R gameplan: When you can't win legitimately, lie, stereotype, and intimidate

There seems to be two basic paths to electoral victory - love and hate.  The path that Republicans have doubled down on isn't "love."

From MSNBC -

An awful lie about Haitian migrants led to this threat against citizens far away

There appears to be a campaign among some conservatives to bully everybody else into political inactivity or silence. appears 

The hateful lie pushed by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating their neighbors’ pets not only endangered those migrants, it also led to an Ohio sheriff three hours away threatening citizens who show support for the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a Sept. 13 Facebook post that he later claimed “may have been a little misinterpreted,” Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski suggested tracking “all the addresses of the people who had [Harris] signs in their yards” so that “when the Illegal human ‘Locust’ (which she supports!) Need places to live...We’ll already have the addresses of their New families...who supported their arrival!”

The hate spewed by Cheeto et. al. has traveled.

From AZ Mirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy -

In a key legislative race, the GOP candidate joked about feeding dogs to Haitians

A GOP candidate whose state Senate race could determine which party controls the legislature embraced a racist lie demonizing a group of legal immigrants, telling a room of gay Republicans last month that Pima County’s stray dogs would be fed to Haitian people if Democrats win elections.

Vince Leach made the comment at a Log Cabin Republican meeting in Pima County on Sept. 22. The former state senator, who defeated Sen. Justine Wadsack in the July GOP primary, made the comment in the midst of a back-and-forth between Republican legislative candidates and the crowd.

“At the end of the day I want every Republican up and down the ballot,” Rep. Cory McGarr, R-Tucson, told the crowd. That includes even insignificant races, and would apply to the job of “dog-catcher,” a position that isn’t elected in Arizona.

[snip]

That’s when Leach entered the conversation. “They’d feed ‘em to the Haitians,” he said.

[snip]

Leach’s comments stem from a conspiracy theory that was initially spread by neo-Nazis in the town of Springfield, Ohio, in an attempt to demonize Haitian immigrants in the community. Since then, the false claim has been spread across the right-wing media ecosystem, where it was embraced by Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the vice presidential nominee for the Republicans, and later being promoted by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. 

In the weeks following the former President’s boosting of the claim, Arizona Republicans have fully embraced it. While appearing on Real America with Dan Ball, Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Kari Lake claimed that “cities wouldn’t want to confirm” the false rumor when responding to Ball claiming that pets were being “barbecued” in Ohio.

[snip]

Arizona Republican state Senate nominee Mark Finchem also shared a meme alluding to cats being eaten by Haitian immigrants, while Flagstaff Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers posted multiple times on social media amplifying the false claim. 

And the Arizona Republican Party trumpeted the invented story, creating a billboard themed after fast-food restaurant Chick-Fil-A’s ads. 

Proof the a state legislator (allegedly) doesn't have to reside in the district to misuse their position of trust

There's a lot of contempt shown here - contempt for actual public servants, contempt for voters, and contempt for customers.

From the Arizona Capitol Times, written by Jakob Thorington -

2 lawmakers intervene in discipline of senator’s husband

Public records obtained by the Arizona Capitol Times revealed that two state senators intervened in a business license complaint case in 2023 for the husband of one of the senators.

On Dec. 7, 2022, Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, called the Arizona Board of Technical Registration, or BTR, asking for the board to cease its investigation of her husband, Hal Kunnen, a home inspector based in Flagstaff and the Phoenix metro area.

[snip]

Shortly after Rogers’ call, Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, attended the Enforcement Advisory Committee meeting on Jan. 17, 2023, to represent Kunnen during the committee’s executive session meeting to review his case.

[snip]

During this legislative session, Wadsack introduced Senate Bill 1120, which would require agencies or occupational associations with disciplinary authority over its members to investigate complaints against business licensees only if the complainant has had a “substantial nexus” or business transaction with the subject of the complaint.

There have been allegations about Rogers not actually living in the district which she has been rather vociferous and petty in denying.

