Questions for Martha McSally: ‘Why not?’ I’ll tell you why not

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

For several months now, this blog has posted a series of "Questions for Martha McSally" regarding her positions on current hot topics — I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012. I had hoped this would encourage local media to be more aggressive in questioning McSally, instead of allowing McSally a free pass.

At least on day one of the "official" McSally campaign, my hopes were dashed. Wick Communications, which essentially controls small town newspapers in Southern Arizona, failed miserably in the coverage of Martha McSally's campaign kick-off — which also happened to fall on day one of the Tea Party "Suicide Caucus" Shutdown of the federal government.

The editors allowed McSally to simply spew empty platitudes, bumper sticker slogans, and ad hominem attacks on President Obama that she no doubt memorized at GOPAC candidate school, or was provided by "The Scarp," former Arizona Daily Star reporter Daniel Scarpinato from the RNCC.

In reading through the superficial reporting below, it is painfully obvious that Martha McSally is a vacuous candidate who does not know enough about any subject to offer a thoughtful and detailed explanation of her positions. So she continues to hide in the bunker and refuses to offer any detailed explanations of her positions. McSally is counting on our local media to give her a free pass again this time. At least on day one, McSally got exactly what she wanted from our local media.

Just check out this report by Bill Hess at the Sierra Vista Herald, who is generally way better than this; I expected better from him. 'Why
not?' McSally asks:

Previously [yesterday], McSally, who lost the 2012 race to Democrat Ron
Barber by less than 1 percentage point, had made the announcement to
seek the GOP nod to carry the Republican banner at events in Green Valley and Tucson.

“I want us to get started to grow strong,” she told the people at the Pueblo Del Sol Country Club.

Saying Congress is dysfunctional, the retired Air Force colonel and
combat fighter pilot fighter, said “We need leadership more
than ever before.”

Issues facing southern Arizonans haven’t change as there still are border problems, McSally said.

“We have so many challenges going on,” they can’t be handled by “the
dysfunctional group in Washington, D.C.,” the officially
announced candidate said.

* * *

Saying she has heard another call to duty, she said many people are asking her “why” she wants to seek an elected office.

McSally’s response to the question of why, is another question she asks, “why not?”

“When people ask me why, I say, why not,” se said.

When she began the race in 2012 people told her she couldn’t win, but not only did she defeat opponents in the GOP primary, she almost upset Barber, McSally related.

So, when people ask her why, “I choose to respond, ‘why not?’,” she said.

Wow. Seriously? A nonresponsive answer is all you've got? Even worse, "Martha
McSally has a new phrase she hopes will catch on and win her the 2014
race for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District." In other words, vote for
an unknown quantity who never answers any substantive questions with anything but empty platitudes, bumper sticker slogans, and ad hominem attacks, because "why not?" I'll tell you why not: it is disrespectful and disdainful of voters. Why should anyone vote for a vacuous empty suit just because? That's how we got the Tea Party "Suicide Caucus" Shutdown of the federal government.

Then there is Dan Shearer at the Green Valley News, who did a straight news report, and this editorial opinion which reads like a McSally campaign press release. Just shameful. FROM THE EDITOR: McSally says this is her time:

Government Shutdown

“This is the very reason I’m running,” she said. And that led to a
discussion of just who’s in Washington, and what they’re doing. To her
credit, she said blame knows no party lines.

“The dysfunction is extraordinary,” she said of
the capital. “We’re hurting ordinary people in our community because of
the brinksmanship that’s going on and the inability to just govern and
solve problems.”

“This is not the way to govern our country.”

Taking a swipe at everybody, she said, “There’s a
failure of leadership. And we certainly need leaders who will do the
right thing for the country and the communities that they represent as
opposed to protecting them for the next election or partisan bickering.”

“[Obama's] choosing not to figure out how to move forward given that we have a divided government.”

Let's be clear: Martha McSally would have voted in lockstep with the economic terrorists in the Tea Party "Suicide Caucus" Shutdown of the federal government. Note to Dan Shearer: it is not to her credit when she blames both parties for this manufactured crisis. I know the media loves this false equivalency crap, but it deliberately misinfoms and misleads the public, so knock it off! McSally's nonresponsive answer should have led to more pointed questioning. Questions for Martha McSally: Government shutdown and default on the national debt. Her failure to answer these questions should lead to pointed criticism of her failure to provide substantive responses.

Health Care Law

“I think it is a train wreck. I think as it’s playing itself out people are realizing it’s a train wreck.”

* * *

What needs to be addressed? Tort reform, allowances for pre-existing
conditions, and a focus on preventive medicine, among others.

Standard GOP talking points from "The Scarp." By the way, allowances for pre-existing coverage and a focus on preventitive medicine is exactly what the Affordable Care Act provides. Does McSally not know this?

Money quote: “Health care is complex, I’m not going to give you a five-second answer." Actually, McSally is never going to give any substantive answers, no matter how much time she has. She will continue to do this so long as the media allows her to get away with it.

Economic Recovery

It’s not happening nearly fast enough, especially in Arizona. A lot of
the recovery is slowed by simple uncertainty. And some of that is driven
by the Affordable Care Act, which McSally says is holding down hiring
at some businesses trying to stay under the 50-person cap, and is
driving part-time employment.

Another GOP talking point, You want to talk about "uncertainty" holding back the economy? That would be the Tea Party "Suicide Caucus" which has subjected this country to a series of chaos theory manufactured crises since coming to power, from the fiscal cliff, to the sequester, to threatening government shutdowns, to threatening to default on the full faith and credit of the United States (their last effort resulted in a downgrade of the credit of the U.S.).

The "part-timing" of American employment is something that has been going on since the 2001 recession and acccelerated dramatically during the Bush Great Recession in 2008. It is painfully obvious to me that McSally knows nothing about economics. The ACA does not even go into full effect until January, 2014. And the CBO estimated the ACA wil reduce the federal deficit.

Syria

“It’s a case study in blundering… just embarrassing.”

Really? Syria has signed on to the Chemical Weapons Convention, has submitted an inventory of its chemical weapons to the UN, the UN inspectors are currently on the ground, and the U.S. and Russia have new cooperation moving Syria towards negotiation of a settlement of its civil war, as well as a war crimes tribunal for attrocities in Syria. Moreover, this diplomatic initiative has led to an opening with Iran which is progressing towards multi-state talks regarding Iran's nuclear program.

I am guessing that Martha McSally, like her Neocon political patron Sen. John McCain, wants the U.S. to attack Syria and Iran. But she was allowed to get away without stating any position.

I hope that the Tucson Weekly, another Wick Communications publication, does a better job than this.