments to block or strip out earmarks always seemed to target community projects and similar activities; almost never did they target earmarks dedicated to specific defense contractors or other corporations.
This year, he has become a little more subtle about it; most of his anti-earmark amendments are just that, general anti-earmark amendments, ones that don't target specific projects (typical language - "Would prohibit any funds appropriated for the [XYZ program] from being used for a congressional earmark, as defined by clause 9(d) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House.")
Every so often, however, he tries to get, ummm...*creative."
One such creative effort is his proposed amendment to H.R. 1286, The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Designation Act.
The underlying act would add to the national system of historic trails "a corridor of approximately 600 miles following the route taken by the armies of General George Washington and Count Rochambeau between Newport, Rhode Island, and Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781 and 1782."
Flake's amendment would bar the act from taking effect until "the date that the Secretary of the Interior completes all backlogged maintenance in units of the National Park System."
Less than a year ago, the dollar value attached to backlogged NPS maintenance was over $8 billion.
Now, someone could say that Congressman Flake is simply trying bring attention to a shortfall at the National Park System, something that many people, including me, would laud.
However, that "someone" would be somebody who is totally unfamiliar with Flake's history as Congress' version of Mikey (of Life Cereal fame) - "He won't vote for it, he hates *everything*!!.
More indicative of his attitude toward the National Park System is his vote against funding it at all (last June's "no" vote on H.R. 2643, Interior Department Appropriations).
Note: Flake is nothing if not consistent - in 2005 and 2006, he voted against Interior Department (and NPS) appropriations too (2005 here; 2006 here.)
Something tells me that if Congress ever considers a bill adequately fund the National Park System's maintenance efforts, Flake will forget his current amendment and oppose that move with all of his being.
In any event, H.R. 1286 is scheduled for consideration on the House floor later this week, most likely on Thursday.
There are two Democratic candidates standing up for families and fiscal prudence ("prudence" means sometimes spending a little now to avoid spending a lot later, kind of what happens when you put off things like basic maintenance).
Visit the websites of Rebecca Schneider and Chris Gramazio and contribute, volunteer, or simply give them a little love - they can use it, and CD6, Arizona, and the country need it.
Later!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Mayor Mary Manross
As promised in my previous post, the first candidate statement is in.
From Mayor Mary Manross' reelection campaign -
Mayor Mary Manross
www.marymanross.com
It has been an honor to serve as your Mayor for 8 years, along with 8 years on the Council. The clouds of uncertainty which hung over our city when I took office have been lifted. It really is a bright new day in Scottsdale! Today there is an all-time record $3.3 billion dollars of new investment in downtown and Southern Scottsdale where much needed revitalization is in full swing. Our budget is balanced and it is going to stay that way. Scottsdale’s AAA bond rating was, once again, reaffirmed in spite of a national recession. Scottsdale’s property tax rate is less than half that of neighboring Phoenix’s.
We have increased the number of Police Officers by 33% since I took office in 2000, and we are better off for it. Violent crime in Scottsdale is at a 23 year low! The 101 is also safer due to the leadership we demonstrated by implementing photo enforcement on the freeway.
SkySong, the ASU/Scottsdale Center for Innovation, is effectively putting Southern Scottsdale on the global map and bringing $750 million of new investment along the McDowell Corridor. Throughout our community, we have created over 20,000 new quality jobs.
Our commitment to completing the McDowell Sonoran Preserve has never been stronger and we will soon be constructing the all important Gateway to the Preserve.
Under my leadership Scottsdale is Stronger, More Confident, and one of the Most Desirable places to live in America. Let’s keep it that way!
I will continue to champion reinvigoration of original Scottsdale, revitalization of mature neighborhoods, attraction of the arts, tourism, high quality jobs, completion of our Preserve, building Scottsdale’s sustainable future and maintaining our unmatched quality of life. I will ensure that Scottsdale remains a city you will be proud to call home.
Scottsdale Area Chamber and Community Leaders endorse Mayor Manross
The endorsement by the Scottsdale Area Chamber comes the same week that Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy, Brad Casper, President and CEO of Dial corporation, and Dan Schweiker, founder and Chairman of China Mist endorsed Mayor Manross.
Recently Manross announced the endorsements of Dr. Art DeCabooter, President of Scottsdale Community College, Jamie Drinkwater Buchanan, community leader and daughter of legendary Mayor Herb Drinkwater, Jim Bruner, former County Supervisor and Councilmember, Virginia Korte, past President and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber, and Ellen Andres-Schneider, Scottsdale Cultural trustee.
Manross carries Green Building message far and wide
Within the past month Mayor Manross, winner of the national “Mayor’s award for Energy Efficiency”, has delivered the Green Building and Sustainability message to the South Lake Tahoe, California, City Council, the Sustainability Town Hall hosted by Rep. Harry Mitchell at SkySong in Scottsdale, and the Southern Arizona Solar Energy Development Conference held at the U of A. in Tucson.
Valley Mayors elect Mary Manross Chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments
As Chairman, Mayor Manross will continue to advocate for regional transportation solutions, acceleration of projects impacting Scottsdale, effective water policy and growth management.
More statements as they come in...
From Mayor Mary Manross' reelection campaign -
Mayor Mary Manross
www.marymanross.com
It has been an honor to serve as your Mayor for 8 years, along with 8 years on the Council. The clouds of uncertainty which hung over our city when I took office have been lifted. It really is a bright new day in Scottsdale! Today there is an all-time record $3.3 billion dollars of new investment in downtown and Southern Scottsdale where much needed revitalization is in full swing. Our budget is balanced and it is going to stay that way. Scottsdale’s AAA bond rating was, once again, reaffirmed in spite of a national recession. Scottsdale’s property tax rate is less than half that of neighboring Phoenix’s.
We have increased the number of Police Officers by 33% since I took office in 2000, and we are better off for it. Violent crime in Scottsdale is at a 23 year low! The 101 is also safer due to the leadership we demonstrated by implementing photo enforcement on the freeway.
SkySong, the ASU/Scottsdale Center for Innovation, is effectively putting Southern Scottsdale on the global map and bringing $750 million of new investment along the McDowell Corridor. Throughout our community, we have created over 20,000 new quality jobs.
Our commitment to completing the McDowell Sonoran Preserve has never been stronger and we will soon be constructing the all important Gateway to the Preserve.
Under my leadership Scottsdale is Stronger, More Confident, and one of the Most Desirable places to live in America. Let’s keep it that way!
I will continue to champion reinvigoration of original Scottsdale, revitalization of mature neighborhoods, attraction of the arts, tourism, high quality jobs, completion of our Preserve, building Scottsdale’s sustainable future and maintaining our unmatched quality of life. I will ensure that Scottsdale remains a city you will be proud to call home.
Scottsdale Area Chamber and Community Leaders endorse Mayor Manross
The endorsement by the Scottsdale Area Chamber comes the same week that Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy, Brad Casper, President and CEO of Dial corporation, and Dan Schweiker, founder and Chairman of China Mist endorsed Mayor Manross.
Recently Manross announced the endorsements of Dr. Art DeCabooter, President of Scottsdale Community College, Jamie Drinkwater Buchanan, community leader and daughter of legendary Mayor Herb Drinkwater, Jim Bruner, former County Supervisor and Councilmember, Virginia Korte, past President and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber, and Ellen Andres-Schneider, Scottsdale Cultural trustee.
Manross carries Green Building message far and wide
Within the past month Mayor Manross, winner of the national “Mayor’s award for Energy Efficiency”, has delivered the Green Building and Sustainability message to the South Lake Tahoe, California, City Council, the Sustainability Town Hall hosted by Rep. Harry Mitchell at SkySong in Scottsdale, and the Southern Arizona Solar Energy Development Conference held at the U of A. in Tucson.
Valley Mayors elect Mary Manross Chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments
As Chairman, Mayor Manross will continue to advocate for regional transportation solutions, acceleration of projects impacting Scottsdale, effective water policy and growth management.
More statements as they come in...
Open invitation to Scottsdale candidates
Earlier today, I sent an email all of the official candidates for office in Scottsdale's elections this fall. In it, I invited each of them to send a brief statement (500 words or so) on their respective candidacies to be published here.
I'll publish those statements without editing or comments, with a couple of basic exceptions, which seem to be obvious ones, but need to be stated up front anyway -
1. No profanity (OK, that probably won't be a problem with this pool of candidates :) ).
2. The statement should be a positive one and not a personal attack on one or another candidate, i.e. - "this is why I'm the best choice for Scottsdale" not "So-and-so is a jerk."
In addition, while this is a good opportunity for candidates to get their messages out in a low-cost way, no criticisms will be directed at those candidates who choose not to submit a statement.
In fairness to everyone, I'm also asking that any commenters in this thread of posts follow the same guidelines.
Anyway, I've received the first statement already, so that will be going up in my next post.
Later!
I'll publish those statements without editing or comments, with a couple of basic exceptions, which seem to be obvious ones, but need to be stated up front anyway -
1. No profanity (OK, that probably won't be a problem with this pool of candidates :) ).
2. The statement should be a positive one and not a personal attack on one or another candidate, i.e. - "this is why I'm the best choice for Scottsdale" not "So-and-so is a jerk."
In addition, while this is a good opportunity for candidates to get their messages out in a low-cost way, no criticisms will be directed at those candidates who choose not to submit a statement.
In fairness to everyone, I'm also asking that any commenters in this thread of posts follow the same guidelines.
Anyway, I've received the first statement already, so that will be going up in my next post.
Later!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Compliments, and pressure...
Last week was a good week in the 'ego' department...
First, I open up the June 27th issue of the Arizona Capitol Times, and there, featured in the Cap Times' "Best of the Blogs" section - The John Sydney McCain Memorial Crappie Award from June 23, wherein I "chided" (the Cap Times' word) a laundry list of Republicans for criticizing the Arizona Democratic Party for sending an observing to a couple of the Reps' public events when they have done the same thing (oh, and I had a picture to prove it :) ).
At first, I thought the mention might have been a response to some criticism that I had directed at the Cap Times for overt partisanship on June 6th, but then I realized that either way, that they were responding to the criticism or that they thought the Crappie Award post merited wider notice, it meant that an MSM outlet was paying attention.
Yup, definitely an ego boost there, one that alone would have made for a good week, but there was more to come.
On Friday, Pico at Wild Chihuahuas posted an incredibly complimentary piece about yours truly; after reading it, I had to go bathe my head in icewater to reduce the swelling.
Of course, the fact that it was 110+ had *nothing* to do with the decision to do so. :))
I've realized that a compliment from a fellow blogger, someone who is doing the same thing, plugging away steadily in relative obscurity, doing their part to knock down the wall of insanity that is Arizona politics, is much more meaningful.
That's not a knock at the Cap Times (whatever the motivation, their notice is a compliment that I'm grateful for), but when a thoughtful colleague takes the time from their own efforts for a tip o' the hat to mine, well, that's a special compliment, and a humbling one too.
Not least because now I have to live up to the praise for a while! :))
Later!
First, I open up the June 27th issue of the Arizona Capitol Times, and there, featured in the Cap Times' "Best of the Blogs" section - The John Sydney McCain Memorial Crappie Award from June 23, wherein I "chided" (the Cap Times' word) a laundry list of Republicans for criticizing the Arizona Democratic Party for sending an observing to a couple of the Reps' public events when they have done the same thing (oh, and I had a picture to prove it :) ).
At first, I thought the mention might have been a response to some criticism that I had directed at the Cap Times for overt partisanship on June 6th, but then I realized that either way, that they were responding to the criticism or that they thought the Crappie Award post merited wider notice, it meant that an MSM outlet was paying attention.
Yup, definitely an ego boost there, one that alone would have made for a good week, but there was more to come.
On Friday, Pico at Wild Chihuahuas posted an incredibly complimentary piece about yours truly; after reading it, I had to go bathe my head in icewater to reduce the swelling.
Of course, the fact that it was 110+ had *nothing* to do with the decision to do so. :))
I've realized that a compliment from a fellow blogger, someone who is doing the same thing, plugging away steadily in relative obscurity, doing their part to knock down the wall of insanity that is Arizona politics, is much more meaningful.
That's not a knock at the Cap Times (whatever the motivation, their notice is a compliment that I'm grateful for), but when a thoughtful colleague takes the time from their own efforts for a tip o' the hat to mine, well, that's a special compliment, and a humbling one too.
Not least because now I have to live up to the praise for a while! :))
Later!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Events Calendar
Tuesday, July 8 is going to be a busy day for the politically active in the Scottsdale/Tempe area -
...The District 17 Democrats will be meeting at the Pyle Center, 655 E. Southern Ave. (SW corner of Southern and Rural).
Time - Info exchange 6:30 p.m.; meeting 7:00 p.m.
Contact - Doug Mings, chair of D17, dougmings[at]gmail.com
Come and meet other local Democrats and get involved with local, county, state, and national politics!
...There will be an open forum for candidates for County Attorney at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock, Tempe (SW corner of McClintock and Guadalupe). Both Democratic candidates, Gerald Richard and Tim Nelson, plan to be there.
Time - 7:00 p.m.
Contact - the bookstore at 480-730-0205
...And in Scottsdale, the Scottsdale City Council will meet for the last time before their summer break. The agenda is a long one, so there will be plenty of opportunities for candidates (both incumbents and challengers) to see, be seen, preen and posture one more time before early ballots hit mailboxes in early August.
Time - 5:00 p.m.
Place - City Hall Kiva, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
...On Thursday, July 10, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC) will be holding a candidate forum for Republican House and Senate candidates in LD18.
Time - 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Place - The EVIT Lecture Hall, 1601 W Main St., Mesa, AZ.
Could be interesting, if you consider watching Republicans trying to out-wingnut each other to be high art (yup, as I do :) ).
Seriously, expect the hardcore nativists in LD18 to be out in force to both support Russell Pearce in his bid for the State Senate and to heckle and harass his opponent Kevin Gibbons (Congressman Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) for the heresy of not hating immigrants as much as they do.
Note: As Democratic candidates Judah Nativio (Senate) and Tammie Pursley (House) are unopposed in the primary, CCEC won't be holding a forum for their primary.
A listing of other CCEC forums can be found here.
...Saturday, July 19 - The summer meeting of the Maricopa County Democratic Party (MCDP).
Time - 9:00 a.m. to noon for training sessions; 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the meeting.
Place - Plumbers and Steamfitters Union, 3109 North 24th Street, Phoenix.
Contact - MCDP at 602.298.0503
Later!
...The District 17 Democrats will be meeting at the Pyle Center, 655 E. Southern Ave. (SW corner of Southern and Rural).
Time - Info exchange 6:30 p.m.; meeting 7:00 p.m.
Contact - Doug Mings, chair of D17, dougmings[at]gmail.com
Come and meet other local Democrats and get involved with local, county, state, and national politics!
...There will be an open forum for candidates for County Attorney at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock, Tempe (SW corner of McClintock and Guadalupe). Both Democratic candidates, Gerald Richard and Tim Nelson, plan to be there.
Time - 7:00 p.m.
Contact - the bookstore at 480-730-0205
...And in Scottsdale, the Scottsdale City Council will meet for the last time before their summer break. The agenda is a long one, so there will be plenty of opportunities for candidates (both incumbents and challengers) to see, be seen, preen and posture one more time before early ballots hit mailboxes in early August.
Time - 5:00 p.m.
Place - City Hall Kiva, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
...On Thursday, July 10, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC) will be holding a candidate forum for Republican House and Senate candidates in LD18.
Time - 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Place - The EVIT Lecture Hall, 1601 W Main St., Mesa, AZ.
Could be interesting, if you consider watching Republicans trying to out-wingnut each other to be high art (yup, as I do :) ).
Seriously, expect the hardcore nativists in LD18 to be out in force to both support Russell Pearce in his bid for the State Senate and to heckle and harass his opponent Kevin Gibbons (Congressman Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) for the heresy of not hating immigrants as much as they do.
Note: As Democratic candidates Judah Nativio (Senate) and Tammie Pursley (House) are unopposed in the primary, CCEC won't be holding a forum for their primary.
A listing of other CCEC forums can be found here.
...Saturday, July 19 - The summer meeting of the Maricopa County Democratic Party (MCDP).
Time - 9:00 a.m. to noon for training sessions; 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the meeting.
Place - Plumbers and Steamfitters Union, 3109 North 24th Street, Phoenix.
Contact - MCDP at 602.298.0503
Later!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Happy 232nd Birthday America!
Ya don't look a day over 175. :))
How we got started, courtesy the National Archives -
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Button Gwinnett Lyman Hall George Walton William Hooper Joseph Hewes John Penn Edward Rutledge Thomas Heyward, Jr. Thomas Lynch, Jr. Arthur MiddletonJohn Hancock Samuel Chase William Paca Thomas Stone Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Virginia George Wythe Richard Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Harrison Thomas Nelson, Jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee Carter Braxton Robert Morris Benjamin Rush Benjamin Franklin John Morton George Clymer James Smith George Taylor James Wilson George Ross Caesar Rodney George Read Thomas McKean William Floyd Philip Livingston Francis Lewis Lewis Morris Richard Stockton John Witherspoon Francis Hopkinson John Hart Abraham Clark Josiah Bartlett William Whipple Samuel Adams John Adams Robert Treat Paine Elbridge Gerry Stephen Hopkins William Ellery Roger Sherman Samuel Huntington William Williams Oliver Wolcott Matthew Thornton
Maybe this post should have been titled "The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same" - I mean, I was struck by the fact that so many of the grievances against old King George apply, with minimal adjustments to modernity, to the current King George (i.e. - "For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:" or "He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation").
Anyway, have a good holiday, and for those of you going to the Tempe fireworks show (or any of the other festivities around the Valley and the state, try not to melt. :)
Later!
How we got started, courtesy the National Archives -
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Button Gwinnett Lyman Hall George Walton William Hooper Joseph Hewes John Penn Edward Rutledge Thomas Heyward, Jr. Thomas Lynch, Jr. Arthur MiddletonJohn Hancock Samuel Chase William Paca Thomas Stone Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Virginia George Wythe Richard Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Harrison Thomas Nelson, Jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee Carter Braxton Robert Morris Benjamin Rush Benjamin Franklin John Morton George Clymer James Smith George Taylor James Wilson George Ross Caesar Rodney George Read Thomas McKean William Floyd Philip Livingston Francis Lewis Lewis Morris Richard Stockton John Witherspoon Francis Hopkinson John Hart Abraham Clark Josiah Bartlett William Whipple Samuel Adams John Adams Robert Treat Paine Elbridge Gerry Stephen Hopkins William Ellery Roger Sherman Samuel Huntington William Williams Oliver Wolcott Matthew Thornton
Maybe this post should have been titled "The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same" - I mean, I was struck by the fact that so many of the grievances against old King George apply, with minimal adjustments to modernity, to the current King George (i.e. - "For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:" or "He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation").
