One day left to call...
One day left to walk...
One day left to talk...
One day left to volunteer...
One day left to make a difference...
One day left...to make plans for what you are going to do to help out on Election Day after you VOTE... (what? you really thought there was only "one day" left? LOL. This won't be over until the results are official. )
Every campaign needs help. Even a few phone calls to your neighbors could make a difference is some of these races.
Contact #s for some of the campaigns:
Harry Mitchell for Congress (CD5) 480-755-3343
Pederson for Senate 602-262-2006 (Phoenix), 520-903-2006 (Tucson)
Napolitano for Governor 602-468-2006
Goddard for Attorney General 602-264-3222 (Phoenix), 520-360-7607 (Tucson)
Torres for Secretary of State 602-568-3080
Singh for State Treasurer 602-795-3285
Williams for Superintendent of Public Instruction 602-795-4734
Burton-Cahill for State Senate (D17) 480-968-1959
Ableser for State Rep. (D17) 877-868-3392
Schapira for State Rep. (D17) 480-588-5439
Oseran for State Senate (D8) 480-704-3399
Rimmer for State Rep. (D8) 602-432-2486
Sandberg for State Rep. (D8) 480-657-0772
The Democratic party needs volunteers, too.
Arizona Democratic Party 602-298-4200
Maricopa Dems 602-298-0503
Contact the state or county parties for contact info on other candidates or other districts.
Regarding the 19 ballot propositions, Michael at Blog for Arizona has a great summary of them and their effects. He takes positions on the propositions, but he provides a fair evaluation of them, too.
For a brief overview of the race for the governing board of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, visit my post from October 10 concerning it. I took positions on some of the candidates, but also provided links so you can do your own research.
Have a good night, and don't forget Michael J. Fox's visit to Tempe later today!! Contact the Mitchell campaign at 755-3343 for details.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Michael J. Fox in Tempe for Mitchell and Pederson
From the Mitchell campaign website -
When: Monday, November 6th at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Fiesta Inn at Broadway and Priest
For more info, contact the Mitchell campaign at 755-3343.
Time to get back to work! Later!
When: Monday, November 6th at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Fiesta Inn at Broadway and Priest
For more info, contact the Mitchell campaign at 755-3343.
Time to get back to work! Later!
Friday, November 03, 2006
A tale of two campaigns...
closing in on the finish line in CD5.
For the Harry Mitchell campaign:
...Bill Clinton wowed an enthusiastic crowd in Tempe on Thursday. (EV Tribune)
...According to AZCentral.com's Plugged In, Michael J. Fox will be in CD5 to campaign for Harry on Monday. Details to be announced. I'll post them when I have them, or you can contact the campaign at 755-3343.
...On Sunday, there will be a rally sponsored by the ASU Young Democrats with Governor Napolitano, Harry, Meg Burton-Cahill, Ed Ableser, and David Schapira at 3:00 p.m., on the ASU Student Services lawn. Again, contact the campaign for details at 755-3343. (Mitchell campaign website.)
...All weekend and through the election, there will be a huge Get Out The Vote effort. (also from the campaign website)
...Lastly, via email, contact the campaign for info regarding Election Night With Harry. Join Harry, his wife Marianne, his family, his staff and volunteers, and the district's state legislative candidates to watch election returns throughout the evening.
For the Hayworth campaign:
...On Sunday, they're having a fundraiser with Luis Gonzalez at Pinnacle Peak Patio. Expect the steaks to be hot and the air to be hotter. (Hey, I'm partisan. Get over it. :) )
...Friday, in a scathing response to the huge rally with Bill Clinton, JD posted a diatribe on The Hill's Congress Blog against Nancy Pelosi. Something about how the Democrats are going to "take money out of the pockets of hard-working Americans."
Oh, FYI - that "scathing" part is sarcasm, folks. :)
...that's it, at least as far as info available at public sources. I'm sure they have their own GOTV operation, but there's no call for volunteers, or even a general "volunteers" section on the Hayworth campaign's website.
In fact, the Hayworth campaign site features as many pictures of Harry Mitchell (4) as it does JD. Which, by the way, is 4 more pictures than they have of volunteers or even staffers.
Just for comparison, Harry Mitchell's website has a page called "Photo Gallery," a page with more pictures than I care to count and categorize after a long day at work. There's a bunch of them, though.
In the greater scheme of things (i.e. - when people are casting their ballots on Tuesday), it might not mean much, but it's definitely an interesting study in the candidates' different approaches, both to campaigning and to people.
It's a difference that illustrates why Harry Mitchell is the right choice for Arizona's CD5.
For the Harry Mitchell campaign:
...Bill Clinton wowed an enthusiastic crowd in Tempe on Thursday. (EV Tribune)
...According to AZCentral.com's Plugged In, Michael J. Fox will be in CD5 to campaign for Harry on Monday. Details to be announced. I'll post them when I have them, or you can contact the campaign at 755-3343.
...On Sunday, there will be a rally sponsored by the ASU Young Democrats with Governor Napolitano, Harry, Meg Burton-Cahill, Ed Ableser, and David Schapira at 3:00 p.m., on the ASU Student Services lawn. Again, contact the campaign for details at 755-3343. (Mitchell campaign website.)
...All weekend and through the election, there will be a huge Get Out The Vote effort. (also from the campaign website)
...Lastly, via email, contact the campaign for info regarding Election Night With Harry. Join Harry, his wife Marianne, his family, his staff and volunteers, and the district's state legislative candidates to watch election returns throughout the evening.
