Paraguayan official fired for acknowledging fake country. You know Cheeto just has two questions

1. Does that fake country want an overpriced hotel or golf course named after a crook?

2. Does it have an extradition treaty with the U.S.?

Not certain which one is more important to Cheeto right now.

From France24 -

Paraguay official sacked after signing agreement with fictitious country

Arnaldo Chamorro told reporters Thursday he was dismissed from his job as chief of staff to the agriculture minister after signing the document with purported officials from the "United States of Kailasa" -- presented to him as a South American island.

"They (the 'officials') came and expressed a wish to help Paraguay. They presented several projects, we listened to them and that was that," he said, admitting to having been fooled.

He was dismissed on Wednesday.

Maybe someone should send Cheeto a proclamation that declares him to king and chief potentate of Elbonia.

Hey, Elbonia was in a comic strip written by a bigoted whackjob; someone who is right up Cheeto's ideological alley.

Legislative schedule - week starting 12/3/2023

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 spread 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 that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday 12/4 and Tuesday 12/5 - 

Nada.

On Wednesday, 12/6 

-

Joint Legislative Audit Committee meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.

On the agenda and scheduled to present to the committee/be in for a grilling:

The office of the state's Auditor General (a legislative employee, so probably not going to get grilled too hard)

The Governor's Office (considering how much the Republicans in the lege hate Governor Hobbs, this is probably going to be where the Rs on the committee practice their bile-spewing)

Department of Administration

Department of Economic Security

AHCCCS

There are other items on the agenda, too.

On Thursday 12/7 - 

Nada.

Cheeto's credo: If you don't like reality, just lie about it

And, surprisingly enough, this isn't about the reality of him losing the 2020 election.

Not this time.

From The Independent (UK) via Yahoo! -

Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene try to rewrite story of South Carolina 

football game

Former President Donald Trump and his loyal friend, Congresswoman 

Marjorie Taylor Greene, seem to be promoting a different version of events after 

Mr Trump was booed at the South Carolina football game.

While videos captured Mr Trump being met with a cacophony of boos as he 

walked onto the field during halftime, he quickly tried to revise the incident.

On Truth Social, he reposted articles that said the crowds showed support. He 

posted one article alongside a quote, which read: “Trump cheered at football 

stadium, picks up slew of new endorsements in South Carolina.”

Fasten your seatbelts: 2023 was an interesting year but just a prelude to the bumpy ride that will be 2024

I know that it's early and later writers will do summaries that are both longer and less Maricopa County-centric.

Having said that, there are a number of developments in the political world here in AZ in 2023 that will have effects in 2024.

1. It started in 2022 (actually, it may have started before that when it became obvious that she was a lousy US Senator, but it become official in 2022), but Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's  change from the Democratic Party to Unaffiliated has set up a 2024 election race that involves Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, Republican Kari Lake (I'm not predicting that she will win her primary, but as of now, I'm presuming that she will be the nominee) and, perhaps, Sinema herself (if she mounts a third party run).

From CNBC, dated 12/9/2022 -

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party to become

 

independent

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has switched parties to become an independent, complicating the Democrats’ narrow control of the U.S. Senate.

Sinema said in a tweet Friday that she was declaring her “independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent.”

It's a statewide race, but since Maricopa County has ~60% of the state's population and registered voters, the race is considered to be Maricopa-centric.

2. The decision by Republican Congresswoman Debbie Lesko to not seek re-election in 2024.  Her decision has set off a massive primary battle for north/northwestern Maricopa County district.  Not every R running for the seat actually lives in the district, but that's not required per the US Constitution and since this is a safe R seat, no R candidate will pass this one by.

I'm actually a little surprised that former Phoenix city council member Sal DiCiccio and perennial candidate Rodney Glassman haven't jumped into the race.

On the other hand, it's early yet. :)

From AP, dated 10/17/2023 -

US Rep. Debbie Lesko won’t seek re-election in Arizona next year

U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko announced Tuesday that she will not run for office next year.

The Arizona Republican has decided to spend more time with family.

In a statement, Lesko, 64, said traveling every month to Washington, D.C. has been difficult and that “D.C. is broken.”

None of the Rs running to replace will "unbreak" D.C.

3. The announcement by Democrat Paul Penzone that not only will he not seek re-election as Maricopa County Sheriff in 2024, he'll resign from the job in January.

From Arizona's Family, written by their digital news staff and Micaela Marshall, dated 10/2/2023 -

Penzone won’t seek 3rd term as Maricopa County Sheriff, will step down in January

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone says he will not seek a 3rd term and will be stepping down as Sheriff in January 2024.