Anyway, have a good holiday, and for those of you going to the Tempe fireworks show (or any of the other festivities around the Valley and the state, try not to melt. :)
Later!
Campaign Finance Reports - Corporation Commission
Again, all info courtesy the Arizona Secretary of State's website...
Kara Kelty, Democrat (Clean Elections financing) - Raised $9000, spent $2600, cash on hand $6300.
Sandra Kennedy, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $7700, spent $1400, cash on hand $6200.
Paul Newman, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $7300, spent $900, cash on hand $6400.
Sam George, Democrat (Traditional financing) - Raised $30000, spent $18000, cash on hand of just under $12000. All $30K raised was from the candidate himself and all but $4.00 (four!) of the reported expenditures went to AZ Petition Partners of Scottsdale.
Barry Wong, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $13500, spent $13000, cash on hand $500. Most interesting name: David Iglesias, the ousted U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, gave $130 in seed money.
Bob Robson, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $54000, spent $9000, cash on hand $133000. *Lots* of contributions from lawyers, lobbyists, and PACs. Used paid petition circulators/consultants, Lincoln Strategy Group - all but approximately $400 of this report's expenditures went to them.
Rick Fowlkes, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $1000, spent $1800, cash on hand of just under $500.
Marian McClure, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $8800, spent $4000, cash on hand $5300. More than $3700 of her expenditures went to Lincoln Strategy.
Bob Stump, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $14000, spent $9700, cash on hand $7600. He paid Lincoln Strategy $5300.
Joseph Hobbs, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $3500. spent $3600, cash on hand $260. Interesting names: Colette Rosati and Don Goldwater gave him seed money, $130 each. Not exactly voices of moderation, even by the skewed standards of the Arizona Republican Party. He also had paid petition circulators.
John Allen, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $8500, spent almost $8700, cash on hand $200. He received seed money from Colette Rosati, too.
Keith Swapp, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $5800, spent $1900, cash on hand $4200. Interesting names: Received seed money from Colette Rosati, State Rep. Jerry Weiers and Don Goldwater.
One thing that I've learned from doing these posts - Clean Elections candidates tend to have very boring lists of contributors and expenses.
*Very* boring.
Later!
Kara Kelty, Democrat (Clean Elections financing) - Raised $9000, spent $2600, cash on hand $6300.
Sandra Kennedy, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $7700, spent $1400, cash on hand $6200.
Paul Newman, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $7300, spent $900, cash on hand $6400.
Sam George, Democrat (Traditional financing) - Raised $30000, spent $18000, cash on hand of just under $12000. All $30K raised was from the candidate himself and all but $4.00 (four!) of the reported expenditures went to AZ Petition Partners of Scottsdale.
Barry Wong, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $13500, spent $13000, cash on hand $500. Most interesting name: David Iglesias, the ousted U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, gave $130 in seed money.
Bob Robson, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $54000, spent $9000, cash on hand $133000. *Lots* of contributions from lawyers, lobbyists, and PACs. Used paid petition circulators/consultants, Lincoln Strategy Group - all but approximately $400 of this report's expenditures went to them.
Rick Fowlkes, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $1000, spent $1800, cash on hand of just under $500.
Marian McClure, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $8800, spent $4000, cash on hand $5300. More than $3700 of her expenditures went to Lincoln Strategy.
Bob Stump, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $14000, spent $9700, cash on hand $7600. He paid Lincoln Strategy $5300.
Joseph Hobbs, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $3500. spent $3600, cash on hand $260. Interesting names: Colette Rosati and Don Goldwater gave him seed money, $130 each. Not exactly voices of moderation, even by the skewed standards of the Arizona Republican Party. He also had paid petition circulators.
John Allen, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $8500, spent almost $8700, cash on hand $200. He received seed money from Colette Rosati, too.
Keith Swapp, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $5800, spent $1900, cash on hand $4200. Interesting names: Received seed money from Colette Rosati, State Rep. Jerry Weiers and Don Goldwater.
One thing that I've learned from doing these posts - Clean Elections candidates tend to have very boring lists of contributors and expenses.
*Very* boring.
Later!
Campaign Finance Reports - LD8, LD17, LD18
All info courtesy the website of the Arizona Secretary of State...
LD8 State Senate -
Carolyn Allen, Republican (traditional financing) - raised $22000, spent $8000, cash on hand $68000. Interesting names: Her entire list of contributors reads like a "Who's Who" of the Arizona business community (heavy on the healthcare sector), so in the interests of brevity, I won't list any of them, but one of the non-business community folks to contribute to her campaign was David Waid, former ED of the Arizona Democratic Party, who gave $100.
Robert Weber, Libertarian (Clean Elections financing) - Nada. Zip. Bupkes. No activity. At all. When I saw this report, I was going to question why go to the effort of getting on the ballot if he wasn't going to at least *try* to mount a campaign, but upon further reflection, I've decided not to go there.
Not because I'm feeling nice, but because Mr. Weber didn't actually qualify for the ballot.
LD8 State Representative -
Michele Reagan, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $11000, spent $11000, cash on hand of just under $46000. Interesting name: David Waid (again!) gave $200.
Stephanie Rimmer, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $2000, spent $1600, cash on hand of $400.
John Kavanagh, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $930, spent slightly less than $400, cash on hand slightly more than $500.
LD17 State Senate -
Meg Burton Cahill, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised almost $2900. spent $86, cash on hand of a little more than $2700.
Jesse Hernandez, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $250, spent $0, cash on hand $250.
LD17 State Representative -
David Schapira, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $16000 ($12921 CCEC funding), spent $2500, cash on hand $14200.
Ed Ableser, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $14600 ($12921 CCEC funding), spent $2400, cash on hand $12600.
Wes Waddle, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $500, spent $150, cash on hand $350.
Mark Thompson, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $1200, spent $100, cash on hand $1100.
LD18 State Senate -
Judah Nativio, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $960, spent just under $800, cash on hand of just under $800.
Kevin Gibbons, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $66000, spent $3500, cash on hand of just under $63000. Interesting names: State Rep. Lynne Pancrazi donated $200; Jean McGrath, former legislator and current member of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District board, gave $100; Jim Pederson, former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate gave $390. In addition, he had a large number of agriculture-related contributors, a large group from Yuma, of all places.
Russell Pearce, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $2300, spent $24000 ($23K had to do with closing the books on the Pearce Exploratory Committee), cash on hand $2600. Received $19382 CCEC funding after the reporting period ended.
I thought that Pearce's exploratory committee was a federal one formed for his abortive run at Jeff Flake's CD6 seat, so I'm not sure why anything related to it is showing up on his state report. I'll see what I can find out (aka - I'll call the Secretary of State's office and ask :) ).
LD18 Representative -
Tammie Pursley, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $1700, spent $350, cash on hand of $1300.
Cecil Ash, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $2950, spent $800, cash on hand of $2150. Received $19382 CCEC funding after the reporting period ended.
Steve Court, Republican (Clean Elections) -Raised almost $14700 ($12921 CCEC), spent $6500, cash on hand $8200. Received supplemental CCEC funding of $6461 ($19382 total) after the reporting period ended.
Kanani Henderson, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $1300, spent $260, cash on hand of nearly $1100.
Ron Middlebrook, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $1245, spent $0, cash on hand $1245. Received $19382 CCEC funding after the reporting period ended.
CCEC's LD18 candidate forum for Republican candidates (House and Senate) will be held on Thursday, July 10 at EVIT, 1601 W. Main St., Mesa, AZ from 6:00 p.m until 8:00 p.m.
I'll do a post on Corporation Commission candidate reports later on Thursday.
Later!
LD8 State Senate -
Carolyn Allen, Republican (traditional financing) - raised $22000, spent $8000, cash on hand $68000. Interesting names: Her entire list of contributors reads like a "Who's Who" of the Arizona business community (heavy on the healthcare sector), so in the interests of brevity, I won't list any of them, but one of the non-business community folks to contribute to her campaign was David Waid, former ED of the Arizona Democratic Party, who gave $100.
Robert Weber, Libertarian (Clean Elections financing) - Nada. Zip. Bupkes. No activity. At all. When I saw this report, I was going to question why go to the effort of getting on the ballot if he wasn't going to at least *try* to mount a campaign, but upon further reflection, I've decided not to go there.
Not because I'm feeling nice, but because Mr. Weber didn't actually qualify for the ballot.
LD8 State Representative -
Michele Reagan, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $11000, spent $11000, cash on hand of just under $46000. Interesting name: David Waid (again!) gave $200.
Stephanie Rimmer, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $2000, spent $1600, cash on hand of $400.
John Kavanagh, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $930, spent slightly less than $400, cash on hand slightly more than $500.
LD17 State Senate -
Meg Burton Cahill, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised almost $2900. spent $86, cash on hand of a little more than $2700.
Jesse Hernandez, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $250, spent $0, cash on hand $250.
LD17 State Representative -
David Schapira, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $16000 ($12921 CCEC funding), spent $2500, cash on hand $14200.
Ed Ableser, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $14600 ($12921 CCEC funding), spent $2400, cash on hand $12600.
Wes Waddle, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $500, spent $150, cash on hand $350.
Mark Thompson, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $1200, spent $100, cash on hand $1100.
LD18 State Senate -
Judah Nativio, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $960, spent just under $800, cash on hand of just under $800.
