The Republicans have fielded a formidable candidate in former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert to run against Harry Mitchell in 2008. Schweikert plans to announce his candidacy in Arizona CD5 tomorrow. Harry will need our help next time around. Hopefully he will give us some help in preventing warrantless eavesdropping on U.S. citizens and in denying immunity to telecommunications firms that have engaged in illegal eavesdropping.
An unpredictable group of House and Senate freshman Democrats could determine the outcome of the latest debate over President Bush's foreign-intelligence surveillance program, after they backed a six-month interim bill in August and are now torn over supporting new bills moving through Congress.
Most of these Democrats hail from conservative-leaning districts and states, where there is the perception that Democrats are weaker on national security issues than Republicans. After supporting the White House-backed interim bill last summer, however, a number of the freshmen encountered a strong backlash from Democratic voters and groups concerned over the new authority that the Bush administration won to wiretap Americans without court warrants.
"They're vulnerable because they're from red states, and they got elected by two percent, one percent, three percent," said Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), the Judiciary Committee chairman and cosponsor of the House Democrats' foreign intelligence surveillance bill. The measure could hit the House floor this week.
"They're a little skittish about this," he said, and called it "a problem" for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Holding together freshmen is one major problem facing House and Senate Democratic leaders, who are trying to walk a tightrope in reconciling diverging views within their caucuses while attempting to appease their base and look strong on terrorism.
The House and Senate freshman Democrats were largely united on the Democratic leadership-backed measures that failed in August. But they split sharply on the GOP-backed Protect America Act (PAA), which followed the failed Democratic legislation. Most of the Democrats blame the White House for putting them in a tough spot by proposing language that the administration said was desperately needed as Congress was preparing to adjourn for August.
Some said they only voted for the measure knowing that it would expire in February.
In those votes just before the August recess, 12 of the 41 Democrats who backed the PAA were freshmen. At least eight of those 12 Democrats could face tough battles next year. On the Senate side, four first-term Democratic senators supported the PAA, helping the measure attract exactly 60 votes - the number needed for passage.
Upcoming votes in both chambers are expected to be cliffhangers, making all votes that the freshmen cast crucial to the outcome of the debate. The House bill is likely to spark a partisan flap, but the measure moving through the Senate has the potential to rip the Democratic caucus apart.
...
In the first test vote of the new bill, Democrats clearly won over their freshmen when the House approved on Oct. 17 by a 223-196 a closed rule that would limit amendments to the bill sponsored by Conyers and Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), known by its acronym as the RESTORE Act. There were just three Democratic defectors: Reps. Heath Shuler (N.C.), Baron Hill (Ind.) and Nick Lampson (Texas). All are freshmen who could face tough 2008 elections, and they supported the PAA.
Republicans could win over more freshmen yet. Earlier this month, skittish House leaders had to pull the vote on the underlying bill after Republicans offered a motion to recommit stating that the proposed changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) would not apply to al Qaeda. Had the motion passed, it would have effectively killed the bill, and aides said a number of freshmen and members of the conservative Democratic blue-dog coalition would have likely sided with Republicans had the motion come to a vote.
Other freshman House Democrats who voted for the PAA - Ciro Rodriguez (Texas), Chris Carney (Pa.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), Harry Mitchell (Ariz.), Zack Space (Ohio), Charlie Wilson (Ohio) and Tim Walz (Minn.) - have either said they were still weighing whether to vote for the Democratic bill or would not respond to requests for comment.
Help Harry make up his mind to stand up for the Constitution.
The Arizona Capitol Times has confirmed that the rumors are true. State Senate President Tim Bee has, in fact, hired Republican consultant and dirty trickster Nathan Sproul. It is widely believed that Bee intends to challenge Gabrielle Giffords in CD8, although Bee has not yet announced that he is running for U.S. Congress.
The Arizona Democratic Party says it is looking into whether Senate President Tim Bee is violating the state's resign-to-run law by "stockpiling" money to challenge U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the 8th Congressional District.
Be on the lookout for election fraud in CD8 next time around. It's Sproul's specialty.
"I will not be seeking reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. I am honored and thankful to serve Arizona’s 1st District and appreciate all that we have accomplished together over the past 6 years," Renzi said in a statement released by his office.
CQ Politics has an interesting article about Arizona CD1.
Renzi's fundraising efforts or lack thereof, make it appear that Renzi will not be seeking reelection to Congress. Names bandied about to replace Renzi on the Republican side: Former Arizona Senate President Ken Bennett and rancher Steve Pierce. Potential candidates on the Democratic side: Arizona State Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, former television news reporter Mary Kim Titla, director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Steve Owens, attorney Howard M. Shanker, and businessman George Cordova.
Republicans are holding tight waiting to see if Renzi will give up the ghost. On the Democratic side, Ann Kirkpatrick has already resigned her seat in the Arizona House and announced her candidacy for Congress in CD1.
I am heading over to the Fiesta Inn in a few minutes to attend the GOTV rally with MJ Fox, Harry and Jim! I'm taking my daughter because she missed the Clinton Rally at ASU. Tomorrow I took off for the day to walk for Harry Mitchell and then watch all the coverage.
Where is everyone going to watch? Staying home? Bar? Campaign headquarters? I'm still deciding.
Let me know what y'all are doing!
