You are here: Home / 2007 / September / Archives for 30th

Conservative Christians Scrambling?

September 30, 2007 By 15 Comments

The New York Times has an interesting article today portraying conservative Christians as scrambling for a presidential nominee. Apparently, Giuliani’s personal life and positions on abortion, gun rights and homosexuality has leaders in this important voting block strategizing how to propel someone like Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter or Sam Brownback to front runner status.

As this blogger has asserted many times before, if the party faithful has no where to cast a vote, they won’t cast at all. Principles like protecting innocent human life, are the impetus for showing up to vote.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Political Parties, Political Science

GOPAC comes to Tucson.

September 30, 2007 By 7 Comments

GOPAC class.jpg

     This Saturday GOPAC, Pima County Republican Party, and the Arizona Republican Party held another very successful candidate school. State and local candidates packed the room to learn the nuts and bolts of how to win from GOPAC associates David Avella and Todd Schnick as well as some local Arizona campaign professionals.

 jonathan paton.jpg

     Lunch featured an uplifting speech by Arizona RNC Committeeman Bruce Ash. State Representative Jonathan Paton followed Ash. He inspired the audience and impressed the national political consultants with his delivery and message.

     Saturday’s Southern Arizona GOPAC campaign school followed the June GOPAC campaign school held in Phoenix, the largest state sponsored GOPAC training held this year. Sources said that a candidate school of this quality has not been held in Tucson for many, many years.

     Congratulations to everyone from GOPAC, Judi White and staff at the county party, and Sean McCaffrey and staff at the state party for working so hard day-in and day-out on their mission of getting Republicans elected. If you are considering donating to a national Republican organization that has not sold out the grassroots of the party we wholeheartedly endorse the well run and focused GOPAC. A big thanks as well to Jim Click for his support of the event.

Filed Under: Political Parties, Special Event

Even liberal journalists are distancing themselves from Goddard because of the corruption investigation

September 30, 2007 By Leave a Comment

When you’re a Democrat politician and the liberal media is denouncing you, you’ve got problems. Usually the liberal so-called mainstream media goes out of its way to promote Democrat politicians and candidates and give them positive coverage. If the liberal media is jumping on the bandwagon with the Republican Party criticizing a Democrat, that Democrat must be in some serious trouble. This is the case with Attorney General Terry Goddard, the liberal media appears to have deserted him because the latest investigation by Sheriff Arpaio into allegations of political corruption and bribery by Goddard’s office has got liberals afraid of being tainted by association and going down with Goddard.

On Horizon’s Journalists’ Roundtable Friday night, the liberal journalists hung Goddard out to dry. Tribune Reporter Mark Flatten said that Goddard has put up some “odd roadblocks” by refusing to turn over documents requested by Sheriff Arpaio in the investigation, forcing the Sheriff to subpoena them. Flatten observed that when Arpaio and county attorney Thomas objected to Goddard having his attorney present when AG employees were interviewed, Goddard responded oddly again – he attempted to take the investigation out of the public light by claiming that it should be behind closed grand jury proceedings. A Superior Court judge ruled against him on that. Flatten said that Arpaio is probably right when he says that Goddard is acting like he is hiding something. Flatten then said it was interesting to see Arpaio (who has a reputation for fighting possibly dubious public records requests from adult entertainment magazine Phoenix New Times) becoming Arizona’s champion of public records law. What is Goddard hiding?
It will be interesting to continue watching this investigation unfold, and see whether the Valley’s papers subtly continue distancing themselves from Goddard.
Friday night’s Horizon should be available within a day or two here.

Filed Under: Crime and Punishment, Government

Victory over Environmental Extremists

September 30, 2007 By 5 Comments

In a little reported case, a rancher had sued and won a $600,000 defamation suit against the radical Center for Biological Diversity.

The People for the West Newsletter has an excellent review (no link available):

On September 25, 2007 the Arizona Supreme Court denied review of the verdict and $600,000 damages awarded in Chilton Ranch and Cattle Company v. Center for Biological Diversity (the Center). In January 2005, an impartial jury of ten found the Center had maliciously defamed the rancher. An appeals court upheld the jury’s findings.

Overthe previous seven years Jim Chilton had contracted, at considerable personal expense, Dr. Holechek along with world-class experts in hydrology and native fish biology. They conducted dozens of fullday hands-on management consultations. The scientists regularly monitored the natural resources and made recommendations, all of which Jim Chilton followed…

During the seven years preceding the trial, the Center launched four formal attempts to legally prohibit grazing on Jim Chilton’s allotment, arguably with no scientific foundation for their litigious and procedural attacks. By the end of 2005, however, the Center was able to pay the punitive damages, having received $500,000 that year from taxpayer-funded legal settlements.

The fact that Chilton went out of his way to safeguard the environment leads one to wonder if the Center’s objective is to protect nature or control private business.  I’ve sent an email to the editor of the PFW asking him to clarify the taxpayer-funded legal settlement.

None of the major papers are reporting this landmark decision.  But the Flagstaff-based Arizona Daily Sun has background on the appeal.

This is a typical tactic of the left: put out false facts and smear your opponent.  Two weeks ago, MoveOn.org’s “Gen. Betray-us” ad back-fired, forcing the party that MoveOn had “bought and paid for” to condemn them.  Last week, the Clinton backed “Media Matters” outfit was caught creating a phoney controversy over Rush Limbaugh’s criticism of phoney Ranger Jesse MacBeth.  Now the CBD is fined for faking photographs.

I hope this is the begining of a more aggressive campaign by the cente right against the radical left.

Filed Under: Environment

Mr. Quayle is Unavailable

September 30, 2007 By 28 Comments

Quayle

According the Arizona Republic Political Insider, the October 17th Trunk and Tusk Dinner has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with former Vice-President, Dan Quayle.

The dinner was to feature the former Vice-President as the keynote speaker and chief draw to raise money for the party. Unfortunately, Mr. Quayle has been called away on business to Japan as part of his venture with Cerberus.

But the Political Insider seems to think there is more intra-party mechanics at work behind the scene:

But The Insider continued to hear talk that more than scheduling was involved in Quayle’s cancellation. It wasn’t hard to believe, frankly, considering some of the local GOP’s intra-party rancor of late, especially relating to immigration. Could it have been that a few prominent Republicans or members of the congressional delegation unhappy with Arizona GOP Chairman Randy Pullen pressured Quayle not to participate?

Could it be that the “anti-Pullen” wing of the GOP is making another attempt to financially starve the GOP leadership into submission? Political Insider seems to think so based on another GOP ”insider:”

I’m sure there’s a legitimate scheduling conflict. But there’s no doubt that prominent Republicans gave the vice president an earful about his willingness to raise money for the state Republican Party.

Filed Under: Political Parties