A recent report from the Center for Investigative Reporting is getting a lot of well deserved attention. The report reveals that the backlog of veterans waiting for the Department of Veteran Affairs to act on their claim for benefits will top one million by the end of this month.The average backlog of a response from the VA is 320 days – over 10 months, but can be over one year in large population centers – 642 days in New York, 619 days in Los Angeles and 542 days in Chicago. That is a national disgrace. These courageous men and women raised their hands high when asked who will answer the call of duty, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and compassion. There are many reasons for the increasing backlog of processing claims for veteran benefits – the return of all combat troops from Iraq and draw down of forces in Afghanistan is a large reason. Another large reason is that Congress, the courts, and the executive branch continue to increase conditions that are covered by the VA. For example, in 2010 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki announced that three diseases — ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and b-cell leukemia — would be considered the result of Agent Orange exposure for veterans who served in Vietnam. More than 240,000 claims for those diseases have been filed since that announcement. Well, Vietnam vets more than deserve treatment and benefits for their exposure to Agent Orange. But if you’re going to expand VA coverage shouldn’t you plan for it? Well, they tried – the VA spent 4 years and $537 million on a new computer to streamline the claims process. It was less than a resounding success; 97% of veteran’s claims are still filed on paper, and that’s the single biggest reason that stands out for the backlog – they VA is literally being buried in a mountain of paperwork.

That’s the mountain of paperwork at the Winston-Salem NC VA office, the weight of all that paperwork compromised the structural integrity of the building – they were worried the floor would collapse. Filing a claim for veteran benefits can be complicated, and can require a lot of documentation. Department of Veterans Affairs employees are urged to be advocates for veterans. Yet those same workers are also required to be stewards of the taxpayer money, required to distinguish the truly needy from the less needy from the fraudulent.  Is that traumatic brain injury from high school football or a roadside bomb in Iraq? Is that back injury a 10 percent disability or 30 percent? Is that post-traumatic stress disorder real? Medical questions without simple answers must be settled by overworked bureaucrats and doctors attempting to apply black-and-white rules to very gray ailments. Their decisions mean the difference between monthly checks of a few hundred dollars versus a few thousand. When veterans are not happy with the results, as is often the case, they can appeal, or reapply, submitting new documents and diagnoses to bolster their claims — and adding years to the process. But does documentation support a claim need to be submitted on piles of paper? Of course not, this is not rocket science. Here in Arizona we have an excellent AHCCCS medicaid system, and once covered you need to need to re-qualify every six months. You need to submit proof of income (or lack of), bank statements, proof of residency in Arizona, an accounting of your living expenses and proof of that. So, do you send them a 9×12 envelop 2″ thick with documents twice a year? No, you go to  HealthEarizona.org, fill out your application/re-qualification online and upload your documentation which is attached to you application, so when the state employee reviews your application/re-qualification they have everything they need right there to make a decision in minutes.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sinseki says they have “a fix”. That fix is the department’s “transformation plan,” which calls for a new training regimen that Mr. Shinseki says will improve speed and accuracy in processing claims; creation of special teams to handle complex claims; and new digital technology that will replace the current paper-choked system. When all those pieces are in place by 2015, Mr. Shinseki says that every claim will be processed in fewer than 125 days, with almost no errors — a pledge that veterans’ advocates view skeptically. I’m skeptical as well, and even if “the fix” is successful. I think 4 months is still too long. Because this backlog has a very tragic human toll.

All gave some, and some gave all

The Center for Investigative Reporting report details the story of Lincoln Capstick, an unemployed Iraq War veteran in Indiana, where the average wait for new claims is well over one year – 612 days. Capstick said his electricity was cut off three times while he waited for the VA to grant a disability claim for traumatic brain injury, headaches and a variety of leg and knee injuries sustained when a military contractor’s SUV ran him over in the desert near the Iraq-Kuwait border. Capstick said there were periods where he thought of killing himself because he felt so hopeless.  According to the VA, 22 veterans commit suicide every day.

