NPR is reporting that Congresswoman Giffords has died

From NPR -

Congresswoman, 6 Others, Killed By Gunman

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and six others died after a gunman opened fire at a public event on Saturday, the Pima County, Ariz., sheriff's office confirms.


The 40-year-old Democrat, who was re-elected to her third term in November, was hosting a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a Safeway in northwest Tucson when a gunman ran up and started shooting, according to Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media.

A tragic day...

My thoughts go out to the families and friends of Congresswoman Giffords and all of the victims of today's violence...

Breaking: Gabrielle Giffords and staff members shot in Tucson

Details are sketchy right now, but from NPR -

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, Arizona Public Media reported Saturday.


The Democrat, who was re-elected to her third term in November, was hosting a "Congress on Your Corner" event at the Safeway in northwest Tucson when a gunman ran up and started shooting, according to Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media.

At least five other people, including members of her staff, were hurt. Giffords was transported to University Medical Center in Tucson. Her condition was not immediately known.

Giffords was talking to a couple when the suspect ran up firing indiscriminately and then ran off, Michaels said. According to other witnesses, he was tackled by a bystander and taken into custody.

Giffords was first elected to represent Arizona's 8th District in 2006. The "Congress on Your Corner" events allow constituents to present their concerns directly to her.

More details to come.

Right now, only Fox News seems to be covering this.  Not even the AZ Star or Republic has anything up as yet...

My thoughts and prayers are will Giffords and all of the victims of the shooting today...

David Schweikert: Health care hypocrite

To be fair to our Foreclosure Dave though, it's not like he was alone.

On Wednesday, the new Republican majority in the U.S. House passed all sorts of new rules for the 112th Congress.  Some of them are really interesting, but we'll save those for another day.

The highlight of the rules package was one that *didn't* make it into the package.

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) proposed a rule that would have required members of Congress to disclose whether or not they take advantage of the taxpayer-funded and government-run health care offered to members.

The proposal was defeated on a party-line vote, 191 - 238.

Huffington Post has a full report here.

Now, I could criticize all 238 Republicans who voted to defeat transparency, but they aren't the elected representatives of Arizona's 5th Congressional District.

David Schweikert is.

David Schweikert is the one, who on his website, stated "the liberal politicians in Washington continue to support government run healthcare that will effectively dismantle our healthcare system."

He's pledged to work for the repeal of health care reform and coverage for the average American...

Yet on the same day that he voted to conceal his and other members' acceptance of taxpayer-funded health insurance, he also voted to pass H. Res. 26, providing for next week's consideration of H.R. 2, the Republican scheme to repeal the health care reform and coverage for the average American.

So Schweikert is a *conservative* politician in Washington who supports "government run healthcare" for people who will "dismantle" healthcare for average Americans.

Something tells me that this won't be the last example of shameless hypocrisy coming from Schweikert.

The State Of Our State Conference

Spent the morning in downtown Phoenix with approximately 200 folks, elected officials, agency heads, and community members listening to some really smart people talk about the fundamental underpinnings of Arizona's budget deficit.

The insights were provided by people like David Stockman, formerly the Reagan Administration budget chief, George Cunningham, a former state legislator and staffer/advisor for Governors Mofford and Napolitano, economist Alan Maguire, Dr. Matt Murray of the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Jim Rounds, an economist with Elliott D. Pollack and Company, and Craig Sullivan, executive director of the (Arizona) County Supervisors Association.

While some supported a more "cut spending" based approached and others supported a more "increase revenues" based one, all agreed that a more balanced and forward thinking approach to budgeting is needed in Arizona.

There were a large number of electeds in the audience (John McComish, Bob Burns, Chad Campbell, Eric Meyer, Carolyn Allen, Don Shooter, Ruben Gallego [all lege, current or incoming], Ken Bennett [AZ SOS], and probably more that I missed), but unfortunately, the ones who most get it are Ds (Meyer, Campbell, Gallego) or soon to retire (Allen).

