Congrats to Doug Mings, new Executive Director of MCDP!

First he was named as LD Chair of the Year earlier this month, and now Doug Mings has been named as Executive Director of the Maricopa County Democratic Party.

From PolitickerAZ -

Doug Mings, Chairman of the Legislative District 17 Democrats, is replacing Todd Landfried as executive director of the Maricopa County Democratic Party, according to Mark Manoil, who chairs the Maricopa Dems.

The new job is a well-deserved compliment to Doug, who has guided the LD17 Democrats while they've turned around what had been a solid Republican registration advantage. In addition, LD17 is one of the most active LDs in the state, where 75 - 80 people attend the monthly meetings (there are some LDs where even a dozen folks is a good month).

Whoooo hooooo!

Register For Change Bus Tour Reaches Denver

Over 100 enthusiastic supporters greeted Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean when the Register for Change Bus Tour reached Denver on Friday afternoon.

Introduced to a rousing round of applause by Patricia Waak, chair the Colorado Democratic Party, Dean took the opportunity to give a speech that was at once a campaign speech("Vote for Obama") and a motivational speech ("Work to get other people to vote for Obama, too") -

...He blasted John McCain, George Bush, and the Republicans for the damage that they have done to America, its economy, and its standing in the world.

...He cited a laundry list of the differences between Barack Obama and John McCain, including the fact that Obama, like most American homeowners, owns one home while McCain has so many that he can't keep track of them all.

...He talked about how in Bush's hometown of Crawford, Texas, more than 700 people turned out for the kickoff of the bus tour because they knew that a vote for McCain is a vote for four more years of Bush's failed policies.

...He wryly observed that the McCain of 2000 wouldn't vote for the McCain of 2008.

...He challenged Waak, the Colorado Dems, and the Young Dems on the campus to walk and knock on 40 doors 4 times between now and the election, saying that could be done over four weekends during the next 11, and that it wasn't too big a sacrifice to help put Barack Obama into the White House and the country back on the right track.

...He reminded the audience that people have the power, more power than talking heads like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.

...And he called on people everywhere to understand that the campaign isn't just about the economy, Iraq, or gas prices; it's about a "new America."

He closed his speech by highlighting the need to restore American moral authority in the world and the fact that Democrats are the ones best suited to do just that, citing the examples of Harry Truman (Marshall Plan), Jimmy Carter (the treaty between Egypt and Israel), and Bill Clinton (his work in the Middle East peace process and also in Northern Ireland.)

He wound up his speech with "You can't preach democracy and human rights unless you practice it at home and abroad."

Other observations from a day spent on Blake Street and the 16th Street Mall (a shopping district built for walking) -

- A number of Convention staffers and volunteers were in the area for lunch. They looked young enough to make the Chinese National Team in gymnastics. :))

- Anyone visiting the convention should be prepared to walk or bike around the convention site and nearby areas. An already congested traffic system will be further tangled with the massive road closings and blockages. A news story on this subject, with links to more info, can be found here.

- Chairman Dean, the spiritual leader of the grassroots elements of the Democratic Party, took a moment to show his appreciation for the grassroots, as can be seen in the pic below.

Ignore the date at the bottom of the pics; we were using my sister's camera. I'll crop later.

Rocky Mountain News coverage from writer Berny Morson can be found here. He's the bearded man in the hat behind Dean. :)

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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


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

Later!

850 Miles...

...It took approximately 16 1/2 driving hours (10 on Wednesday, 6 1/2 on Thursday), but I finally arrived in Denver.

At the height of freakin' rush hour.

Note to self: the next time you have the brilliant idea of driving through lunch to make it to your destination before rush hour hits, make sure you know what time rush hour actually starts in your destination city. Turns out that while Phoenix's PM rush hour starts at (roughly) 4:30, Denver's starts around 3.

I hit downtown Denver at around 4.

Bumper-to-bumper on I-25, speed ranging from 20 mph to a dead stop, for 10 miles or so.

Your normally witty and charming blogger was anything but for a while there...

Note to delegates: When possible, plan on shuttling from your hotels to the convention site. It'll save you a lot of headaches.


Other things that I learned on the drive to Denver -

- The folks that recommended that I not take I-17 to get to I-40, that instead I take Rt. 87 to 260 to 77 north were right about a few things. That route was scenic. There were lots of lush trees and rolling hills and majestic vistas. What they forgot to mention was that the speed limits were much lower than I-17's 75 mph, and there were almost NO FREAKIN' PASSING LANES!

When I reached Holbrook and the junction of I-40, I figured out that I had averaged less than 45 mph for that part of the trip. 25% less than the 60 mph I had figured on when calculating my schedule. Made up some of that shortfall on I-40 to Albuquerque and then I-25 north of Albuquerque to Santa Fe.