Credit: IAVA.org

A group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans met with senior White House officials yesterday to express the urgent need for the Obama Administration to fix the current backlog in Veterans Affairs disability benefits claims. Members of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) presented a petition to White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, calling for President Obama to “keep the promise we made to the millions of veterans who have served and sacrificed to defend our nation” by ending the benefit backlog. Over 36,000 American citizens have signed that petition, including 23 members of Congress, including Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, and the Republican Chairman of the House Veteran Affairs Committee and the ranking Democrat member of the house committee.  But NOT a single Congressman or Senator from Arizona. I urge every single member of Congress from Arizona to sign this petition and support the IAVA’s call for action. But I especially urge our two Congressmen from southern Arizona to do so, Congressmen Ron Barber and  Raul Grijalva.

My esteemed TucsonCitizen blogging colleague, Fort Buckley, is touting former Congressman Jim Kolbe’s advice on the Value of Voting GOP for Congress this Year.

Well, here’s the former Congressman just four years ago cheering Sen. McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as Vice President nominee as a “great selection”:

Question: What do you think about the selection of Sarah Palin?

Kolbe: I think it’s a great selection. It’s a changer, shakes things up in the right direction. I think it’s a great move by Senator McCain, shows he’s thinking outside the box.

Question: What do you have to say about her traditional conservative values?
Kolbe: Well, uh, you know, she hasn’t taken a position on any federal issues . . .

I stopped caring about what Jim Kolbe thinks about anything after he gave that brain dead partisan hack response.

Elect Richard Carmona to the U.S. Senate

Elect Ann Kirkpatrick to Congressional District 1

Reelect Ron Barber to Congressional District 2

Reelect Raul Grijalva to Congressional District 3

Elect Kyrsten Sinema to Congressional District 9

The right team for Arizona in Congress

“You can’t be strong around the world unless you’re strong at home“. That’s the message of Lawrence Korb, former Reagan Assistant Secretary of Defense. That’s the message of a growing number of bi-partisan and non-partisan economists. And that was the message last Thursday from over 80 Chief executives of major U.S. corporations, ranging from Aetna  to Weyerhaeuser. In the a statement the CEOs called for Congress and the President to take action to reduce the deficit with tax revenue increases as well as spending cuts. The statement specifically states that any fiscal plan “that can succeed both financially and politically has to limit the growth of health-care spending, make Social Security solvent and “include comprehensive and pro-growth tax reform, which broadens the base, lowers rates, raises revenues and reduces the deficit. ”

“There is no possible way to avoid raising taxes“, said Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna. “You can’t tax your way to fix this problem, and you can’t cut entitlements enough to fix this problem.”

“You can’t tax your way to fix this problem, and you can’t cut entitlements enough to fix this problem”. Spending cuts alone can’t fix our deficits and long term federal debt. And yes, we can’t just tax our way out. And we sure as heck can’t just tax cut our way to long term financial strength. But tell that to this guy:

That would be Mitt Romney, 4th from the left, raising his hand along with every other candidate in a Republican Presidential candidates debate when asked the question: Would you reject a deficit reduction plan with a ratio of 10 to 1 of spending cuts to new tax revenue? Not a single Republican Presidential candidate, including Mitt Romney, would accept even one single dollar of new tax revenue coupled with ten dollars of spending cuts to help reduce the deficit.  That’s not a Path to Prosperity, that’s a Recipe for Disaster.

“When you talk about a $15 trillion debt, I don’t see how you avoid addressing both sides – spending cuts and tax increases” – AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.

Mr. Stephenson also said heads of capital-intensive companies, now making spending plans for next year, are particularly alarmed by the looming fiscal cliff, the spending cuts and tax increases set for Dec. 31 unless there is agreement on an alternative road to deficit reduction. “It is already having a direct and immediate effect on us“.

The letter signed by the CEOs specified that any deficit reduction plan should:

• Reform Medicare and Medicaid, improve efficiency in the overall health care system and limit future cost growth.

The Affordable Care Act was a significant first step to improving efficiency in our healthcare system and future cost growth by negotiating with healthcare providers and getting them to agree to lower reimbursement rates that will save Medicare over $700 billion over the next 10 years. No, not the Republican lie that it cuts over $700 billion from Medicare, saves Medicare that money, money that stays in the Medicare Trust Fund and extends its solvency.

• Strengthen Social Security, so that it is solvent and will be there for future beneficiaries.

