AZ Congressional Delegation

(Update) A sham hearing and a denial of due process

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This. Is. Not. Normal.

This is unprecedented for a confirmation hearing.

The eleven privileged white male Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are going to hide behind the skirts of a hired gun female prosecutor to question Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh because they cannot contain their obvious contempt for a woman who is the victim of a sexual assault and express their view that the real victim here is privileged white male Brett Kavanaugh.

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) concedes that GOP men can’t be trusted to treat Dr. Ford appropriately during hearing:

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is praising the move by GOP Judiciary Committee members to use outside counsel to question the accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during Thursday’s hearing. It’s pure genius, he said, because, frankly, GOP men simply can’t be trusted to act culturally appropriate toward a woman.

“I think it’s really smart of them to get outside counsel,” Corker told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. When asked why he thought the all-male Republican members of the panel shouldn’t handle the questioning of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford themselves, Corker responded:

“Somebody will do something that you guys will run 24/7 and inadvertently somebody will do something that’s insensitive.”

Gee, “insensitive” like calling Dr. Blasey Ford “mixed up” such as Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) did or saying her sexual assault claims have been a “drive-by shooting” of Kavanaugh like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) did? Both are members of the Judiciary Committee but, really, how could any man be expected to know that dismissing a PhD and trauma victim as “this woman” or “that lady” is sexist? C’mon, give the fellas a break—people are so touchy touchy these days about basic human decency.

“Gee, what could possibly be more sexist than hiring a woman to do the dirty work while the men ultimately continue to retain all the power?”

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Dr. Hiral Tipirneni Sees Special Election Momentum Leading to Victory in November

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House Congressional District Eight Democratic Nominee Dr. Hiral Tipirneni

In her Glendale office filled with dedicated staff and volunteers, Dr. Hiral Tipirneni sat down with her campaign advisor Jason Kimbrough to convey how she would win in the November elections over Debbie Lesko and what she will do in her first months as the new House Representative in District Eight.

This will be the second race between these two candidates in seven months. Tipirneni is an emergency room physician, a cancer research advocate and Democratic rising star. In April, she gave a voice to all the Democrats, independents, and disaffected Republicans yearning for someone to campaign for them (the previous office holder Trent Franks had run virtually unopposed in the last three election cycles) and shocked the political establishment by coming within five points of defeating Debbie Lesko.

Her performance in a district that Donald Trump won by 21 points catapulted Dr. Tipirneni to political stardom and further reinforced the impression that a Blue Wave is coming this November.

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What is Martha McSally For? Why will she not commit to a debate?

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Republican Senate Nominee Martha McSally (left) and Democratic Senate Nominee Kyrsten Sinema (right)

In the three weeks since the primary election, Republican Senate nominee Martha McSally and her allies have aired several television pieces challenging Democratic Nominee Kyrsten Sinema’s commitment to our military, law enforcement, and the safety of our children.

These ads were false, as reported by Politifact, the Arizona Republic, and Blog For Arizona — including the one about wearing of the pink Tutu to protest our troops were false. They also pertain to events that occurred over a decade ago.

What these ads also prove is that Representative McSally has not been able to discuss what she is for and why Arizonans should support her. This would be important for the citizens of this state to know, especially since the two candidates will be debating sometime in October.

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Joan Greene says CD 5 is not the Red Haven pundits make it out to be.

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Congressional District Five Democratic Nominee Joan Greene

At the same Sozo coffee shop in Chandler where we met before the primaries, Arizona Congressional District Five Democratic Nominee Joan Greene, along with her campaign advisor Ryan Winkle, eagerly communicated that the district is not the “red-headed stepchild that pundits have made it out to be” and the prospects for victory at the representative and local level is real. During our conversation, she relayed how she would campaign to victory over incumbent ultra conservative Andy Biggs and what she would do as the new Arizona Congressional Five House Representative starting in January 2019.

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A sham hearing and a denial of due process

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This is what GOP authoritarianism looks like: a sham hearing and a denial of due process to a victim of sexual abuse.

I explained yesterday, The Senate needs to get this right, and right now it is failing: for judicial background checks, the client is not the Senate but the White House. And the White House Hasn’t Asked FBI to Vet Kavanaugh Allegations, Sources Say.

The FBI background is the legally correct thing to do in fairness to both the accuser and the accused. Due process demands it. As Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told the Washington Post, “If there’s a hearing before that investigation, the committee is going to be shooting in the dark with questions.” “As a former prosecutor and state attorney general, there’s no way I would put a crime survivor on the stand in front of a jury, let alone the American people, without a full investigation so that I know what the facts are before I start asking questions.”

On Tuesday, Christine Blasey Ford Requested That the F.B.I. to Investigate Kavanaugh Before She Testifies, a reasonable request, as is her right:

Speaking through lawyers, Christine Blasey Ford said she would cooperate with the Senate Judiciary Committee and left open the possibility of testifying later about her allegations against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh. But echoing Senate Democrats, she said an investigation should be “the first step” before she is put “on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident.”

Republicans signaled Tuesday night that they would not negotiate an alternative date and would go ahead with the hearing without her or declare it unnecessary if she refuses to appear, then possibly move to a vote. They have repeatedly stressed that Monday would be Dr. Blasey’s opportunity to testify, either privately or publicly, and that they planned to move forward with the confirmation process afterward.

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