Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
In this blog's new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we have posed questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics — I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the primary election is
over like our local media did in 2012.
The McSally campaign is hiding in the bunker, refusing to answer the written interrogatories that this blog has posed to her campaign. I think we have been more than fair. With written interrogatories, it's not like we are springing "gotcha" questions on her for which she is unprepared to answer. She has the time to research her answer and to provide a cogent, thoughtful response to reach out to as many voters as possible. She should take that opportunity.
Perhaps her GOP primary opponents will be able to coax a response out of McSally. The political gossip rag Yellow Sheet Reports (subscription required) reported that Ed Martin, an occasional fill-in radio host for radio talk show host Jon Justice and a former press secretary to U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) is considering running, as well as Shelley Kais, President of Kais E Systems, Inc., who worked for the McSally campaign during the
special election to fill Congresswoman Giffords’ seat, who has already formed an exploratory committee.
NO CAKEWALK FOR MCSALLY IN CD2 (Yellow Sheets):
While Martin has taken a couple of jabs at McSally on his blog, questioning her conservative credentials and referring to her as the Washington establishment’s candidate, Kais said she is friendly with McSally and won’t turn the GOP primary into a bitter fight. “I think everyone will be very disappointed if they’re counting on me to create a bitter primary,” she said.
Kais said she talked to both Martin and McSally about her decision to explore a run for office, and McSally took the news well. “It probably wasn’t the decision that she would like, but she was very respectful, very gracious and very kind,” Kais said. Meanwhile, one southern Arizona Republican said Martin will almost definitely enter the race and would be a formidable candidate.
Martin recently held a big meeting of his possible campaign team, including several old-time Republicans from back East, and a large contingency of former Jesse Kelly supporters, the source said, adding that Martin has longtime political connections in New York and in Washington, D.C. “He’s going to give [McSally] a run for her money,” the source said.
Martin is questioning McSally's conservative credentials? Hmmm, I wonder whether those "Kelly's Heroes" on his team recall this guest opinion from Ed Martin in the Tucson Citizen on April 6, 2009 — at the moment the Tea Party was first being hyped by the conservative media entetainment complex — in which Mr. Martin had occasionally thoughtful and respectful things to say about President Obama. I didn’t vote for Obama, but I support him:
Make no mistake, I want President Obama to succeed in keeping us
safe, restoring confidence in the markets, encouraging capital formation
so investment will create jobs, and ending the polarization that
created a wave of ideological intolerance that he helped ride into the
White House.
Obama is my president, and I will continue to fly the American flag despite the fact that my neighbor has stopped flying his.
* * *
I certainly hope Obama is sincere in wanting to end this type of
polarization and will encourage, not ridicule or discount, differing
opinions and analysis. This, after all, is essential to our
constitutional system of checks and balances.
Well, that's just crazy talk to teabaggers. President Obama is a Kenyan Marxist secret Muslim, dontcha know! Show us the long-form birth certificate!
Interesting article. Could it not be said that the Kais exploration and possible candidacy is intended to peel conservative supporters from Mr. Martin. Otherwise, why would a McSally supporter and former team member enter into the exploration phase of a race where McSally has already declared (FEC Statement of Candidacy – July 1, 2013), unless to peel supporters from Martin, or does she feel McSally is not suited to run, thus she is exploring? Having been a team member, I doubt she feels McSally is not suitable to be a member of Congress, so the only option is to peel conservative supporters from Martin on behalf of McSally – maybe she is still on McSally’s team. Of course, if she feels that McSally is not suitable to be a member of Congress, having been on her team, then you owe it to all to ferret this out. Keep in mind that it is no secret that McSally is the “CHOSEN” candidate of the NRCC without a primary with no caring about the desires of southern Arizona Republicans. I would not put it past the powers to be in Washington, including Senator Mccain who has been openly pushing McSally to run and supporting her as if she were his protege, to add a straw candidate to the primary race to insure that McSally does well. They will have to really gin up McSally, because Mr. Martin is that strong and well supported financially. I have seen his resume and he hasn’t flown A-10’s, managed drones, or challenged the very unpopular abaya rule. However, he has a background that would well serve southern Arizona.
Mr. Martin clearly provided Mr. Obama the initial support that all citizens should provide a newly elected president after an election – thoughtful and respectful is appropriate. I would venture to say that the support of Mr. Obama from Mr. Martin is gone at this writing, and we all probably know why.
Former Jesse Kelly supporters are not hard to come by in southern Arizona, since they represented almost half of the Republican electorate in the last primary, so pointing out all these former Kelly supporters support Mr. Martin is lacking in specificity and detail. You might say their support is a no-brainer. His constitutional support will even appeal to Libertarians, since he is a republican constitutional conservative and will likely encourage Libertarians to learn more about him. Remember, we don’t know where Ms. McSally stands on a host of issues after two primaries races and a general election race and I am sure that you will never find Mr. Martin hiding in a bunker, should he declare.