One in six Americans is unemployed or underemployed, but– except for a few politicians like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca)– Congress doesn’t care. In fact, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives wants to increase unemployment and underemployment by laying off more federal employees and forcing others into furlough days. In fact, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) flippantly said if the budget cuts result in job losses “so be it!”

Back here in Arizona– the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature is following in their federal cronies’ footsteps and proposing draconian budget cuts– particularly in education and healthcare– which will result on more layoffs.

In a recent New York Times editorial, Paul Krugman writes that the US is “well on the way to creating a permanent underclass of the jobless. According to Krugman, Americans want jobs… period… but the Republican-controlled state and federal governments are obsessed with cutting budgets and jobs– not creating them.

In addition, US businesses– who had record profits in 2010– are sitting on their cash and trying to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of scared employees who don’t want to be laid off. According to Ed Schultz, 50,000 factories closed or moved abroad since George Bush took office; 75 percent of these factories employed more than 500 people– a loss of more than 18 million jobs. Adding insult to injury, many US corporations added jobs in their overseas factories than in the US, and they are starting new factories abroad.

From The Forgotten Millions…

So one-sixth of America’s workers — all those who can’t find any job or are stuck with part-time work when they want a full-time job — have, in effect, been abandoned.

It might not be so bad if the jobless could expect to find new employment fairly soon. But unemployment has become a trap, one that’s very difficult to escape. There are almost five times as many unemployed workers as there are job openings; the average unemployed worker has been jobless for 37 weeks, a post-World War II record.

In short, we’re well on the way to creating a permanent underclass of the jobless. Why doesn’t Washington care?

Part of the answer may be that while those who are unemployed tend to stay unemployed, those who still have jobs are feeling more secure than they did a couple of years ago. Layoffs and discharges spiked during the crisis of 2008-2009 but have fallen sharply since then, perhaps reducing the sense of urgency. Put it this way: At this point, the U.S. economy is suffering from low hiring, not high firing, so things don’t look so bad — as long as you’re willing to write off the unemployed.

Yet polls indicate that voters still care much more about jobs than they do about the budget deficit. So it’s quite remarkable that inside the Beltway, it’s just the opposite.

What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that the economic arguments used to justify the D.C. deficit obsession have been repeatedly refuted by experience. [For the rest of this article, click here.]

When will this assault on American workers end?

In the wake of the horrific devastation in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami earlier this week, it’s ironic that the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives has America’s natural disaster early warning systems on the small government chopping block. Check out this video link from the Ed Schultz Show on MSNBC.

The OpEd: What happens if tragedy hits here?

Why cut effective programs that save lives and don’t cost much?

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with supporters on primary election night 2010. (Photo Credit: Pamela Powers)

University Medical Center (UMC) has announced that there will be a media briefing to update everyone about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ condition this morning– Sunday, January 9, 2011– at 10 a.m. in Kiewitt Auditorium. Giffords was shot in the head– along with 18 other people– at a Safeway in northwest Tucson on Saturday, January 8 while she was meeting with constituents. She is in critical condition at UMC following surgery.

UPDATE from UMC press conference: The update released this morning from UMC is that Giffords remains in the hospital’s intensive care unit and is on a ventilator. The bullet went through her brain on the left side– which is better than it crossing through both hemispheres of the brain. A multi-surgeon team that conducted the 38-minute surgery on Saturday removed bone fragments and a small portion of her brain which had been damaged by the gunshot, along with pieces of her skull (in order to minimize brain swelling). She was responsive to simple verbal cues yesterday and today. The medical team is optimistic about her survival but will not comment on her future functioning.

Here is UMC’s update from Saturday.

Tucson, AZ – Peter Rhee, MD, MPH, medical director of University Medical Center’s Trauma and Critical Care, and professor of surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Department of Surgery, spoke at a media briefing regarding U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and other patients who were admitted to the Level 1 trauma center.

UMC received 11 patients; five are in critical condition, five are in serious condition and a nine-year old child died.

