Monday, July 16, 2012
Reminder: CD9 Forum for Democratic Candidates Tuesday
Tuesday, July 17 at 7 p.m., the David Schapira, Kyrsten Sinema, and Andrei Cherny, the three candidates for the Democratic nomination in the new Ninth Congressional District, will gather at a forum at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283 (SE corner of McClintock and Guadalupe) at 7 p.m.
Seating is limited, so arrive early (it's a great bookstore, so arriving early won't exactly be a burden).
For a preview, the video of this weekend's Sunday Square Off, with all three candidates, is here.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Lester Pearce the subject of an ethics investigation
Lester Pearce, a former Justice of the Peace in North Mesa and current candidate for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, is best-known as the older brother of ethically-challenged nativist blatherer Russell Pearce.
Like his brother, he tends to hold some rather extreme political views.
Like his brother, he is quite willing to use his position of public trust to promulgate those views.
Now, like his brother, he is facing an ethics investigation.
Perhaps it's only fitting that (alleged) ethical transgressions are related to his brother.
During his brother's recall election last fall, Lester Pearce allegedly campaigned for Russell Pearce, including helping to put a sham Latina candidate on the ballot in order to split the anti-Pearce vote, and publicly endorsed his brother.
Things that judges are specifically barred from doing (actually, the whole sham candidate thing goes beyond a violation of standards of judicial conduct; that sort of behavior is frowned upon for all of us).
From Canon 4 of the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct -
Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has an article here regarding Lester's apparent violations of all of the above.
Now, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct is investigating a complaint against Pearce. They won't post the complaint on their website until the matter is resolved.
The ethics investigation may not be the worst thing facing Lester and the Pearce clan -
I wonder if the ethics investigation will be a topic of conversation at the Pearce family fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, July 21 in Fountain Hills?
It will be that, or talk about how desperately poor the Pearces have been at fundraising this year.
During the five months between January 1 and May 31, Russell raised ~$2800 in his race for the LD25 Senate seat.
During the same period, big brother Lester raised $100,223.87.
Sounds good, even great...until you notice that $100,000 came from a loan from the candidate himself. Meaning he actually raised $223.87.
Many words will probably be written about the fundraiser, both before and after the event (it's possible my post-event write-up will include the words "klavern meeting". Just sayin' :) ).
I'm just guessing here, but the Pearces won't care what anyone writes about the event so long as one of the words used after the event is "lucrative".
Like his brother, he tends to hold some rather extreme political views.
Like his brother, he is quite willing to use his position of public trust to promulgate those views.
Now, like his brother, he is facing an ethics investigation.
Perhaps it's only fitting that (alleged) ethical transgressions are related to his brother.
During his brother's recall election last fall, Lester Pearce allegedly campaigned for Russell Pearce, including helping to put a sham Latina candidate on the ballot in order to split the anti-Pearce vote, and publicly endorsed his brother.
Things that judges are specifically barred from doing (actually, the whole sham candidate thing goes beyond a violation of standards of judicial conduct; that sort of behavior is frowned upon for all of us).
From Canon 4 of the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct -
RULE 4.1. Political and Campaign Activities of Judges and Judicial Candidates in General
(A) A judge or a judicial candidate shall not do any of the following:
{snip}
(2) make speeches on behalf of a political organization or another candidate for public office;
(3) publicly endorse or oppose another candidate for any public office;
{snip}
(5) actively take part in any political campaign other than his or her own campaign for election, reelection or retention in office;
Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times has an article here regarding Lester's apparent violations of all of the above.
Now, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct is investigating a complaint against Pearce. They won't post the complaint on their website until the matter is resolved.
The ethics investigation may not be the worst thing facing Lester and the Pearce clan -
I wonder if the ethics investigation will be a topic of conversation at the Pearce family fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, July 21 in Fountain Hills?
It will be that, or talk about how desperately poor the Pearces have been at fundraising this year.
During the five months between January 1 and May 31, Russell raised ~$2800 in his race for the LD25 Senate seat.
During the same period, big brother Lester raised $100,223.87.
Sounds good, even great...until you notice that $100,000 came from a loan from the candidate himself. Meaning he actually raised $223.87.
Many words will probably be written about the fundraiser, both before and after the event (it's possible my post-event write-up will include the words "klavern meeting". Just sayin' :) ).
I'm just guessing here, but the Pearces won't care what anyone writes about the event so long as one of the words used after the event is "lucrative".
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Fun with campaign signs; part 1
One of the traditions of campaign season is campaign signs.
One of the traditions with campaign signs is that there are mistakes, mishaps, and just plain game-playing with campaign signs.
And one of my traditions? Writing about the mistakes, mishaps, and game-playing with signs. :)
It's early still, generally the "fun with campaign signs" period starts after the primary, but occasionally there are some enterprising folks who like to get a head start on things, like -
Yes, underneath that gang tagging (at least, I think it is gang-related), is a sign from the rather infamous Lester Pearce, a candidate for county supervisor in District 2 (most of Mesa, Scottsdale, and northeastern Maricopa County).
This sign was on the SE corner of Pima Road and McDowell Road, at the border of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and the City of Scottsdale.
I say "was" because the sign is gone now, not because of the tagging but because the sign was placed on SRPMIC land.
A call to the Community Relations office of the SRPMIC confirmed what I already suspected was true - they don't allow signs of any kind to simply be thrown up anywhere on their land. They don't discriminate; all of them come down.
For instance, signs have gone up on the NE corner of the same intersection and were gone so quickly that I didn't have a chance to take a pic of them (Jeff Flake for Senate most recently, and [I think] Travis Grantham in the CD9 race).
One of the basics of a campaign is that the person responsible for sign placement learns the sign rules in the different jurisdictions where the campaign plans to put up signs.
Obviously, there is some on-the-job training going on right now. :)
...On the west side, however, things are more deliberate in the race for mayor of Glendale -
Courtesy Jeff Stana, a loyal reader in Glendale
And in case you are familiar with the name of Jerry Weiers, a long-time Republican state legislator (not "career" but definitely was there for far too long), this isn't the doing of a Democrat -
Courtesy the same reader
In case you can't read the fine print, the sign was paid for by the campaign of Walt Opaska, a tea party type who is also running for mayor of Glendale.
It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Opaska is going after Weiers.
It's become obvious that neither one will get 50% plus one vote or even can catch Manny Cruz in the race...in the August election. They just need to come in second (and hence, not be eliminated) and hope to win over the votes of the other's supporters in the November election.
More to come...
One of the traditions with campaign signs is that there are mistakes, mishaps, and just plain game-playing with campaign signs.
And one of my traditions? Writing about the mistakes, mishaps, and game-playing with signs. :)
It's early still, generally the "fun with campaign signs" period starts after the primary, but occasionally there are some enterprising folks who like to get a head start on things, like -
This sign was on the SE corner of Pima Road and McDowell Road, at the border of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and the City of Scottsdale.
I say "was" because the sign is gone now, not because of the tagging but because the sign was placed on SRPMIC land.
A call to the Community Relations office of the SRPMIC confirmed what I already suspected was true - they don't allow signs of any kind to simply be thrown up anywhere on their land. They don't discriminate; all of them come down.
For instance, signs have gone up on the NE corner of the same intersection and were gone so quickly that I didn't have a chance to take a pic of them (Jeff Flake for Senate most recently, and [I think] Travis Grantham in the CD9 race).
One of the basics of a campaign is that the person responsible for sign placement learns the sign rules in the different jurisdictions where the campaign plans to put up signs.