- Santa Fe was great, at least for the time I spent there. I ate dinner at a local place called the Blue Corn Cafe and Brewery. The meal was something called New Mexican Shepherd's Pie (From the menu: "Seasoned ground beef and calabacitas topped with mashed potatoes, green chile and cheese then baked in a skillet".)

It was great, with the green chile giving it just the right kick. The service was great, too - once the server found how thirsty I was, she brought me two Sprites, not just the one I had ordered. Which brings me to the next lesson...

- Drives like this can be very dehydrating. Don't just bring water (I had a case of .5 liter bottles in a cooler), *drink* it. That night in the motel, I was dizzy from the drive, and drank 5 bottles of the water, even after the two large Sprites.

- Which brings up another "I should have known this already" point - Bring and use sunblock. My left arm was fried on Wednesday, and I needed to drive with a towel over my arm on Thursday to minimize further damage and pain.

- Based on bumper stickers anyway, Obama has the lead in Colorado and New Mexico. I didn't see even one McCain sticker (or sign for that matter) in either state so far, and could do well in AZ as they were about even there.


...And on an unrelated but truly sad note, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) passed away after suffering a hemorrhage from a brain aneurysm. She was the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and she was the first black woman to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Deepest condolences go out to her family, friends, constituents, and colleagues...

My vote in the Scottsdale election...

I wasn't going to weigh in on the races in Scottsdale, but since it seems that everyone else with an online outlet for their opinions is doing so (Scottsdale Republic endorsements here, Jim McAlister, an AZ Rep blogger, lists his votes here, and the EV Tribune has coverage of a number of different endorsements here), here's how I voted...sort of (more on that later)...

The candidates for Council basically fall into two camps (yup, I know that I'm simplifying their positions, probably far more than any candidate would ever want, but) -

- The continued unfettered growth/"whatever is good for developers is good for Scottsdale" crowd (supported by the Chamber of Commerce) - incumbents Ron McCullagh and Betty Drake, as well as candidate Suzanne Klapp. Candidates Liza Borowsky and Oren Davis seem to fall into this category (to be fair though, with Davis it's hard to tell because he's been dealing with some family medical issues and hasn't been able to focus on campaigning in an effective way. Could be an interesting candidate if he chooses to run again in two years.)

- The No Growth/"we like Scottsdale the way it is and won't let anything change no matter what" crowd - Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller.

As you might be able to tell from the way that I've simplified (perhaps oversimplified), I don't exactly subscribe to either school of thought. Mostly, I think that both schools of thought are shortsighted. The first ignores the needs and desires of most of Scottsdale's residents who just want *homes*, not a cover story in Architectural Digest. The second ignores the fact that change happens whether you want it to or not; trying to totally prevent rather than to control and guide change only leads to uncontrolled change.

Joel Bramoweth, the eighth candidate for council, doesn't really belong to either grouping. Therefore, I voted for him.

OK, not really. I *did* vote for him, but because he has nuanced, well-thought out positions and because he has worked hard for the last couple of years to learn about Scottsdale's government from the boards and commissions on up, not just at City Council meetings.

He does tend to ramble a bit when speaking in public (ok - he rambles a *lot*), but he's an educated, intelligent, and decent human being who will be an asset to the Council and to the City (even if occasionally annoying to listen to :) ).

While I'm sure that we are going to disagree on some positions and votes, I firmly believe that when we differ, his positions will be chosen because he truly believes that those particular positions are the right ones, not because he is in someone's pocket or because he wants to appease some local reactionaries.

In other words, he'll be wrong, but he'll be honest and reasoned about it (God knows when we disagree, it won't happen because *I'm* wrong, right?? LOL).

I did cast votes for Mayor and the other two seats on the Council, but those were all exercises in "trying to find the least bad candidates" rather than "voting for good candidates." I won't name who I voted for but will say that my votes for Council were split between the two camps.

Anyway, have a good week; don't expect any more posts at least until Friday from Denver.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing....

...Your humble but ever so wise wiseass blogger is finally moving into the 20th Century. I have acquired that ubiquitous but possibly cancer-causing electronic leash known as a cell phone. For years, I've avoided getting one but since I'm driving to Denver this week across three relatively uninhabited states, it was time.

Of course, when I get the first bill next month, it may be time for screaming... :))


...According to PolitickerAZ, in CD3 the Shadegg campaign is finally talking to the Lord campaign about debates. They're still in the "posturing" phase of the negotiations (the Shadegg campaign wants six debates over the 8 or so weeks between the primary and the general election) so nothing may come of it, but that still puts John Shadegg, someone who's been mailing it in all year, ahead of Joe Arpaio, who still refuses to publicly debate Dan Saban, his challenger for the Maricopa County Sheriff's job.