UMC neurosurgeons completed the surgery on Representative Giffords, who was listed in critical condition following a single gunshot to the head. The congresswoman was recovering from surgery in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

“I am as optimistic as I can be at this point about the congresswoman’s condition. We will watch her recovery during the next 24 hours and will know more,” said Dr. Rhee.

Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup said, “This is a grave tragedy for our community, the state of Arizona and our country.” He called this a time of prayer for the people who are fighting for their lives and their family members. He has instructed the chief of the Tucson Police Department to cooperate completely with the investigation that is under way led by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Roberto Villaseñor, Tucson chief of police, and Walkup asked the media to verify information with sources from University Medical Center and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which has scheduled a media briefing for 6 p.m. today at Westward Look Resort in Tucson. Media are asked to verify the briefing time and location with the Pima County Sheriff Department.

Robert Shelton, PhD, president of the University of Arizona, acknowledged the work not only of the public safety officers, but also the staff of UMC, including Dr. Rhee and his entire team.

Republicans who rode the Tea Party’s coat tails into office in 2010 are vowing to cut $100 billion from domestic spending, but can they really do it?

According to the New York Times, the only parts of the budget that would be exempt from a potential 20 percent across-the-board would be the military, domestic security, and veterans.

What would this mean for us? Cuts in Medicare and Social Security, reduced revenue-sharing with the states, more lay-offs, fewer teachers, less healthcare, crumbling infrastructure, etc. How can anyone believe that this is a good idea? (And, don’t forget, the returning Republicans– like House-Speaker-elect John Boehner– were the ones lobbying hard for continued tax cuts for the rich just a few weeks ago.) From the Times…

The budget-cutting exercise is perhaps the biggest test facing the House Republicans as they seek to remain united and to keep faith with Tea Partymembers, many of whom remain suspicious of the party’s willingness to vote for deep spending cuts.

But if Republicans vote for the size and range of required cuts in education, law enforcement, medical and scientific research, transportation and much more, it would give Democrats political ammunition to use against them in swing districts.

Such reductions are sure to draw protests from governors and local officials, including Republicans, who are counting on federal money to help balance their budgets. Many business and farm groups likewise would oppose cuts in their subsidies. And many economists would argue that immediate federal spending cuts of this size, especially on top of cuts and layoffs in the cities and states, would threaten the economy’s recovery and offset any stimulus from the tax cut deal Republicans and Mr. Obama reached just weeks ago.

Yet conservative analysts say even more spending cuts are desirable. Brian Riedl of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research organization, has outlined a plan for $343 billion in reductions, including cuts from corporate tax breaks and entitlement programs that are not in the portion of the federal budget that House Republicans are focusing on, the so-called nonsecurity discretionary spending.

“The difficulty for Republicans is that they’re concentrating their cuts in a small sliver of the budget,” Mr. Riedl said. “They should also be addressing large entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Security, which are the main source of our budget problems. Cutting $100 billion from these other programs isn’t just a matter of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. It will involve real cuts in real programs.”…

The promise to cut $100 billion this fiscal year — in effect, taking government operations to 2008 levels — would mean cuts of more than 20 percent across the board from the $477 billion that Congress allocated for such programs in the 2010 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.

Such across-the-board cuts “would have very damaging implications for the long-term growth of the economy and the long-term future of our work force,” said Jacob J. Lew, Mr. Obama’s budget director. He is preparing the administration’s budget for the 2012 fiscal year, which would continue a three-year freeze of the same domestic spending at 2010 levels.

“If you look in areas like education, if it was applied across the board it would mean eight million students would have their Pell grants reduced by an average of $700,” Mr. Lew said. “You obviously could make policy not to do that, but then you’d have to save a lot of money somewhere else.”

A 20-percent cut also would mean 40,000 fewer teachers and school aides, he said, and big reductions in basic research, law enforcement and small business programs, among many others.

If the Republicans apply their promise literally, some programs would have to be scaled back even more because the government is already well into its fiscal year, so the cuts would have to be concentrated in a shorter period. The reductions would be about 30.6 percent, said James R. Horney, a former Congressional budget analyst who is now at the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

“That would require very large layoffs or furloughs of federal employees,” Mr. Horney said, “as well as big reductions in grants to state and local governments and government purchases of goods and services — all of which would offset a good portion of the stimulus achieved in the tax compromise and threaten the recovery.”