“I have decided that I will not pursue a third term,” said Penzone during an emotional news conference Monday afternoon. “Not because I leave this office in any way, shape, or form disappointed; it has all been incredible. It is the greatest privilege and blessing that anyone could’ve asked for, especially in a profession like this.” Penzone said.

As off this writing, only three committees are open for a run at the office - one by Penzone himself, one by Joe Arpaio, the man Penzone defeated in 2016 (but that committee is very old and may not be intended for a run in 2024) and one by Jerry Sheridan, a former Arpaio henchman/deputy.  However, he formed his committee well before Penzone's announcement.  He was going to run regardless of everything else.

4. The first three items listed are "horse race" matters and will receive scads of attention from the MSM, if only because they're easy to report on.

However, while not as easy to report on, the next issue may be more significant.  It's about how races are run. I've listed it here at #4, but it may end up being the most significant issue in 2024.

From AZ Mirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, dated 9/26/2023 -

98% of Arizonans will have new elections officials in 2024, report finds

Arizona has lost nearly all of its experienced election officials and 98% of the state will have new officials running elections in 2024 than ran the 2020 elections, a new report found. 

The Grand Canyon State has been center stage for election misinformation since 2020, with efforts such as the Arizona Senate Republicans’ “audit” of the 2020 presidential election and Kari Lake’s continuing efforts to overturn her 2022 loss in the race for governor.

The state has also seen threats of violence towards election officials and those who help administer elections. Five recent cases from the U.S. Department of Justice were all from Arizona that included individuals who called for election officials to be killed and in some areas, such as in Yavapai County, one official ended up needing security from the local sheriff at their home.

This isn't just an Arizona problem, it's a national one.  

From The Union of Concerned Scientists' The Equation, dated 10/18/2023 -

2024 Election Workers Need Better Protection from Harassment

Most election workers are probably like my late mother-in-law. Mary Holmes spent many of her senior years volunteering at the polls in Cambridge, MA. She considered this work a part of her civic duty, just as she had decades earlier when she volunteered as a school traffic guard.  

She never voiced a moment of fear, either from motorists who respected her waving of arms and her reflective vest, or from voters, many of whom hurriedly hustled in and out of the ballot box on their way to work or on the way home from work to dinner. I cannot recall anything specific she ever said about this work. It was just what you did in a community. Her many years of service spoke for themselves about her pride in playing a seemingly small role in democracy.

We’ve learned more in recent years about how large a role she actually played. The mobs of January 6, 2021 and the malevolent harassment of election workers and officials all over the nation by deniers of the 2020 defeat of former President Donald Trump have left this slice of democracy on an unprecedented precipice. According to a report released last month by Issue One, a nonpartisan democracy think tank, roughly 40 percent of chief local elections officials in 11 western states have left their posts since the 2020 election.

The Issue One report referenced in both articles is here.

And the first one out of the gate at the AZ Legislature is...

Democratic State Rep. Quantá Crews.or Democratic State Sen. Priya Sundareshan.

There have been 16 bills introduced in the AZ House and one bill introduced in the AZ Senate; both first bills were introduced by Democratic members.  Both were pre-filed on 11/15, but as no time was listed, I cannot determine which of them was first.  Both were first in their respective chambers, though.

HB2001, from Crews, is a measure to create a day of racial healing.  Pardon my cynicism, but I have to ask - has she seen the characters of the members of the majority party in the legislature?

SB2001, from Sundareshan, is a measure for a continuation of the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind.  Currently, it is scheduled to end on July 1, 2027; this bill would extend that to July 1, 2033.  This one may pass - but don't hold your breath.  If anything similar passes, it will be for a shorter term, have poison pill provisions in it, be passed at the last minute, and be sponsored by a Republican

The remainder of the House bills, 15 in all, were pre-filed by Rep. Gail Griffin, and as is typical for her, many look as if they were written by an industry lobbyist.

The others look to be anti-water conservation.

A combination which appears to be in keeping with the Republican priorities of protecting industry profits while sacrificing the best interests of the people they're supposed to represent.

Legislative schedule - week starting 11/26/2023

The Rs in the legislature commemorate the holiday season not by serving up ham and turkey to the hungry, but by acting like hams and turkeys while serving up red meat for the base.

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 spread 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 that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday, 11/27 

-

Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Freedom of Expression at Arizona's Public Universities meets at 10 a.m. in SHR109.  They're scheduled to make some remarks, take testimony from some folks who'll claim to have been harmed by a university for espousing conservative views. And to make some more remarks.

With the R members of being who they are (Kern, Borrelli, Wadsack, Nguyen, etc.), the comments should be colorful.

