Spending

Archived Posts from this Category

Thu 2 Sep 2010

AAN poll shows Schweikert, Kelly & Gosar probably beating incumbent Dems for Congressional seats

Posted by Press Release under Campaigns & Elections , Spending
[12] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Schweikert leading Mitchell with 50% of the vote

Gosar leading Kirkpatrict by 5 points, Giffords and Kelly tied

American Action Network has conducted the first major poll after the primary election of Congressional races in Western states. It found that Democrats are in BIG trouble. A majority of likely voters in these districts prefer a Republican in districts where there is currently a Democrat incumbent, and they oppose Obamacare by a whopping 53 to 39%. All three incumbent Democrat members of Congress in Arizona’s CD1, CD5 and CD8 voted for Obamacare. A majority of likely voters surveyed also view Obama and Pelosi unfavorably. The three incumbents voted lockstep with Pelosi and the Obama administration on almost every vote.

In CD1, Republican challenger Paul Gosar leads incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick 47% to 41%, despite Kirkpatrick’s 97% name ID.

In CD8, Republican challenger Jesse Kelly and incumbent Democrat Gabrielle Giffords are tied at 46%. This is despite Giffords having 99% name ID.

In CD5, Republican challenger David Schweikert leads incumbent Democrat Harry Mitchell 50% to 44%, despite Mitchell’s 97% name ID. Voters surveyed were upset with Mitchell’s support of Obamacare. With Schweikert taking 50% of the vote, there are few undecideds left for Mitchell to win over.

AAN found that 68% of likely voters believe the country is on the wrong track. That’s nearly a 3-to-1 margin. Controlling government spending and making Washington, D.C. accountable were considered high priorities. Considering the three incumbent Democrats have voted against their constituents again and again, ignoring the Tea Party protests outside their offices against the bailouts and Obamacare and voting with Pelosi and Obama instead, it will be difficult for them to be reelected, especially Mitchell and Kirkpatrick who are too far behind at this point. In an anti-incumbent mood, the polls won’t be moving in their favor as it gets closer to the election.

Join Our Mailing List
 

Tue 31 Aug 2010

Harry Mitchell moving his signs around to hide his voting record from voters

Posted by Press Release under Campaigns & Elections , Spending
[25] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Schweikert campaign puts up signs next to Mitchell’s signs exposing his record

Mitchell campaign in meltdown; moves signs — drawing more attention to his record

We had to chuckle when we got an email from the David Schweikert for Congress campaign about campaign signs. The Schweikert campaign put up signs next to Mitchell’s campaign signs saying things like “Union Owned,” “Hides from Voters,” and “Supports Obamacare.” Mitchell reacted by complaining to the media and taking his signs down and putting them up elsewhere. This is the sign of campaign in disarray. The last thing in the world Mitchell wants is more attention drawn to his voting record, which includes voting for Obamacare and union-backed card check. Mitchell is running from his record but moving his signs and complaining to the media makes his record even more obvious!

Join Our Mailing List
 

Tue 10 Aug 2010

Arizona Republic: “Spending by Maricopa County Supervisors Unchecked”

Posted by Press Release under County Government , Ethics , Spending
[6] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

One Supervisor alone spent nearly $4,300 on ads to celebrate Flag Day, promote hazardous-waste-collection efforts and publicize other events – all featuring his portrait.

Supervisors and their staff charged nearly $181,000 on government credit cards over the past five years

by Yvonne Wingett and Craig Harris – Aug. 9, 2010
The Arizona Republic

Even as Maricopa County supervisors question whether Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office has misused county-issued credit cards, the supervisors have used their own government cards to buy gifts for constituents and employees, stay at luxury hotels and cater meals to their offices, records obtained by The Arizona Republic show.

A review of spending records since 2005 revealed one supervisor spent nearly $2,600 on Arizona Diamondbacks merchandise for underprivileged children, while another bought nearly $4,300 in promotional newspaper ads and sent flowers and gift baskets to colleagues and staff whose family members died.