Somebody needs to let Joe know that it doesn't look good when even a candidate who's tried to retire this year and who thinks his job is "boring" is putting more effort toward his reelection bid than he is.

Not good at all.


...Of course, Shadegg is still doing everything he can to avoid Bob Lord and to minimize his contact with the residents of CD3 (you know - his constituents).

- First, he's been staying in D.C., leading his Republican colleagues in a shameless campaign to befoul America coastlines to benefit Big Oil's profit margins. (The Phoenix Business Journal)

- Next week (August 25 - 28), he's going to Alaska to visit Prudhoe Bay to advocate for the pollution of ANWR, also to benefit Big Oil's profit margins. (PolitickerAZ)

- The week after that (September 1 -4) is the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. The event will be held at the XCEL Energy Center.(GOPConvention2008)

And then on September 8, the week after that, the U.S. House of Representatives is back in session.

In other words, Shadegg is spending his summer district work period doing almost anything but working in his district.

...Posting will be lighter than normal this week, due to the aforementioned trip to Denver (projected high temps for the next week: mid to upper 80s; projected low temps: mid to upper 50s.) :))

Later!

Proposition updates...

On Friday, the Arizona Secretary of State's office disqualified Prop 103, the Conserving Arizona's Water and Land Initiative, from the ballot, saying that more than 158,000 signatures out of the 369,000 submitted were determined to be invalid.

In the press release, she blamed the use of paid petition gatherers for the high number of invalid signatures this year.

From the press release -

“It seems very clear to me this year that the unfortunate practice of paying circulators by the signature seems to directly correlate to the significant amount of bad signatures being collected,” stated Sec. of State Brewer. “As I have called for in the past, the Legislature should look closely at this problem and at the problem of privately funded voter registration drives that aren't properly getting people registered,” added Sec. Brewer, “In the end both of these problems are negatively affecting this years' petition process as being among the largest failure rates in the history of our state.”

The status of other propositions:

Prop 100, Protect Our Homes/No New Home Tax - certified for the ballot. If passed, would bar the state from instituting a sales/transfer tax on real estate. Supported by realtors.

Prop 101, Medical Choice For Arizona - disqualified from the ballot but apparently later placed back on the ballot by court decision. Would bar the state from implementing a universal health care plan or from regulating out-of-state insurers. Supported by the Republican Party, Big Insurance, and Big Health Care; opposed by anyone who understands that paying lots of money to health insurers is no guarantee of effective health care, just lots of insurance company profits.

Prop 102, the legislature's anti-same sex marriage amendment to the state constitution - certified for the ballot upon passage by the lege. If passed, would amend Arizona's constitution to bar same-sex marriage. Supported by the Center for Arizona Policy, the Republican Party, and other schoolyard bullies in three-piece suits. Opposed by most Democrats, many Libertarians, and the gay and lesbian community (I expect that most Greens oppose this too, but since I don't know any personally, I can't ask them :) .)

Prop 103 - discussed above.

Prop 104, The Arizona Civil Rights Initiative - pending. If certified for the ballot and passed, would bar affirmative action and other anti-discrimination programs. Supported by Ward Connerly, Randy Pullen, and the Republican Party; opposed by decent people everywhere.

Prop 105. Majority Rules - Let the People Decide - pending. If certified for the ballot and passed, would require that any ballot measures that increased taxes or government spending pass with the votes of a majority of registered voters, not just voters casting their ballots. Given that voter turnout in good years ranges from 60% (off years) to 75% (presidential election years), this measure would make it all but impossible to pass any new taxes or increase spending. Think of it as the "anti-tobacco tax for children's health care" initiative. Supported by the Republican Party; opposed by the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona School Boards Association, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, the Professional Firefighters of Arizona, and anyone else who favors fiscally responsible governance.

Prop 200, the Payday Loan Reform Act - certified for the ballot. If passed, would make permanent the law allowing payday loan operations, which is due to expire (in 2010, I think.) Supported by the payday loan industry in Arizona and House Speaker Jim Weiers (almost the same thing there); opposed by Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 99, and consumer advocates and community groups across the state.

Prop 201, Homeowners Bill Of Rights - certified for the ballot. If passed, would establish warranties by homebuilders and set out rights and legal remedies for homeowners. Rabidly opposed by the homebuilders; strongly supported by the Sheetmetal Workers Union. And homeowners. And anyone who hopes to ever own a home.

