Vlad must have hurt feelings - the Senate's pro-Putin caucus is smaller than the Senate's pro-Covid caucus

From NBC News -

After delay, Senate sends $40 billion Ukraine aid package to Biden

After a weeklong delay, the Senate voted Thursday to pass a $40 billion military, economic and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine as its bloody war with Russia neared the three-month mark.

The vote was 86-11, with Republicans casting all of the no votes. The Senate also voted to confirm Bridget Brink to be the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on Wednesday night, shortly after the State Department announced it was reopening its embassy in Kyiv.

The Senate's vote summary is here.  All 'no' votes were from Rs.

But even Rs have their priorities

Also from NBC News, dated 3/31/2022 -

Senate negotiators reach 'agreement in principle' on slimmer Covid aid package

Congressional negotiators said Thursday they have “reached an agreement in principle” on a Covid relief package they think will garner enough Republican support to make it through the Senate.

The $10 billion funding proposal, which follows days of intense talks, is about $5 billion less than what was being discussed earlier this week. The eventual legislation is expected to draw from previously allocated Covid aid, meaning it wouldn't consist of new spending.

And going home while ignoring the pandemic is among those priorities.

From Politico, dated 4/7/2022 -

Senate punts $10 billion in Covid aid until after Easter amid stalemate over border policy

Multiple senators confirmed Thursday that they are delaying voting on a bill to pour $10 billion more into pandemic programs until after their two-week spring break, a decision top administration health officials have said further threatens the country’s ability to fight the virus and prepare for potential surges and variants.

The move came days after Senate Republicans stopped the legislation from advancing because they weren’t guaranteed an amendment vote on reinstating Title 42, the Trump-era policy that allows for the expulsion of migrants at the border during the pandemic.

Even after they got back, they'd still rather see boarded up restaurants and stores.

From The Hill -

Senate blocks $48 billion aid package for restaurants, other small businesses

The Senate on Thursday blocked a bipartisan bill to provide $48 billion to restaurants, gyms and other small businesses hit particularly hard by the pandemic. 

Senators voted 52-43 to hold a vote on the bill, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward. Just five GOP senators voted for the motion to proceed, with the bill’s opponents citing its impact on the federal deficit and inflation.

The Senate's vote summary is here.

Yup, the Senate's pro-Covid caucus is 43 strong while it's pro-Putin caucus is only 11 strong.

But both are all Republican.

Maybe the next song he writes will be titled "Karma Sucks"

For the record Covid kills people and I don't wish it on *anyone*.

Having said that, I'm not going to lose sleep over an example of "what goes around, comes around."

From the Associated Press, via NPR -

Eric Clapton cancels shows after testing positive for COVID-19

Eric Clapton, a critic of coronavirus vaccines and pandemic restrictions, has tested positive for COVID-19 and canceled two upcoming European gigs.

Clapton's upcoming shows in Zurich on Tuesday and Milan on Wednesday will be rescheduled, he announced on his Facebook page and official online site. The 77-year-old rocker tested positive following his concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 8.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated. 

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

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

Oh, who am I kidding?

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

First, the "ethics" part.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Second, the "time machine" part.

From Twitter -

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

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

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

Write-in candidates; the ADP shouldn't fall asleep on LD21.

Note: This post only covers write-in candidates in primary elections.  General election write-in candidates will be covered in a later post.

Winning a race as a write-in candidate for a top- or mid-ballot elected office in AZ is an almost impossible task (there are some down-ballot races like precinct committeeman races where write-ins have won), but it helps if the write-in candidacy is in a primary and no other candidate of the same party is on the ballot.

Even then, there are some high barriers to success for a write-in candidate - not only do they need to declare their candidacy for the votes they receive to count, the also have to receive the same (or more) number of  votes as they would have needed signatures to be on the ballot.

From ARS 16-645 -

E. Except as provided by subsection C of this section, a letter declaring nomination shall not be issued to a write-in candidate of a party qualified for continued representation on the official ballot unless the candidate receives a number of votes equivalent to at least the same number of signatures required by section 16-322 for nominating petitions for the same office.

On to the declared candidates.

For Federal office -

DiSanto is an RN, and as there are other folks on the ballot, I think she's got a snowball's chance in hell of winning the primary.  She's also the only Democrat on this list.

Callan formed a committee in March...for a run at Senate.

I may not like Biggs (Shocking, I know.  I thought I was hiding it *so* well. :) ), but he's on the ballot.  He's going to win this primary.

