Laurie Roberts at the AZ Republic is beside herself that the well-heeled proponents of the dumb Top Two Primary idea are, as she delightedly exclaims, baaaaaack. (Much more after the jump)
You have all heard by now about last week's GOP dirty tricks by the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, setting up fake mirror web sites for Democratic candidates. If it's the NRCC, that means the Arizona Daily Star's former political reporter hack and all-around prick Daniel Scarpinato is involved. In fact, the Star gave "The Scarp" gratuitous copy in its reporting on this story. GOP fundraising websites touting Democrats called unethical:
A move by the National Republican Congressional Campaign has local Democrats seeing red over a set of new websites that appear to tout Democrat candidates.
The Republican political committee has created mini-websites for U.S. Reps. Ron Barber, Ann Kirkpatrick and Kyrsten Sinema touting their accomplishments and asking for donations.
However, those pulling out their checkbooks with the intent of backing the incumbent Democrats will actually be giving their hard-earned dollars to Republicans.
The tactic isn’t isolated to Arizona, either. The NRCC has created at least a dozen websites in other states similarly targeting other Democrats running for office.
Campaign staffers are calling the slick, one-page websites with their high-resolution photographs of the candidates a cheap political play, designed with only one goal in mind: to trick voters into giving money to Republicans.
NRCC national press secretary Daniel Scarpinato is proud of the mini-websites, saying voters can get information from the Republican-backed websites that is not readily available on the candidates’ sites.
A new Republican candidate wants to see if he can outmaneuver GOP favorite Martha McSally for the chance to take on U.S. Rep. Ron Barber in Congressional District 2 this year. Meet Chuck Wooten:
Chief Master Sergeant, U.S. Air Force (Retired) Chuck Wooten is announcing his candidacy for the Arizona Congressional District 2 (CD2) on the Republican ticket.
Chuck Wooten is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Congressman Ron Barber.
Wooten has achieved certain notoriety with his Open Letter to Congressman Paul Ryan regarding the reduction of military retirement payments in the Ryan-Murray Budget that was passed into law in late December 2013. [More about that Open Letter below.]
Wooten is running on a platform that includes steadfast, conservative positions on issues regarding border security, jobs for southeastern Arizonans, healthcare reform and reducing the federal deficit. Wooten offers a clear, common-sense alternative in his approach as compared to the other Republican candidates.
“I deliberately chose a campaign slogan that echoes loud and clear the message that southern Arizona conservatives have identified as the top qualities they demand in their representatives, “Trust. Leadership. Guts.” These qualities are my hallmark and my commitment to deliver to them when I earn their votes,” said Wooten.
Wooten will be making a formal announcement for his candidacy for Arizona Congressional District 2 on Monday, February 3, 2014, at 12:00 Noon on the steps of El Presidio Park, 160 W. Alameda Street in down town Tucson.
Martha McSally is finally taking questions, not from a skeptical media, but from the friendly safe confines of the Republican 1200 Club dinner in Sierra Vista last Friday. Bill Hess of the Sierra Vista Herald reports, "Each [candidate] responded to questions which they had been given in advance by the club leadership, as well as one from the audience. The candidates were given three minutes to respond to each query." GOP candidates for Congress speak to 1200 Club (subscription required).
As you would expect, the questions were softballs and the candidates avoided any thoughtful substantive responses:
The first question was a natural, with the women asked why they were seeking the seat.
In an alternating response format, McSally went first and said, Congress is broken.
“I want to fix it. I want to fight for you,” she said.
There’s too much government overreach by the Democratic leadership which Barber follows, McSally said.
“It’s time for a change.”
[Shelley] Kais said, “Our party is struggling.”
The need to get the Republican message out has been hampered and needs to stop, she added.
“What we do in America is impacting the world,” Kais said.
Wow, there's some deep thinkers for you. These candidates get a softball question and all they've got are empty platitudes, bumper sticker slogans and GOP talking points. That may work in front of the 1200 Club, but general election voters are going to demand more substantive responses to difficult policy questions.
Our sad small-town newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star, published this cryptic report today that Jim Brown is running for Congress in CD 1. Brown enters race for Congress in District 1.
My first thought was, "THE Jim Brown?" The legendary No. 32 of the Cleveland Browns and probably the greatest running back ever? Sadly, no. That would have been so much fun.
It took some searching to find out any information on this Republican that the Star failed to report.
I found his Twitter feed at Jim Brown 2 Congress (jb2dc) on Twitter. Bummer. Just another Texas transplant teabagger wannabe Congressman hatin' on the federal "guvmint." Here is his header post:
Jim Brown2Congress
@jb2dc
Arizona's 1st District-My utter contempt 4 what politicians have done 2 this country is my fuel 4 the run. CHRISTIAN/CONSERVATIVE/CONSTITUTION
Arizona/Texas
I doubt that House Speaker Andy Tobin, state Rep. Adam Kwasman and wealthy rancher Gary Kiehne are losing any sleep over this guy.
There's nothing like a self-involved legislator who wants to abuse the legislative body in which he serves for his own personal gain, especially when he is squaring off against another member of that legislative body for the same contested seat. The Arizona Capitol Times (subcription required) reports that Rep. Adam Kwasman (R-Oro Valley), has filed a bill to repeal Governor Jan Brewer's Medicaid (AHCCCS) expansion plan as a ploy to posture himself against House Speaker Andy Tobin in the Republican primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. Republican lawmaker proposes repealing Medicaid expansion.
These dueling dipshits should take their fight outside. There is no chance the coalition of votes that passed Governor Brewer's Medicaid (AHCCCS) expansion are going to change their minds. This is all about appealing to the GOP crazy base in the GOP congressional primary. Only a court ruling -- which is still pending -- could upset this balance.
And you know who neither Kwasman nor Tobin give a damn about? The more than 300,000 desperate working poor in Arizona who are now eligible for medical care under AHCCCS, many for the first time in their lives. They are just collateral damage to these dueling dipshits.
Commenters to this blog assured me that teabagger part-time radio host Ed Martin would defeat the empty (flight) suit Martha McSally in the GOP primary for CD 2.
It turns out that "Mr. Ed" stumbled out of the gate, and is out of the race before it really started. (Ed Martin is President/CEO of a Kentucky-based association that advocates for integrity in equine sport.) Republican Martin drops out of congressional race:
Republican Ed Martin, a former Tucson talk-radio host and horse-racing official, has dropped out of the race for the seat now held by Democratic congressman Ron Barber.
Martin, 59, said in a written statement that he withdrew because of “unforeseen personal family challenges“ that will require his attention. Martin announced his candidacy in September stating that he represented an alternative to Martha McSally, the 2012 Republican nominee, who is again seeking the congressional seat.