For the Hayworth campaign:
...On Sunday, they're having a fundraiser with Luis Gonzalez at Pinnacle Peak Patio. Expect the steaks to be hot and the air to be hotter. (Hey, I'm partisan. Get over it. :) )
...Friday, in a scathing response to the huge rally with Bill Clinton, JD posted a diatribe on The Hill's Congress Blog against Nancy Pelosi. Something about how the Democrats are going to "take money out of the pockets of hard-working Americans."
Oh, FYI - that "scathing" part is sarcasm, folks. :)
...that's it, at least as far as info available at public sources. I'm sure they have their own GOTV operation, but there's no call for volunteers, or even a general "volunteers" section on the Hayworth campaign's website.
In fact, the Hayworth campaign site features as many pictures of Harry Mitchell (4) as it does JD. Which, by the way, is 4 more pictures than they have of volunteers or even staffers.
Just for comparison, Harry Mitchell's website has a page called "Photo Gallery," a page with more pictures than I care to count and categorize after a long day at work. There's a bunch of them, though.
In the greater scheme of things (i.e. - when people are casting their ballots on Tuesday), it might not mean much, but it's definitely an interesting study in the candidates' different approaches, both to campaigning and to people.
It's a difference that illustrates why Harry Mitchell is the right choice for Arizona's CD5.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Went to the Get Out The Vote Rally with Bill Clinton
in Tempe today.
I was volunteering (aka - working) at the rally, so I don't have any notes with good quotes, but I'm sure they'll be on the news tonight, on one of the campaigns' websites, or posted by one of our intrepid local bloggers (try Geo at Geo's Precinct 134 or Tim at The Word From Arizona's Fifth District later on tonight.)
A few quick impressions:
...Bill Clinton is still the best national asset the Democratic Party has in its campaign arsenal. His combination of pure intelligence and powerful oratory is the best in the party, possibly the country.
...If the current trends continue and Jim Pederson pulls off the upset of entrenched K Street darling/anti-Constitutionalist Jon Kyl, at least part of the credit has to go to his massive improvement as a public speaker.
...Harry Mitchell had the crowd behind him all the way (other than a few 80's retro neo-preppies there to support Hayworth, but more about them later). He received the 2nd loudest cheers behind President Clinton. (Actually, they were the 3rd loudest, behind someone who wasn't there - Governor Napolitano. The smartest thing JD Hayworth has done, win or lose this time around, is NOT go after the Governorship. She'd would have smoked his ass.)
...Israel Torres may not beat Jan Brewer this time (especially given that she's the one counting the votes), but he's a keeper. The sentiment of the crowd around me was that he was the 2nd best speaker today (behind the guy married to the junior Senator from New York. :) ) Most importantly, he was not scheduled to speak today, but when President Clinton was slightly delayed, he stepped in and kept the crowd energized.
Whether or not he wins on Tuesday, he'll be a factor in 2010.
...Somebody needs to tell Phil Gordon to know his audience. Part of his introduction of Terry Goddard included touting Terry's record against drug dealers.
Umm, Phil? It's a college campus. Next time, stick to Terry's efforts against identity theft, predatory lending, and domestic violence.
Trust me on this one, OK?
...And a note for the neo-preppie in the pink polo shirt with the upturned collar.
The 80's called. They want their...oh never mind. You know the line already. :)
Overall, it was a great day.
The Mitchell campaign signed up lots of volunteers for this weekend's big GOTV push.
The audience was revved up and enthusiastic.
The turnout was great, especially for an event pulled off on such short notice.
Finally, let me say this -
I'm utterly whipped tonight. I started around 11 this morning, spent a couple of hours leafletting on Mill and Ash, then helped with the set-up at the rally.
Oh, and I spent some time during the rally holding a Mitchell sign in front of the Hayworth sign.
[The best thing about that sign is that it kept folding like his candidacy. Not my line; it's from another Mitchell volunteer, Linda. It's a great line. :)) ]
Anyway, back to what I was saying. I'm beat, and I only did it one day for about 8 hours.
Lauren, Seth, Angie, the rest of the staffers, and the rest of the super-volunteers (God, are they going to be pissed that I didn't name them all, but it's getting late) have been doing this all day, every day, for MONTHS.
While the campaign is *about* electing Harry Mitchell, it's really *for* us. However this election turns out, they deserve our thanks and respect for what they have put into this campaign.
Good night!
On edit: The local MSM is starting to post their reports of the rally online.
EV Tribune's coverage here.
AZ Rep's here.
End edit.
I was volunteering (aka - working) at the rally, so I don't have any notes with good quotes, but I'm sure they'll be on the news tonight, on one of the campaigns' websites, or posted by one of our intrepid local bloggers (try Geo at Geo's Precinct 134 or Tim at The Word From Arizona's Fifth District later on tonight.)
A few quick impressions:
...Bill Clinton is still the best national asset the Democratic Party has in its campaign arsenal. His combination of pure intelligence and powerful oratory is the best in the party, possibly the country.
...If the current trends continue and Jim Pederson pulls off the upset of entrenched K Street darling/anti-Constitutionalist Jon Kyl, at least part of the credit has to go to his massive improvement as a public speaker.
...Harry Mitchell had the crowd behind him all the way (other than a few 80's retro neo-preppies there to support Hayworth, but more about them later). He received the 2nd loudest cheers behind President Clinton. (Actually, they were the 3rd loudest, behind someone who wasn't there - Governor Napolitano. The smartest thing JD Hayworth has done, win or lose this time around, is NOT go after the Governorship. She'd would have smoked his ass.)
...Israel Torres may not beat Jan Brewer this time (especially given that she's the one counting the votes), but he's a keeper. The sentiment of the crowd around me was that he was the 2nd best speaker today (behind the guy married to the junior Senator from New York. :) ) Most importantly, he was not scheduled to speak today, but when President Clinton was slightly delayed, he stepped in and kept the crowd energized.
