Blog For Arizona

Prison-based gerrymandering of districts

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

A friend of mine tells me that prison-based gerrymandering of districts was raised as an issue at an AIRC meeting last week. I am informed that one of the GOP shadow groups present at these AIRC meetings was particularly interested in this tried and true method of gerrymandering. It is up to you not to allow this to happen in Arizona.

Prison populations are counted for purposes of the federal Census to reflect the population of the state at that moment in time. Due to antiquated Census rules, prisoners are counted where they are incarcerated rather than their last residence or domicile.

This is a problem because prisoners are convicted felons and cannot vote in the state of Arizona. Some of the state's larger prisons have populations nearly equal to, perhaps in excess of, the surrounding community in which the prison is located. This can give a small number of people more clout in their vote, while diluting the votes of all others. It also greatly distorts minority voter "communities of interest" to be taken into account by the AIRC and under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

There is a useful web site that has links to resources which explain prison based gerrymandering of districts. Prisoners of the Census.

One resource is "Prison-based gerrymandering in redistricting: what to watch for":

Prison-based gerrymandering is the practice of counting incarcerated persons as “residents” of a prison when drawing legislative districts in order to give extra influence to the districts that contain the prisons. The U.S. Constitution requires that election districts be roughly equal in size, so that everyone is represented equally in the political process. But prison-based gerrymandering distorts our democracy by artificially inflating the population numbers — and thus, the political clout — of districts with prisons, while diluting the political power of all other voters.

That this problem exists at all is largely an accident of two facts: (1) an outdated Census Bureau methodology that counts people in prison as residents of the correctional facilities, not of their legal home addresses; and (2) the skyrocketing rates of incarceration. Hopefully, in the future, the Census Bureau will eliminate the problem by counting incarcerated people as residents of their legal home addresses.

* * *

When your legislature announces a proposed redistricting plan and invites public comment, you’ll need to act quickly to identify if and exactly how they used prisons to distort democracy in your state, county or city. This guide will tell you what to look for in the data and the state’s proposed plan in order to minimize the harm of prison-based gerrymandering.

(This guide assumes you have a mapping staff or sympathetic technical people on the redistricting body to assist you. Your technical allies can refer to our memo, Using the Census Bureau’s Advanced Group Quarters Table, which explains the timing, value, content and limitations of the Bureau’s prison count data.)

Protecting minority voting strength

Sometimes, a district that seems to have a majority-minority population really doesn’t, because of prison-based gerrymandering. If the minority “population” of the district consists of large number of incarcerated persons – who can’t vote – the district population numbers may be distorted. This creates districts that appear to give minorities the ability to elect the candidate of their choice, but in reality, they cannot. You need to examine any majority-minority district that includes a prison, to ensure that the district really has enough voting-eligible persons of color to create a viable majority with the ability to elect a candidate of choice to office.

* * *

Similarly, although to different effect, prison populations sometimes create a false picture of racial and ethnic “diversity” within a district. Pointing out these examples is an effective way to raise the issue of prison-based gerrymandering and can be a powerful fact to raise if, as discussed in the next section, the state has under-populated districts that contain prisons.

* * *

Keeping prison-based gerrymandering from making other malapportionment issues worse

Advocates should examine what percentage of each district is actually incarcerated, and how that interacts with the existing population deviations in the proposed districts. Keep in mind that in the strange world of redistricting, “underpopulated” districts have more political power than “overpopulated” districts, because in underpopulated districts, fewer people get the same opportunity to elect a representative as a larger number of people crowded into an “overpopulated” district. For that reason, a district that nominally falls within the 5% deviation rule applicable to state and local districts, but would fall outside that deviation without the prison population, should raise a red flag, and should be examined carefully to determine if the deviation should be reduced. Apart from that specific situation, any districts having large prisons should be scrutinized to avoid underpopulation of such districts compared to ideal district size, because including prison population magnifies the underpopulation of the district.

Limiting the vote enhancement in districts with prisons

Advocates should consider whether, if insufficient time remains to collect the home addresses of incarcerated people for this round of redistricting, the legislature can be persuaded to declare all incarcerated people to live at “unknown addresses” and not include them in the individual districts that contain prisons. (See Interview with Justin Levitt of the Brennan Center for Justice for more on why “unknown addresses” is superior to the Census Bureau’s status quo. )

If the legislature will not consider removing the prison populations from individual districts, advocates should examine ways to limit the magnitude of the vote enhancement to each district that contains a prison. Advocates should determine what percentage of each proposed district is actually incarcerated, and consider whether it is possible to configure the districts so that multiple large prisons are not concentrated in an individual district, thereby lessening the size of the vote enhancement in the prison districts . . .

Another resource is the "50 State Guide to Fixing Prison-Based Gerrymandering." Click on the interactive map for Arizona, and this is what you will learn: 

When legislators claim people incarcerated in their districts are legitimate constituents, they award people who live close to the prison more of a say in government than everybody else.
Impact at the state level:

• Maricopa County contains 59% of Arizona’s population, but 64% of the state’s prisoners come from the county. The political effect of this disproportionate incarceration rate is magnified by the fact that few prisoners are incarcerated in Maricopa — the county contains only 19% of the Arizona’s state prison cells.
• Crediting many of Arizona’s incarcerated people to a few locations, far away from home, enhances the political clout of the people who live near prisons, while diluting the voting power of all other Arizonans.

Impact at the local level:

• The town of Buckeye excluded the prison population when drawing electoral districts, otherwise the prison would have been a district all by itself with no voters.
• Pinal County rejects the Census Bureau's prison count when drawing county board of supervisors districts. Otherwise the people who live near the prisons would have more political influence than residents of other county districts.
• Substantial prison-based gerrymandering problems exist in Graham County. In Graham County, District 1 is 6% incarcerated (Fort Grant Unit of Arizona State Prison Complex- Safford). District 2 is 18.5% incarcerated (FCI Safford & Arizona State Prison Complex- Safford), giving some residents more influence than others.

Arizona law says a prison cell is not a residence:

“For the purpose of voting, no person shall be deemed to have gained or lost a residence by reason of being present or absent… while confined in any public jail or prison.” (Arizona Constitution, Article VII, § 3.)

Fact sheet: Prison-based gerrymandering in Arizona

Also: Census counts of prisoners stymie Arizona’s efforts to create equally sized districts.

There is much more invaluable information and resources at this web site.

AIRC Public Hearings in Baja Arizona This Week

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) has three public hearings scheduled in Baja Arizona this week -- South Tucson, Sierra Vista and Bisbee[the remote location has been cancelled], and Tucson. It is important that Democrats and Progressives, moderate Republicans, Independents and "other" political party persuasions attend these meetings to make sure that your voices are heard and not drowned out by a small but loud minority of Tea Baggers attempting to threaten and intimidate the AIRC and to delegitimize its important work.

Before you go you will want to read this post by Stephen Lemons at the Phoenix New Times, Arizona's Redistricting Commission Should Regard the Tea Party as Disruptive Loons:

More than anything, the Tea Party movement in Arizona reminds me of the assorted wackjobs who believed that the 9/11 attacks on America were an "inside job" by the administration of President George W. Bush, a moronic contention now thoroughly debunked and discredited.

Like the so-called 9/11 "truthers," Tea Baggers see conspiracies where there are none, spread misinformation without consequence, and vilify any who do not buy their bald-faced bull.

But where the nearly moribund "truth" movement once offered numerous flavors of idiocy, the Tea Baggers march in lockstep, showing up to public meetings with prepared talking points copied off e-mails and websites, repeating over and over the same soft-headed mush and regurgitated canards.

They also are often armed.

They aim to take over or disrupt public meetings, and there often are warnings either from them or from politicians allied with these noxious hillbillies that veer toward the threat of violence.

In short, this anti-democratic force of bikers, nativists, old white biddies, and crazed, self-styled "patriots" have more in common with pre-Berlin Wall-fall Communists than the fomenters of the American Revolution they purportedly revere.

Recently, the Tea Party's true face has been revealed in its attempts to exercise veto power over the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the five-member panel charged with redrawing the political map of Sand Land, based on the 2010 census.

* * *

In the case of the current AIRC, [the] Independent is Colleen Mathis, a healthcare administrator originally from Peoria, Illinois, who now lives and works in Pima County with her lawyer husband, Chris.

Mathis was unanimously selected to her position by the four appointed commissioners, all of whom are unpaid, as is Mathis. A relevant point considering the amount of abuse that's been heaped upon her by the Tea Party brigade.

Because the Tea Baggers have disagreed with the selection of a mapping consultant with Democratic ties, the D.C. firm Strategic Telemetry, they have focused on Mathis' application and a slight omission they use to claim Mathis "lied" on it.

Supposedly, according to these nudniks, she lied to hide the fact that her husband is a registered Democrat who played the role of treasurer in the unsuccessful 2010 campaign of Democrat Nancy Young Wright for a state House seat from Legislative District 26.

From this original sin flows all Mathis' faults, which include her vote (along with those of the two Dems on the commission) for Strategic Telemetry to be the mapping consultant.

Thing is, Mathis did not lie. In fact, she mentions the name of her husband in the second line of the application.

But question eight on the form asked for her to list all family members who have a profession, and she neglected to list that her spouse is an attorney, an error for which she has apologized.

It's no big secret that her husband is a lawyer. Anyone plugging the guy's name into Google will discover that right quick. As for his status as a Democrat, the application form does not ask for that information, because it is irrelevant.

But since we're dealing with facts that don't matter, here are a few more that the Tea Baggers overlook when pointing their digits at the Mathises: For the better part of his life, Chris Mathis was a Republican.

He actually worked on the staff of former Republican U.S. Senator from Nebraska Chuck Hagel, and on the staff of ex-U.S. Representative Bob Michel of Illinois, onetime Republican minority leader of the House.

Over the years, Chris Mathis has donated money to both Democrats and Republicans. According to federal and state campaign-finance filings, he donated money to Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in 2010, as well as to current Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican.

In previous election cycles, he donated to Republican U.S. Senator John McCain and to former GOP U.S. Senator from Illinois Peter Fitzgerald. Mathis' grandfather even ran, unsuccessfully, for governor of Illinois in a Republican primary.

* * *

But there are pettier agendas involved than these ideological disputes.

One of the main disseminators of misinformation has been Republican legislator Terri Proud, who won a close election against Nancy Wright in 2010, and is bent (and I do mean "bent") on attacking her opponent's onetime treasurer by smearing his wife, Colleen.

Weird? Oh, yes. But Proud has devoted a lot of time to spreading falsehoods about Mathis and the AIRC, pyrite that the Tea Baggers have willfully mistaken for gold.

Neither Chris Mathis' previous GOP ties, nor the fact that Colleen Mathis and her spouse once visited the George W. Bush White House and attended the 1988 Republican National Convention, have stopped Tea Baggers and certain politicians from calling for her head.

* * *

Clueless Tea Baggers have shown up wondering, "Where are the maps?" This, while ignoring information on the AIRC's website letting folks know that the so-called grid maps are yet to come. The public will get to comment on whatever lines are drawn when the proposed maps are ready.

* * *

One Tea Bagger type referred to the commissioners as "cockroaches" at the same meeting. Others charged that the commission was operating in secret, that it had violated the state procurement code and open-meetings law in picking Strategic Telemetry, and that this "progressive" outfit was data-mining voter-registration information.

Actually, the information that Strategic Telemetry will use to help the commission comes from two sources, the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, and the 2010 census. All public record.

So much for data mining.

* * *

What of the commission operating in "secret" and violating the state procurement code?

Well, early on, before the commission had hired its lawyers — one for the Dems and one for the GOPers — lawyers from the Arizona Attorney General's Office advised the commission.

Though the AIRC, does not have to follow the state procurement code, Assistant Attorney General James Barton suggested that the commissioners in their role as "good stewards" follow procurement guidelines nonetheless.

As laid out in the Arizona Revised Statutes, there are certain aspects of the bidding process that are kept confidential.

To discuss such matters, the AIRC had to go into executive session, though the actual voting on bids was done in public. As one of the AIRC's current lawyers explained to me, this was as it should be.

"All of these pre-awarding bid documents are confidential," AIRC attorney Joe Kanefield [previously with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office] observed. "So when [the commission] was discussing these bids, they had to [go into executive session] because they were discussing confidential documents."

Since the AIRC voted to award the contract to Strategic Telemetry, all the documents associated with the bids have been placed on the commission's website.

The Democrats and the chairman gave Strategic Telemetry the highest bids, but the Repubs on the commission gave ST relatively high marks, as well, a factoid ignored by the Tea Baggers.

* * *

Some GOPs, such as state Senator Frank Antenori, are ready to go postal on the commission and its chairwoman, telling the Capitol Times' Yellow Sheet, "The gun is loaded, and it's just figuring out what target to point it at and when to pull the trigger."

* * *

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne recently announced that his office will be doing a "probe" of the issues surrounding AIRC procurement and open meetings. This, despite the fact that his attorneys advised the AIRC on these very issues.

[According to Mary Jo Pitzl at the Political Insider - Horne: Redistricting probe will wrap in August: "On Thursday, the AG said he hopes to wrap up the investigation some time in August." This is an indication that the AG's Office does not believe there is any illegality, as Horne indicated when he announced his preliminary investigation.]

* * *

Fortunately, there are some normal people who've been attending the AIRC meetings, voicing support for the commission, and offering some pushback to the Tea Baggers, who are about as obvious as the cause of singer Amy Winehouse's recent demise.

The Republicans on the commission have stated that they support Chairman Mathis and want to move on.

But the Tea Baggers have nothing better to do than raise Cain over candy corn. And 'til they are dismissed — as the 9/11 "truthers" are today — you can expect their threats and hysterical nonsense to continue.

If you see Tea Baggers Sen. Frank Antenori and Rep. Terri Proud at these public hearings, be sure to laugh at them and mock them for their Bircher/World Net Daily conspiracy theories. They are an embarrassment to this state and are unfit to serve in public office.

h/t The Tin Foil Hat Party, http://www.tfhp.org/

Political Calendar: Week of July 31, 2011

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Political Calendar is posted on Sundays. Please send us notice of your political events prior to the Sunday before your event (7 days would be most helpful). See the calendar icon in the right-hand column of the blog page for easy access to the calendar.

D-Day, the GOPocalypse: Wednesday, August 3, 12:01 a.m. (unless Tea-Publicans pull their heads out of their behinds in time).

Tucson City Council Primary Election: Voter registration cut-off date for the primary election is August 1. Vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed on August 10. Early Voting location: Tucson City Clerk Election Center, 800 E. 12th Street, open August 11-August 29, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Mon.-Fri.) All voted mail-in ballots must be in the posession of the City Clerk by 7:00 p.m. on August 30. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 30. For a list of voting locations on Election Day see http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/sites/default/files/clerks/Ballot%20Replacement%20Sites.pdf.