Kevin Gibbons, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $66000, spent $3500, cash on hand of just under $63000. Interesting names: State Rep. Lynne Pancrazi donated $200; Jean McGrath, former legislator and current member of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District board, gave $100; Jim Pederson, former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate gave $390. In addition, he had a large number of agriculture-related contributors, a large group from Yuma, of all places.
Russell Pearce, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $2300, spent $24000 ($23K had to do with closing the books on the Pearce Exploratory Committee), cash on hand $2600. Received $19382 CCEC funding after the reporting period ended.
I thought that Pearce's exploratory committee was a federal one formed for his abortive run at Jeff Flake's CD6 seat, so I'm not sure why anything related to it is showing up on his state report. I'll see what I can find out (aka - I'll call the Secretary of State's office and ask :) ).
LD18 Representative -
Tammie Pursley, Democrat (Clean Elections) - Raised $1700, spent $350, cash on hand of $1300.
Cecil Ash, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $2950, spent $800, cash on hand of $2150. Received $19382 CCEC funding after the reporting period ended.
Steve Court, Republican (Clean Elections) -Raised almost $14700 ($12921 CCEC), spent $6500, cash on hand $8200. Received supplemental CCEC funding of $6461 ($19382 total) after the reporting period ended.
Kanani Henderson, Republican (Traditional) - Raised $1300, spent $260, cash on hand of nearly $1100.
Ron Middlebrook, Republican (Clean Elections) - Raised $1245, spent $0, cash on hand $1245. Received $19382 CCEC funding after the reporting period ended.
CCEC's LD18 candidate forum for Republican candidates (House and Senate) will be held on Thursday, July 10 at EVIT, 1601 W. Main St., Mesa, AZ from 6:00 p.m until 8:00 p.m.
I'll do a post on Corporation Commission candidate reports later on Thursday.
Later!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
A quick look at financial reports for County races
Some of the highlights of reports covering the period from January 1 thru May 31, courtesy the Maricopa County Recorder's website -
Sheriff's race -
Joe Arpaio - received $121000, spent $23000, cash on hand of $358000. Nearly all of his expenditures went toward fundraising and consulting fees from a company called Summit Consulting Group ($22500+). The report was hand-written, but at least was somewhat more legible than Mayor Manross'.
Dan Saban - Couldn't find the report on the County Recorder's site, but Dennis Welch of the Trib had an article stating that Saban has raised $48000 for his campaign to unseat Arpaio; no details on expenditures, cash on hand, or whether the funds raised are from the reporting period or for the entire campaign (since 2006). The article goes on to cite "$430000" as the amount raised by Arpaio, but that is for the entire campaign, plus the rollover of cash left over from his previous campaign committee.
However sloppily the article was written, it's clear that the Arpaio money machine is fully up to speed, and Dan Saban needs all of us to help him restore professionalism to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Contribute here.
County Attorney race -
Gerald Richard - Raised $60000, spent $26000, cash on hand of $40000. $10000 of the money raised was a candidate loan to the campaign.
Tim Nelson - Raised $207000, spent $29000, cash on hand of $177000.
Note: there is an open forum for candidates for County Attorney scheduled for next Tuesday at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe (SW corner of McClintock and Guadalupe) at 7 p.m.
Andrew Thomas - Raised $39000, spent $26000, cash on hand of $213000. Over $14000 of his expenditures went to Summit Consulting, the same folks that Arpaio has hired; in addition, he spent over $6000 on paid petition circulators.
Ummm...Tim Nelson's supporters are crowing over his successful fundraising during the period (as they should be), but what shouldn't be lost in the hubbub is the fact that Gerald Richard outraised the incumbent Thomas, too.
Not a good sign for any incumbent when two (2!) would-be challengers do a better job at fundraising. And for a Republican incumbent is what is shaping up to be a horrible year for Republicans in general????
BTW - his report was typewritten, but with lots of "info requesteds" and "retireds" under the "Occupations" headings. The "retireds' might be legit, but any report with more than a few "info requesteds" tends to raise eyebrows.
County Supervisor, District 1 -
Ed Hermes - Raised almost $66000, spent $2000, cash on hand of >$63000. Candidate loan - $10000. Interesting names: OK, there were a lot of names that I recognized on the list of contributors to Hermes, former vice-chair of the LD17 Democrats, but standing out was former U.S. Senator Dennis Deconcini, who gave $390. Oh yeah, and the Hermes family is a large one. :))
Fulton Brock - Raised $34000, spent $14000+, cash on hand of $120000. He also used paid petition circulators.
Sooooooo....did anyone else notice that the relative rookie seriously outraised the long-time incumbent (by almost $30K) and out-organized him too? (Obtained nearly as many nominating sigs - 1254 to 1598 - and got them the hard way, walking and knocking and meeting people.)
County Supervisor, District 2 -
Joel Sinclaire - Raised $5700, spent $560, cash on hand of $5200. Candidate loan of $3200.
Don Stapley - Raised $50,000, spent $7400, cash on hand $83000. Interesting fact found in the financial report - Keith Russell, Republican candidate for County Assessor, paid for a mailing of Stapley's nominating petitions. From the report (page 6) -
Interesting names: Grady Gammage, a developer's favorite attorney, gave $390; Eddie Basha Jr., CEO of Basha's (AZ supermarket chain) gave $390; Jerry Colangelo, yes, *that* Jerry Colangelo, gave $390. There was one really interesting campaign expenditure - $40 for a subscription to Newsweek Magazine.
How does a committee for a county office candidate rationalize calling a subscription to a national news magazine a necessary campaign expense? Inquiring minds want to know. :))
County Supervisor, District 3 -
Marilyn Fox - Raised $1400, spent $200, cash on hand $900.
Andy Kunasek - Raised $81000, spent $15000, cash on hand . Like Arpaio and Thomas, Kunasek has hired Summit Consulting. However, unlike with the Nativist Twins, payments to Summit do not constitute a majority of his expenditures.
Contribute to Fox here. Not sure why she deserves our support? Read about Kunasek in action here (courtesy Sam Coppersmith at Liberal Desert). 'Nuff said.
I'm not going to bother with the reports from Supervisor Districts 4 and 5 (Mary Rose Wilcox and Max Wilson are unopposed) or for the other county offices (the candidates are either unopposed or the winner of the Republican primary will be unopposed in the general election.)
Later!
Sheriff's race -
Joe Arpaio - received $121000, spent $23000, cash on hand of $358000. Nearly all of his expenditures went toward fundraising and consulting fees from a company called Summit Consulting Group ($22500+). The report was hand-written, but at least was somewhat more legible than Mayor Manross'.
Dan Saban - Couldn't find the report on the County Recorder's site, but Dennis Welch of the Trib had an article stating that Saban has raised $48000 for his campaign to unseat Arpaio; no details on expenditures, cash on hand, or whether the funds raised are from the reporting period or for the entire campaign (since 2006). The article goes on to cite "$430000" as the amount raised by Arpaio, but that is for the entire campaign, plus the rollover of cash left over from his previous campaign committee.
However sloppily the article was written, it's clear that the Arpaio money machine is fully up to speed, and Dan Saban needs all of us to help him restore professionalism to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Contribute here.
County Attorney race -
Gerald Richard - Raised $60000, spent $26000, cash on hand of $40000. $10000 of the money raised was a candidate loan to the campaign.
Tim Nelson - Raised $207000, spent $29000, cash on hand of $177000.
Note: there is an open forum for candidates for County Attorney scheduled for next Tuesday at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe (SW corner of McClintock and Guadalupe) at 7 p.m.
Andrew Thomas - Raised $39000, spent $26000, cash on hand of $213000. Over $14000 of his expenditures went to Summit Consulting, the same folks that Arpaio has hired; in addition, he spent over $6000 on paid petition circulators.
Ummm...Tim Nelson's supporters are crowing over his successful fundraising during the period (as they should be), but what shouldn't be lost in the hubbub is the fact that Gerald Richard outraised the incumbent Thomas, too.
Not a good sign for any incumbent when two (2!) would-be challengers do a better job at fundraising. And for a Republican incumbent is what is shaping up to be a horrible year for Republicans in general????
BTW - his report was typewritten, but with lots of "info requesteds" and "retireds" under the "Occupations" headings. The "retireds' might be legit, but any report with more than a few "info requesteds" tends to raise eyebrows.
County Supervisor, District 1 -
Ed Hermes - Raised almost $66000, spent $2000, cash on hand of >$63000. Candidate loan - $10000. Interesting names: OK, there were a lot of names that I recognized on the list of contributors to Hermes, former vice-chair of the LD17 Democrats, but standing out was former U.S. Senator Dennis Deconcini, who gave $390. Oh yeah, and the Hermes family is a large one. :))
Fulton Brock - Raised $34000, spent $14000+, cash on hand of $120000. He also used paid petition circulators.
Sooooooo....did anyone else notice that the relative rookie seriously outraised the long-time incumbent (by almost $30K) and out-organized him too? (Obtained nearly as many nominating sigs - 1254 to 1598 - and got them the hard way, walking and knocking and meeting people.)
County Supervisor, District 2 -
Joel Sinclaire - Raised $5700, spent $560, cash on hand of $5200. Candidate loan of $3200.
Don Stapley - Raised $50,000, spent $7400, cash on hand $83000. Interesting fact found in the financial report - Keith Russell, Republican candidate for County Assessor, paid for a mailing of Stapley's nominating petitions. From the report (page 6) -
Total cost of mailing 463.91
Payment 231.95 Russell 08
231.95 Contribution in-kind to Don Stapley campaign from Keith and Becky Russell
Interesting names: Grady Gammage, a developer's favorite attorney, gave $390; Eddie Basha Jr., CEO of Basha's (AZ supermarket chain) gave $390; Jerry Colangelo, yes, *that* Jerry Colangelo, gave $390. There was one really interesting campaign expenditure - $40 for a subscription to Newsweek Magazine.
How does a committee for a county office candidate rationalize calling a subscription to a national news magazine a necessary campaign expense? Inquiring minds want to know. :))
County Supervisor, District 3 -
Marilyn Fox - Raised $1400, spent $200, cash on hand $900.
Andy Kunasek - Raised $81000, spent $15000, cash on hand . Like Arpaio and Thomas, Kunasek has hired Summit Consulting. However, unlike with the Nativist Twins, payments to Summit do not constitute a majority of his expenditures.
Contribute to Fox here. Not sure why she deserves our support? Read about Kunasek in action here (courtesy Sam Coppersmith at Liberal Desert). 'Nuff said.
I'm not going to bother with the reports from Supervisor Districts 4 and 5 (Mary Rose Wilcox and Max Wilson are unopposed) or for the other county offices (the candidates are either unopposed or the winner of the Republican primary will be unopposed in the general election.)
Later!
Maybe they should just retire the "Straight Talk Express" in favor of the "Swift Boat Express"
Want to know why the "Sunday Morning Crappie Award" was renamed the "John Sydney McCain Memorial Crappie Award"? Bush, Shadegg, Bee, and the rest of the Republicans are just pretenders to McCain's flip-flop supremacy.
Basics of the current dustup -
First the McCain campaign expresses outrage at the remarks of Gen. Wesley Clark on Face The Nation this weekend, wherein Clark opined that McCain's military service as an naval aviator and POW didn't especially qualify McCain for the White House as nothing in his service involved "executive responsibility."
The McCain campaign responded quickly and loudly, claiming that Clark was insulting McCain's military service and calling on Barack Obama to repudiate Clark.
Obama countered by stating the he honored McCain's service and distancing himself from Clark's comments.
The McCain campaign and its echo chamber (Fox News and the right-wing blogosphere) are still trying to pump the story, but it will probably fade by the end of the week.
Anyway, the hypocritical part?
McCain objected so much to the perceived criticism of his military service that he relied upon an old friend and cellmate from his POW days to help him fend off the attack (imagined or otherwise).
Col. Bud Day joined the McCain "Truth Squad."
The same Bud Day who was part of the 2004 Swift Boat campaign of lies and innuendo targeted at the military service of Sen. John Kerry.
Yup, McCain objects so strongly to criticism of a presidential candidate's military service, even open and honest criticism, that he has commissioned the services of people with a history of lying about the military service of presidential candidates.
...But for the McCainiacs' twisting and twisted two-step, this next story would have taken the lead on everyone's "Republicans and their hypocritical follies" report (credit for the heads-up goes out to Countdown With Keith Olbermann on MSNBC)...
A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution was recently introduced in the Senate, one that would restrict marriage to the union of one man and one woman.
S.J.Res. 43 was introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).
Two of the original cosponsors of the measure (Note: in this context, 'original cosponsor' means that they signed on to the bill from the moment it was introduced) -
Sen. Larry "Disorderly Conduct" Craig (R-ID) and Sen. David "Family Values" Vitter (R-LA).
Note: in *this* context, "disorderly conduct" means "sexually propositioned an undercover police officer in a public restroom" and "family values" means "married but a regular customer of a Washington, D.C. madam because hismommy wife wouldn't let him wear diapers."
All of the Republicans involved in today's post have many times previously, claimed that people were spreading lies about them.
To that I say, "why would anyone bother with the effort, when the truth is so much easier, and a *lot* juicier."
Plus, there's no way that anyone could make up something as outlandish as their reality.
Coverage at The Huffington Post here.
Later!
Basics of the current dustup -
First the McCain campaign expresses outrage at the remarks of Gen. Wesley Clark on Face The Nation this weekend, wherein Clark opined that McCain's military service as an naval aviator and POW didn't especially qualify McCain for the White House as nothing in his service involved "executive responsibility."
The McCain campaign responded quickly and loudly, claiming that Clark was insulting McCain's military service and calling on Barack Obama to repudiate Clark.
Obama countered by stating the he honored McCain's service and distancing himself from Clark's comments.
The McCain campaign and its echo chamber (Fox News and the right-wing blogosphere) are still trying to pump the story, but it will probably fade by the end of the week.
Anyway, the hypocritical part?
McCain objected so much to the perceived criticism of his military service that he relied upon an old friend and cellmate from his POW days to help him fend off the attack (imagined or otherwise).
Col. Bud Day joined the McCain "Truth Squad."
The same Bud Day who was part of the 2004 Swift Boat campaign of lies and innuendo targeted at the military service of Sen. John Kerry.
Yup, McCain objects so strongly to criticism of a presidential candidate's military service, even open and honest criticism, that he has commissioned the services of people with a history of lying about the military service of presidential candidates.
...But for the McCainiacs' twisting and twisted two-step, this next story would have taken the lead on everyone's "Republicans and their hypocritical follies" report (credit for the heads-up goes out to Countdown With Keith Olbermann on MSNBC)...
A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution was recently introduced in the Senate, one that would restrict marriage to the union of one man and one woman.
S.J.Res. 43 was introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).
Two of the original cosponsors of the measure (Note: in this context, 'original cosponsor' means that they signed on to the bill from the moment it was introduced) -
Sen. Larry "Disorderly Conduct" Craig (R-ID) and Sen. David "Family Values" Vitter (R-LA).
Note: in *this* context, "disorderly conduct" means "sexually propositioned an undercover police officer in a public restroom" and "family values" means "married but a regular customer of a Washington, D.C. madam because his
All of the Republicans involved in today's post have many times previously, claimed that people were spreading lies about them.
To that I say, "why would anyone bother with the effort, when the truth is so much easier, and a *lot* juicier."
Plus, there's no way that anyone could make up something as outlandish as their reality.
Coverage at The Huffington Post here.
Later!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Scottsdale campaign finance reports are in...
Ari Cohn of the Trib beat me to this subject with this story in today's paper (darn you Ari!!! LOL)...Guess I'll have to go for a little depth instead of simple numbers...
Campaign financial reports are in for the period of January 1 through May 31.
Council candidates -
Lisa Borowsky, raised $3100, cash on hand $200. Most of her contributions came in $390 increments (the max amount in local elections) and many came from her family. Interesting name: Travis Junion, a vice chair of the LD8 Republicans handled printing her nominating petitions ($25 in-kind contribution.)
Joel Bramoweth - No money raised during the period, but he had raised a lot of money previous to the period and has almost $8700 cash on hand.
Oren Davis - A late entrant into the race, he raised more than $4200 and spent more than $4100. Reports cash on hand of $94.16. All funds from himself; most of expenditures were for paid petition circulators.
Betty Drake - Raised $8600, spent a little less than $600, cash on hand $9800. Interesting names: Former Councilman Kevin Osterman made a $50 contribution, the UFCW contributed $2000.
Tom Giller - Raised $2300, spent $680, almost $1700 cash on hand. Interesting names: Bob and Kathy Littlefield, City Councilman and treasurer of the LD8 Republicans respectively, each contributed $300, Jim Derouin, former candidate for mayor, gave $390.
Suzanne Klapp - Raised $6500, spent just under $1900, and has cash on hand of more than $11000. Note: She loaned her own campaign $5000. Interesting names: State Rep. Michele Reagan gave her $300; Virginia Korte, Scottsdale business leader, gave $100; Joyce Schweikert, wife of Republican congressional candidate David Schweikert, gave $50; and SRP's PAC gave $400. She used paid petition circulators, The Campaign Finance Company LLC, which is operated by the infamous Derrick Lee.
OK kiddies, can you say "Establishment Candidate"?
Ron McCullagh - Raised $1240, spent $586, cash on hand of $17000. Nothing too interesting as far as names contributing money.
Richard Mueller - Nada. Filed a report with no activity; should have formed his committee as a $500 Exemption one.
Nan Nesvig - Raised just over $1500, spent just over $3100, cash on hand of $120. Loaned her own campaign $350. She used paid petition circulators Petition Pros of Gilbert.
Mayoral Candidates -
John Washington, write-in candidate, set up his campaign as a $500 Exemption candidate - no report filed.
Jim Lane - Raised $25000, spent a little more than $10000, cash on hand of $22000. Interesting names: Clint Bolick, director of the very conservative Goldwater Institute (sort of the business community's version of the Center forArizona Policy), gave $100; Jim Derouin, former candidate for Mayor, gave $250; returned a $390 contribution from the infamous (around Scottsdale, anyway :) ) Henry Becker. Lane's biggest expense was $3368 for TV spots currently airing on cable.
Mary Manross - the incumbent Mayor raised $31000, spent just under $4000, cash on hand of $30000. Interesting names: Jim Bruner, former county supervisor, gave $250, as did his wife Sandy; Debbie Gaby, owner of mattress retailer Sleep America (trust me, you've heard her on one of her ubiquitous radio spots), gave $100; Kevin Osterman gave $100; David Waid, former ED of the Arizona Democratic Party, gave $200. Note: whoever writes up her financial reports either needs to improve their handwriting, or should just type them...and use fewer acronyms, too.