Whether or not he wins on Tuesday, he'll be a factor in 2010.
...Somebody needs to tell Phil Gordon to know his audience. Part of his introduction of Terry Goddard included touting Terry's record against drug dealers.
Umm, Phil? It's a college campus. Next time, stick to Terry's efforts against identity theft, predatory lending, and domestic violence.
Trust me on this one, OK?
...And a note for the neo-preppie in the pink polo shirt with the upturned collar.
The 80's called. They want their...oh never mind. You know the line already. :)
Overall, it was a great day.
The Mitchell campaign signed up lots of volunteers for this weekend's big GOTV push.
The audience was revved up and enthusiastic.
The turnout was great, especially for an event pulled off on such short notice.
Finally, let me say this -
I'm utterly whipped tonight. I started around 11 this morning, spent a couple of hours leafletting on Mill and Ash, then helped with the set-up at the rally.
Oh, and I spent some time during the rally holding a Mitchell sign in front of the Hayworth sign.
[The best thing about that sign is that it kept folding like his candidacy. Not my line; it's from another Mitchell volunteer, Linda. It's a great line. :)) ]
Anyway, back to what I was saying. I'm beat, and I only did it one day for about 8 hours.
Lauren, Seth, Angie, the rest of the staffers, and the rest of the super-volunteers (God, are they going to be pissed that I didn't name them all, but it's getting late) have been doing this all day, every day, for MONTHS.
While the campaign is *about* electing Harry Mitchell, it's really *for* us. However this election turns out, they deserve our thanks and respect for what they have put into this campaign.
Good night!
On edit: The local MSM is starting to post their reports of the rally online.
EV Tribune's coverage here.
AZ Rep's here.
End edit.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Breaking news - Bill Clinton *is* coming to Tempe on Thursday
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, the rally in Tempe will also be to support Jim Pederson. I expect that other candidates will be there also .
Details are being worked out, and will be announced later today. The rumor that I hear is the time will be 3:30 p.m., location to be determined.
Looks like lkuby at AZNetroots had it right on Monday morning. Great job!!
Later!
On edit: Just got back from the Mitchell office. Here's what I have so far from them, and from the Pederson website.
The rally will be at 3:30 p.m. and will be held on the Hayden Lawn, north of the Memorial Union.
The rally is open to the public, and no tickets are needed.
For more info, contact the Pederson campaign at (602) 262-2006 or the Mitchell campaign at 755-3343.
If I hear anything else, I'll post it.
End edit.
Details are being worked out, and will be announced later today. The rumor that I hear is the time will be 3:30 p.m., location to be determined.
Looks like lkuby at AZNetroots had it right on Monday morning. Great job!!
Later!
On edit: Just got back from the Mitchell office. Here's what I have so far from them, and from the Pederson website.
The rally will be at 3:30 p.m. and will be held on the Hayden Lawn, north of the Memorial Union.
The rally is open to the public, and no tickets are needed.
For more info, contact the Pederson campaign at (602) 262-2006 or the Mitchell campaign at 755-3343.
If I hear anything else, I'll post it.
End edit.
Numbers, numbers, everywhere
Time for some geeky stuff ("geeky" in that I had to do some work compiling and calculating the numbers)...
The Pre-General Election FEC filings are posted, and here are the results for the period of 10/1/2006 to 10/18/2006:
Harry Mitchell:
Individuals - $151,521.24
PACs/Committees - $38,400.00
Total - $189,921.24
That's an 80%/20% individual contributors vs. PACs split for the period.
Cash on hand at the end of the reporting period - $299,493.12
Money raised since the end of the reporting period, based on "48-Hour Notices" filed with the FEC (large donations only, actual numbers will be higher. That applies to all of these candidates) - $74,650.00
JD Hayworth:
Individuals - $109,512.84
PACs/Committees - $75,350.00
Total - $184,862.84
That's a 59%/41% individual vs. PACs split, and yes, it means that Harry is outraising JD both at the grassroots level and overall.
Not only that, he is doing it during crunch time.
YES!!
Cash on hand - $950,889.71
Money raised since the end of the reporting period - $61,700 (outraising him here too!!)
Ellen Simon:
Individuals - $120,205.20
PACs/Committees - $35,200.00
Total - $155,405.20
That's a 77%/23% split.
Cash on hand - $67,274.16
Raised since end of the period - $53,350.00
Rick Renzi:
Individuals - $155,050.00
PACs/Committees - $81,031.00
Total - $236,081.00
That's a 66%/34% split.
Cash on hand - $673,977.45
Raised since end of the period - $27,800.00, and that includes $4,200 from Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Sproul.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
And confirming what the individual contributor/PAC splits listed above already told you, corporate money is propping up the Republican electoral machine. (Phoenix Business Journal)
The Pre-General Election FEC filings are posted, and here are the results for the period of 10/1/2006 to 10/18/2006:
Harry Mitchell:
Individuals - $151,521.24
PACs/Committees - $38,400.00
Total - $189,921.24
That's an 80%/20% individual contributors vs. PACs split for the period.
Cash on hand at the end of the reporting period - $299,493.12
Money raised since the end of the reporting period, based on "48-Hour Notices" filed with the FEC (large donations only, actual numbers will be higher. That applies to all of these candidates) - $74,650.00
JD Hayworth:
Individuals - $109,512.84
PACs/Committees - $75,350.00
Total - $184,862.84
That's a 59%/41% individual vs. PACs split, and yes, it means that Harry is outraising JD both at the grassroots level and overall.
Not only that, he is doing it during crunch time.