This is oversimplifying (a good summary would be too complex for this outlet), but basically the combination of permanent tax cuts and spending programs enacted during economic boom years combined with the 1992 amendment to the Arizona Constitution that requires a 2/3 vote of the lege to increase revenues has rendered the state almost bankrupt and without the ability (in practical terms) to fix the problems.

The report published this week by the Morrison Institute and Brookings Mountain West is available on this page.

The meeting was recorded, and once the Institute posts the video, I'll link to it.  Also, they'll eventually post some of the Powerpoint presentations that the experts gave to help illustrate Arizona's plight.

Until those items are posted, here are a few quotes:

...This situation is a "failure in our national logic." - Dr. Michael Crow, President of ASU, referring to the national economic trend away from *building* things (manufacturing) and toward just reselling things (aka - the housing bubble)

..."Both parties are completely faking" on fiscal matters - Stockman, criticizing the Democrats for not having a fiscal plan for America, short of campaigning on "tax the rich" and "stop the wars"...and then not even doing that much, and going on to criticize the Republicans for being even worse, talking about fiscal responsibility and then actually working to undermine fiscal solvency with targeted tax cuts that weren't matched with spending cuts.  He noted that none of the Reagan-era spending cuts remains.

Other highlights from Stockman:

- The White House "rolled over and declared 'party on' " with the recent surrender on continued tax cuts for the wealthiest 2%

- The Russian state is "the most gigantic kleptocracy" in history

- Quantitative easing, or QE2, is nothing more than the Federal Reserve "printing money and monetizing debt" and that it has never worked.  Think "Weimar Republic" (my term, not his)

- " 'Deficit today' is another way of saying 'taxes tomorrow.' "

- Said that the belief/ mantra that 'tax cuts pay for themselves' is a "hoary myth."

...Dr. Murray suggested that Arizona should "broaden, balance, and diversify" its tax base and fiscal policies

...He also said that "Arizona is at a crossroads" but is only a part of a "long decay" across the country (economically)

...Maguire predicted that FY2014 will be a "very, very, ugly year" due to the expiration of the temporary sales tax increase enacted earlier this year and the expected unwillingness/inability of the feds to help any more than they already have

...Sullivan said that counties have been preparing for this mess since 2007, with mixed success, but all are subject to the vagaries and whims of the legislature.  AKA the lege has been trying to balance its budget by taking money from the counties and giving them more things to be responsible for

- Rounds favors cuts to spending first and adding revenues 2nd, but like the others, doesn't believe that cuts only will successfully address AZ's problems

- Cunningham says that tax cuts right now, such as the business tax cuts proposed/threatened by the Rs in the legislature, would be "fiscally imprudent"

- Rounds believes that while a "competitive" tax environment helps economic development, particularly in attracting businesses from out of state, but that "fiscal stability" is even more important, because instability will drive away business, no matter what the tax environment looks like

So far, I haven't found any other write ups of the event, though there were some MSM representatives there today, including Mary Jo Pitzl of the Arizona Republic.  When/if any are posted, I'll link to them here.

Also, it will be interesting on Monday to see if the Governor takes any lessons from the study or the State Of Our State conference into her State of the State speech.

I'm betting she won't, but I'm rather cynical.  (Yes, that it a surprise to most readers, I'm sure. :) )


I'm not sure exactly what to take away from this, because a lot of this was already known, but to see the actual numbers was eye-opening and jaw-dropping.

I guess the best thing would be for everybody to contact their legislators (yes, even the Rs) to remind them that blindly cutting taxes isn't being "fiscally responsible."

It's just politically lazy.  And fiscally destructive.

John Boehner: When reality and ideology conflict, ignore reality

From the Washington Post -

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday defended House Republicans' efforts to repeal the national health care law, disputing the accuracy of a preliminary Congressional Budget Office estimate that a repeal of the law would add $230 billion to the national debt through 2021.
"I do not believe that repealing the job-killing health care law will increase the deficit," Boehner said at a Capitol press conference the day after the GOP formally regained the House majority. "CBO is entitled to their opinion, but they're locked within constraints of the 1974 Budget Act. Listen, even the actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have made clear that this bill will not save the kind of money that was predicted earlier."