Given the cash on hand numbers for both Lane and Manross, expect lots of mailers, TV spots, and newspaper ads to plaster the city in the weeks leading up to Scottsdale's election in September. As for campaign signs, those are frowned upon in the culture of Scottsdale (they're 'eyesores' or something like that.) There should be some yard signs, but few if any larger signs.
Caveat - All of the "interesting names" are limited to names that I recognized (or in the case of Manross' report, names that I could both read and recognize.) It's very likely that there were other contributors of note; visit the City of Scottsdale's Elections homepage and search through the campaign finance reports for more details.
Later!
Campaign financial reports are in for the period of January 1 through May 31.
Council candidates -
Lisa Borowsky, raised $3100, cash on hand $200. Most of her contributions came in $390 increments (the max amount in local elections) and many came from her family. Interesting name: Travis Junion, a vice chair of the LD8 Republicans handled printing her nominating petitions ($25 in-kind contribution.)
Joel Bramoweth - No money raised during the period, but he had raised a lot of money previous to the period and has almost $8700 cash on hand.
Oren Davis - A late entrant into the race, he raised more than $4200 and spent more than $4100. Reports cash on hand of $94.16. All funds from himself; most of expenditures were for paid petition circulators.
Betty Drake - Raised $8600, spent a little less than $600, cash on hand $9800. Interesting names: Former Councilman Kevin Osterman made a $50 contribution, the UFCW contributed $2000.
Tom Giller - Raised $2300, spent $680, almost $1700 cash on hand. Interesting names: Bob and Kathy Littlefield, City Councilman and treasurer of the LD8 Republicans respectively, each contributed $300, Jim Derouin, former candidate for mayor, gave $390.
Suzanne Klapp - Raised $6500, spent just under $1900, and has cash on hand of more than $11000. Note: She loaned her own campaign $5000. Interesting names: State Rep. Michele Reagan gave her $300; Virginia Korte, Scottsdale business leader, gave $100; Joyce Schweikert, wife of Republican congressional candidate David Schweikert, gave $50; and SRP's PAC gave $400. She used paid petition circulators, The Campaign Finance Company LLC, which is operated by the infamous Derrick Lee.
OK kiddies, can you say "Establishment Candidate"?
Ron McCullagh - Raised $1240, spent $586, cash on hand of $17000. Nothing too interesting as far as names contributing money.
Richard Mueller - Nada. Filed a report with no activity; should have formed his committee as a $500 Exemption one.
Nan Nesvig - Raised just over $1500, spent just over $3100, cash on hand of $120. Loaned her own campaign $350. She used paid petition circulators Petition Pros of Gilbert.
Mayoral Candidates -
John Washington, write-in candidate, set up his campaign as a $500 Exemption candidate - no report filed.
Jim Lane - Raised $25000, spent a little more than $10000, cash on hand of $22000. Interesting names: Clint Bolick, director of the very conservative Goldwater Institute (sort of the business community's version of the Center forArizona Policy), gave $100; Jim Derouin, former candidate for Mayor, gave $250; returned a $390 contribution from the infamous (around Scottsdale, anyway :) ) Henry Becker. Lane's biggest expense was $3368 for TV spots currently airing on cable.
Mary Manross - the incumbent Mayor raised $31000, spent just under $4000, cash on hand of $30000. Interesting names: Jim Bruner, former county supervisor, gave $250, as did his wife Sandy; Debbie Gaby, owner of mattress retailer Sleep America (trust me, you've heard her on one of her ubiquitous radio spots), gave $100; Kevin Osterman gave $100; David Waid, former ED of the Arizona Democratic Party, gave $200. Note: whoever writes up her financial reports either needs to improve their handwriting, or should just type them...and use fewer acronyms, too.
Given the cash on hand numbers for both Lane and Manross, expect lots of mailers, TV spots, and newspaper ads to plaster the city in the weeks leading up to Scottsdale's election in September. As for campaign signs, those are frowned upon in the culture of Scottsdale (they're 'eyesores' or something like that.) There should be some yard signs, but few if any larger signs.
Caveat - All of the "interesting names" are limited to names that I recognized (or in the case of Manross' report, names that I could both read and recognize.) It's very likely that there were other contributors of note; visit the City of Scottsdale's Elections homepage and search through the campaign finance reports for more details.
Later!
Thank you, Senate Republicans
This is the second, less gentle, smack talk post (I meant to do this over the weekend, but work sort of intruded... :) )
...In the waning hours of this year's legislative session, the Arizona Chapter of the Flat Earth Society caved in the Center for Arizona Policy and the other ideological bullies in their party when they voted to send a ban on same-sex marriage to November's ballot.
All sorts of legislative arm-twisting, shenanigans, and outright rule-breaking were used to bring the measure to the floor and force its passage and referral to the fall ballot.
Let's be clear on one thing - the measure is spiteful, petty, and vindictive and should be opposed by anyone with a moral center, a shred of humanity, and a soul.
Having said all that, there's a silver lining to Friday's debacle.
They've now thoroughly pissed off and motivated a voting bloc that overwhelmingly votes Democratic.
The heretofore fairly well-behaved wingers in the lege, or at least heretofore ineffective (more on that point in a moment), hadn't done much harm this session.
Lots of preening and posturing could be seen, and bellowing and bloviatingcould be heard, but they never could quite muster the votes necessary to push their anti-everything agenda of ballot measures (doing an end-run around the Governor's veto pen).
Unlike, say, in 2006, when they placed 8 measures on that fall's ballot, most of which were of the anti-immigrant or anti-education. Note: Prop 107, the anti-same sex marriage measure on the ballot that year, was placed there by initiative petition.
Guess it was easier this time around to get 16 Senators and 35 Representatives to sign on rather than go out and gather >230,000 signatures. Probably cheaper, too - they spent more than $1,000,000 in 2006.
Of course, that election in 2006 with the anti-same sex marriage question is the same election that brought some voices of sanity to the lege, leading to, or at least contributing to, the wingers' ineffectiveness in 2007 and 2008.
There just wasn't quite enough of them to work their hate with their usual glib, saccharin-tongued ease.
As evidenced by Friday's vote in the Senate, they still have some sway in the lege, but it's much less than in sessions past, and they had to work a *lot* harder to wield the influence they had remaining.
To sum up, they've motivated the Democratic Party base and a large bloc of independent voters in Arizona to a degree not seen since...
2006, the last really bad year for Republicans in AZ.
If Barack Obama actually beats McCain in AZ, or if the Dems take control of one or both chambers of the state lege, the Reps should look back at the ballot measure and their zeal and ruthlessness in railroading it through when parceling out the blame.
While I won't predict either of those outcomes at this time (still too much of an uphill battle for the lege), I do have one prediction - while the CD8 campaigns will play out over the summer and into the fall, for all practical purposes, Tim Bee's quest to unseat Gabrielle Giffords is over.
In CD8, only a relatively moderate Republican like Jim Kolbe has a chance of winning (not that Kolbe was actually a moderate) but with his behavior in railroading through SCR1042, Tim Bee has painted himelf as being an extremeist a la Randy Graf.
11 of the 16 Senators who voted for SCR1042 are facing general election challenges (a couple are termed out, one is facing only a primary challenge, or two are totally unchallenged in their quests for reelection). All of their challengers deserve support, but none more so than Robert Boehlke, the Democratic challenger to Jack Harper in LD4. Tim Bee may have been the conductor on this railroad, but Harper was the engineer driving the train.
Harper's a complete tool, brazen ideological thug and utter loon, which would be fine if he only impacted his own district (then it would a problem for the voters there, not the rest of us).
Unfortunately, he's hurting the entire state now, and deserves to be turned out of office.
What they did wasn't just petulant, it abominable. However, it may not be the end of the world - a measure that was put on the ballot to raise their own voter turnout may have an even stronger effect on the turnout of Democrats and Independents.
Pico at Wild Chihuahas has some great coverage on this issue.
Later!
...In the waning hours of this year's legislative session, the Arizona Chapter of the Flat Earth Society caved in the Center for Arizona Policy and the other ideological bullies in their party when they voted to send a ban on same-sex marriage to November's ballot.
All sorts of legislative arm-twisting, shenanigans, and outright rule-breaking were used to bring the measure to the floor and force its passage and referral to the fall ballot.
Let's be clear on one thing - the measure is spiteful, petty, and vindictive and should be opposed by anyone with a moral center, a shred of humanity, and a soul.
Having said all that, there's a silver lining to Friday's debacle.
They've now thoroughly pissed off and motivated a voting bloc that overwhelmingly votes Democratic.
The heretofore fairly well-behaved wingers in the lege, or at least heretofore ineffective (more on that point in a moment), hadn't done much harm this session.
Lots of preening and posturing could be seen, and bellowing and bloviatingcould be heard, but they never could quite muster the votes necessary to push their anti-everything agenda of ballot measures (doing an end-run around the Governor's veto pen).
Unlike, say, in 2006, when they placed 8 measures on that fall's ballot, most of which were of the anti-immigrant or anti-education. Note: Prop 107, the anti-same sex marriage measure on the ballot that year, was placed there by initiative petition.
Guess it was easier this time around to get 16 Senators and 35 Representatives to sign on rather than go out and gather >230,000 signatures. Probably cheaper, too - they spent more than $1,000,000 in 2006.
Of course, that election in 2006 with the anti-same sex marriage question is the same election that brought some voices of sanity to the lege, leading to, or at least contributing to, the wingers' ineffectiveness in 2007 and 2008.