Prop 202, Stop Illegal Hiring - certified for the ballot. If passed, would amend the state's current employer sanctions law. Supported by businesses; roundly opposed by Russell Pearce and the state's nativists.

Prop 203, Transportation and Infrastructure Moving Arizona's Economy ("TIME") Act - disqualified from the ballot, but there is a lawsuit pending to restore it to the ballot. If it makes the ballot and is passed, it would increase the state's sales tax by 1 cent to fund improvements to the state's transportation infrastructure. Supported by Governor Napolitano and the business community; opposed by the Republican Party.

Prop 300, would increase the salaries of state legislators to $30,000 per year. Opposed by people who have been ticked off by something that the lege has or hasn't done and think that all elected officials are bums; supported by people who figure you get what you pay for, and right now we are paying crap. Guess which group I fall into. Hint: not the first group. :))

Updates on the two remaining measures awaiting to be certified (Props 104 and 105) as they become available.

Have a good weekend...

In the news...

...Congrats all the way around to LD17's legislative delegation of Senator Meg Burton Cahill, Representative Ed Ableser, and Representative David Schapira (Democrats, one and all). Each earned a grade of 100% from the Arizona League of Conservation Voters in their Legislative Scorecard for the 2008 session. While there were many high-scoring districts, LD17 was the only district where more than one legislator earned a grade of 100%.

On the opposite end of the scale was LD3, with Sen. Ron Gould and Reps. Trish Groe and Nancy McClain (Rs one and all - of course) earning an average score of 27%.

...While it's been a lot of fun to watch the LD18 Republicans tear themselves apart (LOTS of fun :) ), the media coverage of all of the negative campaigning and polls conducted by Republican firms has all but ignored Tammie Pursley and Judah Nativio, the strong Democratic candidates in the west Mesa district (for House and Senate, respectively). However, the EV Tribune ran a full story on Nativio on Thursday. It was a pretty good piece, one that pointed out that the race for the LD18 senate seat won't end on September 2nd when the contest between immigration attorney (and brother-in-law of Congressman Jeff Flake) Kevin Gibbons reaches its conclusion.

The real race will just be beginning.

...Friday morning at 10, the AZ Democrats will be holding a rally to highlight John McCain's close ties to Big Oil. The rally will take place from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the southwest corner of 48th St. and Thomas, across from the Mobil station.

...Apparently nobody told McCain and the Republicans that they've been calling themselves the party of private property rights - they're getting sued for misappropriating and misusing someone's private property.

From AP -

Jackson Browne sues McCain, RNC over song in ad

Jackson Browne doesn't want John McCain running on anything fueled by his lyrics.

The singer-songwriter sued McCain and the Ohio and national Republican committees in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday, accusing them of using his song "Running on Empty" without his permission.

Perhaps their "respect" for private property rights just doesn't apply to the property of famous liberals...

...In an example of willful irony (OK, it was shameless hypocrisy, but I'm trying to be tactful here - this isn't supposed to be an unmitigated McCain-bashing post), McCain has criticized the Russian invasion of Georgia (the country, not the state), saying things like "In the 21st century, nations don’t invade other nations."

Iraq, John. Iraq.

...Darragh Murphy, head of PUMA PAC, an organization that purports to be a group of grassroots Hillary Clinton supporters working to secure her nomination at the Democratic Convention in two weeks, has some credibility problems.

It turns out that in 2000, she supported John McCain in the Republican Presidential primary to the tune of $500.

Can you say "astroturf"?

This stuff and other stuff about PUMA PAC has been going around the internet for a more than a month now, but she was blathering (and getting ripped apart) on Hardball on Thursday. So I figured that it was my turn (I know a couple of Clinton delegates who read this blog).

...And in goofy news of the day, a Chandler resident wants his city to sue the Obama campaign because he feels that the campaign's logo is so similar to the City of Chandler's logo that it constitutes trademark infringement. (AZ Republic)

I think it's BS, but you decide (logos courtesy the AZRep article linked above) -

Later!

Wow, those superdelegates - they get the best seats in the house!

The DNCC announced today that Arizona's own Governor Janet Napolitano will be onstage at the Democratic National Convention. On Tuesday, August 26, she will be one of the speakers presenting Sen. Barack Obama's economic plan to the convention delegates and to America.

From the DNCC press release -

Tuesday night’s featured speakers include Convention Co-Chair Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, both early supporters of Barack Obama, who will outline his detailed economic plan to grow the economy, create jobs, restore fairness and expand opportunity.

Other Tuesday speakers include -

Keynote speaker Mark Warner, former Governor of Virginia.

Senator and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton of New York.

Governors Ted Strickland of Ohio and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania will speak about how the failed BushCo economic policies of the last eight years have seriously jacked up our economy (note: "jacked up" is my term, not the DNCC's, and it's a euphemism.)