To say the least.

Joint Study Committee on Statewide Animal Control Standards meets at 1 p.m. in SHR1.  I expect this meeting to be less colorful, but as the committee is chaired by John Kavanagh, "colorful" is a threat to happen.

The latest evidence that the"No Labels" party is an R front group: they want to monetize democracy

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

From AP -

The No Labels party asked its supporters if they would pay $100 to help choose its 2024 nominee

No Labels, a political organization that has alarmed some Democrats with talk of launching a third-party presidential candidate, has contemplated requiring a donation of at least $100 in order to cast a ballot at the group’s upcoming nominating convention, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The idea, which breaks from longstanding norms, would raise a significant hurdle to participating in the democratic process — in this case No Labels’ selection of its potential candidates for president and vice president. Neither the Democratic or Republican parties charge to vote at their conventions, where delegates vote for candidates chosen by voters through primaries or caucuses.

It's completely brazen and even hypocritical for a group that wishes to keep its donor list a secret, but at least they get points for honesty.

Still, this scheme brings two question to mind -

1. How long before they propose a scheme to make votes proportional to the amount of money that a would-be voter has gives to them?

2. How long before Cheeto thinks "I wish I had thought of this!  The only thing that would make it better would be if the nominee gets to skim of some of the take!"

Kari Lake may be saying good things trying to make nice with the folks she trashed last year. Her actions suggest that she hasn't really changed.

First up: The federal committee update.

It's official - failed AG candidate Abe Hamadeh is in the CD8 R primary.  He's formed a committee with the FEC.

Next: Kari Lake may be saying the right things, but she seems to be proving that when someone's words tell one story and their actions tell a different story.

The actions?

Working with another election denier.

From the FEC (emphasis added by me) -

Cynic that I am, I'm not sure that being seen as anti-democracy hurts her with the R base.

On the other hand, being seen as a liar may not help her.

Legislative schedule - week starting 11/19/2023

I admit, I was expecting next week to be very quiet, mostly because of the holiday.  As it turns out, I was wrong - there's one intersession meeting on Monday.

It'll be relatively quiet though - the spewing of propaganda/red meat for the Republican base is on tap for the following week

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 spread 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 that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday, 11/20 

-

Joint Study Committee on on Statewide Animal Control Standards meets at 1 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: a presentation/Q&A session with the executive director of the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board and a discussion of standards of care in animal shelters

Happy Thanksgiving!

Short Attention Span Musing - Popcorn Edition

...Kari Lake is looking to make nice with the same people that she trashed in 2022

From Politico -

Kari Lake ‘drove a stake’ through the heart of McCain Republicans. Now she wants a meeting.

Kari Lake is finally ready to move on from the 2022 election — or at least she wants her rivals to.

The Arizona Republican has given up — for now — the fire-and-brimstone approach she took in her failed gubernatorial bid last year, adopting a different tack in her current Senate campaign: diplomacy.

One thing in the article caught my attention (emphasis added by me) -

She has not made contact with former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, according to a person familiar with their interactions. And Sharon Harper, a consigliere for Cindy McCain, the widow of the late senator, said Lake has not reached out to her. Harper is fundraising for Sinema.

My guess is that many of the "traditional" Rs want to vote for Kyrsten Sinema, if she runs for re-election.  If she doesn't, those folks will be faced with two options that they won't like - voting for Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, or voting for Kari Lake, someone who openly despises them.

If Gallego can siphon off enough supporters, it may help him.

...If Lake wins election to the US Senate, she may be moving to a schoolyard...at a middle school. 

From The Oklahoman -

OK Sen. Markwayne Mullin defends Senate fight, tells Sean Hannity it's 'Oklahoma values'

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, said he believed Oklahomans "would be pretty upset" at him if he hadn't threatened a union leader to a fight during a senate hearing,

Mullin, 45, and Teamsters leader Sean O'Brien had a heated exchange during a senate hearing on labor unions, at the end of which Mullin asked O'Brien if he wanted to fight. Mullin even stood from his chair, but was stopped by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who was chairing the hearing.

...In what may be the news of the week, a convicted felon is joining the clown car of the race to replace the outgoing Debbie Lesko in CD8.

From NBC -

'QAnon Shaman' who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 files paperwork to run for Congress

Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man who gained notoriety as the “QAnon Shaman” who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, filed paperwork to run for Congress as a Libertarian candidate in the battleground state’s 8th Congressional District.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., announced last month that she won’t seek re-election.

Chansley cannot vote for a candidate for elected office as a convicted felon, but he *can* run for office.