Simple, minor tweaks to the Medicare tax can completely eliminate any projected shortfall. Currently the Social Security tax is capped at the first $110,100 of a worker’s wages.  Apply the Social Security tax to all wages, with no cap. This alone would eliminate 72% of the projected shortfall. The Social Security tax rate is currently12.4%, workers pay half and their employers pay the other half. Gradually increase the tax by 0.1% a year until it reaches 14.4 percent in 20 years – 2032. This alone would  eliminate 53%of the projected shortfall.

• Include comprehensive and pro-growth tax reform, which broadens the base, lowers rates, raises revenues and reduces the deficit.

Broaden the base. A lot of attention has been focused recently on the 53% who don’t earn enough to pay federal income taxes. Folks like retirees living off Social Security and retirement savings who often don’t reach the income level at which they’re liable for federal income taxes. The combat pay earned by soldiers serving in active war zones is not liable for federal income taxes.  Broadening the tax base to them is pocket change, and they earned what they have. But there is a lot of millionaires who also don’t pay income taxes. Eliminate offshore tax shelters and institute a minimum tax rate. And how about corporations? Exxon Mobil made $19 billion in profits in 2009. Exxon not only paid no federal income taxes, it actually received a $156 million rebate from the IRS. Bank of America received a $1.9 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, although it made $4.4 billion in profits and received a bailout from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department of nearly $1 trillion.Citigroup last year made more than $4 billion in profits but paid no federal income taxes. It received a $2.5 trillion bailout from the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury. Broaden the tax base indeed.

The CEO statement was organized by the Fix the Debt organization, a bipartisan effort largely inspired by Republican Alan Simpson and Democrat Erskine Bowles, who chaired a 2010 deficit panel appointed by President Obama. The deficit reduction plan that was killed by Republican votes in Congress, including the vote of Congressman Paul Ryan.

In reaction to the CEOs’ letter, Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said, “There’s a strong and growing consensus that the only way to reduce the deficit while also growing the economy is through a balanced approach that includes both tough spending cuts and increased revenue”. The President and Democrats in Congress are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work on a responsible path the deficit reduction through a mix of pro-growth tax policies, broadening the tax base, increased tax revenue, and targeted spending cuts. President Obama already nearly reached a $4.5 trillion deficit reduction plan with a responsible mix of spending cuts and increased tax revenue. But House Speaker John Boehner had to walk away from the deal when his knucklehead my-way-or-the-highway Tea Party base refused to accept any tax increases. We need responsible, moderate, and independent thinking people in Congress with whom we can work. Like Congressman Ron Barber who has already demonstrated his independent approach to problem solving. And Senator Rich Carmona, who has always been an independent thinker.

Vote for President Barack Obama, vote for Rich Carmona for U.S. Senate, vote for Ann Kirkpatrick in CD1, Ron Barber in CD2, Raul Grijalva in CD3, and Kyrsten Sinema in CD9, and let’s get to work.

Think Democrats aren’t serious about addressing and fixing the lack of tax revenue and excess spending structural problems causing our deficits and national debt? Remember the last time we not only had a balanced budget but actually had a budget surplus repaying our debt? It was under this guy:

And remember the guy who squandered that budget surplus and turned it into 8 years of deficits and $5 trillion added to our national debt? It was this guy:

A new poll conducted by Latino Decisions and America’s Voice released today reveals that 80% of Arizona Latinos plan to vote for President Obama, with just 14% saying they plan to vote for Mitt Romney; 6% are undecided. U.S. Senate Candidate Richard Carmona has nearly the same commanding lead, with 75% saying the will vote for him, with only 14% planing to vote for Jeff Flake; 13% are undecided. Especially interesting is that 69% said the were “very enthusiastic” about voting this year, and 60% said they were more enthusiastic about voting this year than they were in 2008. Why the surge in enthusiasm in Latino voter interest this year? Immigration reform and the DREAM Act were selected at the most important issue to facing Hispanic/Latino community by 55% of respondents, followed by the economy/jobs with 44% . Respondents could select up to two issues,  education/school reform (15%) and health care (10%) were the only other issues with double digit results. And it’s personal: 66% of Arizona Latinos know someone who is undocumented, and 55% know someone who may be eligible for the DREAM Act.

Can Arizona be the Nevada of 2012?

