Month: August 2014

No, wobbly Democrats, Scott Smith is (still) not your GOP boyfriend

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Crossposted at DemocraticDiva.com

Former Mesa Mayor and AZ GOP Gubernatorial candidate Scott Smith got an undeniable boost on Thursday. He was not only endorsed by Governor Brewer (which everyone expected would happen, though it’s curious that they waited until after mail-in ballots dropped to do it) but AZ Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill swiftly cancelled a meeting with Smith backers in which he was going to try and get them to switch to Doug Ducey. This is a big deal. Smith’s team reports a big bump in fundraising overnight and, with Christine Jones’ campaign fading fast, Smith has a real chance in that primary. Smith will enjoy strong LDS support now that Ken Bennett is no longer a contender and it looks like he’s going to take business establishment support away from Ducey. (I still consider Ducey the favorite based on his early fundraising advantage, all the name ID he’s gotten with his feud with Jones, the continued dark money support from radical right wing moneybags, and the tendency of GOP primary voters to select the biggest asshole who is also electable in the general.)

Needless to say, this Scott Smith development caused a resurgence in the cooing and swooning that tends to overtake some of the more softhearted liberals/left-of-center types in Arizona where he is concerned. It’s so bad at this point that I’ve seen some Democrats bragging on Facebook how they changed their registration to get Republican ballots to vote for their dreamboat.

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We’re #3! States Where It’s Hardest to Find Full-Time Work

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It’s not surprising after 20+ years of trickle down economics and corporate welfare that Arizona has one of the worst performing economies in terms of job growth and employment opportunities. The 6 Republicans running for governor are preaching more of the same— more corporate welfare, more tax cuts for the rich, more Teapublican tinkering. We … Read more

Krush the Kochtopus: Just say no to its ‘dark money’ candidates

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The Arizona Republic has been doing s series of reports on “dark money” in Arizona politics, and is finally reporting on the nefarious deeds of unindicted  bag man for the “Kochtopus” dark money laundering operations, Sean Noble and his DC London consulting firm. On Sunday, The Republic reported on the GOP gubernatorial primary. ‘Dark money’ pours into Arizona GOP primary:

dark_moneyOutside groups [have] poured $1.9 million into the competitive gubernatorial primary as of Aug. 5, fueling the barrage of ominously voiced TV spots and glossy mailers that have attempted to write new story lines about three of Arizona’s would-be governors who are leading in the polls.

The source of the money, and motives of the deep pockets supplying it, isn’t always clear. Most of the outside groups seeking to influence voters aren’t required to disclose where their money comes from.

In the wake of U.S. Supreme Court rulings lifting contribution limits and disclosure requirements for certain political groups, candidates face a new reality in which they have an increasingly difficult time controlling their own message.

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Arizona Women’s Political Caucus (AWPC) endorsements for 2014 Primary

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AWPC 2014 Primary Election Endorsements Federal Races (endorsements done by National Women’s Political Caucus) U.S. House CD 9 Kyrsten Sinema (D) Arizona Statewide Races Attorney General Felicia Rotellini (D) Corporation Commission Sandra Kennedy (D)* Arizona Legislative District (LD) Races LD 2 Senate Andrea Dalessandro (D)* House Rosana Gabaldon (D)* LD 3 Senate Olivia Cajero Bedford … Read more

Hey, slackers! It’s time to return your early mail-in ballot

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Let’s not sugarcoat it: so-called “Independent” voters aka “no party preference” voters are in general low information voters who are politically disengaged. They may register to vote, but they cannot be bothered to perform the one obligation they have as a citizen of the United States — vote.

In the last midterm election in 2010, less than 8 percent of so-called “Independent” voters bothered to vote in the primary election. You are slackers, and sadly, you are damn proud of it.

StopTop2The Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts has been the head cheerleader for former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson ‘s damn fool idea for a “top two non-partisan primary” that voters rejected 2-1 in 2012. Now she has The Republic’s Linda Valdez buying into the Media Villagers’ belief in unicorns: the ‘independent’ voter panacea. Valdez was recently a cheerleader as well. Political follies show need for nonpartisan primaries.

Riiight. We should blow up our entire election system for the lowest common denominator, i.e., the low information politically disengaged voter who can’t be bothered to perform the one obligation they have as a citizen of the United States — vote. You know what? They still won’t effin’ vote! California’s ‘top two primary’ fails to deliver on utopian promises.

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