I hear the complaints about the quick release of the state budget and how it makes public input more difficult. They are doing us a favor. Why waste the public’s time with testimony and letter writing when legislators have clearly demonstrated they weren’t planning listening to the public in the first place?
I hope to have some video to post for y’all of Friday’s hearing put on to discuss the anti-labor bills before the legislature. In the meantime, here’s a quote from an AFSCME member that attended the hearing. He wanted to address the allegation that public employee unions are “bankrupting the state:”
I’m making less money now than I was four years ago. I want to ask who’s bankrupting who?
The legislators who attended asked all of us to call the members th...
Yeah, I read the story about Paul Babeu in the New Times. I’ve heard stories about Babeu’s sexuality for well over a year. It would have been an issue for me if he was in the front of the line calling for ending domestic partner benefits or preaching the evils of homosexuality. Purriently interesting, I suppose, but for me a political snoozer.
Still, why do I have the uneasy feeling that if he gets taken down, it will be the allegations about who he sleeps with rather than the allega...
Col. Martha McSally, for obvious reasons, takes issue with Rick Santorum’s views on women in combat:
Although I’m happy to hear some criticism of Santorum, one has to wonder why anyone would be surprised that he’d say such a thing. She expresses support for his views, which include a variety of, her words, things that are “out of touch” with modern reality. So, she supports him for being retrograde on social issues, but is surprised that his views would effect her ...
First we had the attempt to ban protests from the capitol mall, then there was Don Shooter’s assertion that there was no need for public comment at budget hearings, then there was the closed caucus to discuss la Cervecera’s plan to eviscerate the civil service system…is there more?
Yep.
So, yesterday, Melissa Blasius, a Phoenix TV reporter, was kicked off the floor of the House of Representatives. Admitedly, according to the rules, press is supposed to only be on the floor with...
I didn’t have a chance to follow the hearings on the anti-labor bills yesterday, but one actuality they played on KUAZ amused me. It was from Sen. Ron Gould, who claimed that the bills are actually not anti-union.
Yes, because Arizona Republicans would never do anything against organized labor.
Anyhow, the Pima Area Labor Federation is having a public hearing on the bills over at IBEW Local 570, 750 S. Tucson Boulevard. It starts at 4:00.
Interestingly, the a bill two years ago excluded po...
For those of you who missed it, you can listen to my stirring interview on Bill Buckmaster’s show over at his page. Topics were Nineteenth Century politics, the CD 8 race and Desert Diamond Cup because, apparently, I’m the soccer guy now. I’m on around 45 minutes in.
If you haven’t caught his show yet, it’s a must listen for anyone that gives a darn about what goes on in our town. It’s on KVOI 1030 AM weekdays from noon to 1 pm.
I’ve been reading some of the crowing on Republican blogs about the CD 9 race. They seem to think that anyone from their neuftet of aspirants is a sure winner in the general election.
It ain’t exactly a bulletproof Democratic district, only leaning Democratic by a scant two points. I can see why they think it’s a good opportunity for a pick-up.
But, they need to ask themselves why they are left with this crowd rather than their strongest candidate, who decided to up and move to...
I will be making an appearance on Buckmaster, which runs from noon to 1 PM on KVOI AM 1030.
I’m scheduled to come on at 12:45.
Manny Cruz ran a surprisingly spirited campaign for State Mine Inspector in 2010. It led to more than a few Democrats hoping he’d make another run for something, and he’s going to. He’s set to declare for Mayor of Glendale this weekend.
Because these questions always come up when there is a Hispanic candidate, Glendale has a large Latino population: 35.5%, the third biggest of our state’s larger cities.
(Since you asked, the two in front of it are Tucson with 41.6% and Ph...
The man in the middle, Juan Salas, had just purchased the Model A he’s posing with and was about to go off to California. The man smoking on the right is Alfredo Araiza. The man on the left is Francisco Villa, my grandfather.
He was born in Arizona in 1898, well before statehood. He had what would now b...
Not to come down on Paula, but what’s with this thing now of announcing with a video? I want a podium, bunting, baloons and a multi-racial crowd of people holding signs! Make politics fun for, you know, me.
Okay…here’s where it stands now:
Ron Barber is running for CD 8, but will likely announce over the next few days that he will not be running for CD 2. Paula Aboud will probably be announcing today that she will run for CD 2. A robocall went out to Democratic activists saying that she’d be doing so.
When Barber makes his announcement about CD 2 is likely when Steve Farley and Nan Walden will make their intentions known. Walden and Farley both, by the way, have been gathering sig...
I’ve heard tales of two impending announcements for congress in the post-Barber CD 2 (is that hubris?); I’ll run those down as soon as I think the people involved are awake.
We’ll have no shortage of candidates for that, which brings me to a missive I got from a friend in Boston. The Republicans are looking for a new challenger to eight-term Democrat John Tierney after the guy that ran against him last time, Bill Hudak, dropped out to pursue other interests. This from his websi...
Late yesterday, pecan grower Nan Walden released a statement about Ron Barber formally declaring his candidacy in the District 8 special election.
Walden had been mentioned as a candidate, and could still be a candidate for the regular district 2 election. She was talked up by some members of the Democratic szlachta since she could put together a well funded campaign quickly, but she wasn’t the favorite of some around Gabrielle Giffords.
Walden has been very active in the opposition to the...
I just got off a press call with Ron Barber. Three things jumped out at me:
- Several reporters tried to get a definitive answer on whether or not Barber will run for a full term. The schedule would mean that this decision would have to be made before the special election. He said that he had not thought about it yet. Probably not the answer that the half dozen or so Democrats trying to assess the situation wanted to hear.
- Barber was asked whether or not he had spoken to Matt Heinz, who announ...
I just got this from the NRCC press flack for the Western states (former Star reporter Daniel Scarpinato, since you asked). The atatched note said to “feel free to use it,” so I am.
No one wanted this special election to happen, but it comes at a time when Arizona and our country are at a critical crossroads. The issues and challenges are too great to deny voters a full debate on which candidate is best to secure our border, create jobs and turn our economy around.
“Deny the vo...
Because there haven’t been enough announcements today. Press release after the jump.
Cherny Launches Bid for Congress
‘We can put Washington to work for Arizona families’PHOENIX – Former Clinton White House aide and Arizona prosecutor Andrei Cherny launched his bid for Congress today, and said he’ll fight the special interest takeover in Washington to put government back on the side of the middle class.
Cherny released a video to make the announcement, which can be viewed here....
Okay, we can substitute the future tense from the last post. Ron Barber is in and he’s got two former Gabrielle Giffords staffers working the campaign. The press release is after the jump.
Ron Barber Announces Run for Congress in Arizona’s 8th District (Tucson, AZ) – Today, Southern Arizonan and former Gabrielle Giffords District Director Ron Barber announced his candidacy for Congress in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. Barber pledged to continue Gabrielle Giffords’ legacy o...
Word is out that Ron Barber is set to announce is candidacy today. This tasty morsel was leaked to the Weekly first, but I’m not bitter.
Also, Gen. Martha McSally is set to be a candidate today. She’d be a formidable Republican nominee, but I don’t see either Frank Antenori or Jesse Kelly stepping aside for her, or even giving her anything resembling an easy ride.
I can see the ads now. I don’t know if she is really a moderate alternative to the two of them, but the logic...