In addition to McSally, Shelly Kais, a former McSally campaign supporter and Tucson businesswoman is also seeking the party’s nomination.
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce announced its 2014 legislative agenda. Along the way, Speaker of the House Andy Tobin, who's running for Congress in CD-1, said Washington is what's wrong with Arizona.
“If the federal government took its foot off the throat of Arizona, we would be doing a lot better,” he said.
The ed news is, the Chamber wants to promote a world-class education system. So far so good. It wants to do it by adding more educational choice -- not so good. That's code-speak for more vouchers, more money and latitude for charters and a continuing shrinking of funds for our school district schools. If there's any question about the direction this is heading:
Toward that end, the Arizona Chamber announced nationally recognized education leader Lisa Graham Keegan, a past Arizona superintendent of public instruction, will lead an effort to bring about major reforms to Arizona’s education system.
Keegan brought us charter schools when she was in the state senate, made sure they were under-regulated when she was Arizona's Ed Supe, was McCain's education advisor when he ran for president, and currently works fist in glove with Craig Barrett, the multi-millionaire ex-CEO of Intel who is Brewer's point man for the state's conservative "education reform" agenda and has said he wants to make sure we don't "throw money" at education.
At least there's no question where the Chamber stands.
It looks as if I finally have some help in my lonely quest to expose Martha McSally as a media invention, and an ill-informed and ill-prepared candidate. The Arizona Democratic Party sent out this press release on Wednesday:
Who is the Real McSally??????
December 11, 2013
Phoenix, AZ–DJ Quinlan, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party issued the following statement on the launching of therealmcsally.com website:
“The voters of Southern Arizona deserve to know where Martha McSally stands on crucial issues that affect the future of our country and state. Unfortunately McSally won’t come clean. In fact, her website does not even contain an issues page. That’s why we are launching therealmcsally.com website. It will serve as a resource to the voters of Congressional District 2 to help them track the multiple positions (or lack thereof) that Martha McSally has taken.
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly and host of the Arizona Illustrated political roundtable tried to get Martha McSally to take a position on the current hot topic of gay marriage and "ObamaCare" and - suprise! - McSally is still hiding in the bunker with no ready answer to substantive questions. This is one incredibly ill-informed and ill-prepared candidate for someone who has been running for office since 2010. In Sickness and in Health:
What about gay marriage? Are you evolving on that at all?
Am I evolving on that?
A lot of people seem to be evolving on that. You said last time out that you supported a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to one man and one woman. Now we have it in all these states.
I believe it's primarily a state issue. When you're answering these surveys, sometimes it's a "yes/no" question when really it should be an essay answer that's appropriate.
Andy Tobin has a radio hit piece out against Ann Kirkpatrick. It's boilerplate stuff: Obama-Kirkpatrick-Obamacare-Kirkpatrick-Obamacare-Obama-Kirkpatrick. The only truly wonderful part of it is the opening:
"Hello, I'm Andy Tobin, and I'm running for Congress because I'm sick of Washington, D.C."
Let me suggest a few follow-up slogans for the Tobin campaign:
"The federal government doesn't work, and I want to go to Washington to make sure it stays that way."
"I hate Washington so much, if I'm elected, I'm staying home."
No charge, Andy. My first two slogans are always on the house.
So far, McSally’s campaign has mimicked her 2012 effort. The personable candidate isn’t quick to share her stance on issues beyond her own philosophical views.
* * *
McSally has remained reluctant to take solid stances on current issues, most notably dodging questions about how she would have voted on spending bills that led to the government shutdown and then a compromise bill that ended the congressional stalemate in October.
A recent Rothenberg Political Report praised McSally, who “oozes confidence about her prospects,” but also noted she “did her best to bob and weave” when asked how she’d vote on the compromise to reopen the government.
It’s not the only interview in which McSally has avoided providing a solid answer. She told the Arizona Capitol Times it isn’t her job to Monday-morning quarterback what’s happening in Washington, D.C.
“I’m not in Congress, so I’m not running a shadow congressional staff that’s sitting there and getting all the briefings that they have the privilege of having there, and I usually don’t like to weigh in on legislation I haven’t read,” McSally said.
She said southern Arizona voters are worried about other matters.
“They’re interested in understanding my character, and my philosophy on things and how I would come to decisions that I’ll make in the future,” she said.
Political observers say the cautious campaign style may not work to McSally’s advantage, particularly in a GOP primary field where other candidates may run to the right of her.
Republican voters in Tucson want to know how McSally and others would cast votes in Congress, even if it’s a hypothetical vote.
“Otherwise, how are we going to know who to vote for?” said Carolyn Cox, chairwoman of the Pima County Republican Party. “We’ve been very disappointed in all of our candidates, especially the Democrats, for voting for a bill they’ve never even read.”
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
I have never seen a candidate so controlled by handlers and so afraid of answering substantive questions from the media. I have speculated previously "it is painfully obvious that Martha McSally is a vacuous candidate who does not know enough about any subject to offer a thoughtful and detailed explanation of her positions. So she continues to hide in the bunker and refuses to offer any detailed explanations of her positions."
Today, Martha McSally actually gives an answer that confirms my suspicion. She is ill-informed, and ill-prepared -- and frankly, too intellectually incurious and lazy, and lacking in discipline -- to be a qualified candidate for Congress.
Jim Nintzel writes at the Tucson Weekly, Detail Work:
In an interview with the Weekly earlier this month, McSally explained that she generally doesn't know enough about the details of legislation to make a good decision about how she would vote on it.
"I'm not in Congress, I don't have a staff, I don't have the briefings," McSally said. "I'm not going to spend all of my time making comments on legislation I haven't studied or been briefed on or have the same sort of opportunities that a member of Congress has. I'd be spending literally day and night if I'm going to comment on every single piece of legislation that comes up, and I'm not going to just willy-nilly go, 'Yeah, I would have voted for that or I wouldn't have voted for that' if I haven't really studied it."
McSally said sharing her general principles ought to be enough for voters, and that Southern Arizonans were not interested in how she would vote on legislation this year.
"The only people who are pushing me on this are the media," McSally said. "Not constituents. Not voters. Voters want to know what my philosophies are."
This is an admission against interest that she is ill-informed, ill-prepared, too intellectually incurious and lazy, and lacking in discipline to effectively serve as a member of Congress. If I was vetting this candidate, my recommendation to the party would be that McSally should not be a candidate for public office.
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly and host of the Arizona Illustrated political roundtable tried to get Martha McSally to take a position on the current hot topic of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) and - suprise! - McSally is still hiding in the bunker with no ready answer to substantive questions. This is one incredibly ill-informed and ill-prepared candidate for someone who has been running for office since 2010. From
Republican Martha McSally, who hopes to unseat Barber next year, declined to take a position on ENDA.
"I haven't read the law, so I'd have to read it before I make a comment," she told the Weekly last week.
When she ran in 2010, McSally was opposed to "adding 'sexual orientation,' 'gender identity,' or 'gender expression' to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestory in anti-discrimination law," according to a survey she filled out for the Center for Arizona Policy, a religious-right organization.
McSally said last week she filled the survey out early in her political career, so she would have to go back and review how the question was phrased before she could say whether she still stood by it. The questionnaire, she said, only let her say whether she supported or opposed various positions, and she felt she should have instead been given an opportunity to write longer answers.
[Note: This is B.S. Candidates frequently attach detailed responses to questionnaires when they have a nuanced or detailed position on an issue. I have to read these questionnaires all the time. A candidate does not need to ask permission to attach their response. Where is that proactive, take charge leadership skills McSally wants us to believe? She was intimidated by a "check the box" questionnaire from CAP?]
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
Patrick McNamara of the Arizona Daily Star reported this week on Congressman Ron Barber signing "a letter along with 32 other members of Congress imploring Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to preserve the A-10 program, which has a large presence at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base." Barber backs A-10 retention at D-M. "The letter was written in an effort to head off any threat from impending federal budget cuts in the coming fiscal year, which almost certainly will include defense-spending reductions."
This would be the automatic GOP Sequester budget cuts in the event a budget agreement is not reached before January.
McNamara got himself a quote from Martha McSally, who is running for Barber's seat, presumably because she used to fly the A-10 (hopefully not because he is treating McSally as the GOP "presumptive nominee;" she has two primary opponents, Ed Martin and Shelley Kais).
Naturally, McSally went for snark over substance, suggesting that it seems the congressman has only now realized the threat of impending elimination of the A-10 program. This is in reference to her own reckless and irresponsible fear mongering over Davis-Monthan AFB possibly being closed if the A-10 is phased out. Questions for Martha McSally: On what basis do you assert that Davis-Monthan AFB will close?
Let's be clear: The only immediate threat to the A-10 at Davis-Monthan AFB is the automatic GOP Sequester budget cuts. While McNamara's report in regards to Congressman Ron Barber was about the federal budget and defense cuts, oddly enough he does not report whether he asked Martha McSally about her support for the automatic GOP Sequester budget cuts to the defense department budget (if he did, he failed to report any response). Instead, he framed McSally's responses based upon her previous reckless and irresponsbile fear mongering over the A-10.
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
Turns out I am not alone. Stuart Rothenberg at Roll Call's Rothenblog actually got the chance to ask McSally my questions, and she refused to answer him as well. This candidate is seriously cowering in the bunker. Two House Candidates Who Stumbled Over Simple Questions:
Retired Air Force Col. Martha McSally is personable and engaging, and
her 2,454-vote loss to Democratic Rep. Ron Barber in Arizona’s 2nd
District in 2012 demonstrates that she has appeal as a congressional
candidate.
But none of that exempts the 47-year-old Republican, who is running
again this cycle and oozes confidence about her prospects, from
answering an important question: How would she have voted on the
compromise that ultimately ended the government shutdown in October?
And yet, though I asked that question repeatedly in an Oct. 29
interview, McSally did her best to bob and weave, clearly intent on not
giving a “yes” or a “no.” Instead, I heard a lot of baloney about not
wanting to look backward and only wanting to look ahead.
A recent Rocky Mountain Poll (.pdf) by the Behavior Research Center found that half of Arizonans believe we are on the highway to hell, and only 13% plan to support incumbents for Congress. Here is how Howie Fischer at Capitol Media Services reported the poll results, Voters say they're ready to jettison Congressional incumbents:
A new poll suggests Arizona voters are fed up with the antics of their current congressional representatives and are ready to put the whole herd out to pasture.
Across the board, a majority of voters of all political persuasions, gender identifications, income groups and geographic locations told Behavior Research Center pollsters they’ve had enough, and a change is needed.
But it remains to be seen whether the anger at government dysfunction carries through to next year’s general election — and whether voters find the alternatives they are offered are any better.
More than half of all respondents said they will vote for someone else next year, rather than the person who is currently representing them. And when you filter it down to those actually registered to vote, nearly two-thirds said no to their current representative.
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
Alex Seitz-Wald at the National Journal has taken notice of the point that this blog has been driving home in this series of posts for months: Martha McSally refuses to answer substantive questions from the media. Shutting Down the Government Over Obamacare Is the New Obamacare:
It's happening in southern Arizona, where Republican candidate Martha
McSally "wouldn't take a stand [on the shutdown] despite multiple
requests for her position from The Republic, Arizona Daily Star, Green Valley News/Sahuarita Sun and KVOI-AM (1030)," as the Arizona Republicreported this month. "She would say only that the shutdown is 'a failure of leadership,' " the paper's Rebekah Sanders added.
While the Arizona political media is falling all over itself today to report McSally's fund raising for the previous quarter, the Tucson Weekly takes pains to note that McSally is still avoiding answering any substantive questions from the media. CD2: McSally Outraises Barber Over the Last Three Months:
Rodd McLeod, a political strategist working for Team Barber, took a shot at McSally's tendency to duck questions from the press.
"At a time when our country has been brought to the brink of
financial disaster by Washington Republicans, Martha McSally should be
honest with Arizonans on how she'd address the issues we face, rather
than hiding behind campaign press releases," McLeod said via email.
McLeod tells The Range that Barber raised $318,584 in the third quarter and had $767,203 in the bank as of Sept. 30.
If there's any doubt that the campaign battle is already on, a source
with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tells The Range
that the DCCC will be using automated phone calls to connect voters with
McSally's campaign HQ to berate her because she "refuses to disown
Washington Republican's shutdown."
[I]nfluential organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are
standing behind Boehner. More importantly, Boehner’s friends in the
business community are getting ready to take sides in a few Republican
primary races against tea party candidates in Michigan, Idaho and
Alabama who could cause the House speaker more trouble.
* * *
Now that the shutdown and debt-ceiling fight have exposed a rift in
the Republican Party, lines are being drawn in the battle for control:
On one side, there is Boehner and his circle of powerful business
allies. On the other, tea party lawmakers and activist groups such as
Heritage Action and the Club for Growth.
“I don’t know of anybody
in the business community who takes the side of the Taliban minority,”
said Dirk Van Dongen, longtime chief lobbyist for the National
Association of Wholesaler-Distributors who has known Boehner since the
lawmaker’s first election.
In the hallways of the country’s leading trade associations, there is
talk about taking on tea party Republicans in at least three states.
