Senate

Tea-Publicans demand ‘nuclear option’ on Iran nuclear deal

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The Iran Review period expires on September 17, and dead-ender Tea-Publicans will not accept their defeat. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked another vote on a resolution disapproving of the Iran nuclear deal, reprising the result of a vote last week. Senate Democrats Again Block Vote to Reject Iran Deal.

NukeLast week, Arizona’s angry old man, war monger John McCain (“bomb, bomb. bomb. bomb. bomb Iran“) said Friday he would be willing to look at using the “nuclear option” to advance legislation against the Iran nuclear non-proliferation agreement (irony is lost on him). John McCain Entertains ‘Nuclear Option’ to Reject Iran Deal. Now McNasty has the radicals in the House, who seem to think that they run everything in Washington, demanding the “nuclear option.” House GOP wants McConnell to go nuclear on Iran agreement:

Multiple House Republicans want Senate leaders to “go nuclear” over the Obama administration’s deal with Iran now that Democrats have stymied efforts to derail the accord by conventional means.

A small but growing number of GOP lawmakers say that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should invoke the “nuclear option” to change Senate rules and prevent a filibuster on a resolution to kill the deal.

Their angst is intensified by their belief that Democrats will likely be able to block legislation withholding federal funds from Planned Parenthood, a standoff that increases the chances of a government shutdown.

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Teabaggers plot their revenge against John McCain

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Last weekend the Arizona GOP held its biennial reorganization meeting, and Sen. John McCain decided to attend for the first time in years. Hmmm, there must be an election coming up.

McCainGrimaceLeading up to this meeting, the right-wing was enraged at Arizona’s angry old man, with headlines like this — Free Republic: John McCain Purging Arizona GOP Of Tea Party; Hot Air: McCain’s team quietly purging Arizona GOP of tea-party foes before 2016 reelection bid; Newsmax: McCain Wages ‘All-Out War’ to Rid Arizona GOP of Tea Party; even the kidz at Politico Tiger Beat on The Potomac got into the act: McCain’s big purge.

Let’s just say that Grampy McCrankypants did not exactly get the warmest reception at the Arizona GOP meeting.  The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reported, Graham re-elected state GOP chairman:

[T]he highlight of the day was a rare visit by McCain, who hasn’t spoken at an Arizona Republican Party state committee meeting in years.

McCain has clashed repeatedly with some conservatives in the party, including former Maricopa County Republican Party Chairman AJ LaFaro. The state committee voted in January 2014 to censure the five-term senator for what his critics called an insufficiently conservative record.

State committeemen gave McCain a mixed reception, with many cheering Arizona’s senior senator and others booing and turning their back on him.

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John McCain purges Tea Party activists from AZ GOP

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Oooh, this should be fun! The kidz at POLITICO Tiger Beat on The Potomac report that Arizona’s angry old man, Sen. John McCain is ridding the Arizona Republican Party of its Tea Party activists extremists in advance of his reelection campaign in 2016 . . . and the teabaggers are promising to exact their revenge! McCain’s big purge;

Nearly a year ago, tea party agitators in Arizona managed to get John McCain censured by his own state party. Now, he’s getting his revenge.

As the longtime Republican senator lays the groundwork for a likely 2016 reelection bid, his political team is engaging in an aggressive and systematic campaign to reshape the state GOP apparatus by ridding it of conservative firebrands and replacing them with steadfast allies.

mccain-mutiny

The ambitious effort — detailed to POLITICO by nearly a dozen McCain operatives, donors, and friends — has stretched from office buildings in Alexandria, Virginia, where strategists plotted and fundraisers collected cash for a super PAC, to Vietnamese-American communities across Arizona, where recruiters sought out supporters eager to help the incumbent defeat the tea party.

Team McCain’s goal? Unseat conservative activists who hold obscure, but influential, local party offices.

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Flake bows to public pressure and agrees to debate Carmona for more than 30 minutes

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

Congressman and US Senate candidate Jeff Flake has finally agreed to go toe-to-toe and actually debate his Democratic opponent in the US Senate race Dr. Richard Carmona. Woot!

Initially, Flake had agreed to only a 30-minute "debate" in the Phoenix PBS studio, with no audience. What a coward…

Now, after much bad press (including here on Blog for Arizona), Flake has agreed to man up and participate in debates in Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma. Since so many blogs are quoted in the Carmona press release below, how about having at least one blogger asking questions on each debate panel? You'd get some interesting questions, that's for sure.

Here's the Carmona press release about Flake's change of heart.

Flake caves, will debate

 Under pressure, Congressman Flake finally agrees to debates

After backing out on news organizations throughout the state, Congressman Jeff Flake's campaign has finally agreed to debate Rich Carmona for more than half an hour. Flake, a 12-year incumbent and former lobbyist, had previously declined every invitation except for one 30-minute debate. But bowing to pressure, Congressman Flake has now agreed to debates in Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma. 

"From the beginning of this race, Dr. Carmona said he would debate Congressman Flake whenever and wherever. Until today, Congressman Flake had been dodging any possible public appearance with Dr. Carmona with the exception of one 30-minute debate," said Carmona for Arizona Communications Director Andy Barr. "Congressman Flake's campaign must finally know it's in trouble if they are abandoning their previous strategy." 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Arizona Daily Star: Flake declines invitation for debate with Carmona in Southern Arizona
"Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Flake has turned down the Star's invitation to debate Democrat Richard Carmona.  The Star proposed any of six dates in early October, with the debate to be co-sponsored by the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise and held at its Desert Diamond Casino just off I-19 between Tucson and Green Valley."

Letter to the Arizona Republic 
"After Jeff Flake's Republican primary victory, he proclaimed, 'I can't wait to debate the issues.' I'm not sure what he's waiting for. His wimpy behavior in ducking debate challenges from his Democratic opponent, Dr. Richard Carmona, is insulting."

Letter to the White Mountain Independent
"Why is it that Representative Jeff Flake, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, refuses to debate Dr. Richard Carmona, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate?Dr. Carmona is willing to debate on any topic for as many debates as can be arranged, but so far Representative Flake is unwilling. Why?"

Fitz Blog: Flake flaking out on us
"Flake has been invited to debate Rich Carmona more often than Mitt Romney has flip flopped." 

More Flake-bashing news coverage after the jump.