YES!!
Cash on hand - $950,889.71
Money raised since the end of the reporting period - $61,700 (outraising him here too!!)
Ellen Simon:
Individuals - $120,205.20
PACs/Committees - $35,200.00
Total - $155,405.20
That's a 77%/23% split.
Cash on hand - $67,274.16
Raised since end of the period - $53,350.00
Rick Renzi:
Individuals - $155,050.00
PACs/Committees - $81,031.00
Total - $236,081.00
That's a 66%/34% split.
Cash on hand - $673,977.45
Raised since end of the period - $27,800.00, and that includes $4,200 from Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Sproul.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
And confirming what the individual contributor/PAC splits listed above already told you, corporate money is propping up the Republican electoral machine. (Phoenix Business Journal)
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Sen. John Kerry's remark
By now, I expect that pretty much everyone, or at least everyone who reads this blog, has heard about John Kerry's remark to students at Pasadena City College in California, and the Republican uproar over it.
The remark at the center of the hubbub:
I have to admit that when I first read a report of the remark, before the Republican angst set in, my first thought was "Ooooh. Bush isn't going to like being zinged like that." The whole "make an effort to be smart" part is a scathing indictment of Bush's (and the Republicans'!) disdain of intelligence (the 'IQ' variety, not the 'falsified pretext for war' variety).
The Republicans, led by George Bush and his mouthpiece Tony Snow, immediately tried to turn this into a campaign talking point.
Our own JD Hayworth (only have to say that for one more week! Yes!!) chimed in with a press release calling on his challenger, Harry Mitchell, to denounce the comments.
Harry is enough of a gentleman that he may just do that; however, JD should worry about getting what he wishes for.
How about this for a (satirical) press release???
"Today, Harry Mitchell called on Senator John Kerry, a decorated combat veteran and national hero, to moderate his comments. Mitchell stated that even when the supporting evidence is overwhelming, it's unseemly for a senior elected official to question the President's intellectual capacity."
More seriously, John Kerry immediately fought back. In his own press release, Kerry came out fiercely -
The Rep spin machine has spent all day, and will probably spend the next week, calling Kerry's statement an "insult" to our servicemen and women.
Let 'em.
Squib aka TwistedOreo at Shooting in the Dark is right.
If the Republicans want to spend the next week talking about the War in Iraq, one of their biggest failures, the Democrats damn sure shouldn't try to stop them.
The remark at the center of the hubbub:
"You know education, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
I have to admit that when I first read a report of the remark, before the Republican angst set in, my first thought was "Ooooh. Bush isn't going to like being zinged like that." The whole "make an effort to be smart" part is a scathing indictment of Bush's (and the Republicans'!) disdain of intelligence (the 'IQ' variety, not the 'falsified pretext for war' variety).
The Republicans, led by George Bush and his mouthpiece Tony Snow, immediately tried to turn this into a campaign talking point.
Our own JD Hayworth (only have to say that for one more week! Yes!!) chimed in with a press release calling on his challenger, Harry Mitchell, to denounce the comments.
Harry is enough of a gentleman that he may just do that; however, JD should worry about getting what he wishes for.
How about this for a (satirical) press release???
"Today, Harry Mitchell called on Senator John Kerry, a decorated combat veteran and national hero, to moderate his comments. Mitchell stated that even when the supporting evidence is overwhelming, it's unseemly for a senior elected official to question the President's intellectual capacity."
More seriously, John Kerry immediately fought back. In his own press release, Kerry came out fiercely -
“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.
{snip}
The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it.
{snip}
No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”
The Rep spin machine has spent all day, and will probably spend the next week, calling Kerry's statement an "insult" to our servicemen and women.
Let 'em.
Squib aka TwistedOreo at Shooting in the Dark is right.
If the Republicans want to spend the next week talking about the War in Iraq, one of their biggest failures, the Democrats damn sure shouldn't try to stop them.
Non-political PSA time
The company that I work for (to remain nameless, though some perceptive readers may figure it out) is a pretty good company, though like most corporations it's a long way from perfect.
One of the big imperfections is the amount of money their PAC has given a certain blustery, soon-to-be-UNelected official from CD5 over the years (>$14K).
However, every so often, they do something really cool.
It's called Community Day. It's a day where our local facility shuts down operations for a day and every employee goes out into the community for one day to work on projects for charitable groups.
Last Friday was one of those days.
The project that I volunteered for was at the St. Mary's/Westside Food Bank Main Office and Warehouse in Phoenix. There were about 70 or so of us there to help them put together emergency food boxes.
St. Mary's Food Bank became the world's first food bank when it was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel; Westside Food Bank opened its doors in 1973. The two organizations merged in 2005 in order to better serve the community.
The organization has a small professional staff but relies on volunteers for most of the work of collecting, sorting, packing, and distributing food. Last year, volunteers donated over 300,000 hours of their time in order to distribute the equivalent of over 200,000 meals per day. 300,000 hours is the equivalent to 150 full time employees. Those volunteer hours allowed the food bank to save approximately $4,000,000 in salary and benefits, money that could then be spent directly on those who most needed it. More info about the organization is here.
Anyway, when we all finally arrived, we assembled in their new Volunteer Center (so new that we were the first group to use it!), a room with seating for large groups as well as other facilities (i.e. - refrigerator, coffee machines) so that the room can be used as a meeting or training room.
From there, we were divided up into smaller teams and assigned to our areas. My group was assigned the task of running an assembly line that packed some emergency food boxes, sealed the boxes, and stacked the boxes on pallets.
Weeks before, those of us who volunteered for this project had been warned by past volunteers here to bring gloves. Most people brought latex gloves from work.