As I pointed ou in a recent "Questions for Martha McSally," the "current threat to Davis-Monthan AFB is the GOP sequester, which Tea-Publicans insist on retaining in both the Continuing Resolution fight that has shut down the federal government, and in future budget negotiations." It is not the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission in 2015.
The federal spending cuts that went into effect earlier
this year under sequestration are taking nearly twice the toll on
counties with military installations than on those without, according to
a new analysis.
The analysis, conducted by the Financial Times and
the nonprofit Center for Public Integrity, found that in the 388 U.S.
counties with at least one military installation, sequestration has had a
per-capita impact of $312 dollars. In the more than 2,700 counties
without an installation, the impact was $171 per capita.
Financial Times/Center for Public Integrity map of sequestration’s impact.
The region with the highest per-capita hit was Los Alamos,
New Mexico, where nearly a fifth of the workforce is federally employed.
The per-capita impact of the cuts there is $6,359.
The hardest-hit counties are all over the country. In
Alaska, the Valdez-Cordova Census Area saw a per-capita impact
of $6,336. In Bryan, Georgia, it was $5,553. The per-capita effect of
sequestration was $4,581 in Geary, Kansas.
Martha McSally told The Arizona Republic that her "top
priority will be keeping the A-10 aircraft, which she flew as the
first female airman in combat, from from being phased out at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base."
Noting the district includes two important military installations —
the Air Force’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson and the Army’s
Fort Huachuca in Serra Vista — she said both are in danger of being
closed if actions are not taken to strengthen them
with additional missions.
As for the air base, McSally, who served at Davis-Monthan, said the
Air Force is on the verge of making a bad operational decision to
eliminate the A-10, a close air support aircraft, a plane she
flew over Afghanistan.
There is no other aircraft which can provide the close air support ground forces need, McSally said.
Back in January of 2012, the Air Force announced that it would begin phasing out the 40 year old A-10 aircraft -- in 2028. This has led to fear mongering by local talk radio, see James T. Harris Flake drops A-10 bomb on constituents - Arizona Daily Independent (Flake confirmed for listeners of the James T. Harris radio show that one of their worst fears was true: the A-10 has been marked for elimination in the next 1 to 2 years), and by Martha McSally that Pentagon budget cuts (i.e., the GOP sequester) could lead to the retirement of the A-10 in the next couple of years, or with the next round of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission in 2015. See this KGUN 9 Tucson report (sourced entirely to Martha McSally).
All this gloom and doom Armageddon talk is entirely speculation at this point. I've lived in Tucson long enough to remember the previous half-dozen times or so that Chicken Littles predicted "the sky is falling" with the imminent closure of Davis-Monthan, and the base is still operational. Davis-Monthan is a fair weather air force base for flight training in unrestricted air space with access to the Goldwater Bombing Range, and its "boneyard" for spare parts is a vital resource. Davis-Monthan has other critical missions assigned to it besides the aging A-10, so it is not closing any time soon.
For several months now, this blog has posted a series of "Questions for Martha McSally" regarding her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012. I had hoped this would encourage local media to be more aggressive in questioning McSally, instead of allowing McSally a free pass.
At least on day one of the "official" McSally campaign, my hopes were dashed. Wick Communications, which essentially controls small town newspapers in Southern Arizona, failed miserably in the coverage of Martha McSally's campaign kick-off -- which also happened to fall on day one of the Tea Party "Suicide Caucus" Shutdown of the federal government.
The editors allowed McSally to simply spew empty platitudes, bumper sticker slogans, and ad hominem attacks on President Obama that she no doubt memorized at GOPAC candidate school, or was provided by "The Scarp," former Arizona Daily Star reporter Daniel Scarpinato from the RNCC.
In reading through the superficial reporting below, it is painfully obvious that Martha McSally is a vacuous candidate who does not know enough about any subject to offer a thoughtful and detailed explanation of her positions. So she continues to hide in the bunker and refuses to offer any detailed explanations of her positions. McSally is counting on our local media to give her a free pass again this time. At least on day one, McSally got exactly what she wanted from our local media.
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
Martha McSally now has two primary opponents, Shelley Kais, President of Kais E Systems, Inc., who worked for the McSally campaign during the
special election to fill Congresswoman Giffords’ seat, who has formed an exploratory committee. And Ed Martin, who announced his candidacy today. Martin is a former spokesman for U.S. senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY), and has
been an occasional guest host on the
radio show hosted by Tucson gabber Jon Justice since moving to Arizona. Martin's website is more of a jeremiad than it is a campaign web site.
So, on to hot topics:
Does Martha McSally support the Tea Party strategy of governing-by-extortion, i.e., taking the federal government hostage and demanding that Democrats submit to their hostage demands -- essentially to nullify the 2012 election results and to enact the GOP agenda that voters rejected last November -- or they will: (a) shut down the federal government and/or (b) default on the national debt for the first time in American history?
Does Martha McSally support the Tea Party strategy to shut down the federal government unless Democrats submit to their hostage demand to "defund Obamacare," which is a new version of the long-discredited and rejected doctrine of nullification through the force of governing-by-extortion?
Does Martha McSally support the Tea Party strategy of threatening to default on the national debt for the first time in American history unless Democrats submit to their hostage demand to "defund Obamacare,"
which is a new version of the long-discredited and rejected doctrine of
nullification through the force of governing-by-extortion?
In Blog for Arizona's new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the Martha McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the primary election is
over like our local media did in 2012. The McSally campaign has not posted any responses to the questions we have posed to her campaign.
But at least we ask the questions and expect a response. On Sunday, The Arizona Republic published a "puff piece" about Martha McSally with all the indicia that it was requested by National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Daniel Scarpinato, who gets a brief mention in the report. Martha McSally eyes running again in 2014. The only passage from this "puff piece" of any relevance:
Democrats argue that if McSally runs in 2014, she will be defeated again. Democrats have wonthe
seat the past five elections. They say she appears indecisive, after
talking in recent months about running for other offices and not
officially announcing her candidacy. They say McSally’s often-told
can-do story masks a reluctance to take a stand on tough policy
positions. Recently, she hasn’t addressed, for instance, the Syria crisis or a potential government shutdown.
McSally counters that she is doing her due diligence on running, her
positions have been detailed and, with more time to talk to voters, she
can win. National Republican leaders appear eager to back her, seeing a
key part of the GOP’s future in appealing to female voters.
The reporter does not challenge McSally's assertion that her "postions have been detailed," which we have clearly demonstrated they are not. McSally is an enigma, whom the media allows to get by on her biographical narrative, and never asks nor demands answers from her to hard questions about her policy positions. There is not a single policy position detailed in this long "puff piece."
In this blog's new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we have posed questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the primary election is
over like our local media did in 2012.
