by David Safier
Now that Rodney Glassman is in the race, let's talk.
Like many other Tucsonans, I knew Rodney in a passing friendly way. I knew he is ridiculously energetic and has lots and lots of personal charm. I knew he's intelligent. I also knew he's a unique individual.
And that's pretty much all I knew. It wasn't enough to let me know if he has what it takes to be either a strong senatorial candidate, or a strong senator.
A few weeks ago, I sat down with Rodney for a one-on-one over coffee. At the end of the hour, I decided the guy has what it takes.
I decided to play a little "Stump the candidate." I didn't ask him the name of the leader of some small third world country or the price of a gallon of milk. I asked him questions about important issues — jobs, government spending vs. revenue reduction, earmarks, immigration, the Middle East.
I didn't manage to stump him, not once. Rodney had well thought out answers and was able to handle follow up questions. He knows the issues, and he knows where he stands.
In some cases, we didn't agree, and I told him so. That was fine with him. We had back-and-forths on a few issues. We listened to each others' points of view, and while we found commonalities, we both mainly stood our ground. He didn't try to finesse his position to synch with mine. He told me he wants to form a broad moderate-to-progressive coalition which embraces a diversity of opinion.
As a matter of fact, I've heard from others, Glassman likes people around him who disagree with him, people who will challenge him, expanding his understanding of the issues and what it takes to be an effective candidate.
His willingness to disagree in a firm yet friendly way impressed me. It makes me think he's not going to bend in the wind during the campaign, trying to be everything to everyone. He's going to stand for something. It's very important Democrats learn how to do that.
Rodney is planning to devote himself full time to the campaign, and when he sets his mind to a task, he's a force of nature. He's a force to be reckoned with.
Rodney Glassman has a long road ahead of him. There's no way of saying exactly where it will take him, and no one knows where the race-to-the-right campaigns of Hayworth and McCain will end up. Whichever Republican survives the primary could be pretty bloodied up by then.
Whatever happens on the R side, I like Rodney Glassman's chances. He deserves our active support, from the national to the state to the county to the individual level.
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I won’t try to state Glassman’s position based on a short talk which just touched on the Middle East. Look on his website to see if he mentions it.
What is his position about freezing settlement expansion in Jerusalem?
With ALL of us supporters working really hard for Rodney, he’s sure to win…
We have the RIGHT message and we have GUTS!
Time to replace McCain with a genuine, strong replacement.
Rodney Glassman has done a GREAT job for this city, now it’s tine for hinm to spread his wings, to the north and hope the republicans stones don’t break his wings.
I believe in you Rodney and I will work hard introducing you to others!
Sarah~:)
Excellent post David.
I’m a registered Independent and I agree with Phillip. McCain’s last hissy fit sums up the reason that I couldn’t vote for him again…and Hayworth? I don’t know who could vote for a guy who funneled 26% of his political donations to his wife. A total unknown could run right now and I’d consider casting a vote for them.
Glassman needs to make the case that he can make fiscally sound decisions and not just use his personality to win the vote. I hope he really extends his effort beyond local Democrat meetings and reaches those of us who aren’t linked with any party.
Mr. Safier,
I will support the Democrat, Mr. Glassman. I enjoy the rough tussle of political discourse, especially since most of the facts are on my side. It’s easy to argue for health care reform, easy to argue for Stimulus, easy to argue for regulations, east to argue for education funding; and it’s even easier to argue against trickle down economics, easy to argue against more corporate tax cuts, easy to argue against more tax cuts to country-club nabobs, and tax deductions for spa treatments, and easy to argue against tuition tax credits that give my tax money to wealthy people and very easy to argue against the plethora of laws that have bankrupted our state and endangered my profession, education.
I can bring a big Babe Ruth sized 56 ounce bat to the game, and I can knock it out of the park. Representative Giffords helps me tremendously with the excellent info on her website (http://giffords.house.gov/) — first link you see goes to bulletted info detailing specific impacts on Dist 8 residents:
· Improve employer-based coverage for 447,000 residents.
· Provide tax credits and subsidies to help pay for coverage for up to 176,000
households.
· Improve Medicare for 135,000 beneficiaries, including closing the prescription medication donut hole for 14,100 seniors.
· Guarantee that 10,300 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
· Allow 15,200 small businesses to obtain affordable health care coverage and
provide tax credits to help reduce health insurance costs for up to 13,400 small
businesses.
· Provide coverage for 40,500 uninsured residents.
· Allow 57,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.
· Protect up to 900 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
· Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and health care providers by $38 million.
This is WOW-y stuff. Bam! I can hit home runs with this all day long. She also has some real red-meat stuff, easy to see, on National Guard, Economic Stimulus, Solar Energy in Schools.
Just visited Mr. Glassman’s website, and he doesn’t have big, bold red meat ideas I can easily use (yet). So if you have any influence with him, please suggest he put some more red meat type stuff I can use — I need The Economy, I need Education, I need Immigration, I need how to fight the Islamist Jihadists, I need Regulations, I need Health Care. I need the Big Issues. I need a Big Babe Ruth Bat for the game. He isn’t giving anything powerful on his website.
And his words need to be strong and bold, not soft and smooth. Go to his Why Running page and read the issues. He only has one strong sentence on the whole page (Corporate Taxes). Bam, that one hit you so you could feel it. It is good, it is strong, it is powerful, anybody who reads it or hears it has to deal with it. The rest have no pop at all, many even start with weak dependent clauses, so they have no or minimal impact, and are easily ignored.
I will support him, but right now I am not swinging a big bat. I need more to be really effective against the conservative types in my neighborhood and the political patches I play in. Let’s be honest — the fight is with people we have to convince. I don’t need to sing to the choir. I don’t need Tucson, I need Rural Arizona that naturally votes for Antenori, but can be switched if a strong case is made. Glassman, right now, needs to give me a bigger bat with some more pop in it.
Well put, Phillip. I wrote about Glassman’s potential, which I think is high. His work ethic is terrific. But until a few days ago, he wasn’t a candidate. Now it’s time to see that potential in action. And I think we will.
I expect Rodney to criss-cross the state, speaking about the issues, getting to know people of the state and giving them an opportunity to get to know him. What you say about embedded Arizona conservatism is absolutely true. But remember, Napolitano got elected and reelected. Giffords has done the same in a majority Republican district. And the conservatives have gone nuts. McCain is trying to court them, and Hayworth has been in the crazy-base category for years. So this may be a year when a Democrat with energy and potential can pull off a win.
Go on Glassman’s website and get on his mailing list. Get yourself informed about him and see what you think. If you like what you see, give his candidacy a helping hand.
Mr. Safier,
I’ve read enough from you to allow me to respect your opinion. I know absolutely nothing about Mr. Galssman, except what I just read here and except a few stories about rain-water harvesting. And I’ve lived in Tucson since 2003.
So Mr. Glassman has a clear handicap he needs to overcome. He desperately needs to get his ideas about big issues out before the public. He needs the power of strong ideas to overcome a clear handicap — the public naturally thinks, “Who is this guy!? A city councilman? How does he deserve to be a U.S. Senator!? He’s a lowly, nothing , nobody. Go prove your chops before you try and enter the big leagues.”
The analogy of a high school pitcher going up to the big leagues without any time in the minors is apt. The public is very wary of such situation, and the betting public would rather put their money on somebody with more of a track record than somebody they know absolutely nothing about.
Now, he does have a natural advantage: Democrats like me who watch politics will vote for anybody rather than McCain or Hayworth. Elmer Fudd would get my vote over those two. But the stubborn, recalcitrant strain of Arizona conservatism naturally embedded within the minds of most who live here needs some convincing, needs some assurance, and on a scale of 1-10, right now Mr. Glassman is down at about a 2. We know nothing about him…I couldn’t argue in his favor because I have no positive issues to work with, only negatives about the other side. Give me some meat.
You, in the press, need to expound on some of these issues you were talking about.
Thanks for writing this, David. Lately I’ve grown quite irritated with the way the MSM keeps telling us I mustn’t “underestimate” whomever the screeching GOP teabag dingbat du jour is, but an impressive and highly educated Democrat like Rodney is a priori dismissed as a serious contender.
I agree with you completely David. I had the opportunity to teach Rodney at the U. of Arizona when he was in our our Masters program in Public Administration. I got to know him pretty well. He is quite smart and very effective. I just keep getting surprised by him. When he decided to run for council and expected to raise a ton of money in just $20 donations…well I donated…but was a strong doubter. He accomplished this, built a huge list of supporters and donors he can now go back too. He built a machine. I also remembered hearing him before the election on the public radio station during a debate. He blew me away. I dont know what I expected but I heard ideas, serious ideas, effective communication, and all directed toward goals. I was frankly taken a back. Maybe I doubted him…and I didn’t any longer.
Last, I used to think that Rodney was only about Rodney. I was wrong about that too. He has given countless hours, money, and a genuine good spirit to the community. His work for children and music education should be legendary.
I would strongly strongly support him in this race.
Roger Hartley