Political Calendar For The Week of July 31, 2011

Sundays, 6:00 p.m.: Drinking Liberally, at The Shanty, 401 E. 9th Street (at 4th Avenue). An informal, inclusive progressive social group, and lively discussion. Our very special guest speaker will be John Adams, Brigadier General US Army (retired). He will lead a discussion of the impact of social media in fostering change, specifically focusing on the recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East. I’m sure he will answer questions on other topics too. Contact: www.livingliberallytucson.org.

Monday, August 1, Noon: Democrats of Greater Tucson luncheon, Dragon's View Restaurant (400 N. Bonita, South of St. Mary's Road between the Freeway and Grande Avenue, turn South at Furr's Cafeteria), buffet lunch costs $8.50. Featured speaker is John C. Scott, radio talk show host. Visit DGT's web site at www.tucsondemocrats.org. Next Week: Ward 1 Tucson City Council Member Regina Romero, candidate for reelection.

Monday, August 1, 6:30 p.m.: Pima County Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting.

Tuesday, August 2, 5:30 p.m.: Greater Huachuca Area Democratic Club meeting, at the Cochise County Democratic Party HQ, 1010 E. Fry Boulevard, Sierra Vista. For more information please call Maggs at (520) 417-1533 or email maggzilla2u@yahoo.com.

Tuesday, August 2, 6:00 p.m.: AIRC public hearing, at the City of South Tucson Council Chambers, 1601 S. Sixth Avenue (South Tucson).

Tuesday, August 2, 6:00 p.m.: "Unions 101" A special open house hosted by UFCW Local 99, in partnership with the Arizona Democratic Party, at UFCW Local 99, 2401 N. Central Avenue, 2nd Floor (Phoenix). Participants at this "Labor Teach-In" will learn Union 101 basics as well as the pertinent issues that unions face in Arizona today. For more information please contact Justin Unga at junga@azdem.org  and RSVP to Chris Baker at cbaker@azdem.org.

Tuesday, August 2, 6:00 p.m.: The Arizona Democratic Party African-American Caucus hosts a candidate forum at the Historic Dunbar Auditorium, 325 W. Second Street (Tucson). Candidates in the upcoming city election will discuss issues facing the African-America​n community, and all of Tucson. Members of the Interdenominati​onal Ministers' Alliance, community activists and representatives from service organizations decided to hold this town hall after a number of meetings to discuss issues relevant to our community. The discussion will be structured with a moderator asking specific questions, selected ahead of time. For more information you may contact Kristian Salter at PCDAAC@gmail.com.

Wednesday, August 3, 7:00 p.m.: Legislative District 28 meeting, at the Pima County Democratic Party HQ, 4639 E. 1st Street (one block South of Speedway and West of Swan). For more information please contact Ted Prezelski at prezelski@aol.com or (520) 326-3716 (leave message).

President Obama's 50th Birthday Bash!

Thursday, August 4, 5:00 p.m.: Pima County Democratic Party hosts President Obama's 50th Birthday Bash, at The Shanty, 401 E. 9th Street (at 4th Avenue). Please join the Pima County Democratic Party to celebrate the 50th birthday of President Barack Obama with beer, wine and hors d'oeuvre at one of our favorite local businesses, The Shanty. Long form birth certificates will not be required, but a contribution of $50 would be greatly appreciated. This event is free for current Catalina Democrats. Purchase your tickets securely online at https://secure.actblue.com/page/50thbirthday.

Thursday, August 4, 6:00 p.m.: AIRC public hearing, NOTE location change: Buena High School, 5225 E. Buena School Blvd. (Sierra Vista). Remote location public hearing, at the Cochise County Board of Supervisors Public Hearing Room, Building G, 1415 Melody Lane (Bisbee). See, Hearing Thursday on redistricting | The Sierra Vista Herald.

Friday, August 5, 9:00 p.m.: Greater Tucson Leadership and the Tucson Young Professionals are hosting a city candidate meet-and-greet at the Rialto, 300 E. Congress Street. Tickets are $20 pre-purchased and $25 on the day of the event. Confirmed candidates include those running for mayor and City Council. For more information, check www.tucsonyoungprofessionals.com.  

Saturday, August 6, 10:00 a.m.: Legislative District 30 meeting, at the Corona de Tucson Fire Hall, 99 E. Tallahassee Drive (Vail). For more information please contact Andre Mixon at Andre.Mixon@gmail.com.

Mohave County Democratic Party Annual Picnic

Saturday, August 6, 11:00 a.m.: Mohave County Democratic Party Annual Picnic at Metcalfe Park, 315 Beale Street (Kingman). Good food, music, games. Auction items and raffle Tickets. $20.00 per person, children under 12 yrs free. Guest Speaker to be announced. To purchase tickets please contact the Kingman office (928) 753-0004, the Bullhead City office (928) 704-2774, or the Lake Havasu City office (928) 855-4805.

Saturday, August 6, 1:-5:00 p.m.: "Are You The Candidate?" Workshop/Training, at the Cochise County Democratic Party HQ, 1010 E. Fry Boulevard, Sierra Vista. Donna Branch-Gilby, former candidate, will facilitate a workshop for people considering running for elected office, working on a campaign, or knowing someone who should be a candidate! This is an opportunity for guided self-assessment and a chance to begin developing a “personal platform.” Local, experienced candidates, Chris Campas and Pat Fleming, will give tips on how to become an unstoppable candidate! What makes a candidate “unstoppable?” Come and find out. Reservations are required by August 2, 2011, as enrollment is limited. (Cancellation of reservation requested by August 4, please). A minimal contribution will be requested to cover cost of materials. For more information and to reserve your seat please contact Pat Fleming at pvfleming@cox.net or (520) 378-4386.

Saturday, August 6, 1:00 p.m.: [NEW TIME] AIRC public hearing, at the Abrams Public Health Building, Room #1106, 3950 S. Country Club Road (Tucson).

Note: for additional Democratic Party events around the state see http://azdem.org/events/Calendar/.

Special Announcements:

Monday, August 8, 7:00 p.m.: Legislative District 29 meeting, at the Sam Lena Library, 1607 S. 6th Avenue. For more information please contact Matt Kopec at LD29Chair@gmail.com or (520) 400-3020.

Monday, August 8, 7:00 p.m.: Democrats of Oro Valley meeting, at the Oro Valley Library, 1305 W. Naranja Drive (Oro Valley). Presentation of "Return to Morality: Framing Progressive Values," by Jo Holt of Democrats of Oro Valley, and Holly Lyon of Saddlebrooke Democrats. For more information please contact Mike Dayton at teachers12@msn.com or (520) 742-3774.

Monday, August 8, 7:00 p.m.: Douglas Area Democrats meeting, at Los Obreros Hall, 406 8th Street (Douglas). For more information please contact Corny Munoz at douglasrfl@hotmail.com or (520) 227-7125.

Thursday, August 11, 5:30 p.m.: Pima County Democratic Party Nucleus Club meeting, at the Viscount Suite Hotel, 4855 E. Broadway. Featured speaker is former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, on the topic of Common Sense and Border Security. For more information and tho RSVP please contact Martin Bacal at (520) 326-3716.

Thursday, August 11, 5:30 p.m.: The Arizona Center for Progressive Leadership hosts "Leading Arizona," at The Hotel Congress, 311 East Congress Street (Tucson). The Arizona Center for Progressive Leadership cordially invites you to be a part of developing Arizona's future progressive leaders. We’re also excited to welcome Ron Barber, District Director of the Offices of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, as our featured guest speaker. All proceeds will go to providing scholarships and sponsorships for future leaders to attend CPL Arizona’s leadership training programs. Tickets are $50 per person and $450 for a table of ten. All donations are tax deductible. Get your tickets at www.ProgressiveLeaders.org/Arizona or for more information please call (602) 254-1495.

Saturday, August 13, 9:00 a.m.: Tanque Verde Valley Democratic Club meeting, at the Java Edge coffe house (Southeast Corner of Tanque Verde Road and Bear Canyon Road). For more information please contact Vera Berkman at (520) 615-5144.

Saturday, August 13, 10:00 a.m.: Mule Mountain Democratic Club meeting, at the Bisbee Senior Center on Collins Road (behind the Safeway) and off Naco Road. For more information please contact John Viverto at Vivertos@aol.com or (520) 432-2366.

Saturday, August 13, 12:30 p.m.: Democratic Club of the Santa Rita Area meeting, at Green Valley Democratic HQ, Continental Shopping Plaza, 240 W. Continental Road (exit 63), Upstairs Meeting Room (elevator is available). Our Guest Speaker will be Virginia Juettner, Superintendent/Principal Continental Elementary School District #39. For more information call (520) 838-0590, or check out our website at www.gvdemocrats.org.

Saturday, August 13, 3:00 p.m.: Saddlebrooke Democratic Club meeting, at the Saddlebrooke Club House, 66567 East Catalina Hills Drive. For more information please contact  Holly Lyon at pinaldemocrat@gmail.com or (703) 989-0764.

Tuesday, August 16, 6:30 p.m.: Oracle Democrats Club meeting, at the Oracle Fire Department. 1475 W. American Avenue (Oracle). For more information please contact Cecile at (480) 983-7853.

Tuesday, August 16, 7:00 p.m.: Legislative District 26 meeting, at the Metro Water (Board Room), 6265 N. La Cañada Drive. For more information please contact Brian Clymer at (520) 323-1234.

Wednesday, August 17, 7:00 p.m.: Pinal County Democratic Party meeting, at Pinal County Democratic Party HQ, 350 N. Main Street (Florence). For more information please contact Joe Robison at pinaldemocrat@gmail.com or (520) 818-2194.

Thursday, August 18, 6:00 p.m.: Casa Grande Democrats Club meeting, at Eva's Mexican Restaurant, 2033 N. Pinal Avenue (Casa Grande). For more information please contact Cecile at (480) 983-7853.

Friday, August 19, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: The Pima County Democratic Party and Red Cross of Southern Arizona blood drive, at the Pima County Democratic Party HQ, 4639 E. 1st Street (one block South of Speedway and West of Swan). Call PCDP Headquarters to make an appointment (520) 326-3716. The Red Cross is offering some great incentives: All donors will receive a coupon for a FREE box of Chocolate Dipped Fruit from Edible Arrangements; All donors who give on Friday throughout Southern Arizona will be entered into a daily drawing for a $50 gas card; All donors will also be entered into a separate weekly drawing for a chance to win a staycation. Please contact the Red Cross of Southern Arizona for further details on incentives or donor qualifications at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.

Friday, August 19, 11:30 a.m.: Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans honors Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva, at the Pima Community College Downtown Campus, Amethyst Room, 1255 N. Stone Avenue (Tucson). Please Join us to honor and thank Congressman Raúl Grijalva for his extraordinary work in our community, and to preserve and protect Social Security. $30.00 per person,Tables of 10 at $270.00. Please make checks payable to the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans. Send payment to: AARA, P.O. Box 5661, Goodyear, AZ 85338, or register online at www.arizonaretiredamericans.org.

Friday, August 19, 12:30 p.m.: Democratic Women in Action meeting, at Friends in Deed, 301 W. Camino Casa Verde (Green Valley). For more information please contact Laurie Cirrincione at crinkster5@msn.com or 520-625-3133.

Saturday, August 20, 10:00 a.m.: The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson will discuss “The Role of the Federal Government in Public Education,” at the Eckstrom-Columbus Library, 4350 E. 22nd Street (Tucson). The meeting will cover five topics: history, common core standards, early childhood education, funding and equity and education of children with special needs. The meeting will be the culmination of a two-year study completed by the national league. Refreshments will be served at 9:30 a.m. For more information please call (520) 622-0905. Guests and prospective members are invited to attend.

DCSRA Discussion Group

Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m.: Democratic Club of the Santa Rita Area hosts a Current Events Discussion Group at Green Valley Democratic HQ, Continental Shopping Plaza, 240 W. Continental Road (exit 63), Upstairs Meeting Room (elevator is available). Join us at the weekly meeting of the Democratic Headquarters Current Events Discussion Group. We'll talk about some of the major events of the previous week, including but not limited to political topics, and try and go behind the news for a deeper understanding. For more information, please contact Amy Johnson at acalkins10@aol.com.

Democratic Women of Southeast Arizona Women's Equality Day High Tea (Costume Party)

Saturday, August 13, 2:00 p.m.: Democratic Women of Southeast Arizona host an English high tea costume party on the theme of "suffrage and beyond," at the Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast, 8933 South Yell Lane in Palominas on the banks of the San Pedro River. Cost per person: $30.00. You will get to visit with dynamic women (past and present) all in costume and hear about their contributions to women’s suffrage. For more information and to RSVP please contact DWSEA Vice President, Pat Hickey, at (520) 459-1054 or jopath54@live.com for reservations.

Arizona Democratic Party Summer State Committee Meeting - Flagstaff, AZ

Saturday, August 20, 9:00a.m.-5:00 p.m.: Arizona Democratic Party Summer State Committee Meeting, at Flagstaff High School, 400 W. Elm (Flagstaff). Executive Committee Meeting 8:00 a.m. Caucus and Committee Meetings 9:00 a.m-Noon. Lunch at Noon. Plenary business session 1:30 p.m. Election of DNC national committeeman to fill the position vacated by the resignation of Fred DuVal. Host hotel: Little America Flagstaff, 2515 E. Butler Avenue. Call and reserve the Arizona Democratic Party rate of $119.00 (room for two) 1-800-352-4386. Overflow Hotel: Days Hotel, 2200 E. Butler Avenue. Call and reserve the Arizona Democratic Party rate of $79.00 1-888-440-2021. State Committee Members that would like a Coconino County Democratic Party sponsored overnight stay, please contact 602-298-4200. Members of the Coconino Democratic Party are offering their homes for guests during this State Committee weekend. For full details of the weekend's activities including agendas, events, & schedules, and pertinent downloads, please click here.

Maricopa Area Labor Federation Labor Day Celebration

Monday, September 5, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Maricopa Area Labor Federation (MALF) Labor Day Celebration, at the Enchanted Island in Encanto Park, 1202 W. Encanto Blvd. (Phoenix). This event is free to union members affiliated with the AZ AFL-CIO and their families.

Pima Area Labor Federation 15th Annual Labor Day Picnic

Monday, September 5, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.: Pima Area Labor Federation (PALF) 15th Annual Labor Day Picnic, at the Reid Park Bandshell, 1100 S. Randolph Way (Tucson). PALF, a subsidiary of the Arizona AFL-CIO, will host their 15th Annual Labor Day Picnic to honor Tucson’s working families and union members. With the phrase “WE ARE ONE” as our theme for Labor Day we are reminding the entire Tucson community that all of us standing together are a stronger force than any one of us alone. This event will allow all of us to celebrate with family, co-workers, and friends, the impact that solidarity has in our lives. It also serves as a voice and reminder to all of us the sacrifices and efforts of past and present union workers. The event is free and open to the public. Guests will enjoy hot dogs, musical acts, dancers, labor history exhibits, children’s activities, “Union Olympics” games, and more. For more information please contact Laura Hogan at (520) 388-4139 or visit http://az.aflcio.org/pimaalf/.