Senator Bob Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania and Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will speak about how Sen. Obama's economic plan has been shaped and influenced by the needs and concerns of middle-class America.

Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Federico Peña, former Mayor of Denver and Secretary of both Energy and Transportation will speak on the relationship between energy and America's economic vitality.

Other, previously announced, speakers include Michelle Obama, Craig Robinson (Michelle Obama's brother), Sen. Claire MacCaskill of Missouri, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. They'll speak on the opening night of the convention. Monday night will also feature a tribute to Sen. Ted Kennedy.

On Wednesday, Sen. Obama's as-yet-unannounced pick for VP will speak. The announced theme for Wednesday is national security.

On Thursday, Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado will speak and Sen. Obama will give his acceptance speech at Invesco Field.

Later!

"It was a whitewash."

tuesday afternoon, the dogs and ponies were on full parade on West Washington as the Senate Ethics Committee held its hearing on the ethics complaint against Sen. Jack Harper.

Before I get into some of the gory details, here's the summary - the Senate Ethics Committee, by a strict party-line vote, dismissed Sen. Ken Cheuvront's ethics complaint against Sen. Jack Harper.

There was no surprise there - no Republican-dominated ethics committee is ever going to hold a fellow Republican responsible for his actions, no matter how craven.

This was my first chance to see Harper in action up close. He lived down to expections, and what's more, he brought one of the few half-decent Senate Republicans down to his level. Sen. Jay Tibshraeny of Chandler. Tibshraeny is very conservative, usually numbering among the most conservative in the body. However, he has a reputation for conducting himself with intelligence and professionalism.

Tuesday's hearing changed that - he obviously places base partisanship ahead of professionalism these days.

Anyway, the hearing had an interesting dynamic to it - if somebody who wasn't aware of the particulars of the hearing had walked in during the first hour, they'd have thought that Sen. Cheuvront was the one facing an ethics inquiry. Republicans Robert Blendu and Barbara Leff grilled him mercilessly, expending most of their energies with inquiries into and criticisms of Cheuvront's actions on the night in question.

While they eventually did ask Harper a few questions, those questions were softballs. I'm not sure if it's related, but there were a number of moments when the woman who was sitting with Harper walked over to consult with Blendu and/or Leff (sorry, but I didn't get her name.)

It should be said now that for his part, Harper did apologize.

For his part in the "divisiveness" of the last few days of the Senate's session and for his "less than stellar acting" when he pretended that his cutting off the mics was a mistake.

He didn't actually apologize for the actions that precipitated Tuesday's hearing.

Note: in her coverage of the hearing, Amanda Crawford of the AZ Republic's Political Insider said that Harper apologized for his less than stellar "actions." Watch the video archive - he said "acting." That video should be posted here within a day or two.

He excused his own actions by saying that he was "following the advice of counsel," counsel who had informed him that the the Democrats didn't have the right to retain the floor.

That "counsel" was Majority Leader Thayer Verschoor. Not exactly an impartial observer there.

Among the other highlights of Tuesday's performance -

- Harper opined that that ethics committee complaints are only for those senators "who enrich themselves" financially (as opposed to those who shame the Senate professionally)...

- Harper derided EqualityAZ emails to its supporters, asking them to lobby committee members, categorizing the emails as "attempts to intimidate"...

- When asked direct questions by Democratic members Sen. Martha Arzberger and Sen. Richard Miranda, he spouted off on other subjects. For instance, when asked why he didn't simply warn Cheuvront that he felt the debate was off topic, he answered that he wasn't required to recognize points of order from the floor.

Huh???

- Harper admitted that he listens to EqualityAZ Radio, offering a recording to anyone who wanted one.

- When he was asked a direct question, Harper waited until Tibshraeny, the committee's chair, officially recognized him. Harper said that Senate rules require that Senators not speak until specifically called upon by the Chair. The first couple of times he did this, it was cute, even a little funny.

After two hours of it, it was just downright annoying.

- Of course, that was nowhere near as annoying as Harper's habit of refering to senators by district number, not name.

A habit he continued even when Blendu asked him to use names.

- During the explanation of his vote, Blendu brought up offshore oil drilling.

Huh (squared)??

Senator Cheuvront summed up the day's proceedings thusly -

It was a whitewash.

Overall impressions of Harper, Leff, Blendu, and to a lesser but still definite extent, Tibshraeny -

Schoolyard bullies in three piece suits.


Zelph at AZNetroots has coverage here.

Later!

Events and other election stuff (and an Ethics Committee hearing into Jack Harper's behavior)...

