Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' staff sponsored a deficit reduction town hall on June 30, 2011 in Tucson.

The featured speakers at a recent deficit reduction town hall in Tucson– David Walker from the Comeback America Initiative and Robert Bixby of the Concord Coalition– were well-versed in how bad the US economy is, the dangers of out-of-control spending, revisionist history on how we got here, and the right-wing solutions for fixing our financial problems.

The ideas covered in the talks (eg, government is too big; we need to cut spending; entitlement programs are burying us economically; healthcare reform costs too much; corporations are taxed too much; Washington is in gridlock) were almost as disturbing as the budget-balancing ideas that were left out (eg, end the wars; drop our inefficient and costly, capitalism-based healthcare system for single-payer national healthcare; put people to work at good-paying jobs, so they can fuel the economy and contribute to Social Security; end the Bush era tax cuts; raise the Social Security contribution cap; close corporate tax loopholes; disincentivize sending US jobs to other countries; end the war on drugs, legalize marijuana and tax it; invest in research to create new good jobs going forward; invest in public education and subsidize college to grow our next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs; end our love affair with trickle-down economics).

Walker repeatedly said that both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for the out-of-control spending that has increased the deficit and the debt. Ironically, Walked never mentioned trickle-down economics or Presidents Ronald Reagan or George Bush #2– two people whose failed economic policies did more to bury our country in debt than anyone else. He said that the deficit and debt were under control until 1982, when magically everything went south– with no mention of who was elected in 1982 and what he [Reagan] did to destroy the economy.

Walker did give Presidents George Bush #1 and Bill Clinton credit for being fiscally responsible and reducing the deficit but didn’t mention that they both raised taxes (something Republicans in Congress refuse to do now). He also never mentioned that after Bill Clinton raised taxes on the rich and controlled spending, he oversaw the longest economic boom in US history and handed George Bush #2 a budget surplus. In fact, when Walker mentioned the recent 10-year period where all hell broke loose financially, he left out the role of Bush #2 and his Republican-controlled Congress, who cut taxes, started multiple unfunded wars, spent money we didn’t have, handed pharmaceutical companies a blank check with the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and oversaw the largest economic collapse since the Great Depression. This is revisionist history at its best… or worst.

The evening ended with small-group, interactive deficit-reduction roundtable discussions where people could share ideas. Check out this post which includes a link to the New York Times’ deficit reduction exercise if you want to try your hand at reducing the deficit and debt.

This town hall was awash right-wing ideals. So, why was it sponsored by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ staff? And, why was Giffords’ staff overtly suppressing free speech at the event? It should have been sponsored by the Tucson Tea Party. Check out the video for clips of the speeches and discussion.

The Tequila Party– the Latino answer song to the now-infamous Tea Party and the lesser-known Coffee Party– held its national kick-off last Saturday in Tucson, Arizona.

Locally, the group is spearheaded by TucsonCitizen.com blogger Dee Dee Garcia (AKA Dee Dee Blase and Dee Dee Blase Garcia) from Somos Republicanos (AKA Arizona Hispanic Republicans).

Officially, one of the stated goals of the Tequila Party is to get out the Latino vote. The Latino population is growing in numbers nationwide– and particularly in the Southwest– but their voting record is dismal.

In 2010, the Pima County Democrats invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of man-hours in registering people–particularly Latinos in Congressman Raul Grijalva’s CD7– to vote. This effort may have helped Grijalva barely squeak by right-wing extremist Ruth McClung, and it may have helped Sally Ann Gonzales and Marcario Saldate get elected to the Arizona Legislature, but it certainly didn’t help Terry Goddard, Felecia Rotellini, or Penny Kotterman. (Just think how different the Mexican American Studies debate would be if Arizona had elected Goddard governor, Rottellini attorney general, and Kotterman superintendent of public instruction.)

Personally, I think the Tequila Party is a great idea– if it focuses on getting out the Latino vote– but I am a concerned about the mixed messages from Arizona Hispanic Republicans’ blog posts. There is huge emphasis on LIVE STREAMING (her caps)– which to me spells PROPAGANDA (my caps)– and not many specifics about how the Tequila Party will actually get out the Latino vote.

Going door-to-door and canvasing at every public event– as the Democrats do– takes organization, walk lists, time, money, and hundreds of volunteers. (I know. I was one of those Democrats walking the Tucson neighborhoods in the heat with campaign literature and Permanent Early Voting List [PEVL] registration forms. You can easily spend entire Saturday morning slogging through a neighborhood and get fewer than five new, completed voter registration cards.)

Of course, why am I surprised that Arizona Hispanic Republicans would emphasize propaganda? Propaganda is Karl Rove’s signature tactic. What is surprising (sort of) is that the Three Sonorans has jumped on board with the Republican-backed Tequila Party. (Check out the audio link on the Unapologetic Liberal’s blog.)