65th Annual Navajo Nation Fair

September 5-11: 65th Annual Navajo Nation Fair - “The Largest American Indian Fair & Rodeo,” at the Navajo Nation Fairground, located 0.9 mile west of BIA Junction N12 & Highway 264 in Window Rock. The Navajo Nation Fair has become a world-renowned event that showcases Navajo Agriculture, Fine Arts and Crafts, with the promotion and preservation of the Navajo heritage by providing cultural entertainment. Rodeo, parade, carnival midway, arts & crafts, entertainment and concerts, and great food. For more information visit http://www.navajonationfair.com/.

Equality Arizona 20th Anniversary Annual Awards Dinner

Saturday, September 24: Equality Arizona 20th Anniversary Annual Awards Dinner, at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, 2400 E. Missouri Avenue (Phoenix). Every year Equality Arizona hosts an awards dinner which recognizes corporate and community leaders who have stood for LGBT equality. This year, the organization celebrates its 20th Anniversary. Local and national leaders are expected to attend. Further details TBA. Information will be available at Equality Arizona's website at www.equalityarizona.org.

County Fairs - Save the Date!

Coconino County Fair: September 2-5, Flagstaff, AZ.

Apache County Fair: September 8-11, St. Johns, AZ.

Northern Gila County Fair: September 9-11, Payson, AZ.

Gila County Fair: September 15-18, Globe, AZ.

Navajo County Fair: September 14-18, Holbrook, AZ.

Greenlee County Fair: September 15-18, Duncan, AZ.

Mohave County Fair: September 15-18, Kingman, AZ.

Santa Cruz County Fair, September 16-18, Sonoita, AZ.

Cochise County Fair: September 22-25, Douglas, AZ.

Yavapai County Fair: Sept. 29-Oct. 2, Prescott Valley, AZ.

Graham County Fair, October 6-9, Safford, AZ.

Arizona State Fair, Oct. 14-Nov. 6, Phoenix, AZ.

Annual Dems of RedRock /Dems of Verde Valley Picnic

Sunday, October 2, 11:30 a.m.: Democrats of the Verde Valley and Democrats of the Red Rocks present their annual fund-raising picnic, at Living Springs Camp in Oak Creek Canyon, 3500 N. State Route 89A. Free food, beverages, ice cream. raffle prizes, silent auction, bake sale, and music. Political speakers and other entertainment. You can mingle with like-minded people and hear our guest speakers. Carpool. Parking is $5 per car. For more information please contact Democrats of the Red Rocks (DORR) at (928) 203-5858 or visit our website www.democratsoftheredrocks.org .

Truman-Clinton Dinner - Sedona

Friday, October 21, 6:00 p.m.: Democrats of the Red Rocks, Democrats of the Verde Valley, and Yavapai County Democratic Party host the Truman-Clinton Dinner and Fundraiser, at the Sedona Hilton Resort and Spa, 90 Ridge Trail Drive (Sedona). Congressman Raul Grijalva will be our featured speaker. For more information please contact Democrats of the Red Rocks (DORR) at (928) 203-5858 or visit our website www.democratsoftheredrocks.org.

Cartoon of The Week

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Countdown to the GOPocalypse . . .

Conservatives, public schools, summer camps, Nazi indoctrination, Hitler youth

by David Safier

The cheapening of Nazi/Hitler comparisons continue apace.

In Wisconsin, Kim Simac, the Republican choice to run against a state Democratic Senator in a recall election wrote about "the scary comparisons of the indoctrination tactics of our youth today and those of the Hitler Regime of past." She was talking about public school education.

Glenn Beck said the youth camp in Norway where the shooting took place "sounds a little like the Hitler Youth."

There isn't a stretch too far for these folks.

BREAKING: Boehner 3.0 passed by the House only to die in the Senate

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

While the clock has been ticking down to a debt default, the TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner has wasted an entire week trying to craft a symbolic bill to save his job as Speaker from a mutiny by his Tea Party Caucus by finally caving in to their delusional demands for a "Cut, Cap and Balanced Budget Amendment" Lite bill today.

Boehner has put his own political ambitions and the politics of his political party ahead of the best interests of the nation and the American people. This is an embarrassment to our democracy and to our nation around the world.

The Boehner 3.0 bill has finally passed the Tea-Publican House on a slim party-line vote of 218 to 210, with 7 members not voting. (217 needed to pass). Boehner 3.0 is a pile of horseshit. But Boehner will insist there must be a pony in here somewhere! (h/t Ronald Reagan, his favorite joke). It will now move to the Senate where it will receive the quick and merciful death that it deserves.

Boehner's angry tirade prior to the vote was reminiscent of his angry "Hell no!" angry tirade in opposition to the Health Care Reform bill, which just demonstrates the hypocrisy and ridiculousness of this angry little man today: “It’s time for somebody in this town to say yes. . . . When is somebody on the other side of the aisle going to take yes for an answer?”

Now Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid must get something passed in the Senate before midnight tonight because of the Senate's arcane rules for debate. Sen. Reid can do a "strike everything" amendment substituting his bill language for the Boehner bill, keeping only the bill number from the House.

If Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Tea-Publican Caucus will not agree to this, it will add another day to the process by forcing Sen. Reid to proceed directly to his bill. This will put Congress into Tuesday and the clock running out.

There is no guarantee that Speaker Boehner can deliver enough Tea-Publican votes for the Reid compromise bill when it comes back to the House on Tuesday after his epic failure of leadership this week.

A "clean" one page federal debt limit increase can still be passed in both chambers of Congress before the clock runs out. But it will take the agreement of the leadership of both parties. ThinkProgress Vote Count Finds 267* House Votes For A Clean Debt Ceiling Hike.

And despite having said that he will not resort to Section 4 of the 14th Amendment, if the clock runs out because of the failure of Congress to act due to Tea-Publican intransigence, President Obama may invoke his emergency powers to enforce the Constitution of the United States to prevent a catastophic debt default and harm to the American economy. See, Does the 14th Amendment preclude defaulting on the national debt? and (Update) Does the 14th Amendment preclude defaulting on the national debt?.

UPDATE: Well, that didn't take long -- the Boehner bill was quickly dispatched with in the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 59 to 41, with 6 Republicans joining all 43 members of the Democratic Caucus.

But "septuagenarian ninja turtle" Mitch McConnell is forcing Sen. Reid to bring his bill directly and has invoked the cloture rules. Sen. Reid will have to find 7 Republican senators to get to 60 votes for a cloture vote early on Sunday morning. You read that right -- "septegenarian ninja turtle" Mitch McConnell is actually filibustering in the Senate inside the two minute warning before the debt clock runs out. There is no limit to the outrageous recklessness and fiscal irresponsibility of the GOP leadership.

Moreover, "septegenarian ninja turtle" Mitch McConnell is refusing to negotiate a compromise with Sen. Reid, insisting that he will only negotiate with President Obama. This is an unprecedented insult to the Senate Leader and to the institution of the Senate. Just who the f**k does this obstructionist asshole think he is? This stunt just increased the risk of default.

We have already seen the "Boehner drop" in the markets this week due to his failed leadership in the House. "Septegenarian ninja turtle" Mitch McConnell's stunt is going to cause the "McConnell drop" in the markets beginning Sunday night when the Asian markets open if no agreement has been reached on Sunday. If his obstructionism and filibustering leads to a default because of running out the clock, the resulting economic panic should be named after Mitch McConnell for his failure of leadership in the Senate.

UPDATE - SATURDAY: The TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, continues to be a dick by bringing up meaningless symbolic votes. Debt Debate Drags On As Reid Seeks Republican Votes | TPMDC:

House Republicans struck a partly symbolic blow against the debt plan of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) by voting it down Saturday afternoon. It's partly symbolic because the vote happened before the Senate moved on the bill... [Boehner just couldn't wait to be a dick]. The House vote was highly partisan, with a final vote of 236 opposing, and 173 in favor.

* * *

As it stands right now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doesn't have the votes to move his plan to raise the debt ceiling in the Senate today. In a letter announced on the Senate floor by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Saturday afternoon, 43 Republicans refused to support the plan, leaving Reid three votes short of the 60 he needs to achieve cloture.

If the Reid plan is to pass and hit the House for a vote that could conceivably get the final bill on the President's desk before the default deadline expires, then Reid ideally needs a successful vote by around 1am on Sunday morning. Either that, or to be allowed to proceed with the vote on the basis of a simple majority. Currently the Republicans are demanding it be done as a 60 vote super-majority. [Filibuster].

This letter means that vote would [may] currently fail. McConnell suggested that the whole process start over following that event, calling on President Obama to once again engage in direct negotiations to get the debt ceiling raised.

However, the Republicans are not wholly united on this issue, and Reid still hopes to win some waverers in the hours ahead. Four moderates -- Sens. Scott Brown (MA), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME) and Olympia Snowe (MA) -- did not sign the letter. Yesterday, Brown said he'd be willing to vote for Reid's plan as is. Reid would need three more votes to pass, and he may try to do that in the hours ahead via tweaks to his proposal.

If Republicans of good conscience -- are there any left? -- are willing to break the filibuster, Sen. Reid's deficit reduction plan can pass the Senate in the wee hours of the morning. The ball then would be back in Boehner's court to find enough Republicans of good conscience to vote with a majority of the Democratic Caucus to pass the bill. If Tea-Publicans sustain the filibuster in the Senate in bad faith, or if Boehner cannot muster enough votes for passage in the House, time will have likely run out. The world's markets will begin to react Sunday night. Monday will be a wild day.

Boehner 3.0 is a move backwards - stop the insanity!

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In a press conference this morning, President Obama said "The time for putting party first is over. The time for compromise on behalf of the American people is now.”

The TanMan, the Weeper of the House John Boehner, was not listening. He was busy caving in to the hostage demands of his Tea Party mutineers in order to get the final votes he needs to pass a symbolic bill to save face. "Winning!" Boehner's bill will immediately be tabled or killed in the Senate and will never become law. This is insanity.

Steve Benen reports at the Political Animal - Boehner 3.0:

House Republican leaders [are] shaping their latest bill, which isn’t bipartisan, doesn’t have the support of both parties, and is crafted to cater to just one faction.

On Capitol Hill, the House GOP leaders offered party members a reworked plan Friday morning designed to appeal to the tea party-allied conservatives, and several previously skeptical lawmakers said they would now support it. Members who exited a House Republican Conference meeting said the new proposal would not change the first step of their original two-stage plan to raise the debt limit but would call for Congress to send to the states a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution as a prerequisite for the second stage of the debt-ceiling increase to take effect early next year. [a debt limit hostage "trigger']

In other words, Boehner is moving backwards, bringing back provisions from the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” measure that was defeated last week.

In this third version of the Speaker’s budget plan, Republicans would get about $1 trillion in cuts and approve a temporary increase in the debt ceiling. Then, both the House and the Senate would be required to approve — with two-thirds majorities in both chambers, of course — a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. If not, the nation would default. [the hostage "trigger"]

Boehner didn’t really want to add this provision, but he apparently felt it necessary to persuade some of the GOP radicals to come on board. In this case, the Republican leadership had to go out of its way to craft a bill that couldn’t possibly gain Democratic support, simply to allow Boehner to save face and pass something.

With these ridiculous changes, Boehner 3.0 — in effect, a watered down version of the already-rejected CC&B — can now pass the House and die a quick death in the Senate. In effect, the Speaker has decided to use a constitutional amendment as a “bill sweetener” for unhinged conservatives who claim to revere the Constitution. (sic)

This is insanity. This is no way to govern a country. Call your members of Congress and let them know that if he or she votes for the Tea Party hostage demands that not only will they not get your vote or your money, but you will actively work for their defeat. Stop the insanity!

Tea Party mutiny imperils the speakership of the TanMan, and the nation

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

On Thursday the TanMan, the Weeper of the House John Boehner, was full of false bravado, predicting that the House would approve his deficit reduction plan. He told reporters 'It's A Zippity-Do-Da Day!'

Speaker Boehner is the political equivalent of Charlie Sheen confidently prediciting that he is "Winning!" when everyone around him can see that he is a loser. Weeper of the House John Boehner is not good at his job. He is the weakest Speaker in modern times. Sadly, he is the last one to come to realize it.

After having already delayed a vote on his deficit reduction plan originally scheduled for Wednesday, the Speaker and his lieutenants spent all day on Thursday trying to quell a mutiny by Tea Party mutineers to vote for his deficit reduction plan, which everyone understands is dead on arrival in the Senate and has no chance of ever becoming law.

And still Boehner could not get the Tea party mutineers to give him the votes needed to pass his symbolic bill and send it on to the Senate for a quick and merciful death. Boehner had to give up any vote on Thursday night. This was a humiliation of the Speaker by his Tea Party mutineers.

The vote is "on call of the Speaker" today if and when Boehner can ever convince enough Tea Party mutineers to rejoin his crew.

This is unprecedented in modern times. Last night's vote -- or, more to the point, non-vote -- was a referendum on John Boehner. The Speaker's inability to produce a vote in the Tea-Publican House to raise the federal debt ceiling and to prevent the nation from slipping into default imperils his speakership.

More importantly, this epic failure of GOP leadership imperils the nation. The GOP is unable to effectively govern. There is mob rule in the House where the GOP leadership is held hostage by its Tea Party mutineers. It is not just the federal debt ceiling that is at risk, but all legislation including necessary spending bills. One branch of government is paralyzed by hostage takers, and is ungovernable. It is an epic failure of GOP leadership. See Dana Mibank, John Boehner’s no-confidence vote - The Washington Post.

As Ezra Klein observes today, the Boehner deficit reduction plan "which never had a chance in Harry Reid's Senate, was meant to send a message: Republicans are united. They are willing to sacrifice and compromise to raise the debt ceiling. Turns out they're not." Wonkbook: Boehner failed. Now what? - Ezra Klein. Whatever "unity" spin GOP leadership was hoping for has already been lost, even if a bill emerges from the House today on the slimmest vote margin. Whatever emerges will be tabled or defeated in the Senate hours later.

Speaker Boehner does have a couple of ways out of his self-inflicted mess, both of which require him to put the interests of his country ahead of his own political ambitions and the interests of his radicalized Tea-Publican Party, and it will cost him his speakership. Boehner does not strike me as a "profiles in courage" kind of guy, so don't hold your breath.

The first option is to abandon any linkage between raising the federal debt ceiling and the deficit reduction plan. One has nothing to do with the other. The federal debt ceiling is about honoring the debts of the United States already incurred; the deficit reduction plan is about future spending over the next decade.