...Tuesday, August 12 - As chronicled by Zelph at AZNetroots, the hearing by the Senate Ethics Committee, putatively to investigate the actions of Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise!) is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. At the end of the Senate session in June, Harper abused his power as the chair of the Senate meeting to cut off Democratic Senators Paula Aboud and Ken Cheuvront. He was trying to railroad an anti-same sex marriage constitutional amendment on to the November ballot; they were working to prevent that. When Harper arbitrarily shut off the Dems' microphones, he violated Senate rules.

However justified the hearing may be, it's nothing but a sham as two of the three Republican members of the five-member committee, Sens. Barbara Leff and Robert Blendu, have already announced that they don't think that Harper committed any violations. Still, it could be interesting to watch the hearing; while the outcome is all but determined, some of the nuances and shadings of the proceedings could be fun (like who shows up to watch, how long they make Harper squirm before giving him a free pass, etc.) Video should be available here.

...Tuesday, August 12 - The LD17 Democrats will hold their monthly meeting at the Pyle Center in Tempe (SW corner of Baseline and Rural). The special guest speaker will be Congressman Harry Mitchell. Other highlights include Adralyn Wendel from the coordinated campaign office, campaign updates, and T-SHIRTS!

...Tuesday, August 12 - Rebecca Schneider and Chris Gramazio, Democratic challengers to Congressman Jeff Flake (R-CD6), will hold a debate at the main branch of the Chandler Library, 22 S. Delaware St.

...The Ed Hermes for County Supervisor campaign will be holding phone banks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and canvassing in LD20 on Sunday, August 17. For more details, contact the campaign at 480-626-8100 or stop by the campaign HQ at 7305 W. Boston St., Chandler.

...Friday, August 15 - There will be an open house at the coordinated campaign office in Tempe (123 E. Baseline - SE corner Mill and Baseline). Stop by from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and meet Congressman Harry Mitchell, LD17 State Senator Meg Burton-Cahill, and LD17 State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira as well at Ted Maish and Rae Waters (LD 20 Candidates), Phil Hettmansperger (LD 21 Candidate), Tammy Pursley and Judah Nativio (LD 18 Candidates), and Ed Hermes (County Board of Supervisors Candidate).

...In "non-event but still pretty informative (and funny) news, the AZ Democratic Party has launched ShadeggforSenate.com, dedicated to the future political aspirations of Congressman John Shadegg (R-Calgon, take me away!). It's a sharp needle aimed toward the balloon of Shadegg's career in D.C., but it has a tough act to follow in the Maricopa County Democratic Party's Joe'sGotToGo.com, aimed at Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Later!

County Supervisor secretly records meeting with constituents

In a story that broke on Thursday in the AZ Rep's Political Insider, Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock (R-SD1) secretly (and bizarrely) taped a meeting with representatives of community groups from his district.

From the article -

Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock secretly videotaped a sometimes-testy sit-down with four advocates from Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability, the Arizona Advocacy Network, and ACORN.

{snip}

"That’s something you would expect of the old Kremlin," said Linda Brown, executive director of the advocacy network. "It’s a tactic of an adversarial approach towards the citizens you are representing. It certainly doesn’t show good faith. I think most voters would be shocked that our own elected officials -- these are people that serve at the pleasure of the citizens, for the citizens -- are conducting themselves in a way that is, in essence, spying on representatives of the community."

Brock told the Insider that he wanted the meeting recorded in case something "irregular" happened.

"I just wanted to protect myself, the county, the sheriff, and other elected officials ... from anything that might be irregular," he said. "My only instruction was to video(tape) the meeting in case something got out of hand."

A call to Brock's office has yet to be returned (to be fair, he may not be dodging the call - I placed the call late on a Friday afternoon. His weekend may have started early.)

I spoke to one of the meeting attendees, Linda Brown, ED of the Arizona Advocacy Network. She reiterated what was said in the Republic's piece, that until the end of the meeting (when the mics were uncovered) the meeting was a "positive" one where the representatives of the different groups told Brock a little about their groups and their own backgrounds. They also expressed concerns about the "climate of intimidation" created by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his anti-immigrant sweeps.

They recounted incidents of families not attending church or parents not bringing their children to school; Brock followed up by noting that people now flee when the County's health services van shows up for immunization clinics (he later back off from in any way implying that there is anything even remotely resembling a 'climate of intimidation' in the county.)

Ms. Brown found the attempted secrecy and deceptiveness of Brock's actions to be unusual (to put it mildly) and somewhat unethical (to put it tactfully.)

By all accounts, Brock's move was also rather amateurish - the recording was accomplished by taking mics that were designed for tabletops and placing them on the floor under the table in front of each of the community activists. They were found when one of the activists accidentally kicked a mic.