Obviously, there is some on-the-job training going on right now. :)
...On the west side, however, things are more deliberate in the race for mayor of Glendale -
Courtesy Jeff Stana, a loyal reader in Glendale
And in case you are familiar with the name of Jerry Weiers, a long-time Republican state legislator (not "career" but definitely was there for far too long), this isn't the doing of a Democrat -
Courtesy the same reader
In case you can't read the fine print, the sign was paid for by the campaign of Walt Opaska, a tea party type who is also running for mayor of Glendale.
It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Opaska is going after Weiers.
It's become obvious that neither one will get 50% plus one vote or even can catch Manny Cruz in the race...in the August election. They just need to come in second (and hence, not be eliminated) and hope to win over the votes of the other's supporters in the November election.
More to come...
Monday, July 09, 2012
Romney crashes the Antoinette family reunion
OK, not really, but he spent the weekend partying with his friends in the Hamptons, and charging the "friends" $50K a head for that rather dubious privilege.
But at least he wasn't gauche enough to make the party "BYOB"...
h/t to Taegan Goddard's Political Wire for the heads-up on this
From the LA Times, written by Maeve Reston -
The "Antoinette" quote came a little later in the story -
"They don't understand"?? WTF?!?
People understand that while the economy has grown over the last few decades, the vast majority of the benefits of that have helped only the wealthiest 1%.
And we understand that Romney will work only to widen the economic disparity that is devastating America.
Romney is widely viewed as aloof, dismissive and out of touch with the average American (if "average" means 99% of us).
It seems that his plan to remedy that, if there is a plan at all, is to hang out people who may actually be more contemptuous of America and Americans than him, and hope that he looks good by comparison.
Given that he pulled this stunt on the weekend before President Obama proposed helping America's middle class by extending the Bush-era tax cuts on income under $250K, I think he needs a new plan.
But at least he wasn't gauche enough to make the party "BYOB"...
h/t to Taegan Goddard's Political Wire for the heads-up on this
From the LA Times, written by Maeve Reston -
As protesters assembled on a beach in advance of Mitt Romney's evening event at the home of conservative billionaire David Koch, the candidate slipped to East Hampton for his first of three fundraisers on this tony stretch of Long Island.
The line of Range Rovers, BMWs, Porsche roadsters and one gleaming cherry red Ferrari began queuing outside of Revlon Chairman Ronald Perelman's estate off Montauk Highway long before Romney arrived, as campaign aides and staffers in white polo shirts emblazoned with the logo of Perelman's property -- the Creeks -- checked off names under tight security.
The "Antoinette" quote came a little later in the story -
A New York City donor a few cars back, who also would not give her name, said
Romney needed to do a better job connecting. "I don't think the common person is
getting it," she said from the passenger seat of a Range Rover stamped with East
Hampton beach permits. "Nobody understands why Obama is hurting
them.
"We've got the message," she added. "But my college kid, the baby sitters, the nails ladies -- everybody who's got the right to vote -- they don't understand what's going on. I just think if you're lower income -- one, you're not as educated, two, they don't understand how it works, they don't understand how the systems work, they don't understand the impact."
"We've got the message," she added. "But my college kid, the baby sitters, the nails ladies -- everybody who's got the right to vote -- they don't understand what's going on. I just think if you're lower income -- one, you're not as educated, two, they don't understand how it works, they don't understand how the systems work, they don't understand the impact."
"They don't understand"?? WTF?!?
People understand that while the economy has grown over the last few decades, the vast majority of the benefits of that have helped only the wealthiest 1%.
And we understand that Romney will work only to widen the economic disparity that is devastating America.
Romney is widely viewed as aloof, dismissive and out of touch with the average American (if "average" means 99% of us).
It seems that his plan to remedy that, if there is a plan at all, is to hang out people who may actually be more contemptuous of America and Americans than him, and hope that he looks good by comparison.
Given that he pulled this stunt on the weekend before President Obama proposed helping America's middle class by extending the Bush-era tax cuts on income under $250K, I think he needs a new plan.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Cha-ching! Campaign finance report time...
Mary Jo Pitzl of the Arizona Republic has a story up on the most recent round of campaign finance reports for state legislative candidates, covering the period from the beginning of the year thru the end of May.
That inspired a look at some specific races and candidates -
This will tend to focus on races of note in Maricopa County. If you are interested in a race that isn't covered this post, the AZSOS' campaign finance search page is here.
Note: the complete list of candidates who are running under Clean Elections financing and how much they have received to date is here.
In LD24 (my new district):
House candidates -
State Rep. Lela Alston (D) (traditional financing) - raised more than $19K; nearly $25K cash on hand
State Rep. Chad Campbell (D) (traditional) - raised nearly $12K; more than $19K on hand
Tom Nerini (D) (Clean Elections financing) - raised slightly more than $3K; slightly less than $100 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
Jean Cheuvront McDermott (D) (traditional) - raised nearly $1900; approximately $750 on hand. Note: she had been ordered off of the ballot over discrepancies with her name but appealed the ruling and has been restored to the ballot. The only significant change ordered by the court was that instead of appearing on the ballot as "Cheuvront-McDermott, Jean", she will be listed as "McDermott, Jean Cheuvront".
Brian Kaufman (R) (CE) - raised $575; a little more than $500 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
Senate candidates -
State Rep. Katie Hobbs (D) (traditional) - raised nearly $14K; nearly $17K on hand
Ken Cheuvront (D) (traditional) - raised $21K; a little more than $18K on hand
Augustine Bartning (R) (CE) - raised $550; $478 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
LD25 State Senate:
Russell Pearce (R) (traditional) - raised $2800; more than $31K on hand. This is an amended report, as noted by Laurie Roberts of the AZ Republic here.
Bob Worsley (R) (traditional) - raised nearly $67K; more than $17K on hand
Greg Gadek (D) (CE) - raised $2500; a little more than $2200 on hand. Gadek has received his CE funding, but it is not reflected in this report.
LD26:
Senate candidates -
State Rep. Ed Ableser (D) (CE) - raised almost $1900; nearly $2900 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
State Sen. Jerry Lewis (R) (traditional) - raised nearly $9200; $6200 on hand. While Lewis is leading the money race in this district, his numbers are a far cry from the $84K he raised in the 2011 recall election against Russell Pearce. It seems that the "anti-Pearce" donors outnumber the "pro-Lewis" donors (just check out the numbers for Bob Worsley, above. Worsley is Pearce's opponent this time around.)
House candidates -
Buckley Merrill (R) (traditional) - raised I don't know how much. He hasn't filed a report, which is a big no-no.
Raymond Speakman (R) (CE) - raised $185; $157 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
Mary Lou Taylor (R) (traditional) - raised $0; $0 on hand. At least she filed a report, but it could be a problem - even if no other expeditures were made, *somebody* had to pay for the petitions she circulated. Either she (or her campaign) paid for them and it should be reported, or somebody else, in which case it was an "in-kind" contribution, which must also be reported Not submitting a report is bad, but generally only gets a committee fined. Submitting a report with false information is far worse.
Jason Youn (R) (CE) - raised more than $1800; nearly $800 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
LD28 State House:
State Rep. Kate Brophy McGee (R) (traditional) - raised nearly $9500; more than $25K on hand.
State Rep. Eric Meyer (D) (traditional) - raised $39K; more than $38K on hand
State Rep. Amanda Reeve (R) (traditional) - raised $9400; almost $28K on hand
This district is definitely Republican-leaning in terms of voter registration, but as the fundraising numbers show, this race is going to be a close one.
Look for a post on the financial reports of Congressional candidates later this month, after the reporting deadline.
That inspired a look at some specific races and candidates -
This will tend to focus on races of note in Maricopa County. If you are interested in a race that isn't covered this post, the AZSOS' campaign finance search page is here.