Release the hostage and pass a "clean" one page bill raising the federal debt ceiling as Congress has done numerous times in the past. It means giving up any leverage for the deficit reduction plan, but this is not a big deal since President Obama has signaled that he is willing to give away the store to appear "reasonable" to independent voters. This is what Democrats were calling for as of last night - Boehner should accept their offer.

The bold option would be to throw the Tea Party mutineers under the bus. Boehner would make the walk to Nancy Pelosi's office and promise to deliver just enough GOP votes to pass a deficit reduction plan crafted by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and President Obama that can pass with Democratic votes.

[UPDATE: Kevin Drum writes Gut Check Time for John Boehner | Mother Jones. "[A]ll it takes to get there is for Boehner to be willing to admit the obvious: the tea partiers just aren't willing to deal, period. They want to burn the house down so they can build something better from the ashes. They're insane.

So walk away from the tea partiers. Instead, strike a deal that a hundred non-insane House Republicans and 20 or 30 non-insane Senate Republicans can support. Add that to a majority of the Democratic caucus and you're done. You've saved the country.]

This "profiles in courage" patriotism to do what is in the best interests of his country will mean that Boehner will have to resign his speakership immediately after the vote. He will be savaged by the right-wing noise machine media as a "traitor" - to whom? Grover Norquist? Rush Limbaugh? F**k them!

I don't believe that Boehner has the courage or strength of character to do this. He would rather go down with the wreckage of his ship, scuttled by Tea Party mutineers, and take the nation down with it.

History will not be kind to John Boehner and the Tea Party.

That didn't take long . . . McCain rewrites himself

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

As I said the other day, it was a rare moment of lucidity for Sen. John McCain. The so-called straight-talking "maverick" quickly slipped back into being the feeble old double-talking John McCain kissing FAUX News punk Sean Hannity's ass for forgiveness after insulting the Tea Party. It was a craven display of cowardice. Just retire and let's be done with you.

Sen. John McCain rewrites himself in this segment of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

UFW's Richard Chavez, brother of Cesar Chavez, has died

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Los Angeles Times has an obituary for Richard Chavez, brother of Cesar Chavez:

Richard Chavez, who helped his older brother, legendary labor organizer Cesar Chavez, build the United Farm Workers into a force in state politics and agriculture, died Wednesday. He was 81. (LA Times photo).

Chavez died from complications following surgery in a Bakersfield hospital, the UFW announced.

"He was one of those little-known giants within the movement. He was extremely effective," Arturo Rodriguez, the union's president, said Wednesday in an interview with The Times.

Born on his family's farm near Yuma, Ariz., in November 1929, Chavez was a migrant worker as a child growing up in the Great Depression. He left the fields to become a union carpenter in San Jose, then left his trade to help his brother organize farm workers in the early 1960s.

"[He] was there before there was a union," said Paul Chavez, Cesar Chavez's son and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation in Keene, Calif., which Richard Chavez served as a board member. "The dream of all farm workers was to get out of the fields. He gave up the promise of a more comfortable life to work side by side with my dad and be of service."

Richard Chavez oversaw construction of the union hall at UFW headquarters in Delano, Calif., and was first director of the National Farm Workers Service Center in 1966, providing social services for farm workers. He also designed the black eagle emblem that is the union's insignia in 1962, and put up his house as collateral for a loan that helped capitalize the union's credit union, Paul Chavez said.

He worked for years in the union, organizing the California grape boycott in the late 1960s, and later boycotts in New York and Detroit.

Chavez retired from the union in 1983, but remained active. He obtained a state contractor's license and built custom homes in Los Angeles in the 1990s.

He was also a board member of the Dolores Huerta Foundation and was the longtime romantic partner of Huerta, herself a legend in farm-worker organizing. The couple, who were never married, had four children.

Richard Chavez is survived by 10 children, from his first marriage and his partnership with Huerta, as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Librado, and sisters Rita Chavez Medina and Vicki Chavez Lastra. His brother Cesar died in 1993.

Services are pending.

Press release from the Arizona AFL-CIO:

Arizona AFL-CIO Executive Director Rebekah Friend Statement on the Passing of Labor Leader Richard Chavez

Phoenix, AZ – Rebekah Friend, Arizona AFL-CIO Executive Director and Secretary/Treasurer released the following statement today on the passing of Richard Chavez, who organized the United Farm Workers with his brother Cesar Chavez.

"The Arizona labor community is deeply saddened by the death of Richard Chavez, who along with his brother Cesar organized the United Farm Workers. His work will be remembered by generations to come and his life will serve as a testament to those dedicated to worker's rights and justice for all."

Richard Chavez organized the farmworkers' boycotts of California table grapes and other products in New York and Detroit during the 1960s and '70s. He was in charge of administrating union contracts in 1970, and later negotiated UFW agreements and oversaw union bargaining.

Chavez also designed the black Aztec eagle, the union's flag, and oversaw construction and helped build most of the major structures on the farmworkers' "Forty Acres" complex outside Delano, Calif., which became the union's headquarters and where Chavez joined his brother in the Delano Grape Strike.

Richard was born on November 12, 1929 in Yuma, Arizona. He had six children with his first wife, Sally Chavez: Richard Jr (who preceded him in death), Frederico, Dorothy, Rebecca, Susana and Guadalupe. He had four children with his long-time partner, Dolores Huerta: Juana, Ricky, Maria Elena and Camilia.

###

'It's A Zippity-Do-Da Day!'

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, told media villagers this morning 'It's A Zippity-Do-Da Day!' as he was walking into a meeting of his caucus.

This is not the first time that Boehner has been quoted saying this. I wonder if he is going to his "happy place" in his mind, this comedy classic from Chevy Chase in "Fletch Lives" (1989).

Hey Arizona Republic, Paul Krugman was talking about you

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I almost spit out my coffee this morning when I read this inane editorial opinion in the Arizona Republic (unsigned of course). No more time for posturing.

It adopts the media villagers' group think "both sides are too blame" framing of the federal debt ceiling "crisis," which anyone who follows politics knows is a manufactured crisis concocted by an insane Tea-Publican Party that is holding America hostage and is willing to wreck the American economy for the sole purpose of harming the Obama presidency.

(The editorial opinion also borrows liberally from a George Will opinion from last week without proper citation, but that's for another day).

It also comes after a Paul Krugman opinion the other day that addressed the very media villager group think that leads to inane editorial opinions like the one in the Republic today. John Amato at crooksandliars.com adds some additional perspective at Is the Cult of the "Beltway Media" Destroying America's Political System?:

[T]he media should be able to explain to the American people that the problem isn't between both parties, but only one: the Republican party. Why do the media refuse to cover this story honestly?

Paul Krugman has a few thoughts on the matter:

Watching our system deal with the debt ceiling crisis — a wholly self-inflicted crisis, which may nonetheless have disastrous consequences — it’s increasingly obvious that what we’re looking at is the destructive influence of a cult that has really poisoned our political system.

And no, I don’t mean the fanaticism of the right. Well, OK, that too. But my feeling about those people is that they are what they are; you might as well denounce wolves for being carnivores. Crazy is what they do and what they are.

No, the cult that I see as reflecting a true moral failure is the cult of balance, of centrism.

Think about what’s happening right now. We have a crisis in which the right is making insane demands, while the president and Democrats in Congress are bending over backward to be accommodating — offering plans that are all spending cuts and no taxes, plans that are far to the right of public opinion.

So what do most news reports say? They portray it as a situation in which both sides are equally partisan, equally intransigent — because news reports always do that. And we have influential pundits calling out for a new centrist party, a new centrist president, to get us away from the evils of partisanship.

"Washington is broken" is the refrain we hear constantly from the Beltway media, a long-held talking point pushed by conservatives in the MSM. When one branch controlled by Republicans does break down, then the government does stop working. The debt-ceiling debate is exposing the GOP as truly being broken because House Speaker Boehner can't even get his own members to back his own "spending cuts" plan, even after President Obama has offered up the store in negotiations. But this story also strikes at the heart of the Villagers as much as the GOP.

What all this means is that there is no penalty for extremism; no way for most voters, who get their information on the fly rather than doing careful study of the issues, to understand what’s really going on.

You have to ask, what would it take for these news organizations and pundits to actually break with the convention that both sides are equally at fault? This is the clearest, starkest situation one can imagine short of civil war. If this won’t do it, nothing will.

And yes, I think this is a moral issue. The “both sides are at fault” people have to know better; if they refuse to say it, it’s out of some combination of fear and ego, of being unwilling to sacrifice their treasured pose of being above the fray.

It’s a terrible thing to watch, and our nation will pay the price.

Our nation has been paying the price of their news cowardice for decades (Clinton's impeachment, Al Gore's loss, and the Iraq War, to name a few) and now as this usually unremarkable procedural vote called the debt ceiling winds down and which has never been subjected to this type of political grand-standing closes in, our credit rating may fall and throw the US into a much deeper economic hole than we already are in---the beltway media stands by refusing to report what is actually going on. As Krugman says, this is a moral issue facing journalism as a whole, but it's the American population that suffers.

UPDATE: Must read follow-up opinion from Paul Krugman. The Centrist Cop-Out - NYTimes.com. "The problem with American politics right now is Republican extremism, and if you’re not willing to say that, you’re helping make that problem worse."

Screening Saturday: “The Inconvenient Truth about Waiting for Superman”

by David Safier

I haven't seen the film and know nothing about it, but I love the title: “The Inconvenient Truth about Waiting for Superman.” Voices for Education will be screening it Saturday, 11 am, The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress.

I hope it's good. We'll find out.

My take on the original, amazingly disingenuous film is in my post, Why the Right should hate "Waiting for Superman." Shorter version: three of the alternatives suggested as ways of "fixing" our education spend a great deal more than public schools, for all the fact that the right tells us charter schools can do more with less. Oh, and two of them say you can't improve education without addressing students' out-of-school environments, which the right denies.  The fourth example is the D.C. public school system, which, the film claims, thrived under Michelle Rhee's leadership -- except that there was probably rampant cheating on standardized tests at some of D.C.'s supposedly flagship schools, while Rhee turned a blind eye to the problem.

Presented [almost] without comment

by David Safier

From the Capitol Times (subscription only): Melvin/Arpaio mind meld on a volunteer militia to fight crime on the border:

During the committee meeting, Melvin talked about the success that Arpaio had had with his all-volunteer citizen posse in fighting immigration crime. That posse could be used as a model for the state guard, Melvin said.

“They’re all volunteers, they’re unpaid, they’re armed, we teach them how to use those weapons,” Melvin said of the yet-to-be authorized state militia.

During the meeting, Arpaio offered to “take over” the state guard, which he said his office would manage like they do its immigration posse.

“If the federal government isn’t going to do it,” he said, “maybe it’s time to take the law into our own hands.”

The law-and-order folks want to take the law into their own hands. Anyone else see a contradiction here?

The TanMan forced to demonstrate to the Tea Party that their chaos theory will not work

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, has been forced into demonstrating to his detached-from-reality delusional Tea Party Caucus and "Cut, Cap and Balance" members that their plan to hold America hostage to their chaos theory of economic terrorism will not work.

Boehner has been forced into wasting this week on a symbolic bill that will come to a vote today. If it passes the Tea-Publican House, an outcome still in doubt, it is dead on arrival in the Senate and faces a veto threat from the president. It is an enormous waste of time to appease the insane Tea Party.

Steve Benen writes at Political Animal - With five days to go:

Early last week, with a deadline looming, the House majority invested time and energy in a right-wing debt-reduction plan (“Cut, Cap, and Balance”) that had absolutely no chance of becoming law. Republicans knew this, but felt compelled to waste a few days anyway.

This week offers a replay. With the deadline even closer, the House GOP could be working on a serious plan that could end the crisis they created. Instead, they’re spending three straight days on Speaker John Boehner’s (R) budget proposal, which, just like last week, is bound to fail.

Indeed, it’s only a matter of time. The House vote, scheduled for 5:30 eastern this afternoon, is expected to be quite close, but even if Boehner can keep enough of his caucus together, it won’t pass the Senate. The majority in the upper chamber put it in writing yesterday.

Fifty-three Democratic senators have signed a letter to House Speaker John A. Boehner saying they intend to vote against his plan for an increase in the debt ceiling, virtually assuring its defeat in the Senate even as the speaker lines up Republican votes to pass it in the House on Thursday.

Votes are not final until they are cast. But if the Democrats hold to their promise in the letter, Mr. Boehner’s plan for a six-month increase in borrowing authority will not make it to President Obama’s desk.

“We heard that in your caucus you said the Senate will support your bill,” the senators say in the letter. “We are writing to tell you that we will not support it, and give you the reasons why.”

In the letter, the senators argue that a short-term extension of the debt ceiling would “put America at risk” and “could be nearly as disastrous as a default.” 

The Senate Democratic caucus isn’t united on much, but they’re united on this: Boehner’s plan is D.O.A. in the upper chamber. Everyone from Bernie Sanders to Ben Nelson agrees. What’s more, as many as five Senate Republicans are also on record opposing the Speaker’s plan.

* * *

But Boehner & Co. are moving forward anyway. In fact, instead of trying to find a solution that can resolve the crisis, the Speaker is bragging about pushing a proposal he knows the Senate and White House don’t support.

And what of the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, which helped derail plans for yesterday’s vote? Boehner was forced to make a few touch-ups, but this only served to make it worse. To “improve” the score — i.e., to make it cut the deficit more — the Speaker added some additional up-front cuts, undermining the economy further in 2012. This, of course, is intended to make the package more appealing to the House GOP.

The revised Boehner plan still only raises the debt ceiling long enough to force us to go through the process again in six months. And why does the Speaker want this? He hasn’t said.

* * *

The bottom line, meanwhile, remains the same: five days before the Aug. 2 deadline, the House will spend yet another day rallying support for a plan that can’t pass the Senate and won’t get President Obama’s signature. We don’t have time for such nonsensical games, but if Americans wanted responsible governance, they shouldn’t have elected far-right clowns to run the House of Representatives.

Much was made yesterday of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) trying to rally support for the Boehner budget proposal by showing House Republicans a clip of the mobster movie "the Town." Political Animal - What motivates House Republicans:

[The clip] shows Ben Affleck’s character saying, “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is. You can never ask me about it later — and we’re going to hurt some people.” Jeremy Renner’s character responds, “Whose car are we going to take?”

This, apparently, was intended to help “forge a sense of unity” among House Republicans, and it had an effect. Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), a right-wing lawmaker who has relied on violent rhetoric on several occasions, told his colleagues, “I’m ready to drive the car.”

In context, that would be the car they take “to hurt some people.” The characters in the film were planning a mob beating — putting on masks and bludgeoning their target with sticks.

I believe there is a far more appropriate movie for what the Tea Party economic terrorists are doing to this country. And I have no doubt that Rep. Allen West would love to drive the car. The final scene from THELMA AND LOUISE - YouTube (no embed)  driving the car over the cliff is the perfect metaphor.