What’s especially interesting is that Latino Decisions asks the question: “Why Arizona may be the surprise of 2012 – the big Latino vote that you didn’t see coming”

In 2010, the average of 16 polls of likely voters in Nevada suggested Sharon Angle had a firm 3 point lead, and 538′s Nate Silver gave her an 83.4% chance of winning.  On election night, the results showed Harry Reid with a 5 point win — an 8 point difference from the poll averages.  Why the error? Almost every statewide poll in Nevada badly missed the Latino vote.  In the final analysis, Reid won close to 90% of the Latino vote, and Latino turnout was much higher than anticipated.

Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions suggested to Nate Silver of the FiveThirtyEight blog at the NY Times how the polls all missed the impact of the Latino vote in Nevada in 2010: All the major polling firms conduct their polls in English only, while Latino Decisions conducts their polls in both English and Spanish, with the respondent selecting the language in which they prefer the poll to be conducted. The major polling firms missed the Latino voters who prefer to speak Spanish. About 40 percent of Latino voters in California meet this description, with likely similar numbers in Nevada and Arizona. Mr. Silver compiled results from the eight states with the largest share of Latinos in their population: these are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Texas. He found that in 10 of the 15 races, the polling average underestimated the Democrat’s margin by at least 2.5 points. He concluded that there was the beginnings of a pattern — and considering how rapidly the Latino population is growing, it’s one that pollsters are going to need to address. That was right after the November 2010 election. And less than a month away from the 2012 election, the major polling firms still haven’t addressed that, still conduct their polls in English only, and are likely under representing Latino voters in places like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and elsewhere.

Do I think President Obama can carry Arizona in this election? Frankly, no – while I do believe the Latino vote is significantly under represented in polls, it’s still too steep a hill to climb for this year. Do I care? Frankly, no – this Presidential election will likely be all over before our votes are starting to be tallied, decided in places like Ohio, Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire and Iowa. But after a combined 32 years of Arizona being represented in the U.S. Senate by the likes of John McCain and Jon Kyle, I care very much about Arizona finally electing a Senator who will strengthen and protect our middle class, care about the disadvantaged, and represent all Arizonans, instead of electing yet another career politician deep into the pockets of corporations and billionaires. I care very much about Arizona electing Richard Carmona our next U.S. Senator.

I also care very much about, and am confident that after this election we will have two new Congresswomen, Ann Kirkpatrick (CD1) and Kyrsten Sinema (CD9), joining Ron Barber, Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor for a 5/4 Democratic majority in Arizona’s Congressional delegation.

The infamous “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA), passed by the Republican controlled House & Senate in 1996 as an election year ploy, codifies the non-recognition of same-sex marriage for all federal purposes, including insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security survivors’ benefits, and the filing of joint tax returns. The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law unconstitutional in May of this year. The Obama Administration announced last February that it would no longer defend that law is they also believed it to be unconstitutional. However, the Republican House leaders have been using the House’s Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group to defend DOMA, and have raised large sums of money to continue defending the law. Ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the law’s constitutionality. Last Tuesday, led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, 132 House Democrats filed a brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday arguing that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is discriminatory and unconstitutional.  In the brief  the 132 Democratic members of Congress argued that DOMA “lacks a rational relationship to any legitimate federal purpose and accordingly is unconstitutional.”

Guess who was Missing In Action? Ron Barber. Arizona Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva signed the brief. Arizona Democratic Congressman Ed Pastor signed the brief. Arizona’s 5 Republican Congressmen didn’t sign the brief. And neither did Ron Barber. OK, there are 192 Democratic members of Congress, so that means 60 also didn’t sign the brief. As BuzzFeed explains it:

But 60 Democratic members from across the country, many representing contested districts or relatively conservative regions, did not join the brief. Not signing on to the brief, however, does not necessarily signal support for DOMA. Twenty of the 60, for example, have signed on as co-sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill pending in Congress to repeal DOMA.