There just wasn't quite enough of them to work their hate with their usual glib, saccharin-tongued ease.
As evidenced by Friday's vote in the Senate, they still have some sway in the lege, but it's much less than in sessions past, and they had to work a *lot* harder to wield the influence they had remaining.
To sum up, they've motivated the Democratic Party base and a large bloc of independent voters in Arizona to a degree not seen since...
2006, the last really bad year for Republicans in AZ.
If Barack Obama actually beats McCain in AZ, or if the Dems take control of one or both chambers of the state lege, the Reps should look back at the ballot measure and their zeal and ruthlessness in railroading it through when parceling out the blame.
While I won't predict either of those outcomes at this time (still too much of an uphill battle for the lege), I do have one prediction - while the CD8 campaigns will play out over the summer and into the fall, for all practical purposes, Tim Bee's quest to unseat Gabrielle Giffords is over.
In CD8, only a relatively moderate Republican like Jim Kolbe has a chance of winning (not that Kolbe was actually a moderate) but with his behavior in railroading through SCR1042, Tim Bee has painted himelf as being an extremeist a la Randy Graf.
11 of the 16 Senators who voted for SCR1042 are facing general election challenges (a couple are termed out, one is facing only a primary challenge, or two are totally unchallenged in their quests for reelection). All of their challengers deserve support, but none more so than Robert Boehlke, the Democratic challenger to Jack Harper in LD4. Tim Bee may have been the conductor on this railroad, but Harper was the engineer driving the train.
Harper's a complete tool, brazen ideological thug and utter loon, which would be fine if he only impacted his own district (then it would a problem for the voters there, not the rest of us).
Unfortunately, he's hurting the entire state now, and deserves to be turned out of office.
What they did wasn't just petulant, it abominable. However, it may not be the end of the world - a measure that was put on the ballot to raise their own voter turnout may have an even stronger effect on the turnout of Democrats and Independents.
Pico at Wild Chihuahas has some great coverage on this issue.
Later!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Rejected Campaign Slogans From CD5
Time for a couple of posts worth of smack talk...this is the gentle one. :)
BTW - this concept is shamelesslystolen borrowed from the Arizona Report...
From the trash baskets of the various Republican candidates in CD5 who are competing for the chance to take on Harry Mitchell -
Lee Gentry - "Don't think of it as zero name recognition, think of it as low negatives."
Jim Ogsbury - "The 'legislator to lobbyist' career track historically leads to corruption; going from lobbyist to legislator means the opposite, right?
Mark Anderson - " 'Really Conservative But Sane*' * = when compared to some of the other state legislators from LD18"
Susan Bitter Smith - "That Darn Ogsbury! He beat me into the race, and he beat me to that slogan!"
Laura Knaperek - "I've lost to Harry twice already and my friends lost to his son for Tempe City Council earlier this year, but I can beat him this time. I promise."
David Schweikert - "It may have been only a county gig, but at least I wasn't indicted, sued, or faced possible disbarrment because of the way that I performed my duties."
:))
BTW - this concept is shamelessly
From the trash baskets of the various Republican candidates in CD5 who are competing for the chance to take on Harry Mitchell -
Lee Gentry - "Don't think of it as zero name recognition, think of it as low negatives."
Jim Ogsbury - "The 'legislator to lobbyist' career track historically leads to corruption; going from lobbyist to legislator means the opposite, right?
Mark Anderson - " 'Really Conservative But Sane*' * = when compared to some of the other state legislators from LD18"
Susan Bitter Smith - "That Darn Ogsbury! He beat me into the race, and he beat me to that slogan!"
Laura Knaperek - "I've lost to Harry twice already and my friends lost to his son for Tempe City Council earlier this year, but I can beat him this time. I promise."
David Schweikert - "It may have been only a county gig, but at least I wasn't indicted, sued, or faced possible disbarrment because of the way that I performed my duties."
:))
Friday, June 27, 2008
John Shadegg - Newest Punter For The Cardinals??
Maybe he thinks that by not voting *against* a bill that would help American consumers facing skyrocketing gas prices, the consumers (and voters) of his district won't notice that he didn't vote *for* it, and them, either.
On Thursday, the House had nine roll call votes -
Roll Call #462, 11:52 a.m. EDT, Ordering the previous question (aka - ending debate) on H. Res. 1304, allowing for consideration of H.R. 6052 (a bill encouraging Americans to conserve energy by using public transportation). The motion passed 228 - 198, Shadegg voting nay (to continue deliberations).
Roll Call #463, 12:02 p.m., On passage of H. Res. 1304. Resolution passed 230 - 196, Shadegg voting nay (against allowing consideration of H.R. 6052).
Roll Call #464, 12:09 p.m., On passage of H. Res. 1291; passed 421 - 0, Shadegg voting yea.
Roll Call #465, 4:45 p.m., On approval of an amendment of H.R. 6052; passed 421 - 0, Shadegg voing yea.
Roll Call #466, 5:21 p.m. On a motion to recommit (aka - kill) H.R. 6052; failed 199 - 211, Shadegg voting yea.
Roll Call #467, 5:28 p.m., On Passage of H.R. 6052; passed 322 - 98, Shadegg voting nay (apparently he doesn't want people to use public transportation, perhaps because it might cut into the profit margins of Big Oil and the auto industry.)
Roll Call #468, 5:36 p.m.. On passage of H.R. 6377, the Energy Markets Emergency Act of 2008; passed 402 - 19, Shadegg voting yea. This bill would "direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to utilize all its authority, including its emergency powers, to curb immediately the role of excessive speculation in any contract market within the jurisdiction and control of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, on or through which energy futures or swaps are traded, and to eliminate excessive speculation, price distortion, sudden or unreasonable fluctuations or unwarranted changes in prices, or other unlawful activity that is causing major market disturbances that prevent the market from accurately reflecting the forces of supply and demand for energy commodities."
Roll Call #469, 5:44 p.m., On passage of H.R. 6251, the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act; failed 223 - 195 (2/3 required), Shadegg not voting. This bill would have compelled oil companies that leased public lands to drill for oil to actually drill and produce oil from that leased land, or be barred from acquiring more leases.
Roll Call #470, 5:51 p.m., On passage of H. Res. 1098, Supporting the goals and ideals of the Year of the American Veteran; passed 409 - 0, Shadegg voting yea.
So let's see...during an agonizingly long voting day of almost 6 hours (yes, that "agonizingly" is dripping with sarcasm), Shadegg makes every vote but for the one on the only bill under consideration that day that had some teeth in it, one that could have made a difference to the American people.
Coincidence? Probably not. Consider this -
One one hand, Shadegg is beholden to Big Oil, having received hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from petroleum and other energy interests over the years.
On the other hand, he's been getting some serious heat for being out of touch with his constituents and their concerns and needs.
Hmmm......so, what to do, what to do??? If he votes for the measure, he alienates some of his biggest campaign contributors (and possible future employers); if he votes against it, he further alienates the average resident of his district (increasing the likelihood that he will need a "future employer" after November's election).
Damned if you do, damned if you don't....
What's a weary, ready-to-retire-but-they-won't-let-him=go pol to do?
What else? Call upon all of his experience and guile and do something that no one will expect.
The legislative equivalent of football's quick kick - simply skip the tough vote.
And for this he gets paid almost $170K per year???
Anyway, perhaps somebody should let Shadegg know - it was a nice try, but he didn't fool anyone.
BTW - I'm not exactly the first one to notice Shadegg's little attempt at a slide-step. From a Bob Lord for Congress press release -
Expect a counter-release from the Shadegg campaign admonishing the Lord campaign for not saying "thank you" for the early Christmas gift. :)
Oh, and if Shadegg takes the title of this post to heart - Cards training camp starts July 25th.
Skipping out on that means that you get cut from the team. Keep this up, and Shadegg will be cut from the Congressional teams.
Later!
On Thursday, the House had nine roll call votes -
Roll Call #462, 11:52 a.m. EDT, Ordering the previous question (aka - ending debate) on H. Res. 1304, allowing for consideration of H.R. 6052 (a bill encouraging Americans to conserve energy by using public transportation). The motion passed 228 - 198, Shadegg voting nay (to continue deliberations).
Roll Call #463, 12:02 p.m., On passage of H. Res. 1304. Resolution passed 230 - 196, Shadegg voting nay (against allowing consideration of H.R. 6052).
Roll Call #464, 12:09 p.m., On passage of H. Res. 1291; passed 421 - 0, Shadegg voting yea.
Roll Call #465, 4:45 p.m., On approval of an amendment of H.R. 6052; passed 421 - 0, Shadegg voing yea.
Roll Call #466, 5:21 p.m. On a motion to recommit (aka - kill) H.R. 6052; failed 199 - 211, Shadegg voting yea.
Roll Call #467, 5:28 p.m., On Passage of H.R. 6052; passed 322 - 98, Shadegg voting nay (apparently he doesn't want people to use public transportation, perhaps because it might cut into the profit margins of Big Oil and the auto industry.)
Roll Call #468, 5:36 p.m.. On passage of H.R. 6377, the Energy Markets Emergency Act of 2008; passed 402 - 19, Shadegg voting yea. This bill would "direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to utilize all its authority, including its emergency powers, to curb immediately the role of excessive speculation in any contract market within the jurisdiction and control of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, on or through which energy futures or swaps are traded, and to eliminate excessive speculation, price distortion, sudden or unreasonable fluctuations or unwarranted changes in prices, or other unlawful activity that is causing major market disturbances that prevent the market from accurately reflecting the forces of supply and demand for energy commodities."