AIRC public hearing in Prescott Thursday

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Steve Muratore has been doing a yeoman's job of covering the AIRC public hearings around the state this week at The Arizona Eagletarian. For meeting agendas and video replays of AIRC public hearings, see Meeting Information.

On Thursday, the AIRC will be holding a public hearing in Yavapai County:

City of Prescott
Thursday, July 28, 2011
6:00pm
Yavapai County Board of Supervisors
Board Hearing Room (1st Floor)
1015 Fair Street
Prescott, AZ 86305

City of Cottonwood
Thursday, July 28, 2011
6:00pm
(Remote Interactive Broadcast)

I received this forwarded e-mail from a source of the Tea Party marching orders for tonight's meeting. I fail to see how their anti-democratic threats and intimidation of a constitutionally enacted Independent Redistricting Commission constitutes "patriotism." Words like freedom, liberty and patriotism have been rendered completely devoid of their meaning by the right's constant abuse and misuse of the English language. Here's the Tea Party letter:

Dear Patriot-Friends of Yavapai Tea Party,

There’s a big problem brewing in Arizona with the current redrawing of voter-district boundaries.

Our friends from other tea party groups have reported actions by the current redistricting commission that show a definite liberal/progressive bias for chopping our State up into revised districts that would water down our ability to elect representatives who subscribe to our conservative, Constitutional, less government, free-market, secure borders principles and positions.

IMPORTANT DATE: This same commission will be holding a public-input hearing in our area:

This Thursday, July 28th, 6 p.m.
Board of Supervisors Hearing Room (1st Floor)
1015 Fair St. in Prescott

WE NEED OUR PEOPLE AT THIS MEETING: We need our people to show up and speak up!

Why? Because the MoveOn.org liberal/progressive forces are attempting to restructure our State representation to eventually accommodate their socialist-political agenda. It happened in Colorado... it can happen right here in Yavapai County, AZ!

PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME TO REVIEW THE DETAILS POSTED ON OUR YTP WEBSITE...

Information is broken down into separate, topic-pages to keep it compact and efficient. View it all.

(click Link) This Thursday, Jul. 28th, 6 p.m.

This may well be the most important issue Arizonans will face right up to the 2012 elections.

Our Federal and State voting districts cannot afford to be fooled with by the radical change-mongers.

Be on board with your fellow patriots...Be aware and informed...and Be at the hearing this Thursday!

United We (must continue to) Stand...God Bless America!

h/t The Tin Foil Hat Party, http://www.tfhp.org/

(Update) The Phisher King, Tyler Vogt, spams Tucson, breaks the law

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I have told you about The Phisher King, Tyler Vogt, Tea-Publican troll candidate for the Tucson City Council, who misused and abused a public records request to obtain e-mail addresses for a commercial purpose, i.e., to solicit you for campaign contributions. The Phisher King, Tyler Vogt, spams Tucson, breaks the law.

The Arizona Daily Star finally got around to telling its reader's about this troll's spamming activity yesterday. Tucson City Council candidate's use of emails stirs criticism:

Tucson City Clerk Roger Randolph said he isn't sure how a number of city employees ended up on the list, saying he also received an email from Vogt, even though he doesn't receive ward newsletter updates. He sent Vogt a letter reminding him that city employees can't be solicited for contributions and has already warned employees that they are not allowed to contribute money to any city candidate.

Of course, the Star downplayed the "illegal" aspect of Vogt's activities in the interest of being "fair and balanced" - a rule that does not seem to apply when the The Brodesky/O'Dell tag team (AKA, the B&O Journalistic Railroad) is flogging the dead horse of Rio Nuevo that is the bread and butter of this dying Star.

The Phisher King's spamming of Tucson earned him three mentions in the Tucson Weekly edition out today, in the Weekly Wide Web, and The Skinny, and this post by Mari Herreras ' I've Been Spammed by Tyler Vogt!': More on Vogt's Spam Bam | The Range:

[T]his mess Republican Tyler Vogt created for himself after getting e-mail correspondence from Tucson City Council members Paul Cunningham, Shirley Scott, Steve Kozachik and others, as part of an Arizona Public Information request, isn’t making him too many friends during his run for city council against Ward 4 incumbent and Democrat Shirley Scott.

Because Vogt solicited campaign contributions using the e-mail addresses he compiled from the correspondence, the Pima County Democratic Party is accusing Vogt of breaking the law.

It also accuses him of violating the city charter, because those messages included city workers’ e-mail addresses and it’s a no-no to solicit city workers using their official addresses during work hours.

* * *

Even Vogt’s fellow Republican Steve Kozachik is getting in on the complaints. Koz sent this e-mail to Vogt:

“When your campaign requested a list of our constituent e-mail addresses, I objected on the grounds of wanting to protect their privacy. I was told by the City Clerk and City Attorney that I could not withhold that information and therefore they turned over the list to your campaign.”

And by the way, the Koz want his Ward’s e-mails off Vogt's list, too:

“I continue to believe your having accessed those e-mail addresses constitutes an invasion of the privacy of the people now receiving your campaign material. I request that you identify those e-mail addresses secured from the Ward 6 list and delete them from your list serve.”

Vogt responded that an opt-out link was on his spam, but wasn’t working. [I am informed this has been corrected.] Regarding the Koz’s opinion: “I will choose to let the individuals make the decision whether they wish to continue to receive e-mail from my campaign and I will respect thier decisions,” he wrote.

Other than a need to use spell-check, Vogt may also need to check in with the city attorney about bad spam.

* * *

Maybe there are perks for political stupidity. Like Senator Al Melvin, Vogt now gets to claim a Facebook book page created in his honor. Melvin's page is called Oh Captain, My Captain — The Al Melvin Fan Club, while Vogt's new page is I've Been Spammed by Tyler Vogt! http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/245625745465082/

The Miller's Tale

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Recently ousted Pima County Republican Party chairman Brian Miller has a guest opinion in the Arizona Daily Star today explaining his side of the story and taking a few shots at the "petrified" dinosaurs who control the Pima County GOP. Pima GOP missed its chance to uphold true Republican principles:

Instead of seizing the opportunity to break free of the echo-chamber that has alienated large swaths of voters, local party insiders and politicians have instead turned their fire inward to purge the "impurities" from their social club. The dissenting views were perfectly in line with stated Republican principles codified in both the Constitution and the GOP platform, principles that the GOP must embrace if it is to matter here. Is it possible to do what's right and for good politics to follow? I thought so - and still do.

* * *

I was muzzled lest taking a principled position conflict with politics as usual. While Republican politicians routinely offer full-throated support of the Bill of Rights, that rhetoric is too often hollow or downright disingenuous. Republicans tout the right to keep and bear arms - until government troops arrive; complain that public-sector unions are dangerous - unless they're the kind we like; campaign on promises of smaller, local government - but pass laws that take control away from cities and towns.

* * *

I maintain it is good politics to stand up for our community, to embrace a broad demographic and ideological spectrum, to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Unfortunately, the Pima County Republican Party power brokers don't see it that way. They prefer ideological purity - or rather petrification - to an inclusive, broad-based political platform.

* * *

[I]t would have been a good move for the local party to actually embrace Republican principles. The opportunity was there; it was ripe. The Pima Republican Party blew it.

Sen. John McCain mocks the Tea Party's chaos theory

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

A rare moment of lucidity from Sen. John McCain.

I have not been able to locate a video of the entire speech. CNSnews.com has posted this clip making all of the cable shows.

Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) leveled a middle-earth 'sting' to GOP lawmakers who do not back Rep. John Boehner's (R-Ohio) debt ceiling proposal by referencing the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy from a WSJ editorial.

And here is a clip of his speech from the Senate Democrats on the Tea Party demand for its already failed Balanced Budget Amendment.

Senator John McCain warned his Senate colleagues on Wednesday, "To hold out and say we won't agree to raising the debt limit to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, it's unfair, it's bizarro."

Tea-Publican Tyranny: Chaos Theory of Economic Terrorism

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

It's time for the corporate media to label the radical right Tea Party as the economic terrorists that they are. Boehner: ‘A Lot’ Of Republicans Want To Force Default, Create ‘Enough Chaos’ To Pass Balanced Budget Amendment | ThinkProgress:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said today that some members of his own caucus who are refusing to agree to a compromise debt ceiling deal are hoping to unleash “chaos” and thus force the White House and Senate Democrats to make bigger concessions than they’re already offering. As many as 40 House Republicans, especially Tea Party members and freshmen, have demanded nothing short of changing the Constitution to include a balanced budget amendment before they would vote to raise debt ceiling, even though that has zero chance before the U.S. faces potential default on Aug. 2.

Speaking on conservative radio host Laura Ingraham’s show this morning, Boehner agreed that failing to raise the limit before the deadline would be devastating, and said the “chaos” plan won’t work when asked by Ingraham what’s motivating the recalcitrant Republicans:

BOEHNER: Well, first they want more. And my goodness, I want more too. And secondly, a lot of them believe that if we get past August the second and we have enough chaos, we could force the Senate and the White House to accept a balanced budget amendment. I’m not sure that that — I don’t think that that strategy works. Because I think the closer we get to August the second, frankly, the less leverage we have vis a vis our colleagues in the Senate and the White House.

Listen here:

Boehner offers only political calculus for why this Tea Party plan wouldn’t work. He completely ignores the devastating effect a downgrade in U.S. debt and potential default would have on the American people and the global economy, who happen to be innocent bystanders to this high-stakes hostage negotiation.

Many have argued that some Tea-Publicans are more interested in extorting concessions for their radical agenda than addressing the debt issue, and they are willing to blow up the economy if Democrats don’t agree to their hostage demands — it appears the Speaker agrees.

Mister Speaker, you owe a duty to your country and to the Constitution before all else. It's time for you to put your country before party and your own political career. It's time for you to be patriotic and to do the right thing for your country.

UPDATE: David Fitzsimmons gets it!

 

Meet the challengers in Pearce recall election

Posted by AzblueMeanie:

First up, there is Jerry Lewis from Mesa. Lewis makes run against Pearce in recall official - East Valley Tribune:

Charter school executive Jerry Lewis announced Wednesday morning that he will challenge state Senate President Russell Pearce in the Nov. 8 recall election.

The Mesa Republican also filed election paperwork Wednesday, more than a week after signaling interest. Lewis said he would do more to promote economic and education polities if elected while working more closely with others. He said he was drafted by community members to challenge Pearce.

“I believe it’s time to restore a style of leadership to Mesa that its residents can be proud of,” Lewis said.

Lewis announced his candidacy to more than 200 supporters at the Wright House in Mesa, where he referred to Pearce as a friend. Both are Mormons and Lewis said he’ll run a positive campaign without making personal attacks.

“Our faith teaches us to treat each other with respect and kindness,” he said.

Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley said a groundswell of support has been building for Lewis and that the candidate is well known in Legislative District 18.

“He’ll restore sanity to the process instead of this concept that we’ll rule by fear,” Stapley said.

Supporters said they expect Pearce will dwarf the amount of money Lewis can raise, given Pearce’s national prominence on immigration issues. Already, a nationwide campaign has started to raise money for Pearce in what is Arizona’s first-ever recall of a lawmaker.

The campaign is Lewis’s only venture into the political arena. He is an assistant superintendent for Sequoia Schools, a Mesa-based charter school organization with 13 Arizona locations. He is a former certified public accountant and has been a vice president with the Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts.

His campaign is headed by Mesa attorney Dea Montague, former Mesa Vice Mayor John Giles and attorney Clint Smith.

Mr. Lewis has already been physically assaulted by a member of the goon squad. Potential Pearce challenger struck by padlock - East Valley Tribune:

Jerry Lewis was hit about 6:30 a.m. Saturday while jogging with another person near Brown and Harris roads, Mesa police said Tuesday.

[A] padlock was thrown from a truck and struck him in the groin.

Lewis described the truck as a white, lifted Chevrolet pickup with chrome rims. It was pulling a black trailer. The passenger was a man about 35 to 40 years old with short brown hair, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt. Police took the lock into evidence and will determine if they can recover fingerprints, Wessing said.

Lewis declined medical attention at the scene.

Any guy who can take a shot to the nuts and shake it off ought to be able to take anything that the cowardly bully "King" Russell Pearce can throw at him.

The other candidate is an Independent who filed to run as a $500 threshold candidate. Get serious, Dude. First declared candidate enters recall against Pearce; another one likely - East Valley Tribune:

Tommy Cattey, [a 62-year-old audiologist] has filed paperwork with election officials and has gathered about 100 of the 621 signatures required to get on the November ballot. The Mesa resident decided to run because of Pearce's signature issue, SB 1070. That law targeting illegal immigrants has since had major provisions put on hold.

"It has been pretty emasculated by the courts. I believe his intention for it is harsh," Cattey said. "We do need to control the borders and it does need to be done in a better way and more humane way."

Cattey registered with the Secretary of State July 17, organizing a campaign that's limited to raising or spending no more than $500. Cattey said he plans to refile soon he can raise more.

* * *

Cattey is a registered independent and an ordained minster. He is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps and has no political experience.

* * *

Cattey has lived in the Valley 57 years and 11 years in Mesa. His organization consists of him and his wife now but will expand soon, he said. Cattey expects to announce endorsements within days. He has a website, www.catteyville.com.

[UPDATE: A third candidate has filed paperwork. Multiple Pearce challengers emerge Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required):

Olivia Cortes, a Republican who used to work in the semiconductor industry, on Tuesday opened a campaign committee. “The district’s Hispanic voters deserve a choice,” Cortes said when asked why she’s running. “The district is changing, so why shouldn’t the make up of the candidates?”]

Because recall organizers have hoped to keep the number of challengers low - perhaps to just one person - to avoid splintering the anti-Pearce vote. Let's keep this in mind, people.

Grijalva: GOP lawmakers have Canyon under siege

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Congressman Raúl Grijalva has a "My Turn" guest opinion in the Arizona Republic today. GOP lawmakers have Canyon under siege:

It's not too dramatic to say the Grand Canyon has been under siege from mining claims for several years now. Unfortunately, several of my Arizona congressional colleagues have taken stands that would make sure that siege continues.

As I wrote in a May 4 letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, there are at least 8,500 mining claims near the Canyon, up from the 100 claims on file in January of 2003. That's why June 20 was such a big day in the history of American conservation.

In a ceremony I was proud to attend, Salazar said he will recommend withdrawing more than 1 million acres around the Canyon from mining claims for the next 20 years. It was, in every sense, a huge deal.

That announcement, unfortunately, wasn't the end of the discussion. Salazar's proposal won't be formalized until the end of the year; and, in the meantime, Republicans in Congress - including Republican Reps. Jeff Flake, Trent Franks and Paul Gosar - have been busy.