The credit cards are issued to supervisors and their employees to help them easily purchase everyday items to run their offices, including office supplies and registration fees for conferences. There is no written policy on what can or cannot be purchased.

Employees must get prior approval from a county supervisor before making charges; supervisors can approve purchases for themselves.

The spending has raised ethical questions.

David Berman, a senior research fellow at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute, said there is “no rationale” for some of the spending.

“On the surface, it doesn’t look like they are concerned about the taxpayers’ money,” he said. “Certainly, it’s particularly objectionable when a recession is going on. It’s politically dumb if nothing else.”

He said it was “hypocritical to crack down on the sheriff when they are doing the same thing.”

Two months ago, county management confiscated government charge cards from hundreds of sheriff’s employees and volunteer posse members, and limited most purchases to $200 per transaction. The Republic then requested documents showing charges by each of the five supervisors’ offices.

Over the past five years, the supervisors or their staff charged nearly $181,000, records show. The charges do not represent the total amount each office has spent on other items bought through purchase orders and other methods, county officials said.

· The office of Supervisor Fulton Brock, who represents East Valley cities, was the biggest spender, at $64,344. He spent nearly $4,300 on ads to celebrate Flag Day, promote hazardous-waste-collection efforts and publicize other events. The ads featured his portrait.

Brock also spent $15 on the “LDS Network,” which appears to be a Mormon social-networking website. He could not provide more details on the transaction in response to a request from The Republic. The supervisor also spent $90.57 for an AJ’s food basket for another supervisor’s receptionist after her husband died, $76.54 for a bouquet for another supervisor after his mother died, and thousands of dollars on newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

When questioned about the expenses, Brock said he planned to destroy his office’s credit card and instead buy items only with purchase orders through the clerk of the board. That process could help him avoid future questionable spending. He said he and his staff have cut back on travel and subscriptions to Forbesmagazine and the Wall Street Journal this year, adding that board members should be “equally circumspect” in their use of credit cards as county officials review spending by other county agencies.

· Supervisor Don Stapley, through a spokeswoman, declined to answer questions regarding his office’s $49,361 in charges.

Instead, his deputy chief of staff who controls the office’s card, Susan Schuerman, was made available to comment. She said most of the major purchases were to register staff for conferences as well as to fund conference travel and hotels.

· Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox’s office charged $45,817.

She spent $2,600 on Arizona Diamondbacks merchandise – including $65 jerseys – over three seasons for a program she runs for inner-city Phoenix children. Wilcox also spent $2,500 to be a platinum sponsor for the Hispanic Leadership Forum and hundreds of dollars on food for staff and constituent meetings.

Wilcox defended the purchases, saying the leadership forum provided scholarships and the merchandise rewarded students who volunteered for community service.

“It’s a prevention program to keep kids out of trouble,” she said. “I really wish the county would do more for kids.”

· Supervisor Andy Kunasek’s office spent $17,570.

Most of his high-dollar charges were for registration, travel and hotel rooms for his staff to attend conferences. He said the conferences provide a “clear benefit” to county residents.

· Supervisor Max Wilson’s office spent the least, $3,758. Most of his spending was on office supplies.

The standard of $200 per transaction recently placed upon the Sheriff’s Office would have prohibited more than one-third of all charges supervisors made the past five years, records show.

“They have constantly gone after the sheriff and those in our office and never, never held a mirror to themselves,” said Lisa Allen, an Arpaio spokeswoman. “When you look at their backyard, it looks pretty crummy.”

Wilson declined to comment on his colleagues’ spending. He said his personal philosophy was he didn’t “charge the taxpayers for anything that I do,” including out-of-town lodging, airfare and food. Wilson, who is independently wealthy, also shares a portion of his salary with staff and donates some of it to non-profits.

Brock was taken aback by the paper’s findings.

