U.S. Politics

Republican Blogger Jeff Vath Fought for Sanity in the AZ GOP

Reverend Al Sharpton Reveals on National Television that the Emperor of Pinal County, Paul Babeu, Has No Clothes (ICYMI)

We all know the Danish tale about the emperor whose men and subjects stroke him in admiration over his new clothes. Of course, as the story goes, the emperor isn't actually wearing any clothes. Instead of questioning the obvious, everyone basks in a collective ignorance. Until a little boy in the c ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Third-Term Interpretation of Constitution Challenged by Democrat's Bill

Since Governor Jan Brewer hasn't given up on her interpretation of the Arizona Constitution that two terms really means three terms, Democratic State Senator Steve Gallardo has proposed changing the wording of that section.There's a big problem with Gallardo's proposal -- since he's proposing a chan ... More >>

Raul Grijalva Has a Word or Two for Jan Brewer Over Executive Order on Driver's Licenses

Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva says it's pretty clear that deferred action beneficiaries should be allowed to apply for driver's licenses.Grijalva, and previously, the ACLU, have disagreed with the executive order issued by Governor Jan Brewer, in which she stated that Deferred Action for Chil ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Order Denying Driver's Licenses for DREAMers Challenged by Bill

While the ACLU is still suing over Governor Jan Brewer's order to deny driver's licenses to participants in the Obama Administration's deferred-action program, a bill has been submitted that would change the current policy.Democratic state Representative Catherine Miranda submitted House Bill 2032, ... More >>

Legislators Propose Forcing High School Students to Swear to Defend Constitution in Order to Graduate

"Finally, our state legislators are making sure Arizona's teenagers will ask for the Lord's help defending the Constitution before they're allowed to earn a high school diploma." --NobodyIf a handful of Republican state legislators have their way, high school students in Arizona would not be allowed ... More >>

Arizona GOP's Proposed Bylaws Revive Joe McCarthy, Witch Hunts, Loyalty Oaths

The Arizona Republican Party is the gift that keeps on giving. Last week, the Maricopa County GOP picked raging aggro gay-hater A.J. LaFaro as its chairman, a choice Dems are giddy over because it leaves the local Republican Party in the complete control of wigged-out moonhowlers, further alienati ... More >>

Jan Brewer Protested, 3 Arrested: Video by Dennis Gilman

Kudos to Phoenix videographer Dennis Gilman for his latest video, which captures the drama of yesterday's demonstration at the state Capitol. There, as Governor Jan Brewer gave her state of the state speech to members of the Legislature, a coalition of activists protested Brewer's executive order ... More >>

Hugh Hallman for Governor: Yay or Nay?

Former Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman says he's thinking about running for governor."Over the next few months, I will be traveling the state of Arizona to speak with and listen to people from all walks of life about what's really important to them in their state government, and how we can address our prio ... More >>

Terry Goddard Wants to Be AG Again? Puh-lease

For Terry Goddard, it must be tough going from Mayor of Phoenix to state Attorney General to gubernatorial candidate to, um, Central Arizona Water Conservation District board member. To be accurate, Terry Goddard has run for governor three times, hoping to emulate his pop Sam Pearson Goddard, Jr., ... More >>

Jan Brewer Times Three? Ten Reasons Jan Should Run for an Unconstitutional Third Term

Jan Brewer cannot run for governor again. There is no wiggle room in the Arizona Constitution. And if she tries, she is guaranteed to kiss the canvas with her plastic-surgery-gone-wrong gob, slapped down by the Arizona Supreme Court. See also: -Jan Brewer's Sniveling New Memoir Laughably Paints He ... More >>

After Election Day, AZ's Far Right Now Has a Fight on Its Hands

Jan Brewer May Actually Be Serious About Running for (Likely Unconstitutional) Third Term

It appears that Governor Jan Brewer may be serious about seeking a third term, after reading that she said this for (at least) a third time, even though the Arizona Constitution says you only get two terms.The Arizona Republic published its way-too-early list of gubernatorial candidates for the 2014 ... More >>

Jan Brewer "Isn't Interested" in Politics After Mark Kelly Slams Her Comments on Shooting

Yesterday, we reprinted the entire statement prepared by Mark Kelly, husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, which he read at the sentencing of Tucson shooter Jared Loughner.It was a damn good statement that included a pointed remark about Governor Jan Brewer's comments after the shootin ... More >>

Arizona's Legislative Elections: Five Districts to Watch

As is the case with the congressional races in Arizona, not every race for Arizona's legislative seats is competitive -- just 17 of the 30 state Senate races have candidates from both major parties, and 20 of the 30 state House races have at least one Democrat and one Republican.Still, that leaves p ... More >>

Arizona Ballot Propositions: How to Vote Against (or With) Russell Pearce and His Ilk