To summarize:  because of their ideology, the "fiscally responsible" Republicans want to block health care for Americans, even if health care reform was both beneficial to the average American *and* the federal budget deficit.

Of course, this isn't really a surprise, since the "fiscally responsible" Republicans spent more than a million dollars of the public's money today on a photo op.

John McCain hired by The Daily Show*

*OK, not really, but they did introduce a puppet that is so incredibly life-like it could be a clone...

Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion already has this, but it's too funny not to post it here, too.

Photo courtesy TPM.

From the accompanying article, which includes video -

After the 112th Congress convened yesterday, Jon Stewart celebrated his pick for the Senate's grumpiest member: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)


"McCain's old-man crankiness has gone off the charts," Stewart said last night. "On the scale, he's clearly gone from a man of wisdom all the way to full Gran Torino."

By the way, no matter what some may think, that's not a rude gesture in the pic.  Jon Stewart asked McCain/the puppet how many homes he has.  It's not the right answer, but at least it's better than his previous answer of "I don't know".

Do you have one of these jobs?

Thanks for the heads-up on this goes to Govexec.com's FedBlog.

The 20 best and worst jobs, based a variety of criteria, from CareerCast.com -

Top 20:

1. software engineer


2. mathematician

3. actuary

4. statistician

5. computer systems analyst

6. meteorologist

7. biologist

8. historian

9. audiologist

10. dental hygenist

11. sociologist

12. accountant

13. paralegal assistant

13. physicist

15. financial planner

16. philosopher

17. occupational therapist

18. parole officer

19. aerospace engineer

20. economist


The bottom 20:


180. choreographer


181. plasterer

182. butcher

183. automobile mechanic

184. dairy farmer

185. photojournalist

186. child care worker

187. sheet metal worker

188. reporter (newspaper)

189. seaman

190. stevedore

191. painter

191. meter reader

191. construction worker (laborer)

194. welder

195. emergency medical technician

196. taxi driver

197. roofer

198. lumberjack

199. ironworker

200. roustabout (linked to the Wikipedia page on it because it is the worst.)

Some of the "worst" made the list because of the physical demands (roustabout), some because of the low income potential (child care worker) and some because of the poor outlook for the field (reporter).

However, the one that I'm trying to figure out is how "philosopher" made the top 20.  How can I get paid to go around all day saying "I think, therefore I am"?  Hell, if they pay me enough, I'll even say it in Latin (Cogito, ergo sum).

In case you were wondering where Christine O'Donnell went after the election

From NPR -

Solace for world leaders trying to enforce painful austerity measures: At least you're not running Romania.


Angry witches are using cat excrement and dead dogs to cast spells on the president and government who are forcing them to pay taxes. Also in the eye of the taxman are fortune tellers, who should have seen it coming.

OK, she's not actually involved in this (I think!) but it's not as boring, or as unsurprising, a story as the one about her legal troubles.

Report: Arizona's budgeting politicized and short-sighted

ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy and Brookings Mountain West, a joint enterprise of both the Brookings Institute and UNLV, have released a report on the long-term fiscal crisis facing Arizona.

Mary Jo Pitzl of the Arizona Republic has a good summary here, but the short version is that Arizona has both a cyclical deficit and a structural deficit.

The cyclical deficit is related to the downturn in the economy.  Because much of the state's revenue comes taxes that are based on economic activity (sales and income taxes), a drop in economic activity results in a drop in state revenue.  The cyclical deficit will grow or shrink with the economy.

An economic recovery will reduce or eliminate a cyclical deficit.

The structural deficit is more problematical.  A structural deficit is a "chronic" imbalance between between a state's (or any other entity's) revenues and expenditures.  It is based in policy (like permanent tax cuts) but can be obscured by a strong economy and the cyclical surplus that can go along with it.

Unfortunately, an economic recovery has no impact on a structural deficit.  The only way to affect a structural deficit is to change underlying fiscal policy.

Arizona is feeling the pain of generations of fiscal policies that are unwise and/or short-sighted, mostly characterized by permanent tax cuts or spending enacted during economic boom periods.