OK, at least one-third of Democrats who declined to be a part of the brief stating the obvious – that DOMA is discriminatory and unconstitutional – do support it’s repeal. That would be HR116. the Respect of Marriage Act, which repeals DOMA. It isn’t going anywhere, Republican House Leaders have it boxed up in the Subcommittee on the Constitution and will never let it come up to a vote while they control things. But the Respect for Marriage Act has attracted 151 cosponsors, even including one Republican. But is Ron Barber a cosponsor? Nope. Arizona Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva is a cosponsor. Arizona Democratic Congressman Ed Pastor is a cosponsor. Arizona’s 5 Republican Congressmen aren’t cosigners – and neither is Ron Barber.

CD2 Democratic Candidate Matt Heinz has released a statement on Ron Barber’s failure to take a position on this issue:

“The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996 has flagrantly discriminated against the rights of the LGBT community for the last fifteen years. Republicans legislate insufferable sentiments against our community while attempting to legitimize these laws in court. It is inexcusable for Congressman Ron Barber (D-Ariz.) to not stand in solidarity with the 132 House Democrats.

I agree with legal arguments in the House Democrat’s amicus brief that states ‘a driving force behind this law was the desire to disapprove and disadvantage gay and lesbian couples, which is not a legitimate federal interest’. We must have elected representation that will fight against the malicious intent of laws that inflict direct harm on married same-sex couples.

The Defensive of Marriage Act has limited legal defined equality for far too long.  Our nation must not tolerate this law any longer. Equality must be achieved among all Americans.”

Ron Barber voted with the Republicans in his first two votes as a Congressman. Now he fails to take a position on an issue that is core to the issue of fairness and equality in our society.

Dr. Matt Heinz is the right choice for our new Congressional District 2.

Readers of this blog know I was a strong supporter of Ron Barber for the CD8 special election. Ron Barber was the perfect choice for the remainder of Gabby’s elected term in office. And compared to Jesse Kelly, it was an incredibly easy choice.  But I carefully never said anything about the election of a full term in the CD2. I was leaning toward Dr. Matt Heinz in that race. He is a more progressive choice, a stronger voice for Democratic ideals. Now Ron Barber has made my choice much easier in just his first two votes as a member of Congress: I strongly support Matt Heinz as the better choice in the August CD2 Democratic primary, and for the November 6 General Election.

I think Gabby Giffords was the best Representative in Congress I’ve ever had. She didn’t always vote the way I preferred, but I always respected her, and she always carefully and thoughtfully explained her decision. And nor do I expect a Representative to always tow the party line – no one is right 100% of the time; independence and independent thinking and decision making are excellent qualities in an elected official. I didn’t like Barber’s first vote in Congress to side with the Republicans in waving environmental rules & regulations for the Border Patrol within 100 miles of the border. Yes, the illegal border crossers, the drug smugglers and drug cartels don’t care about our environment anymore than they obviously don’t care about our laws and environmental protection. But 100 miles is ridiculously too much. The cities of Tucson, Benson, Sierra Vista, and several others – not to mention Nogales and Douglas – are within 100 miles of the border. Over one and a half million Arizonans live within 100 miles of the border! And the waiver of environmental laws – including the Arizona Wilderness Act – is not needed.

I didn’t like Barber’s vote for this. Nor do I respect it. His explanation? ” This legislation is far from perfect and I will work to make changes as it moves through the process“. Translation: Yeah, it’s a boneheaded bill, but an easy one for me to support and claim the cherished “bipartisanship”. And no, Mr. Barber, you don’t get to “make changes as it moves through the process”. It’s a done deal, with your vote it’s passed the House and on it’s way to the Senate. Here’s what Matt Heinz has to say on this issue:

I would have voted no because it disregards the advice of agents who work in the field. In a report released by the Government Accountability Office, 22 of 26 Border Patrol Agents-in-Charge agreed “federal land management laws had no impact on the overall security status of their jurisdiction.” Without addressing actual problems, proponents of the bill use border security for political gain by undermining valuable interagency cooperation efforts while putting our environment and historical sites at risk.