In new rules that the House is expected to adopt when it convenes on Wednesday, Republicans will empower the incoming chairman of the House Budget Committee, Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, to set limits for the various categories of domestic spending that are decided in the Appropriations Committee. That is more power than ever invested in a Budget Committee chief and a significant diminution in the appropriation panel’s traditional sway.

Initially, that would allow House Republicans to suggest what general areas the $100 billion would come from without identifying specific cuts.

“The reality of governing is different than the reality of campaigning, and it’s easier to throw out a number than it is to support it,” said David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s senior strategist.

Maybe the impending budget battles will open the eyes of complacent Americans.

Last week in my article Ruth McClung: Brought to you by the Republican Party Machine, I reported that the right-wing extremist political action committee (PAC) the Republican Majority Campaign was endorsing and raising money for McClung.

Less that 24 hours after I posted that story and when the Google searches for “Ruth McClung” were lighting up with that story, the website link to the Republican Majority Campaign’s blatantly racist fundraising efforts on McClung’s behalf (below) disappeared.

…the Republican Majority Campaign PAC fully endorses, stands behind, will fund-raise and campaign for Ruth with the fullest and utmost vigor we possess.

El temblando racista de (the quiverying racist of) Tucson, Sr. Grijalva, must be defeated at all costs. He is the first to call the race card at every turn. He is the racist, not we conservatives. He believes in, sponsors and promotes “La Raza” (the Mexican race) while we conservatives value all races equally. We have heard his silly racist name calling for decades now and it is time the electorate of the 7th Congressional District of Arizona tells him to shut up, go to Mexico City and cash in his race card where it may bring him five centavos.

We urge you to work hard, get in the trenches and fight and bring home victory of the glory of the United States, Arizona and Ruth McClung.

Meet Raúl Grijalva: Mexico’s “unofficial” Congressman from Arizona’s 7th district Grijalva is Mexico’s “unofficial” Member of Congress! This is the man who stabbed his constituents in the back by organizing an economic boycott of his own state, because he disagrees with the tough new anti-illegal alien measure signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer.

Thinking that some of you conspiracy theorists out there may think I was making this excerpt from the Republican Majority Campaign up, I started digging.

What I found was fascinating. The Republican Majority Campaign website is here, and it’s pretty thin. The fundraising website that I had found previously started with “rmcpac.com”. Now all pages for that website come up blank– not “page not found” but blank.

Digging a bit further, I Googled one of the more inflammatory statements in the excerpt above and found 2 right-wing bloggers who also had linked to the same Republican Majority Campaign McClung fundraising page that I had linked to. (They wanted you to donate to that PAC; I, on the other hand, wanted you to see what scumbags are raising money for her.)

Simranjeet Singh [Alternative Thinking Is Just the Beginning] even quotes the Republican Majority Campaign link that I did, has a “donate” link to their website [same URL as in my story], and includes a “thank you” from McClung for the Republican Majority Campaign’s efforts on her behalf. [Emphasis added.]

The Republican Majority Campaign has a well thought out program to create the defeat of Mr. Grijalva; use the button to the right should you wish to help.
When McClung wins in November we’ll let you know how we did it, maybe…

Your efforts have resulted in a direct cash contribution to the McClung campaign and a rousing thank you from Ruth, as follows:

“I am excited to receive the endorsement of the Republican Majority Campaign PAC! RMCPAC is very selective in their endorsements. Some of the people they are currently supporting include big races like Sharron Angle for US Senate (Harry Reid’s NV seat), Scott Brown for US Senate (Ted Kennedy’s old MA seat), and at least 9 more Congressional and Senatoral candidates. I am proud and thankful that they have chosen to add me to their list of endorsements. Their endorsement states:

“… McClung could very well be the brightest star in the US’s southwest sky. She is a conservative, Gung-Ho Tea-Party Republican who seeks to unseat “progressive” Grijalva, a politician so far to the hard left that he is in the leadership of the progressive caucus. In this year of patriotic revulsion of Democratic hard left policies, we’re betting that McClung will pull off the upset of the decade…

“Thanks RMCPAC – and thanks eveyone for your support!”

Not to be content with one piece of corroborating evidence, I found the Desert Conservative website. He posted an e-mail communication from the Republican Majority Campaign which includes some of the text that had been on their now-blank web page.

Submitted by: Myke
Republican Majority Campaign PAC
Post Office Box 2806
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91729
United States
800-362-2723 Webmaster@RMCPAC.Com

August 22, 2010

Dear Fellow Patriot:

The United States is in the biggest crisis of its entire history!

Millions of illegal aliens are crossing our borders hell-bent on destroying our institutions, claiming the fruit of our labor and imposing a terrorizing forms of law upon us called sharia. They are NOT all coming from Mexico – many are coming from lands terrorized by muslim jihadis in the Mid-East!

While this is happening before our eyes, a pro-muslim, anti-Christian, president is watching, waiting and hoping that the ambitions of these illegal aliens are obtained by them, for our president also seems hell-bent on achieving exactly the same goals: claiming the fruit or our labor, imposing sharia upon us and destroying the carefully built-up machinery of democracy that millions of us have fought and died for over the last 234 years.

To make matters worse, the hugely corrupt and incompetent country of Mexico has placed its “Unofficial” Congressman – Raul Grijalva – at its beck-and-call. Grijalva is following the most corrupt, dirty and undemocratic campaigning practices imaginable – just like the drug cartels do in Mexico. Even while Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now under a murder contract from Mexican drug cartels, Arizona is under a death threat of millions of illegal aliens, all of whom are rabidly supported by the dupester Grijalva.

Grijalva is a leader of the pro-communist group of Members of Congress known as the “Progressive Caucus” but do NOT let the term “progressive” fool you. This word in todays hard-left terminology simply means “communist.” Hussein Obama is a “progressive” in the White House. Grijalva is a “progressive in the House of Representative and, YOU KNOW, that both of them are trying to destroy Arizona!

Ruth McClung is a conservative Republican seeking your vote to the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona District 7. She deserves your vote and campaigning skills.She has been running since May of 2009 because, she says, “I cannot stand on the sidelines when politicians in Washington (like my opponent) are grabbing control of our personal freedoms, wrecking our economy, recklessly spending our money, and destroying America’s greatness. We need to return to limited government, personal responsibility and integrity, a strong work ethic, and opportunity for all. The American dream is to be self reliant and work to achieve the life that you want, not live off the government.”

She continued, “As a nation, we face many complex challenges requiring innovative solutions. My technical knowledge and expertise in scientific problem solving will be valuable in solving these problems”. We, as Americans and conservatives must support her!

She promises that she will take strong, decisive stands on border security and immigration, curbing out-of-control government debt, and promoting job creation through a free market economy and states, “I am committed to limiting our government and defending our Constitution. Working as a physicist, I understand the importance of finding the right solution instead of causing new problems. Maybe it does take a rocket scientist!”This is why the Republican Majority Campaign PAC fully endorses, stands behind, will fund-raise and campaign for Ruth with the fullest and utmost vigor we possess.
El temblando racista de (the quivering racist of) Tucson, Sr. Grijalva, must be defeated at all costs. He is the first to call the race card at every turn. He is the racist, not we conservatives.

He believes in, sponsors and promotes “La Raza” (the Mexican race) while we conservatives value all races equally. We have heard his silly racist name calling for decades now and it is time the electorate of the 7th Congressional District of Arizona tells him to shut up, go to Mexico City and cash in his race card where it may bring him five centavos.

We urge you to work hard, get in the trenches and fight and bring home victory to the glory of the United States, Arizona and Ruth McClung!

Sincerely

Randy Goodwin
Treasurer, Republican Majority Campaign Online News Site
www.rmcpac.com
800-362-2723

P. S. Please do not sit idly by and watch the ruination of this great nation. Of course, there are many, many appeals during this heated election period. But nowhere else in America is the difference between the forces of evil and good any more represented than in this 7th Congressional district race where a pro-Mexican takeover candidate who advocates granting illegal aliens immediate voting rights is being fought by a pro-American, conservative Tea-Party Republican. Only with your help will Mexico lose and America win.

I’m sure some of you Ruth apologists will try to make light of this, but I think it is pretty clear that McClung has racists backing her. Maybe that’s why she won’t pull or apologize for her racist print ad of Grijalva.

Last Thursday, I posted Will the real Ruth McClung please stand up?, and it created quite a buzz here and on the Internet.

In this article and a previous one about McClung, I pointed out the fact that Sarah Palin has endorsed her, right-wing extremist groups are raising funds for her, small guv’ment guru Grover Norquist funded an attack against her opponent CD7 Congressman Raul Grijalva on her behalf, and she has distributed a print attack ad against Grijalva that some label as racist.

Three days later, the Arizona Daily Star expounded on the Norquist ad story.

Today, on his Liberland blog, national lefty commentator Alan Colmes published the story: What do Sarah Palin and Ruth McClung have in common? Here is an excerpt. [Emphasis added.]

The truth of the matter is that Ruth McClung has much more important allies than Sarah Palin. Oddly, though, she seems not to know who they are.  For instance, she had an interview with The Arizona Daily Star editorial board during which she professed to not be familiar with the group Americans For Tax Reform or even know founder Grover Norquist’sname. Of course, being charitable, one could forgive a 28-year-old first time candidate for that ignorance. How about when I tell you that Americans For Tax Reform has spent over $230,000 on ad buys targeting her opponent, incumbent Raúl Grijalva?

Still plausible deniability that she could be completely unaware of an outside group running ads on her behalf? How about when I tell you that Ms. McClung signed the Americans For Tax Reform pledge just as they prepared to make the ad buys? What could possibly explain this inconsistency? Seems the answer is either one of two things. Either McClung is cynically attempting to distance herself from attack ads being run by a group to whom she sold her political soul; or she is hopelessly, ridiculously ignorant and can’t even recall which pledges she has signed.

I’ll allow you to parse that question and decide what parallels she may have with Sarah Palin.  But one has to wonder what other back-room deals Ruth McClung has cut with Washington insiders and extremist groups. Just to whom would a “Representative McClung” be beholden?

Looking for a bit more background on Norquist and why he is so dangerous, I ran across this blog story and video about Norquist on the Common People’s Source for News blog. Ironically (since McClung claims not to know who Norquist is), she quoted him in the debate last week! When speaking about jobs, McClung said, everyone knows government workers are paid more than the private sector. Being a Tucson audience, there was a quiet chuckle that rippled through the crowd at this comment. (Anyone who has worked for the state of Arizona knows they’re paid far below the national wage.) Here’s an excerpt from the blog. [Emphasis added.]

[Norquist] said government workers are overpaid to the extent of $500 billion per year. And from the most recent reports, he’s right. USAToday published their article a couple of weeks ago comparing government pay to private sector wages, and there is definitely a sizeable disparity.*

Add all of this information to the fact that she ducked out of her commitment to debate her challengers tonight. The CD7 debate with Grijalva, Libertarian George Keane, and Independent Harley Meyer will be held without her.

So, dear readers, I’d love to hear your opinion of what’s going on here. Is McClung just stupid and doesn’t know who Grover Norquist is or what she signed? Or is she hoping no one will tell you that she’s just bobbing and weaving like all the rest?

*NOTE: One thing that may be a bit misleading about this labor statistic is that the federal government payroll includes the President, Congress, lots of diplomats, probably generals, etc., so it’s not really like a regular business that includes loads of worker bees.

Some of my readers theorized in the comments section that Congressional candidate Ruth McClung’s Tea Party backers who disrupted this week’s CD7 debate actually live in Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ CD8.

Yesterday evening the Rum Romanism and Rebellion blog reported that McClung has backed out of Monday’s upcoming debate (October 18) with Congressman Raul Grijalva.