Wadsack has had some questions about her residency, too.

Both have survived the doubts, but the questions persist.

One thing that has never been questioned is their hate bonafides.

Wadsack's SB1120 has received COW (Committee Of the Whole) consideration in the House and awaits final consideration there.

Kunnen is still a licensed home inspector.  The consent decree that he signed is here.

The fix was in...

...to pass something that will just make things worse instead or fixing things.

At the state legislature, the Senate's Elections Committee and the House's Municipal Oversight and Elections Committee held a joint meeting to consider two Republican-proposed bills at 9 a.m.*

* = they have a verrryyyyy flexible concept of time at the legislature

They were meeting to consider SB1733 (introduced by Sen. Wendy Rogers) and HB2785 (Rep. Alexander Kolodin), identical bills that are supposed to address the state's elections calendar, which threatens to disenfranchise Arizona voters,

I spent 2 1/2+ hours watching it online.  I recommend doing so, unless you have something better to do.  Like taking out the trash.  Or washing your hair.  Or amputating one of your legs.

Primary takeaway: Both bills passed committee on party-line votes.  

Other takes on the meeting:

- The lege does have a rather flexible concept of time - the meeting was slated to start at 9 a.m. but wasn't gaveled in until 9:21 a.m..

Shortly after that,  one of the chairs (Sen. Wendy Rogers) noted that the meeting was going to take an hour.

Rogers observed at 10:17 that her hour had ended 15 minutes before.

Rogers and the other chair, Rep. Jaqueline Parker, recessed the meeting at 10:50, for "five" minutes.

The meeting reconvened 11:03.

It ended at 11:39.

...Apparently, both Rogers and Parker believe that "committee chair" is another way of saying "absolute dictator".

They had a dissenter ejected from the hearing.  He's ruffled tender legislative sensibilities before.

They tried to suppress dissent by limiting public testimony to four speakers.

...Rep Alexander Kolodin, sponsor of HB2785 and an attorney, like to hear himself talk.  One of the things that he said that he wasn't involved with litigation related to signature verification in Yavapai County.  That seemed to be a really specific denial, so I did a little research.  Turns out, that was true in a lawyer's sort of way.  Is there another case he's involved with?  Yup, in Mohave County.

He (and others) stated that they've been working on this for months.  So they sat on this until the situation became urgent and think that they can force their propaganda on the rest of the people of Arizona.

...There was a lot of lying and dissembling going on.  Mostly by the Republican members.  They all thought (and opined) that the extraneous signature verification clauses in the bill(s) were essential to changing election dates.

...Don't hire these folks to do your taxes.  They're without ability to do basic math.  They added two speakers and the Rep. Parker said that meant there were three in favor of the bill and three opposed.

I counted five in favor and one opposed.  They could only get to three and three by counting the last two speakers as "opposed" - they wanted the bill amended to make the signature verification portion harsher.

...Sen. Sonny Borrelli may not be the brightest light in the nighttime sky.  He tried to plant words in the mouth of the one speaker who was actually opposed to the measure(s), and when that speaker didn't go for it, Borrelli tried to do so again.

[Edited on 2/7 to add]:

...Certain members of the state legislature are still ticked off by the Red for Ed movement of a few years ago.  At least, they used the bills to get their "petty and vindictive" on -

[/End edit]

Pics from the video feed -

House members showed up before Senate members.

 

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse confer before the meeting (Center of the pic, L-R) -

Sens Rogers and Bennett, and Reps Parker and Kolodin.

In honor of the upcoming Super Bowl, it might be appropriate to refer to them as the Fearsome Foursome.

But that would be overrating them.

Sen. Sundareshan making a point

Sen. Hernandez making a point

Rep. Terech making a point

Rep. Kolodin with his mouth open.  Not an unusual occurrence

Quick!  Some lobbyist needs to give Sen, Kavanagh a comb!

Prefiling bills, or the AZ lege's way of getting an early start..