No, Mr. Barber, I didn’t like you vote on that, but I can just grumble and move on. But your vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in civil contempt is irresponsible, indefensible, and well, contemptible.You tried to have it both ways, voting against criminal contempt, but for civil contempt – which allows the Republican House to pursue this political circus through the courts. You are the only one of 435 members of Congress who voted for one and not the other. 17 Democrats and all but 2 Republicans voted for criminal contempt. 17 Democrats – and YOU – and all but 2 Republicans voted for civil contempt. As I recently blogged, this investigation has already gone on for 1 1/2 years, the Justice Department has already handed over 7,500 pages of documents and Rep. Darrell Isa and his Oversight Committee have found no evidence of any wrong doing by Mr. Holder or the Obama Administration. To the contrary, Rep. Issa has stated that be believes Mr. Holder and the Obama administration were not aware of the rogue operation begun on the Bush Administration and conducted by some ATF agents in Phoenix. But to continue the political circus in hopes of it somehow reflecting negatively on the President, Rep. Issa merrily keeps requesting more & more documents. In his statement explaining his vote Mr. Barber even says:

“I am equally disturbed that the 16-month investigation conducted by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform appeared to be a partisan undertaking, in which requests by minority members for witnesses and hearings were rejected”.

You even acknowledge Issa’s political circus as a “partisan undertaking”, but voted to let them to pursue it???? Sorry Mr. Barber, your political pandering to try to appear “bipartisan” doesn’t cut it. Here’s what Matt Heinz had to say about your vote:

“We need to put politics aside and confront the root of the gun smuggling problem. We should be creating a clear federal mandate to crack down on gun trafficking that funnels thousands of weapons daily to violent drug cartels. This political distraction is exacerbating the problem – while the ATF has been under political attack, gun seizures in Arizona have dropped by 90 percent.

This is a politically motivated vote that will go nowhere. Barber is endorsing this distraction and inaction instead of working toward real solutions to ensure what he claims to be his top priority, actual border security.

In regards to findings in the investigation, even Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) admitted that the White House had nothing to do with this scandal; attacking the Attorney General Holder as an agent of the White House is unacceptable political posturing”.

Some actual leadership on the issue, instead of vote pandering. How refreshing. And here’s Matt’s views on the recent Supreme Court decision regarding SB1070:

“Today, the Supreme Court rendered a decision on Arizona v. United States to reaffirm the federal government’s role as primary enforcer of immigration policy. Thankfully, this decision prevents states from creating their own immigration policies in violation of the constitution while recognizing the need for cooperation between state and federal authorities in the enforcement of existing, constitutionally sound laws. Unfortunately, a portion of the law remains which continues to threaten the rights and liberties of our citizens and legal residents.

I oppose SB 1070’s reckless threat to the civil rights and liberties of my constituents and fellow Americans. “Arizonans should take advantage of the Supreme Court’s affirmation of our right to coordinate with federal agencies in enforcing immigration laws while respecting the ultimate authority of the federal government.”

You can read more of Matt’s positions on the issues at HeinzForCongress.com.

Democrats – and Independents who wish to participate in the Democratic primary by choosing a Democratic ballot – have a clear choice of who will best represent our values and ideals in a full term for Congress in the Congressional District 2. The better choice is Dr. Matt Heinz.

Politico has a rather interesting story this morning: In the waning weeks of the CD8 Special Election Martha McSally’s Campaign Spokesman Sam Stone approached a Ron Barber aide and offered her encouragement and advise, telling her “We really want to see you win. Really go after those social issues, particularly abortion, with women who haven’t voted yet“.

On the Thursday before the election, a top aide to Republican Martha McSally, a retired Air Force officer and a tea party favorite, approached a Barber aide at an event on the University of Arizona’s Tucson campus. That’s when something strange happened, according to the Barber campaign: The McSally aide, spokesman Sam Stone, offered the 22-year-old Barber staffer advice on how to beat Jesse Kelly, the GOP nominee who was running against Barber in the special election.

Stone offered the Barber staffer his business card, which on the back had the following hand-written suggestions: Focus on social issues during the race’s final days in order to win the support of still-undecided independent and Republican women.

Of course Mr. Stone denies he would ever do such a thing. He claims it was only a “quick friendly chat” and that he gave her his business card just in case they needed to be in contact in the future. But he didn’t bother ask the Barber aide for her contact information.

