McCain on Romney
April 20, 2012
by
by David Safier
Here's the latest DNC ad featuring . . . John McCain. No Democratic voices. Just McCain talking about, and laughing at, Mitt Romney.
Watch it below the fold.
The three finalists for Daniel Patterson’s seat
April 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Not the choices I expected, but I don't have a vote. The Arizona Daily Star reports on the three finalists for Daniel Patterson's seat. 3 finalists for District 29 job are new to politics: Three finalists have been selected in the process to replace former state Rep. Daniel Patterson, who resigned last week. … Read more
AIRC Update: They’re baaaack! GOP Fair Trust threatens to sue the AIRC
April 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Republic reports today that the secretive GOP redistricting organization FAIR Trust and its lawyer/lobbyist David Cantelme has sent "a letter" to Attorney General Tom Horne indicating FAIR Trust is "contemplating" a lawsuit over the new maps. Lawsuits over Arizona redistrict map possible.
Apparently this was not a Notice of Claim pursuant to A.R.S. Section 12-821.01 sent to the state of Arizona, but a request for waiver of conflict of interest from Mr. Cantelme (see below).
The Arizona Republic also reports that House Speaker Andy Tobin on Thursday said he is still working on plans to ask the Legislature to sue over the new legislative map. We've been over this — Tobin cannot use state money to pursue purely partisan litigation. If Tea-Publicans want to litigate over redistricting, they are going to have to spend their own money. Damn deadbeats! Always looking for taxpayer handouts.
Steve Muratore has more at The Arizona Eagletarian: Redistricting — UNfair Trust rears it's ugly head again:
[Y]esterday Attorney General Tom Horne's office wrote to the AIRC to notify the agency that David Cantelme is considering, on behalf of UNfair Trust, suing over the Congressional and legislative maps. Last week, Cantelme had asked for a waiver of conflict of interest since he is listed as outside counsel for the State in two cases. As authorized outside counsel for the State of Arizona, he is currently precluded from suing the state, due to conflict of interest.
We already know what Cantelme's likely claim will be in the event such a lawsuit is filed. While it may not be his only claim, he will focus on how minority voting rights (Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act) were not given enough weight in the final maps.
Stay tuned.
Ron Barber Comes Out Swinging
April 19, 2012
By Michael Bryan For those who I have heard express concern that Ron Barber's lack of campaign experience as a candidate might cause him to be too gentlemanly in running against a bomb-thrower like Kelly, his campaign's first salvo should provide some comfort that civility doesn't mean a failure to draw strong contrasts for voters. … Read more
Cancel Ted Nugent’s performance at the Pima County Fair
April 19, 2012
by
by David Safier You can go to the bank on this: Ted Nugent's scheduled concert at Fort Knox has been canceled "because of recent remarks he made about President Obama." How bad were Nugent's remarks? The NRA scrubbed them from its website, and the Secret Service had a talk with the madman. That's how bad. … Read more
Two overlooked points about the Bible in the Classroom bill
April 19, 2012
by
by David Safier A few points about Terri Proud's Bible in the Classroom bill should be noted. First, nothing has ever stopped a school from creating a course studying the Bible as literature as well as its place in history. In 1970, my high school English department in Oregon had quarter electives that fulfilled English … Read more
Reopening of Richey as a charter school could be a very good thing
April 19, 2012
by
by David Safier I am not now, nor have I ever been, a knee-jerk charter school detractor. People getting government funding to start independent schools with independent ideas and strategies is an excellent idea. True, the charter school concept has been abused due to lax regulation and privatization, but when it works, it can be … Read more
“Ban Ethnic Studies” arguments revisited
April 19, 2012
by
by David Safier I'm at sea when it comes to legal arguments and decisions, having nothing but my close reading skills to help me, unlike the crackerjack legal minds writing here at BfA. So I'm grateful to Stephen Lemons (AKA Feathered Bastard) at the Phoenix New Times for revisiting the oral arguments about the anti-Ethnic … Read more