The McSally campaign is hiding in the bunker, refusing to answer the written interrogatories that this blog has posed to her campaign. I think we have been more than fair. With written interrogatories, it's not like we are springing "gotcha" questions on her for which she is unprepared to answer. She has the time to research her answer and to provide a cogent, thoughtful response to reach out to as many voters as possible. She should take that opportunity.
Perhaps her GOP primary opponents will be able to coax a response out of McSally. The political gossip rag Yellow Sheet Reports (subscription required) reported that Ed Martin, an occasional fill-in radio host for radio talk show host Jon Justice and a former press secretary to U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) is considering running, as well as Shelley Kais, President of Kais E Systems, Inc., who worked for the McSally campaign during the
special election to fill Congresswoman Giffords’ seat, who has already formed an exploratory committee.
An interesting juxtaposition of reporting in the Arizona media today: the Arizona Republic published a profile piece on Congressman Ron Barber (D-AZ 2), who does not represent the Maricopa County area, Rep.
Barber puts focus on women’s issues, but the Arizona Daily Star published a guest opinion by Rep. Barber's 2012 GOP opponent -- and anticipated 2014 opponent -- Martha McSally, who decries the effects of the automatic GOP sequestration budget cuts on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DMAFB). Martha
McSally: Wake Up and Unite To Save A-10 and Davis-Monthan.
This is an interesting tack for McSally to take. House GOP leaders have recently
been trying to talk their caucus members into claiming
victory on the automatic GOP sequestration budget cuts and abandoning their effort to defund
the Affordable Care Act aka "ObamaCare." Former Bush administration hack Marc Thiessen writes at the Washington Post today, How Republicans reversed the runaway spending train:
[T]the tea party revolution of 2010 put the brakes on the spending
train. The GOP takeover of the House, and the influx of fiscal hawks,
killed any chance of a new stimulus and gave rise to the Budget Control
Act in exchange for a debt-limit increase. House Republicans were able
to use the threat of default to force a reluctant Obama to cut spending
instead of increasing it.
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
Southern AZ readers should feel free to ignore the Maricopa-focused stuff at the end of the post. :)
Most of this has been covered elsewhere this week; this is mostly just a compilation.
Federal level -
No
new candidates to report as of this writing, but on Channel 12's Sunday
Square Off this morning, the panelists did speculate/rumor-spread (not that I've ever done such things :) ) that AZ House Speaker Andy Tobin will enter a race for a seat in Congress.
State level -
...Christine Jones, a former GoDaddy exec, has entered
the contest for the Republican nomination for governor. She should
bring a lot of money into the race, but until she shows otherwise, she's
presumed to be a wealthy dilettante looking to buy an elected office.
She joins the following in the race for the R nomination -
Others
rumored to be interested, but nothing official yet: Scott Smith, mayor
of Mesa; Steve Pierce/Andy Tobin, senator/representative from LD1
(neither may go for it, and almost certainly both won't go for it, but
one of them may go for it); Jan Brewer, the term-limited incumbent, who
keeps making noises about challenging AZ's term limits law.
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the primary election is
over like our local media did in 2012.
In 2012, McSally recommended ending the federal
student loan program: “As a conservative, the federal government needs
to be doing less legislation, not more legislation, when it comes to
these local issues. So I would propose no legislation in order to
address these rising costs. But we would stop having federal loans that are piling up that then raise the cost of tuition, surprisingly." [Vail High School Debate, Part 3, Question asked 1:00, McSally responded 2:44, uploaded 4/05/12]
An addendum today, "Did Martha McSally receive any federally backed student loans during her education?"
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012 -- and neither should you.
Today is your opportunity to ask Martha McSally the questions we have been posting here, or some of your own questions to which you want an answer.
Tuesday
at Noon: A newsmaker interview with Retired Air Force Colonel Martha
McSally, expected Republican candidate for U-S Representative in
Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. Certified Financial Planner Shelly
Fishman has the Tuesday MoneyMaker Report. Also, Eileen Klein,
President of the Arizona Board of Regents. Plus, Mitch Tobin, Buckmaster
contributor on the environment. Buckmaster on AM 1030 KVOI, Tucson's
Intelligent Voice with live streaming and podcasts at www.BuckmasterShow.com and www.KVOI.com.
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
Preface: The "Gang of Eight" in the U.S. Senate, which includes Arizona senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, crafted a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the U.S. Senate on a super-majority vote of 68-32, with 14 Republicans including Arizona's seantors voting in favor.
The "Gang of Eight" bill includes a "border surge" amendment from Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) that throws $30 billion in spending over a 10-year period at border security which would produce a financial windfall to some of America's
largest aerospace, technology and security companies, and to
border states. Sen. Corker conceded that his "border surge" is "almost overkill."
As I recall, Pamela was criticized for her reporting on McSally's annulment of marriage in Santa Cruz County, and "Rumor has it that McSally and Henry had a sham marriage of convenience." And then there was this:
There are multiple rumors on the Internet about McSally being a Lesbian. I don't care if she is gay and is in the closet. I do care
if she had a sham marriage to avoid being outed-- since Don't Ask Don't
Tell was in full swing in the late 1990s. I also care about this issue
because McSally's rhetoric is decidedly anti-gay-- particularly
when it comes to gay marrriage-- yet another "cookie cutter" Republican
issue. Is McSally another one of those Republicans who talks loudly
against gays and then turns out to be one?
I for one do not care what a person's sexual preference is, but I do care if a candidate for office is "pulling a Mehlman."
In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics -- I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.
In 2012, the Arizona legislature enacted a 20-week ban on abortions, and attempted to defund Planned Parenthood clinics. Both measures have been enjoined by the federal court as violative of federal law, and the constitutional right to a abortion recognized in Roe. v. Wade.
The Arizona legislature also enacted a law granting an exemption to religious organizations to provide contraception coverage in health care insurance, and a Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) law creating arbitrary standards that apply only to abortion clinics and providers aimed at closing down abortion clinics. A bill for unannounced surprise inspections of abortion clinics died late in the legislative session this year, because it would have been in violation of a court decision.
Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) last month introduced a similar 20-week ban on abortions in Congress to extend the ban to all states, which the GOP controlled House recently approved.
Martha McSally frequently refers to herself as a "woman warrior" (because she was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force). But will she be a "warrior for women"?
What is Martha McSally's position on women's access to health care, contraception, and safe and legal abortions?
When last we heard from Martha McSally back in April, she was traipsing around the country speaking in front of GOP donor groups doing her due diligence for another run for office. The Arizona Republic's Dan Nowicki and Rebekah Sanders reported, McSally says she’s being recruited for Ariz. governor, senate runs | Insiders:
Martha McSally, the
up-and-comer candidate and retired Air Force pilot who nearly beat U.S.