As I was the only one of use who brought thick work gloves, the job of wrangling pallets was given to me. Evidently, latex gloves do a lousy job of stopping splinters and nails. Who'da thunk?? :)
For a few hours, we worked our asses off, and many of us were a little sore afterward. However, most of us could go home, grab a bite to eat, and rest up. The people that benefit from the food bank usually don't have that option.
Anyway, in total, our volunteer group packed approximately 1500 boxes of food.
In addition to volunteers, the food bank desperately needs donations. I know that most of the people who read this blog have donated to or volunteered for one or more political campaigns, and that money was already tight to begin with for most of us. However, the election is over in a week, but people in need will still be here.
Give what you can.
Back to politics tomorrow!!
Good night everybody...
One of the big imperfections is the amount of money their PAC has given a certain blustery, soon-to-be-UNelected official from CD5 over the years (>$14K).
However, every so often, they do something really cool.
It's called Community Day. It's a day where our local facility shuts down operations for a day and every employee goes out into the community for one day to work on projects for charitable groups.
Last Friday was one of those days.
The project that I volunteered for was at the St. Mary's/Westside Food Bank Main Office and Warehouse in Phoenix. There were about 70 or so of us there to help them put together emergency food boxes.
St. Mary's Food Bank became the world's first food bank when it was founded in 1967 by John van Hengel; Westside Food Bank opened its doors in 1973. The two organizations merged in 2005 in order to better serve the community.
The organization has a small professional staff but relies on volunteers for most of the work of collecting, sorting, packing, and distributing food. Last year, volunteers donated over 300,000 hours of their time in order to distribute the equivalent of over 200,000 meals per day. 300,000 hours is the equivalent to 150 full time employees. Those volunteer hours allowed the food bank to save approximately $4,000,000 in salary and benefits, money that could then be spent directly on those who most needed it. More info about the organization is here.
Anyway, when we all finally arrived, we assembled in their new Volunteer Center (so new that we were the first group to use it!), a room with seating for large groups as well as other facilities (i.e. - refrigerator, coffee machines) so that the room can be used as a meeting or training room.
From there, we were divided up into smaller teams and assigned to our areas. My group was assigned the task of running an assembly line that packed some emergency food boxes, sealed the boxes, and stacked the boxes on pallets.
Weeks before, those of us who volunteered for this project had been warned by past volunteers here to bring gloves. Most people brought latex gloves from work.
As I was the only one of use who brought thick work gloves, the job of wrangling pallets was given to me. Evidently, latex gloves do a lousy job of stopping splinters and nails. Who'da thunk?? :)
For a few hours, we worked our asses off, and many of us were a little sore afterward. However, most of us could go home, grab a bite to eat, and rest up. The people that benefit from the food bank usually don't have that option.
Anyway, in total, our volunteer group packed approximately 1500 boxes of food.
In addition to volunteers, the food bank desperately needs donations. I know that most of the people who read this blog have donated to or volunteered for one or more political campaigns, and that money was already tight to begin with for most of us. However, the election is over in a week, but people in need will still be here.
Give what you can.
Back to politics tomorrow!!
Good night everybody...
Monday, October 30, 2006
Quick news hits for the day
...Hayworth ad cited as "one of the worst" immigration ads by the New Republic (via Wall Street Journal...)
...this should have been mentioned in my previous post, but on November 1, Al Gore will be in Scottsdale to host a fundraiser, apparently for Jim Pederson. (AZ Business Journal) I'll post more details as I get them.
...The AZ Republican Party has its claws out...for itself. As reported in many places, including the AZ Republic, the party is going after 3 West Valley Republican mayors (calling on them to resign from office) who endorsed Governor Napolitano. And denying any involvement.
Yeah, I'm having trouble figuring that part out, too. :)
...Bill Montgomery, Republican candidate for Arizona Attorney General, aka - Chief Law Enforcement Officer, was penalized by the Clean Elections Commission for misusing funds intended for use during the primary election. They penalized him $43,000 for filming and paying to air an ad on September 12.
September 12 was primary day.
The Commission determined that the ad could not have been intended for use during the primary. (AZCentral.com's Plugged In)
That decision is something we have come to NOT expect from governmental bodies in AZ.
It's sensible.
BTW - maybe someone should advise Mr. Montgomery that if he wants the voters to choose him to be Arizona's chief law enforcement officer, maybe he should obey those laws first.
Just something to think about...
...John McCain picked up another rival for the 2008 Republican nomination to lose the general election...errr..."the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination" :) when Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) announced his candidacy. A week before the midterms.
Just a guess here, but I'm thinking that timing probably won't endear him to the GOP leadership.
...and in observance of Halloween, Maricopa County's own Sheriff Joe Arpaio was recognized as one of the 13 Scariest Americans by Old Trout Magazine. He's listed in the "Scariest Cop" category. Thanks to Desert Beacon in Nevada for the heads-up on this one.
...this should have been mentioned in my previous post, but on November 1, Al Gore will be in Scottsdale to host a fundraiser, apparently for Jim Pederson. (AZ Business Journal) I'll post more details as I get them.
...The AZ Republican Party has its claws out...for itself. As reported in many places, including the AZ Republic, the party is going after 3 West Valley Republican mayors (calling on them to resign from office) who endorsed Governor Napolitano. And denying any involvement.
Yeah, I'm having trouble figuring that part out, too. :)
...Bill Montgomery, Republican candidate for Arizona Attorney General, aka - Chief Law Enforcement Officer, was penalized by the Clean Elections Commission for misusing funds intended for use during the primary election. They penalized him $43,000 for filming and paying to air an ad on September 12.
September 12 was primary day.