“I’m very surprised that these things have totaled up, and with food baskets and flowers. . . . I really probably need to be more circumspect,” Brock said. “We have decided to shred our purchase card. I think that our office has responsibly used our purchase card, but it creates an image of and an opportunity for abuse.”

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/08/09/20100809maricopa-supervisors-spending.html#ixzz0wDyNwq9F
 

Fri 30 Jul 2010

JD Hayworth Releases New Ad: John McCain made illegal immigration problem worse

Posted by Candie Dates under Advertising , Campaigns & Elections , Illegal Aliens , Spending , Taxation
[11] Comments 

Here is J.D. Hayworth’s latest advertisement in his run for the U.S. Senate. The ad highlights the record of his opponent, John McCain, who has failed to secure the border and to add insult to injury, has voted to make taxpayers pay for benefits to illegal aliens.

YouTube Preview Image
 

Fri 30 Jul 2010

McCain/Kyl Border Security Plan OR How to Secure Our Borders and NOT add to the deficit!

Posted by Molly Pitcher under Border , Federal Budget , Illegal Aliens , Illegal Immigration , National Security , Spending
[9] Comments 

Arizona’s two Senators took the fight for our nation’s security and sovereignty to the floor of the Senate Thursday, and did it with true conservative values.  While the House passed a very similar plan, it was paid for by $200 million in cuts and added further debt of over $500 million.  Senators McCain & Kyl, however, have a plan that insures no new deficit funding by using remaining stimulus funds and an additional $100 million frozen by Sec. Janet “Big Sis” Napolitano.  The McCain/Kyl plan is designed to provide increased funding to the tune of $701 million for manpower, technology, and other resources to the border.

 

The legislation we introduced today will provide additional resources to help gain control of our border, without impacting our nation’s deficit,” McCain and Kyl said in a joint statement Thursday. “It is our hope that Democratic majority will swiftly work with us to ensure passage of this bill.”

 

The Dems attempted to load up the Afghanistan War funding bill with border security funding, all tied to increasing the deficit, and leaving hundreds of millions of unencumbered stimulus dollars available.  Republicans, led by McCain and Kyl, stripped that bill of the border funding and the McCain/Kyl bill was quickly introduced as the alternative.   

Among the items funded will be:

  • 1200 Border Patrol Agents
  • 500 additional Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry
  • 3 new Border Enforcement Bases
  • 2 Unmanned Aircraft
  • The FBI & DEA will have additional investigation and surveillance of drug and human traffickers.
 

Wed 21 Jul 2010

Arpaio, Thomas to Speak at Tea Party Protest

Posted by Press Release under County Government , Crime and Punishment , Ethics , Spending
[6] Comments 

SPECIAL NOTICE: Tune in to Grassroots Interviews at 8pm tonight for a special interview with
Keith Sipmann of the Arizona Patriot Caucus about the upcoming Tea Party rally.

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Arpaio and Thomas continue fight against public corruption

Speaking at Tea Party Rally to protest $46 million in proposed bailouts to County Supervisors

For more information about the upcoming Tea Party protest, click here.

Standing firm in their fight against public corruption, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Attorney General Candidate Andrew Thomas have agreed to speak at an upcoming Tea Party rally to protest the recent actions of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has set up a rigged system so they can pay members of the board or their friends $46 million in bailouts after being investigated and/or prosecuted for alleged public corruption. Under this proposed mediation system, they’ll be able to avoid going to court like anyone else. Maricopa County officials have rigged the system so these insiders can receive payouts without having to testify under oath or convince a jury of the justice of their cause.

Arpaio and Thomas have led the efforts to stamp out public corruption in Maricopa County government and are honored to speak at the upcoming Tea Party rally. Their efforts have resulted in ongoing investigations and have led to indictments and evidence and exposure of public corruption.

A recent column by Laurie Roberts in the Arizona Republic , “County officials stand to score with claims as taxpayers pay,” discussed how Maricopa County officials have voted to hire a mediator to approve payouts to themselves of frivolous claims against Arpaio and Thomas. The people seeking these taxpayer payouts are two county politicians twice indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury (Donald Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox), a convicted felon (Conley Wolfswinkel), and employees and public officials who claim they each can collect millions of taxpayer dollars for the “distress” caused by being questioned or scrutinized by police officers or sued in a court of law.

Arpaio and Thomas recently appeared at a press conference with Bob Barr, a former U.S. Attorney and Congressman and a leading prosecutor in the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. Barr denounced the proposed bailouts as a “potential fraud on the taxpayers.”

Thomas stated, “I’m honored to stand with Sheriff Arpaio and Tea Party activists protesting this bailout. We don’t need politicians supporting payouts to themselves and their friends with bogus claims and lawsuits. Sheriff Arpaio and I want to take these matters to trial and finally get to the bottom of the alleged corruption in Maricopa County government.”

Thomas said as Attorney General, he’ll continue the fight against public corruption. Arpaio has strongly endorsed Thomas for Attorney General.

The Tea Party protest will take place on Wednesday, July 28 at 4:30 p.m. outside the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors’ auditorium between 2nd and 3rd Avenues on Jefferson Street in downtown Phoenix .

Thomas has been endorsed by notable Arizona law enforcement leaders including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh, Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith, Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, Arizona Police Association and former Arizona Attorney General and NRA President Bob Corbin. Former Arizona State Senator Jonathan Paton, Arizona Right to Life and former Congressman Tom Tancredo have endorsed Thomas as well.

During Thomas’ time in office, crime rates plummeted. The 19 percent drop is more than twice the national rate of decline, in despite of an 11 percent increase in the county’s population during that time. The illegal immigrant population has dropped by anywhere from 18 percent (Dept. of Homeland Security estimate) to 30 percent (Center for Immigration Studies estimate). Like the fall in crime rates, this dramatic decline in illegal immigration is far greater than the average in the rest of the nation.

Thomas has a track record of successfully defending illegal immigration crackdowns in our courts, including his successful efforts to prosecute illegal immigrants for conspiring to violate the state’s human-smuggling law and to defend Prop 200′s voter ID requirements and the employer-sanctions law, which he defended along with the Attorney General’s Office.

If elected Attorney General Thomas has pledged to expand that office’s prosecutions of illegal immigrants under the state’s human smuggling laws. The office is not currently pursuing such prosecutions.

Thomas is married with four children. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Prior to serving as Maricopa County Attorney, Thomas served as an assistant attorney general for Arizona, deputy counsel and criminal justice policy advisor to the Governor, special assistant to the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, and a deputy county attorney.

For more information about Andrew Thomas, please go to www.ThomasforArizona.com.

Sincerely,

Andrew Thomas

Thomas for AG Committee

4757 E. Greenway Rd, #103-233
Phoenix, AZ 85032

www.ThomasforArizona.com

Paid for by Thomas for AG.

Join Our Mailing List
 

Thu 15 Jul 2010

Tea Party protest of Supervisors’ bailout of themelves – July 28

Posted by Press Release under County Government , Crime and Punishment , Ethics , Spending
[5] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Thursday, July 15, 2010


http://sonoranalliance.com/2010/07/11/arpaio-and-thomas-secure-former-federal-prosecutor-bob-barr-to-fight-board-of-supervisors-action/


http://sonoranalliance.com/2010/07/01/az-republics-laurie-roberts-county-officials-stand-to-score-with-claims-as-taxpayers-pay/


http://sonoranalliance.com/2010/06/30/liberal-activist-judges-allow-fraud-on-the-taxpayers/


 

Fri 9 Jul 2010

Dean Martin Was Right – Should be Governor

Posted by DSW under Campaigns & Elections , Spending , State Budget , State Economy , Taxation
[2] Comments 

Here is a video clip from January 8, 2009, long before State Treasurer ever thought about seeking the Office of Governor with Napolitano on her way out.

YouTube Preview Image

Observe the two styles of leadership exhibited here. Treasurer Martin is calm cool and collective but definitely firm in his warning to Governor Napolitano that the State of Arizona is going broke. Napolitano is clearly shaken, grabs her things and storms off.

Shortly thereafter, Governor Napolitano departed the State of Arizona leaving Secretary of State Jan Brewer to succeed her. With a Republican Governor at the helm, one would think that Brewer would have taken the Chris Christie approach to the state budget and cut, cut, cut spending. Instead we got a Governor who hiked, hiked, hiked the sales tax 18%. (Incidentally, the last Governor to do this was another Republican, Jane Hull.)

Now the State still finds itself in a budget crisis with no sign of closing the deficit and a recession that will likely double-dip.

 

Thu 1 Jul 2010

AZ Republic’s Laurie Roberts: County officials stand to score with claims as taxpayers pay

Posted by Press Release under County Government , Crime and Punishment , Ethics , Spending
[3] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Mary Rose Wilcox used to go for morning walks until undercover sheriff’s deputies started appearing near her condo. Now, she’s scared to walk about on her own.

As a result of “a pattern of abusive and illegal conduct” by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, she has been criminally charged, civilly sued and business is down at her restaurant. Plus, she lost the Golden Rule in Government Award from the Arizona InterFaith Movement.

“Mary Rose’s and Earl’s losses are truly immeasurable,” her lawyer says.

Well, not quite truly, as it turns out. It seems the sting from their immeasurable losses will be immeasurably less painful if taxpayers pony up $4.75 million.

Don Stapley’s wife began sobbing when she realized that sheriff’s deputies were parked outside their house last September. He would be arrested that day and the footage released to TV stations, causing upset both to his stomach and to his reputation.

“The harm will persist beyond this generation and affect the Stapleys’ children who will have the Stapley name,” his attorney wrote. “How much is that worth?”

Ten million dollars, apparently. That’s how much he wants taxpayers to shell out to quell his stomach problems. The question is, what about our stomachs?

In all, two supervisors, one deputy county manager, four judges and a supervisor’s secretary have filed $36 million worth of claims against the county, promising to sue us as a result of emotional distress and tarnished reputations caused by Arpaio, Thomas and their sidekicks. Conley Wolfswinkel, a developer pal of Stapley’s, wants another $10 million, contending he was unfairly dragged into the county’s cage fight.

Last week, a bare majority of the Board of Supervisors – including one guy who hasn’t ruled out filing a claim for some of our money himself – hired a mediator to consider whether to pay off their various cronies, cohorts and colleagues.

Rather than making Wilcox, Stapley and the rest of the walking wounded take their cases to court where they would have to prove their claims of damage, it seems all but certain they will score and we will pay.

Thomas and Arpaio on Monday fired off a three-page letter to the mediator, the nationally known Kenneth Feinberg, complaining about the end-run around the courts. They say the county is basically declining to defend them and threatening to come after them personally if they don’t opt into mediation. “In short, we believe we are being extorted,” they wrote.

County spokeswoman Cari Gerchick told me the county is spending $550,000 on a mediator to avoid taxpayers shelling out tens of millions to defend against the claims. She says anyone who opts into the mediation is taking a risk because Feinberg could dismiss their claims entirely and they would have no avenue of appeal. “There is no automatic guarantee of anything,” she said.

I’m thinking there is one guarantee. We’re going to pay (and pay and pay) for this debacle.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a stink over at county headquarters, and it starts with the people who work for us – especially the ones who claim to lead us – threatening to sue us.

It seems they all have been humiliated and intimidated. But we can ease the pain by giving Wilcox and Stapley – who remain under investigation – a collective $14.75 million. And we can soothe the wounds by handing over $4.75 million each to now-retired Judges Barbara Mundell and Anna Baca, who “have been defamed and unjustly accused, their integrity sullied, their reputation tarnished, their livelihood threatened, their sense of security and well-being shattered, and their belief in the checks and balances of our system of justice shaken.”

