The Arizona Republic endorses Governor Doug Ducey (but of course they do)

To the best of my recollection, The Arizona Republic fka The Arizona Republican has endorsed a Democrat for governor only once – in my lifetime at least – Governor Janet Napolitano for reelection in 2006. And that was only because Republicans nominated Len Munsil from the Center for Arizona Policy for governor that year. A Dominionist who would impose a theocracy in Arizona was a bridge too far even for them.

So it comes as no surprise that The Republic endorses Governor Doug Ducey for reelection. But of course they do.

What I find curious is that there is no discussion of whether Ducey intends to complete another term as governor. There is speculation that he may run for Senator McCain’s senate seat in 2020, or take a position in the Trump administration, or if President Trump does not run for reelection in 2020, to become the next son of Arizona to be a failed candidate for president. “Arizona may be the only state in America where mothers don’t tell their children that someday they can grow up and be president.” – John McCain.

Read more

In Monday’s Arizona Senate Debate, it was a Tale of Two Temperaments: Poised versus Unhinged

Arizona Voters were able to see for the first time and only time this election season the two party nominees vying to succeed Senator Jeff Flake in the November elections. People watching were treated to two candidates, Representative Kyrsten Sinema, and Representative Martha McSally who both displayed contrasting visions and temperaments to the viewing public. Democratic … Read more

Please Remember To Vote In November

With early ballots arriving in the mail the next couple of days, please consider the below points when deciding whether or not to vote this election.

If you think we can do better than one in four children in Arizona living in poverty, then vote in November.

If you think we can do better than being near the bottom in the nation in education funding, then vote in November.

Read more

Will politicians talk about climate change now?

The United Nations scientific panel on climate change issued a terrifying new warning on Monday that continued emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants and vehicles will bring dire and irreversible changes by 2040, years earlier than previously forecast. The cost will be measured in trillions of dollars and in sweeping societal and environmental damage, including mass die-off of coral reefs and animal species, flooded coastlines, intensified droughts, food shortages, mass migrations and deeper poverty.

President Trump’s uninformed climate skeptic response? Who drew it? Trump asks of dire climate report, appearing to mistrust 91 scientific experts:

Who drew it? The president wanted to know.

Ninety-one leading scientists from 40 countries who together examined more than 6,000 scientific studies. Specialists such as Katharine Mach, who studies new approaches to climate assessment at Stanford University; Tor Arve Benjaminsen, a human geographer at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences; and Raman Sukumar, an ecologist at the Indian Institute of Science.

They are among the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of scientists convened by the United Nations to make recommendations to world leaders. Their report, issued Monday, warns of environmental catastrophe as early as 2040 and advises that the worst can be staved off only if civilization is transformed more profoundly than at any point in recorded history.

President Trump, in comments to reporters Tuesday on the South Lawn, seemed unaware of the IPCC, as the body is known, and expressed doubts about its determinations. The remarks put him at odds with most world leaders, as well as with scientific fact — a familiar position for the brash former businessman who has long ridiculed climate concerns.

Read more

The Kirkpatrick v. Marquez-Peterson CD2 Congressional Debate at a Glance

Democratic candidate Ann Kirkpatrick debated Republican rival Lea Marquez-Peterson at the Arizona Congressional District 2 Debate on October 9 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center hosted by Arizona Public Media.

Voters have a clear-cut choice: Marquez-Peterson would be a clone of Martha McSally, who abandoned the district, and Kirkpatrick would bring back progressive values for the first time in 4 years.

The chart below displays each candidate’s answers to questions from a panel of news reporters. An empty box indicates that the question was directed to one candidate only.

Read more