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Howard Fischer carries water for the GOP on redistricting

August 30, 2014 by AZ BlueMeanie

Now that Gov. Jan Brewer, The Wicked Witch of the West has lost her magic and will soon melt away into nothingness, whatever will Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services do?

Fischer has been Brewer’s “unofficial” Public Relations agent, even shamelessly hawking her crappy book Scorpions for Breakfast in multiple “news” reports (most copies of which have gone to pulp by now). My suggestion is that Fischer retire and leave when Brewer goes.

Howard Fischer is still carrying water for the GOP and its talking points. Democrats are irrelevant to him, and he rarely provides context to his usual stenographic “A Republican said …” reporting.

Howard returned to one of his favorite topics to spin for the GOP this week: redistricting.

The lawyers/lobbyists of the GOP secretive redistricting organization FAIR Trust, along with their hired gun before the U.S. Supreme Court, filed on behalf of our Tea-Publican controlled Arizona Legislature their Statement as to Jurisdiction on August 25. (A responsive brief is due September 29).

This is not particularly newsworthy, but Fischer saw this as another opportunity to spin the GOP talking points on redistricting. Republicans ask Supreme Court to scrap legislative districts.

You will note that Fischer only quotes the GOP lawyers involved in this case and dispenses with the FAUX News “fair and balanced” requirement of presenting an opposing Democratic viewpoint on the lawsuit. Worse, he does not present any constitutional legal expert on the subject (something he has done in the past) to provide some context as to whether this GOP press release disguised as a news report has any legitimacy (it does not).

Fact Checking Doug Ducey’s new ad

August 29, 2014 by AZ BlueMeanie

“Cathi’s Clown” Doug Ducey began his general election campaign with what the GOP-Friendly Arizona Republic (it endorsed Ducey in the GOP primary) referred to this way: GOP governor nominee Ducey airs new upbeat ad:

The 30-second ad shows Ducey speaking one-on-one to the camera, sitting at a conference table in a business meeting and speaking in a park with constituents.

“The next governor comes in at a time of real opportunity,” Ducey, the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, says in the ad. ” On day one, I want to put forward a plan to kick-start our economy. I want to make our tax code more simple, I want to sign a moratorium to stop any new regulations going forward, and I want to have a bill that helps fund and clear our wait list at our finest schools.”

He continues, “The border’s critical, but so is growing the economy and creating jobs. I built a business, now I want to shrink a government and grow an economy.”

I recommend that political reporters invest in an Enigma machine to break the conservative code language that Dicey Ducey speaks in. Let’s break it down.

Arizona Supreme Court to decide standing issue in Medicaid expansion case

August 27, 2014 by AZ BlueMeanie

The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports that the Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal from Governor Jan Brewer’s Medicaid (AHCCS) expansion lawsuit challenging the legislature’s standing. Arizona Supreme Court accepts Medicaid case:

The Arizona Supreme Court will have the final word on whether a group of Republican lawmakers have the right to sue over last year’s Medicaid expansion vote.

The high court on Tuesday granted Gov. Jan Brewer’s request for a review of a Court of Appeals that granted standing to 36 legislators. The lawmakers alleged that the vote violated a provision of the Arizona Constitution requiring a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes.

Brewer, who got her Medicaid plan passed over strenuous opposition from conservative Republicans, praised the Supreme Court for agreeing to take the case.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral argument in same-sex marriage appeals

August 26, 2014 by AZ BlueMeanie

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments this morning in the same-sex marriage appeals of Baskin et al. v. Bogin, 14-2386, 14-2387, 14-2388 (Indiana), and Wolf et al. v. Walker, 14-2526 (Wisconsin).

The Chicago Tribune reports, Judges ask pointed questions about same-sex marriage bans in Wis., Ind.:

Attorneys for Indiana and Wisconsin faced tough, pointed questions from a panel of three federal appeals judges in this morning’s arguments over bans on gay marriage in those states.

Judge Richard Posner waited just seconds before interrupting the solicitor general from Indiana, beginning a line of questioning about why children of same-sex couples should not be allowed to have legally married parents, as do children of heterosexual couples.

[Keep in mind that Judge Posner is a rock star among conservatives.]

To press his point, Posner told a fictitious story of a 6-year-old forced to go to school and see that he is different from his classmates.

“Wouldn’t the children want their parents to be married,” Posner asked, also noting the thousands of children in foster care in Indiana who need to be adopted. “What do you think is psychologically better for the child?”

Attorneys from both states were on the defense during much of the questioning.

10th Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument in Kobach v. U.S. Election Assistance Commission

August 25, 2014 by AZ BlueMeanie

The Wichita Eagle reports on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument today in Kobach et al. v. U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Federal appeals court questions Kansas’ proof-of-citizenship rules:

Federal appeals judges expressed skepticism Monday over Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s argument that a federal commission must make voters who register using a federal registration form provide proof-of-citizenship documents required by state law.

Kobach argued on behalf of Kansas and Arizona before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, in a case where the states are trying to force the federal government to add their requirements to federal vote registration forms mandated by the National Voting Rights Act, also known as the motor voter law.

When Kobach contended that the Election Assistance Commission is required to grant states’ requests to add state-specific instructions to the federal form, Judge Jerome A. Holmes interrupted: “Oh whoa whoa whoa, there’s a big jump there.”