The Commission determined that the ad could not have been intended for use during the primary. (AZCentral.com's Plugged In)
That decision is something we have come to NOT expect from governmental bodies in AZ.
It's sensible.
BTW - maybe someone should advise Mr. Montgomery that if he wants the voters to choose him to be Arizona's chief law enforcement officer, maybe he should obey those laws first.
Just something to think about...
...John McCain picked up another rival for the 2008 Republican nomination to lose the general election...errr..."the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination" :) when Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) announced his candidacy. A week before the midterms.
Just a guess here, but I'm thinking that timing probably won't endear him to the GOP leadership.
...and in observance of Halloween, Maricopa County's own Sheriff Joe Arpaio was recognized as one of the 13 Scariest Americans by Old Trout Magazine. He's listed in the "Scariest Cop" category. Thanks to Desert Beacon in Nevada for the heads-up on this one.
It's crunch time - the events list as we enter the homestretch
And if anyone has more cliches for me to use, send 'em along. :)
The election is drawing near, and there are a lot of campaign events and activities during this, the final full week before the election. All of the campaigns can use our help.
From the Mitchell for Congress campaign (mostly copy and paste) -
Thursday, November 2:
Scottsdale Artwalk with Governor Janet Napolitano and Harry from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Lisa Sette Gallery, 4142 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (1 block west of Scottsdale Rd, north of Indian School Rd., 1 block east of Goldwater Blvd.)
Friday, November 3:
Ride Ollie the Trollie with the Governor Napolitano and Harry from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Cactus Park (7202 E. Cactus Road, at the cornor of Scottsdale and Cactus)
Sunday, November 5:
The ASU Young Democrats are holding a rally - Join the Governor, Harry Mitchell, Ed Ableser, David Shapira, and Meg Burton-Cahill for a campus rally at 3:00 p.m.
ASU Student Services Lawn, Next to Gammage
And all this week, and through Election Day, there are Get Out The Vote activities planned.
For information or to RSVP for any of the above events, contact Lauren at the campaign at 480-755-3343.
From the Pederson for Senate campaign -
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 31:
Jim Pederson will be at a breakfast in Payson at 8:00 a.m.
Tiny's Restaurant, 600 E State Highway 260, Payson, AZ.
Also tomorrow, Jim will be in Holbrook at 11:45 a.m.
Wayside Cafe, 1150 W. Hopi Dr., Holbrook, AZ.
Thursday, November 2nd:
Bill Clinton will be in Tucson for a rally with Jim.
Tickets (required) and details from the campaign.
This could just be coincidence, but Gabrielle Giffords is holding a rally with New Mexico's Governor, Bill Richardson, at 3:30 p.m., location to be announced. Hmmm... :)
Contact the Pederson campaign for more info on these events or to help out with GOTV efforts at (602) 262-2006 in Phoenix or (520) 903-2006 in Tucson.
From the Goddard for Attorney General campaign -
Saturday, November 4:
Terry will be at the Glendale Veterans Day Parade with the Disabled American Veterans. 10:00 a.m.
Also, on Saturday, Terry will be in Gilbert from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. for the Statewide Boys and Girls Clubs Techathalon.
For info on these or GOTV activities, contact the campaign at 602-264-3222.
More later!
The election is drawing near, and there are a lot of campaign events and activities during this, the final full week before the election. All of the campaigns can use our help.
From the Mitchell for Congress campaign (mostly copy and paste) -
Thursday, November 2:
Scottsdale Artwalk with Governor Janet Napolitano and Harry from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Lisa Sette Gallery, 4142 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (1 block west of Scottsdale Rd, north of Indian School Rd., 1 block east of Goldwater Blvd.)
Friday, November 3:
Ride Ollie the Trollie with the Governor Napolitano and Harry from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Cactus Park (7202 E. Cactus Road, at the cornor of Scottsdale and Cactus)
Sunday, November 5:
The ASU Young Democrats are holding a rally - Join the Governor, Harry Mitchell, Ed Ableser, David Shapira, and Meg Burton-Cahill for a campus rally at 3:00 p.m.
ASU Student Services Lawn, Next to Gammage
And all this week, and through Election Day, there are Get Out The Vote activities planned.
For information or to RSVP for any of the above events, contact Lauren at the campaign at 480-755-3343.
From the Pederson for Senate campaign -
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 31:
Jim Pederson will be at a breakfast in Payson at 8:00 a.m.
Tiny's Restaurant, 600 E State Highway 260, Payson, AZ.
Also tomorrow, Jim will be in Holbrook at 11:45 a.m.
Wayside Cafe, 1150 W. Hopi Dr., Holbrook, AZ.
Thursday, November 2nd:
Bill Clinton will be in Tucson for a rally with Jim.
Tickets (required) and details from the campaign.
This could just be coincidence, but Gabrielle Giffords is holding a rally with New Mexico's Governor, Bill Richardson, at 3:30 p.m., location to be announced. Hmmm... :)
Contact the Pederson campaign for more info on these events or to help out with GOTV efforts at (602) 262-2006 in Phoenix or (520) 903-2006 in Tucson.
From the Goddard for Attorney General campaign -
Saturday, November 4:
Terry will be at the Glendale Veterans Day Parade with the Disabled American Veterans. 10:00 a.m.
Also, on Saturday, Terry will be in Gilbert from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. for the Statewide Boys and Girls Clubs Techathalon.
For info on these or GOTV activities, contact the campaign at 602-264-3222.
More later!
An open letter to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid
I actually tried to send this to both of them via their Congressional websites, but since I'm not a constituent, the message forms on those websites won't forward my message.
That means they won't get to bask in the glow of my writing.