Rep. Ron Barber for his southern Arizona seat last November, says
that she is being recruited not only to challenge him again for
Congress in 2014, but also to run for Arizona governor in 2014 or even
for U.S. Sen. John McCain’s seat if he retires in 2016.
McSally, a Republican, made the remarks
last Thursday to a Rhode Island GOP group, according to a recently
posted video found Tuesday by The Arizona Republic. The video appears to have been posted by a member of the group.
“I am being strongly recruited to run for a variety of different positions.
It’s amazing once you get that national attention, what happens,” she
said in response to a question from the audience. “People have recruited
me to try and run for governor of Arizona or Senate when Sen. McCain
steps down, and these are all very wonderful thoughts and I appreciate
that.”
“I am very seriously considering running
again for Congress,” McSally said, noting she would make her decision in
about six months.
Well, that she did. While she hasn't made any formal announcement, Martha McSally filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for a 2014 congressional campaign on Monday, July 1.
The Tucson Weekly's Jim Nintzel mentioned in passing in The Skinny that "[Martha] McSally hasn't signaled her 2014 intentions yet. We hear some folks say she'll run; others say she's laying the groundwork for a run for McCain's Senate seat, should he not seek reelection in 2016."
Martha McSally, the up-and-comer candidate and retired Air Force pilot who nearly beat U.S. Rep. Ron Barber for his southern Arizona seat last November, says that she is being recruited not only to challenge him again for Congress in 2014, but also to run for Arizona governor in 2014 or even for U.S. Sen. John McCain’s seat if he retires in 2016.
McSally, a Republican, made the remarks last Thursday to a Rhode Island GOP group, according to a recently posted video found Tuesday by The Arizona Republic. The video appears to have been posted by a member of the group.
“I am being strongly recruited to run for a variety of different positions. It’s amazing once you get that national attention, what happens,” she said in response to a question from the audience. “People have recruited me to try and run for governor of Arizona or Senate when Sen. McCain steps down, and these are all very wonderful thoughts and I appreciate that.”
The Capitol Times (subscription only) analysed the vote data in the Flake-Carmona senatorial race and found that Carmona did better than a generic Democrat could be expected to do. He actually won a number of Republican-majority areas.
Carmona defeated Flake, a six-term East Valley congressman, in competitive-but-Republican-leaning precincts across the state. In the Ahwatukee-based Windmere precinct, where Republicans have an 9-point registration edge over Democrats, Carmona beat Flake by more than six percentage points, based on 2-way registration figures and head-to-head performance. In south Scottsdale’s Pueblo precinct, which has a 4.6 percent GOP registration edge, Carmona won more than 54 percent of the vote.
Not only that, he did better than Barber in CD-2 and Sinema in CD-9. That's quite a showing for a first time candidate against Flake, a well-known politician.
If Carmona runs for governor, he'll be able to pick up where he left off, with statewide face-and-name recognition and a base of people who voted for him two years earlier. Will that be enough to beat Ken Bennett or some Republican candidate to be named later? No telling, but it sure gives Carmona a leg up over any other Democrat in the state.
Two local election integrity advocates--Jim March and Mickey Duniho--addressed the Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, during the call to the audience.
Pima, Maricopa, Cochise and other counties are still counting ballots from last Tuesday's presidential election. Hundreds of thousands of uncounted ballots have caused delays in finalizing multiple races and ballot propositions. Main stream news sources and blogs have been on fire with stories about Arizona's election incompetence and stories of voter suppression-- before and after the election.
Let's face it. We have systemic election problems in Pima County, in Arizona, and nationwide. In the 2010 election, hundreds of thousands of ballots were counted throughout the week after the election. Why weren't these election problems addressed and fixed before the 2012 election? The Board of Supervisors needs to man up and face election integrity issues instead of stonwalling.
Read Election Integrity Commissioner Duniho's comments after the jump.
Since Daniel Scarpinato, ex-reporter and current political operative, migrated to D.C. to work for the NRCC, Scarp sitings have become less frequent. But we have one today, courtesy of the voter suppression efforts by the Martha McSally campaign.
A "Scarp," by the way, is a logic-challenged rant by Daniel Scarpinato.
Today's is a doozy. Wiping out the votes of 130 citizens who live in a heavily Hispanic area of Cochise County (and whose votes likely favor Barber by a wide margin), according to the Scarp, is actually "safeguarding the accuracy of the result." Here's the statement.
Every voter has the right to an election that is free of ballot tampering. With today’s outcome, all legally cast ballots will be counted while at the same time safeguarding the accuracy of the result.
Tonight Barber retains a razor-thin margin of just over 200 votes, or .11%, just outside the automatic recount limit. Still no discernable momentum by either candidate to pull away from the dead heat.
Eariler this week, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett announced that more than 600,000 ballots from Tuesday's election had yet to be counted. According to the Wednesday Arizona Daily Star the breakdown is:
Maricopa County: 460,000
Pima County: 80,000
Pinal County: 27,000
Coconino County: 11,000
Navajo County: 5,600
Gila County: 3,400
Apache County: 2,457
Cochise County: who knows? (And why don't they know?)
Now, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow is using Arizona-- and specifically Pima County-- as the poster child for need for election reform-- because Pima has a history of voter suppression. (Us?)
After the jump, watch Maddow skewer Arizona for having more than 600,000 uncounted votes. No one should concede until all ballots have been counted. Today's Arizona Daily Star said that could take another week. We need election reform.
Ron once again holds a slight lead over Martha. The lead keeps changing hands and neither is pulling away yet. Given that the margin has consistently been within near the .5% .01% or 200 vote requirement for a recount under Arizona law, I suspect that even when the ballots are all counted and the result certified, this race will still not quite be over.
As Az Blue Meanie posted below, the FBI is planning to investigate Flake's robocalls that told Dems to go to the wrong polling place.
In a press release, Flake claimed it was nothing, just a few Dems who got the calls that were supposed to go to 120,000 Rs.
[S]ome Democrats might have received the call because of outdated voter information or because adult children who belong to a different party live at the same address.
Except that Greg Jones, a Dem living in Scottsdale, got the call with an incorrect polling place, and . . .
he, his wife and their two college-aged children are all registered Democrats and they’ve lived at the same location for almost 20 years.
Unfortunately, the investigation will be too little, too late to expose Flake's slimeball tactics before the election. It's about time that the preponderance of evidence about Republican voter suppression tactics comes back to haunt them. They have no respect for the voting process, one of the most important aspects of our democracy, which means they don't want to abide by the will of the voting public on election day.
Honest, if incompetent, mistake? Or attempt to suppress the Democratic vote? We report, you decide.
