Kuby is on the ballot

 From an email from her campaign -

I looked at campaign finance report (see! It isn't just Rs that I examine!), and I was impressed by two things:

1. The folks who know her best gave her seed money.  As a "Clean Elections" candidate, she needed enough $5 contributions to qualify for CE funding, but she also needed "seed" money to get her campaign started.  And many folks (including yours truly) contributed to her candidacy.  The fact that the folks who know her trusted her enough for that speaks well of her character.

She knows a lot of folks, and the people she knows and who know her gave her money, including colleagues, friends, neighbors, office holders, former office holders, and candidates for office.

2. What I didn't see were contributions from organizations that are regulated by the ACC.  That's been an issue with the ACC in the past.

Kuby's website is listed on the right side of this blog; if you want to electronically sign for Kennedy or to donate a $5 to her, follow the AZSOS E-Qual link below it.

Rep. John Fillmore - a late entry into the race for the Legislative Loon Award

Fillmore may be something of a backbencher in the Arizona Legislature, but he also has checked most boxes on the R hate list; the breadth of his hatred is simply breathtaking.

His quest for the coveted Legislative Loon Award may be rewarded, though he has a *lot* of competition for the award.

So far, his proposals attack education -

HB2276, making legislators the determiners of what is legal or Constitutional in schools

HB2277, giving large property owners in a given change area veto power over school district boundary line changes

HB2279, increasing the total number of students that are in a school district before it can be declared "lapsed" (from eight to 150)

HB2286,  adding an additional layer of parental approval needed for a student's participation in a survey

HB2597, requiring students in grades K - 6 to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the US and further requiring students in grades 4 - 12 to take a minute to "engage in quiet reflection and moral reasoning" (good luck with that.  It has been <ahem> a while since I was a teenager, but as I remember, telling one that they must do something is a sure way to get one to NOT do that something.)

He also attacks democracy and the administration of elections -

HB2287, barring the establishment of combined voting locations in adjacent precincts

HB2288, barring the establishment of emergency voting centers and emergency voting itself (I think; a lot of language is redlined [deleted] here).  

HB2296, stipulating that government-issued forms of ID are the only forms of ID that are valid for voting

HCR2025,  a proposal to change the state constitution for the same

HCR2011, a proposal to change the state constitution so that legislators decide who the candidates for U.S. Senate are

HB2596, banning early voting and mandating that all votes must be counted by hand and totaled within 24 hours (and other things - there are a lot of additions to language and deletions to language here)

He also attacks the LGBTQ+ community -

HB2285, barring schools from discussing sex ed or AIDS without specific parental permission (to be fair, this one could have been included in the schools section, but this one seemed more like an LGBTQ+ attack) (to be fair2 - this caveat could be included with many of these measures, and not just the anti-LGBTQ+ ones)

HB2292, requiring that birth certificates include a gender of male of female of any child's birth so documented

HB2293, barring public schools from requiring any employee of that school from referring to a student by a gender pronoun of a gender other than what is stated on the student's birth certificate

HB2294, requiring that all government-issued documents that indicate a gender for the recipient have such indication be limited to "male" and "female"

He's not limited to those; he multitasks for Faux News watchers -

HB2291, an anti-CRT measure

HB2282, barring the use of photo radar

HB2280, barring social media websites from controlling the content on their websites

HB2281, an anti-vaxxer measure

Yup, Fillmore is like Mikey in the old Life Cereal ads.

He hates EVERYTHING.

State Committee update

Former member of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) Doug Little was running for another term on the ACC, but his committees related to that have been terminated.  He's now running for the district 2 seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

All anyone needs to know about him is that he's a Trumpkin.

From the website of the Maricopa County Elections Department -

At this point, I don't expect there to many, if any, more candidates for statewide office; as a practical consideration, it takes too long to gather all of the nominating signatures needed (due by April 4th).  I'll update as necessary.

I won't further update races for the legislature until ballots are set.  Too many folks are running for too many seats.

Federal Committee update

From the website of the FEC -

Kutz is a Republican running for CD9.  He appears to be a realtor.

Torres is a Democrat running for CD6.  She appears to be an environmental consultant.

If Dougie likes someone, it may not be a positive character reference for that someone

From Ben Giles, published by KJZZ -

Ducey praises Sinema's steadfast support of the filibuster

Gov. Doug Ducey had high praise for Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema one day after she sided with Senate Republicans to reject a proposed change to the filibuster.

“I want to give Senator Sinema credit for standing up and protecting a Senate rule that she believes in,” Ducey told reporters on Thursday.

Sinema, voting against the minimum wage, from CNN -

Hey, if you don't get your way, just resort to violence at threats of violence

For those of you who are unclear on the concept, that's sarcasm.

The statement isn't true, and I don't believe it.

I *do* believe that Cheeto made this socially acceptable.

From WJLA (in VA) -

Mom charged after threatening to bring loaded guns to Va. school over mask policy

Page County Public Schools in Luray, Virginia will increase police presence at schools Monday after a mother made a perceived threat during a school board meeting Thursday night.

Amelia King was upset about the school mask mandate and said her children would not be wearing masks on Monday and she would "bring every single gun loaded and ready."

or

From NPR -

Texas man faces federal charges for allegedly threatening Georgia election officials

FBI agents on Friday arrested a Texas man for allegedly threatening to kill election and other government officials in Georgia.

Chad Christopher Stark of Leander, Texas, was taken into custody Friday morning after being indicted in the Northern District of Georgia on a single count of making interstate threats.

Is there such a thing as a "reverse endorsement"?

 Oh, the email lists that I'm on. :)

Certain endorsements don't speak well of the characters of the endorsees.

[snip]

[snip]

Truth: At one point, Hallman was mayor of Tempe.

More truth: he's got some interesting friends.

From the Arizona Republic in 2014 (emphasis added by me) -

Outside spending in treasurer's race gets dark

[snip]

Earlier this week, Preserve America's Future started putting up signs questioning the backgrounds of state treasurer candidates Jeff DeWit and Randy Pullen. The group is run by political operative Nathan Sproul, a supporter of candidate Hugh Hallman.

What's the Texan word for "karma"? "Paxton".

From The Texas Tribune -

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has fought vaccine mandates, tests positive for COVID-19

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Wednesday.

The communications staff at the attorney general's office told The Texas Tribune in an unsigned statement that Paxton had tested positive.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated. 

How to get it wrong about Covid, Florida style

From WKMG (FL) -

Orange County health officer Dr. Raul Pino on leave, under state inquiry involving vaccines

Dr. Raul Pino, the director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County who has been so visible during the pandemic, is on administrative leave pending an inquiry, the Florida Department of Health confirmed to News 6 Tuesday.

“As the decision to get vaccinated is a personal medical choice that should be made free from coercion and mandates from employers, the employee in question (Pino) has been placed on administrative leave, and the Florida Department of Health is conducting an inquiry to determine if any laws were broken in this case,” FDOH press secretary Jeremy Redfern said in a statement.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated. 

Don't get arrested in Fayetteville; they may poison you

From CNN -

ACLU sues on behalf of inmates who say they were given Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 without consent

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of four inmates who claim they were given the drug Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 without their consent.

The suit accuses the Washington County Detention Center, Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder, jail physician Dr. Robert Karas and Karas Correctional Health of administering Ivermectin to the inmates without prior informed consent as to the nature, contents or potential side effects of the drug.

Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington county in Arkansas.

From the FDA -

Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19

COVID-19. We’ve been living with it for what sometimes seems like forever. Given the number of deaths that have occurred from the disease, it’s perhaps not surprising that some consumers are turning to drugs not approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

One of the FDA’s jobs is to carefully evaluate the scientific data on a drug to be sure that it is both safe and effective for a particular use. In some instances, it can be highly dangerous to use a medicine for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 that has not been approved by or has not received emergency use authorization from the FDA. 

There seems to be a growing interest in a drug called ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans. Certain animal formulations of ivermectin such as pour-on, injectable, paste, and "drench," are approved in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals. For humans, ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses to treat some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.

However, the FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalization, after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for livestock.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated. 

3. Don't use animal drugs.

U.S. or worldwide, it doesn't matter. The poor may be dying, but the rich get richer

From ABC -

Wealth of 10 richest men doubled in pandemic as 99% of incomes dropped: Oxfam

The 10 richest men in the world doubled their fortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic, a report published Monday by advocacy group Oxfam said, highlighting how the global health crisis has deepened the divide between the haves and have-nots as well as the need for policy intervention to address these "deadly" inequities.

While the wealth of the world's 10 richest men more than doubled -- increasing from approximately $700 billion to $1.5 trillion between March 2020 and November 2021 -- the incomes of approximately 99% of people around the globe fell during that time, and more than 160 million people have been forced into poverty, the Oxfam report added.

The full report is here.