...Hey, it may be getting an early start on cravenness and insanity, but an early start is an early start, right?

State Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-Bigot) has proposed three measures, and two are related to banning the use of photo radar to enforce traffic laws, one proposed bill and one proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution.

This public hatred for photo radar that the legislature has is something that they've had for a while.

Mostly because they keep running into it.

The other bill (for now, I'm sure she has more nuggets of ugly to propose) is SB1004.

This one seeks to bar foreign ownership of agricultural land in AZ, but this appears to be meaningless Republican nativist propaganda.

While we've had our issues with that, specifically Saudi Arabia depleting groundwater in rural AZ, this proposal impacts neither water nor Saudi Arabia.

From Rogers' bill proposal -

There are other issues here that lead me to believe that is just nativist propaganda (e.g. - it's sloppily written) and isn't going to go anywhere, but it's an early sign that the AZ legislature intends to produce lots of garbage, and not much that will help the average Arizonan.

Hope Governor Hobbs has kept her veto pen close at hand.

Candidate updates - state and (Maricopa) county

On July 13, Republican former legislator Kate Brophy McGee formed a committee to for run the district 3 seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to be vacated by Bill Gates, also a Republican,  He's not running for reelection because of threats directed at him and his family by MAGAts.

Prediction:  as she is what passes for a moderate in today's GOP, she'll face those same threats if she wins the R primary.

Actually, the MAGAt members of her party probably won't wait for their primary to be over before engaging in threatening behavior.

She'll be acting as her own treasurer.

From the website of the Maricopa County Recorder -

State Rep. David Cook (R-LD7) is going to challenge State Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-LD7) in the primary in that district.  He hasn't formed a committee as yet but he confirmed his intent with an appearance on KPNX's (Channel 12 Phoenix) Sunday Square Off.

Prediction:  Same as above, even if Rogers is found not to live in LD7 and can't run there.

Republican former legislator and failed Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem seems to be prepping for a run for Maricopa County Recorder.  Even though he lives in Pima County.

Prediction: No MAGAt threats (since he is one), but he may not run as he would have to move.

He hasn't filed a statement of interest with Maricopa County as yet, but the County hasn't updated that list since May 1st.

The list of Maricopa County offices to be elected in 2024 -

The AZSOS list of statements of interest is here.

Filing a statement of interest isn't mandatory before forming a committee and neither filing a statement of interest and/or forming a committee guarantees that the person doing so will appear on a ballot.

Throwing bombs is sexier than actually governing...just ask the shameless bomb throwers

Gotta wonder if certain folks realize that the debt ceiling deal, while bad, is spoken well of when it's so thoroughly opposed by those who hate America.

From KJZZ, written by Kirsten Dorman -

Congressman Andy Biggs says debt ceiling deal is an 'abomination'

Congress is considering an agreement to avoid a government default and raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

Both President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have said it’s a compromise that includes GOP demands, like cuts in spending. But Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs said the proposal is an “abomination.”

“I had no idea that we would see a plan as ephemeral and malodorous as this plan,” Biggs said. “I’m gonna vote ‘no.’ I urge my colleagues to vote ‘no.’”

Biggs didn't confine his spouting off to reporters' mics, either.

Social media served as an outlet for his bile.  From Twitter -

The bile-spewing wasn't limited to members of Congress.

While he hasn't yet weighed in on the topic, I expect that Biggs' saddle partner, Paul Gosar, will oppose the debt ceiling deal.

He may just be waiting for Vlad to make his pronouncement on the deal.

State Sen. Wendy Rogers has a command appearance scheduled in Flagstaff that she may blow off

 Journalists accepting a gig in AZ will need something when they come here - sunblock.

And if they're assigned to the Capitol beat, they'll need something else - a snow shovel, as they'll be dealing with some very sensitive snowflakes that will melt, not in the heat of Arizona, but in the heat of competent reporting.