Reetz offers a rather generic website and as there are others on the ballot, he's another one with a snowball's chance in hell of winning.

I've already discussed Harper's candidacy.  He's not going to win.

For Statewide office -

Finerd was a 2020 write-in candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission.  The people on the ballot who lost that race received 1.3 million or more votes.  He received 232.

I'm going to assume that both Hess and Kielsky will receive the number of votes in the primary election to be the Libertarian Party's nominee in the general election.  So?

The next time a Libertarian Party candidate wins a general election here will be the first time.

Asch is a licensed nurse.

For Legislative office -

Don't ignore LD21.  The Rs running as write-in candidates there are unopposed in the primary so if the winners there receive the required minimum number of votes, they'll be on the general election ballot.

In 2010, Don Shooter was an unopposed write-in candidate for a legislative seat.

He won in the general election.

That didn't end well.

Guessing that Andy Biggs will ignore his subpoena

...but that's just a guess.

On one hand, he faces possible criminal contempt charges if he chooses to ignore the subpoena from the Congressional committee investigating the insurrection of January 6, 2021.

From The Hill (emphasis added by me)-

Subpoenaed GOP lawmakers face risk of criminal contempt

The congressional panel investigating last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol is leaving open all enforcement options — including criminal contempt — for subpoenaed GOP lawmakers who refuse to cooperate in the probe.

The select committee has already held two former Trump administration officials in criminal contempt — former adviser Stephen Bannon and former chief of staff Mark Meadows — for spurning the panel’s formal summons to testify. 

[snip]

The subpoenas target five GOP lawmakers: Reps. McCarthy, Jim Jordan (Ohio), Scott Perry (Pa.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Mo Brooks (Ala.). All of them are close allies of former President Trump who have promoted the lie that Trump won the 2020 election. All of them also have unique insights into the former White House’s effort to thwart Congress’s certification of Biden’s victory. And they’ve all refused to cooperate in the investigation voluntarily.

On the other hand, Biggs seems rather, well, "contemptuous", of the subpoena he received and of the committee itself. (Yes, I realize that the term has a specific legal meaning in this context, but I'm using it in the real world, not the legal, sense.)

From Twitter -

I wrote about the subpoena a few days ago, as did AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona.

Legislative schedule - week starting 5/15/2022

On the surface, there's very little going on at the legislature this week (no standing committees are scheduled to meet this week) though a state budget could come down at any time.  Until then, many controversial bills (read: culture war issues) will be considered.

Maybe there will be some rotator cuff injuries at the lege's rock, paper. scissors tournament on Monday.

The medical staff at the Arizona Department of Health Services should be on alert for that. :)

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to propagate propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority.  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language into the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

"Trust" in the Supreme Court has been weakened by the leak? Dear Justice Thomas: Trust was gone long before now.

From USA Today -

Justice Thomas laments leak of draft Supreme Court abortion opinion: 'Kind of an infidelity'

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday compared the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion in a blockbuster abortion case to "an infidelity," arguing that it weakens trust within the high court as well as public perceptions of the institution.

"When you lose that trust, especially in the institution that I'm in, it changes the institution fundamentally. You begin to look over your shoulder," Thomas said at an event in Dallas. "It's like kind of an infidelity – that you can explain it but you can't undo it."

Ummm....sometimes the decisions are pro-corporate, like in Hobby Lobby and Citizens United, or pro-party, like Bush v. Gore or Rucho v. Common Cause, most of this court's decisions are like the draft Roe decision - anti-American people.

Trust in the Court was set aside, by the Court itself, long ago.

Blast from the past: Jack Harper is back

Like a bad case of dandruff, he just won't go away.

This time, he's running as a write in candidate in Congressional District 9.

From the website of the Arizona Secretary of State -

Harper adds a "special" kind of classy to the race against Paul Gosar.

In a race with the hardcore bigot/Russia invasion lover (Gosar), the subject of a criminal indictment (Dowling), a former employee of former Congressman Trent Franks (Kutz - from the Government Printing Office - 

), and, of course, Harper, the other person running in the R primary, as no Democrat is on the ballot in CD9, Adam Morgan may be the "least bad" option

Of course, it's been nearly 10 years since Harper was in the state legislature, but he hasn't become a better person.  Or updated his wardrobe, apparently.  