Note: the complete list of candidates who are running under Clean Elections financing and how much they have received to date is here.
In LD24 (my new district):
House candidates -
State Rep. Lela Alston (D) (traditional financing) - raised more than $19K; nearly $25K cash on hand
State Rep. Chad Campbell (D) (traditional) - raised nearly $12K; more than $19K on hand
Tom Nerini (D) (Clean Elections financing) - raised slightly more than $3K; slightly less than $100 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
Jean Cheuvront McDermott (D) (traditional) - raised nearly $1900; approximately $750 on hand. Note: she had been ordered off of the ballot over discrepancies with her name but appealed the ruling and has been restored to the ballot. The only significant change ordered by the court was that instead of appearing on the ballot as "Cheuvront-McDermott, Jean", she will be listed as "McDermott, Jean Cheuvront".
Brian Kaufman (R) (CE) - raised $575; a little more than $500 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
Senate candidates -
State Rep. Katie Hobbs (D) (traditional) - raised nearly $14K; nearly $17K on hand
Ken Cheuvront (D) (traditional) - raised $21K; a little more than $18K on hand
Augustine Bartning (R) (CE) - raised $550; $478 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
LD25 State Senate:
Russell Pearce (R) (traditional) - raised $2800; more than $31K on hand. This is an amended report, as noted by Laurie Roberts of the AZ Republic here.
Bob Worsley (R) (traditional) - raised nearly $67K; more than $17K on hand
Greg Gadek (D) (CE) - raised $2500; a little more than $2200 on hand. Gadek has received his CE funding, but it is not reflected in this report.
LD26:
Senate candidates -
State Rep. Ed Ableser (D) (CE) - raised almost $1900; nearly $2900 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
State Sen. Jerry Lewis (R) (traditional) - raised nearly $9200; $6200 on hand. While Lewis is leading the money race in this district, his numbers are a far cry from the $84K he raised in the 2011 recall election against Russell Pearce. It seems that the "anti-Pearce" donors outnumber the "pro-Lewis" donors (just check out the numbers for Bob Worsley, above. Worsley is Pearce's opponent this time around.)
House candidates -
Buckley Merrill (R) (traditional) - raised I don't know how much. He hasn't filed a report, which is a big no-no.
Raymond Speakman (R) (CE) - raised $185; $157 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
Mary Lou Taylor (R) (traditional) - raised $0; $0 on hand. At least she filed a report, but it could be a problem - even if no other expeditures were made, *somebody* had to pay for the petitions she circulated. Either she (or her campaign) paid for them and it should be reported, or somebody else, in which case it was an "in-kind" contribution, which must also be reported Not submitting a report is bad, but generally only gets a committee fined. Submitting a report with false information is far worse.
Jason Youn (R) (CE) - raised more than $1800; nearly $800 on hand. Has not received any CE funding as yet.
LD28 State House:
State Rep. Kate Brophy McGee (R) (traditional) - raised nearly $9500; more than $25K on hand.
State Rep. Eric Meyer (D) (traditional) - raised $39K; more than $38K on hand
State Rep. Amanda Reeve (R) (traditional) - raised $9400; almost $28K on hand
This district is definitely Republican-leaning in terms of voter registration, but as the fundraising numbers show, this race is going to be a close one.
Look for a post on the financial reports of Congressional candidates later this month, after the reporting deadline.
In case you missed it...
There have been a few developments of note over the last few days...
...State Senator John Nelson (R-Litchfield Park) has dropped his reelection bid, leaving a clear path to the seat for State Senator Don Shooter (R-Yuma) (no Democrat is running in the district). The primary battle was set up when Shooter moved into Nelson's R-leaning district to avoid having to face a strong Democrat in the general election in his former district. That district became a D-friendly one as a result of redistricting.
Nelson, while a die-hard conservative R, would do things that the tea party types frowned upon. Like on those occasions when he would vote in the best interests of his constituents.
At age 76, Nelson has been in public office for nearly three decades, starting with the Phoenix City Council and continuing in the state lege.
Shooter, on the other hand, is a tea party type who never held public office prior to winning a seat in the state senate in 2010. The highlights of his political career thus far: as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he refused to take public comment on the state budget, and at a special session of the lege in 2011, he appeared in costume, in a serape and with a half-empty bottle of tequila in a holster. He chose to use his position not to work for his constituents but instead chose to use it to mock a large percentage of them.
...In a non-Arizona development, but one that is so bizarre that it could be an AZ development, Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter resigned from office.
He's gone from running for president to botching his nominating petitions and ending his reelection campaign in a safe R district to resigning office for reasons that are unknown, thus far.
If that isn't bizarre enough to make him an honorary member of the AZ lege's Republican caucus, consider this - in his farewell statement, he declared that he is becoming a "sovereign citizen."
Ummm...the "sovereign citizen" movement is growing in notoriety, if not numbers. Its ideology is anti-society, anti-government, and violent.
Something tells me that we haven't heard the last of McCotter, and that when he makes national news again, it will be in the police log and there may just be a body count associated with the events that bring him back into public notice.
...Something you may have missed unless you are on all the right (or wrong, depending on your perspective) email lists is the launch of an apparently Republican-sponsored effort to suppress the under-30 vote. It's called "Beers Not Ballots"
Its website (Google it; I'm not going to link to it) is dedicated to urging eligible voters to *not* vote in order to "take direct action" to "delegitimize" the political class.
What they don't say on their website is that the message would be "damn, are we stupid, or what?"
Their scheme for "fixing" our dysfunctional political system is not work to fix it. They want people to believe that not paying attention to and not supporting/opposing particular candidates/officials is the most effective way to convince those particular candidates/officials to do a better job.
Really.
It's a shadowy group. I say "apparently Republican" because while the "movement" is supposedly non-partisan, most of the rhetoric on the website is anti-Obama, anti-health care reform, etc. However, so far I have been unable to find out who is behind it.
The website' "WhoIs" info -
There aren't any names of the people behind this listed on the website or in the emailed press release.
In addition, while the group seems to be most active in AZ and WA, I cannot find any corporate or campaign finance records in either state under that name, nor is there anything on the FEC's website.
The Arizona (East Valley) phone number above tracks back to Mesa, to a likely Republican (didn't check his voter registration, but on his Facebook page, he gloated over Scott Walker's victory in the Wisconsin recall election in June).
Note: I'm not naming him here, not yet, until I can confirm his association with the website and organization. Phone numbers change.
Until more info becomes available...
...State Senator John Nelson (R-Litchfield Park) has dropped his reelection bid, leaving a clear path to the seat for State Senator Don Shooter (R-Yuma) (no Democrat is running in the district). The primary battle was set up when Shooter moved into Nelson's R-leaning district to avoid having to face a strong Democrat in the general election in his former district. That district became a D-friendly one as a result of redistricting.
Nelson, while a die-hard conservative R, would do things that the tea party types frowned upon. Like on those occasions when he would vote in the best interests of his constituents.
At age 76, Nelson has been in public office for nearly three decades, starting with the Phoenix City Council and continuing in the state lege.
Shooter, on the other hand, is a tea party type who never held public office prior to winning a seat in the state senate in 2010. The highlights of his political career thus far: as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he refused to take public comment on the state budget, and at a special session of the lege in 2011, he appeared in costume, in a serape and with a half-empty bottle of tequila in a holster. He chose to use his position not to work for his constituents but instead chose to use it to mock a large percentage of them.
...In a non-Arizona development, but one that is so bizarre that it could be an AZ development, Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter resigned from office.
He's gone from running for president to botching his nominating petitions and ending his reelection campaign in a safe R district to resigning office for reasons that are unknown, thus far.
If that isn't bizarre enough to make him an honorary member of the AZ lege's Republican caucus, consider this - in his farewell statement, he declared that he is becoming a "sovereign citizen."
Ummm...the "sovereign citizen" movement is growing in notoriety, if not numbers. Its ideology is anti-society, anti-government, and violent.
Something tells me that we haven't heard the last of McCotter, and that when he makes national news again, it will be in the police log and there may just be a body count associated with the events that bring him back into public notice.
...Something you may have missed unless you are on all the right (or wrong, depending on your perspective) email lists is the launch of an apparently Republican-sponsored effort to suppress the under-30 vote. It's called "Beers Not Ballots"
Its website (Google it; I'm not going to link to it) is dedicated to urging eligible voters to *not* vote in order to "take direct action" to "delegitimize" the political class.
What they don't say on their website is that the message would be "damn, are we stupid, or what?"
Their scheme for "fixing" our dysfunctional political system is not work to fix it. They want people to believe that not paying attention to and not supporting/opposing particular candidates/officials is the most effective way to convince those particular candidates/officials to do a better job.
Really.
It's a shadowy group. I say "apparently Republican" because while the "movement" is supposedly non-partisan, most of the rhetoric on the website is anti-Obama, anti-health care reform, etc. However, so far I have been unable to find out who is behind it.
The website' "WhoIs" info -
There aren't any names of the people behind this listed on the website or in the emailed press release.
In addition, while the group seems to be most active in AZ and WA, I cannot find any corporate or campaign finance records in either state under that name, nor is there anything on the FEC's website.
The Arizona (East Valley) phone number above tracks back to Mesa, to a likely Republican (didn't check his voter registration, but on his Facebook page, he gloated over Scott Walker's victory in the Wisconsin recall election in June).
Note: I'm not naming him here, not yet, until I can confirm his association with the website and organization. Phone numbers change.
Until more info becomes available...
Friday, July 06, 2012
Hide the kids and small animals: Special session of the lege on tap
Update on 7/7 -
Based on tweets from Jeremy Duda (AZ Capitol Times) and Mary Jo Pitzl (AZ Republic), the special session has fallen apart -
However, it ain't over 'til it's over. This story will be fluid until it becomes too late for the lege to put a competing question on November's ballot. The "drop dead" date is around the third week of July, though that's sort of fluid, too - Ken Bennett, the Secretary of State, is in the lege's pocket (not least because he wants as many of them on his side as he can get in 2014 when he runs for the R nomination for governor).
End update...
From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -
The ballot question that the lege is seeking to override is here.
It's a sloppily-written measure that is rife with the potential for mischief (and I'll be voting against it), but it's also a legitimate matter for the voters to decide, and not one for self-serving Republican tea party types in the lege to screw with.
Expect the session to be quick and efficient, unlike the *very* special session that they called last year, ostensibly to make a change to Arizona law that would have extended unemployment benefits for Arizona's long-term unemployed, at no cost to Arizona.
They didn't do anything to help the Arizonans hardest hit by the Great Recession. Instead, they used the special session as a platform for pushing for more tax breaks for corporations that were (and are) wallowing in record profits, and when they weren't busy doing that, they were engaged in bigoted preening, showing their utter contempt for most of the people of Arizona, be they employed or unemployed.
Expect next week's session to be over in a day, perhaps three...OK, most likely one - it's an election year and they want to get back out on the campaign trail.
Based on tweets from Jeremy Duda (AZ Capitol Times) and Mary Jo Pitzl (AZ Republic), the special session has fallen apart -
However, it ain't over 'til it's over. This story will be fluid until it becomes too late for the lege to put a competing question on November's ballot. The "drop dead" date is around the third week of July, though that's sort of fluid, too - Ken Bennett, the Secretary of State, is in the lege's pocket (not least because he wants as many of them on his side as he can get in 2014 when he runs for the R nomination for governor).
End update...
From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -
Gov. Jan Brewer intends to call the Legislature back to work next week to put a measure on the ballot designed to counter one of the key aspects of a citizen's initiative that overhauls Arizona's primary-election system.
The move immediately triggered complaints of intentional voter confusion from backers of the Open Government/Open Elections campaign, which on Thursday filed more than 365,000 signatures to get their measure on the Nov. 6 ballot.
{snip}
Senate Majority Whip Frank Antenori, R-Tucson, said many lawmakers, Republican and Democratic alike, don't like the citizen initiative and would favor an alternative.
But he admitted confusion is part of the game plan.
"If you put two or three (similar proposals) out there, they vote 'no'," he said of voters. "That's the default."
The ballot question that the lege is seeking to override is here.
It's a sloppily-written measure that is rife with the potential for mischief (and I'll be voting against it), but it's also a legitimate matter for the voters to decide, and not one for self-serving Republican tea party types in the lege to screw with.
Expect the session to be quick and efficient, unlike the *very* special session that they called last year, ostensibly to make a change to Arizona law that would have extended unemployment benefits for Arizona's long-term unemployed, at no cost to Arizona.
They didn't do anything to help the Arizonans hardest hit by the Great Recession. Instead, they used the special session as a platform for pushing for more tax breaks for corporations that were (and are) wallowing in record profits, and when they weren't busy doing that, they were engaged in bigoted preening, showing their utter contempt for most of the people of Arizona, be they employed or unemployed.
Expect next week's session to be over in a day, perhaps three...OK, most likely one - it's an election year and they want to get back out on the campaign trail.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Privatizing public safety: not a safe idea
...and not a particularly ethical or bright one, either...
One of the great watchwords of Republican rhetoric is "privatize!".
As in "we should privatize all government functions because private business can do anything better than the government can!"
They say it frequently and loudly but it seems more like the one thing that private business does best is accrue wealth unto those at the top of the business org chart. Something that isn't necessarily unethical; in fact, it's what business is all about.
However, that isn't what society is all about, not if it wants to be a healthy society.
The one consistent characteristic of "privatization" efforts is that they turn into mechanisms to funnel money intended to serve the public good away from public purposes and into private pockets (ask state legislator Steve Yarbrough).
It may be legal, mostly because the people writing the laws are the ones benefitting from the misuse of public funds (think: the Mob writing racketeering laws), but it isn't ethical.
And when they start privatizing public safety functions?
The scheme stops being "merely" unethical and starts being hazardous to life and liberty.
Two stories that broke this week highlight this fact -
- In this story, Ethan Bronner of the New York Times chronicled the devastating impact on real people of privatizing probation and jail services. People who have committed minor infractions end up in jail because they are unable to pay exorbitant fees imposed on them by private probation companies. Once they are in jail, more fees are imposed on them by the private businesses overseeing that part of the cycle.
Fees that they are still unable to pay, a situation that fuels another go-round in the cycle of debt in which restrictions on freedom are nothing but a revenue generator for private companies.
In other words, in many areas of the country, the public safety system, specifically the local jail/probation apparatus, has been co-opted into enhancing private profit instead of enhancing public safety.
- As bad as the above is, it pales in comparison to an incident in Florida, where a lifeguard was fired from his job for going to rescue a distressed swimmer in an area of a beach that was outside "the section of the beach his company is paid to patrol".
The company deemed the lifeguard's actions inappropriate because its policy, based on "liability concerns" is that only people who are swimming in areas that the company profits from are worthy of rescue (no, they didn't use those specific words, but they might just as well have), and terminated his employment.
The company has since offered the lifeguard, Tomas Lopez, his job back; he has declined the offer.