From the Arizona Republic via Yahoo! (written by Ray Stern and dated 4/21) -

Reporter investigating where state Sen. Wendy Rogers lives in Arizona hit with restraining order

Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, has convinced a judge to issue an order barring a reporter from contacting her at home.

Flagstaff Justice Court Magistrate Judge Amy Criddle signed the restraining order April 19 against Camryn Sanchez, who covers the state Senate for the Arizona Capitol Times, after a petition from Rogers, R-Flagstaff. Criddle's order doesn't appear to show Sanchez doing anything out of the ordinary in her job as a reporter.

Note: There was some difference between the news stories on this matter.  Some referred to Criddle as a JP; some referred to her as a judge on the Flagstaff City Court bench.  As it turns out, she is a city court judge who also works as a pro-tem (temporary) Justice of the Peace.

There will be a hearing on May 10 in Flagstaff to consider whether the order should continue.

From the Arizona Daily Sun (written by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services, dated 4/28) -

Flagstaff judge to hear arguments in Wendy Rogers' court order vs. reporter

A Flagstaff judge will hear arguments on May 10 whether to dissolve a court order that keeps an Arizona Capitol Times reporter away from the three homes of Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers.

The hearing will be the first opportunity for the attorney for Camryn Sanchez to question Rogers about her allegations that the reporter had harassed her by going to houses that the senator admitted she owns in Maricopa County to check where she actually is living.

This has earned the attention of other reporters.  From Twitter -

Also from Twitter -

I'm guessing that Rogers won't attend and the order will be vacated - testifying under oath about anything may be something she wants to avoid.

Of course, she could choose another path - resign her position.

It may be honorable, but I don't recommend that anyone hold their breath while waiting for that to happen.

No one's ever accused Rogers of being honorable.

The ADL has a list of members of the far-right fringe group the Oath Keepers. Surprisingly, it doesn't include the entire R caucus of the legislature.

It should, though.

From the ADL -

The Oath Keepers Data Leak: Unmasking Extremism in Public Life

In the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, significant public and legal scrutiny was focused on the Oath Keepers, a large anti-government extremist group associated with the militia movement. Despite the group’s national profile, few specifics were known about its membership.

That changed in September 2021, when the non-profit journalist collective Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) published – among other data – more than 38,000 names on the Oath Keepers’ membership list. The membership data provides unique insight into the people who signed up and paid dues to the organization over the years and helps illuminate the extent to which the group’s anti-government ideology has permeated mainstream society.

[snip]

There are some notable exceptions. While COE did not find anyone currently holding office at the federal level, there were several individuals on the membership list who hold state positions, including:

• Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers, a self-proclaimed member of the Oath Keepers, who has remained a supporter despite the group’s alleged participation in the January 6 attack. In March 2021 – just two months after the insurrection – Rogers met with the Cottonwood Oath Keepers and praised the group for their “dedication to our Constitution and to our country.” According to the database, she signed up for an annual membership.

[snip]

• Major Eben Bratcher, who works for the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, wrote, “I am currently the Patrol Bureau Commander for the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona. We have 85 sworn officers and Border Mexico on the South and California on the West. I’ve already introduced your web site to dozens of my Deputies.” Bratcher claims he left the organization several years ago because of the number of emails it sent.

[snip]

While the open-source resources used by COE to identify individuals typically provide accurate information, there are some limitations to this methodology, particularly in verifying names within the database that matched the names of law enforcement and military personnel.

First, multiple people in an area may have the same name. To the best of its abilities, COE worked to verify the individuals in question, and common names in high-density population areas were excluded from the final count. In addition, where applicable, COE has informed law enforcement agencies (with appropriate caveats) across the country that a person with a name matching one of their employees was found in the Oath Keepers database. Some agencies have been responsive, but others have not responded, or have responded without confirmation. Every elected official or 2022 candidate included in the final total has been confirmed based on public reporting, public statements made by the individual in question, or by comparing the information provided to the Oath Keepers with the official’s public filings, public records, or online posts containing phone numbers, email addresses, or physical addresses.