The picture that he submitted to the AZ SOS -

Biggs subpoenaed

Well, that didn't long.  Just yesterday I wrote that it was nice that AZ was in the news and that Andy Biggs or Paul Gosar (or any of the other usual suspects) was the cause.

That didn't last long.

From CNN (emphasis added by me)-

January 6 committee issues subpoenas to 5 House Republicans, including Kevin McCarthy

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol is taking the extraordinary step of sending subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other Republican lawmakers who have rejected the panel's requests to voluntarily cooperate.

In addition to McCarthy, the Democrat-led panel is subpoenaing Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

My only question:

Can Paul Gosar be far behind in the subpoena sweepstakes?

Want to find out if he's wearing diapers?

Knock on his door.

It's nice when AZ makes the news...and it's not because of Paul Gosar or Andy Biggs

It's not for a *good* reason, but it isn't because of Gosar or Biggs...or Kari Lake, Wendy Rogers, Mark Finchem, or any of the other usual suspects.

This time.

From AP (emphasis added by me)-

Democrats seek criminal charges against Trump Interior head

Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee asked the Justice Department 

on Wednesday to investigate whether a Trump administration interior secretary 

engaged in possible criminal conduct while helping an Arizona developer get a crucial 

permit for a housing project.

The criminal referral says David Bernhardt pushed for approval of the project by 

developer Michael Ingram, a Republican donor and supporter of former 

President Donald Trump, despite a federal wildlife official’s finding that it would 

threaten habitats for imperiled species.

Bernhardt led Interior from 2019 to 2021. In 2017, he was the No. 2 official at 

the department when the Fish and Wildlife Service, an Interior Department agency, 

reversed its opposition to the Villages at Vigneto, the proposed 28,000-home 

development in southern Arizona, and allowed it to move forward.

Democrat Reps. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, the committee chairman, and 

Katie Porter of California, who leads a subcommittee on oversight and investigations. 

made the referral in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. They said the 

committee has conducted an extensive investigation into the circumstances 

surrounding the 2017 decision.

Ingram gives a lot of money to R candidates, sometimes playing both sides in a primary (note: his first initial is "K", for Keith).

Hmmm...

During my research for my weekly candidate committees post, I came across one new committee that while not a candidate committee, is still *very* interesting.

I generally don't cover PACs here, but I'll make an exception here.

The PAC has a Phoenix address, per its FEC paperwork -

Per GoogleStreetView, the building at that address has some interesting signage -

Per the Maricopa County Assessor, the building is owned by a division of Turning Point -

The Arizona Corporation Commission has this on that division -

Note: Olson was and is a member of the ACC and is running for the R nomination for U.S. Senate.

All of which is a long-winded way, and IMO, a slightly unnecessary way, of documenting the PAC's ties to Turning Point Action.

Nope, the interesting part is the address of the contact person/treasurer -

That address goes to the International Cheer Union, an organization that's headed by that same contact person/treasurer.  And has ties to Russia.

Pardon my cynicism, but when an acolyte of Cheeto fronts an international organization that's all about girls and young women all kinds of alarm bells sound off.

Ya know, of course, what's next, don't you? Contraception. UPDATED

Republicans have often been accused of wanting society to be returned to the '50s.

That seems to mean the 1950s, when coat hangers, lynchings, fire hoses, and other tools of oppression that Rs liked were ever present.

From Dillon Rosenblatt of the Arizona Mirror -

GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters wants to allow states to ban contraception use

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturns women’s constitutional right to abortion this summer, one Arizona Republican candidate for U.S. Senate thinks judges should also take aim at the right to buy and use contraception.

Blake Masters, a Tucson-based venture capitalist, boasts on his website that he will only vote to confirm federal judges “who understand that Roe and Griswold and Casey were ongly decided, and that there is no constitutional right to abortion.” Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, decided in 1973 and 1992, respectively, both upheld a constitutional right to abortion access.

But the ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965 protected a married couple’s right to buy and use contraceptives without government restrictions. The case centered on a Connecticut law that banned the use of contraceptives, which the court determined violated a married couple’s constitutional right to privacy, establishing the basis for the right to privacy with respect to intimate practices.

[snip]

President Donald Trump hasn’t yet endorsed an Arizona Senate candidate, but Masters is viewed as the favorite to receive his endorsement. His campaign is also being supported by his former boss and mentor, technology investor Peter Thiel, who is spending at least $10 million to bankroll a campaign to support Masters. Masters has already won the support of some extremist Republicans, most recently Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who spoke to a white nationalist conference earlier this year. Other media reports have noted his past praise for the Unabomber and Hermann Goering, one Hitler’s top military leaders and one of the most prominent members of the Nazi Party.  