The most important issue to watch is an unusual amendment to this year's Interior Department funding bill. The amendment says Interior can't implement Salazar's withdrawal of those acres around the Grand Canyon. Even though this is a spending bill, which isn't allowed to make policy, it just goes ahead and says Interior can't do its job.

Who wrote this amendment?

According to his own July 12 press release, it was Rep. Flake. Just as bad, Reps. Franks and Gosar wrote a May 16 letter to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., calling Salazar's proposal "a serious national-security threat." I'm betting they'll support the Flake amendment when they get the chance.

What makes Rep. Flake's effort especially strange is that American corporations, or even our nuclear-power sector, wouldn't really benefit if it passed. Much of the uranium extracted by Denison Mines Corp., a Canadian company with multiple mining leases in the Grand Canyon area, is exported to South Korea, where Korea Electric Power Corp. has an ownership stake.

How will protecting the Grand Canyon from a South Korean-owned Canadian mining firm create a national-security crisis? The Franks-Gosar letter doesn't really say. It does say that withdrawing the land from mining claims is "political gamesmanship." I'll let readers decide how they feel about that.

Action on this amendment will probably come soon. The funding bill has been approved by the House Appropriations Committee but hasn't been to the full House for a vote. If it passes, it will almost certainly include this language. Unless someone in the Senate works to get it taken out, it will be in the final bill that goes to the president.

This is all part of a bigger ideological campaign to eliminate environmental protections Republicans disagree with in principle. It isn't about helping the economy. It's about not believing the government should protect the environment, period.

Arizona doesn't want to open the Grand Canyon for mining, drilling or any other kind of disruption. The Canyon isn't just a pile of rocks or a vein of minerals waiting to be turned into cash. It's the crown jewel of our national-parks system and one of the most beautifully recognizable features of the entire planet.

This amendment would put the needs of millions of Grand Canyon visitors - not to mention the Canyon itself - somewhere below the needs of mining CEOs.

I'm squarely against this tactless, unnecessary corporate giveaway. I think the people of this state, and this country, agree with me. I'd like to know from Rep. Flake what his proposal is supposed to accomplish and who he's earmarking this for. Let's end the siege on the Grand Canyon once and for all.

Mark Halperin has a pejorative for this guy

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Back in June when Brian Miller was still chairman of the Pima County Republican Party, the Pima County GOP issued this statement in response to an online poll being conducted by another organization asking Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to resign from office because they feel they are without representation in Congress while she is recovering from a gunshot to the head from a would-be assassin. Pima GOP Says It "Has Not and Will Not Support or Pursue Efforts To Remove Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords" Before 2012 Election:

The Pima GOP has not and will not support or pursue efforts to remove Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords from her seat in Congress prior to the end of her elected term. Our prayers for a full and speedy recovery are with Ms. Giffords. We remain committed to fielding a quality candidate for the 2012 election cycle, and our efforts are and will remain focused on the normal election process.

Apparently the husband of the immediate past chairwoman of the Pima County Republican Party, Judy White, and a politico in the Pima County and Arizona Republican Party in his own right, begs to differ.

Benny White, who has a long history of writing polemic letters to the Arizona Daily Star, managed to slip this gem past the Star's editor (The Star has also editorially opined against any calls for Rep. Giffords to resign). Letters to the editor:

Feeling unrepresented in debt-ceiling fight

I would like to comment to my U.S. representative about the debt-ceiling discussions that are going on in Washington. However, since I reside in Congressional District 8 (Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' district), I don't have a representative in Congress.

When I try to correspond with other representatives, I get a response that I am not in their district. Thus, my future and that of my family will be shaped without any input from me.

Benny White

Retired, Tucson

For most of my adult life I have felt "unrepresented" by Arizona's Republican congressional delegation. They certainly have never represented my views. And for many years, Sen. John McCain missed many hundreds of votes while he pursued his quixotic quest for the presidency. Where was Benny to complain then?

The substance of Benny's letter is pure bullshit. He is a politico in the Pima County and Arizona Republican Party (a fact he fails to disclose). He can pick up the phone any time he wants and call Arizona's Republican congressional delegation and they will take his call. He has far more influence on Arizona politics than he merits.

Benny should be telling Republicans to stop holding America hostage and threatening to default on the federal debt to extract extortion for their radical extremist agenda. He could use his position in the Republican Party to do some good, for a change. Instead he writes polemic letters to the editor.

Mark Halperin has a pejorative for this guy.

BOOM! Goes the Boehner Plan

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Rachel Maddow has aired several segments this year making a rather convincing case that the Weeper of the House, John Boehner, is not good at his job. I have argued that he is the weakest Speaker of the House in modern times, and is a captive to his radical right Tea Party wing.

After Boehner's "utter mendacity" of a speech on Monday Night (as characterized by Joan Walsh), Boehner's plan was to push a reconstituted bill comprised of proposals already rejected by Congress in a largely symbolic vote on Wednesday. It would not pass the Senate, and President Obama issued a veto threat on Tuesday. It was not a serious plan.

No matter. The Boehner plan blew up in the House on Tuesday on opposition from his own Tea-Publican caucus. Vote on Boehner Plan Delayed Amid Opposition - NYTimes.com:

House Republican leaders were forced on Tuesday night to delay a vote scheduled on their plan to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, as conservative lawmakers expressed skepticism and Congressional budget officials said the plan did not deliver the promised savings.

* * *

Mr. Boehner rolled out a two-stage plan on Monday that would allow the $14.3 trillion federal debt limit to rise immediately by about $1 trillion in exchange for $1.2 trillion in spending cuts. The plan tied a second increase early next year to the ability of a new bipartisan Congressional committee to produce more reductions.

The plan was met with skepticism — and in many cases outright rejection — by several conservative House members who said its savings did not go far enough. President Obama and most Congressional Democrats also have rejected the proposal, saying it is only a short-term solution and could lead to market uncertainty and instability.

Mr. Boehner’s troubles piled up late Tuesday afternoon when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said his plan would cut spending by $850 billion during the next decade — about $150 billion less than the $1 trillion increase proposed for the debt ceiling.

Mr. Boehner was forced to quickly retreat from the bill. Republican leaders said they would probably rework it to in a way that would reflect the decreased savings by raising the debt limit by less than $850 billion. Such a change would mean that the Obama administration would need to make another request for an increase in a matter of months, making the deal even less palatable to Democrats.

Earlier in the day before the CBO scoring, House Majority Leader Eic Cantor tried to spur his members to support their leaders. Mr. Cantor told Tea-Publicans in a Tuesday morning meeting to “stop grumbling and whining and to come together as conservatives and rally behind” Mr. Boehner’s plan. Oops!

But others argued the opposite case. Four Republican senators with Tea Party links wrote a letter to their House colleagues on Tuesday urging them to vote against the measure. The Club for Growth, which scores members on their fiscally conservative votes, came out against the plan, as did other conservative groups including the Heritage Foundation and a coalition of Tea Party groups around the country.

Some House members said they had already concluded that the bill was flawed.

Part of the problem here is Republican leadership who are really bad at their jobs. They are proving themselves entirely incapable and incompetent at governance.

I suspect the bill that will eventually emerge at the last minute will be Sen. Harry Reid's bill that effectively gives the Tea-Publicans everything they demanded at the start of negotiations, before they started overreaching in bad faith. It is a "cave" and a "win" for Tea-Publicans. It also rewards their hostage taking strategy once again, which will only encourage future hostage taking, until Americans start regarding this behavior as unacceptable economic terrorism.

Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, waiting to see how Mr. Boehner’s measure fares, has not brought his own debt legislation to the floor.

Mr. Reid’s proposal would raise the debt ceiling through 2012 and cut $1.2 trillion from federal agency budgets and recurring programs like agriculture subsidies. Like some earlier Republican plans, the plan also counts about $1 trillion in savings from winding down combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Speaker Boehner’s plan is not a compromise,” Mr. Reid said, after meeting with Senate Democrats, referring to the earlier version of the bill. “It was written for the Tea Party and not the American people. Democrats will not vote for it. Democrats will not vote for it. It’s dead on arrival in the Senate, if they get it out of the House.”

The TanMan, John Boehner, is really bad at his job. He should consider resigning from his Speaker position. If his Tea-Publican caucus puts this country into default and blows up our economy AGAIN, the American people will demand his resignation.

UPDATE: Can we now dispense with the bullshit GOP talking point that the president and Democrats have not submitted a plan? (How do you think they derive at the numbers under discussion you maroons?) The CBO has now scored Sen. Harry Reid's "cave" plan and it is saves more than Boehner's dead-in-the-water plan. Reid debt-reduction proposal would save more than Boehner plan, Congressional Budget Office finds - The Washington Post:

The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid’s plan to reduce the nation’s debt would fall short of its $2.7 trillion target, but save significantly more over the next decade than a bill introduced by House Speaker John A. Boehner.

The announcement came a day after the CBO dealt Boehner’s measure a potentially devastating setback, saying that spending cuts included in the House bill would save only about $850 billion over the next decade — far less than the $1.2 trillion advertised.

If Reid's bill is the best we can do, just get it done.

New questions about hacking of the 2004 Ohio presidential election

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The court system sometimes moves at a glacial pace. Justice is not always served. And in this case, the critical witness died in a suspicious small plane crash a few years ago. We will likely never learn the whole truth.

Bob Fritakis, an election law attorney writing at the The Free Press, reports:

A new filing in the King Lincoln Bronzeville v. Blackwell case includes a copy of the Ohio Secretary of State election production system configuration that was in use in Ohio's 2004 presidential election when there was a sudden and unexpected shift in votes for George W. Bush.

The filing also includes the revealing deposition of the late Michael Connell. Connell served as the IT guru for the Bush family and Karl Rove. Connell ran the private IT firm GovTech that created the controversial system that transferred Ohio's vote count late on election night 2004 to a partisan Republican server site in Chattanooga, Tennessee owned by SmarTech. That is when the vote shift happened, not predicted by the exit polls, that led to Bush's unexpected victory. Connell died a month and a half after giving this deposition in a suspicious small plane crash.

Additionally, the filing contains the contract signed between then-Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and Connell's company, GovTech Solutions. Also included that contract a graphic architectural map of the Secretary of State's election night server layout system.

Cliff Arnebeck, lead attorney in the King Lincoln case, exchanged emails with IT security expert Stephen Spoonamore. Arnebeck asked Spoonamore whether or not SmarTech had the capability to "input data" and thus alter the results of Ohio's 2004 election. Spoonamore responded: "Yes. They would have had data input capacities. The system might have been set up to log which source generated the data but probably did not."

Spoonamore explained that "they [SmarTech] have full access and could change things when and if they want."

Arnebeck specifically asked "Could this be done using whatever bypass techniques Connell developed for the web hosting function." Spoonamore replied "Yes."

Spoonamore concluded from the architectural maps of the Ohio 2004 election reporting system that, "SmarTech was a man in the middle. In my opinion they were not designed as a mirror, they were designed specifically to be a man in the middle."

A "man in the middle" is a deliberate computer hacking setup, which allows a third party to sit in between computer transmissions and illegally alter the data. A mirror site, by contrast, is designed as a backup site in case the main computer configuration fails.

Read the email correspondence here [pdf]

* * *

Until now, the architectural maps and contracts from the Ohio 2004 election were never made public, which may indicate that the entire system was designed for fraud. In a previous sworn affidavit to the court, Spoonamore declared: "The SmarTech system was set up precisely as a King Pin computer used in criminal acts against banking or credit card processes and had the needed level of access to both county tabulators and Secretary of State computers to allow whoever was running SmarTech computers to decide the output of the county tabulators under its control."

Spoonamore also swore that "...the architecture further confirms how this election was stolen. The computer system and SmarTech had the correct placement, connectivity, and computer experts necessary to change the election in any manner desired by the controllers of the SmarTech computers."

Project Censored named the outsourcing of Ohio's 2004 election votes to SmarTech in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a company owned by Republican partisans as one of the most censored stories in the world.

* * *

The architectural maps, contracts, and Spoonamore emails, along with the history of Connell's partisan activities, shed new light on how easy it was to hack the 2004 Ohio presidential election.

Download the Plaintiffs' Brief here [zip]

Bob Fitrakis is co-counsel in the King Lincoln case.

Karoli at crooksandliars.com has more on this story. New Evidence of Vote Hacking Emerges In Ohio 2004 General Election Lawsuit | Crooks and Liars.

Note: This is the best I can do with the graphics.

Russell Pearce, friend of education (Wait . . . what?)

by David Safier

Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, has been named the 2011 Golden Apple Winner by Arizona Parents for Education . . .

Yes, you read that right. Russell Pearce, ed budget cutter extraordinaire, gets a golden apple.

The group, Arizona Parents for Education, is an astroturf organization for online schools. "Astroturf" might be a bit rough. The group is part of the online school lobbying movement, but parents in virtual schools are happy to show up at the legislature to ask for more money for their schools. (That, actually, is one of the definitions of "astroturf," so the group probably deserves the term.) Either Pearce helps them with their legislation, or they want to curry favor with the most powerful politician in the state -- for now, anyway.

Maybe Pearce can show off the apple during his legislative retirement party. Go, Recall!

Dr. Word asks: Can dust storms be Muslim?

by David Safier

You know those recent dust storms in Phoenix? The term for them is "haboob," and from what I've read, this phenomenon is limited to the southwest, the Middle East and the North Africa.

Apparently, some folks think A-mur-i-kan dust storms shouldn't be called by them furren names. Adam Serwer of the American Prospect is on it.

“I am insulted that local TV news crews are now calling this kind of storm a haboob,” Don Yonts, a resident of Gilbert, Ariz., wrote to The Arizona Republic after a particularly fierce, mile-high dust storm swept through the state on July 5. “How do they think our soldiers feel coming back to Arizona and hearing some Middle Eastern term?”

Serwer goes on to list some other words with Arabic origins which, like haboob, should probably be stricken from our vocabulary, lest they lead us astray:

• sofa
• Admiral
• mattress
• magazine
• cotton
• buddy

So put down that magazine, buddy, get your ass up off the sofa and help us fight against Sharia-law-words infiltrating our precious, patriotic A-mur-i-kan language!

(h/t to AZ Blue Meanie for the link.)

I'm not sure the Rawson campaign knows the meaning of 'public right-of-way'

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

If you live in the City of Tucson you have seen the campaign signs for Tea-Publican Tucson City Council candidate Jennifer Rawson pop up around town in the past couple of weeks. Ms. Rawson apparenlty has some over-zealous campaign workers putting up her signs.

I have seen Rawson signs attached to photo-enforcement camera poles (those have now been removed) and to Sun Tran bus stop signs (like the one in the photo). I have seen some posted on private property that I have my doubts that permission was obtained.

Where are the self-appointed guardians against campaign signs at the Arizona Daily Star to complain about this? Why is Jennifer Rawson getting a pass from the Arizona Daily Star? You guys live for this stuff!

