'Better know a district': Kirkpatrick does, Paton does not

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Stephen Colbert does a recurring segment on the Colbert Report titled "Better know a district." Colbert interviews members of Congress about their district. It is pretty clear that Ann Kirkpatrick knows her district, "Arizona's Fightin' First" as Colbert would say, and her carpetbagger opponent, Jonathan "Payday" Paton does not.

This background piece on Ann Kirkpatrick appeared in Arizona Home and Garden:

While covering the Navajo Parade and Fair in Window Rock, Arizona for Arizona Home and Garden, we noticed a woman receiving a lot of handshakes and respects from Navajo Veterans.  The woman was Ann Kirkpatrick — a woman who has made a difference for Arizona.

While serving District 1 of Arizona in Congress, Ann Kirkpatrick passed legislation to ensure that veterans’ income benefits can no longer disqualify Navajo People from housing assistance. While serving on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs she worked closely with the Navajo Housing Authority (NHA) to craft the legislation. She was able to push it through the House of Representatives and The President signed the bill into law in October, 2010.

Kirkpatrick also was instrumental in urging Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki to put into place a new requirement that Veterans who seek PTSD treatment simply provide proof of active-duty service in a war zone and be diagnosed with the illness by a VA specialist. The change eliminates strict documentation requirements that have delayed and denied mental health benefits for thousands of our Nation’s heroes.

Kirkpatrick’s Veterans/Servicemembers Life Insurance Equity Act and her bill reauthorizing the Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education (VACE) both passed in the Senate and were approved by the House as part of a larger package. These measures will help ensure that educational benefits for returning troops will remain of the highest quality and that life insurance options for current and former service members can keep up with those in private sector plans.

The Tribal Law and Order Act, which Rep. Kirkpatrick helped to push through Congress, was signed into law as part of a broad initiative to help strengthen security in Indian Country. The law will give tribes new resources to keep Indian Country safe and allows them to better collaborate with state and federal law enforcement communities.

In a press release from the Arizona Democratic Party today, it is revealed that Jonathan "Payday" Paton mocked these legislative accomplishments, and by extension, the constituents of Native Americans and veterans this legislation benefitted, in a recent debate in Casa Grande, AZ.

Does Jonathan Paton Know His District?

Payday Paton mocks bills that helped Native Americans and Veterans in District 1

PHOENIX, AZ—At a recent debate in Casa Grande, Tea Party Republican Jonathan Paton's attempts to denounce the Congressional achievement of Ann Kirkpatrick revealed once again that Paton fails to understand his district. Rather than hailing bills that protected veterans and created basic infrastructure such as running water, Paton said, "Seven little bills that in the grand scheme of things, don't mean anything."

Jonathan Paton showed what he thinks about the constituents of Congressional District 1," said Arizona Democratic Press Secretary D.B. Mitchell. "By trying to belittle real accomplishments that improved lives, Paton proves that his priorities are all wrong."

Perhaps this is why the Tribal governments of District 1 have endorsed Ann Kirkpatrick over this sneering, insulting carpetbagger. Navajo agencies endorse Kirkpatrick - White Mountain Independent:

Ann Kirkpatrick has received the endorsements of all three of Arizona’s Navajo Agencies — Chinle Agency, Fort Defiance Agency and Western Navajo Agency. On Saturday, the Chinle Agency and the Fort Defiance Agency passed resolutions in support of Kirkpatrick’s campaign. In September, the Western Navajo Agency passed a similar resolution of support.

“I am honored and humbled by this outpouring of support. I will always stand with the Navajo people,” Kirkpatrick said. “There’s much at stake for tribal communities in this election, but one of the top threats is the repeal of the permanent reauthorization of Indian Health Service funding. This 20-year battle for critical health-care services finally achieved success in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and we need to protect it.”

As previously noted, Arizona is home to 22 politically distinct Indian tribes with land holdings that constitute nearly 28 percent of the state’s land base. Of this, 12 tribal sovereign governments and American Indians make up 25 percent of Arizona’s Congressional District 1. Voter turnout in every tribal community will be a determining factor in the election outcome on Nov. 6.

Southern Arizonans rejected "Payday" Paton for being an arrogant political opportunist in 2010. Our neighbors to the north should reject him as well in 2012. Ann Kirkpatrick is a native of the district and has served much of the district in the past. She better knows her district.

Comments

[John]

Anyone who walks out of a town hall meeting of her constituents is not fit to serve in Congress.

[AZ BlueMeanie]

As I recall it was due to Tea Party agitators behaving badly and disrupting the meeting.

[lulzcat]

Yeah whatever AZBlueMeanie. Kirkpatrick walked out on a bunch of senior citizens that wanted their questions answered. Ohhh, how scary!

[Sonoransam]

Kirkpatrick walked out of a situation that had been turned into a near-riot. First she sought help from a police officer - who told Kirkpatrick she was on her own.

So she walked out of a SAFEWAY because a bunch of Yahoos had created an unsafe situation in a store where people were shopping with her children.

Now of course, nothing could ever happen in a Safeway, right? I mean it's not like anyone would take out a gun and start shooting people at random!

[lulzcat]

Oh yeah, a bunch of white haired senior citizens... a real riot! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLjcmKMUwEc