Democrats can win by focusing on 3 issues: public education, health care, and jobcreation, according to Maricopa County Democratic Party Chairman Steven Slugocki
Maricopa County in Arizona is the fourth largest populated county in the United States. The fifth largest city in the country, Phoenix is within its boundaries as are 20 of the 30 state legislative districts.
It is also the county that Maricopa County Democratic Party Chairman Steven Slugocki believes has the best chance of shifting the balance of power in the Arizona State Legislature from red to blue.
Slugocki, the county chairperson of the Democratic Party since December 2015, relayed that grassroots enthusiasm for the Democratic Party, fueled by frustrations with both the Governorship of Doug Ducey (and state legislature) and the Presidency of Donald Trump (and Republican Congress), has reached once unimaginable heights. Committing to an all-out voter outreach effort, Slugocki emphasized that the county will prioritize local races from the Governor’s race at the top of the ballot to the local school board elections. The County Democratic organization pledges to “contest and fight for every seat in every area of the county.”
Photo of Hybrid Trump/Mussolini courtesy of Richard Drew Salon
When people think about the history of the 1920’s, some positive events probably come to mind.
They may think of Babe Ruth hitting 60 home runs for the 1927 Murders Row New York Yankees.
They may think this was the time of the Jazz Age.
They may think this was the time of the Harlem Renaissance.
They may think this was a time when talking motion pictures premiered.
They may think that humanity, through future America First Leader Charles Lindbergh, was first able to pioneer airplane technology (not aeronautic because Zeppelin crews had already accomplished the feat) by being the first to fly his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, across the Atlantic.
Our current President routinely lies and lies and lies. Just yesterday, he accused the New York Times of making up a source. That was a lie because there were 11 other news organizations in the room with the “made up source.” Earlier in the week, he lied about a spy implanted by the intelligence community in his campaign. He disputes facts like climate change in justifying his support for the coal industry. The Washington Post revealed that the President lies on average six times a day.
Our current President riles up his base by partially blaming our problems on illegal immigrants coming en mass across the border and launching crime waves with their gangs. This is another falsehood.
Our current President professes to be a patriot by criticizing football players for kneeling during the national anthem.
Our current President likes and praises authoritarian leaders like the ones in Russia, Turkey, Hungary, Egypt, and the Philipines.
Our current President, emboldened by his third National Security Advisor, the Prime Minister of Israel, and leaders of Saudi Arabia, appears to be laying the false propaganda narrative of justifying a military action against Iran.
Why does a significant portion of people who belong to the Party of Lincoln believe all the fecal matter coming from this President? This is astounding because the President is not the first demagogue to exhibit these behaviors or attempt these measures.
When will we ever learn from history? When will the people ever learn to recognize a power grab or a con job or a real witch hunt when it is happening. History offers us lots of lessons so we can recognize these attempts when they happen.
Kathy Hoffman is an advocate for special needs children, mainstreaming ELL students, and protecting students in the LGBTQ community.
Over drinks of iced tea and ice water, Democratic candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman passionately conveyed why she would be the best choice to lead our public schools starting in January 2019.
She is a native of Oregon who moved to Arizona and has taught special needs, and elementary age children in Tucson and the Valley. Ms. Hoffman said she was propelled to run by the Women’s Movement following the electoral college victory of Donald Trump and the ascension of Betsy DeVos, an opponent of public schools, to Secretary of Education.
She is competing with David Schapira in the Democratic primary.
An advocate for special needs children, mainstreaming ELL students in order to achieve immersion, and protecting the safety and rights of students in the LGBTQ community, Ms. Hoffman would pursue the following policies and positions if elected this November.
GOP Congressional candidates Danny Morales, Lea Marquez-Peterson, Marilyn Wiles and Brandon Martin.
You could smell the fear in the room at the Pima County GOP’s secret CD 2 Congressional Candidate Forum at the gaudy Oyster Club in Tucson. The candidates were asked how they could win in light of recent democratic victories, and how they could govern without dominating all three branches of government.
Lea Marquez-Peterson repeatedly pleaded for donations, noting with alarm that “Nancy Pelosi has already been in Arizona and made a half-million-dollar ad buy!” and that front-runner Ann Kirkpatrick had raised more money than she did.
Only 40 people attended the event, which the Republicans tried desperately to keep secret. The GOP tried to ban reporters, to prohibit photos, and to require all cell phones to be turned off. The forum was so secret that candidate Casey Welch didn’t show up.
Only one serious candidate
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Candidate Brandon Martin complained, “I hope we can speak in bigger venues.” (Last month, more than 400 people attended the Democrats’ Congressional candidate forum in Green Valley.)
Martin and candidate Danny Morales battled to take the more arch-conservative position. Candidate Marilyn Wiles didn’t really have many positions. Marquez-Peterson appeared to be the only serious candidate.
None of them proposed any idea to actually help people. They were all against things — like “chain migration,” not becoming “part of the establishment,” against the “Dreamers,” against raising taxes, and against the Mueller investigation.
Guns, Guns, Guns
Noting that hundreds of thousands of people were currently in the nationwide March For Our Lives against gun violence, the candidates had differing ideas for gun safety. Marquez-Peterson and Wiles called for better background checks. Morales called for arming teachers. Martin actually said, “We don’t have a gun problem. They don’t jump off shelves and shoot people.”
