Mysteriously overnight, Grijalva signs along 22nd Street from Star Pass to midtown have been replaced by Viva Ruth signs. I guess her minions were busy on Thursday night.
I wonder if John McCain taught her that tactic, since he is now bankrolling her campaign, letting her use his office, and touring around Southern Arizona with her this weekend. I told you she was a Sarah Palin wannabe.
A few days ago, I posted links to a few of the stories of Tea Party candidates’ inappropriate violence against reporters, protesters, and opposition candidates.
In If the Tea Party Wins, America Loses, Keith Olbermann goes beyond the stories of Tea Party violence and offers dozens of quotes from Tea Party candidates that show how dangerous they really are. Tea Partiers– including the 3 running for Congressional seats in Arizona, Ruth McClung (CD7), Jesse Kelly (CD8) and David Schweikert (CD5)– want to end life as we know it. What do they stand for?
Elimination of Social Security. Jesse Kelly and several other Tea Partiers call a Ponzi Scheme. They want to “privatize” it. Their shtick is that people should be able to invest in the stock market to save for their retirement. Social Security would no longer exist if voters had allowed George Bush to privatize it before the market crash. Privatizing Social Security doesn’t help the people; it gives Wall Street gamblers more money to play with. Wake up.
Elimination of the minimum wage. Tea Partiers like Ruth McClung and Kelly call unconstitutional; others like Sharon Angle are more direct. She calls the minimum wage and employer-sponsored healthcare impediments to employment. In other words, paying someone a living wage (which minimum wage isn’t) lowers profits.
Elimination of public education. The Arizona Legislature has made strong inroads into the elimination of public education here by starving education and promoting vouchers for charter schools which are in the business of education. The Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Education John Huppenthal has one of the worst public education voting records. He is NOT your children’s friend.
Elimination of the healthcare safety net and minimum healthcare services (AKA Obamacare). Kelly, McClung and others want to balance the federal budget but want to get rid of healthcare reform– which saves the country money AND provides healthcare coverage for millions of Americans that were not covered by market-based health insurance because they only want to cover healthy people who don’t make claims.
Elimination of a woman’s right to choose.Kelly and others are so extreme that they are against abortion for any reason– even in the case of rape, incest, or saving the life of the mother. That stance is anti-women’s health.
Elimination of the 14th amendment to the US Constitution. The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to anyone born in the US. This, of course, is the “anchor baby” (AKA “terrorist baby”) issue. To my knowledge, Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce was one of the first right-wing extremists to raise the anchor baby issue last spring. Recently he vowed to get to work on repeal of the 14th amendment soon after the legislature goes back into session in January 2011. (What about dealing with the state’s financial problems and a projected $1 Billion-dollar budget deficit? That’s obviously on the back burner; ideology takes precedence over real work.)
Elimination of the 16th amendment to the US Constitution.The 16th Amendment gives the government the right to levy income tax. Kelly and others support national sales tax and elimination of other taxes. This ideas sounds good as a rallying cry at Tea Party events, but Kelly’s 23% sales tax [AKA the "Fair Tax"] would push the tax burden down to consumers and lighten the tax burden for the rich and corporations. It is a seriously bad idea. The Fair Tax is only fair to the corportists and the richest 1%– not the rest of us.
Elimination of the 17th amendment to the US Constitution.The 17th Amendment gives US voters the right to elect US Senators. This is particularly insidious. If this amendment were eliminated, the Arizona Legislature would elect the state’s senators. I’m for giving those right-wing no-nothings less power– not more power! (Isn’t it ironic that a party that supports “strict constitutionalism” wants to repeal 3 amendments?)
Olberman points out that big money is backing the Tea Party candidates in an attempt to “elect a group of unqualified people who will do what they are told” once they are in office. This is an “attempted use of democracy to buy democracy.” (I couldn’t agree with him more. Tea Party candidates like McClung and Kelly have no original ideas; they spout the same fiery soundbites that their cronies are spouting nationwide. Who is writing the script?)
A vote for the Tea Party is a vote to “take America back as far as they are able”.
It was a packed house with over 200 Tucsonans in attendance. The City Council is way up there in the front.
Before a packed house at the Tucson Convention Center (TCC) the Tucson City Council listened to citizens and suits and eventually voted on the fate of the downtown Tucson Convention hotel.
The downtown hotel has had a tortured history since it was conceived in 2007, and in recent weeks, it has been a political hot potato with the Tucson City Council and the governor-appointed Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District Board tossing it back and forth.
Twenty-five attendees voiced their opinions to the City Council and the Rio Nuevo Board before the vote. Overwhelmingly, the citizens were against the hotel project. Complaints ranged from thoughtful and learned to rambling and unfocused, but the messages to the City Council was loud and clear:
A few people asked why the City Council wanted to spend so much money on a hotel that would primarily benefit tourists and not the citizens of Tucson. Councilwoman Regina Romero pointed out that when Governor Jan Brewer and the Arizona Legislature took over Rio Nuevo development and appointed the Rio Nuevo Board, they directed the city to focus on “revenue-generating projects” and specifically told the Rio Nuevo Board to “get ‘er done”– something they have not done. (I have written more than a dozen stories about the hotel and development downtown, and, in my opinion, the Rio Nuevo Board has been uncooperative and obstructionist.)
Local real estate agent Raj Kohli also expressed this opinion– why not build something for Tucsonans and tourists? Kohli, who has a radio show on the JOLT 1330AM, envisions a fountain plaza, hotel, shops, and an outdoor performance space. I have heard Kohli talk about his vision on the radio, and I think he’s got a point. For a city with so many artists and performers, we should have a plaza that accommodates concerts and events like Tucson Meet Yourself and the Tucson Folk Festival, and the Concert in Barrio Viejo. This would give downtown a destination that would help build community.
A small handful of people spoke in favor of the hotel. For the most part they were people who would benefit from the construction– developers, builders, construction workers.
Even after more than an hour of listening to Tucsonans rail against the hotel project, Mayor Bob Walkup, the hotel’s primary cheerleader, tried to delay the vote and/or continue negotiations to save the project.
Walkup even tried to cut off the speakers. Councilwoman Shirley Scott chimed in and said that everyone who filled out a speakers’ card should be able to speak. I got there early, and my card was “accepted” by the check-in clerk, but I was one of those who would not have been allowed to speak if Scott had not recommended the speakers continue.
Ironically, two of the more coherent speakers– a hospitality industry/hotel consultant and me– were in the group that Walkup wanted to set aside. Personally, I don’t think it was an accident that we were in the set-aside group.
The consultant had data and life-long experience in the hotel industry that he used to urge a “no” vote.
I pointed out that — although I totally support improved hotel services downtown– we are in a depressed economic climate nationwide and particularly statewide, and it’s not getting better anytime soon in Arizona. Arizona’s economy is growing slower than other states because of the over-reliance of our economy on housing construction jobs (which are now gone), and the Arizona Legislature’s failed economic policies. They are cutting jobs to balance the budget. The University of Arizona expects more job cuts– at the hands of the Legislature– in the next session. I pointed out that every time the state or the city cuts jobs they reduce the income to the city in sales tax, property tax, and income tax and increase the burden on the state and city in social services. As long as we have a Legislature who cuts jobs to balance the budget and a governor who scares tourists away with lies about violence, our state’s economy will not grow, and tourists won’t come. These economic facts + the poor airline service from Tucson International Airport make it even less likely that the convention hotel will be viable.
In the end, the City Council voted 7-0 to kill the hotel project.
 |  |  |
Has the Tea Party gone off the deep end? I’ll let you be the judge…
Rand Paul Supporter Stomps Head Of Female MoveOn Member Outside KY Debate
Reporter Cuffed by Joe Miller Guards: Call the Cops!
