Immigration

Arpaio is a chicken. Call him out! (video)

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio knows that challenger Paul Penzone is nipping at his dusty cowboy boots this election season– so Arpaio is taking the chicken shit standard Republican position of refusing to debate. Public pressure forced Republican Jeff Flake to debate Democrat Dr. Richard Carmona.

Maricopa County is a cesspool of corruption– election fraud, tent city jails, sheriff's deputies shooting citizens, intimidation of elected officials and citizens, people being murdered in jail, immigration sweeps through neighborhoods, racial profiling … need I go on? Arpaio is a big part of the problem. It's time for his retirement.

Let's put the pressure on Arpaio to debate Penzone. Here is a Facebook call to action from Randy Parraz.

 

Today is DAY 15 of Arpaio's NO DEBATE PLEDGE. On October 9th Sheriff Arpaio pledged to NOT debate Paul Penzone AND he thinks he can get away with it. Take action now – Call Arpaio's puppeteer, Chad Willems, at Summit Consulting and ask him why Arpaio is too chicken to debate Paul Penzone: (602) 235-9320. Please post your responses here.

Check out one of Penzone's early campaign speeches and a background video on Arpaio after the jump.

Obama campaign ad: First Lady Michelle Obama in a Spanish-language ad with Cristina Saralegui

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Obama campaign is up with a new Spanish-language ad featuring First Lady Michelle Obama being interviewed by the "Latina Oprah," Cristina Saralegui. Description in English:

Cristina Saralegui:
"Why is it so important for Latinos to vote in this election?"

First Lady Michele Obama:
"So
much is at stake. Comprehensive immigration reform. Making sure that
health care is not repealed. Education — making sure that every young
person in this country has access to good schools. I could go on and on
and on, but that's why the vote is critical."

Video below the fold.

‘Mr. Self Deportation’ doubles down during debate

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The issue of immigration reform and the DREAM Act came up during last night's debate. Willard "Mittens" Romney whined that President Obama promised a comprehensive immigration reform bill in his first year during the 2008 campaign, and he failed to deliver.

Somehow Whiner Willard has conveniently forgotten that in Obama's first year, the U.S. and world financial systems were in a catastrophic collapse, and the U.S. and world economy were on their way to cratering into a new economic dark ages, a parting "gift" to President Obama from his predecessor George W. Bush.

It's called prioritizing "Mittens" — deal with the disasters first. Stop the ship from sinking, then you can rearrange the deck chairs.

Whiner Willard has also conveniently forgotten that Republicans like Sen. John McCain, who once championed a comprehensive immigration reform bill, disavowed his own bill during the 2008 campaign and adopted the GOP hard-line on immigration reform. McCain could have become an elder statesman by working with Obama. Instead, he opted for the role of embittered sore loser, constantly sniping at the man who defeated him.

When Republicans conspired on the day of Obama's inauguration to oppose everything he proposed, Robert Draper Book: GOP's Anti-Obama Campaign Started Night Of Inauguration, who exactly was going to partner with Obama on a bipartisan compromise? The GOP has had from day one a scorched earth policy of "just say no."

During last night's debate, President Obama slammed Romney for having endorsed "self-deportation" during the GOP primaries as a credible immigration policy. (Romney's chief anti-immigrant adviser is Kris Kobach, the author of Arizona's SB 1070 and other anti-immigrant measures). Steve Benen writes, Trying (and failing) to defend 'self-deportation':

Romney responded, haltingly:

"Self-deportation says let it, let people make their own choice. What
I was saying is, we're not going to round up 12 million people,
undocumented, illegals, and take them out of the nation. Instead, let,
make people make their own choice. And if they, if they find that, that
they can't get the benefits here that they want and they can't find the
job they want, then they'll make a decision to go a place where, where
they have better opportunities."

President Clinton campaigns for Carmona in Arizona, as polls show race tightening (video)

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Clinton098-sm72

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Despite Arizona’s reputation as a stalwartly red state, with
a capital R, Democrats are hoping to take back one of the state’s US Senate in November.

Although Democrats have held a percentage of the state’s
Congressional seats for years, the Republican Party has controlled both Arizona
US Senate seats since 1994, when embattled Senator Dennis
Deconcini retired, and Arizona Congressman Jon Kyl won it.

Since
early 2012, former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona has been
crisscrossing the state, campaigning
tirelessly to move that Senate seat to the D column. Over the summer,
Carmona climbed steadily in the polls against Kyl’s heir apparent and
six-term, conservative Congressman Jeff Flake. A recently released poll shows
Independent-turned-Democrat Carmona
leading Flake by four percentage points—a statistical dead heat.

This close—and important—Senate race has attracted the
attention of heavy hitters from both parties. While the Koch Brothers’ Freedom
Works PAC has been pumping money into Flake’s campaign, this week Democrats
sent their secret weapon—President Bill Clinton—to Arizona to help Carmona.

Wednesday night, Carmona and Clinton addressed an estimated
5500 Arizonans at an outdoor rally on the Arizona State University (ASU)
campus.

More details and a videos after the jump.

Why Obama Now (video)

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

After the jump, watch a 3:44 minute video on why anyone who makes less than $1 million per year should vote to re-elect President Barack Obama. 

This is not rocket science, people. If you're undecided, you haven't been paying attention for the past 30 years. Vive la 99%.