Why? October 18 is the same day Giffords debates her opponent Jesse Kelly, another Tea Party darling. This lends credence to your comments, dear readers. The rowdy Tea Partiers can’t be in 2 places at once. Maybe their forces aren’t as strong as they want us to believe. Here is an excerpt. [Emphasis added.]

The sticking point [to the debate], in the end, was the time. McClung’s people did not want the debate at the same time as the one between Gabrielle Giffords and Jesse Kelly. The Grijalva people agreed to move the debate a bit later, but McClung’s people took their ball and went home.

Maybe this new found reticence is because of McClung’s performance last night. She may have discovered that repeating the word “boycott” over and over again is a poor substitute for knowledge of the needs of the district and public policy.

No word yet on whether the debate will take place anyway, there are two other candidates running. Should the debate go on, this humble blogger will leave it up to you, the reader, to decide what inanimate object would be an appropriate substitute for McClung.

While your checking out the R3 link above, you also might check this story: Surprise! Conservative Group Caught in a Fib About Grijalva’s Record. The Grover Norquist ad that I mentioned lies about Grijalva’s record. As Tedski says, “Surprise, surprise.”

My 2 recent stories about Raytheon “rocket scientist”, war machine wonk, and Republican Congressional candidate Ruth McClung and her debate with CD7 Congressman Raul Grijalva, Libertarian George Keane, and Independent Harley Meyer have created quite a buzz in the last 24 hours– particularly amongst defensive right-wingers.

Several took issue with the fact that I tied her to the Republican Party Machine– even though her answers to the Center for American Policy survey are in lock step with the Republican Party’s Pledge to America. They also took issue with the fact that the ultra-conservative Republican Majority Campaign is raising funds for her– or was until sometime after I posted my story last night. Now– less than 24 hours later– the page that I linked to has been pulled. You can see the blatantly racist comments that group wrote about Grijalva (on her behalf) embedded in my story because I quoted them.  (Now that their racism has been revealed, and they have backed into the shadows, I’m sorry I didn’t quote the whole story last night!) Most recently, the Americans for Tax Reform (a Grover Norquist small guv’ment group) has spent $230,000 on an attack ad against Grijalva. Seriously, folks, how much closer to the Republican Party Machine can McClung get?

Personally, I think that having Grover Norquist and a racist group raise funds for McClung is right in line with her campaign. McClung has distributed print materials make fun of Grijalva’s face. Her campaign defended the blatantly personal insult. I think it is degrading. If Grijalva had distributed a print ad with a photo emphasizing certain aspects of McClung’s “womanhood”, he would have been crucified by her campaign and the media. Why is this OK for her to personally degrade his appearance?

Will the real Ruth McClung please stand up? A “rocket scientist” should be smart enough not to use personal degradation as a campaign tactic. McClung owes Grijalva a formal apology.

P.S. Here’s her bio on Project Vote Smart– pretty thin on details or experience– sorry, more facts.

Standing-room only audience at the CD7 debate.

Last night’s Congressional District 7 public debate revealed the stark contrast between the candidates and their followers.

Congressman and incumbent Democrat Raul Grijalva faced challengers Republican Ruth McClung, Libertarian George Keane, and Independent Harley Meyer, in front of an enthusiastic (and sometimes rowdy) standing-room only crowd.

OK, call be biased (and I’m sure you will), but Grijalva was the only candidate with solid ideas based upon facts– rather than ideology. The only other interesting candidate with original ideas was Meyer (the Independent). Unfortunately, he is too smart to be elected in Arizona– or probably anywhere out side of NYC, LA, San Francisco, or Boston. McClung is a Sarah Palin wannabe– one of the Republican Party’s new Stepford Wives of Politics. As if she were at a rally and not a debate, she spouted fiery, rehearsed rhetoric based upon the standard Republican Party line. The Tea Baggers, who were well-represented, ate it up. Keene (the Libertarian) spouted their party line– cut taxes, government, and regulations; let the markets be free and the people be dammed.

