CD4 Candidate Mikel Weisser Smacks Down Center for Arizona Policy

Recently the AZBlueMeanie posted a story about CD2 Candidate Martha McSally’s non-answers to Cathi Herrod’s Center for Arizona Policy candidate survey. Herrod is a right-wing operative in Arizona, so it’s odd that Tea Party Darling McSally didn’t answer CAP’s survey. (Remember SB1062? That was Cathi’s baby.)

One Congressional candidate who DID answer Herrod’s questions is progressive CD4 Candidate Mikel Weisser. Wow. Weisser offers a collection of no-holds-barred answers to CAP’s anti-science religiosity and their support for discrimination, the subjugation of women, and the prison industrial complex. Below are his answers.

Weisser is running against CAP stooge and incumbent Republican Paul Gosar. Gosar’s answers to this survey here. His answer to #8 sums up his stance on civil rights and equality for women: “All men are equal. Special categories are unnecessary.” (Emphasis added.)

Mikel Weisser’s Answers to Center for Arizona Policy Survey Questions
1. Repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Greedy corporations, irresponsible think tanks and heartless doctors have attacked American patients for too long. Attacks on the ACA have to be stopped.

2. Providing federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide abortions.

Planned parenthood is our most important women’s health organization and its opponents create havoc and misery. Groups like CAP must stop trying to control vaginas.

3. Arizona’s voter-approved constitutional definition of marriage should be defended to the fullest extent legally possible.

As a voter, I disapproved of that piece of anti-American injustice and will work to dismantle it.

4. Protecting individuals and businesses from being required to provide services or use their artistic expression in a manner that violates their moral or religious beliefs.

There are all the protections in place necessary for bigots who value ideology over commerce. Let them be left behind. America doesn’t want them.

5. Amending the U.S. Constitution to require Congress to balance the federal budget every year.

What a waste of energy! Our government has purposes to serve that transcend petty propaganda. Folks who want this understand neither government or humanity.

6. Raising the federal minimum wage.

I oppose greedy bosses who want to treat workers like slaves and sham think tanks that shill for American poverty in trade for campaign donations.

7. Prohibiting abortion except where it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother.

I resent your religious values framing the question and note your opposition to women’s rights. Why should you guys dictate people’s reproductive rights?

8. Adding “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” or “gender expression” to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in anti-discrimination law.

Considering hate-based, profit driven organizations like CAP we need these protections for our citizens against hategroups predatory and deceptive nature.

9. Allowing all parents to use tax credits, vouchers, or educational savings accounts to enable children to attend any public, charter, private, homeschool, or online academy.

CAP and other rightwing anti-American groups keep trying to dismantle public education and promote theocracy. This traitorous attack on American education ought to be criminalized.

10. Legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

I am the legislative liaison for Safer AZ, the organization working to end cannabis prohibition in AZ and challenge CAP endorsement of a prison-industrial complex.

11. Building the Keystone Pipeline.

The Keystone pipeline is an environmentally destructive, profit-driven, insufficient stalling technique when it comes to addressing our energy future. America must transition past petroleum.

12. Using human embryonic stem cells for research purposes.

I oppose anti-scientific repressive theocracy dictating public policy, medical technique and scientific progress. If Luddites want to live that way, sure, but not make policy.

13. Congress should consider the selective removal of the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts when they fail to observe the separation of powers.

Is this a joke question? A test to see if I’m attentive. If Congress did that THEY would be failing to observe separation of powers.

14. Changes to the World Wide Web that would make pornography available online only as an “opt-in” service.

Again w theocracy? Your most laughable suggestion so far. Besides the enormous impracticality of implementation, the immense popularity of porn shows how wrongheaded this is.

15. Amending the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to place further restrictions on the establishment and expansion of gambling by Indian tribes in the United States.

Theocratic condescension + repressive business regulation stifling competition from an already oppressed severely disadvantaged minority. Sounds like you guys. Ideas like this must be stopped.

Why Are You Running?

CAP also asked candidates why they are running. The choice between Weisser and Gosar couldn’t be more crystal clear. By saying that he’s fighting Washington, Gosar is still trying to ride the Tea Party wave that brought him and the other do-nothings to Washington.

In a way, Weisser is also saying he’s also fighting Washington, but he is referring to the Tea Party extremists (like Gosar) who have brought us the most dysfunctional and non-productive Congress in history.

Why are you running?
Weisser: The religious right-wing are destroying our country and someone needs to devote themselves full-time to dismantling the power of the GOP and groups like CAP.

Gosar: The fight against DC is more important than ever. Our values, our liberties and our constitutional republic are under attack. I have been a consistent and successful defender of our constitution, and of reducing the size of government attacking waste, fraud and abuse. I am only getting warmed up. 

You can learn more about Weisser and his campaign here. Also– his van died on the campaign trail. There is a donation link on the website. Let’s help a progressive beat a Teabagger.