From the report (brief fact sheet here) -

Political decisions can play a huge role in budget dynamics, as changes made to a state’s fiscal structure in one budget cycle can and often do have significant effects on its long-term fiscal health. During periods of strong economic growth, for example, states often enjoy cyclical budget surpluses. Decisionmakers often fail, however, to consider that these surges in revenue are temporary. For that reason, state budget surpluses are rarely saved in their entirety, with only a fraction typically committed to rainy day funds. More often, the bulk of such surpluses is given back to taxpayers through permanent tax cuts or used to support permanent spending increases. As a result, a fiscal shortfall typically emerges during a downturn that includes both the cyclical deficit along with any structural deficit arising from the long-term tax/ expenditure mismatch created during previous periods of economic expansion. In this way, policy decisions made by state legislatures or directly by the voting public, as well as by federal mandate, can contribute substantially to the emergence of permanent, recurrent budget imbalances. For example, voter initiatives may be introduced that mandate higher spending or that place restrictions on the effective capacity of states to raise revenues—initiatives that, as noted above, can become fiscally unsustainable as the economy progresses through the classic boom-and-bust cycle.

The entire report, as well as a Brookings report on deficits in California and the Intermountain West (includes Colorado and Nevada, as well as Arizona) is worth a read.

My solution, or at least the first steps to a solution, and I'm under no illusions that these are ever going to come to pass:

1. Persuade the voters of Arizona to suspend for two or four years, the provisions of 1992's Prop 108 that mandated a 2/3 vote of the legislature to raise revenue.  The suspension would be temporary because it *shouldn't* be easy for "citizen" legislators to raise taxes.  It just shouldn't be impossible, and due to the nihilist/corporate ideologies permeating the Capitol, it is impossible right now.

2. Accept that we can't only cut or tax our way out of the mess, and elect enough Democrats to ensure passage of fiscally sensible legislation (Say...2/3 of each chamber to override the inevitable Brewer vetos).  Cuts will still be necessary, and they'll be painful.  But that beats the punitive and ineffective cuts that the Republicans have and will make.

Some readers might believe that this one is pure partisanship, but the simple fact is that any Republican with the juice to get through a Republican primary and the spine (and heart) to do what is right for the long-term benefit of Arizona and its residents has been purged from the Republican Party or at least from public office.

That leaves it to the Democrats to clean up this mess.

3. At the same time as #1, persuade the voters of Arizona to pass an amendment to the AZ Constitution that would mandate a 2/3 vote of the legislature to reduce revenues in any way, be it through tax cuts or credits or fee reductions or whatever.  It also shouldn't be easy for "citizen" legislators, many of whom aren't more than talented amateurs when it comes to governing, to mess with the fiscal stability of the state.

None of this will happen, but *something* does need to change - the status quo is destroying Arizona.


The report will be discussed as part of a conference on Friday at the Sheraton Hotel Downtown Phoenix, 340 N. Third Street, Phoenix, starting at 7:30 a.m.

David Stockman, former budget chief during the Reagan Administration, and a number of economists will be part of the discussion.

BrewerCare Body Count: 2

From the Arizona Senate Democratic Caucus (the full story is at the Arizona Guardian, but that's behind a subscriber firewall) -

Today, University Medical Center in Tucson has confirmed that a UMC patient, who was awaiting a transplant, but was refused the life saving procedure because of Republican budget cuts, has died.


“It’s time to put politics aside and restore the transplant funding,” said incoming Senate Minority Leader David Schapira. “Gov. Brewer and the Republican leadership at the legislature need to join us and take immediate action to fix their mistake. Failure to restore this funding is a death sentence for people who have committed no crimes.”

So what are Brewer and company doing while people are dying?

...Giving out medals to commemorate her inauguration, while ignoring public records requests seeking information about the cost of those medals and the rest of the inauguration-related costs...

...Trotting out legislation attacking brown-skinned babies...

...Preparing for a high-dollar fundraiser in Paradise Valley, where almost the entire directory of Arizona lobbyist will pay $250 or more for the (dubious) privilege of cozying up to Senate President-elect Russell Pearce...

...Balancing the state's budget...oh, wait, that's the one thing that they *aren't" doing...

How many have to die before they are sated?