From the report -

The wealth of the world’s 10 richest men has doubled since the pandemic began. The incomes of 99% of humanity are worse off because of COVID-19. Widening economic, gender, and racial inequalities—as well as the inequality that exists between countries—are tearing our world apart. This is not by chance, but choice: “economic violence” is perpetrated when structural policy choices are made for the richest and most powerful people. This causes direct harm to us all, and to the poorest people, women and girls, and racialized groups most. Inequality contributes to the death of at least one person every four seconds. But we can radically redesign our economies to be centered on equality. We can claw back extreme wealth through progressive taxation; invest in powerful, proven inequality-busting public measures; and boldly shift power in the economy and society. If we are courageous, and listen to the movements demanding change, we can create an economy in which nobody lives in poverty, nor with unimaginable billionaire wealth—in which inequality no longer kills.

Read the entire report.

So who wants to tell them?

From Politico -

Trump superfans dream of a run again, and of JFK Jr. on the ticket

Ray Kallatsa is a die-hard Trumper who “definitely” wants to see former President Donald Trump run for office again in 2024.

So it was natural that he’d travel from Tucson to see Trump’s first rally of 2022. But as Kallatsa stood there on Saturday, pondering whom he would like to see as Trump’s next veep — from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to onetime national security adviser turned ardent conspiracy theorist Mike Flynn — an unorthodox idea came to him.

“JFK Jr.,” he said, referencing the son of the 35th president who died in a plane crash in 1999. Kallatsa realized he might have come off a bit odd with the suggestion. “I don’t want to sound too much like a conspiracy theorist, but he’s coming back,” he explained. “He’s supposed to reveal himself on the 17th if he’s truly alive. I think we’ll see him.”

It's not just Politico that thinks JFK Jr is dead.

We all do.  "All"...except for QAnon types.

From History.com -

JFK Jr. killed in plane crash

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr.; his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and her sister, Lauren Bessette, die when the single-engine plane that Kennedy was piloting crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr., was born on November 25, 1960, just a few weeks after his father and namesake was elected the 35th president of the United States. On his third birthday, “John-John” attended the funeral of his assassinated father and was photographed saluting his father’s coffin in a famous and searing image. Along with his sister, Caroline, he was raised in Manhattan by his mother, Jacqueline. After graduating from Brown University and a very brief acting stint, he attended New York University Law School. He passed the bar on his third try and worked in New York as an assistant district attorney, winning all six of his cases. In 1995, he founded the political magazine George, which grew to have a circulation of more than 400,000.

From The Smoking Gun -

Yee is out of the R primary race for governor

According to the stories, at least in part because of the fact that she raised significantly less money than the other R frontrunners in the race (I still think she would have lost the R contest for the nomination, but I've been wrong about R races before :) ).  There *was* a difference between her fundraising totals and those of the others, particularly Steve Gaynor, but it's not what many folks think.

From Yee's report covering 2021 -

From Gaynor's report, of the same period -

The stories like to state that Gaynor is the "money leader," but he's mostly self-funded/trying to buy the job - he injected $5 million of his own money into the campaign.

Given that the job he's seeking would pay ~$380K over 4 years, it seems like a bad investment.

In the interest of being thorough, from Kari Lake's report covering the same period -

In short, Yee seems to have made the correct decision, but not because she's behind Gaynor.

Yee out of the governor's race. Will run for re-election as treasurer instead.

From KJZZ -

Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee drops out of governor's race to focus on reelection

Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee announced Saturday that she will drop out of the race for governor and focus on running for reelection for her current position. 

Yee, a Republican, said in her announcement that there is “more work to be done” as treasurer, but did not offer any additional explanation.

Cheeto trashes a future running mate

From Axios -

Trump dogs "dull" DeSantis ahead of potential 2024 matchup

Donald Trump is trashing Ron DeSantis in private as an ingrate with a "dull personality" and no realistic chance of beating him in a potential 2024 showdown, according to sources who've recently talked to the former president about the Florida governor.

Why it matters: The two are among the most popular Republicans in the country, and as the former president eyes another run in 2024, he's irked by DeSantis' popularity and refusal to rule out running against him.

• DeSantis is a favorite of Republican voters when pollsters remove Trump from the hypothetical 2024 field.
• The governor also hasn't been beyond tweaking his fellow Floridian.

I'll just make two predictions here:

1. DeSantis will run for POTUS in 2024. (Which every watcher expects to happen)

2. If Trump runs, DeSantis will ultimately be part of the ticket. (You heard it here first, folks! :) )

And for a third prediction:

3. DeSantis will feel about Trump the same way that Trump feels about DeSantis.  The only real difference between them is that while DeSantis will *hope* Cheeto dies, Cheeto will do something to get rid of DeSantis.  And then defend the (would-be) killers.