Lest you think that the people running the company came to their senses and that was behind the turnaround, it should be known that they were eviscerated in the court of public opinion and the offer was less an exercise in "common sense" and more an exercise in "damage control."
The incident serves as a prime example of the darkest side of "privatization." A company ostensibly hired to protect public safety was willing to let someone die in order to protect their profits.
No matter the nature of the privatized function, the highest priority of a private company is to protect and serve its own profits, not to protect and serve the public.
On Tuesday, I posted a transcript of the Declaration of Independence.
My, how times have changed.
236 years ago, America's leaders pledged their own "lives...fortunes, and...sacred honor " in support of an independent America.
Today, too many of America's leaders have no "honor" and it's our lives and fortunes on the line...to support the bottom lines of their friends.
Enough.
Whenever a politician starts advocating for the privatization of some public function (i.e. - Russell Pearce pushing for the privatization of most MVD functions or Steve Yarbrough pushing for ever more privatization of public education, in a way that is set up to make him ever more wealthy), audit him (or her; men don't have a monopoly on corruption). And if the official, the official's family, or the official's friends benefit from the proposed move in even the tiniest way, the official goes to prison.
And not a private Holiday Inn camouflaged as a prison.
One of the great watchwords of Republican rhetoric is "privatize!".
As in "we should privatize all government functions because private business can do anything better than the government can!"
They say it frequently and loudly but it seems more like the one thing that private business does best is accrue wealth unto those at the top of the business org chart. Something that isn't necessarily unethical; in fact, it's what business is all about.
However, that isn't what society is all about, not if it wants to be a healthy society.
The one consistent characteristic of "privatization" efforts is that they turn into mechanisms to funnel money intended to serve the public good away from public purposes and into private pockets (ask state legislator Steve Yarbrough).
It may be legal, mostly because the people writing the laws are the ones benefitting from the misuse of public funds (think: the Mob writing racketeering laws), but it isn't ethical.
And when they start privatizing public safety functions?
The scheme stops being "merely" unethical and starts being hazardous to life and liberty.
Two stories that broke this week highlight this fact -
- In this story, Ethan Bronner of the New York Times chronicled the devastating impact on real people of privatizing probation and jail services. People who have committed minor infractions end up in jail because they are unable to pay exorbitant fees imposed on them by private probation companies. Once they are in jail, more fees are imposed on them by the private businesses overseeing that part of the cycle.
Fees that they are still unable to pay, a situation that fuels another go-round in the cycle of debt in which restrictions on freedom are nothing but a revenue generator for private companies.
In other words, in many areas of the country, the public safety system, specifically the local jail/probation apparatus, has been co-opted into enhancing private profit instead of enhancing public safety.
- As bad as the above is, it pales in comparison to an incident in Florida, where a lifeguard was fired from his job for going to rescue a distressed swimmer in an area of a beach that was outside "the section of the beach his company is paid to patrol".
The company deemed the lifeguard's actions inappropriate because its policy, based on "liability concerns" is that only people who are swimming in areas that the company profits from are worthy of rescue (no, they didn't use those specific words, but they might just as well have), and terminated his employment.
The company has since offered the lifeguard, Tomas Lopez, his job back; he has declined the offer.
Lest you think that the people running the company came to their senses and that was behind the turnaround, it should be known that they were eviscerated in the court of public opinion and the offer was less an exercise in "common sense" and more an exercise in "damage control."
The incident serves as a prime example of the darkest side of "privatization." A company ostensibly hired to protect public safety was willing to let someone die in order to protect their profits.
No matter the nature of the privatized function, the highest priority of a private company is to protect and serve its own profits, not to protect and serve the public.
On Tuesday, I posted a transcript of the Declaration of Independence.
My, how times have changed.
236 years ago, America's leaders pledged their own "lives...fortunes, and...sacred honor " in support of an independent America.
Today, too many of America's leaders have no "honor" and it's our lives and fortunes on the line...to support the bottom lines of their friends.
Enough.
Whenever a politician starts advocating for the privatization of some public function (i.e. - Russell Pearce pushing for the privatization of most MVD functions or Steve Yarbrough pushing for ever more privatization of public education, in a way that is set up to make him ever more wealthy), audit him (or her; men don't have a monopoly on corruption). And if the official, the official's family, or the official's friends benefit from the proposed move in even the tiniest way, the official goes to prison.
And not a private Holiday Inn camouflaged as a prison.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
236 Years Ago...
From the US Archives -
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
John Hancock
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of
America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to
assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which
the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to
effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that
Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient
causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more
disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of
abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to
reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to
throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future
security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is
now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of
Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of
repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment
of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted
to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the
most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated
injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a
Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have
warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an
unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances
of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice
and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to
disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and
correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of
consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces
our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War,
in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in
General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the
rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good
People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United
Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they
are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political
connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be
totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power
to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do
all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the
support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our
sacred Honor.
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
John Hancock
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Samuel
Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Matthew Thornton
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Matthew Thornton
Monday, July 02, 2012
CD9 Forum at Changing Hands on July 17
The candidates for the Democratic nomination in the new Ninth Congressional District, David Schapira, Kyrsten Sinema, and Andrei Cherny, will meet at a forum held at Changing Hands Bookstore on Tuesday, July 17 at 7 p.m.
The forum will be moderated by John D'Anna, editor of the Mesa Republic.
Changing Hands is located at 6428 S McClintock Dr., Tempe, Arizona 85283 (SWC of McClintock and Guadalupe).
Arrive early, for two reasons -
1. To get a good seat.
2. To have time to browse the coolest bookstore in the Phoenix area.
See you there!
The forum will be moderated by John D'Anna, editor of the Mesa Republic.
Changing Hands is located at 6428 S McClintock Dr., Tempe, Arizona 85283 (SWC of McClintock and Guadalupe).
Arrive early, for two reasons -
1. To get a good seat.
2. To have time to browse the coolest bookstore in the Phoenix area.
See you there!
Sunday, July 01, 2012
The week that was...
Because of work, posting has been light. Apologies to regular readers, and thanks for your patience.
...Health care reform, SB1070: A good week for President Obama. Not a perfect week, but definitely one that will go in the "good" column...
First, the US Supreme Court overturned three of the four sections of Arizona's SB1070 anti-immigrant law that the Obama administration challenged in court. The downside is that the USSC left in place (for now, anyway) the section that allows/requires law enforcement officials to demand to see "the papers" of anyone they suspect may be in the country illegally. However, the justices declined to rule on that because it hasn't actually been implemented yet.
The Republicans/nativists have been spinning this as an unequivocal victory for them but this cartoon from Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times Free Press best sums up that school of "thought" -
Then, the USSC upheld President Obama's signature initiative, the Affordable Care Act. Democrats were overjoyed; Republicans were apoplectic. Especially since one of the justices who voted to uphold the law was Chief Justice John Roberts, heretofore a Republican hero. However, he seems to have realized that the USSC's main strength is its credibility and and years of deciding cases on a partisan basis instead of their merits is pissing away the credibility of the Court.
At roughly the same time that the Court released its decision on health care reform, the Republicans (aided and abetted by a few spineless Democrats, including AZ's Ron Barber) in Congress snapped-to and voted to find US Attorney General in contempt of Congress when gun industry lobbyists at the NRA crooked their little fingers.
Not a good thing for the president (and certainly not for Holder himself), but not as bad as it could be, if the vote wasn't a purely political stunt/hatchet job. Even the Republicans realize that this one could come back to bite them in the ass, which may be why the vote was deliberately scheduled so that it would be lost in the hubbub surrounding the USSC's ruling on health care reform.
...Still, while the focus this week was on Washington, not all of the political news came out of DC this week.
- Former AZ state representative Daniel Patterson, who resigned his office earlier this year after some allegations of domestic violence arose, withdrew his application for membership on a municipal planning and zoning board in New Mexico after it became known that the "D.R. Patterson" on the application was the disgraced former AZ lawmaker "Daniel R. Patterson."
Left unexplained is how someone who is supposedly a resident of Arizona (one of the requirements to be a member of the AZ legislature) could also be a resident of New Mexico (one of the requirements to be on a municipal board there). I'm not a lawyer, so I can't say for certain, but his withdrawal from consideration in NM may allow him to avoid fraud related charges (or something similar). On the other hand, he has hinted that he will run for office again in 2014 (in AZ, as of last hint); expect this matter to come up again if he chooses to do so.
- Not wanting to be out-"get-a-clued" by Patterson is his former legislative colleague, former state senator Scott Bundgaard.
Like Patterson, he resigned from office before he was expelled from the lege over domestic violence issues.
Like Patterson, he has a history of domestic violence allegations, both involving an ex-wife (past divorce matter) and a girlfriend (the more recent case).
Like Patterson, he blamed the victim rather than taking responsibility for his actions..
Like Patterson, he said his troubles were part of a conspiracy to destroy his political career.
Unlike Patterson, however, he's not going away to New Mexico; he's going to court.
From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -
Truth be told, I'm not sure which one is more pathetic...
...Related to the first item above (SB1070 ruling) - news broke this week that the costs to Arizona's taxpayers aren't limited to just the costs of defending Russell Pearce's (and Jan Brewer's) bigoted legislation in court. After the bill passed in 2010 and Brewer signed it.
From the Arizona Republic, written by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez -
Guess that in Jan Brewer's world fiscal responsibility takes a back seat to nativist posturing...or making sure that her "friends" in the private prison industry have plenty of bodies filling their revenue generators.
...Later...
...Health care reform, SB1070: A good week for President Obama. Not a perfect week, but definitely one that will go in the "good" column...
First, the US Supreme Court overturned three of the four sections of Arizona's SB1070 anti-immigrant law that the Obama administration challenged in court. The downside is that the USSC left in place (for now, anyway) the section that allows/requires law enforcement officials to demand to see "the papers" of anyone they suspect may be in the country illegally. However, the justices declined to rule on that because it hasn't actually been implemented yet.
The Republicans/nativists have been spinning this as an unequivocal victory for them but this cartoon from Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times Free Press best sums up that school of "thought" -
Then, the USSC upheld President Obama's signature initiative, the Affordable Care Act. Democrats were overjoyed; Republicans were apoplectic. Especially since one of the justices who voted to uphold the law was Chief Justice John Roberts, heretofore a Republican hero. However, he seems to have realized that the USSC's main strength is its credibility and and years of deciding cases on a partisan basis instead of their merits is pissing away the credibility of the Court.
At roughly the same time that the Court released its decision on health care reform, the Republicans (aided and abetted by a few spineless Democrats, including AZ's Ron Barber) in Congress snapped-to and voted to find US Attorney General in contempt of Congress when gun industry lobbyists at the NRA crooked their little fingers.
Not a good thing for the president (and certainly not for Holder himself), but not as bad as it could be, if the vote wasn't a purely political stunt/hatchet job. Even the Republicans realize that this one could come back to bite them in the ass, which may be why the vote was deliberately scheduled so that it would be lost in the hubbub surrounding the USSC's ruling on health care reform.
...Still, while the focus this week was on Washington, not all of the political news came out of DC this week.
- Former AZ state representative Daniel Patterson, who resigned his office earlier this year after some allegations of domestic violence arose, withdrew his application for membership on a municipal planning and zoning board in New Mexico after it became known that the "D.R. Patterson" on the application was the disgraced former AZ lawmaker "Daniel R. Patterson."
Left unexplained is how someone who is supposedly a resident of Arizona (one of the requirements to be a member of the AZ legislature) could also be a resident of New Mexico (one of the requirements to be on a municipal board there). I'm not a lawyer, so I can't say for certain, but his withdrawal from consideration in NM may allow him to avoid fraud related charges (or something similar). On the other hand, he has hinted that he will run for office again in 2014 (in AZ, as of last hint); expect this matter to come up again if he chooses to do so.
- Not wanting to be out-"get-a-clued" by Patterson is his former legislative colleague, former state senator Scott Bundgaard.
Like Patterson, he resigned from office before he was expelled from the lege over domestic violence issues.
Like Patterson, he has a history of domestic violence allegations, both involving an ex-wife (past divorce matter) and a girlfriend (the more recent case).
Like Patterson, he blamed the victim rather than taking responsibility for his actions..
Like Patterson, he said his troubles were part of a conspiracy to destroy his political career.
Unlike Patterson, however, he's not going away to New Mexico; he's going to court.
From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -
Former state Sen. Scott Bundgaard is seeking $10 million in damages from the city of Phoenix, alleging the city bungled his arrest and investigation stemming from a freeway fight with his ex-girlfriend 16 months ago.
In a notice of claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, Bundgaard, a Peoria Republican, alleges Phoenix police withheld reports of the February 2011 event and colluded with the state Senate's Ethics Committee as it examined a complaint against him. That left him with little choice but to resign rather than be expelled from the Legislature, Bundgaard said in an interview Friday.
Truth be told, I'm not sure which one is more pathetic...
...Related to the first item above (SB1070 ruling) - news broke this week that the costs to Arizona's taxpayers aren't limited to just the costs of defending Russell Pearce's (and Jan Brewer's) bigoted legislation in court. After the bill passed in 2010 and Brewer signed it.
From the Arizona Republic, written by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez -
Gov. Jan Brewer's office paid about $98,000 in fees after she canceled the Border Governors Conference scheduled to take place at the Arizona Biltmore in September 2010, The Arizona Republic has learned.
Brewer canceled the annual conference between the governors of U.S. border states and their counterparts in Mexico after the Mexican governors refused to attend because of immigration law Senate Bill 1070.
Guess that in Jan Brewer's world fiscal responsibility takes a back seat to nativist posturing...or making sure that her "friends" in the private prison industry have plenty of bodies filling their revenue generators.
...Later...
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The gloves are coming off: Primary Edition
As the Arizona weather heats up so are some of the primary campaigns, and it's not just between candidates.
...The AZGOP succeeded in knocking (subscription required) some Libertarian candidates off of the ballot in races that are expected to be close, figuring that any votes would have gone to the Libertarian candidates will now go to the Republican candidates in the affected races. The Libertarian Party is most assuredly not amused. Expect more moves, but for now, they've turned around and upgraded their outreach efforts to non-affiliated voters, opening up their August primary to all voters who aren't otherwise registered in a ballot-eligible party.
...A former leader of the AZGOP is calling for the head of the current communications director of the AZGOP because he suggested that there it may be best for the Republican Party to consider a policy toward immigrants that is milder than "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out." It's not a primary campaign issue per se, but an internal party rift could impact the results of August's primaries (and there are more than a few on the R ballot)
...Freshman GOP Congressmen David Schweikert and Ben Quayle are running against each other in CD6, a safe R district that encompasses north Scottsdale and other areas of northeastern Maricopa County. They've turned what had been a campaign of intermittent sniping from the two camps into withering artillery barrages.
The latest, from the Arizona Capitol Times, written by Jeremy Duda -
...In the GOP primary to nominate a candidate to fill the US Senate seat currently filled by the soon-to-be retired Jon Kyl, Congressman Jeff Flake and businessman Wil Cardon are the leading candidates. Flake is considered to be the presumptive front-runner but Cardon is well- (and self-) funded. Both candidates have access to large amounts of money and have turned the campaign into a raft of "I'm more conservative than thou" TV spots.