Maybe Brock is auditioning to play the bad guy in a sequel to the Get Smart movie...he is probably looking for a job to transition to after this fall's election, anyway. :)

Ed Hermes, the Democrat challenging Brock this fall, stated that it was "clear that Brock went to great lengths to cover up" the fact that he was recording the meeting, and that it was "unfortunate that he [Brock] could't be upfront and honest" with members of the public.

I found Brock's quote from the article to be a telling one - his first priority was to protect other elected officials, not to help his constituents or his community.

Based on the original AZ Rep piece, the writer of the article (Yvonne Wingett) was able to view the recording of the meeting. Perhaps it will be posted on the County Supes' website - after all, even though the fact that it was being recorded was kept secret from most of the participants, the meeting itself took place in a public meeting area of the county complex and was streamed live to the offices of all of the Supervisors.

Later....

Things I'm grateful for today...

Among the things that I'm grateful for today -

...John Edwards' admission that he had an affair. Not that I'm glad that he had the affair (and my sympathies go out to Elizabeth Edwards and the Edwards family), but it's forced the MSM to break away from their wall-to-wall coverage of the Brett Favre unretirement saga.

...God knows that I *never* thought I would be in a position to say this, but I'm grateful for Paris Hilton this week. Her response to a McCain ad that compared Barack Obama to her and Britney Spears made the McCain campaign look like a bunch of ignorant fools. Yup, the McCainiacs got punked by a celebutante; when they sit around and evaluate their efforts this week, they're going to have to admit that they came off looking like the intellectual (and comedic!) inferiors to someone best known for her partying and for her DUI busts, all while not looking as good ("wrinkly white-haired guy" LOL).

...Yet another incumbent GOP congressman lost in a primary race, this time in Tennessee. Outgoing (and now disgruntled) Rep. David Davis blamed Democrats for his loss, conveniently ignoring the fact that his opponent successfully tied him to Big Oil. This situation might give John Shadegg and his cohorts pause - while they showboat on the House floor in an attempt to place the blame for energy prices on Democrats, even other Republicans know where the blame belongs.

...Regarding the State Senate race in LD18, the Republicans there are turning on each other with a viciousness normally reserved for Democrats and Mexicans. There have been duelling press releases, mailers, countermailers, robo-calls, email blasts, and blog posts (here, too). And all of that doesn't even include the invective that supporters of each candidate have been throwing at the other candidate and the other candidate's supporters directly. Shark Week may be officially over, but whenever Nathan Sproul is involved (AZ's Karl Rove wanna-be), there's always chum in the water or mail box.

So what can a Democrat or Independent do?

How 'bout grab some popcorn, enjoy the show, and remember to vote for Judah Nativio and Tammie Pursley in November.


What? You read the title of this post and were expecting something sappy and syrupy? You ought to know better by now. :))

Later...

A mixed bag for AZ's GOPers...

One business-backed initiatve thrown off the ballot, while another business-backed initiative is certified and will be placed on the ballot.

From a press release from the AZ Secretary of State's office -

Secretary of State Jan Brewer today officially certified Proposition 202, the Stop Illegal Hiring initiative as having met the minimum number of qualified signatures to be placed on the ballot. The Secretary also formally notified the “Medical Choice for Arizona ” Initiative (Prop. 101) that the measure lacks the minimum number of signatures to qualify for the November General Election ballot.

The "Stop Illegal Hiring" initiative is a business-backed measure to alter the state's existing anti-immigrant employer sanctions law. (AZRep) It is roundly opposed by Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and the "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out wing" of the Republican Party. (Maricopa County Republican Party)

The "Medical Choice for Arizona" initiative proposed an amendment to AZ's constitution that would have barred any law that "restricts a person's freedom of choice of private health care systems or private plans of any type." In short, it's a local version of John Shadegg's H.R. 4460, a scheme to allow insurers based in one state to sell policies in other states without regard to other states' laws.

The Medical Choice initiative was a favorite of the "Chamber of Commerce" wing of the GOP - it was supported by GOP moneymen like Jim Click ($25K) and and by 'free market' organizations like Woodland Group LLC ($10K), an Indiana-based astroturf group. (HuffingtonPost). Woodland Group is a major player among Indiana-based 527 groups, easily out-contributing the next five Indiana-based groups combined in 2004). (Center for Public Integrity) It's a big player nationally too, contributing over $1.8 million during the 2002 elections. (Congressional Research Service report, courtesy PolicyArchive.org.)

As of the end of May, the committee behind the initiative had raised and spent approximately $400K, with tens of thousands more since.