Here's the thing about the propositions on the ballot for tomorrow's election: for the most part, they're boring, and at the end of the day, you may not really give a damn.Thankfully, people like ousted state Senate President Russell Pearce, Governor Jan Brewer, and the lobbyists from Center for Ari ... More >>

Linda Brickman, Water Board Candidate, Doesn't Think All Muslims are Bad

Two years ago, a slate of five tea-party candidates ran for the non-partisan, 15-member Central Arizona Water Conservation District board with the aim of promoting limited government. Two won: Cynthia Moulton and Mark Lewis. They added to a push by conservatives begun in 2008 to add more of their n ... More >>

Liberal Democrats Tar Republican Jerry Lewis, Borrowing a Page From Extremists They Claim to Loathe

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery Gives Warning to Foreign Election Observers

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery put out a press release to tell foreigners to keep their distance from polling places on election day, consistent with state law.That friendly reminder is in response to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe sending observers to watch the el ... More >>

Catholic Conundrum: What's an Anti-Abortion, Pro-Immigrant Voter to Do?

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday August 30, 2012

Tom Horne: Arizona Medical Marijuana Act Preempted by Federal Law, in Part; Cardholders OK, Dispensaries Could be Nixed by Court

See also: Medical Marijuana Dispensary Lottery Coming Tuesday, and Will Be Streamed Live Online Arizona should not authorize medical-marijuana dispensaries as voters intended because they are against state law, says state Attorney General Tom Horne. But the state's 2010 medical-marijuana law isn' ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Mexican-Bashing E-mails Slammed By Randy Parraz, Others

See Also: Russell Pearce's Racism "Discovered" by Arizona's Media Former Senate President Russell Pearce's racist e-mails, recently made public by the ACLU, were slammed today by politicians and activists at the Arizona State Capitol. Around 20 members of Citizens for a Better Arizona, the group t ... More >>

SB 1070 Fuels a Movement of New Voters

Mitt Romney's Arizona Problem: Randy Pullen vs. Shane Wikfors (and Maybe Tom Morrissey)

Wikfors on Sunday Square Off, sparking a firestorm Mitt Romney may be attempting a shift to the center on immigration, but word has yet to trickle down to the hardcore nativists of the Arizona Republican Party.As the GOP presidential hopeful was in Florida yesterday trying to woo the National A ... More >>

Ask a Mexican on California DREAMing and Mexican Nombres

Ken Bennett, Arizona Secretary of State, Plays to the "Birthers"

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who just recently filed the paperwork for an exploratory committee in the 2014 Arizona gubernatorial race, appears to be the latest Arizona politician to play to the "birther" crowd.In the mess that is Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's "investigation" into ... More >>

"Birther" Bill Is a Favorite of Arizona Voters, According to Poll

Of some of the more controversial ideas tossed around the Arizona Legislature, the "birther" bill is the most popular to voters, according to a poll.The Morrison Institute for Public Policy quizzed Arizona voters on five of the more controversial bills brought up by the right-hand side of the Legisl ... More >>

Jan Brewer Gives the Axe to Planned Parenthood Funding

Abortion still seems to be a top priority for Governor Jan Brewer and the Legislature, as the governor announced the signing of yet another bill that's not making Planned Parenthood happy at all.The governor signed House Bill 2800 into law late last week, which described in the broadest sense by the ... More >>

Russell Pearce: Plot to Give $260K of Taxpayer Cash to Recalled Pol Still Alive?

The Capitol Times' Luigi del Puerto is reporting that the plot to cut a $260,000 check to recalled, disgraced former state Senate President Russell Pearce remains alive at the state Legislature.I've heard the votes are not there in the Senate, but, hell, ya never know. Also, it's not in the bud ... More >>

Russell Pearce Plot: Is His 260K "Reimbursement" Deal Dead?

Is the effort by some GOPers to "reimburse" their erstwhile God, recalled state Senate President Russell Pearce, D.O.A.?Just recently, the Arizona Republican Caucus Tweeted a response to statements made by Democratic state Senator Steve Gallardo that were critical of the right-wing plot to reimburse ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Nemesis Randy Parraz and Fellow CBA Members Blast Pearce's Personal $260K Welfare Plan

If the plot to give 12 point-loser and former state Senate President Russell Pearce $260,000 is squashed (and I'm not convinced that it has been), it will be because of the efforts of Randy Parraz and Citizens for a Better Arizona, the folks that made the Pearce recall a reality in 2011.Sure, before ... More >>

Russell Pearce Wants $260,000 of Your Money, and His Flunkies Want to Give It to Him

Remember when I informed you of the trial balloon being floated by toadies of recalled state Senate President Russell Pearce, lickspittles who long to give their lord and master more than $260,000 of taxpayer funds because he had to endure a recall election, one he lost by a humiliating 12 points?We ... More >>