It is true that the Arizona legislature passed a law superceding local sign code ordinances this past session that permits signs to be posted in the public right-of-way. However, this does not include such things as telephone polls, photo-enforecement camera polls, traffic control signs, bus stop signs, etc.

The revised provisions of state law are found at A.R.S. Sec. 16-1019 Parapgraphs C through H:

C. Notwithstanding any other statute, ordinance or regulation, a city, town or county of this state shall not remove, alter, deface or cover any political sign if the following conditions are met:

1. The sign is placed in a public right-of-way that is owned or controlled by that jurisdiction.

2. The sign supports or opposes a candidate for public office or it supports or opposes a ballot measure.

3. The sign is not placed in a location that is hazardous to public safety, obstructs clear vision in the area or interferes with the requirements of the Americans with disabilities act (42 United States Code sections 12101 through 12213 and 47 United States Code sections 225 and 611).

4. The sign has a maximum area of sixteen square feet, if the sign is located in an area zoned for residential use, or a maximum area of thirty-two square feet if the sign is located in any other area.

5. The sign contains the name and telephone number of the candidate or campaign committee contact person.

D. If the city, town or county deems that the placement of a political sign constitutes an emergency, the jurisdiction may immediately relocate the sign. The jurisdiction shall notify the candidate or campaign committee that placed the sign within twenty-four hours after the relocation. If a sign is placed in violation of subsection C and the placement is not deemed to constitute an emergency, the city, town or county may notify the candidate or campaign committee that placed the sign of the violation. If the sign remains in violation at least twenty-four hours after the jurisdiction notified the candidate or campaign committee, the jurisdiction may remove the sign. The jurisdiction shall contact the candidate or campaign committee contact and shall retain the sign for at least ten business days to allow the candidate or campaign committee to retrieve the sign without penalty.

E. A city, town or county employee acting within the scope of the employee's employment is not liable for an injury caused by the failure to remove a sign pursuant to subsection D unless the employee intended to cause injury or was grossly negligent.

F. Subsection C does not apply to commercial tourism, commercial resort and hotel sign free zones as those zones are designated by municipalities. The total area of those zones shall not be larger than three square miles, and each zone shall be identified as a specific contiguous area where, by resolution of the municipal governing body, the municipality has determined that based on a predominance of commercial tourism, resort and hotel uses within the zone the placement of political signs within the rights-of-way in the zone will detract from the scenic and aesthetic appeal of the area within the zone and deter its appeal to tourists. Not more than two zones may be identified within a municipality.

G. A city, town or county may prohibit the installation of a sign on any structure owned by the jurisdiction.

H. Subsection C applies only during the period commencing sixty days before a primary election and ending fifteen days after the general election, except that for a sign for a candidate in a primary election who does not advance to the general election, the period ends fifteen days after the primary election.

State law supercedes the City of Tucson Sign Code, Secs. 3-63, et seq. (Political Election Sign Rules). However, the City of Tucson Sign Code still provides the meaning of the "public right-of-way":

Street

Area between the street curb and private property

What is the public right-of-way?

The public right-of-way is the land from the curb of a street up to and typically beyond the other side of the sidewalk up to a property line designator such as a wall, fence or utility poles. It is also all the land on the medians and boulevards between the roadways. A typical example is illustrated above.

For Information or to File Complaints:

Sign Code Enforcement
Department of Neighborhood Resources
320 N. Commerce Park Loop
Sentinel Building, 2nd Floor
(520) 791-4605

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 27210
Tucson, AZ 85726-7210

Nice profile on Wenona Benally Baldenegro in the Huffington Post

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

We all receive the fundraising e-mails from former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (another one today) telling us how she is kicking Tea-Publican Rep. Paul Gosar's ass in fundraising to date. See, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar stunned by rival's fundraising (Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., reported total contributions of $221,289 for the three-month period while Gosar, R-Ariz., took in total contributions of $166,544.) I suppose that's a good thing.

But there is another Democrat running in the CD-1 congressional primary whom I find a more interesting and compelling candidate. Candidate Announcement Update: Wenona Benally Baldenegro to run in CD 1.

Jeff Biggers at the Huffington Post has a nice profile on Wenona Benally Baldenegro. Arizona's New Democrats: Wenona's Historic Bid Inspires Bipartisan Campaign Against Radical Tea Party Rep. Gosar:

In one of the largest Congressional districts in the nation, stretching across the rural heartland of eastern Arizona from the Four Corners region to the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, the historic candidacy of Wenona Benally Baldenegro for the Democratic nomination for Congress is marking a new era in Western politics.

For Arizonans exhausted by the extremist Tea Party machinations of freshman Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), who many view more dedicated to the Tea Party's beltway defiance of the Obama administration than the creation of jobs or protecting health care and investments in education, the hands-on rural American experience and Main Street platform ideas of public interest attorney Benally Baldenegro have galvanized a bipartisan campaign across the district's diverse constituency.

"We're extremely disappointed in Rep. Gosar," said Vera Skorupski, a long-time registered Republican from Sedona, Arizona and a campaign supporter of Benally Baldenegro. Citing Gosar's lack of support for Medicare and health care reform, Skorupski praised Benally Baldenegro for not ignoring the "compassionate conservative" tradition abandoned by "radical" Tea Party activists like Gosar and bringing together Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

Raised in the mining town of Kayenta on the Navajo Nation, the Harvard-educated attorney Benally Baldenegro will also become the first female American Indian member of Congress, if elected.

* * *

Benally Baldenegro will first have to face one-term former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick in the Democratic Party primary. However, despite Kirkpatrick's dogged fundraising efforts this summer, few observers believe she can revive her listless and disastrous 2010 campaign, which turned away record numbers of Democrats and Independent voters with her support for the Bush era tax cuts and a poor environmental protection record.

The key to success for either Democratic candidate in Arizona, according to many party leaders, such as Ken Smith, the former Senior Vice Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, is for the "DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, DC) to quit trying to dictate to us who our candidate should be."

* * *

The bottom line: The Tea Party-beholden Gosar is out of touch with his own district.

"I am working to build a campaign that will bring people from all walks of life together to support a candidate who will stand up for the working people and middle-class families of America," Benally Baldenegro told a recent gathering in Flagstaff. "I will build a campaign that does not rely on PAC contributions from corporations, federal lobbyists, or special interest groups that seek to usurp the people's voice. My campaign will be built on donations from grassroots and individual donors who share and support the values that I will stand up for as Representative for Arizona's First Congressional District."

Read the entire post. Arizona's New Democrats: Wenona's Historic Bid Inspires Bipartisan Campaign Against Radical Tea Party Rep. Gosar.

Countdown to the GOPocalypse

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In dueling speeches Monday night, "Where Obama spoke of compromise, Boehner made excuses for intransigence. Where Obama emphasized how much he had already conceded, Boehner detailed how little he was willing to give up. Where Obama argued for a grand bargain, Boehner declared his support for Cut, Cap and Balance [already rejected by the Senate.]" -- Ezra Klein

This is getting surreal. Steve Benen posts Political Animal - With seven days to go:

Yesterday brought us two competing speeches and two competing plans, but where does that leave us exactly one week before the nation loses its ability to its bills? Nowhere good.

Among Democrats, leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue seemed to accept Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) plan as the least offensive of the remaining alternatives. Though President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had both committed to a compromise with at least some revenue, both threw their support to Reid’s blueprint yesterday.

[Read Reid's plan: http://wapo.st/pQwdKO. Note: The plan is a major concession to the GOP - it gives up any new tax revenues, and is no longer the "balanced" plan that President Obama wanted.]

On the other side of the aisle, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) continues to push his alternative, even though he knows it’s likely to be rejected by the Senate and the White House.

[Read Boehner's plan: http://wapo.st/pFMbcp.]

[The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has issued this Statement on House Speaker Boehner’s New Budget Proposal:

House Speaker John Boehner’s new budget proposal would require deep cuts in the years immediately ahead in Social Security and Medicare benefits for current retirees, the repeal of health reform’s coverage expansions, or wholesale evisceration of basic assistance programs for vulnerable Americans.

The plan is, thus, tantamount to a form of “class warfare.” If enacted, it could well produce the greatest increase in poverty and hardship produced by any law in modern U.S. history.

This may sound hyperbolic, but it is not. The mathematics are inexorable.]

Late yesterday afternoon ... the Speaker had another problem: the right doesn’t like his plan, either. [And neither do conservative lobbying groups.]

* * *

Boehner also won’t get much in the way of support from the activist base.

No sooner did House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) unveil his plan to raise the country’s debt ceiling and avoid default than a coalition of conservative groups and lawmakers panned the proposal.

The Cut, Cap and Balance Coalition is a group of more than 100 conservative groups and several dozen lawmakers in both chambers who have called for passage of a balanced budget amendment in exchange for a vote to raise the country’s debt ceiling. The group said in a statement Monday afternoon that the plan put forth by House Republican leaders “falls short of meeting (the coalition’s) principles.”

[Note: This balanced budget amendment fell far short of the two-thirds vote required in the House, and was tabled (killed) in the Senate without a vote. There is no support for the CCBC and what Bruce Bartlett, deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department under Bush 41 and who now writes about supply-side economics, dismissed as "quite possibly the stupidest constitutional amendment I think I have ever seen. It looks like it was drafted by a couple of interns on the back of a napkin. Every senator cosponsoring this POS should be ashamed of themselves." Dopiest Constitutional Amendment of All Time? | Capital Gains and Games.]

This is critically important. Boehner’s entire strategy at this point rests on his ability to pass his bill and dare the Senate and White House to reject it. But this only works if the Speaker can get enough votes from his own caucus — and of yesterday, that was far from certain.

There are 240 House Republicans, and it will take 217 votes to pass Boehner’s plan, which will likely get little or no Democratic support. Are there more than two dozen far-right GOP lawmakers who’ll balk? We’ll find out tomorrow, when the Speaker brings his measure to the floor.

[I]f Boehner’s bill dies in the House, Reid’s compromise may suddenly become the only plan left standing.

And what if the House kills Boehner’s plan and rejects Reid’s plan? We’re all screwed.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is not an economic crisis but a political crisis manufactured by the Tea-Publicans. Congress could pass a one page bill raising the federal debt ceiling in five minutes, as it has done numerous times in the past.

But the Tea-Publicans are holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to extort concessions from the president and Democrats, to concede to their every hostage demand for a radical extremist agenda that is not supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans in poll after poll.

This is an extremist radical minority that would rather default on the debt obligations of the United States and cause an economic catastrophe than to ever compromise with a president they deem to be illegitmate. They are committed to the destruction of government, not governance. After all, they ran for office on the promise of "shut 'er down!" Why is anyone surprised now?

If "We’re all screwed" it will squarely be the fault of the so-called Tea Party conservative movement. It's in our national security interests to "Toss the Tea Party in 2012," if not sooner.

UPDATE: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has a six-word warning for Boehner on the economy: “If you break it, you own it.”

Yes, let's focus on the drivers of our debt! GOP economic policies

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

What I have been saying for years! Steve Benen has this excellent post today, Political Animal - The drivers of our debt:

A leading House Republican recently proclaimed recently that policymakers should be focusing on “the drivers of our debt.”

GOP officials ought to hope that doesn’t happen. Bloomberg News has a piece today reminding folks of a point that’s too often forgotten in Washington: the biggest drivers of our debt are Republican policies.

House Speaker John Boehner often attacks the spendthrift ways of Washington.

“In Washington, more spending and more debt is business as usual,” the Republican leader from Ohio said in a televised address yesterday amid debate over the U.S. debt. “I’ve got news for Washington — those days are over.”

Yet the speaker, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell all voted for major drivers of the nation’s debt during the past decade: Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts and Medicare prescription drug benefits. They also voted for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, that rescued financial institutions and the auto industry.

Together, a Bloomberg News analysis shows, these initiatives added $3.4 trillion to the nation’s accumulated debt and to its current annual budget deficit of $1.5 trillion.

It’d be amusing if it weren’t so ridiculous. Literally the exact same people whose fiscal irresponsibility created the deficit mess are the ones whining constantly about the problem they’re responsible for. Worse, they keep blaming everyone but themselves. Worse still, they’re prepared to crash the economy on purpose unless the solution to their own fiasco meets their approval.

This isn’t in the realm of spin or opinion. The numbers are unambiguous: Republicans took a large surplus, turned it into massive deficit. Republicans could have paid off the debt within a decade, but they instead chose to pursue an ambitious agenda without paying for it.

And now they don’t want the nation to pay the bills. [Deadbeats!]

* * *

[A]ccountability and credibility matter a great deal. Policymakers must find a resolution to a pressing crisis very quickly, and those who know what they’re talking about deserve to be taken more seriously than those who don’t.

So, when Republicans call for us to focus on “the drivers of our debt,” I’d suggest taking them up on the idea.

Jerry Lewis to Announce Challenge to 'King' Russell Pearce Today

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

No, not that Jerry Lewis. Maybe former state treasurer Dean Martin will also run.

Mesa Republican Jerry Lewis is expected to announce Tuesday that he will challenge "King" Russell Pearce in the November recall election. Pearce challenger Jerry Lewis to make it official - Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required):

Jerry Lewis, an accountant and charter school executive, is planning a round of media interviews to presumably explain why he wants to take on Senate President Russell Pearce, the first sitting legislator to face a recall.

* * *

That he’s even considering a run means Lewis, a 30-year resident of west Mesa, is undaunted.

His camp maintains he is disconnected with the recall effort.

One of Lewis’ early supporters, Dea Montague, an attorney and former mission president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he doesn’t believe Pearce represents the majority of voters in his district.

Besides offering a leadership style that strives for consensus, Lewis will “help give Arizona and Mesa and District 18 a better brand,” Montague said last week.

The recall election is set for Nov. 8. Time to go to work people! Take back Arizona.

h/t photo Arizona Capitol Times

Team America: Will there be a sing-a-long/curse-a-long?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

David Safier had some fun with "King" Russell Pearce's nativist buddies back in June. Scofflaw Russell Pearce and his friends put the "F" back in Freedom.

Today his nativist buddies are back in the news. Remember when "King" Russell Pearce complained that the people behind the recall effort were out of state agitators who don't even live in Arizona? More than ten thousand of Pearce's constituents in District 18 signed the recall petition telling him he's gotta go.

It would appear the out of state agitators who don't even live in Arizona are Pearce's nativist buddies. National political committee forms to help Pearce in recall election - East Valley Tribune:

The state Senate president is going to get some financial help from a national political action committee in his bid to keep his seat.

Team America, set up by former Congressman Tom Tancredo and Bay Buchanan, who was Secretary of the Treasury during the Reagan administration, filed legal papers last week officially forming the Committee to Oppose Recall of Russell Pearce. The filing formally allows the committee to start taking donations and spending money to aid the Mesa Republican.