All in all, a split decision for the "Chamber of Commerce" wing, one they can probably live with - there's dozens of ways to get around state insurance regulations, but Arizona's employer sanctions laws totally screws with their efforts find and control a cheap labor force.

As for Pearce and his wingnuts? Sit back and enjoy the screaming, hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing - they don't care about helping insurance companies as much as they care about hurting people with brown skin.

Later...

Democratic Volunteer Award Winners

Courtesy a press release sent by Emily DeRose, Communications Director for the Arizona Democratic Party -

Arizona Democrats announce Volunteer Awards winners

At the Arizona Democrat Party's annual Volunteer Awards Dinner on Saturday in Flagstaff, the Pine Mountain Amphitheater provided a dramatic backdrop as volunteers were honored for their service to the party and its candidates.

"Simply put, we could not function without the efforts of our volunteers. We can never thank them enough, so we cherish opportunities like this to celebrate their accomplishments," said Don Bivens, Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. "And, thanks to their hard work, we'll all be celebrating a bluer Arizona this November."

A list of the winners and runners up follows:


Outstanding Headquarters Volunteer

Jim Jaster, Pima County

Jim Jaster has been a volunteer Facilities Manager for the Pima County Democratic Party for eight years. Out of the goodness of his heart, he has fixed everything from clogged toilets to holes in the floor.

1st Runner Up (a tie): Chris Baker, West Valley Democrats; and Meera Paskal, ADP Headquarters.


Outstanding County Chair

Vince Rabago, Pima County

Vince Rabago is the Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party. He is known in the area for his forward-thinking strategies to promote the Party in his County.

1st Runner Up (a tie): Mark Manoil, Maricopa County; and Charlene Fernandez, Yuma County.


Outstanding Young Volunteer

Sami Hamed, Pima County

Now 28, Sami Hamed has been a precinct committeeperson since he was 18. He has volunteered on campaigns from school board to Congress, and serves as the Governor's appointed member of the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind.

1st Runner up: Stacy Hettmansperger, Maricopa County

2nd Runner up: Ruben Gallego, Maricopa County


Democrat of the Year

Jim Woodbrey, Pima County

Jim Woodbrey, First Vice President and Program Chair of the Santa Rita Area Democratic Club, is a go-to volunteer for Southern Arizona. If there is something needed by the Democratic Party or its candidates, Woodbrey is on the top of the list of resources.

1st Runner up: Ken and Barbara Smith, Navajo County

2nd Runner Up: Dan Flores, Coconino County


Outstanding Club or Organization

Nucleus Club of Pima County

For more than forty years, the Nucleus Club of Pima County has sponsored events for Democrats, featuring prominent speakers from the party.

1st Runner Up: Pinal County Democratic Club

2nd Runner Up: Young Democrats


Outstanding District Chair

Doug Mings, LD 17

As Chair of Legislative District 17, Doug Mings has taken his party from the minority to the majority among registered voters in his district.

1st Runner Up: Mohur Sidhwa, LD 28

2nd Runner Up: Debra Boehlke, LD 4


Outstanding Precinct Committeeperson:

Jeffrey Tucker, Capistrano Precinct

Jeffrey Tucker became a precinct committeeperson the hard way, by standing outside the poll in his new precinct on Election Day to solicit write-in votes. He serves as district secretary and chair of LD 20's new finance committee.

1st Runner Up: Wayne Culver, Village Precinct

2nd Runner Up: Shaya Rodriguez, Globe #6 Precinct


Outstanding Campaign Volunteer:

Maureen Cotner, Maricopa County

Maureen Cotner is recognized for her service to several campaigns, including Debra Boehlke's bid for State House in 2006, Robert Boehlke's current bid for State Senate, and Angela Cotera's campaign for State Senate.

1st Runner Up: Demitri Downing, Pima County

2nd Runner Up: Brandan Spradling, Maricopa County


Lifetime of Democratic Service:

Genie Zavaleta, Maricopa County

A tireless advocate for political and basic human rights for immigrants, "Genie" Zavaleta, has been a fixture in Democratic politics in LD 17 for decades. She has been described as "the most effective PC that D17 has ever known."

1st Runner Up: Fred Von Blume, Maricopa County

2nd Runner Up: Bill Risner, Pima County

Congrats to all of the winners and nominees for their work on behalf of Democratic and community causes. They all deserve our recognition and thanks.

Note: Whoooo hooooo! Two highly-deserving D17'ers, Genie Zavaleta (Lifetime of Democratic Service) and Doug Mings (Outstanding District Chair), were recognized for their dedication and hard work! There are certain to be a lot of hearty congratulations at next week's D17 meeting (Tuesday, 7 p.m., Pyle Center in Tempe).