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Archives for August 2007

Ron Paul Girls?

August 31, 2007 by 8 Comments

Am I the only one or has anyone else noticed the cadre of buxom women wearing tight Ron Paul t-shirts around town? Sunday, I couldn’t help notice one of these ladies sitting outside Chase Field making use of her assets to appeal to the male crowd as they entered the stadium. Then again this week while walking downtown during the lunch hour, another woman – this one different – strutting her stuff and wearing the graffitiesque Ron Paul slogan across her, well, you know.

 Is this the new strategy being employed by the Ron Paul campaign? Call it political foreplay or Hootering the political process, Paul may be following in the footsteps of the Obama Girls or Giuliani Girls.

Forget the sexy blonde posed in front of the newest foreign import. The latest marketing strategy is to appeal to the very visually-oriented sexual nature of men.

It works. After all, if sex can sell cars, power tools and alcoholic beverages, it just may sell political fringe candidates.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Political Parties

Steele visits Arizona.

August 31, 2007 by 10 Comments

steele.jpg

     GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele visited Arizona on Thursday. He brought his positive and inspirational message of opportunity to the valley. In the morning and afternoon he went on Phoenix radio stations. Meetings were held in between with an early evening reception for major supporters of the Arizona Republican Party. Chairman Steele spoke about the goal of GOPAC, to develop and train legislative and local candidates and party activists.

     GOPAC and the Arizona Republican Party have already held a very successful candidate school in the Phoenix area. The state party and GOPAC are teaming up again for a Southern Arizona campaign school in late September. Thursday was one more example of Chairman Pullen and the staff at the state party focusing on training, outreach, and building up the party.

Filed Under: Political Parties

He gets paid for this?

August 31, 2007 by Leave a Comment

     Here is Ernesto Portillo Jr.’s latest snore piece. I have seen bloggers put more effort (and substance) into their stories. I wonder for how much longer newspapers will exist with work like this. His stories are what need more hot sauce. A little substance would not hurt either.

Filed Under: Media

Sydney Hay To Run for CD 1 Seat

August 30, 2007 by 18 Comments

Longtime conservative activist, Sydney Hay, has made it official, again. This won’t be the first time Hay has run for the CD 1 seat. In 2002, she was Rick Renzi’s strongest opponent in the Republican primary that ultimately netted Renzi.

Today, she made the announcement to seek the seat currently being vacated by Renzi. (Read the Hay Press Release.)

Sydney, who knows this district well is no stranger to national politics. Most recently, she has been involved in laying grassroots groundwork for Presidential candidate, Duncan Hunter. She has also assisted on numerous successful state and federal campaigns. Given what she knows about the district, she enters the race with a grassroots advantage.

Other Republican candidates considering jumping into the race include State Rep Bill Konopnicki, former Senate President, Ken Bennett and liberal Republicans, Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes and State Senator, Tom O’Halleran.

Ultimately, this race will hinge on money. This may give Konopnicki some traction as the owner of several McDonalds, but Hay’s connections to national money makes her someone who can quickly fill a formidible campaign warchest.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

State Representative Mark Anderson Steps In CD5 Race

August 30, 2007 by 13 Comments

Oddly enough, one of the most unexpected candidates to jump into the CD 5 Republican primary, has done so. State Representative Mark Anderson, perhaps one of the most civil and nicest guys in the legislature, has decided to enter the CD 5 contest.

Personally, this blogger really likes Mark Anderson and has worked with him on social issue legislation. But, I expect him to have a very difficult time overcoming his religious association as a Moonie.

The Phoenix Business Journal made a point in bringing this up in the thrid paragraph of their story on Wednesday, “Anderson is a Realtor and a member of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church. If elected, he would be the only member of Congress to be part of the Unification Church.”

Unfortunate for Rep. Anderson, this will work against him in a district that tends to elect social libertarians and steers clear of overtly-defined religious candidates. Case in point, Colette Rosati, who lost in a bitter Republican primary against Carolyn Allen in 2006. (The Rosati – Allen race took place in a legislative district that is a subset of the greater CD 5.). Those Republican voters in CD 5 will tend to make their electoral decisions along mainstream religious ties rather than on the periphery of American religions practices.

While Representative Mark Anderson a great guy and has served his district well for many years, this race will unfortunately be beyond is grasp and ability to overcome voter perceptions.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Religion

Judge upholds voting requirement.

August 29, 2007 by 2 Comments

Proof of Citizenship to vote is legal.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Constitutional Law

An excellent analysis of the Yellow Sheet’s partisan left wing tilt

August 28, 2007 by 3 Comments

Someone who subscribes to the Yellow Sheet said they sent the following letter anonymously when asked for feedback –

You asked for feedback in today’s Yellow Sheet on your coverage of Arizona government/politics. I have read the Yellow Sheet for years, dating well back into the Creighton era. I have noticed a palpable leftward shift in your coverage ever since the Capitol Times was purchased by Dolan Media, a company controlled by a Minnesota liberal. I think this causes you to lose credibility, for example when you said that Harry Mitchell would likely hold his seat as long as he wanted it and the smart money on who his successor would be was on David Schapira. That is simply ludicrous, and anyone with political sense would know to discount other things that you say when you say things like that.