Roll Call #469, 5:44 p.m., On passage of H.R. 6251, the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act; failed 223 - 195 (2/3 required), Shadegg not voting. This bill would have compelled oil companies that leased public lands to drill for oil to actually drill and produce oil from that leased land, or be barred from acquiring more leases.
Roll Call #470, 5:51 p.m., On passage of H. Res. 1098, Supporting the goals and ideals of the Year of the American Veteran; passed 409 - 0, Shadegg voting yea.
So let's see...during an agonizingly long voting day of almost 6 hours (yes, that "agonizingly" is dripping with sarcasm), Shadegg makes every vote but for the one on the only bill under consideration that day that had some teeth in it, one that could have made a difference to the American people.
Coincidence? Probably not. Consider this -
One one hand, Shadegg is beholden to Big Oil, having received hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from petroleum and other energy interests over the years.
On the other hand, he's been getting some serious heat for being out of touch with his constituents and their concerns and needs.
Hmmm......so, what to do, what to do??? If he votes for the measure, he alienates some of his biggest campaign contributors (and possible future employers); if he votes against it, he further alienates the average resident of his district (increasing the likelihood that he will need a "future employer" after November's election).
Damned if you do, damned if you don't....
What's a weary, ready-to-retire-but-they-won't-let-him=go pol to do?
What else? Call upon all of his experience and guile and do something that no one will expect.
The legislative equivalent of football's quick kick - simply skip the tough vote.
And for this he gets paid almost $170K per year???
Anyway, perhaps somebody should let Shadegg know - it was a nice try, but he didn't fool anyone.
BTW - I'm not exactly the first one to notice Shadegg's little attempt at a slide-step. From a Bob Lord for Congress press release -
"While we are paying $4.14 per gallon for gas here in Phoenix, John Shadegg intentionally skipped a vote that would force oil companies to drill for oil on the land they already lease," said Andrew Eldredge-Martin, Lord's campaign manager. "The Bush-Shadegg philosophy on energy gives the oil companies all our public lands, lets the companies sit inactive on the land, leaves consumers to fend for themselves, and allows Shadegg to keep taking big checks from the oil, gas and energy industry. This philosophy is bankrupt, just like we will all be soon if we don't take action on gas prices."
Expect a counter-release from the Shadegg campaign admonishing the Lord campaign for not saying "thank you" for the early Christmas gift. :)
Oh, and if Shadegg takes the title of this post to heart - Cards training camp starts July 25th.
Skipping out on that means that you get cut from the team. Keep this up, and Shadegg will be cut from the Congressional teams.
Later!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Here and there...
Some of this stuff has been posted elsewhere, some hasn't...
...The big event tomorrow, Friday June 27, will be held at the grand opening of John McCain's regional campaign headquarters.
Event: A gathering of Democrats to "celebrate" (aka - "protest") the opening of McCain's campaign's office.
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Place: 5353 N. 16th Street, Phoenix (just south of Missouri on 16th Street)***
Info: Contact Aaron at the Arizona Democratic Party, 602.298.4200
*** = The campaign office (Suite 120) is at the same address as McCain's district office (Suite 105). That should be convenient for his taxpayer-paid staffers who want toviolate the Hatch Act by engaging in campaign activities while on the federal clock volunteer for the presidential campaign in their spare time.
...Gen. Wesley Clark has endorsed Congressman Harry Mitchell for his re-election bid (at least, he's sent out a fund-raising email for the Mitchell campaign and has campaigned for Mitchell in the past.)
From the email -
...Judah Nativio, candidate for the LD18 seat in the state senate, today announced that he has received the endorsement of Mesa City Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh.
From Nativio's press release on his website -
In other LD18 news, Nativio and Ed Hermes, candidate for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, will be holding a joint neighborhood canvass on Thursday, July 3 from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Call 480-266-1466 for more info.
...In pleasant news (what? You're surprised that I don't consider walking from door-to-door in 110-degree heat to be a "pleasant" activity? LOL)...Kara Kelty, candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission, happily reports that she successfully beat back the legal challenge to her nominating petitions.
Turns out that the challengers didn't show up; apparently they had a problem with making their case while under oath.
From an email from the campaign -
...and in Scottsdale election news, here's a list of upcoming Mayoral and City Council candidate forums (courtesy an email from Sonnie Kirtley at COGS):
Wednesday, 16 July, 2:00 p.m. 1st Arizona Republic Mayoral Forum. Held at the CityCable11 studios. It will be aired at various times up until the election. No guests will be allowed in the studio.
Thursday, 17 July, 7:00 p.m. COPP Forum for all Mayoral and Council candidates. The forum will be at the Legend Trail Community Center, 34575 North Legend Trail Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ 85262, Pima Rd, N of Lone Mountain.
Tuesday, 22 July, 6:00 p.m. Scottsdale Tribune’s Mayoral Candidates Forum. Broadcast live on City Cable Channel 11 from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, from the Kiva of Scottsdale City Hall. Mark Scarp and a Tribune writer/editor TBA will moderate.
Thursday, 7 August, 7:00 p.m. Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors Forum. Held at the City Hall Kiva. 6:00 p.m. for Council candidates; 7:00 p.m. for Mayoral candidates.
Wednesday, 13 August, 8:00 a.m. Heart of Scottsdale Realtor's Tour Group. McCormick Ranch Golf Club, 8:00 a.m. for networking, 8:30 a.m. speakers begin. (This doesn't specifically say that the public isn't invited, but this seems to be a 'realtors-only' event. And they charge $8.00 for breakfast.)
Monday, 18 August, 2:30 p.m. Second Arizona Republic Mayoral Forum. Again at the CityCable11 studios, again the forum will be recorded and aired repeatedly on CityCable11, and again, no guests will be allowed in the studio.
Later...
...The big event tomorrow, Friday June 27, will be held at the grand opening of John McCain's regional campaign headquarters.
Event: A gathering of Democrats to "celebrate" (aka - "protest") the opening of McCain's campaign's office.
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Place: 5353 N. 16th Street, Phoenix (just south of Missouri on 16th Street)***
Info: Contact Aaron at the Arizona Democratic Party, 602.298.4200
*** = The campaign office (Suite 120) is at the same address as McCain's district office (Suite 105). That should be convenient for his taxpayer-paid staffers who want to
...Gen. Wesley Clark has endorsed Congressman Harry Mitchell for his re-election bid (at least, he's sent out a fund-raising email for the Mitchell campaign and has campaigned for Mitchell in the past.)
From the email -
A lot of politicians in Washington talk about supporting our troops, but there’s a difference between talk and action.
Thankfully for veterans, when it comes to taking care of those returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, Harry Mitchell is taking action and changing the way we treat our veterans.
{snip}
The Republicans have not chosen their nominee yet, but we know they will be funded by the special interests and will stop at nothing during this campaign.
Please help Harry build the resources he needs to fight back.
...Judah Nativio, candidate for the LD18 seat in the state senate, today announced that he has received the endorsement of Mesa City Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh.
From Nativio's press release on his website -
Judah's law enforcement background, his energy, passion and concern for the community are key assets that would make him an effective state senator for District 18" said Kavanaugh.
In other LD18 news, Nativio and Ed Hermes, candidate for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, will be holding a joint neighborhood canvass on Thursday, July 3 from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Call 480-266-1466 for more info.
...In pleasant news (what? You're surprised that I don't consider walking from door-to-door in 110-degree heat to be a "pleasant" activity? LOL)...Kara Kelty, candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission, happily reports that she successfully beat back the legal challenge to her nominating petitions.
Turns out that the challengers didn't show up; apparently they had a problem with making their case while under oath.
From an email from the campaign -
"We always knew that our petitions would withstand any challenge," said Kelty this morning. "I am just sorry we won't be able to confront the plaintiff in court and find out who is really behind this."R-Cubed coverage here.
...and in Scottsdale election news, here's a list of upcoming Mayoral and City Council candidate forums (courtesy an email from Sonnie Kirtley at COGS):
Wednesday, 16 July, 2:00 p.m. 1st Arizona Republic Mayoral Forum. Held at the CityCable11 studios. It will be aired at various times up until the election. No guests will be allowed in the studio.
Thursday, 17 July, 7:00 p.m. COPP Forum for all Mayoral and Council candidates. The forum will be at the Legend Trail Community Center, 34575 North Legend Trail Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ 85262, Pima Rd, N of Lone Mountain.
Tuesday, 22 July, 6:00 p.m. Scottsdale Tribune’s Mayoral Candidates Forum. Broadcast live on City Cable Channel 11 from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, from the Kiva of Scottsdale City Hall. Mark Scarp and a Tribune writer/editor TBA will moderate.
Thursday, 7 August, 7:00 p.m. Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors Forum. Held at the City Hall Kiva. 6:00 p.m. for Council candidates; 7:00 p.m. for Mayoral candidates.
Wednesday, 13 August, 8:00 a.m. Heart of Scottsdale Realtor's Tour Group. McCormick Ranch Golf Club, 8:00 a.m. for networking, 8:30 a.m. speakers begin. (This doesn't specifically say that the public isn't invited, but this seems to be a 'realtors-only' event. And they charge $8.00 for breakfast.)
Monday, 18 August, 2:30 p.m. Second Arizona Republic Mayoral Forum. Again at the CityCable11 studios, again the forum will be recorded and aired repeatedly on CityCable11, and again, no guests will be allowed in the studio.
Later...
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