The debates was built around 5 questions based upon major issues: immigration, jobs, healthcare, education, and balancing the federal budget. The hosts of the debate (Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Public Media, ASUA, and Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus) distributed the questions in advance. The moderator from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce kept the speakers to strict time limits with their answers, but it was difficult for her to control the boisterous and disruptive Tea Party section of the audience. Everyone was told at the beginning that the audience could have “no audible responses” to the questions– no clapping, cheers, boos, etc. The moderator said that people who didn’t obey these rules would be removed.

The problem was that a block of 40 or so of McClung’s Tea Party supporters, who were sitting together, thought the rules didn’t apply to them. [And these are the patriotic "law and order" folks?] They repeatedly interrupted the televised debate with cheers and clapping for McClung or negative comments for Grijalva. At one point, Grijalva said politely, “Excuse me. All I’m asking for is a little courtesy and respect.”

Although they were warned by the moderator and random Grijalva supporters shouted, “Throw them out!”, the Tea Partiers didn’t pay attention. In their final act of disrespect, several of them walked out en masse as Grijalva began his closing remarks.

In a nutshell, here is what the candidates said on immigration and jobs. Check out the Arizona Public Media for a video of the debate to learn more.

Immigration
Grijalva: We need security on the border. This means “dealing with the realities of the border”, and this goes beyond building a fence. We need to stop the drugs coming to the US and stop the guns and money going to Mexico. We also need to deal with the realities of “blended families” whose family members are on both sides. And, we need to have an honest assessment of our workforce needs as a country (ie, what types of workers do we need to build our economy). [People who say we should deport the 12.5 million undocumented workers in the US are forgetting that when the Baby Boomers retire, the US will have a severe worker shortage.]

Keane: We should build a double fence in populated areas but forget about trying to build the fence along the whole border. [So, won't they just go around it?] We should increase the number of people who can work legally in the US because the quotas are too low.

McClung: The border fence is necessary. We should have a guest worker program, where people could secure “day passes” to cross the border to work. [In my opinion, a guest worker program would just further depress wages in the US-- and particularly in border states. This is seriously bad idea for Arizona's workforce, but a really great idea for profit-hungry businesses.] We should “go after” employers who employ undocumented workers.

Meyer: We need to look beyond the border and the fence. Splitting families up is dangerous for our country.

Jobs
Grijalva: The federal government should directly invest in projects to get people working [the FDR model]. We should continue the Bush II era tax cuts for the middle class but let the tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans to expire. [This is what President Obama has been pushing for, since 1) the rich don't need the money and 2) it will help the country financially.] We should invest in job training and retraining for a new economy. If someone is working in an industry that is no longer based in the US, the government should invest in retraining. We should keep the capital gains tax.

Keane: We should lower corporate taxes, lower state and local taxes, and deregulate. [Where has this guy been? Didn't we learn anything from the deregulation spree under Bush II and the Republican-controlled Congress?]

McClung: We should extend all Bush II era tax cuts– even those for the wealthiest Americans [even if it blows a hole in the deficit. This brought cheers from the Tea Partiers. Even though none of them appeared to be in the richest 1% of Americans. Even though the Tea Partiers say we should balance the budget and cut government spending, they somehow support extending tax cuts to the wealthy.] We should allow the Rosemont Copper Mine to go through because it will create jobs [to heck with the environment]. We should end capital gains tax. We should invest in new technology [no specifics here], and we should NEVER HAVE SOMEONE WHO WILL CALL FOR A BOYCOTT! [Her emphasis, not mine. This also got her Tea Party supporters to break the moderator's rules. You'll note that most of her answer-- except for the copper mine-- had nothing to do with jobs and everything to do with the Republican Party line.]

Meyer: We can’t compete with the extremely low wages paid to workers in other countries. We should change our system and incentivize businesses to create jobs in the US again. [Several times he suggested that the audience google "OPIC"-- Overseas Private Investment Corporation-- a government program created by President Nixon that incentivizes US companies to invest in businesses abroad. Check out the link. I told you this guy was smart.]

If you missed the CD7 debate last night, you can catch the CD8 debate– Gabrielle Giffords vs Jesse Kelly– on October 18 on the University of Arizona campus. (Hopefully, they have reserved a decent-sized room.)

