Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Daily Star continues the “Chinese menu” system in its endorsements of state legislative races today: one Democrat and one Republican in House races, the Democrat in Senate races (with one deviation today in LD 14).
LD 10 Bradley for Senate; Vogt, Wheeler for House.
LD 11 We select Holt in Senate; Joseph, Kwasman for House.
LD 14 Fleming, Leach and Stonebraker all bring fresh ideas to voters.
As I said yesterday, this is a disservice to the residents of Southern Arizona.
I want to point out the foolish inconsistency in the Star's "Chinese menu" methodolgy today, focusing on one issue of importance to the editors of the Star: women's access to reproductive health care.
In its endorsement of Dr. Richard Carmona for U.S. Senate, the Star editorialized Carmona's bipartisan views will benefit all:
We join Carmona in rejecting legislation that interferes with a woman's right to make, together with her medical professional, the most personal and private healthcare decisions.
In its endosement of Congressman Raul Grijalva, the Star editorialized, Grijalva shows best command of issues:
He favors keeping government out of private health decisions regarding female reproduction... and marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Again, we agree.
The editors' concern was cast aside, however, in their endorsements of state legislative candidates, where the extremism of Tea-Publican candidates has been most accute in the Arizona legislature.
The Star endorsed Tea-Publican Ethan Orr for the House in LD 9, calling him a "moderate." He is no moderate on the issue of women's rights and women's access to reproductive health care. Ethan Orr is a culture warrior who is a certain vote for Cathi Herrod and her Center for Arizona Policy. Here is Orr's statement to CAP. Ethan Orr Statement (.pdf). I previously posted about The trouble with 'E.Orr'.
The Star endorsed Tea-Publican Ted Vogt for the House in LD 10, who voted for every bill advanced by Cathi Herrod and the Center for Arizona Policy. Here is Vogt's CAP questionnaire. CAP Arizona Voter Guide (.pdf).
Click here (.pdf) to review Planned Parenthood of Arizona's 2012 Legislative Scorecard to see how your lawmakers voted during the 2012 legislative session. Not surprisingly, every Southern Arizona Tea-Publican in the state legislature had a perfect score of "0" for having voted with Cathi Herrod and the Center for Arizona Policy on every bill scored.
How delusional are the editors of the Star in their selection of Vogt? "Vogt is conservative, without a doubt, but we believe he could be effective in moderating, to the degree possible, his more extreme colleagues' views on matters that speak to the necessity of government." Vogt is also an ideologue, a water carrier for ALEC and the Goldwater Institute, Ted 'tort reform' Vogt, and like his Southern Arizona Tea-Publican seat mates, he has consistently voted against the interests of the City of Tucson and Pima County. Southern Arizona Tea-Publicans, enablers for the state of Maricopa. He is no "moderate."
The Star, for reasons I find incomprehensible, endorsed Tea-Publican Adam Kwasman for the House in LD 11. This guy managed the campaign of Tea Party extremist Jesse Kelly for Congress. There is no doubt he is also an ideological extremist. How delusional are the editors of the Star in their selection of Kwasman? "Sen. Steve Smith, has a record of voting against women's health-care choice rights. Kwasman shares his anti-choice views, but we hope his background as an economist - a self-described "nerd" - and financial background will trump ideological forays into reproductive rights." Riiiight. That's never gonna happen.
I do not have enough information on John Christopher Ackerly, the Star's Tea-Publican endorsement in LD 2, to know where he stands on women's access to reproductive health care. I wonder if the Star even asked him. (If anyone knows, post it in the comments). [Note: See Update]
If you want to disempower Cathi Herrod and her culture warriors at the Center for Arizona Policy, you must elect Democrats to office. Herrod's power derives from her ability to threaten Tea-Publicans with a primary opponent in the GOP primary. Herrod is powerless within the Democratic Party. It's really as simple as that.
UPDATE: Here are the relevant responses from Ackerley in his questionnaire to The Arizona Republic, Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for State Legislature, JOHN CHRISTOPHER ACKERLEY:
Do you agree with defunding Planned Parenthood? And/or the 20-week abortion ban?
No taxpayer funds should be used to provide or advocate for abortion services.
Should all employers be allowed to opt out of contraception coverage?
No private or religious organizations should be compelled to provide services or products that it finds morally objectionable.
It is pretty clear this guy will not stand up to Cathi Herrod and her culture warriors at the Center for Arizona Policy.
When LD 11 candidate Adam Kwasman announced his campaign, he brought Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio to speak on his behalf. I attended that press conference at the Pima county courthouse.
Posted by: Carolyn Classen | October 16, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Planned parenthood need to be banned, because it saves many lives and makes womens to lead a healthy life.
http://www.womenhealthzone.com/
Posted by: Gene Bernice | October 23, 2012 at 02:01 AM