But Barber’s campaign provided POLITICO with a copy of Stone’s scribbled-on business card, along with time-stamped copies of emails, which the Barber staffer immediately sent to her superiors, detailing the conversation Stone had with her. The campaign provided the emails but asked that the aide not be named, saying she relayed the encounter to her bosses out of obligation but did not want to become enmeshed in controversy.
“On June 7, the McSally campaign approached one of our staffers at an event at the University of Arizona’s Bio5 conference,” Rodd McLeod, a Barber political adviser, wrote in a statement. “Martha McSally’s spokesman advised our staffer about how to beat Jesse Kelly, and he handed her his business card where he had written down some more detailed advice on how to defeat Jesse Kelly. We never asked McSally’s campaign for their advice or for further information. Any suggestion otherwise is ridiculous”.

It’s no secret the McSally campaign would not be heartbroken if Ron Barber defeated Jesse in the CD8 special election. After coming in a surprising second place to Kelly in the CD8 Special Primary – and winning more votes then Kelly on election day – McSally filed for the CD2 primary, but vowed to withdraw if Kelly won the CD8 election. Now that Jesse has withdrawn from the CD2 election McSally is the all but certain Republican nominee- she faces only token opposition from little known political newcomer Mark Koskiniemi.   Mission Accomplished.
Ronald Reagan famously said that his “11th Commandment” was to not speak ill of a fellow Republican. I guess he should have mentioned a “12 Commandment” – “And don’t tell Democrats how to defeat your fellow Republican”.

UPDATE: According to the Arizona Daily Star, McSally Campaign Spokesman Sam Stone stepped down from his position today:

McSally’s campaign issued a news release this morning saying Sam Stone resigned as communications director. The statement thanks Stone for helping to launch the McSally campaign during the Congressional District 8 primary but doesn’t address the exact reason for his ouster. Stone decided to step down to do what’s best for McSally, said her campaign manager, Christian Morgan. But McSally wasn’t pleased that Stone offered advice to Barber’s campaign, Morgan said.

Stone has not yet returned calls and emails seeking comment. Kelly declined to comment, via his spokesman, John Ellinwood.

Can’t say I didn’t see that one coming . . .

Public Policy Polling (PPP) released their poll of the CD8 special election this morning:

Democrats are headed for a victory in tomorrow’s special election to replace Gabby Giffords in the House. Democrat Ron Barber leads with 53% to 41% for Republican Jesse Kelly, with Green Party candidate Charlie Manolakis polling at 4%. Barber is well liked by voters in the district, sporting a 54/38 favorability rating. Kelly, meanwhile, has very high negatives with only 37% of voters rating him positively while 59% have a negative opinion.

Ouch! Nearly 60% of CD8 voters have a negative opinion of Jesse Kelly. Quick, Jesse – trot Grandpa out again to tell us that you’re really a nice boy and didn’t mean any that stuff you said in 2010. Of course it’s not over until it’s over. Well, actually, maybe it is -

Barber appears to have the race pretty much already locked up. 57% of voters say they’ve already cast their ballots, and with that group Barber enjoys a 21 point advantage at 58-37. People planning to vote tomorrow are much more evenly split with 46% for Barber and 45% for Kelly. Barber’s winning 90% of the Democratic vote, while Kelly’s getting just 82% of Republicans. Barber also has a 51-34 advantage with independents. Barber’s advantage is pretty thorough along demographic lines- he leads with men, women, whites, Hispanics, and voters in every age group.

No, of course it’s not over. There is only one way to make your voice heard – go out tomorrow and exercise your right and civic duty and vote!  Voters on election day often have a different opinion then those who vote by early mail-in ballots. Martha McSally won more votes on election day than Jesse Kelly. Many analyst credit Gabby’s victory over Jesse in 2010 to her lead in the mail-in ballots. This is no time for Democrats to rest easy, get out there and vote! Independents go out and vote, whichever way you see things. And yes, you Republicans go out tomorrow and vote as well. And remember that you have many much better qualified candidates to take on Ron Barber or Matt Heinz in November in the new CD2.

I have never been better represented in Congress than I was by Gabby Giffords, and it’s heartening to see so many of my fellow CD8 residents also hold her in such high esteem:

One final note- 67% of voters in Giffords’ district have a positive opinion of her to only 24% with a negative one. There aren’t many special House elections where the departing incumbent has a 67% favorability rating, and that fact makes this a very difficult  one for the GOP to win.

