by David Safier OK, Indian Wells is more like Palm Springs than Tucson, but I drove there a few years ago to attend the tennis tourney, so it's not that far away. Here's a semi-first hand report about the four day conference held last weekend, organized by the Koch Brothers for their point-one percent buddies. … Read more

by David Safier Dr. Word is unquestionably aware Gingrich is the original Dr. Political Word. Back in his House days, Gingrich sent countless memos to fellow Republicans telling them exactly the words and phrases to use when attacking Democrats. It seems, Dr. W. noticed, the adverb is one of Gringrich's favorite tools to punch up … Read more

by David Safier Here's the link to a 30 second ad to be aired during the Super Bowl featuring Boston Mayor Tom Menino and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, titled, "Putting Football Rivalries Aside, Mayors Unite Against Illegal Guns." Watch the ad. If you like it, pass it along to friends via email, Facebook and/or … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:     You are cordially invited to the AZ LD 30    "Boot Stompin' Red Hot  Chili Lovers Cook-off!"    Saturday, February 25th 12:00 – 2:00 PM Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson 4831 E. 22nd St. Tucson, AZ 85711   Master of Ceremonies: Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild   Celebrity judging panel: Cheryl Cage, … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Steve Benen has left the Political Animal blog at the Washington Monthly for a gig as a producer of the Rachel Maddow Show. He is still blogging at the Rachel Maddow Blog. And that's a good thing because I rely on him for the monthly jobs charts. Despite ominous signs of recession in … Read more

by David Safier I usually don't post entire Arizona Democratic Party emails, but I'm making an exception in this case. This past Wednesday, the Tea Party Republicans in the state Senate fast-tracked an all out assault on the middle class and working families.   A series of bills were introduced that completely ban collective bargaining and … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

John Nichols of The Nation was a guest on MSNBC's The Ed Show Thursday night to discuss his report on the connection between the Goldwater Institute, ALEC, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Arizona Tea-Publicans and the billionaire bastard Koch brothers. How Scott Walker and ALEC Plotted the Attack on Arizona's Unions | The Nation:

Two days after Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Governor John Kasich’s anti-labor agenda by a sixty-one to thirty-nine margin in a statewide referendum, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker jetted to Arizona to launch the next front in the national campaign to attack union rights.

After meeting with former Vice President Dan Quayle, Walker was whisked over to the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, where he briefed a thousand Arizona conservatives on how they could attack “the big-government union bosses.”

“We need to make big, fundamental, permanent structural changes. It’s why we did what we did in Wisconsin,” declared Walker, who at the annual dinner of the right-wing Goldwater Institute said that compromising with unions was “bogus.”

Comparing governors who have been attacking the collective-bargaining rights of public employees with the founders of the American experiment—“just like that group that gathered in Philadelphia”—Walker told his listeners: “We need to have leaders not just in Wisconsin but here in Arizona…”

If anyone missed the point, Walker said: “Tonight, you might say I’m preaching to the choir with a bunch of fellow conservatives.… I preach to the choir because I want the choir to sing. So tonight I’m asking you to sing. Tell the message in Arizona and all across America that we can do things better.”