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DCCC spends $500k in TV ad buy against Payday Paton
September 10, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports Jonathan Paton targeted in DCCC's $500k TV ad buy:
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In its first TV ad for the Kirkpatrick-Paton contest, the Democratic committee rehashed the charge that Paton lobbied for the payday loan industry.
DCCC’s ad buy is worth approximately $500,000, the committee said.
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The TV ad calls Paton a corporate lobbyist who defended the payday loan industry’s “predatory targeting of seniors” and who, as a legislator, defended a ballot measure to “bail out” the industry.
“He profits. We pay the price,” the ad declares.
Paton’s campaign didn’t refute the TV commercial’s charge.
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Paton was a lobbyist for the Community Financial Services Association, the payday loan industry’s trade group, in 2004.
In 2008, he supported Prop. 200, an industry-backed proposal to continue payday lending. Voters rejected the proposition, and payday lending in Arizona ended in 2010.
Video below the fold.
Tucson Citizen gets a grade of ‘F’ in PoliSci 101
September 10, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Our sad small town newspaper the Arizona Daily Star publishes an unattributed opinion from the defunct former Tucson Citizen (now just a blog site) every Monday. I am informed that these unattributed opinions are by the Tucson Citizen managing editor, Mark Evans.
Today's opinion, for which there does not appear to be any link either at the Arizona Daily Star or Tucson Citizen [update: http://tucsoncitizen.com/mark-evans/archives/741/], is entitled "Voters should OK Prop. 121 to take power from parties." Normally I would not respond to anything on the Tucson Citizen blog because, really, does anyone read it? Because this opinion appeared in our sad small town newspaper the Arizona Daily Star, I will respond.
The opinion is in favor of the Open Elections/Open Government initiative (Prop. 121). As I have warned you before, media villagers tend to love this kind of thing, and several have already written favorable opinions (in particular the opinion writers of The Arizona Republic). Both the Tucson Citizen and The Arizona Republic are Gannett Co. Inc. publications.
The critical points from this opinion are:
"A third of state voters are independents and mostly moderates. Thus what's left of the Republican and Democratic parties have become populated with zealous ideologues who relish banishing moderates from their parties almost as much as they enjoy beating the other party in elections."
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"The intent of the law is to get more independents to vote in primaries." Yet Mr. Evans concedes, "This process is used in other states, and primary eelctions still have low turnouts."
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"The belief is that by letting more independents into the process, candidates will have to moderate their views rather than have hardcore conservative or über liberal candidates rely on only like-minded party faithful turning out for the primary, setting up a general election of a far-right candidate versus a far-left candidate and leaving moderates not much of a choice."
As a political scientist, I have to assign Mr. Evans a failing grade of "F" in PoliSci 101.
Dr. Richard Carmona responds to Congressman Flake’s call to cut Medicare
September 10, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Press release from the Dr. Richard Carmona for U.S. Senate campaign: Carmona responds to Flake's call to cut MedicareCongressman would slash Medicare and veterans' benefits Congressman Jeff Flake was in Tucson recently defending his plan to slash Medicare and other benefits. Flake would turn Medicare into a voucher system, raising out-of-pocket health … Read more
Hey seniors! This Flake wants to steal your Medicare for John McCain’s Neocon wars of adventure
September 10, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Remember back to the early days of the Koch brothers-funded astroturf campaign for the Tea Party and their signs with the red-paint hands that said "Keep your government hands of my Medicare"? I would suggest to seniors that what you really need are signs with the red-paint hands that say "Keep your Tea-Publican hands of my Medicare" and show up to protest everywhere that Rep. Jeff Flake appears. Why?
Because this Flake wants to steal your Medicare for John McCain's Neocon wars of adventure. Flake, at forum here: Cut entitlements, not defense:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Flake said mandatory budget cuts set to begin in January as part of sequestration should be focused on entitlement programs such as Medicare rather than the Department of Defense.
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"In the House we are saying, 'Let's take the cuts from the real drivers of our debt, which is not defense.' The real drivers of our debt are the entitlement programs, in particular Medicare," Flake said. "With the reforms that we've already called for in the so-called Ryan budget, we've said let's realize those savings over time in entitlement programs rather than defense spending."
Mitt Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has a Medicare overhaul plan that would reduce the fixed insurance payment to retirees, which Republicans say would bring down costs by forcing retirees and doctors to be more cost-conscious about health-care decisions. Ryan's proposal also offers future retirees an option of private coverage that the government would help pay for through a voucherlike system, while keeping the traditional program as an option. [i.e., "Vouchercare."]
Republicans: Trying to Kill Medicare Since 1965!
Part two: Arizona Politics 101 – “Peanuts! Crackerjack! Scorecards! Ya can’t tell the players without a scorecard!”
September 9, 2012
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
Note: The first part of this post is here. That one was mostly about abbreviations; this one will have some of that, but it is more about the specifics of Arizona politics, particularly regarding the state capitol.
Again, let me be clear – neither this post nor its predecessor is meant to be considered definitive or complete. They're just primers.