UPDATE: There are reports of fliers being left on registered Democrat’s doors with the pretense of encouraging them to vote, but listing an incorrect polling location. If you are uncertain of your polling location you can call the Pima County Recorder’s office at 520-740-4330 or the Ron Barber campaign office at 520-207-0937. The Pima County Recorder also has a Precinct Locator Page where you key in your address and it tells you your polling location.  A PDF listing all the polling locations for Santa Cruz County is here, and one for Cochise County is here.

The highly respected, non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned yesterday that continued gridlock in Washington will likely lead to the U.S. falling into a recession next year. The economic recovery is already facing some strong headwinds. Austerity economic policy in the European Union has already pushed many European economies into recession or a stagnant economy at best. The E.U. is one of our largest trading partners, their economic downturn hurts our exports. The housing market, one of the largest drivers of our economic engine – especially here in Arizona – has finally begun to recover with increased sales and modest price increases. Falling back into a recession would destroy that recovery.

It is the US Congress that holds the keys to our continued economic recovery. Due to the inaction of this Do Nothing Congress our economy faces a double whammy at the end of this year: expiration of all of the “Bush” Tax Cuts and more than $100 billion in automatic cuts to the Pentagon and domestic agencies. The CBO predicts that with increased taxes leaving consumers with less to spend coupled with $100 billion taken out of the economy will cause the economy to contract by 1.3% in the first half of 2013. Goodbye housing recover, hello more unemployment.

The “Bush” Tax Cuts, which were due to expire at the end of 2010, were extended in their entirety for 2 more years by a large bipartisan majority in Congress at the end of 2010. The Democratic position is that the lower tax rates for the middle class should be extended while those for the wealthy – individuals earning more than $250k annually – aren’t needed, add to the deficit, and should expire at the end of this year. The Republican position is all or nothing – either the lower tax rates for everyone is extended forever, or everyone loses and the cuts expire  for everyone, including the middle class just pulling itself out of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

The automatic $100 billion spending cuts were created in last summer’s debt limit increase “agreement”, when many of the same Republicans who voted routinely to increase the US federal debt limit 5 times under President GW Bush, took the country to the brink of default to force Democrats to accept $1 Trillion in spending cuts over the next decade in order to increase the debt limit by the same amount. In order to force the Do Nothing Congress to come agreement over how to implement the spending cuts the agreement was spread the cuts equally between Defense and Domestic spending with a special bipartisan committee set up to agree where to apply the spending cuts. Of course they couldn’t agree on anything, so the cuts are scheduled to apply equally between Defense and Domestic programs. So the Republican response is to say they had their fingers crossed behind their backs when they agreed and voted for the debt limit increase deal, and the Republican House has voted for even steeper spending cuts, but gut domestic programs even more deeply while giving Defense even more funding than the Pentagon Chiefs  asked for. That nonsense is going nowhere in the Democratic held Senate. So we’re back to square one, with the US falling back into recession looming on the horizon.

I’m a Democrat, and I believe the Democratic positions of letting the tax cuts for the wealthy expire is more than fair – they don’t need them, the middle class does. And I think spending cuts should be put off until the economy is firing on all cylinders again and the middle class is fully back to work and prospering. But if spending cuts have to happen, let the pain be felt equally by a bloated Defense Department, and to some domestic programs. But the American people voted for a divided Government, so they should get what they voted for. But they deserve a divided Government that works, Congressmen & Senators that recognize that “my way or the highway” is no way to govern, and works together to meet the other side halfway and do what is best for the country, not just their political party.

Southern Arizonans have the chance to make their voice heard and send a message to Congress in the CD8 special election. Ron Barber has made standing up for the middle class a central theme in his campaign, and has vowed to work with both Republicans and Democrats to find common sense solutions for the problems we face. When asked if he could work with Democrats Jesse Kelly responded by saying he hoped there weren’t any Democrats left in Congress when he got there. Jesse Kelly seems to echo the opinion of Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock who said “I’m just against compromise, we need to stop it, it’s weak, it’s foolish, our views are irreconcilable“, and that he thinks “bipartisanship ought to consist of Democrats coming to the Republican point of view“. No, Mr. Mourdock, no Jesse – bipartisanship should consist of Democrats and Republicans coming to a point of view of doing what’s right for the country, not just your political base. And that’s why we’re going to send Ron Barber to Washington.