Tucson Citizen.com

Kyrsten Sinema and the private prison industry lobbyists, a marriage made in heaven

by on Jul. 18, 2012, under Arizona Politics, Arizona's 50th legislature, Democrats, DHS, ICE, Immigration, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Republicans, State Senate, Tucson, Uncategorized

How far is ex democratic Arizona state senator Kyrsten Sinema willing to go to get a congressional post in the newly formed Arizona CD9? Well, apparently she has no problem with taking money from an ardent supporter and instrumental campaigner for the Russell Pearce campaign, Gretchen Jacobs, whom many say is Pearce’s campaign manager. As a matter of fact, according to one of her opponents, Andrei Cherny, who appeared in somewhat of a debate/conversation on a recent appearance on Sunday Square Off, a local political show, Cherny indicated that 18 percent of those that have contributed to Sinema’s campaign are also Russell Pearce contributors. During that same appearance Sinema argued with Cherny denying that she had failed to support the Pearce recall because Russell Pearce was her boss. However in an interview with Stephen Lemons of New Times, Sinema admitted that she didn’t want to rub Pearce the wrong way for fear that he might stop her bills from advancing. She certainly didn’t have to worry about him stopping her anti-Immigrant bill SB1225 since she carried with her 9 Republican co-sponsors well known for their aggression in the immigration arena. One of those, now disgraced senator Scott Bundgaard, was forced to resign after he was pursued in an ethics trial for allegedly beating his girlfriend.

This is obviously a disturbing pattern in of itself, however it doesn’t stop there. Sinema’s latest escapade involves her more than willing participation in a fundraiser for her campaign hosted by Ron Ober and the Policy Development Group, a CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) lobbying firm who is instrumental in acquiring lucrative private prison contracts for the billion dollar giant CCA.

As a matter of fact this is the same lobbying firm that employs Paul Senseman who was previously Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s chief of staff. Looking at Policy Development Group’s website they list Senseman’s bio in part as follows:

Paul rejoined Policy Development Group, Inc. in January 2011 after two years serving the State of Arizona as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications under Governor Janice K. Brewer. He brings extensive strategic, political and managerial experience to our clients at the local, state and federal levels.

Before Paul initially began at PDGi in 2006, he worked for US Senator John McCain in his Phoenix office and for three Arizona Speakers of the House as both communications director and ultimately chief of staff for Speaker Jake Flake.

It’s apparent Senseman knows how to play the game, and his affiliation has always been with Republicans and the red party, so what’s a blue ex senator doing in bed with private prison lobbyists as she vies for a congressional post? The answer is simple, I scratch your back, you scratch my back. Given the persuasiveness of Senseman and his boss Ron Ober, the brains behind PDGi (Policy Development Group) you can imagine what it is exactly that PDGi could accomplish with another ally in congress. After all, they’ve already got the state of Arizona in their hip pocket, as is evidenced by their influence on Jan Brewer.

To better understand the business side of SB1070 and the private prison industry involvement please read my previously authored piece linked here.

Knowing what I know about Sinema and her early attempts to center up while still serving as an Arizona state senator, having created anti-immigrant legislation titled SB1225, I am more than perturbed by this disturbing pattern. Sinema pushed heavily for the participation of the immigrant community in the 2010 census. It was as far back as 2010 or prior to that, that her diabolical political mind was plotting and planning, knowing full well what most of us knew, that a new congressional district would be created if they could only get the full participation of the undocumented community in the census. To fully comprehend the effect of the 2010 census on the undocumented Immigrant community and their subsequent influence in the creation of a new congressional district read a previously authored piece on the same here.

So now that Sinema understands the makeup of the new congressional district (CD9), mostly influenced by independent voters, it’s obvious that Sinema is willing to follow in the tradition of Judas Iscariot. The exception is that Sinema isn’t happy with thirty pieces of silver, why should she when she can have a multilevel contributor arrangement as is indicated in the private invite found here and quoted below.