Jeff Flake's campaign is robocalling to get out the vote. For some Democrats in the Valley, that call has contained blatantly incorrect information as to the location of that voter's polling place.
Republican Congressional candidate Col. Martha McSally says
she has been “fighting for women’s rights and women’s equality [her] whole
life.”
McSally is well known as the first woman combat pilot and
the Air Force officer who fought against a government rule requiring US service
women to wear Arab garb when they leave the base.
Does this make her a champion for women’s rights? Let’s look
beyond these headlines to answer that question.
More on McSally's stances on choice, women's health, equal pay, and the War on Women after the jump...
Choice
Although McSally bristles when called a “cookie
cutter” Republican candidate, her stances on women’s issues are in
lock-step with Congressional
War on Women stalwarts like Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul
Ryan and fellow Arizonan Jeff
Flake, who is running on the Republican ticket for US Senate against Dr.
Richard Carmona.
McSally’s
website says she believes in “the sanctity of every human life”. This
right-wing code for saying that she agrees with the Republican Party’s
anti-abortion platform. Ironically, small-government McSally
believes that the government should dictate when American women have children.
Not supporting a woman’s right to make decisions governing her own body is a deal
breaker for many women.
In a 2010 CBS News interview
about Sarah Palin, Katie Couric asked feminist icon Gloria Steinem if one could
be a “conservative feminist”—as
Palin claimed to be, despite her disagreement with traditional feminist views.
“Yes, you can be a feminist who says that you don’t agree
with abortion and wouldn’t have an abortion,” Steinem answered, “but you can’t
be a feminist who says that other women can’t [have an abortion] and [who] criminalizes
abortion. One in three American women needs an abortion at some time in her
life. To make that criminal and dangerous is not a feminist act.”
Women’s Health
In addition to her anti-choice stance, McSally is in the repeal-and-replace camp
when it comes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA)--even declaring that she would
vote to strike down the ACA as one of her first acts in Congress. This also
reflects her anti-woman views.
The ACA includes many hard-fought benefits for women: coverage
for preventive services like mammograms and PAP smears; coverage for maternity
care—a benefit that McSally’s former boss Arizona Senator Jon Kyl
infamously mocked; coverage for
contraception and family planning—a benefit 98% of American women need at some
point in their lives; and an end to insurance
premium price discrimination against women.
Pay Equity
The first bill that President Barack Obama signed into law
as president was the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which makes it easier for women to sue employers
for wage discrimination. Historically, American women have made less than male
counterparts doing the same work. A 2010 study showed that American women earn
about 80
cents per every dollar earned by a male worker. This not only translates to
a smaller paycheck, but over a lifetime in the workforce, this results in a
significantly smaller retirement income. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt
Romney has declared that he would not have signed the fair pay act into law.
Where does McSally stand on equal pay for equal work? Who
knows? The “Jobs & Economic
Opportunities” paragraph on her website focuses on cutting corporate taxes
and regulations—with no mention of equal pay or workers’ rights.
“…You want to talk about a war on women? Walk in my shoes down
the streets of Kabul. Walk in my shoes down the streets of Riyadh; where women
have to be covered up. Where they’re stoned, where they’re honor killed if
they’ve been raped , where they can’t drive and they can’t travel without the
permission of a male relative.
That’s a war on women…”
To American women, McSally’s comment is a slap in
the face because it discounts dismisses our struggles here at home. Yes,
definitely, the way women are treated in Afghanistan and other fundamentalist
countries is deplorable. Women in more progressive countries are fighting for
the rights of our oppressed sisters around the world.
We are able to fight because of the rights and
freedoms we have won here at home—the right to free public education, the right
to vote, the right to equal pay for equal work, the right to control our own
bodies, the right to affordable healthcare for ourselves and our families, the
right to love and marry whomever we want.
McSally’s record and
public statements show that she is not a feminist and that she does not stand
with American women in our struggles.
P.S. I included a still life of my recipe box, my 1972 edition Betty Crocker Cookbook, a few kitchen knick-knacks, and my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to show that you can be a feminist and still cook and own recipe cards.
Consequently, I know what search results you get when you Google her name different ways, since I used the following search strings multiple times: "martha mcsally," "martha mcsally gay," "martha mcsally husband," "martha mcsally washington post" and "donald f henry."
Before I posted the story debunking her feminist claims, debunking her denial of being a "cookie cutter" Republican candidate, revealing that she was afraid to meet with constitutents and answer questions, and calling for transparency related to accusations about a sham marriage while she was in the Air Force, one would get pages of Google results for any of the searches above. (Of course, in Google's own quirky way, not all of the stories were relevant but many were. For the record, it looked as if Henry-- her ex-- had already been scrubbed from the Internet, except for a reference in an old Air Force magazine.)
Yesterday and today, when I Googled "martha mcsally," it looked as if someone was trying to push my BfAZ story off of the first page of Google results. Now what you get -- instead of news-- is her campaign website (which always comes up first), but now it is followed by generic background like her Wikipedia entry, a link to her background, and a non-story based upon old comments related to burkas and the War on Women in the Middle East. Real news has been pushed down. Yesterday, when I Googled "martha mcsally gay," I got three entries-- all old and referring to her anti-gay statements but not including the BfAZ story, which had been at the top of a string of links on Sunday and Monday. Hmmm... Today-- thanks to a new comment on that story-- it's on page one again.
McSally needs to stop playing games-- like a "cookie cutter" Republican would do-- and answer the questions raised in that story. Why did she get married in Pima County in 1997 and then travel to Santa Cruz County at the end of 1999 to have the marriage annulled? Her lawyer's office is two miles from the Pima County court. Why drive 90 miles? Did it have something to do with that promotion she got to Senator Jon Kyl's office in 1999? What is she hiding? (For images of the court documents and more background, go here.)
We need to put pressure on McSally for a statement on these issues. It's a matter of truthfulness, transparency, and integrity-- values she says she stands for as a "warrior."
Whose legacy would better serve Southern Arizona? That of a right-wing, anti-woman, every-man-for-himself, war-monger who never ventured south of his Tucson Foothills office or that of a reasoned, pro-choice, pro-public health Blue Dog who wasn't afraid to meet constituents?
As a long-time resident of Giffords' district, my experiences yesterday made up my mind. Yesterday, I thought I was going to meet the Warrior Woman who hopes to take the CD2 seat-- you know, the one who says she "resemble[s] Gabby Giffords more than the man who worked for her”-- but she was a no show.
McSally is no Gabby Giffords
Giffords was not afraid to face constituents and answer tough questions. McSally apparently doesn't have the nerve to answer questions that are not softballs from right-wing commentators. (Sounds like something Jon Kyl would do, huh?)