...In CD9, the new Congressional District that is based on the Phoenix area, the race for the Democratic nomination has seen the uncovering of a number of interesting tidbits about candidate Andrei Cherny and his past campaigns.
The latest: videos of him speaking to a tea party group during his 2010 run for Arizona State Treasurer.
In the videos, it appears that Cherny caters his message, his positions on issues, to suit his audience.
Not the best publicity, coming ~five weeks before early ballots hit mail boxes across the district, but the Cherny campaign may have reached the point where any publicity is good publicity. There's a strong rumor going around that more than one poll has shown Cherny with support in the single digits. The measures of his name recognition among Democratic voters are higher, but still lags behind the other candidates in the primary.
To be sure, the campaign isn't over. Cherny has raised the most money, and has the cash to run a ton of TV spots and to fill mail boxes across the district with his literature. However, that won't do more than raise his name recognition unless he goes very negative in an attempt to reduce the support for his two opponents, David Schapira and Kyrsten Sinema, who are considerably better known than Cherny.
Look for "elevated mud level" in CD9's air quality reports over the next couple of months; it's going to start flying.
Later...
...The AZGOP succeeded in knocking (subscription required) some Libertarian candidates off of the ballot in races that are expected to be close, figuring that any votes would have gone to the Libertarian candidates will now go to the Republican candidates in the affected races. The Libertarian Party is most assuredly not amused. Expect more moves, but for now, they've turned around and upgraded their outreach efforts to non-affiliated voters, opening up their August primary to all voters who aren't otherwise registered in a ballot-eligible party.
...A former leader of the AZGOP is calling for the head of the current communications director of the AZGOP because he suggested that there it may be best for the Republican Party to consider a policy toward immigrants that is milder than "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out." It's not a primary campaign issue per se, but an internal party rift could impact the results of August's primaries (and there are more than a few on the R ballot)
...Freshman GOP Congressmen David Schweikert and Ben Quayle are running against each other in CD6, a safe R district that encompasses north Scottsdale and other areas of northeastern Maricopa County. They've turned what had been a campaign of intermittent sniping from the two camps into withering artillery barrages.
The latest, from the Arizona Capitol Times, written by Jeremy Duda -
A long-anticipated shoe dropped in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, escalating the intraparty battle between U.S. Reps. Ben Quayle and David Schweikert.
After Quayle dubbed his opponent “Dishonest Dave” and accused him of distorting Quayle’s position on President Barack Obama’s recently announced deportation policy, Schweikert fired back by dredging up the scandal that roiled Quayle’s campaign in 2010.
...In the GOP primary to nominate a candidate to fill the US Senate seat currently filled by the soon-to-be retired Jon Kyl, Congressman Jeff Flake and businessman Wil Cardon are the leading candidates. Flake is considered to be the presumptive front-runner but Cardon is well- (and self-) funded. Both candidates have access to large amounts of money and have turned the campaign into a raft of "I'm more conservative than thou" TV spots.
...In CD9, the new Congressional District that is based on the Phoenix area, the race for the Democratic nomination has seen the uncovering of a number of interesting tidbits about candidate Andrei Cherny and his past campaigns.
The latest: videos of him speaking to a tea party group during his 2010 run for Arizona State Treasurer.
In the videos, it appears that Cherny caters his message, his positions on issues, to suit his audience.
Not the best publicity, coming ~five weeks before early ballots hit mail boxes across the district, but the Cherny campaign may have reached the point where any publicity is good publicity. There's a strong rumor going around that more than one poll has shown Cherny with support in the single digits. The measures of his name recognition among Democratic voters are higher, but still lags behind the other candidates in the primary.
To be sure, the campaign isn't over. Cherny has raised the most money, and has the cash to run a ton of TV spots and to fill mail boxes across the district with his literature. However, that won't do more than raise his name recognition unless he goes very negative in an attempt to reduce the support for his two opponents, David Schapira and Kyrsten Sinema, who are considerably better known than Cherny.
Look for "elevated mud level" in CD9's air quality reports over the next couple of months; it's going to start flying.
Later...
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Arizona politics is like New England weather - don't blink or you might miss something
Damn. Miss a few days due to technical difficulties, and all kinds of crazy-@$$ $#!t goes down in Arizona's political realm...OK, so it wasn't all that crazy, by AZ standards anyway. I just wanted to use the phrase. :)
Oh, and the "technical difficulties" weren't all bad - I finally finished the Gabby Giffords book (finally!), read Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (pretty good. That Steinbeck guy has some potential. :) ), watched the final season of the Battlestar Galactica reboot on DVD (good, but a little too mystical for this fan of hard SF), and re-read Pearls Sells Out, a Pearls Before Swine treasury (not quite as literary as Steinbeck, but more likely to induce audible laughter. :) )
...On Thursday, Russell Pearce, Arizona's leading nativist demogogue, experienced a PR and fundraising nightmare.
First, a Pearce campaign fundraising event was booted from one Mexican restaurant, Macayo's, after the corporate office found out that there were going to be protests of the event and that efforts were underway to organize a boycott of the chain by Latino customers.
Second, the Pearce campaign tried to move the event to another Mexican restaurant, Oaxaca Restaurante y Cantina, which also put the kibosh on the event, for much the same reasons.
Third, when the Pearce campaign tried to move his event to the library of a public high school with a heavily Latino student population, they (and he) were rebuffed by the school district .because of the short notice.
...On Friday, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio showed both his solidarity with his fellow traveler on the nativist railroad AND his peevish self-righteous outrage at President Obama's new DREAM-like policy on immigration by arresting a six-year old girl. Wonder how that helps his self-publicized rep as "America's Toughest Sheriff"?
...Speaking of the new policy, Arizona Congressmen David Schweikert and Ben Quayle, Republicans both and facing each other in the August primary in CD6, responded to the new policy by trying to out-redneck each other with duelling bills to overturn the policy.
...News broke that a grand jury is looking into alleged campaign finance violations committed by Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne. I don't expect it to go far though.
The FBI is handling the investigation, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office is shepherding the grand jury itself.
...Candidate challenges have been dropped or adjudicated or candidates have withdrawn. The list from the AZ Secretary of State is here. Highlights:
- Jonathan Paton had to drop his challenge to the candidacy of one of his opponents in the CD1 Republican primary. He had filed suit, to great fanfare, challenging the signatures of Gaither Martin. It must have been embarrassing to Paton to have to back off, so the Arizona Democratic Party did its part to help Paton move past the pain of his humiliation over the failed challenge by launching a website to help publicize Paton's past. Awfully considerate of them, doncha' think? :)
- Jean Cheuvront-McDermott was removed from the Democratic primary ballot in LD24 because "Cheuvront-McDermott" isn't the name she has been using, just "McDermott." She's the mother of former state senator Ken Cheuvront, who is running for a return to the senate. Rumor has it that because the current electeds in LD24 wouldn't step aside for him, Ken got his mom to run as payback. That plan seems to have gone by the wayside.
...Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, not coincidentally Arizona co-chair for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, is continuing to ramp up his 2014 campaign for governor. First, he threatened to keep President Obama off of the November ballot unless the state of Hawaii provided a copy of Obama's birth certificate that met Bennett's standards. He backed off of that after bringing a load of national ridicule down upon Arizona.
Now he has taken the next step to sew up the wingnut vote in the R primary. Now he is saying that the President was actually born in Hawaii, but lied and said he was born in Kenya to help him get into college.
