It’s just a coincidence the gun is pointed at Obama’s head, right?
May 9, 2012
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by David Safier Senator Rand Paul sent out a fundraising letter. The pitch is, Obama is banning guns. Here’s the graphic at the top of the letter. It’s a professionally constructed graphic, where nothing is left to chance. The rifle butt is next to Rand Paul’s resolute, righteous head and the barrel is pointing at … Read more
Fully Evolved: Obama endorses equality of marriage rights for same-sex couples
May 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I have been bemused by the inside the beltway media villagers and bloviators since Sunday when Vice President Joe Biden on Meet The Press Gregory said he supports equality of marriage rights for same-sex couples.
The media villagers went into a feeding frenzy trying to manufacture a "controvery" — because that's what they do: Biden takes a position different from the president… White House tries to walk back Biden comments… oh wait, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says he supports equality of marriage rights for same-sex couples also… White House press secretary parses statements… LGBT community tells Obama to "evolve already"… Democrats are divided!… MarriageGate!
It's almost as if none of these media villagers had a clue as to what was actually going on. Are they all so out of touch with reality that they don't recognize a "trial balloon" when they see one? The Vice President and cabinent secretaries do not go off talking points, especially during an election year. Their comments were deliberate and intentional. Pay attention.
I'd bet my last dollar that the Obama campaign was doing polling in key states to see whether these trial ballons would hurt the campaign if the president announced that he had now "evolved" in his views to support equality of marriage rights for same-sex couples. Yes it's calculating — that's what campaigns do. So what?
Today we learned the trial balloon poll results. President Obama in an exclusive interview with ABC News tonight announced that he now supports equality of marriage rights for same-sex couples as a civil rights issue. So to the inside the beltway media villagers — doesn't anyone here know how to play this game? You've been played and made to look like fools.
Think Progress has a clip from the interview below the fold.
CD 8 Special Election Debates
May 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The other day I tried shaming our money-grubbing local media villagers into sponsoring some debates in the CD 8 Special Election Why are there no debates in the CD 8 Special Election?, and ta-da! One stepped up, although it is our sad small town newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star. Barber and Kelly will hold CD8 debate May 23:
Democrat Ron Barber and Republican Jesse Kelly have agreed to square off in a live, public debate on May 23 sponsored by the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Jewish Community Center.
The debate will start at 7 p.m. at the Jewish center, 3800 E. River Road. Green Party candidate Charlie Manolakis has also been invited.
The debate will feature a mix of questions from Star readers and staff members.
This is the only currently scheduled debate in which voters will be able to watch live as Barber and Kelly discuss the issues facing the district in a head-to-head format prior to the June 12 Congressional District 8 special election. It will be held in the JCC Ballroom, which seats in excess of 500 people. Seating will be first come, first served.
KUAT Channel 6 will air a candidate forum featuring Barber and Kelly on May 16 at 6 p.m. that will be taped earlier in the day. The taping of the forum is not open to the public.
Can we please get probative questions on substantive policy issues instead of the lame questions the Star has been running in its pages like this: "Since you entered political life, what have you learned about yourself that you didn't know before?" CD8 hopefuls on history, self-knowledge. Dear God, they make my head hurt!
If you would like to submit a question to be considered for the May 23 debate, please send it no later than May 21 to politics@azstarnet.com. Questions should include the submitter's name and a telephone number and/or home address. Readers will be credited by name for questions used in the debate. Addresses and telephone numbers are for verification only and will not be made public.
I appears the Star did not check the update to my earlier post. There is another forum in Sierra Vista the Star fails to mention.
Last call [from me] to watch Bill Moyers’ interview with Luis Alberto Urrea
May 9, 2012
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by David Safier This is the last I'm urging you to watch the enjoyable, educational, valuable interview with Luis Alberto Urrea. He discusses border issues, TUSD's MAS program and his own mixed heritage — an Anglo mother and a Mexican father — all with a rare mix of understanding and humanity. Here's my favorite quote … Read more
Is Scarpinato effectively running Jesse Kelly’s campaign?
May 9, 2012
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by David Safier Jim Nintzel is a careful journalist with lots of sources, so when he says "We're hearing that . . ." I don't take it as gospel, but I pay serious attention. And he says "we're hearing that" Daniel Scarpinato is the new behind-the-scenes guy in Jesse Kelly's campaign. According to Nintzel on … Read more
Wisconsin Update: On to the main event!
May 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The preliminary bouts are over and the fight card is set for the main event on Tuesday, June 5.
This is a cataclysmic battle between the forces of light who want to preserve Wisconsin's long cherished tradition of progressive values — it is the birthplace of unions and the progressive movement — and the forces of darkness, the Tea-Publicans who want to repeal the 20th Century and return to the Gilded Age of über-rich Robber Barons controlling your lives (in Wisconsin this means Koch Industries).
Wisconsin is ground zero in this epic battle between good and evil. Wisconsin has been engaged in nothing less than a civil war since January 2011. And yet, Tuesday's "record turnout" in a primary election was projected to be between 30 and 35 percent of registered voters — which means that in the most politically engaged state in the country, somewhere around 70 percent of Wisconsinites who took the time to register to vote chose to do nothing. If we lose our democracy in this country it will be due to the politically disengaged who did not exercise their franchise and failed their civic duty to defend it.
Primary Results
Voter turnout about 30 percent in recall primaries for governor:
State elections officials predicted a 30 percent to 35 percent statewide turnout for Tuesday's election, or between 1.3 million and 1.5 million voters.
As of 11 p.m., with 99 percent of wards in, 1.28 million voters, or 29.5 percent of those eligible, cast ballots, preliminary Associated Press figures showed. That's a 50 percent increase over the total turnout in the 2010 gubernatorial primary, when 19.6 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.
Tuesday's turnout was one of the highest in state history for a partisan primary, adding to the already historic nature of the recall of Gov. Scott Walker.
Milwaukee mayor earns a do-over with convincing win in recall primary:
The rematch is on between Tom Barrett and Gov. Scott Walker, after the Milwaukee mayor coasted to victory over former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk on Tuesday in the 2012 recall primary.
Barrett, 58, now faces a 28-day sprint to the finish in a historic recall election June 5 against the embattled Republican governor.
Jesse’s shakes his Etch A Sketch once again
May 8, 2012
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by David Safier CORRECTION: Someone pointed out to me that the Sahuarita Sun Q&A in the May 8 paper is, as it states at the top of the article, "a repeat of a questionnaire published during the Congressional District 8 primary." I missed that statement and assumed it was a new questionnaire. I regret the … Read more
‘You’re So Bain’
May 8, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Absolutely. Brilliant.
Someone who goes by BeauChiocchi on YouTube has posted a video about the vulture capitalist Willard "Mittens" Romney, rewriting the lyrics to one of my favorite songs from the 1970s, Carly Simon's classic "You're So Vain." It is a devastating piece of political commentary.
The new lyrics to this old classic should be sung at campaign events.
Video below the fold.
