Month: October 2018

OOPS, I Did It Again: FEC Tells McSally Campaign Its “Best Compliance Team” Still Not Cutting It

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After putting together what her spokeswoman said was “the best compliance team in the country”, the Federal Election Commission is telling Rep. Martha McSally that she is STILL not complying with reporting laws. The most recent campaign reports demonstrate that more than 20% of the contributions received this year for the Senate campaign do not properly indicate the employers or occupations of the donor.*

Martha McSally’s House campaign committee had significant problems with complying with these basic Federal Election Commission requirements, and were the subject of a long-running complaint that led to a thorough audit of the campaign’s 2014 election cycle finances. It was concluded earlier this year with findings that more than $600,000 of contributions were not properly identified. (Other findings were that the Committee had overstated its receipts by $94,000, that more than $300,000 was collected above and beyond contribution limits, that timely 48-hour reports were not filed for $100,000 of contributions, and that $32,000 of political committee contributions were not properly itemized.

The FEC adopted the audit findings and indicated that future enforcement actions may be taken. McSally for Senate spokesperson Torunn Sinclair told the Arizona Republic that “we built the best compliance team in the county, compiled of former FEC auditors, accountants and smart legal minds to address any issues and help us stay in compliance.”

That was this past May. However, at that very moment, the campaign was taking

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2018 Arizona List Governing Bd. Endorsements for Southern AZ

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Carolyn’s note: Adelita Grijalva is a 4 term incumbent on the TUSD Governing Board, and Leila Counts is a political newcomer/teacher running for a position on the same board. Adelita is one of CD 3 Congressman Raul Grijalva’s daughters. Debi Chess Mabie is seeking her first term on the District 5 Governing Bd. of Pima … Read more

The Arizona Republic is failing its readers

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There was a time back in the day when The Arizona Republic used to report on state legislative races, providing readers with profiles of the candidates and their positions on the issues. It was an invaluable resource that informed voters. But after massive layoffs in recent years, The Republic apparently no longer has the resources to do this type of reporting so you are on your own. So much for an informed electorate today.

But The Republic does apparently have the resources to assign reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez to do pearl clutching stories based upon press releases from the Martha McSally campaign attacking Kyrsten Sinema for things that she – and many others by the way – said years ago.

This is news?

Here are just two examples. First, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez reported, Kyrsten Sinema in 2011: ‘There’s something wrong with the people in public office in Arizona’:

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema seven years ago ridiculed as “crazy” the Republican elected officials leading the state at the time, and the anti-illegal immigration legislation that began in Arizona and was being replicated in state Capitols across the nation.

Sinema, then a state senator and now the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, in a 2011 speech told the Texas Stonewall Democrats that all Republicans in Arizona were “crazy” and could not be distinguished from the conservative “tea party” activists whose influence helped lead to legislation that she and others deemed harmful to Arizona.

The video of Sinema’s 2011 remarks resurfaced Thursday on social media and was recirculated by allies of Sinema’s Republican Senate opponent, Rep. Martha McSally.

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AZ GOP field organizers pull a classic Roger Stone, supposedly fired over it

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Dangerous demagogue Donald Trump and his GOPropagandists at FAUX News aka Trump TV have decided that they need to rile up his Deplorable base before Election Day by scaring them.

Republicans are going back to the well of GOP campaigns of the past by fear mongering that Democrats are radical liberals /leftists / socialists / communists / Leninists / Maoists /fascists and even anti-fascists (Antifa).  Pick one. Republicans use these distinct terms interchangeably, unaware of and not in the least bit caring about the differences, because their only objective is to demonize their political opponent to gin up GOP tribalism.

It has been a regular Red Scare at Trump’s Nuremberg-style rallies and in the conservative media entertainment complex over the past week or so.

The inanity of this desperate measure apparently inspired two yahoos in the Arizona Republican Party to pull a classic Roger Stone GOP ratfucking operation on Democratic Congressman Tom O’Halleran.

It appears it did not go well for them.

The Guardian reports, Republican pair apparently pose as communists to make Democratic donation:

Two young Arizona Republicans tried to make a donation to a congressman while posing as members of a university communist party, in an apparent attempt to tie the Democrat to the far left.

On Friday afternoon in Flagstaff, two men who called themselves Jose Rosales and Ahmahd Sadia walked into the campaign office of first-term Democrat Tom O’Halleran, with $39.68 and an urgent desire for the “Northern Arizona University Communist party” to be given a receipt for the donation.

The pair walked in to sign up to volunteer but they brought along a jar full of money that they said they wished to donate. After being directed to a finance staffer, they were told to fill out paperwork. In doing so, they identified themselves as members of the Northern Arizona University Communist party. They made clear they were not an official group but were holding meetings. But they also insisted on a receipt.

When told they would only get an emailed receipt, Rosales scratched out one email address and wrote down another. The process raised eyebrows among O’Halleran’s staff.

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Don’t be confused – vote no on Prop. 305, the referendum on the ‘vouchers on steroids’ bill

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I have previously explained that opponents of Arizona’s “vouchers on steroids” bill, SB 1431, and even supporters of the “vouchers on steroids” bill are urging voters to vote no on Prop. 305, the citizens referendum on SB 1431. So we’re all agreed: No on Prop. 305 (and elect a Democratic legislature and governor).

So what’s the problem?

Apparently voters are confused by the intentionally misleading ballot measure description on the ballot. Some people think this is a scholarship fund, rather than a voucher transferring public tax dollars to private and parochial schools.

Laurie Roberts of The Republic reports Prop. 305, expanding school vouchers, could pass? I think I’m going to faint:

Somebody find me some smelling salts. A recent statewide poll shows Proposition 305 could well pass.

According to the Suffolk University/Arizona Republic poll, 41 percent of Arizona voters support diverting more tax money to private schools by expanding the state’s voucher program.

According to the poll, they like the idea of creating a two-tier system of schools: publicly subsidized private ones for the children of parents who can afford to pay the difference between what a voucher is worth and what tuition costs, and poorly funded public ones for the kids whose parents can’t.

Yep, I definitely am feeling woozy. Either that, or 41 percent of Arizona voters don’t know what the heck Prop. 305 actually does.

I’m going with that one.

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