Matt Roberts, spokesman for the Secretary of State's office, said this committee is precluded from actually coordinating its efforts with whatever Pearce is doing on his own.

Right. The way this works in the real world is that all the coordination stuff has been worked out before the committee filed. Only then does the law kick in. Convenient, huh?

Roberts said, though, that any money Team America got before last Thursday - the day it formally filed its organizing papers - cannot legally be used to convince residents of Pearce's west Mesa district to keep him in office. He said state law precludes political committees from raising money before they have been formally set up under Arizona law.

He said, though, the committee would be free to return the funds to the original donors and ask them to resend them.

"Donors to Team America are free to give any amount they want to be used to help Pearce. But Roberts said it cannot accept any corporate or union money."

Naming the PAC after a movie about puppets manipulated by unseen puppetmasters seems an appropriate analogy, dontcha think?

Tucson's alt-movie theater The Loft every July 4th does a sing-a-long/curse-a-long to "Team America: World Police." THE "TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE" SING-A-LONG AND CURSE-A-THON! | The Loft Cinema.

Will Tom Tancredo and Bay Buchanan be leading the nativist out of state agitators who don't even live in Arizona in a sing-a-long/curse-a-long? And who are the puppetmasters pulling their strings?

UPDATE: So far this year, the Virginia-based Team America PAC hasn't received a single donation from Arizona. Sr. Reporter: Team America PAC has few Arizona donors. Just out of state agitators who don't even live in Arizona.

Journalistic stretches: A question

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

Sunday, the Arizona Republic published a column written by Doug MacEachern where he blamed the political mess in Quartzsite in La Paz County on Clarence Dupnik.

The sheriff of Pima County.

Since Tucson, the county seat of Pima County, is roughly 240 miles from Quartzsite, this seems to be a bit of a stretch.  However, if this is an accepted journalistic practice, does that mean that I can blame the biker rally killings in Coconino County this weekend on the gun nuts in the Arizona legislature?  Perhaps making Rep. Jerry Weiers (R-Glendale), the lege's resident biker advocate/lobbyist, the poster child of the blamefest?

It wouldn't be any more accurate than MacEachern's diatribe, but apparently, "accuracy" isn't a requirement for Arizona journalists, at least not for those who are senior staffers at the Republic.

Two views: Zealots and Anarchists

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, by no means a partisan polemist, is disturbed by the radicalization of the Republican Party by its so-called Tea Party fringe. Republicans, Zealots and Our Security:

IF China or Iran threatened our national credit rating and tried to drive up our interest rates, or if they sought to damage our education system, we would erupt in outrage.

Well, wake up to the national security threat. Only it’s not coming from abroad, but from our own domestic extremists.

We tend to think of national security narrowly as the risk of a military or terrorist attack. But national security is about protecting our people and our national strength — and the blunt truth is that the biggest threat to America’s national security this summer doesn’t come from China, Iran or any other foreign power. It comes from budget machinations, and budget maniacs, at home.

* * *

[M]any House Republicans aren’t serious, they’re just obsessive in a destructive way. The upshot is that in their effort to protect the American economy from debt, some of them are willing to drag it over the cliff of default.

* * *

In other words, Republican zeal to lower debts could result in increased interest expenses and higher debts. Their mania to save taxpayers could cost taxpayers. That suggests not governance so much as fanaticism.

More broadly, a default would leave America a global laughingstock. Our “soft power,” our promotion of democracy around the world, and our influence would all take a hit. The spectacle of paralysis in the world’s largest economy is already bewildering to many countries. If there is awe for our military prowess and delight in our movies and music, there is scorn for our political/economic management.

* * *

So let’s remember not only the national security risks posed by Iran and Al Qaeda. Let’s also focus on the risks, however unintentional, from domestic zealots.

Conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan is also disturbed by the radicalization of the Republican Party by its so-called Tea Party fringe. America's Cold Civil War - The Daily Beast:

The Republican refusal to countenance any way to raise revenues to tackle the massive debt incurred largely on their watch and from a recession which started under Obama's predecessor makes one thing clear. They are not a political party in government; they are a radical faction that refuses to participate meaningfully in the give and take the Founders firmly believed should be at the center of American government. They are not conservatives in this sense. They are anarchists.

Their fiscal anarchism has now led to their threat to destabilize and possibly upend the American and global economy because they refuse to compromise an inch. They control only one part of the government, and yet they hold all of it hostage. I cannot believe they are prepared to allow the US to default rather than give an inch toward responsibility. Except I should believe it by now. Everything I have written about them leads inexorably to this moment. Opposing overwhelming public opinion on the need for a mixed package of tax hikes and spending cuts, drawing the president into a position far to the right of the right of his party, and posturing absurdly as fiscal conservatives, they are in fact anti-tax and anti-government fanatics, and this is their moment of maximal destruction.

* * *

Coming from abroad, this country seems as if it is beyond dysfunctional. It looks like a banana republic on the verge of economic collapse. Now that Nixon's dream has come true and the GOP is fundamentally the party of the Confederacy, it was perhaps naive to think they could ever accept the legitimacy of this president, or treat him with respect or act as adults in the governing process.

But this is who they are. I longed for Obama to bridge this gulf in ideology. But he cannot bridge it alone, especially when the GOP is determined to burn the bridge entirely, even when presented with a deal so tilted to the right only true fanatics could possibly walk away from it. And so the very republic is being plunged into crisis and possible depression by a single, implacable, fanatical faction. Until they are defeated, the country remains in more peril than we know.

I listened to Howard Fineman explain on Hardball with Chris Matthews just now (paraphrased) that "This is a kind of slow-motion secession." This is the end of the "social compact." That is why the Tea Party wants to defund government. The Tea Party is saying that we want to secede from that society ... so we are no longer part of the 'social compact.'"

I recommend you catch this segment of Hardball for the analysis.

UPDATE: Here is the segment.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ezra Klein: A tale of two presidents and their deficits

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Ezra Klein clears the fog of Tea-Publican propaganda on the deficit. Obama’s and Bush’s effects on the deficit in one graph - The Washington Post:

From the New York Times :

What’s also important, but not evident, on this chart is that Obama’s major expenses were temporary — the stimulus is over now — while Bush’s were, effectively, recurring. The Bush tax cuts didn’t just lower revenue for 10 years. It’s clear now that they lowered it indefinitely, which means this chart is understating their true cost. Similarly, the Medicare drug benefit is costing money on perpetuity, not just for two or three years. And Boehner, Ryan and others voted for these laws and, in some cases, helped to craft and pass them.

To relate this specifically to the debt-ceiling debate, we’re not raising the debt ceiling because of the new policies passed in the past two years. We’re raising the debt ceiling because of the accumulated effect of policies passed in recent decades, many of them under Republicans.

Hysterical Tea-Publican propaganda claims "it's all Obama's fault!" So much for personal responsiblity that Tea-Publicans like to talk about, but never accept.

UPDATE: Steve Benen has more at the Political Animal - Blame where blame is due. Money quote:

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough recently surprised me by identifying the culprit for the nation’s fiscal mess. “Let’s make no mistake about it right now: increasing this debt ceiling? This is George W. Bush and the Republican Party’s debt,” the former Republican congressman said. Scarborough added, “This is George W. Bush’s debt…. You can’t just put this on Barack Obama.”

The Phisher King, Tyler Vogt, spams Tucson, breaks the law

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I have told you about The Phisher King, Tyler Vogt, Tea-Publican troll candidate for the Tucson City Council, who misused and abused a public records request to obtain e-mail addresses for a commercial purpose, i.e., to solicit you for campaign contributions. Tyler Vogt goes 'phishing' for your email address.

Dan Gibson at the Tucson Weekly accused Vogt of "bad form" for his spamming the e-mail list he obtained to solicit campaign contributions in Tyler Vogt, You Are Terrible at the Internet | The Range.

Turns out that The Phisher King did not cull the list for email addresses of city employees at their workplace email address. This is not just "bad form," it is illegal. Will the City Attorney open an investigation?

The Pima County Democratic Party has issued this press release which explains:

Vogt Illegally Spams Tucson and Wastes City Resources on His Campaign

Republican Tucson City Council candidate Tyler Vogt wasted little time squandering taxpayer money on his own political agenda -- and breaking the law in the process. See Tucson City Charter Sec. 10-18 (d) (2) and (e) (2).

Vogt used Arizona Public Records law to force city staff to compile all e-mail correspondence between council offices and constituents and then used those contacts to build his campaign e-mail list. None of the Democratic council members used contacts made from official city business for their campaign e-mail list. They wait for people to ask to be on their list.

However, Vogt also violated the Tucson City Charter by soliciting city workers on their official city e-mail accounts during work hours.

Vogt’s first two pieces of political messaging have revealed to the people of Tucson what his candidacy is all about, said Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Rogers.

“First he announces his candidacy with a menacing email, trying to extort Council member Shirley Scott out of the race,” Rogers said. “Next he wastes city employee time to work on his campaign, illegally hits them up for money and spams the rest of the list.”

Moreover, he should get his e-mail lists the old fashioned way: Asking people nicely if they want to be on the list and allowing them to unsubscribe (the e-mail wouldn't let readers opt off the list).

“Republicans may want to think twice before getting behind this crop of candidates, who simply don’t want to do the work required to build a competent campaign,” Rogers said. “Their poorly run campaigns demonstrate how unqualified the candidates truly are.”         

###                                  

In Florida, $55 million for charter buildings, zero for district schools

by David Safier

Ah, yes, the "Florida Educational Miracle," Gov. Rick Scott edition. They love them some charter schools -- district schools, not so much. So they're giving $55 million for charter school building construction and maintenance. Older district schools, far more in need of maintenance, are getting nothing.

Here's an example.

The charter school operated for children of employees of The Villages, the Republican stronghold in north Lake County frequented by Scott and former President George W. Bush, is expected to receive about $1 million.

It's great to be rich and know the right people, ain't it?

The current conservative push in Arizona is to "equalize" funding between charter and district schools. Charters don't generally furnish transportion or food, most have fewer minority students, far fewer ELL students, and almost no special ed students, who are the most expensive students by far. But they want the same amount of money anyway. Translation: they want more money. Florida, who we're using as a model, is leading the way.

Making money off charter schools. What could go wrong?

by David Safier

This story is from Tennessee. K12 Inc., a for profit online education corporation which has "virtual schools" all over the country, including Arizona Virtual Academy here, needs to operate in volume to make a profit. So it needs, first, to get legislators to let it in and second, get students to sign up.

In Tennessee, K12 Inc.'s lobbyists got a bill through the legislature at the last minute (I imagine they wrote it, though I'm not sure), a "virtual school act" voted for mainly by Republicans, which allowed K12 Inc. to set up shop. Then it created a media advertising blitz to attract students -- free computers for your home, textbooks shipped to you, teachers at your service online and over the phone, all that kind of stuff.

But now people in Tennessee are wondering why a school without buildings should get so much funding (They probably don't know yet that K12 Inc. maintains a 50-to-1 student-teacher ratio). They are also worried that one school district is sponsoring the school, which means it get 4% of the state funds that flow to the school, for doing nothing but signing on the dotted line.

K12 Inc. is a serious corporation which takes education seriously, so far as I know, but it takes profits far more seriously. And its top people make serious money.

K12 Inc. compensated its CEO more than $2.6 million last year, its chief financial officer more than $1.7 million, and other top executives several hundred thousand dollars each, according to its latest annual report to shareholders.

That's good education work if you can get it.

Is ALEC behind Terri Proud's efforts to delegitimize the AIRC?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Karoli at crooksandliars.com has a post about ALEC's Influence On Campaigns Exposed:

Previously I've told you about ALEC's mission, which is to write boilerplate right wing legislation and distribute it to state and federal lawmakers as a way to advance right-wing causes across the country. But ALEC's influence does not begin or end there.  

FollowtheMoney.org:

An examination of campaign donations made by ALEC corporate members dating back to the 1990 election cycle shows that they contributed $12.2 million to state-level candidates who were ALEC members, with 98.4 percent of that money going to incumbent and winning candidates, many of whom could vote on proposed legislation. Additional analysis reveals that $11.9 million of the $12.2 million went to Republicans. Click here to download the database.

Over the seven (10 for some states) election cycles covered in a donor-data analysis by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, ALEC corporate members contributed $516.2 million to state-level politics: $202.1 million to state-level candidates, $228.3 million to high-dollar ballot-measure campaigns, and $85.8 million to state political party committees.

Half a billion dollars. A serious relationship. It seems ALEC is not afraid of commitment.

Steve Muratore adds this reporting at The Arizona Eagletarian: Redistricting -- blood sport heats up:

[W]hat about likely material misstatements on [Terri] Proud's required annual financial disclosure for 2010 (filed in January 2011).

This pic, posted on facebook by Proud Terri on June 12, 2011, is in an album she labeled ALEC trip 2010. I recognize several Arizona lawmakers in the photo, including John McComish, Eddie Farnsworth, Jack Harper, Steve Yarbrough and Arizona Corporation Commission chair Gary Pierce.  

According to their financial disclosures, several other Arizona GOP lawmakers attended the conference as guests (on "scholarship") of the right-wing group that gives lawmakers ideas for right-wing legislation. ALEC is the American Legislative Exchange Council.

It is entirely possible that some of the Arizona lawmakers paid their own way to the ALEC conference. But several of them included the ALEC scholarship as a gift on their financial disclosure. A partial list of those disclosing the gift is McComish, Harper, Cecil Ash, Kirk Adams (former Speaker of the AZ House), Brenda Barton, Kate Brophy McGee, Stephen Court, Jeff Dial, Adam Driggs, Karen Fann and Doris Goodale.

Conspicuously absent from that list is Proud Terri. I suppose it is possible she paid her own way, or was subsidized by taxpayer funds, but both of those scenarios seem unlikely. This has already been a very busy day and will get even busier with the Public Outreach Hearing due to start in only a few hours. So, I apologize for not trying to pin this down today.

Proud's financial disclosure reveals no substantial assets/investments. The only source of income disclosed is a job with a law firm. So, is Proud trying to deceive the public by not disclosing gift(s) given to her by a group trying to curry favor and get her to sponsor its proposed legislation in the Arizona Legislature? Could it be just a minor oversight or clerical error?

Failure to disclose is a Class One (most serious) misdemeanor. Will Tom Horne investigate? Likely, no, because there is so much grey to this area of law.

But who holds and pulls the strings attached to Proud Terri?

Is ALEC behind Terri Proud's efforts to delegitimize the AIRC? Will any of Arizona's political media even bother to ask her? What about her financial disclosure statement? And what about the ALEC scholarships that the Arizona Republic takes so lightly? The Arizona Republic turns a blind eye to questions about ALEC. I am still waiting for the Republic to publish the list of attendees and scholarship recipients to this year's ALEC "confab." That's information the voters have a right to know.