...Apparently, the leash from the Center for Arizona
Last week, a video emerged purporting to show a senior official from Planned Parenthood offering for sale tissue from fetuses that have been aborted (not going to link to it; it's easy to find if you really want to see it).
It was quickly shown to be heavily selectively edited and egregiously taken out of context (the actual conversation was about using legitimately donated tissue for legitimate medical research), but that hasn't stopped hordes of anti-choicers from citing the video when they demonize Planned Parenthood.
Which is something that they do the same way that normal people breathe.
Anyway, Doug Ducey, Governor of Arizona, has jumped on the anti-PP bandwagon with a statement. From that statement -
Governor Doug Ducey today directed the Arizona Department of Health Services to conduct a thorough review of current law and immediately promulgate emergency rules designed to prohibit the illegal sale of any tissue from an unborn child.
Since Ducey has officially deemed it OK to change public policy based on open lies, maybe it's time to play with the truth a little and see how much he likes it.
Found this picture on Yahoo.com -
Ducey, left, and Cathi Herrod, President of CA |
Now, someone with Photoshop skills could do a better job with this than me, but this may be good enough to make my point -
The crudely-drawn black line going from Herrod's right hand to Ducey's neck represents a leash attached to a collar.
Now, to be clear, while it seems clear that Herrod and her group exert undue influence at the Capitol (9th Floor and elsewhere), to the best of my knowledge, a physical leash is not involved (meaning that the above pic is meant to be taken as a physical representation of a metaphor, not as documentation of an actual leash).
Having said that, I have to ask -
Would he like it if the above picture (or one done more skillfully) were circulated during his next election campaign?
While it is not accurate in a literal sense (like the anti-PP video), it is accurate in a metaphorical sense (unlike the anti-PP video)...
...Am I the only person who thinks that Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate (and God's gift to comedians and wiseasses everywhere), instead of being the "nightmare" for the GOP that many in the GOP seem to believe, is actually their wettest dream -
- he actually has Democrats defending Sen. John McCain (R-Never Met A War He Didn't Monger) and his military service.
- he is providing cover for the other R candidates, all of whom have gone right on with saying things that should disqualify them from ever holding *any* elected office, much less the presidency. However, the national media is focused on Trump and his never-ending case of verbal diarrhea.
...News broke this week that Rodney Glassman, the 2010 Democratic nominee for US Senate in AZ, has changed his voter registration from Democrat to Republican.
Most people that I talked to about this A) hadn't heard the news prior to reading about it in the Yellow Sheet Report and B) weren't surprised - he was never much of a Democrat, and unless the AZGOP changes its name to the "Arizona Glassman Party", he's probably not going to be much of a Republican (though he may find some common cause with the Chamber of Commerce wing of the AZGOP).
The story mentioned that he might be exploring a run in LD28 (looking to unseat Democratic State Rep. Eric Meyer). As of this writing, the website of the AZSOS doesn't show him as establishing a campaign committee (statewide, exploratory, or legislative).
Just to be thorough, I checked the websites of the FEC and Maricopa County; no Glassman activity in either place as yet.
Edit on 7/27: Rep Meyer is facing term limits in the House and has formed a committee for a Senate run. He is expected to face the incumbent senator for LD28, Republican Adam Driggs. As such, if Glassman does indeed go for a House seat, it will be an open seat. However, unless he is better connected within the LD28GOP and can fend off would-be competitors before nominating signatures are filed, he will face a number of challengers.
Many of whom may view themselves as having "waited their turn" and will be reluctant to step aside for an upstart.
Having said that, a Glassman primary victory isn't impossible, just difficult to foresee.
Apologies to readers for in my haste to complete this post, I didn't check Meyer's status while searching for any Glassman committees.
End edit...
...Also this past week, the US House of Representatives passed HB3009, punishing "sanctuary cities" (cities that don't notify the feds of the immigration status of people that come into contact with "the system"). The vote fell almost completely along party lines, but six Democrats crossed over to support this nugget of nativist grandstanding.
Including Arizona's own Kyrsten Sinema (CD9).
I don't know if she was always on the nativist train (support: her friendly relationship with the infamous Russell Pearce) or if she is triangulating, trying to gain the support of people who will never vote for her anyway (support: everything she has done since gaining the office), she is looking ever more vulnerable to a primary challenge.
I don't know if one will happen in 2016, but one is coming, and soon.