Back to voter registration…

A stark example of the voter registration challenge facing the Tequila Party (or anyone else trying to encourage Latinos to vote) appeared in Monday’s Arizona Daily Star:  Redistricting likely to shift supervisor areas slightly.

Take voter behavior in Districts 1 and 2, for example. The northwest-area[which includes Marana and Oro Valley] district has nearly 117,000 registered voters. The south-side district, even though it has a bigger population, has only about 73,000 registered voters.

As the Arizona Lottery used to tell us: You can’t win if you don’t play. Latinos will continue to be frustrated politically, as long as they don’t register and don’t vote proportionally to their numbers. Propaganda may get people pissed off, but will it encourage them to vote? Republicans have used hate speech, wedge issues [can you say Ethnic Studies?], and fact-free smear campaigns to their advantage for years. Time will only tell if the Tequila Party follows this course.

A scene from the 2010 Tucson Peace Fair. (Photo Credit: Pamela Powers)

Righties would like to believe that Lefties are at home, moping and depressed at the state of our state and our country– following the 2010 “shellacking”– and sipping Chardonnay as we read progressive blogs and long for a political miracle.

While there may be some truth to that scenario, Southern Arizona Lefties have a myriad of socializing, organizing, and energizing opportunities in the coming weeks to cheer us up and sharpen our resolve.

Corazon de Justicia Awards Dinner, Friday, February 18, 2011– Sponsored by Derechos Humanos, this dinner recognizes the work of “community organizers for their commitment to justice and social change.” Beginning at 6:30 p.m., the event will be held at the Apollo Middle School. The cost is $35 per person. Follow the link for more information about the program and the keynote speaker David Bacon, a writer for TruthOut, The Nation, and other publications. (Here’s a link to a story on last year’s event.)

Organizing Meeting for Progressive Democrats of America Tucson Chapter, Monday, February 21, 2011– Jeff Latas (former Congressional candidate), Phil Lopes (former Arizona Legislator), and other progressives are firing up local lefties and trying to get us organized. This first meeting will feature Congressman Jim Hightower and our own Congressman Raul Grijalva (Chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus). The meeting will be held at the Tucson YWCA, 525 N. Bonita (just south of St. Mary’s Road ½ mile west of I-10). The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m., with registration starting at 6:30. Suggested donation is $5 at door. For more information contact Phil Lopes: lopesphil@gmail.com.

“Join me in this new chapter to help energize the much needed change we desperately need in our country and in Arizona. We can no longer count on someone else doing the changing and we definitely shouldn’t count on the status quo of our current party structures. It is up to us to make this much needed political change and we must act now. Hope to see you and many of your friends at the YWCA on 21 February,” says Latas.

29th Annual Tucson Peace Fair and Music Festival, Saturday, February 26, 2011– Billed as “Arizona’s largest gathering of peace, social justice and environmental groups,” the Tucson Peace Fair is a free, family-friendly event featuring live music and dozens of booths representing activist organizations and political movements. The event is 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Reid Park Bandshell. (Here’s a link to a story on last year’s event.)

1st Annual Consuelo Aguilar Awards Luncheon, Saturday, February 26, 2011– The Southern Arizona Unity Coalition will honor the 11 ethnic studies teachers with presentation of the first Consuela Aguilar Award. The goal of the group is to honor Aguilar’s memory by recognizing community leaders “who embody her commitment to education and community empowerment.” Tickets are $25 each, and the event will be 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the University Marriott.

Democratic Party LD28 St. Patrick’s Day Party, Saturday, March 13, 2011– This is an annual fundraiser for local Democrats. The potluck event is held at the home of life-long Tucson Democrats George and Margie Cunningham, parents of City Councilman Paul Cunningham. The event is from 2 to 5 p.m. at 630 N. Alamo. Tickets will go on sale after Feb. 15. They are $20 if purchased prior to March 10 and $25 after the March 10 or at the door.

March for Peace and Jobs, Saturday March 19, 2011 — March 19 is the 8th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. This event is still being organized by the End the Wars Coalition. The March will begin at 10 a.m. at Armory Park and end with a rally at noon at DeAnza Park. Watch for more details. From the Tucson Peace Center website: March and Rally to Protest the Wars and Demand funding for social programs. Puppets, floats (that will fit on the sidewalk) and other forms of creative protest are invited. If you focus on Border issues, join us. If you focus on Health Care, join us. If your focus is Education or Job Creation, join us. (You get the idea–) Environmentalists, ethnic studies students, anti-SB1070′ers–join us with your banners and your priorities. We are all scrambling for the crumbs of funding left over after our government is finished paying for multiple wars–demand change now!