Their loss. :))
Anyway, here goes....
Dear Congresswoman Pelosi and Senator Reid,
If current trends continue, it looks more and more likely that on November 8th one of you, perhaps both of you, will wake up as the de facto leader of the majority party in your respective chamber of Congress.
After you finish pinching yourself to make sure it all isn’t a dream, stop for another moment to take it all in, especially the lessons to be learned from the many mistakes of the Republicans.
Those mistakes are too numerous to cover here, but a couple of them stand out and are worthy of mention:
1. Congress should reclaim its Constitutional task of providing oversight of the Executive branch. That could mean questioning budget and appropriations requests; it could mean adopting a skeptical stance when the Administration seeks to send our servicemen and women into harm’s way; it could mean many other things.
It does NOT mean automatically disapproving every proposal or action of the administration, but it does mean carefully examining those proposals and actions.
Nor does it mean automatically starting impeachment proceedings and massive investigations out of spite; however, if it turns out that those proceedings are appropriate, they should be open, above-board, and scrupulously fair. The country will accept nothing less.
The bottom line is that the legislative branch is a co-equal partner with the executive and judicial branches of our government, not the executive branch’s lapdog, one that is occasionally let off the leash solely to take a chunk out of the courts.
2. At some point you are going to be faced with the prospect of dealing with a Democrat with some serious ethical problems. As a Democrat myself, I would love to believe differently, and I do think that we as a group are more ethical than the Republicans. However, as individuals, we are just as subject to human frailties as anybody else.
When the time comes, you will be faced with a dilemma – protect what is sure to be a slim majority, or address the problem publicly and effectively.
Here’s my advice: when you come across a member who has stepped out over the ethical or legal line, grasp him firmly by the collar, drag him to the nearest bus heading out of town, and THROW HIM UNDER IT.
Metaphorically speaking, of course. :)
One of the biggest mistakes committed by the Republicans in control of Congress (and elsewhere, it seems) is that they have forgotten why they were elected in the first place – to govern responsibly.
They have become so focused on exercising the perks of power and on retaining that power (and those perks, too!) that they have alienated a significant part of America.
Learn from their mistakes, or risk turning the Democrats’ tenure as the majority party in Congress into a short one.
Thank you and good luck on November 7th.
Sincerely,
CPMAZ
That means they won't get to bask in the glow of my writing.
Their loss. :))
Anyway, here goes....
Dear Congresswoman Pelosi and Senator Reid,
If current trends continue, it looks more and more likely that on November 8th one of you, perhaps both of you, will wake up as the de facto leader of the majority party in your respective chamber of Congress.
After you finish pinching yourself to make sure it all isn’t a dream, stop for another moment to take it all in, especially the lessons to be learned from the many mistakes of the Republicans.
Those mistakes are too numerous to cover here, but a couple of them stand out and are worthy of mention:
1. Congress should reclaim its Constitutional task of providing oversight of the Executive branch. That could mean questioning budget and appropriations requests; it could mean adopting a skeptical stance when the Administration seeks to send our servicemen and women into harm’s way; it could mean many other things.
It does NOT mean automatically disapproving every proposal or action of the administration, but it does mean carefully examining those proposals and actions.
Nor does it mean automatically starting impeachment proceedings and massive investigations out of spite; however, if it turns out that those proceedings are appropriate, they should be open, above-board, and scrupulously fair. The country will accept nothing less.
The bottom line is that the legislative branch is a co-equal partner with the executive and judicial branches of our government, not the executive branch’s lapdog, one that is occasionally let off the leash solely to take a chunk out of the courts.
2. At some point you are going to be faced with the prospect of dealing with a Democrat with some serious ethical problems. As a Democrat myself, I would love to believe differently, and I do think that we as a group are more ethical than the Republicans. However, as individuals, we are just as subject to human frailties as anybody else.
When the time comes, you will be faced with a dilemma – protect what is sure to be a slim majority, or address the problem publicly and effectively.
Here’s my advice: when you come across a member who has stepped out over the ethical or legal line, grasp him firmly by the collar, drag him to the nearest bus heading out of town, and THROW HIM UNDER IT.
Metaphorically speaking, of course. :)
One of the biggest mistakes committed by the Republicans in control of Congress (and elsewhere, it seems) is that they have forgotten why they were elected in the first place – to govern responsibly.
They have become so focused on exercising the perks of power and on retaining that power (and those perks, too!) that they have alienated a significant part of America.
Learn from their mistakes, or risk turning the Democrats’ tenure as the majority party in Congress into a short one.
Thank you and good luck on November 7th.
Sincerely,
CPMAZ
Friday, October 27, 2006
Bill O'Reilly is a schmuck
He was on the Letterman show tonight to promote his book.
He thinks that Americans are opposed to the war in Iraq are "depressed" and would rather watch "Bowling for Dollars" and "Dancing With The Stars."
David Letterman was civil, but he ripped into O'Reilly right from the start.
At least O'Reilly was honest about one thing - it's all about oil.
He said that the reason to stay in Iraq was to keep Iran out of there, and to keep Iran's "jihadists" from controlling the flow of oil.
There's more, but I'm too pissed off to watch any more of this.
At least his discomfort is obvious - O'Reilly is NOT used to being questioned by someone he doesn't dare shout down or ridicule for fear of not being invited on the show to promote his next book.
Somebody should tell Bill about the old saying, with update -
Anger directed inward is depression; anger directed outward is a change come November 7.
We're directing our anger outward.
He thinks that Americans are opposed to the war in Iraq are "depressed" and would rather watch "Bowling for Dollars" and "Dancing With The Stars."
David Letterman was civil, but he ripped into O'Reilly right from the start.