Mother Jones magazine offers its take here.

[Updated on 5/8 to edit]

Well, that didn't take long.

From The Daily Beast -

Jake Tapper Grills Mississippi Guv: ‘Are You Going to Force’ Pregnancy on Incest Victims?

The CNN anchor also pressed Reeves on whether the state of Mississippi would outlaw and criminalize emergency contraceptives and IUDs.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper repeatedly confronted Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Sunday over that state’s trigger laws that will snap into effect if and when Roe v. Wade is overturned, pressing the Republican on forcing women to carry pregnancies resulting from incest to term.

Following the bombshell leak of a majority Supreme Court draft opinion that would strike down the landmark 1973 decision that established a federal right to abortion, much attention has focused on conservative-led states’ legislation that will automatically take effect if it is nullified. Mississippi, like many other Southern and Great Plains states, has a so-called “trigger law” that would effectively ban abortion right away, providing exceptions for rape and if the life of the mother is at risk.

[snip]

Eventually, Tapper turned his attention to Republican-led states seeking to potentially outlaw and criminalize the use of contraceptives because they are defining the moment of conception as fertilization. Louisiana, for instance, is considering a bill that would classify abortion as homicide—which could also conceivably include the use of emergency contraceptives and IUDs.

“So, I’m not making this up,” Tapper stated after flagging the potential Louisiana law. “These are the conversations going on in legislatures in your area. But just to be clear, you have no intention of seeking to ban IUDs or Plan B?”

Reeves wouldn’t fully take that possibility off the table.

“That is not what we are focused on at this time,” he responded. “We’re focused on looking at, seeing what the court allows for; the bill that is before the court is a 15-week ban. We believe that the overturning of Roe is the correct decision by the court. And so in Mississippi, we don’t have laws on the books that would lead to arresting individuals or anything along those lines.”

[/end edit]

Well, at least Ducey can dance

Hey, it's the Republican two step, but at least it's a dance.

Of course, I could describe it as "shameless hypocrisy," but I'm nicer than that.  Trust me. :)

From Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services, published by KJZZ -

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says his pro-life stance applies to abortions, not the death penalty

Gov. Doug Ducey said Wednesday his self-proclaimed "pro-life'' position covers only abortions and not executions — even those carried out in the name of the state.

Ducey said he believes in the death penalty in "certain rare situations.''

Ducey *is* consistent about one thing - he rarely grants clemency or pardons to those convicted of crimes, even wrongly.

Legislative schedule - week starting 5/8/2022

Another quiet week at the state legislature, at least in terms of the committee schedule.

, 

On Tuesday, 5/10, Senate Education meets at 1 p.m.in SHR1 to consider some executive nominations.

That's it.  I have to admit, I guessed that the Republicans in the legislature would have ironed out a budget and gone home by now, but I was wrong.

It's rare, but it happens. :)

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to propagate propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority.  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language into the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

Maybe it's time to introduce Paul Gosar to his own petard

From Jerod MacDonald-Evoy at the Arizona Mirror -

Paul Gosar spent nearly $8,000 of taxpayer money to attend events with far-right groups

Prescott Republican Congressman Paul Gosar spent more than $7,800 for travel, lodging and vehicle expenses while attending events with far-right groups and white nationalists, according to a review of the congressman’s finances by a nonpartisan watchdog group. 

The Moonlight Foundation conducted a review of congressional travel that showed Gosar has spent more on travel than any other congressman in the past five years. An additional review of the data by CNN found he has spent nearly $1 million on travel since 2016 — including having taxpayers pay for his trip to speak at a white nationalist conference in Florida in 2021. 

The full report can be found here.

Based on his priorities, Gosar *really* doesn't like the American people.  Notwithstanding his protestations otherwise.

From Forbes, dated February 27, 2021 -

GOP’s Gosar Skipped Covid-19 Aid Vote To Speak At Conference With Ties To White Nationalism

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) faces backlash after he stated he was unable to attend the coronavirus aid bill vote in Washington on Friday due to safety concerns related to the pandemic, yet traveled to Orlando, Florida, that day as keynote speaker for the "America First Political Action Conference," organized by Nicholas Fuentes, who has espoused white nationalism.