BTW - some readers may think that last sentence is too much, but it's a lot milder than what I originally typed -

Jan and her clan - rolling back Arizona's population growth, one poor person at a time.

Shadegg starting a new/old career: corporate lobbyist

Former Congresscritters are barred from lobbying their former colleagues for one year after leaving office.

However, the law that bars that activity is very specific and only disallows direct contact with current members of the U.S. Congress for a lobbying-related purpose.

There are, however, a number of ways around that, some of them even being legal - lobbying indirectly (i.e. - behind the scenes organizing), "advising" other lobbyists, lobbying at the state level, etc.

It seems that former Rep. John Shadegg (R-CD3) has chosen the last course.

From KSWT in Yuma -

The Goldwater Institute has named retiring U.S. Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona as a senior fellow.

The libertarian-leaning group says Shadegg will help fulfill its mission of economic freedom and limited government by sharing his experience and expertise with other scholars.

Shadegg is a plaintiff in the Phoenix-based group's challenge to health care overhaul passed in Washington last year.

The Goldwater Institute isn't much more than a generic corporate lobbying group working under the guise of a "think tank".  One of their big targets recently has been health care reform, something that has been at the top of Shadegg's personal hit list, so they should be a good fit.

My expectation (and it's only that, an expectation.  I'm not exactly a confidante of any of the people I'm about to name):

Shadegg will be with GI for a couple of  years before making the "official" move to the lobbyist ranks.  The one thing that looms on the horizon that could possibly change the plan is if Jon Kyl doesn't run for reelection to the U.S. Senate next year (whether to retire, run for VP, or something else).  In that event, Shadegg will be one of the many R names looking into sliding into that spot.

For the record - right now, I'd bet on Kyl running for reelection.  However, I reserve the right to change that at any time when more info becomes available. :)

Andrei Cherny: Why I'm Running For Arizona Democratic Party Chair

From an email from Andrei Cherny (and if Rodney Glassman sends something similar, I'll publish that, too):

After a great deal of soul-searching and encouragement from elected leaders, grassroots activists, and friends throughout the state, I have decided to run for the position of Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. We’re at a critical point in Arizona’s history – one where so much is on the line with the choices our state and nation make. That’s why I ran for State Treasurer. And that’s why I have made this decision today.

A couple of years ago, Arizona was seen as a state trending “purple” – a swing state where candidates for office would have to build broad coalitions to win. But in 2010, we were swamped by a tsunami. Despite the incredible efforts of Democratic volunteers and candidates, Republicans won up and down the ticket – and throughout the state – without offering any positive ideas to build Arizona’s future and by playing the dirtiest sort of wedge politics.

Democrats let that happen. As I campaigned in every part in Arizona, I saw firsthand that a lot of people who supported us in years past did not trust us to fight for their interests, defend their values, or make their lives better. While we attacked the many Republican missteps, we failed to campaign with a unified message that told the people of Arizona who we are, what we stand for, and how we'll lead our state.

I believe that offering that message has to be job #1 of the next State Chair. That’s especially true because, for the first election in nearly fifteen years, we did not elect a single statewide Democratic official to act as the spokesperson for our ideas and plans. We need the next State Chair to be a unifying figure and a strong messenger for a compelling vision of where Arizona needs to go.

The fact is that Russell Pearce’s Republican Party has deliberately vacated the center of Arizona politics. They disdain independents and their own party's moderates. They’re betting that they can rely on extremist supporters and money from out-of-state corporations to carry the day. They will if we let them. I’m determined that this won’t happen. Instead, we need to build a big tent Arizona Democratic Party where independents and disaffected Republicans are welcome and have a home. And we need to go on the offense to fight for better schools, safer streets, and an Arizona economy that works for those who work hard and not just those with the connections and the lobbyists. We should not shade our ideas or sand down our message, but instead should show the contrast between Arizona's present and the brighter future Arizona Democrats can help bring.