Members of RepubliCorp performance art group in the Pima Community College lobby. Note the signs saying, "McClung is ours. Buy your own dang politician."

Ruth McClung delivered an outstanding performance this evening at the CD7 debate with Congressman Raul Grijalva, Libertarian George Keane, and Independent Harley Meyer.

She didn’t offer any specific ideas– just plucky prepared platitudes– a la Sarah Palin at the 2008 Republican Convention.

Blah, blah, blah, BOYCOTT!

Blah, blah, blah, I’M A ROCKET SCIENTIST! (Actually, she builds bombs at Raytheon.)

Blan, blah, blah, TAX CUTS FOR EVERYONE!

McClung is a Palin wannabe– a pretty young woman (age 28) who can deliver the party line with fiery styling. It was completely obvious that McClung was reciting prepared speeches– after all, the hosts of the debate (Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Public Media, ASUA, and Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus) distributed the questions in advance.

Several times during the evening, she forgot her script and stumbled around for words– not as badly as Jan Brewer– but it was still obvious. Regardless, the rowdy Tea Party section of the standing-room-only audience ate it up.

Although McClung panders to the Tea Party with her “let’s sit around the kitchen table and figure out the family budget” hogwash, she is a puppet of the Republican Party Machine and financially backed by them. Here is an except from the Republican Majority Campaign website. [Emphasis added.]

…the Republican Majority Campaign PAC fully endorses, stands behind, will fund-raise and campaign for Ruth with the fullest and utmost vigor we possess.

El temblando racista de (the quiverying racist of) Tucson, Sr. Grijalva, must be defeated at all costs. He is the first to call the race card at every turn. He is the racist, not we conservatives. He believes in, sponsors and promotes “La Raza” (the Mexican race) while we conservatives value all races equally. We have heard his silly racist name calling for decades now and it is time the electorate of the 7th Congressional District of Arizona tells him to shut up, go to Mexico City and cash in his race card where it may bring him five centavos.

We urge you to work hard, get in the trenches and fight and bring home victory of the glory of the United States, Arizona and Ruth McClung.

Meet Raúl Grijalva: Mexico’s “unofficial” Congressman from Arizona’s 7th district Grijalva is Mexico’s “unofficial” Member of Congress! This is the man who stabbed his constituents in the back by organizing an economic boycott of his own state, because he disagrees with the tough new anti-illegal alien measure signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer.

If you want to know what McClung stands for check out her answers to Center for Arizona Policy questionnaire from the Tucson Weekly.

S means support, O means opposed, and * is a comment on original survey. The only comment McClung made was regarding internet gambling and that she needs more information before making a decision.

S 1. Replacing the current federal tax code with a flat tax or national sales tax.
S 2. Enforcing federal laws vigorously against obscene hardcore pornography.
O 3. Legalizing voluntary euthanasia.
S 4. Allowing parents to use tax credits, vouchers, or educational savings accounts to enable children to attend any public, private, or home school.
S 5. Amending the United States Constitution to define marriage as between only one man and one woman.
O 6. Setting a government cap on carbon emissions, requiring companies to buy emissions credits, and allowing them to trade any leftover credits (called “cap and trade”).
* 7. Prohibiting internet gambling.
S 8. Protecting healthcare workers from being required to perform procedures that violate their moral or religious beliefs.
O 9. Federal judges relying on laws of other countries when interpreting the laws of the United States.
O 10. Adding “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” or “gender expression” to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in discrimination law.
O 11. Requiring employers to recognize a union without a secret ballot election by their employees (called “card check”).
S 12. Prohibiting abortion except when it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother.
S 13. Passing state laws that authorize local law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration laws.
O 14. Repealing the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which states that marriage is the union of one man and one woman and declares states do not have to recognize same-sex marriage from other states.
O 15. Using human embryonic stem cells for research purposes.

As Grijalva noted at the end of the debate, this sure looks like the party line to me. Do we want to send another member of the Party of NO to Congress?

• No Social Security.
• No minimum wage.
• No healthcare safety net.
• No public education.
• No brown people.
• No middle class.
• No ideas.