Some of the players and forces at play at the Capitol:
– Arizona's governor (currently Jan Brewer) is handicapped by the fact that Arizona, like most western states, utilizes a "weak executive" model of government. The governor's two biggest political tools are the veto pen and the job title, and the public soapbox that goes with it. Otherwise, the governor can't do much that isn't specifically approved by the legislature.
The current governor isn't known as the brightest light in the nighttime sky, but she's bright enough to have held office (of one sort or another) since the early 1980s. Not sure if that is evidence that she is underrated intellectually, or that the intellectual requirements necessary to get into elected office in Arizona are overrated.
Brewer ascended to the governor's office, which is physically located on the ninth floor of the Executive Tower at the AZ Capitol (hence, the occasional use of "the Ninth Floor" to describe the administration/governor's office in general) when her predecessor, Janet Napolitano, accepted the job of US Secretary of Homeland Security in 2009.
Brewer won election to her own term in 2010 after she signed SB1070, the infamous anti-immigrant law that has basically been eviscerated by the courts. However, the bill was a strong enough sop to the nativist wing of the AZGOP to clear what had been a crowded primary field, and to propel her to a general election victory over Democratic nominee Terry Goddard.
She has basically been a rubber stamp for the Republican caucus in the lege, wielding her veto pen only on certain extreme measures where the legislative support for a measure was weak enough that her veto wouldn't be overridden.
She is term-limited and will not be able to run for re-election in 2014.
The main "power behind the throne" is well-connected lobbyist Chuck Coughlin. Reputed to be the brains of the Brewer political operation, Couglin was/is employed as a lobbyist by the Corrections Corporation of America, which just received a contract from the state for private prison cells that the state doesn't need.
Part one: Arizona Politics 101 – “Peanuts! Crackerjack! Scorecards! Ya can’t tell the players without a scorecard!”
September 9, 2012
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
After writing this blog for 6+ years, I've noticed that I tend to write in a sort of shorthand, using abbreviations more often than I should and writing as if all readers know the backstory of the elected officials, candidates, players (lobbyists, mostly) and situations here in AZ (See? An abbreviation! "AZ" is short for "Arizona").
Originally, this post was going to include the works – abbreviations, players, backstory (stuff that I tend to assume everyone already knows, so I tend to just reference it, but not necessarily explain it) – but the post was getting to be incredibly, and unreadably, long, and still wasn't close to being complete.
Time to break it into parts.
As such, the first post will be a list of abbreviations and nicknames. It won't be comprehensive, not hardly, but it should be a good start.
Also, while there will be a few mentions of matters of a partisan nature, neither this nor the next post aren't ideological hit pieces. I'll just be discussing some of the practical applications of power in Arizona.
If I leave out something that you believe should be included, let me know in a comment or an email.
Rothschild proposes transforming Congress St. into pedestrian mall
September 9, 2012
by Pamela Powers Hannley
If you want to read about Mayor Jonathan Rothschild's latest big idea for downtown Tucson, don't look for it online — except here at The Blog for Arizona. The Arizona Daily Star published Rothschild's brain storm only in the "dead tree" editon, dooming it to the recycle bin tomorrow morning.
As the light rail tracks are laid on Congress Street, Rothschild is proposing converting Congress into a pedestrian mall. I think this is a GREAT idea, and I also think that the Star— which is beholden to a certain wealthy car dealer for most of its print advertising– is trying to bury the idea by putting it in the print-only edition.
Rothschild says that a pedestrian-only Congress Street will complement the modern street car, the new apartments and dorms downtown, the businesses, and the music/art scene. He's spot on, in my opinion. Alluding to Denver's 16th Street Mall– pictured here– Rothschild goes on to say, "Where it works, it's a great attraction."
In the past, some Congress Street business owners have lobbied to increase traffic congestion on Congress by proposing that it be converted to two-way traffic. Somehow they equated more congestion with more business. (Luckily, the City Council didn't fall for that one.) On the contrary, I think reducing traffic congestion and promoting foot traffic, light rail, and bicycles would be good for business, good for downtown, and good for the citizens of Tucson.
With several cousins in the Denver area, I have spent quite a bit of time there. The ambiance of Denver's 16th Street Mall is relaxed and eclectic. The light rail comes in from the suburbs, right passed the Denver Convention Center and the famous blue bear statue, and glides through the pedestrian mall, which is dotted with cafes, outdoor seating, trees, trendy retail shops, and hotels. It is the perfect place for people sip wine or coffee and watch the scene. There are also bicycle rentals downtown to facilitate taking the light rail.
Allowing customers to move freely around Congress Street without worrying about dodging cars promotes a symbiotic relationship among the entertainment, retail, and food venues downtown. A pedestrian mall on Congress would be business-friendly, arts-friendly, tourist-friendly, and more sustainable and less congested than the current car-based downtown. Dream big. Let's do it, Mr. Mayor.
More photos after the jump.
Maybe Brady McCombs doesn’t follow national politics
September 9, 2012
by
by David Safier One of the Republican's biggest talking points is that Obama cut $713 billion from Medicare. Democrats respond, Ryan has the exact same dollar cut — $713 billion — in his plan. In Clinton's convention speech, speaking about Ryan's hypocrisy, he ad-libbed, "It takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what … Read more
