Romney’s bullying brings his character into focus

May 10, 2012

by David Safier I couldn't put my finger on why it was vaguely disturbing that Romney, by his own and his wife's description, is a practical joker who likes to play pranks. Or how that related to his comment to people at a NASCAR rally who threw on clear plastic raincoats in a storm, prompting … Read more

Extreme Makeover: Jesse Kelly 2.0

May 10, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Democrat Ron Barber turned his Congressional District 8 campaign's focus onto Social Security and Medicare on Monday. Arizona Public Media | Arizona | Social Security, Medicare Top CD8 Agenda:

Barber said he will not vote for any massive cuts of benefits to Medicare or privatization of Social Security that would leave beneficiaries to face the ups and downs of the stock market.

“I will go to Congress, if you’ll help me, to be a strong voice in Congress, and I pledge to you today, as I have every day since this campaign started, to protect and preserve Social Security and Medicare," Barber said.

That’s what Jesse Kelly now says, too.

[But] iIn 2010, when he ran against then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords for the CD8 seat, Kelly said he wanted to phase out and eliminate Social Security and Medicare.

Barber didn’t let that go unnoticed Monday. . . “I’ll just say this: My opponent is experiencing an extreme makeover," Barber said.

Funny, I said the same thing about Jesse Kelly back in 2010. So Blog for Arizona is going to go back through our posts from 2010 and repost some of them to demonstrate the "extreme makeover" the RNCC is doing to make Jesse Kelly 2.0 appear more palatable to voters in 2012.

Kelly's gauzy ads full of platitudes, bumper sticker slogans, and ad hominem attacks on President Obama tell voters nothing about the candidate. The whole point of this "extreme makeover" is to make Jesse Kelly 2.0 appear as a nice young man who loves his dear old grandpa, and Jesse Kelly 2.0 isn't that wild-eyed radical extremist from 2010. The RNCC and Jesse Kelly want you to forget that Jesse Kelly ever existed. They want you to believe he is no longer an extremist who is a risk we cannot afford.

This is why Kelly is now avoiding the media like the plague and everything comes through his campaign spokespersons, one of whom is the Arizona Daily Star's former talentless hack political reporter, Daniel Scarpinato, who somehow fell upwards to land a job with the RNCC after blowing a tailor-made election for Jonathan "Payday" Paton in 2010 by losing to the political neophyte Jesse Kelly in the GOP primary (I mean really, how else does one explain this other than utter incompetence?)

Unfortunately for them, I have a long memory and there is something called the "Google."

So let's take a ride in Mr. Peabody's WAYBAC machine all the way to 2010 and meet  the Jesse Kelly they want you to forget ever existed.

Media Bias in CD 8 Special Election

May 10, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Did you hear about this? 200+ seniors at Barber press conference on Monday.

Well, not if you read to so-called "paper of record," the Arizona Daily Star, or even the supposedly lib weekly, the Tucson Weekly. David Safier posted about it here.

I am told that the local televison stations all declined to cover the event as well. With one exception, a brief mention on KUAT Arizona Public Media | Arizona | Social Security, Medicare Top CD8 Agenda.

Quick! Someone wake up Jesse Kelly's Grandpa Hank from his stupor and tell him that Ron Barber was endorsed at this event on Monday by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Ron Barber, Arizona Candidate Running For Giffords' Seat, Endorsed By National Social Security Advocacy Group.

Yeah, no other media villagers in Tucson reported this endorsement either.

The Daily Star did report last week — twice — about a group of Cap'n Al Melvin groupies in Saddlebrooke at a "seniors for Jesse Kelly" event. What the Star didn't tell you is that these groupies were part of a stage-managed event likely put on by the 60 Plus Association, the far right pharmaceutical company front group, 60 Plus Association – SourceWatch, which announced that it is supporting Kelly for his position on social security and Medicare.

You remember 60 Plus Association from the 2010 campaign, don't you? Here is what Michael Bryan posted here during the 2010 campaign. Lies, Damned Lies, and Anything Jesse Kelly Says:

Nationally and state-wide, 60 Plus Association, which touts itself as the conservative alternative to AARP (as if AARP isn't already pretty dang conservative) has rolled out a $5 million smear campaign against 16 Democratic incumbents, including Giffords, Kirkpatrick and Mitchell here in Arizona. Here's the Giffords Campaign's take on the attack and 60 Plus. Their ads claim that the healthcare reform bill will cut $500 billion from Medicare, cause seniors to lose their current doctors, and compromise quality of care.

Here's the hit on Giffords (the Kirkpatrick and Mitchell ads are essentially the same): [NOTE: 60 Plus Association has since pulled the video].

The GOP is ‘beyond redemption’

May 9, 2012

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana is rightly considered one of the "statesman" of the U.S. Senate, an expert on issues of foreign policy, nuclear proliferation and disarmament. His record is one of being a "solid conservative." However, Senator Lugar also understood that the best interests of America are not synonymous with the … Read more

It’s just a coincidence the gun is pointed at Obama’s head, right?

May 9, 2012

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

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.