Christine O’Donnell: God is the reason I’m running
FBI: Powder sent to Raul Grijalva not toxic
“I understand that we’re in a tough election. All of us across the nation are in a tough election. But there is still room for a little bit of civility and a little bit of understanding that this is not the way the system works. The system works by who is going to vote and how we’re going to vote on Nov. 2, not by how you threaten or intimidate people. This is unfortunately a disturbing trend that goes beyond anger. It goes toward hatred and trying to hurt people.”
– Raul Grijalva, as quoted on Politico.com
Bill O’Reilly has the “no spin zone.” I got the “no hate zone.”
[Picture me wagging my finger in a motherly fashion.]
I am hereby warning hate-mongers and bullies that I will no longer tolerate name-calling and grade-school bullying in my comments’ section. What brought me to this decision was the numerous posts by two individuals who have repeatedly attacked one individual– calling him a liar, a bastard, a racist, a scum sucker, etc.– you get the idea.
I don’t care if you agree with my viewpoints or not. (In fact, some of your posts are so absurd that you brighten my day with laughter– seriously, thanks!) I grew up arguing politics with my union-organizer Dad and my FDR-devotee Grandparents. Politics, activism, and political discourse are family sports for the Irish. With our political opinions, we’re like a dog with a bone, so it you have an opinion to discuss or wrangle over– bring it on.
My point is not suppression of thought but suppression of hate. So, be forewarned, if your post consists solely of name-calling and/or put-downs with no facts or intelligent discourse to back up the accusations, I will delete it.
In a week, it will all be over– the canvasing, the phone-banking, the TV and radio ads.
In this final week, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Terry Goddard (and others, of course) will be making the final push.
From the Goddard campaign, here is a list of events coming up this week.
Tuesday, October 26
Street Rally for Goddard with Rep. Olivia Cajero-Bedford
Representative Cajero-Bedford has turned her truck into a huge Goddard billboard! Bring a friend and take an hour to chat and wave signs – it is fun and shows our support!
When: 6:45 – 8:15 AM
Where: 1183 W Valencia, in the parking lot of Payless shoes.
Making Arizona Work Tour — Saving Tourism
Come hear about the future of tourism, the impact of the loss of the Heritage funds, and the importance of state parks for the economy with Terry Goddard and Chris Deschene at San Xavier Mission del Bac.
When: 1:00 pm
Where: Plaza, San Xavier Mission del Bac, 1950 W. San Xavier Rd.
Rally for Democratic Unity with Senator Mark Udall
Come hear Senator Udall, son of our famous Mo Udall, together with Terry Goddard, Gabrielle Giffords and other Democratic candidates
When: 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Where: Democratic Party Headquarters, 4639 E. 1st St.
Cycling for Goddard
Join the Community Bike Ride and show your support for Goddard! Bring your bike, bike light, helmet — we’ll bring Goddard shirts, stickers, buttons, and signs.
When: 8:00 PM
Where: Meet in front of the Starbucks on University Blvd, 802 E University (come a little early to decorate your bike!).
Wednesday, October 27
Paint your car for Goddard!
Come and paint your car (with soap) with pro-Goddard messages! Only one week left to show why this election is important — and it is SO effective! Please come and create your own message!
When: 4:30 – 5:30 PM
Where: Parking lot at 48 N Tucson Blvd. (just north of Broadway)
Thursday, October 28
Get Out the Vote Begins!
We need 1000 volunteer shifts for phone and 1000 volunteer shifts for walking.
This means you! Come on by the office and help with the final push for the last five days!
When: 10 am – 8 pm
Where: Staging locations across Tucson – call us for the closest to you! (520) 326-3716
Street Rally for Goddard with Rep. Olivia Cajero-Bedford
This is the last opportunity to help Terry on the streets (beside canvassing)! Come help gather support and create excitement by waving at passersby. Bring a friend and take an hour to chat and wave signs – it is fun and shows our support!
When: 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Where: The Northeast corner of Valencia and Nogales Highway.