...And finally, in response to a poll that shows Democrat Richard Carmona within 2 points of him in the race for US Senate, Republican Jeff Flake went to Facebook to brag about his "real world" experience as a lobbyist for foreign corporations and the Goldwater Institute.
Flake is almost as out of touch with the "real world" as Mitt Romney. Probably not a coincidence there.
Oh, and the "technical difficulties" weren't all bad - I finally finished the Gabby Giffords book (finally!), read Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (pretty good. That Steinbeck guy has some potential. :) ), watched the final season of the Battlestar Galactica reboot on DVD (good, but a little too mystical for this fan of hard SF), and re-read Pearls Sells Out, a Pearls Before Swine treasury (not quite as literary as Steinbeck, but more likely to induce audible laughter. :) )
...On Thursday, Russell Pearce, Arizona's leading nativist demogogue, experienced a PR and fundraising nightmare.
First, a Pearce campaign fundraising event was booted from one Mexican restaurant, Macayo's, after the corporate office found out that there were going to be protests of the event and that efforts were underway to organize a boycott of the chain by Latino customers.
Second, the Pearce campaign tried to move the event to another Mexican restaurant, Oaxaca Restaurante y Cantina, which also put the kibosh on the event, for much the same reasons.
Third, when the Pearce campaign tried to move his event to the library of a public high school with a heavily Latino student population, they (and he) were rebuffed by the school district .because of the short notice.
...On Friday, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio showed both his solidarity with his fellow traveler on the nativist railroad AND his peevish self-righteous outrage at President Obama's new DREAM-like policy on immigration by arresting a six-year old girl. Wonder how that helps his self-publicized rep as "America's Toughest Sheriff"?
...Speaking of the new policy, Arizona Congressmen David Schweikert and Ben Quayle, Republicans both and facing each other in the August primary in CD6, responded to the new policy by trying to out-redneck each other with duelling bills to overturn the policy.
...News broke that a grand jury is looking into alleged campaign finance violations committed by Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne. I don't expect it to go far though.
The FBI is handling the investigation, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office is shepherding the grand jury itself.
...Candidate challenges have been dropped or adjudicated or candidates have withdrawn. The list from the AZ Secretary of State is here. Highlights:
- Jonathan Paton had to drop his challenge to the candidacy of one of his opponents in the CD1 Republican primary. He had filed suit, to great fanfare, challenging the signatures of Gaither Martin. It must have been embarrassing to Paton to have to back off, so the Arizona Democratic Party did its part to help Paton move past the pain of his humiliation over the failed challenge by launching a website to help publicize Paton's past. Awfully considerate of them, doncha' think? :)
- Jean Cheuvront-McDermott was removed from the Democratic primary ballot in LD24 because "Cheuvront-McDermott" isn't the name she has been using, just "McDermott." She's the mother of former state senator Ken Cheuvront, who is running for a return to the senate. Rumor has it that because the current electeds in LD24 wouldn't step aside for him, Ken got his mom to run as payback. That plan seems to have gone by the wayside.
...Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, not coincidentally Arizona co-chair for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, is continuing to ramp up his 2014 campaign for governor. First, he threatened to keep President Obama off of the November ballot unless the state of Hawaii provided a copy of Obama's birth certificate that met Bennett's standards. He backed off of that after bringing a load of national ridicule down upon Arizona.
Now he has taken the next step to sew up the wingnut vote in the R primary. Now he is saying that the President was actually born in Hawaii, but lied and said he was born in Kenya to help him get into college.
...And finally, in response to a poll that shows Democrat Richard Carmona within 2 points of him in the race for US Senate, Republican Jeff Flake went to Facebook to brag about his "real world" experience as a lobbyist for foreign corporations and the Goldwater Institute.
Flake is almost as out of touch with the "real world" as Mitt Romney. Probably not a coincidence there.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Candidate withdrawals and challenges
Still have technical issues, but I'm visiting a friend right now. Should be back fully online Monday afternoon...
Even though it has been only a couple of weeks since nominating petition were due, but there are already a number of withdrawals and challenges to report.
The full list of Congressional and state-level primary candidate challenges, from the AZ Secretary of State, is here; the list of candidates who have already withdrawn is here.
One name of a challenged candidate that is not on the list is that of Doug Quelland, because he is facing a challenge that is based on alleged campaign finance violations, not alleged nomination irregularities. Quelland was removed from the state legislature because of Clean Elections-related campaign finance. The Republican-turned-Independent is running for state senate in the new LD20, and the Republican establishment there is not amused. Hence the challenge.
Note: all challenges will be heard in Maricopa County Superior Court.
The nomination challenges include:
Raquel Teran State Senate LD 30: Democratic Nomination
The list of Maricopa County candidates, including withdrawals/removals, is here. A few candidates have already withdrawn
I can't find a list of challenges on the county recorder's website, but the highest-profile challenge is the one challenging Mike Stauffer. He is a former Republican who is running as an Independent for Maricopa County Sheriff.
More as the cases are decided...
Even though it has been only a couple of weeks since nominating petition were due, but there are already a number of withdrawals and challenges to report.
The full list of Congressional and state-level primary candidate challenges, from the AZ Secretary of State, is here; the list of candidates who have already withdrawn is here.
One name of a challenged candidate that is not on the list is that of Doug Quelland, because he is facing a challenge that is based on alleged campaign finance violations, not alleged nomination irregularities. Quelland was removed from the state legislature because of Clean Elections-related campaign finance. The Republican-turned-Independent is running for state senate in the new LD20, and the Republican establishment there is not amused. Hence the challenge.
Note: all challenges will be heard in Maricopa County Superior Court.
The nomination challenges include:
John Allen State House LD 15: Republican Nomination
Kim Allen State Senate LD 11: Libertarian Nomination
George H. Benavides Sr. State House LD 20: Republican Nomination
Sheila Bilyeu U.S. Senate: Libertarian Nomination
Jean Cheuvront-McDermott State House LD 24: Democratic Nomination
Joe Cobb U.S. House CD 7: Libertarian Nomination
Doug Coleman State House LD 16: Republican Nomination
Rich Crandall State Senate LD 16: Republican Nomination
Jeff Davis State House LD 16: Republican Nomination
Rebecca DeWitt U.S. House CD 7: Democratic Nomination
Dean Dill State House LD 8: Libertarian Nomination
Toby Farmer State House LD 13: Republican Nomination
James Iannuzo State Senate LD 28: Libertarian Nomination
Gaither Martin U.S. House CD 1: Republican Nomination
Anthony Prowell U.S. House CD 1: Libertarian Nomination
Raquel Teran State Senate LD 30: Democratic Nomination
The list of Maricopa County candidates, including withdrawals/removals, is here. A few candidates have already withdrawn
I can't find a list of challenges on the county recorder's website, but the highest-profile challenge is the one challenging Mike Stauffer. He is a former Republican who is running as an Independent for Maricopa County Sheriff.
More as the cases are decided...
Friday, June 15, 2012
Technical issues
Due to technical problems (i.e. - interruption of internet service at home), posting will be light to nonexistent for the next few days.
Which is disappointing when stories like President Obama finally coming around on immigration, and Russell Pearce, the anti-immigrant and anti-public education politician, having a fund-raising event thrown out of two Mexican restaurants and one public high school are breaking without my 2-cents' worth.
And you know how important my 2-cents' worth is. :))
Talk to you in a few days...
Which is disappointing when stories like President Obama finally coming around on immigration, and Russell Pearce, the anti-immigrant and anti-public education politician, having a fund-raising event thrown out of two Mexican restaurants and one public high school are breaking without my 2-cents' worth.
And you know how important my 2-cents' worth is. :))
Talk to you in a few days...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)