Solar oven-- one of the many environmentally friendly products featured at Solar Rock 2010. (Photo Credit: Pamela Powers)

Solar Rock Tucson, Sunday, March 27, 2011– Solar Rock is an outdoor,  solar-powered music concert and vendor fair. The rock concert demonstrates the power of the sun loud and clear. Last year, there were several vendors with information on solar panels, solar hot water systems, rainwater harvesting, bicycle commuting, and all things environmentally friendly. This year’s event is from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Armory Park.

22nd Annual LULAC Educator’s Banquet, Thursday, March 31, 2011– The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) will host its annual awards banquet in the Copper Room of the Tucson Convention Center. Tickets are $75 per person. No host bar begins at 5:30 p.m., with the dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Mark your calendars, fellow comrades! Come out and meet other like-minded people at one or more of these worthwhile events.

Newly-elected Arizona Democratic Party State Chair Andrei Cherny (left) and Cochise County Party Chair Bob Bland, who nominated him. (Photo credit: Pamela Powers)

On Saturday, the Three Sonorans, Blog for Arizona, and Rum Romanisn and Rebillion reported that Andrei Cherny– No Labels co-founder and former candidate for Arizona state treasurer– won the office of Arizona Democratic Party state chair.

While progressive bloggers reported Chery’s win, none of them bothered to mention his role as co-founder of the National No Labels movement. (I’m sure Andrei appreciated the softball.)

I mentioned his connection with No Labels in my non-endorsement of either candidate on Friday but didn’t realize he was national co-founder until today, sorry loyal readers, for this mis-step.

The Rest of the Story
As venerated right-wing journalist Paul Harvey would say, today, I will report the rest of the story.

For some, at the Arizona Democratic Party State Committee Meeting, the big issue with the state chair elections was eligibility. Former Tucson City Council Member Rodney Glassman faced off with former candidate for state treasurer Andrei Cherny (who has never won an election).

Glassman’s personal issues (as annotated in excruciating detail on the Three Sonorans’ blog) aside and Cherny’s No Labels affiliation (as mentioned by no one but me) aside– there were several issues regarding Cherny’s eligibility to run for state party office.

The Three Sonorans, the Feathered Bastard and the other Good Old Boys Bloggers tossed out or ignored those facts. It is also fascinating to me that Cherny NEVER mentioned his No Labels love affair in his speech yesterday or his Democratic Party pre-vote propaganda.

The Bylaws Controversy
Although the Three Sonorans and the Feathered Bastard want to paint the disconnect with Cherny’s candidacy and Arizona State Statute as trivial, it’s state law. Apparently, Maricopa County Democratic Party bylaws, Arizona Democratic Party bylaws, and Arizona State Statute all conflict regarding who is qualified to hold an office in an official political party. (Several people speak to this in the video.)

Excuse me… but with so many lawyers involved in politics, many at Saturday’s meeting were wondering why they didn’t see this disconnect before Saturday. Actually, according to outgoing State Chair Don Bivens, they did. Bivens said from the podium that the discrepancy was a known problem that the party had worked around in the past, and he seemed to wonder what the big deal was this year.

There was extensive debate about this issue at the Democratic Party meeting– with multiple lawyers and politicos weighing in– including Pima County’s Jeff Rogers, Bill Risner, and Jeff Latas. (See the video below.) Risner, well known for election integrity lawsuits on behalf of Pima County, cited Arizona Revised Statute– which states that candidates for state party chair must be elected precinct committee persons and elected state committee persons– which Glassman is and Cherny isn’t.

Many theorized that Bivens, white male lawyer (see video), anointed Cherny, another white male lawyer, to be chair. One can only speculate, but check out Bivens’ beaming smile as Cherny is elected. In my opinion, one picture tells 1000 stories.

Personally, I think Latas has a good point in the video: If you let the state chair bend the rules that lends itself to cronyism and corruption. (He clearly states in the video that he is not implying anything about the current situation.) The video below starts with the debate in the Progressive Democratic Caucus– dubbed “Progressive Wack-a-doodles” by the Feathered Bastard last week when he originally dismissed the eligibility issue. The video takes you through the whole meeting– from the morning Progressive Caucus through both candidates’ speeches (around 9 minutes) to Cherny’s election (279 Cherny – 232 Glassman).

What will be the future of Arizona’s Democratic Party under this new leadership? Only time will tell… I’m leaving an open mind but also have open eyes– not obscured by rose-colored glasses. If the party moves more toward Republican-lite, I believe this would be a huge mistake. There were hundreds of very progressive Democratic Party foot soldiers in attendance on Saturday, and the party would be remiss if it dismissed their views and glided further to the right.