At least O'Reilly was honest about one thing - it's all about oil.
He said that the reason to stay in Iraq was to keep Iran out of there, and to keep Iran's "jihadists" from controlling the flow of oil.
There's more, but I'm too pissed off to watch any more of this.
At least his discomfort is obvious - O'Reilly is NOT used to being questioned by someone he doesn't dare shout down or ridicule for fear of not being invited on the show to promote his next book.
Somebody should tell Bill about the old saying, with update -
Anger directed inward is depression; anger directed outward is a change come November 7.
We're directing our anger outward.
The Arizona Blogosphere is uniting to support our candidates!
Tony C. at Wactivist, Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion, Geo at Geo's Precinct 134, The Lofty Donkey at The Lofty Donkey, and TimO and Zelph at AZNetRoots.com have set up a page at ActBlue.com to help raise money for Democratic candidates in Arizona.
The candidates are:
Harry Mitchell, AZ-CD5 (sponsored by Geo and Tony C.)
Ellen Simon, AZ-CD1 (sponsored by Lofty Donkey)
Gabrielle Giffords, AZ-CD8 (sponsored by Tedski)
Jim Pederson, AZ-U.S. Senate (sponsored by Tony C.)
Visit the page today, and donate whatever you can.
And when you are done with that, visit your favorite campaign's website (linked above) or call them NOW -
There are 11 days until the election and they all need volunteers to help with contacting voters and getting their message out!
The candidates are:
Harry Mitchell, AZ-CD5 (sponsored by Geo and Tony C.)
Ellen Simon, AZ-CD1 (sponsored by Lofty Donkey)
Gabrielle Giffords, AZ-CD8 (sponsored by Tedski)
Jim Pederson, AZ-U.S. Senate (sponsored by Tony C.)
Visit the page today, and donate whatever you can.
And when you are done with that, visit your favorite campaign's website (linked above) or call them NOW -
There are 11 days until the election and they all need volunteers to help with contacting voters and getting their message out!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Holy chit, Batman!
The AZ Republic has endorsed Harry Mitchell for CD5!
In other news, Hell has frozen over and the Arizona Cardinals are expected to win on the road this weekend. :)
Rick Renzi (R-Mantech) smeared?
Now, Congressman Rick Renzi is claiming that the reports of an investigation into his land swap deals and legislation to benefit his father’s company, Mantech International, are nothing more than an election year “smear tactic”.
Hmmm...let's take a quick look at his record….
He’s been called one of the “20 Most Corrupt Members Of Congress” for reasons that include “outside income earned by his administrative assistant and from legislation he sponsored that benefitted his father.” And that distinction was earned *before* any reports of an investigation.
More on the administrative assistant in question, Patty Roe, can be found in Harper’s.
The Phoenix New Times has been *all* over the land swap/campaign finance connection.
Like our JD, he’s got some Abramoff ties, too.
And to Tom Delay, too.
He's had a number of personal financial problems since he entered office.
There were even allegations, quickly derided as "exaggerations", that he assaulted a Republican colleague on the House floor. Perhaps they were "exaggerations", but in light of his attempts to intimidate Ellen Simon in an elevator, they deserve to be reexamined.
The League of Conservation Voters lists him as one of its "Dirty Dozen;" not corruption per se, but he consistently favors corporate polluters (and their large campaign contributions) over the interests of his constituents.
And in perhaps the most damning piece of video ever shot, Renzi was caught laughing and flirting with Katherine Harris during an intimate dinner for two…oh WAIT!
It was actually on the House floor!
[I included the Harris link for the 'Ewww!' factor, but the video clip at the link is another piece of evidence that Renzi's judgement is just as strong as his ethics. ]
Oh, and his residency has been an issue since before he was ever elected. His wife and children still haven't moved to the district, and when Congress is in session, he commutes from home...errr...a house in Virginia.
It's not a "smear" when it's the truth.
Rick Renzi can claim the investigation is an "election year smear" all that he wants, but he's been an indictment waiting to happen since he entered the Arizona political scene.
Hmmm...let's take a quick look at his record….
He’s been called one of the “20 Most Corrupt Members Of Congress” for reasons that include “outside income earned by his administrative assistant and from legislation he sponsored that benefitted his father.” And that distinction was earned *before* any reports of an investigation.
More on the administrative assistant in question, Patty Roe, can be found in Harper’s.
The Phoenix New Times has been *all* over the land swap/campaign finance connection.
Like our JD, he’s got some Abramoff ties, too.
And to Tom Delay, too.
He's had a number of personal financial problems since he entered office.
There were even allegations, quickly derided as "exaggerations", that he assaulted a Republican colleague on the House floor. Perhaps they were "exaggerations", but in light of his attempts to intimidate Ellen Simon in an elevator, they deserve to be reexamined.
The League of Conservation Voters lists him as one of its "Dirty Dozen;" not corruption per se, but he consistently favors corporate polluters (and their large campaign contributions) over the interests of his constituents.
And in perhaps the most damning piece of video ever shot, Renzi was caught laughing and flirting with Katherine Harris during an intimate dinner for two…oh WAIT!
It was actually on the House floor!
[I included the Harris link for the 'Ewww!' factor, but the video clip at the link is another piece of evidence that Renzi's judgement is just as strong as his ethics. ]
Oh, and his residency has been an issue since before he was ever elected. His wife and children still haven't moved to the district, and when Congress is in session, he commutes from home...errr...a house in Virginia.
It's not a "smear" when it's the truth.
Rick Renzi can claim the investigation is an "election year smear" all that he wants, but he's been an indictment waiting to happen since he entered the Arizona political scene.
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