I also disagree with the way you make liberal use of anonymous “railbirds” to bash conservatives. When you quote an anonymous railbird, it is almost always to make a point that is against a conservative.

You may think it hypocritical of me to respond anonymously, but I am just a reader providing feedback to you, whereas your publication receives significant dissemination. And also you are media professionals with ethical standards. Yes I am a Republican, but unlike you I don’t think my party affiliation has compromised my ability to provide unbiased analysis.
Filed Under: Government, Political Parties

A contrarian view.

August 28, 2007 by 14 Comments

It’s dump on Larry Craig day. We would like to look at this news from another view. First, the senator only pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. Tapping his foot in the rest room hardly seems like a threat to the Republic. It is alleged that the plea stemmed from an original charge of lewd conduct. The plainclothes officer felt that Craig was trying to proposition him for sex. If there is one thing that we leaned from the Bill Clinton administration it is that sex between consenting adults is a private matter, even one that you can latter lie about. Simply a person’s private business. For the liberal press to cover this story after years of excusing away Clinton’s conduct is the height of hypocrisy.

The lewd conduct charge is pretty weak because the officer only alleges that Craig approached him for sex. How do we know that Craig was not going to offer to get a private hotel room, really getting into the full realm of private conduct? If Craig is guilty of lewd conduct then men hitting on a women in a bar would be guilt of the same thing.

Some claim Craig is a hypocrite for voting against homosexual marriage and other public recognitions. Clearly this is a different case. Nowhere in the charges does the officer allege that Craig wanted or asked for government recognition of his purported behavior. Unlike the modern homosexual agenda Craig sought to keep his actions free from government recognition. There is no hypocrisy because Craig has not sought to prevent gays and lesbians from engaging in consensual, adult relations.

It was also never proven that Craig is in fact homosexual. He might have been just wanting to relieve stress, as the press often claimed Bill Clinton did while in the small room off of the Oval Office. Perhaps Craig is just bi-sexual like our own state representative Kyrsten Sinema? Is that now a crime, being bisexual?

We should also learn from the case of William Jefferson. He is still serving in the congress even after federal indictment for racketeering and money laundering. Craig only pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. Not even newsworthy compared to the charges against Jefferson.

I recommend that Senator Larry Craig be held to the same standard that Bill Clinton, William Jefferson, Garry (sex with a minor) Stubs, Barney (escort service out of his basement) Franks, and dozens of other Democrats who skated for much more serious infractions of the law.

We would also like to thank Senator Craig for his years of conservative votes for the defense of life and the right to keep and bear arms.

It may well be the case that the Senator does have some cognitive dissonance in his life. It should be a personal matter for him to work out with his family and his spiritual counselor. We do recommend immediate sequestration for some kind of addiction, at least until that matter gets off of the front page of the liberal press.

We wish that the Senator and his family achieve some healing regarding this news and now more clearly understand his votes in defense of privacy rights and his concerns regarding the Patriot Act.

Filed Under: Government, Media

Gordon vs. Lory – updated.

August 27, 2007 by 6 Comments

Seeing Red AZ has coverage of the event.

Phoenix mayoral candidates to debate this afternoon. Seeing Red AZ has a little background on the event.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

Government “Needs” Your Tax Dollars

August 25, 2007 by 4 Comments

Or so they would like you to believe.  The Maricopa County Assessor breaks out your property valuations by school district.  The average school district saw its revenue based on property tax collections increase by an average of 15.2% for primary property taxes and 36.5% for secondary.

Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb has this to say about the tax increases sought by the cities:

Over the last four years, Glendale’s General Fund budget has increased nearly 70 percent, approximately 14 percent a year. Phoenix’s budget has increased 46 percent over that time, or nearly 10 percent a year.

Moreover, the additional public safety spending being proposed could have been absorbed within this largesse.

Another Arizona Republic columnist did something incredible – he pointed out some of the most absurd items in the history of Arizona government.

The purple bikes

It was such a European concept.

In 1997, the thought was to park bicycles at recognizable purple bike racks around the city. Residents could borrow a bike to get where they needed to go, then leave it at another purple bike rack.

Worries that people would steal the Purple People Movers, as the bikes were called, were dismissed.

“You can’t really steal something that is free,” a transportation official was quoted as saying.

Somebody figured out how.

The program started in April. By May, none of the 60 bikes placed around downtown Phoenix could be found.

There are many others, including Terry Goddard’s laser.  A couple of things missing are the teapots along Highway 51 and the trolley system.  Of course, it will be ten years and tens of billions of dollars before the so-called “creative class” admits the boondoggle that is light rail.

Filed Under: Government
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