Retired Judge Kenneth Fields apparently wasn’t nearly as injured. He only wants $3 million while Stapley’s secretary, Susan Schuerman, seeks $1.75 million. Meanwhile, Judge Gary Donahoe is suffering with headaches and insomnia given that “a lifetime of integrity and valuable public service has been undone.”

“This county must help Judge Donahoe redress this thuggish behavior and stop these insults to our community’s right to act and speak without fear of being imprisoned,” his attorney wrote.

How, you might ask?

By forking over $4.75 million.

Of them all, only Deputy County Manager Sandi Wilson has shown any semblance of restraint. She’s asking for $2 million.

But she’d settle for an apology.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/06/30/20100630roberts0630.html#ixzz0sSSjyt4T
Join Our Mailing List
 

Tue 29 Jun 2010

Neil Cavuto on John McCain: “You Have No Convictions”

Posted by DSW under Campaigns & Elections , Ethics , Spending , Taxation
[2] Comments 
YouTube Preview Image
 

Thu 24 Jun 2010

County Supervisors spending $550,000 on out-of-state mediator despite budget freeze

Posted by Press Release under County Government , Crime and Punishment , Ethics , Spending
[22] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Despite prohibiting Sheriff Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas from hiring out of state experts, the County Supervisors are brazenly hiring their own super expensive out of state mediator to adjudicate their own bogus lawsuits filed by criminal defendant Supervisors Don Stapley, Mary Rose Wilcox, and associated cronies. The defendants are filing claims demanding $46 million from the county (taxpayers), as compensation for their assertions that they were unfairly prosecuted. Stapley is still being prosecuted for spending money raised for a campaign where he had no opponent on at least $86,000 worth of personal items (even the Republic knows this guy is dirty), plus false reporting. Wilcox is still being prosecuted for funneling government grant money to the radical organization Chicanos por la Causa without recusing herself for conflict of interest due to a favorable loan she had received from them. Both are being prosecuted by other County Attorneys, due to the Supervisors’ insistence that there was a conflict of interest if the Maricopa County Attorney prosecutes them.

According to the Republic article, the Supervisors found an out of state expert, Kenneth Feinberg, and are going to pay him $550,000to handle the claims. Note the obvious conflict of interest – they get to select the person who will adjudicate their lawsuits against the County! Plus they’re going to pay him an exordinate amount of money – in order to get him give them the outcome they want, of course! Probably couldn’t find anyone local willing to award these crooks our money. Can you say “millions of dollars of our tax dollars will be awarded to these crooks?” Why not wait until their criminal prosecutions are finished, first, then determine whether or not they were wrongly prosecuted?

The hiring of this pricey expert comes at a time when the county is on a spending freeze, hiring freeze, and purchase of capital freeze, due in part to the Supervisors’ insistence on paying for a brand-new $347 million state of the art Taj Mahal court tower in the midst of a recession, in order to keep the judges on their side.
Join Our Mailing List
 

Mon 21 Jun 2010

David Schweikert launches television ad

Posted by Press Release under Border , Campaigns & Elections , Spending
[19] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Monday, June 21, 2010

David Schweikert, the leading Republican candidate for Congress in District 5 against Democrat Harry Mitchell, has launched a television ad featuring the primary differences between himself and Mitchell. David is tough on border security, opposed the bailouts and stimulus spending that Mitchell voted for, and would work to repeal the Obama healthcare bill. Please consider a contribution to his campaign against Harry Mitchell, to keep this ad on the air.

