Have you ever been asked to taste something that is different than your normal menu du jour?  Typically, this happens with things that might be considered gamey, wild, or offensive.  They have a certain allure, the challenge of the hunt, the novelty of being edgy and different but when you ask…”What does it taste like?”  the answer is…”Tastes like chicken.”

The food item might have a different name, a different species, an entirely different origin…but when you peel back the skin or pluck the feathers and the heat gets to it….it is very similar to something very familiar.

We are currently enduring the presidency of a man with great oratorical skills, who can take a message and spin it well.  He is able to affect dialects of various regions without giving away that it isn’t really his at all.  He talks a good game.  His rhetoric and running “against” rather than “for” was enough to get him elected POTUS.

Most of us know of his record.  Not much to it, lots of “present” votes and little else.  Well, then there is that ugly little matter back in Illinois when he voted for late term abortions.  But…he managed to spin that right out of the public eye.  How did he do it?  He deflected, deferred, marginalized, and with his exceptional rhetorical continues to blame others for all that is wrong and he alone can, and will, make it right.

Lately, I’ve had this nagging notion of déjà vu.  What was it?  It was like I was seeing something so familiar but…different.  Then, watching the video of JD Hayworth at the LD21 meeting…it hit me!

JD Hayworth  is the latest version of “tastes like chicken”!

Can JD talk a good game?  YES HE CAN!

Heck, he talked about games for years before running for office.

Can JD captivate an audience? YES HE CAN!

He was paid for his ability to maintain ratings while a sportscaster. What great training and experience that must have been.  Then all those years on drive time radio, where he controlled the mike, the dialogue, and the subject…who could ask for a better venue?

Can JD market himself to appeal to the consumer?  YES HE CAN!

He has been working on it ever since he was booted from office in a district with an 18% Republican advantage.  He had to; his job was to create an image that would appeal to the market his boss served.  If along the way he made a great living and elevated his chances of returning to DC… just a perk.

Can JD spin a news cycle with the best of them? OH, YES HE CAN!

He has marginalized his own record by pointing out the flaws in others and done so with such grace as to make it appear like business as usual.

The guy is good.  He has made a living out of it.

But, what did he do while in office.  What reasonable expectation can the voter have that he will be more than a great voice with exceptional speaking skills?

Well, let’s look at that….. Congressman Dick Armey, who was House Majority Leader for 8 years of JDs time on The Hill had this to say recently:

….J.D. had a fairly short, undistinguished congressional career with virtually no initiative on his part.”

No initiative?  That’s not good.  But, that’s not all….

As I recall, J.D. was on the Ways and Means Committee and I didn’t really see him make any distinguished effort, for example, like people like (Arizona GOP Reps.) Jeff Flake and John Shadegg in terms of creative ideas and legislative initiative,” Armey said. “Certainly nothing on the cost-control front. But John McCain was the first guy to understand the need to get earmarks under control. He took a real leadership role, as did Jeff Flake.”

So, what about his record?  JD Hayworth is deeply tied, unfortunately, to the two things that have caused the prairie fire of anti-Washington and anti-GOP sentiment….corruption and spending.

I will be the first to say unequivocally… JD Hayworth was exonerated of any wrong doing.  However, there is no denying  Hayworth was involved with former “super-lobbyist” Jack Abramoff and the largest recipient of campaign money from the now-convicted Abramoff.

No “illegal” activity.  But what about judgment and desire to win at all costs?

On to spending…..boy, this could fill a page! So, how about the highlights?

The 2002 Highway Bill…the pork-laden bill that gave us the Highway to Nowhere and filled the pockets of lots of folks with money taken directly from ours.

The unfunded Medicare bill, $7 trillion in debt bequeathed to our children.  Yep, he voted for it.

He supported the 527 campaign loophole bill that created more problems than McCain-Feingold.

And while you are on the bi-partisanship never got us anywhere kick…how about his support of the Dem sponsored, job killing, small business impeding  Sarbanes-Oxley Act?

Yeah….definitely, taste like chicken!

This afternoon’s Yellow Sheet had this story:

 

MORE PROBLEMS WITH GOP BOOKKEEPING, SAY SOURCES 

Two Republicans claiming knowledge of the Arizona Republican Party’s finances say the party’s year-end federal campaign finance report is a sham that greatly exaggerated available cash on hand. The report, filed last month, claims the party’s federal account held $65,000 at the end of 2009, but the sources said the real figure was closer to several thousand dollars. YS made several attempts to reach Pullen for comment and requested to view the party’s banking statements, but calls on the subject matter were not returned. State GOP Director Brett Mecum said: “If a Republican has a problem with the state party showing what we have on hand, it would be nice if they actually picked up the phone and called the office and maybe talked to some of us over here. They should take it up with the party and not the press.”

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the committee held less than $5,000 in late December. One of the sources said they pulled a sleuth move and called the party’s bank (M & I Thunderbird) in late December to ask if the federal account balance could cover a (non-existent) $5,000 check. The inquiry, said the source, prompted the bank to respond in the negative. “The guy (Pullen) is the treasurer of the RNC and his books are a joke,” said the source. “Their entire reporting system is riddled with fraud.” The second insider who contacted YS said the party’s federal account funds were “not anywhere close” to $65,000. A more accurate figure by the end of 2009 would be roughly $3,000, said the Republican. Mecum said the party has “multiple bank accounts so it’d be interesting” to see which account was tested with the fund verification test. SOS records show the in-state account for the party reported $10,600 cash on hand at the end of 2009.

Would Brett Mecum really provide the bank statements if asked?  What does he mean by ”take it up with the party”?  That happened and those folks were dismissed.  The questions linger and suspicion is not easily dissuaded with avoidance. 

It is time for Mr. Pullen and Mr. Mecum to provide a full accounting of each account, money in and money out with dates to match.  No accrual accounting, without the date of transactions, the real story. 

Avoidance of disclosure and facts and repeatedly distracting the focus from obtaining answers to blaming the one with the questions are not signs of a willingness for transparency.  Hey guys, it isn’t your money.  It isn’t your party.  And we aren’t idiots.

There’s an article in The Arizona Capitol Times this morning about a pair of political committees will be employed to “corral votes” as the budget process moves forward.

One PAC the Arizona Capitol Times failed to mention was the Arizona Taxpayer’s Action Committee, an independent PAC associated with the former Arizona Federation of Taxpayers – now known as the Arizona Chapter of Americans for Prosperity. ATAC has been especially vigilant of the votes being made by the current Legislature and will be weighing those votes as part of its endorsement process in 2010.

This PAC will carry tremendous weight as an independent PAC and because it has been closely allied with independent taxpayer advocacy organizations. As the 2010 election cycle continues to progress, watch for ATAC to play an important role in returning the State of Arizona to fiscal responsibility by working to elect solid taxpayer advocates.