Tuesday’s Mayor and Council Meeting will be one of the liveliest meetings they have had for months. Both the Convention Center hotel project and proposed medical marijuana zoning are on the agenda for October 26.
The public meeting will be held at the Tucson Convention Center. Councilman Steve Kozachik pushed for a larger venue because people had been shut out of earlier Mayor and Council meetings due to insufficient seating. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. There is a call to the audience where anyone can voice their opinion. Here is some background information, and if you follow the agenda link there are background PDF documents online.
Convention Center Hotel
Literally for years, Tucson’s Mayor and Council have been debating, negotiating, and planning for a Convention Center hotel downtown. Once the Great Recession hit, the hotel’s construction and the politically and financially risky debt associated with it became one giant hot political potato.
Everything got muddier downtown after Governor Jan Brewer and the Arizona Legislature created the Rio Nuevo Board to rescue us poor Tucsonans from ourselves and show us how to spend our money. My understanding was that the businessmen (of course, we know that they have our best interests at heart) on Rio Nuevo Board would make the decisions on how to spend the Rio Nuevo funds, since progress has been… well… spotty, deals and plans have fallen through, wild ideas like the UA’s $300 million-dollar rainbow bridge and the turtle-shaped arena football stadium have been floated, and the M&C’s decision-making has been mushy.
Unfortunately, the Rio Nuevo Board appears to be more interested in playing politics and fighting the Mayor and Council– rather than making sound decisions. (Hello, Jan, this isn’t working. Are you paying attention to the mess you created?) Consequently, the Rio Nuevo Board has added to the problems, rather than coming up with solutions. In an earlier article, I likened this back-and-forth bickering to the classic Abbot and Costello skit, “Who’s on First?”
For the last few months, Kozachik has been trying to get the Rio Nuevo Board to take responsibility for the convention hotel decision, and they have been avoiding it. To add to the political theater, Mayor Bob Walkup, the primary cheerleader for the ultra-expensive hotel, has been using agenda maneuvers to avoid a yay or nay vote on the hotel by the City Council. Kozachik has been pushing for open debate and vote on the hotel; Walkup wants discussions behind closed doors.
Medical Marijuana Zoning
Prop 203, which is on the November 2 ballot, proposes to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Since the Arizona voters have passed this law at least twice before, it is expected to pass again– despite the intense campaign efforts by Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, who trying to stop it (1, 2). Cities and counties around the state need to make decisions regarding zoning for medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation. Again, check out the agenda for more information.
Holding this meeting at the TCC is about as public as you can get. So, take this advantage to participate in your local government and come downtown on Tuesday! If you can’t make it, you can watch the proceedings on Tucson Channel 12 (online or on television).
These don't look like "dispirited" Democrats to me.
Old hippies, retirees, brown people, artists, musicians, college students, gays, lesbians, transvestites, and even people with multiple tattoos. At the Democratic Volunteer Party today, CD8 Republican challenger Jesse Kelly’s worst nightmare was on display– a diverse and multi-cultural Arizona.
CD8 Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords hosted the volunteer party which featured several local bands and between-band DJ services by Democratic candidates, including Giffords. (Hey, girlfriend, about that record collection…)
By any measure, the event was a rousing success. Invitations were distributed through facebook and to be “guarantee” entrance to the event, you had to sign up to volunteer. At the event they announced that 250 people had promised to volunteer for 3 hours each in these waning days of the midterm election season. Hundreds of Democrats filled the Hotel Congress patio to hear some of the best musicians in Arizona– headliner Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta with Salvador Duran and guests Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico. They say one picture is worth, or here are some pictures from today.
Bikers for Giffords. 
Joey Burns from Calexico with Sergio Mendoza on the keyboard and Salvador Duran (right).
Calexico's John and Joey.
Does a $7 million-donation from one person buy too much influence? I think so. Check out the obscene amounts of money Karl Rove’s American Crossroads political action committee is raising and spending to buy your vote.
Thank you, John Roberts. sigh…