Join Our Mailing List
 

Thu 10 Jun 2010

Ward campaign clarifies TV ad featuring Ward’s former Treasurer supporting McCain

Posted by Press Release under Campaigns & Elections , Spending
[10] Comments 

 

A m e r i c a n P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona

Thursday, June 10, 2010

 

The Jim Ward for Congress campaign has asked us to clarify that the blonde woman in the McCain ad who was Ward’s campaign treasurer until she resigned late last year, Susan Godfrey, is the blonde woman who appeared in McCain’s deceptive “Avid Earmarker” ad, below, not the blonde woman who appeared in McCain’s “Washington Lobbyist” ad. We regret the confusion. It doesn’t make a difference in the point we were trying to make, which is the McCain campaign’s use of someone in a TV ad praising Democrat Harry Mitchell over J.D. Hayworth, and the connection between the Jim Ward for Congress campaign and the McCain campaign. Both campaigns use the same person to set up signs, and probably to send out mailers together, because we received both flyers from them today in the mail.

The “Avid Earmarker” ad is poorly done. It accuses Hayworth of excessive earmarking and pork barreling. In reality, Hayworth didn’t sponsor any of the earmarks listed in the ad. The earmarks listed were tacked onto general appropriations bills by notorious earmarkers in Congress. Hayworth simply voted for the general appropriations bills. Does anyone know how many of those kinds of bills McCain  voted for? If so please email us, it would be fun to do an expose on that.

McCain has voted for more pork and earmarks over the last couple of years in the Senate than almost any other Republican, voting for the $700 billion general TARP bailout, the $25 billion auto bailout, the first $85 billion AIG insurance bailout, and he proposed spending $300 billion on a mortgage entitlement bailout to buy out every bad mortgage in the country. He co-sponsored Cap and Trade legislation. It is ludicrous that he is running phony ads pretending Hayworth is the porker when McCain’s middle name should be “bailout.”

 
Join Our Mailing List

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wed 2 Jun 2010

JD Hayworth on Record to Repeal Obamacare, Fight Earmarks

Posted by DSW under Campaigns & Elections , Spending
[42] Comments 

Back on April 9th, JD Hayworth pledged to repeal the massive takeover of the Obama Administrations’ healthcare law. Hayworth even signed a pledge issued by The Club for Growth and the Senate Conservative Fund to repeal the same law. Here is a copy of the Club for Growth Pledge:

JD Hayworth also signed pledges by Citizens Against Government Waste to reform earmarks. Here are those pledges:

So much for John McCain’s shallow claim that JD Hayworth supports or will vote for earmarks.

 

 

Mon 31 May 2010

McCain makes time for Town Hall in Mesa but not to debate JD Hayworth

Posted by Press Release under Campaigns & Elections , Special Event , Spending
[21] Comments 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Monday, May 31, 2010

John McCain has all the time in the world to put on Town Halls in Arizona, but for some reason is not available to debate JD Hayworth. He put on a Town Hall this past weekend in Fountain Hills. This Friday, June 4th, he’s putting on a Town Hall in Mesa at 11am at the Mesa High School auditorium.

It has been 95 days since Hayworth asked McCain to debate. There are less than two months left until early ballots are mailed out. What is McCain hiding? He had no problem debating Obama. Why not Hayworth?

It is because McCain doesn’t want the truth to come out. He is not a conservative, he only plays one on TV and during election years. He has been attacking Hayworth for being a big pork spender, and doesn’t want Hayworth to be able to respond and prove to everyone that McCain is lying. Hayworth has a 98% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union over his 12 years in Congress – impossible to get if you’re really a big porker. McCain has an 81% lifetime rating, which sunk to a low of 63% in 2008 when he voted for and even proposed some of the billion dollar pork TARP bailouts. Hayworth merely voted for a couple of transportation and border security bills in the past where other members of Congress had tacked on pork – now McCain is trying to falsely use that to tarnish Hayworth.

McCain won’t debate Hayworth because he’s too busy debating himself with his flip-flopping back to the right this year. We urge our readers to show up at the Mesa Town Hall on Friday and ask him the tough questions he should be asked in a debate – like why he voted for the billion dollar pork bailouts, and why he keeps flip-flopping on border security.
Join Our Mailing List
 

Next Page »