I had a scheduled interview with McSally to discuss women's issues (since she now claims to fight for women's rights, while being anti-choice); the multiple inconsistencies in her platform (believing in the "sanctity of life", while flying 325+ hours as a bomber) pilot; and rumors circulating about her two-year marriage to Donald Henry in 1997 (what's up with that annulment in Santa Cruz County, when you were married and lived in Pima County).
When I showed up at her office, video gear in tow, I was given mush-mouth excuses from her press secretary and campaign manager. "Gosh, she's so busy." (My guess is they Googled me and said, Yikes-- we're not talking with her!)
Not surprised that McSally bailed on a video interview with a feminist who wanted to ask about women's issues, I went to her constituent event at Nimbus, down the street. I waited with about 30 old white folks on the Nimbus patio for 45 minutes. Eventually, McSally staffers said, "Gosh... she's so busy. She doesn't have time to come and talk with you all today. Scheduling conflicts, you know... blah, blah, blah." Since when does a politician in a tight race not have time for a meeting with rich, old white folks? (Was it something I tweeted?)
More unanswered questions about Martha McSally after the jump.
In case your invitation got lost in the mail, here's a reminder to dust off your "business attire", break out a few thousand greenbacks, and hit the road for a Paradise Valley VIP fundraiser.
Arizona's elite Congressional team will be joined by Speaker of the House John Boehner to raise big bucks for Republican candidates Martha McSally (CD2), Jonathan Paton (CD1), and Vernon Parker (CD9), who are running against Ron Barber, Ann Kirkpatrick, and Kyrsten Sinema, respectively.
I guess the Republicans have really given up on Gabriela Saucedo Mercer (Congressman Raul Grijalva's Teapublican challenger), since she is not listed on the invitation. It is odd that Senate hopeful Jeff Flake-- who is running against Dr. Richard Carmona-- is not listed as a beneficiary. (I guess he's getting plenty of help from the Koch Brothers and their ALEC pals.)
Your donations to the Carmona campaign are the most strategically powerful political investment in the nation today. Every dollar donated in this race is effectively multiplied because every dollar is relatively much more likely to affect the balance of power in D.C.
Nowhere else in the nation can you get the equivalent bang for every single buck. Dr. Carmona is up against a well-funded opponent in an incredibly tight race that, until recently, no one thought a Democrat could win. If you are reading this, it means that you are an engaged and active Democratic voter and opinion leader in Arizona. You have the opportunity to do more to move the needle more with every dollar than nearly anyone else in the nation.
While you are at it, consider donating to two candidates who are also in the closest House contests in Arizona -- Ann Kirkpatrick and Kyrsten Sinema. You can donate to these candidates at the Push For Victory page, too. Every new Democratic House seat pickup brings us closer to the 25 we Democrats need to take back the House. It can be done, and you have the power to make a highly leveraged strategic investment in that new Democratic-controlled Congress.
I'm asking at least 50 BlogForArizona readers to step up and push! You should be one. Let's roll!
I hope Parker doesn't look too dark in this picture, so I am not accused of racism by the GOP...
By Michael Bryan
I recently took a close look at the CD9 Congressional Debate between Vernon Parker and Kyrsten Sinema (and some obnoxious Libertarian perennial candidate), and one exchange really stood out for me: Kyrsten accused Parker of supporting the entitlement reforms in the Ryan budget plan (time mark 16:40). Then Parker denied supporting the Ryan budget plan (time mark 16:57). That's not what Kyrsten accused you of, Vernon.
Sinema specifically noted that Parker has expressed support for entitlement reforms in the Ryan budget, not the whole thing. Parker is on record saying he does not endorse the whole Ryan budget (though I think that is likely a political imposture adopted in deference to the competitive nature of the District he's running in, and not any specific disagreements - he was unable to name a single real disagreement with the Ryan budget when asked for one).
Notably, Parker did not answer Sinema's allegation by denying that he supports Ryan's entitlement reforms, he denies he supports the whole budget. Not the same thing, Vernon! Answer the charge: do you support the Ryan voucher plan for Medicare (so-called "premium support plan")? He won't deny that he supports that portion of the Ryan plan.
Parker was asked specifically about the Ryan budget in a Politics Unplugged interview on Sept. 2nd (video link). Parker said that the we have to look at entitlement benefits for future generations because the current system is "not working" and that he does support that aspect of the Ryan plan. In addition, when pressed about what about the Ryan plan he DOES NOT support (time mark 4:20), Parker claims that he wants to protect seniors' Social Security benefits (retiree and near-term beneficiaries are held harmless in Ryan's current plan, to prevent a retiree revolt, so there is no distinction here...). As to Medicare, well, Parker doesn't really say what he might disagree with in the Ryan plan, only that Obamacare cuts Medicare, which is just a repetition of the lie that won't die. So, It is hard to see any daylight between Ryan and Parker on entitlement reform, because Parker just won't talk about it. Conclusion: there isn't any.
“For years, the government has been deceiving the American people. The truth is we can’t afford the government we now enjoy. Medicare and Social Security are large drivers of that imbalance. I have three tenants for reform. First, seniors and those nearing retirement must be assured that their benefits will stay the same. We must honor our contract with them. Second, middle age workers must be willing to accept reforms to the current programs to extend the life of these programs. Third, those entering the workforce like my son’s generation need to understand that reforming these systems sooner rather than later increases the chances of meaningful reform in the future. The truth is Congress is too afraid to make the difficult choices, and every day we wait, the solution gets more expensive.”
That certainly is consistent with Ryan's voucher plan, and even with some of Ryan's more ambitious goals for privatizing Social Security. Needless to say, it is also consistent with the $700 billion in Medicare savings present in both Obamacare (which does not cut benefits, and plows the money back into expanded Medicare benefits) and the Ryan plan (which plows those same savings into the wallets of the wealthiest through top-rate tax cuts).
Vernon Parker has an allergy to taking any clear position on the central issues of this campaign. And there is good reason for that: if his views were honestly expressed, he would never be elected in CD9.
"Both parties suck! Wah! Why won't you Democrats fix it?!?"
Crossposted from DemocraticDiva.com
Laurie Roberts at the AZ Republic is beside herself that the well-heeled proponents of the dumb Top Two Primary idea are, as she delightedly exclaims, baaaaaack. (Much more after the jump)
Continue reading ""Both parties suck! Wah! Why won't you Democrats fix it?!?"" »
Feb 12, 2014 1:52:05 PM | Abortion, Activism, Arizona Congressional Delegation, Arizona Congressional Races, Arizona State Legislature, Campaigns, Commentary, Donna Gratehouse, Editorial, Elections, Endorsements, GOP War On..., Gun Policies, Healthcare, IOKIYAR, Legislation, Media, Party Politics, Primaries, Redistricting, Tucson