Second, it is possible that these numbers do not fully account for individuals who may have moved a significant distance, those who do not have an online presence, and those who do not self-identify their profession on their social media pages. As such, it is possible that the true number could be higher than what is documented in this report.

Third, this report does not include people who only joined local Oath Keepers chapters, or who are Oath Keepers but never officially signed up for the group. Rhodes allowed members currently serving in law enforcement and the military to participate in the organization without formally signing up, knowing that formal association with the organization could endanger their employment.

Finally, it is important to note once more that an individual’s inclusion in the Oath Keeper database is not proof that they were or are still an Oath Keeper, that they hold or held all or some of Oath Keeper ideology or viewpoints, or that they ever actively participated in Oath Keeper activities. When reviewing this information, you should bear in mind the possibility that the individual misunderstood the nature of the Oath Keepers. Before taking any action based on this information, an individualized assessment of the individual must take place.

Let me sum up the caveats in a briefer fashion:

1. Inclusion in the DB is NOT definitive evidence that someone is extremist.

2. Not being in the DB is NOT definitive evidence that someone is NOT an extremist.

The AZ tally from the ADL report -

While the ADL report doesn't contain all of the specific names of the elected officials who are members of the Oath Keepers look to be Rogers, State Sen. Kelly Townsend, State Rep. Mark Finchem, and State Rep. Quang Nguyen.  How did I come up with that list?  This article from The Copper Courier, dated June 13, 2022 -

These 4 Arizona Lawmakers Have Ties to the Oath Keepers, a Far-Right, Anti-Government Group

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers—two far-right, anti-government extremist groups—were at the center of Thursday’s first public congressional committee hearing regarding the attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

[snip]

Several Arizona lawmakers have expressed support or admiration for the Oath Keepers during or before their time in office. Stewart Rhodes, the group’s leader and founder, is set to face trial for seditious conspiracy in September.

Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Tucson/Casa Grande, assumed office in 2015. Less than one year earlier, he posted about an Oath Keepers meetup in Tucson. 

[snip]

Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, known to cozy up to white nationalists who praise Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler like Nicholas Fuentes, is a self-proclaimed member of the Oath Keepers. She met with the Cottonwood chapter two months after the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

[snip]

Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, had “Oathkeeper” in her Twitter bio for months after the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

[snip]

Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, flatly said on Twitter, “I’m an Oath Keeper. Do not ever forget it. Now what?”

More on Finchem from Time Magazine, dated August 3, 2022 -

An Oath Keeper Could End Up in Charge of Arizona's Elections

Two Donald Trump loyalists who spun baseless conspiracy theories about the last presidential election moved one step closer Tuesday night to overseeing the next one in a key battleground state.

Mark Finchem, who has identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers, marched to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, pushed for a fruitless partisan review of the presidential ballots in Arizona’s Maricopa County, and has vowed to radically reshape voting rights in the state, won Arizona’s Republican primary for Secretary of State, a position which serves as the state’s chief election officer.

What's the magic number? UPDATED

How many innocent lives have to be sacrificed because somebody with a gun feel fear or anger?

When will the apologists have their bloodlust sated?

From WISN -

Six people killed in mass shooting at 4th of July parade in Highland Park

Police confirm that six people were killed during a mass shooting at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Highland Park is a Chicago suburb about 60 miles south of Milwaukee.

Approximately 2 dozen people were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. Highland Park Police are still calling this an "active incident" as law enforcement agencies are searching for the suspect. The suspect is described as a white male, between 18-20 years old with long dark hair. A rifle was recovered from the scene

From CNN -

[UPDATED later on 7/4/2022]

From ABC -

Highland Park mass shooting live updates: 6 killed at 4th of July parade, person of interest apprehended

A 22-year-old person of interest has been apprehended in connection with a mass shooting Monday at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, police said.