On Thursday, two Arizona Democratic Party luminaries– Terry Goddard and Raul Grijalva– asked the party faithful to delay the vote for new officers which is scheduled for tomorrow, January 22, 2011, in Phoenix.

Citing the need to heal and grieve after the events of January 8– when Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others were shot– the two suggested re-electing the current officers for one month and rescheduling a second vote then– thus requiring statewide committee representatives from all over Arizona to schlep back to Phoenix. (See the letter below.)

I agree with the Feathered Bastard that Saturday’s election for state chair could be a “donnybrook”, although I have been calling it a dog fight. Former Tucson City Councilman and former US Senate candidate Rodney Glassman is running against former state treasurer candidate Andrei Cherny for state chair of the Democratic Party.

For months, Glassman was the only candidate, but in recent weeks Cherny entered the race. Unlike the Three Sonorans, who has come out strongly for Cherny, I have resisted backing either candidate because I believe they both have issues. I wish there was a third choice.

Obviously Glassman has burned LOTS of bridges with multiple politicians and constituencies in his short career as a politician. There is a long list of Democratic politicians who have jumped on the Cherny bandwagon in recent weeks. (I think there is a significant percentage who are backing Cherny just because he is not Glassman.) Although none of his fellow Tucson City Council members are backing him, Glassman has his supporters, most notably Congressman Raul Grijalva– Glassman’s former boss.

Cherny has been painted by some as the “shining star” in this race, but I have a problem with how this star rose in the sky. To run for state party chair, the party bylaws dictate that you must be an “elected” precinct committee person (PC)– a foot soldier of the Democratic Party. Cherny wasn’t any type of PC– elected or appointed– until after he decided to run for chair. He also is a strong supporter of the “No Labels” movement. Many are asking: Why would the Democrats elect a state chair who supports No Labels? There are so many under-informed voters in the US that if you delete the Ds and the Rs from the candidates’ names many will vote based on the last TV commercial they saw. (We all know who has the money to buy an obscene amount of TV time, and it ain’t the Democrats.)

Greasing the skids and bending the rules to shoe-horn Cherny into the state chair election is a fix, as I said on Steve Leal’s “All Things Political” radio show. The Cherny supporters should just own up to it, in my opinion, but that kinda tarnishes the shining star.

Anyway, given Glassman’s history (on multiple levels) and the political fix behind Cherny– I don’t support either one.

The Pima Dems’ Reorganization Meeting was on January 8. After about 2 hours of confusion trying to find out more about Gabby and fellow Democratic Party volunteers, we came together and voted in our officers.

Asking for a delay of tomorrow’s votes isn’t about Gabby. The party machine doesn’t want the election to blow up in the press– which it already is. Multiple political bloggers will be at tomorrow’s event. Several bloggers are Democratic Party PCs and will vote; others are going to cover it. Stay tuned.

The Democrats should vote on Saturday, as planned.

Goddard-Grijalva e-mail to Democrats asking for a delay of vote. (Image Credit: Feathered Bastard, Phoenix New Times

Let’s face it. 2011 looks pretty damn depressing for liberals in Arizona– No Plan Jan will continue her reign of terror aided by corporate chums, private prison lobbyists, and a solidly wing-nut Republican-controlled Legislature.

So, what better way to lift your spirits regarding the impending doom our state faces than to get gather with friends at a local watering hole and kibitz about politics?

This coming Sunday night, Tucson chapter of Drinking Liberally will do just that. The Drinking Liberally Classic topic for Sunday, December 12 is the Future of the Democratic Party in Arizona. Whew. That should be good for a few rounds, at least.

Every two years, the Democrats elect new officers. In recent weeks, four of southern Arizona’s Legislative Districts elected new chairs:

LD27 – Roger Wagner succeeds Jim Hannley
LD 28 – Ted Prezelski succeeds Wood Sanders
LD 29 – Matt Kopec succeeds Laura Elias de la Torre
LD 30 – It is undecided who will succeed Suzanne Newton. Former Legislative candidate Andrea Dalessandro was elected to the LD post but has stepped down.

In January, Pima County Democrats and statewide Democrats will elect new officers to lead the party through the 2012 elections. If you want to voice your opinion (informally) on who should lead the statewide party, vote in the Three Sonorans poll.If you want to voice your opinion even more informally, come to Drinking Liberally on Sunday, beginning at 6 p.m. on the patio of The Shanty.

The Tucson chapter of Drinking Liberally meets every Sunday evening– same time, same place. The event is free and open to anyone– even Republicans, if you dare. Even if you drink only soda, you’re welcome.

Drinking Liberally is a national social group of progressives with more than 100 chapters nationwide.