Here’s what I'll work toward as Chair:

•A Democratic Party that Works from the Bottom-Up, Not the Top-Down. Without a statewide elected official to serve as our rallying point, we are entering a new era for Arizona Democrats. This is a chance to build a party that is not about one person at the top calling the shots, but one where county chairs, LD chairs, state committee members, precinct committee members, and activists are empowered to make more decisions, have the tools they need to do their work – and held accountable as well. As a former elected PC and former LD chair, I know what it means to work at the party’s grassroots. To rebuild the Arizona Democratic Party, we need a 15 county strategy that works to win votes and convert voters in every part of our state.

•A Democratic Party with a Clear Vision. Before Arizonans trust our take on what the Republicans are doing to our state, they need to trust that we’ll do a better job. While we must take Russell Pearce and Jan Brewer to task, we have a responsibility to offer new, common-sense ideas to meet Arizona's toughest challenges. Arizona Democrats must offer more than responses to the Republican agenda, and instead make clear where we will lead the state. But our vision for the state is meaningless if Arizonans don't know what it is. Arizona Democrats' communications efforts have to reach newspapers, television, radio and blogs in every part of the state – from Nogales to Kingman, and Yuma to Window Rock.

•A Democratic Party that Wins Again. Ultimately, if we want to rebuild Arizona, we have to start winning more elections. Redistricting may create the most serious opportunity to make large gains in the state legislature in decades. A new congressional seat and President Obama’s reelection means the chance to make sure we have leadership in Washington that is focused on meeting America’s challenges. In this moment, we can't afford to be divided. Our task is to build a stronger Democratic Party, not to squander the work of the past decade. I was proud that my State Treasurer campaign raised more than any previous non-Governor statewide campaign – with the vast majority of contributions amounting to $100 or less. That kind of grassroots support – combined with the support of our Democratic Party leaders – is the unity we need to move forward. I am honored to have the support of Democrats from the grassroots to our top elected officials in this campaign for Chair. It’s not enough to just fight the good fight, we need to win. Millions of Arizonans are counting on to do so – and that means we need to have the message, money, and momentum to carry the day.

As my friend from Cochise County, Bob Bland, said to me the other day: “When Republicans win, they splinter. When Democrats lose, they come together.” We lost in 2010 – and Arizonans are paying the price. Now, we need to come together, unite as one, take the fight to those who are driving Arizona into the ground, and win.

Here's an article about my announcement from the Phoenix New Times.

There are three things you can do today to support our campaign for a new direction for the Arizona Democratic Party.

1. Forward this email to other Democrats, PCs, and members of the State Committee. Tell them we need their help and support.

2. Join the "Andrei Cherny for Arizona Democratic Party Chair" facebook group to join in the conversation and read the latest news.

3. Follow @andreicherny on Twitter to get updates and see endorsements as they're announced.

There is no time to wait. The Chair's election is in just 16 days, so we must act fast. We can begin moving the Arizona Democratic Party in a new direction with a clear vision, strong message and real investment in our grassroots - but we can't do it without you!

I hope to earn your support for Chair and then work with you in the months to come. As always, please stay in touch either by email or at (602) 688-2336.

Thank you,

Andrei

There have been a number of state committee members who have expressed concerns that Cherny is not eligible to be chair because he wasn't elected as a PC in August.  However, according to this legal opinion, because he has been legally appointed as a PC and to the State Committee, he *is* eligible to be chair. 
 
However, since under ADP by-laws, only elected PCs who were in turn elected to the State Committee can vote at the biennial reorganization meeting, he won't be able to vote for himself.
 
Should be an interesting meeting on January 22...

Cherny in the race for AZ Democratic Party Chair

From the Phoenix New Times (including the pic) -

I'm on deadline at the moment, but I want to bring you this much anticipated news: erstwhile state Treasurer candidate Andrei Cherny just called me to tell me he formally putting two feet in the river, and making a bid for Don Bivens' post as Arizona State Democratic Party Chairman.


In a blog post yesterday, I reported that Cherny was still strongly considering the run, though was holding off for an official announcement. But it seems the pro-Cherny chorus is growing in Democratic ranks, and he can wait no longer.

"We need in this era a strong transition and a strong messenger," Cherny explained. "One who'll really be able to make the case to Arizonans why Democrats have the right ideas for the state's economy and all the other challenges that face us."

