Obama campaign ad: ‘I Believe’

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzblueMeanie:

The Obama campaign has a new ad up today entitled "I Believe" that will air during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Summer Olympics this evening. The references to America's middle class will give our idiot Sen. Jon Kyl a sad. The ad features excerpts from the same speech that the GOP and Romney canpaign have been purposefully taking out of context and distorting as part of their GOPropoganda "big lie" campaign all week.

Video below the fold.

Fact Checking the mendacity of ‘Mittens’

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Time once again for Steve Benen's weekly fact check of the shameless shapeshifter and pathological liar, Willard "Mittens" Romney. Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity, Vol. XXVII: Paul Krugman, who's been nearly as frustrated by Mitt Romney's habitual dishonesty as I've been, noted this week that political observers should pause to appreciate "this remarkable spectacle." … Read more

W. Mitt Romney would be George W. Bush on steroids

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzBlieMeanie:

Ed Kilgore at the Political Animal blog flags the same highlight from the Willard "Mittens" Romney interview with Brian Williams of NBC News that all astute political observers caught right away. And Speaking of Bush Administration Leftovers….

So it’s not the best sign for Mitt Romney that when he was directly asked by NBC’s Brian Williams yesterday to distinguish his approach to growth and job creation from W.’s, he sort of ignored it and just read his usual talking points. Here’s Jon Chait’s take on the moment and its significance:

The answer was a mere recapitulation of his plans (“Well, let me describe — actually, there are five things that I believe are necessary to get this economy going … ”). I won’t reprint the entire answer, but Romney did not make the slightest attempt to distinguish his approach from Bush’s. Of course that is because it’s the same thing! Every single idea Romney listed — low taxes, free trade, less regulation, developing energy, etc. — was part of Bush’s program.

Now, the usual Republican answer here, on how their approach will succeed where Bush’s failed, is to shout, spending! Romney promises to cut it. Bush also promised to cut it, but didn’t. I don’t think this really answers the main objection — lower spending may help the long-term budget picture, but the policies Republicans most directly associate with economic growth are taxes, regulation, and energy. And here Romney really is proposing the exact same policies as Bush.

But the surprising thing is that Romney didn’t even have that, or any other handy answer to the question. This is a pretty bad political messaging slip-up, but it also indicates a larger problem: Republicans haven’t really internalized the degree to which Bush’s policies truly failed to produce strong economic growth. They blame him for letting spending grow too high, and they recognize that the crash was a bad thing, but conservative rhetoric almost uniformly fails to acknowledge that even pre-crash growth under Bush was absolutely miserable.

It’s not real hard for voters to remember that their disgruntlement with GOP economic policies didn’t begin with the crash.

Ezra Klein, guest hosting for the Rachel Maddow Show, has much more about Mitt Romney's inability to explain how his economic plan is different from the unsuccessful plan of George W. Bush (below the fold – begins around the 5:00 minute mark).

As President Bill Clinton said, "Mitt Romney's policies are George W. Bush on steroids."

The Arizona Republic endorses David Schapira in CD 9 Democratic primary

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The state's Republican establishment newspaper, The Arizona Republic, today endorsed David Schapira in the CD 9 Democratic primary. I am not sure if that hurts or helps. Schapira stands out in Dem field: Three of the party's young, bright stars are competing fiercely and, at times, brutally. Each is intelligent, articulate and … Read more

Matt Heinz campaign ad: ‘Bobbie’s law’

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Given his limited financial resources, I was a bit surprised to see that state representative Matt Heinz is up with a TV ad this week. The campaign ad is now airing on Comcast and Cox Cable in the CD2 communities of Tucson, Bisbee, Sierra Vista and Douglas, Ariz.

Heinz will not be able to run the ad in saturation as we saw during the recent Special Election. He cannot afford to wage an "air war." Heinz would make better use of his limited resources on mailing his literature to voters in CD 2.

From the YouTube description:

The ad tells the story of how Bobbie Thayer and I worked together to eliminate red tape and expand access to breast and cervical cancer treatment."

"Bobbie is an Arizonan who developed life-threatening advanced breast cancer and who almost lost her health coverage due to red tape. During the legislative session this year, Bobbie and I worked tirelessly to pass a law in Arizona to make sure that no other low-income women with cervical or breast cancer would be denied treatment."

"Thankfully, in a true bipartisan effort, the measure passed unanimously in the Arizona House and it later became part of the state budget. Bobbie's Law is now in effect, providing an additional $8 million annually for the treatment of breast and cervical cancers."
"It is this type of work that has a real impact on American lives. I am ready to go to Washington and find real solutions for real problems. I believe this ad demonstrates just that."

Video below the fold.

CD 2 Congressional Debates on KUAT

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Rep. Ron Barber will sit down with his challenger in the Congressional District 2 Democratic primary, state representative Matt Heinz, to discuss the issues on Monday, August 20 in a debate that will be televised on KUAT-TV (PBS) throughout the district. This is the only scheduled debate.

A debate between Martha McSally and Mark Koskiniemi, the two Republicans in the CD2 Republican primary, aired July 23 on KUAT-TV.

Video below the fold.

Days of Action This Weekend

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

This weekend marks one month until the Primary Election on Tuesday, August 28, and Sunday marks 100 days until the General Election on Tuesday, November 6. I know its hot and humid out there. I know the Summer Olympics are on the 'telly." But can you spare a few hours this weekend to help take back America from the insane Tea Party and turn Arizona blue?

The Arizona Democratic Party: DAYS OF ACTION are this weekend (schedule below).

Event List Saturday, 7/28

CD 1

• Location: Flagstaff, AZ 85001
  Address: 405 N. Beaver
  Event: Canvass
  Date: July 28th
  Time: 1pm
  Contact:
  Tyler Aldrich
  (520)247-9754
  taldrich@forwardaz.com
• Location: Oro Valley, AZ 85704
  Address: 200 W. Magee suite 150
  Event: Canvass
  Date: July 28th
  Time: 8:45am
  Contact:
  Tyler Aldrich
  (520)247-9754
  taldrich@forwardaz.com
• Location: Flagstaff, AZ 85001
  Address: 405 N. Beaver
  Event: Phone Bank
  Date: July 28th
  Time: 10am
  Contact:
  Tyler Aldrich
  (520)247-9754
  taldrich@forwardaz.com
• Location: Oro Valley, AZ 85704
  Address: 200 W. Magee suite 150
  Event: Phone Bank
  Date: July 28th
  Time: 10am
  Contact:
  Tyler Aldrich
  (520)247-9754
  taldrich@forwardaz.com
• Location: Florence, AZ 85132- Pinal Democratic HQ
  Address: 350 N. Main St.
  Event: Phone Bank
  Date: July 28th
  Time: 10am
  Contact:
  Tyler Aldrich
  (520)247-9754
  taldrich@forwardaz.com

Romney’s European Vacation: #RomneyShambles

July 27, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

A new ad today from the DNC, highlighting Willard "Mittens" Romney's really bad day in the UK, from #RomneyShambles (video below the fold).