Six people were killed and about 24 others were seriously hurt in the shooting, according to officials.

Police said they apprehended Robert "Bobby" Crimo III during a vehicular pursuit Monday evening after an hours-long manhunt.

I'm not going to post his pic yet as at this point, he's only a "person of interest" (one can go to the ABC story for that), but I will say one thing -

Neck tats are almost never a positive character reference.

[/end UPDATE]

As expected, Arizona electeds and wannabes tend to be tone deaf -

To be fair, the last two pre-date the mass shooting in Illinois.

(Alleged) QAnon leader accuses QAnon adherent of apostasy: ideological equivalent of a mobius strip?

From the AZ Mirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy -

Ron Watkins files an ethics complaint against Wendy Rogers, alleging she put his life in danger

Ron Watkins, the man purported to be an architect of the QAnon conspiracy theory, filed an ethics complaint against Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers for a post she made about him on social media.

Watkins’ complaint stems from a February post by Rogers on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app favored by conservatives, in which she asked the “Groyper army” to “hit” Watkins. 

Rogers was asking her fans and allies in the “groyper army” to go after the QAnon conspiracy theorist turned Congressional candidate because he had alleged Rogers, a Flagstaff Republican who has built her political brand on spreading lies about the 2020 election, was involved in some sort of “backroom deal” that was preventing some equipment from being examined for alleged election fraud. There is no evidence of such a backroom deal.

What's a mobius strip?

From Scientific American -

More like a snake eating itself.

From Newsweek -

I'll just leave this here for readers and their own punch lines

From Twitter, yesterday -

I'm guessing that the meds that can help this level of insanity don't exist

From Twitter, taken yesterday -

Maybe Wendy Rogers can bring her time machine to her ethics hearing

Of course, if she actually had one, she could go back and prevent the white supremacist from murdering lots of people at the supermarket in Buffalo.

Oh, who am I kidding?

If she had one, she would probably give the shooter bigger ammo clips.

First, the "ethics" part.

From Dillon Rosenblatt and Jerod MacDonald-Evoy at the Arizona Mirror -

Wendy Rogers will face an investigation after claiming the Buffalo mass shooting was done by the ‘feds,’ not a heavily armed racist

The Arizona Senate is launching an ethics investigation into Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers for her comments on social media blaming the mass shooting in Buffalo on Saturday on federal law enforcement instead of the white supremacist accused of carrying out the attack. 

While the Senate moved to investigate Rogers, a Flagstaff Republican who has a history of outlandish and racist comments online, GOP legislators rejected an attempt by Democrats to immediately expel Rogers. 

Only minutes after a white teenager armed with an assault rifle and outfitted with body armor shot and killed 10 people — most of them Black — in a Buffalo grocery store on May 14, Rogers posted on several social media platforms that “fed boy summer has started in Buffalo.” She has previously used the term “feds” to describe white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, seeking to blame federal law enforcement for the actions of racists. 

Rogers’ use of the phrase “fed boy summer” appears to be a nod to “white boy summer,” a viral meme used by neo-Nazis and white nationalists in 2021. White nationalist leader Nick Fuentes adopted the phrase for his summer road trip last year, including an alleged event with Prescott Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, who later denied it. 

As of right now, no ethics committee meeting has been scheduled.

Second, the "time machine" part.

From Twitter -

She can call Kari Lake "Governor Elect" all she wants, but it's May 17th.

The primary election will be held on August 2nd, and Karrin Taylor Robson may have something say about Lake winning the R nomination.

And the general election will be held on November 8th, and the Democratic nominee (who I presume at this point will be Katie Hobbs) may have something say about the R nominee winning the governorship.

Apparently, Wendy Rogers *really* hates Katie Hobbs

Election denier State Sen. Wendy Rogers has gone all in on the Big Lie and getting her hate on for Arizona Secretary of State (and gubernatorial candidate).

From Twitter -

At least Rogers puts Hobbs in good company.

From BrainyQuote -