One question: will he be in costume while on the campaign trail?  I'm guessing "Yes."

From the NBC story -

.

While he has yet to form an FEC committee for the run, at least not one that I can find, he has filed a statement of interest with the Arizona Secretary of State

That statement, emphasis added by me -

 

Federal Committees update

No real surprises here, though there is some scary unbridled optimism presented.

Franks forming a committee in no surprise, as he's already announced that he's seeking to be elected to the seat (CD8) he resigned from in disgrace.

Republican Becker was a 2022 primary candidate for the CD7 seat held by Democrat Raul Grijalva.  She lost in the primary then but WAS adjudicated to be competent...to assist in her own defense.

She's seeking the seat again, but even R voters may not want that to be the primary qualification of one of their candidates.

The middle two are PACs which I don't normally cover here, but they share two things with Kari Lake's primary candidate committee -

1. The treasurer, Bradley Crate.

2. The mailing address.  From the FEC - 

My only question is a rather cynical one - how much of the money raised through the PACs will be funneled to Cheeto's defense team?

Hospital patient safety grades are in

I realize that this blog is mostly about politics but it's not all politics, all the time.

Hence, this PSA.

Earlier this week, an organization called The Leapfrog Group released a report that graded hospitals on the basis of patient safety.

Caveat: I cannot attest to the accuracy of their grades, also, that while important, patient safety is only one factor in determining the overall quality of medical care provided by a particular hospital.

They graded 50 hospitals in Arizona; running the gamut, some received "A", some "B", some "C", some "D" (No "F" grades, but Ds are still pretty bad).

25 Arizona hospitals received A or B grades, but only two of those were from outside of Maricopa or Pima counties (seven received Ds, and five of those were located in counties not named Maricopa or Pima.

Bottom line: I understand that hospitals are businesses and that they will go where people and financial wealth are, but sacrificing patient safety on the altar of the profit motive is NOT acceptable

Most of AZ is considered to be a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by the federal government.

From the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) -

Not coincidentally, metro Phoenix and metro Tucson (the most populous areas in AZ) have few MUAs -

Not coincidentally, I think, the MUAs in those two metro areas are located in the poorer parts of those areas.  For example, Scottsdale is most assuredly not part of a MUA.

Note: twice since 2020 began, I've visited a local hospital's ER (the same hospital twice), and one of those visits resulted in surgery.  While that hospital received a "C" grade, I've never had a problem with the care there.  Hence the caveat.

For Rs, "Public Service" isn't about serving the public

Turns out that utter contempt for the expressed will of the voters...unless it comports with R ideology...is a R personality trait.

Which explains why the Rs in the AZ legislature expanded school vouchers after the voters said "don't do that".

From WEWS (OH), emphasis added by me -

Ohio Gov. DeWine ‘accepts’ will of the people on abortion, marijuana, but hold on

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is “accepting” the will of the people on legalizing abortion access and marijuana recreation, but that acceptance comes with caveats.

Days after Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion and other reproductive rights in the state constitution, the governor acknowledged the result — even as fellow Republicans look for ways to overturn it.

Legislative schedule - week starting 11/12/2023

This week shouldn't be as busy as last week.  But what it lacks in interim committee activity it may make up for in fireworks.

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 spread 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 that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

On Monday, 11/13 

-

Joint Study Committee on Statewide Animal Control Standards meets at 1 p.m. in SHR1.  This committee is chaired by Sen. John Kavanagh, so it'll produce whatever some industry lobbyist wants it to produce.

On Tuesday, 11/14  

-

House Ad Hoc Committee on Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Governance and Oversight meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  This interim committee is chaired by the Speaker of the AZ House of Representatives, Ben Toma.  Of the committee membership, one is currently affiliated the corporate lobbying group, the Goldwater Institute, one used to be, and is currently with the AZ Charter Schools Association (AZ CSA), one is a director of AZ CSA, and the last one is one of Tom Horne's minions who is also scheduled to present to the committee.

Yes, the fix is in.

Toma is in the CD8 primary so the fireworks may come from when he justifies blowing a hole in the state budget in order to protect a fraud perpetrated upon the people of Arizona.

Which may help him win that primary, but would also show him to be a lousy public servant and human being.

Which also may help in that primary - he'd fit right in with the R caucus in the US House.

Election night 2023: The vast majority of ballot questions in Maricopa County pass

The full list of County results is here, courtesy Maricopa County Elections.

By my count, 11 questions out of 50 here failed.*

* = All results are unofficial and some may change when the final totals are tallied.

Overall, it was a good night for proponents of good government...and a bad night for certain anti-society ideologues (we'll can call them "Republicans")