As Clinton said:
"Listen to how quiet it is. The sound of silence can be found everywhere in America", he said, "because we know there is something fundamentally amiss in the rhythm of our shared life as Americans."
No not Mo Udall! Loren, his Granddaughter! She diagnosed with Lupus which is one of the diseases where Embryonic Stem Cell Research has shown promise in potential cures.
I saw this ad while waiting for my lunch at a restaurant. It was playing to during Regis or something like that.
Good ad, not necessarily with the star power of MJF but the Mo Udall name is still well known with natives.
Polling for Public Stem Cell Funding has support currently at close to 60%.
The wingnuts over at "The Sonoran Alliance" don't like it one bit! Let them know how much you love it!
The results in last night's CD-3 Democratic Primary contest between Herb Paine and Don Chilton for the right to face Rep. John Shadegg(R), fell within .2% or 24 votes out of 13,754 reported so far. The candidates are waiting for Write-in votes to be hand counted and will be available within 5 business days following the election.
I received this email update from the campaign.
PAINE FOR CONGRESS SPECIAL UPDATE
September 13, 2006
_________________
Primary Elections Results Too Close to Call! Dear Tim:
As of this morning, the results of yesterday's primary election are up in the air.
We're writing to let you know that all plans and scheduled events for the next 55 days remain in place.
We will keep you posted regarding the final election results. The County Recorders Office will not have a final tally until five working days from now.
We have received numerous calls from supporters and the media who are literally baffled by the narrowness of the margin. Given the scope and breadth of Herb's campaign - canvassing, fundraising endorsements, presentations and media appearances - and the virtual invisibility of the other candidate - we're all wondering at this moment how the race can be so close. Certainly, on behalf of all who have dedicated themselves to Herb's campaign and his progressive agenda for change, we will monitor the results carefully and call for a recount.
Stay tuned and keep the faith! We're still in the running and aiming for victory!
Please pass this on to your friends and associates.
Paine for Congress | Box # 329, 5555 N. 7th St., Suite 134
Phoenix, AZ 85014 | 602-788-9986
www.PaineForCongress.org
Paid for by Paine for Congress, 2006
Herb has his redesigned website online and ready to go for a campaign against Rep. John Shadegg. I hope he gets to utilize it. I think he will have a fighting chance against Shadegg, more so than stealth candidate Don Chilton.
I haven't seen any comments from Chilton's campaign. Although I just browsed through his website and almost fell asleep at the wheel trudging through his issues page. His stance on Iraq is completely delusional.
Anyway, back to the primary results.
Looking at comments from AZ Congress Watch's comment section, Herb's campaign manager, Lisa Steenson responds to another commentor; she is really baffled.
She says:
I know I just said I wouldn’t do this but, here goes nothing:
Tony C, shock does not do it justice. I am his campaign coordinator, we have never once taken this thing as a given, we canvassed all the way up to yesterday, we posted signage at 50 polling facilities, I have 15 poll watchers throughout the day. It bears mentioning that there were no Chilton signs, and I heard of no presence either anywhere.
Tonight’s results just do not reflect the general mood and enthusiasm that Herb has received in general, I always knew the fight against Shadegg was going to be an uphill battle, but I considered the primary a test run. Therefore, Herb and I, and some very committed volunteers have been canvassing literally dozens of precincts in District 3. For goddess sake he has over 800 people signed up to receive his weekly newsletter. I cannot begin to tell you how numb we were tonight. Honestly, I can’t shake the feeling that something is very wrong with this picture. I have worked on a lot of token campaigns: this is not one of them. Something stinks about this, G**DA*N*T- I can feel it.
But now we have to deal with the recount, so onward into the fray.
Sharing her dismay was Jan Ziff, from the Chaterjee campaign in CD-2 who lost out to John Thrasher in the contest to face (ack) Trent Franks.
I have to add my two cents, as a campaign manager on a losing campaign - I was stunned last night as almost across the board Arizona democrats rejected new ideas, new faces and new energy and instead went for the same old, same old.Nearly all the bright new voices - and the people in whom the Arizona Republic saw as providing real leadership, and serious challenges to the Republicans in November, went down. Herb, Slade, Chat to name but three.
This is NOT sour grapes, but one has to wonder if the Republican incumbents encouraged their die-hard voters to switch parties so they could vote the serious challengers out.
I truly believe that when the T’s are crossed and the I’s dotted on this primary - the secret will lie with those Republicans who re-registered and became Independents so they could vote the Democratic ballot in the primary - and keep their people in, in the fall.
I can empathize with her dismay at the rejection of the truly energetic candidates in some of the races.
I am curious about her perception that the results were skewed in an unexpected manner.
Could the GOP really mobilize their people to switch registration in such great numbers to stack the deck? Probably, but in secret? Wouldn't somebody have caught wind of that? It will be interesting to see the stats when they become available.
The Republican candidates in CD-8 are finding out what we already know, Republicans are underhanded liars who can't be trusted! While Ken Mehlman promised not to insert himself into any primary races, he OK'ed a $122,000 ad buy for Steve Huffman. Naughty Boy!
The rest of the candidates who have been left out in the cold, fought back yesterday, and told the RNC to BUTT OUT!
This should be fun to watch in the waning days before the primary, and the weeks after.
Below the fold is the press release from Randy Graf's website:
