Arizona: Gop

November 18, 2009 - 05:37 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Republican Born Again Deficit Virgins

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

John Perr is one of the better economics bloggers. He posted this piece at crooksandliars.com Born Again Deficit Virgins:

Everything you need to know about the descent of the conservative movement into a hypocritical caricature is illustrated by two of its proudest constituencies: Republican deficit hawks and so-called "born again virgins." Having already violated the moral strictures they claim to hold dearest, each now asks the American people to join them in pretending their sin never happened. But unlike a generation of Republican leaders who built a mountain of national debt for the United States, the secondary virgins only screwed themselves.

November 17, 2009 - 03:47 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

McCain camp: Palin book "revisionist and self-serving fiction"

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Politico reported on Monday McCain camp: Palin account 'all fiction' Well, Duh! What did you expect?

Top aides to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign hit back at Sarah Palin Friday and Saturday, calling the former vice presidential nominee’s soon-to-be-released book “revisionist and self serving” “fiction.”

Campaign manager Steve Schmidt, who emerges as Palin’s nemesis in the advance excerpts that have surfaced from her forthcoming account of the campaign, “Going Rogue,” told POLITICO Saturday that Palin's charges about him were made up.

"It's all fiction," he said.

With a laugh, the shaved-headed political operative asked: "Why is the bald guy always the villain?"

OK, that is funny.

November 17, 2009 - 01:59 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Special Session to begin Tuesday

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Special Session will begin Tuesday afternoon. My sources say that the Republicans are still short a vote and will have to play "Let's Make a Deal." Howard Fischer, however, says the GOP has the votes and...

November 17, 2009 - 01:57 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Special Session to begin Tuesday

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Special Session will begin Tuesday afternoon. My sources say that the Republicans are still short a vote and will have to play "Let's Make a Deal." Howard Fischer, however, says the GOP has the votes and maybe some Democrats to spare. Budget, Rio Nuevo on agenda (Republican legislative leaders said they have the necessary votes lined up, with even some Democrats agreeing to go along.)

The Special Session is expected to last three days, concluding Thursday at the earliest.

The primary goal of the Special Session is to correct some agency funding issues. The plan on the table is to reduce "soft capitol aid" to public schools by $144 million (e.

November 17, 2009 - 01:12 am
NEWS FEED: Arizona Republic

Senate closes GOP caucus to meet with Brewer

Gov. Jan Brewer met behind closed doors with most members of the Senate GOP caucus Monday, huddling to presumably work out the details of a special session.
We say "presumably" because it's hard to know what happens in private meetings, even though they're held in taxpayer supported buildings and involve people who are all being paid by the taxpayer. It's the second or third time this year the Senate has ushered people out of its caucus meeting -- something that hasn't happened with their Republican counterparts in the House, nor with either of the Democratic caucuses.
The Republicans are homeless, for the ...

read the rest of this post

November 16, 2009 - 07:10 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Sen. McNasty wants you to tear up your AARP membership card

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

KingofSpades posted this piece at Daily Kos: McCain finds his right-wing @ sshat. (with Poll)

McCain has really gone off the deep end now into wingnut country.  On Friday a few days ago at a townhall, he asked people to cut up their AARP membership cards.

* * *

As everyone knows, a week-and-a-half ago, the AARP, America's largest non-corporate lobby, endorsed H.R. 3962 because the bill was going to incrementally close the Medicare Part D "donut hole" and help prevent the elderly from being left out in the cold.  This didn't please congressional Republicans one bit and they tried to downplay it.

November 16, 2009 - 05:57 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

GOP insane clown posse disregards law, gets sued, costs the state money

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: First a quick update: The Accidental Governor and the GOP insane clown posse are trying for a special session this week to deal with agency funding issues. They were to have met over the weekend to hammer...

November 16, 2009 - 05:52 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

GOP insane clown posse disregards law, gets sued, costs the state money

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

First a quick update: The Accidental Governor and the GOP insane clown posse are trying for a special session this week to deal with agency funding issues. They were to have met over the weekend to hammer out the details of a plan that they hope will be a one day special session on Thursday. I checked the Governor's web page and she has not yet called for a special session, and her calendar has her going out of town this week. Things could change, but it's not looking optimistic.

There has been a troubling trend in Arizona government for years now.

November 16, 2009 - 01:45 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Phoenix confidential

by David Safier

I don't usually blog about this kind of thing, but the Phoenix connection makes it irresistable.

There have been lots of questions about Bonner & Associates, a Republican outreach firm which apparently uses all kinds of shady tactics to do its clients' bidding. But this is a new one to me: FLS Connect.

According to Talking Points Memo,

Minnesota-based FLS Connect uses low-wage workers to make fund-raising calls for a bevy of prominent GOP clients. And many of those workers -- including those responsible for processing credit-card transactions -- have felony convictions, the former employees said.

Here's the Phoenix connection.

And many workers in the company's Phoenix office are ex-cons, who are paid not much more than minimum wage, lack benefits, and work in squalid conditions.

November 12, 2009 - 06:21 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

What fun! Tea Partiers Eat Their Own In Bitter Internal Feud

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"I am not a member of any organized party — I am a Democrat." -- Will Rogers

Democrats have been at this now since the days of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. It takes a lot of practice to be able to fight with one another and to hold the party together.

You can't just throw together a bunch of angry people and expect to make a political movement or a political party out of them overnight. This isn't a job for the inexperienced or political novice. And that is what the upstart Tea Party conservatives are finding out.

Zachary Roth reports at TPM Muckraker