Please join

Ron Ober

for a reception with
Kyrsten Sinema
Democratic candidate for Congress in
Arizona’s 9th Congressional District

Thursday, July 19th, 2012
4:30 – 6:00pm
Policy Development Group
3636 N Central Ave # 590 – Phoenix, AZ

Contribution levels:

Host (give/get) $1,000
Supporter $500
Friend $250

During her appearance on the local political talk show “Sunday Square Off” last week, Sinema doubled down on her love for Russell Pearce, she first professed her love for Russell on the same show a little over a year ago, when she said she loved Russell Pearce. I understand you maybe thinking I’ve taken her comments out of context, but knowing what we know now, it’s evident Sinema clearly loves Pearce, and his contributors, including the private prison industry. After all, this could very well be a marriage made in heaven. The problem is, Sinema hasn’t consummated the marriage, and she’s already in bed with them. Why does the AC/DC song dirty deeds done dirt cheap come to mind?

Sinema will do anything for that coveted congressional seat

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com



  • Fraser007

    Maybe if we had a state where there was no a lot of criminals? Maybe something like North Dakota. Look to who lives here for a solution.

  • teejay223

    Fraser…..I have family members in N.D……Criminal activity has
    increased threefold…the employment opportunities especially in the oil fields
    has brought in anybody and everybody….even illegal immigration has increased
    which they all thought would never happen….as far as corruption in politics,
    North Dakotans worked the past few years to weed out the corruptocrats, but
    they are trying to weasel their way back in….

    • martial

      They ALWAYS will try to weasel their way back into government. That’s why constant vigilance on the part of voters is vital. Having lived over half a century, it became clear to me that my party would be the “anti-pirate” party. Why not join up? Other issues don’t matter half as much.

  • martial

    Odder yet is her association with Lynne Stewart, an attorney who represented Sheik Rahman of the first world trade center bombing. No problem being a lawyer, of course, unless you commit felonies in the process, which Lynne Stewart was convicted of doing; the second circuit just upheld the convictions of this shameless felon. http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/e8815921-63d4-47be-9a62-dee3c58fb5f4/2/doc/10-3185_opn.pdf

    Arizonans should ask Kyrsten Sinema to produce evidence she parted ways with this felon more than a year or so ago. Were it me, I’d have put out a formal denunciation as soon as the conviction came out. If not, ask yourselves if you really want someone in Congress who associates with felons dedicated to killing you thousands of Americans.

  • http://twitter.com/carltoersbijns Carl Toersbijns

    Every politician has a price: Ms. Sinema revealed hers. This should be no surprise to many who knew she was a fence sitter.. However, I was the fool to believe her when she spoke out loud and praised her in the past for being a rational and reasonable person. I was wrong about her, she was for sale all this time and played her cards just right to get the financing and support she was so anxious to get to jump into the game..What a loss to some and a revelation to others.

    • http://www.facebook.com/mitchell.wachtel Mitchell Wachtel

      The private prison industry is not good for Latinos or other human organisms. Given her not denied association with a felon connected with the first wtc bombing, how can anyone be certain she did not use one of the zeta’s to arrange a meeting? She appears to have sold her soul a long time ago.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mitchell.wachtel Mitchell Wachtel

    Judas usually implies some sort of treachery to one’s own group. Ms. Sinema does not look like any Mexican American woman of my acquaintance, although she may indeed have Latino relatives. My having relatives in Mexico never made me consider myself Latino. Instead, she may consider HERSELF a Judas by having dealt with AIPAC. The amount she received, merely working on a bill together in the AZ legislature, does not really count as thirty pieces of silver; Rahm Emmanuel is working with Mr. Farrakhan on crime, which means absolutely nothing other than the Nation of Islam, like everyone else in Chicago, wants to decrease murder, rape, & aggravated assault. Who exactly is she anyway?