This bring to a close weeks of speculation/anticipation and sets up a race for the top spot in the ADP between Cherny, the 2010 Democratic nominee for Arizona State Treasurer, and Rodney Glassman, the 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

At least one Democratic elected official has already endorsed Cherny, with State Sen.-elect Kyrsten Sinema doing so on her Facebook page.

Kyrsten Sinema I'm proud to endorse Andrei Cherny for State Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party!

...I haven't heard of anyone else who is going to throw his/her hat in the ring and will update if any do so...

Redistricting and other updates: 1st court proceeding set for January 18

As most observers of the AZ political scene are already aware, the lawsuits over redistricting have already started, even before the actual redistricting process has begun.

The first lawsuit was filed by Kirk Adams and Russell Pearce, Speaker of the Arizona House and President-elect of the Arizona Senate, respectively, over their allegations that the list of potential nominees for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) forwarded to them by the Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments includes people who don't meet the legal qualifications for the AIRC.

Specifically, they have targeted Republicans Steve Sossaman and Mark Schnepf and Independent Paul Bender.  The Republicans, both East Valley farmers and businessmen, are elected members of irrigation district governing boards and Bender, a renowned law professor from ASU, has served on the courts of a couple of Native American tribal courts.

Adams and Pearce argue that these positions disqualify the threesome because AIRC members cannot have held "public office" for at least three years prior to their appointment to the AIRC.

Many observers think that the opposition to Sossaman and Schnepf is meant to serve as a smokescreen for their deep opposition to the possibility that Bender could end up on the commission.  While Bender is "independent" in that he isn't registered with any party, he is an outspoken progressive.

He's also considered to be brilliant, even by his detractors (who often characterize him as a "brilliant pain in the neck" - only "neck" isn't the body part they name :) ).

Because of the immediacy of the need to commence the redistricting process, when the lawsuit was filed (called a "petition for special action") it included a request for expedited consideration.

That request was granted by Justice Pelander today.

The Pearce/Adams suit has been scheduled for oral arguments on Tuesday January 18, 2011 at 2 p.m. before the Arizona Supreme Court.

At that time, the lawyers will argue why the Court should/shouldn't interfere with the process.

More updates as they become available.

Previous posts on the redistricting process here, here, here, here, and here.


...Other Pearce-related updates:

- From KTAR.com -

The main champion of Arizona laws cracking down on illegal immigration won't be in Washington on Wednesday for the unveiling of proposed legislation to deny automatic citizenship to children of illegal immigrants.


Arizona Senate spokesman Mike Philipsen says incoming Senate President Russell Pearce supports the legislation but has canceled his plans to attend the Washington news conference scheduled by legislators from Arizona and other states on their coordinated proposal.

Philipsen says Pearce is staying home to participate in state budget meetings and to prepare for the regular session starting Monday. Philipsen also cities the time required for the cross-country trip.

Two other Arizona legislators are expected to attend the Washington news conference.

The other two legislators mentioned in the article/press release are likely to be Rep. John Kavanagh and Sen. Ron Gould, Republicans both.  I've got calls out to verify that.

- Word is out from LD18 that not everyone there is satisfied with the job Pearce has been doing, and a campaign committee, utilizing traditional funding instead of Clean Elections funding, to challenge him will form within the next couple of days.  I'll publish more info when I learn more details.

David Schweikert, a Constitutional expansionist?

From the Phoenix Business Journal (quoted in its entirety because it is only two sentences) -

New U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Scottsdale/Tempe, was on CNN Monday night talking about health care.

Schweikert toppled Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell in November. Schweikert will be part of the GOP efforts to dismantle President Barack Obama's health plans. Schweikert made the argument on CNN against the individual mandate in the Obama plans saying Americans have the 'right to be dumb' and not have insurance even if they can afford it.

Check out this CNN video for more.

I don't see anything in the U.S. Constitution specifying that right (and wasn't one of the R arguments against health care reform something about it not being in the Constitution?), but Schweikert seems to be well on his way to proving that 110,374 voters have already taken advantage of that Schweikert-granted "right".