Russell Pearce's GOP Toadies Want to Give Him $260,000 of Your Money

Of all the trial balloons in the history of politics, this one most deserves to be shot down, stomped, incinerated, and spat on, with the remains dumped in the nearest landfill to rot.Seems there's a cadre of hardcore Russell Pearce-worshippers in the state legislature that want to give the recalled ... More >>

Russell Pearce, Serial Liar, Endorses Mitt Romney, Tells the Truth for Once

According to a recent item in the Washington Post's Election 2012 Blog, recalled state Senate President Russell Pearce has endorsed Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary, more than a month after Romney won Sand Land's GOP contest. As a result, Romney immediately called a press ... More >>

Conservative Group: GOP Leadership May Be Favoring Ben Quayle Over David Schweikert

​To the casual observer, Congressmen Ben Quayle and David Schweikert may seem like the same dude.They're both freshman in the House, and they've voted the same in 94 percent of the 1,146 roll call votes they both voted on.They're both running for the Republican nomination in Arizona's Sixth Congre ... More >>

Debbie Lesko's Freedom-Hating Anti-Birth-Control Bill

Republicans. I know some of them are sane here in Sand Land, but you wouldn't know it by their wingnutty hijinks in the state Legislature this year, where they've placed a birther-bill, a late-term abortion ban and a state-funded border militia ahead of doing anything to aid the economy, bring jobs ... More >>

Five Super Tuesday Songs

In case those persistent robo-calls and that "Ron Paul Revolution" sticker on your neighbor's Hyundai haven't made it clear, it's an election year folks. That means today is Super Tuesday; the day the Republican presidential candidate picture becomes a whole lot clearer. After winning big here in A ... More >>

Jan Brewer Invited to Testify Before Senate Subcommittee on SB 1070. Governor's Apparently Not Thrilled With The Idea

​New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer sent a letter to Governor Jan Brewer yesterday, asking her to give testimony before his Senate Subcommittee on Immigration about Senate Bill 1070.According to a release from Schumer's office, the point of Brewer's testimony would be "to hear whether she ... More >>

Who Won Last Night's Arizona Republican Presidential Debate?

​Last night, the four remaining candidates for the Republican presidential nomination took the stage in Mesa for the party's 20th presidential debate of the election cycle.There's less than a week to go before Arizona's presidential primary, and according to the pollsters, the race is tight -- lik ... More >>

Arizona GOP Presidential Debate: Arpaio, Immigration, Jokes, And Face-Palms

The Republican Presidential debate in Mesa just wrapped up a few minutes ago, and in the mid-debate words of Mitt Romney, "I didn't follow all of that, but I can tell you this..." Among the few Arizona-related topics discussed included, unsurprisingly, immigration and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Ar ... More >>

Rick Santorum Schmoozing Joe Arpaio Today -- A Tactic Which Hasn't Exactly Been Successful

​Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum is meeting with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today -- at least, according to the sheriff -- to become the next in the line of GOP candidates to come kiss Arpaio's rings.According to Arpaio, or his flak, presidential candidates Mit ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Endorsement Still Worth Something, if Polls are to Be Trusted

​If public-opinion polls are to be trusted, then Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's endorsement still is worth something to Arizonans.Arpaio's endorsement of some candidates hasn't worked out too well -- like former U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth, ousted Senate President Russell Pearce ... More >>

Mitt Romney's Fallen to Just Three Points Ahead in Arizona: Could Paul Babeu's Scandal Sink Him in Sand Land?

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads ex-U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum by a mere three percentage points as they and other Republican candidates speed toward Arizona's GOP presidential primary, just one week away. This, according to a survey just released by the North Caroli ... More >>

Arizona Medical Marijuana Act's 25-Mile Ban on Growing Pot Challenged in Lawsuit; Another Suit Seeks Different Rule Change

A new lawsuit over Arizona's Medical Marijuana Act targets the provision that bans patients and caregivers from growing pot within 25 miles of an open dispensary.Bill Hayes, a marijuana activist and qualified patient who lives in Surprise, argues in a federal complaint filed yesterday that the provi ... More >>

Rick Perry Bails on Presidential Campaign; Joe Arpaio Picks the Wrong Horse...Again

​If you happen to be running for president, do yourself a favor and avoid Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio like grim death -- for the second time in two presidential elections, Arpaio's horse in the race has crashed and burned.Just two days before the pivotal South Carolina primary, Texas Govern ... More >>

Arizona GOP Presidential Primary Likely Another Race For Second Place; Mitt Romney Holds Double-Digit Lead

​Arizona's GOP presidential primary, like New Hampshire's, will likely be another race for second place -- according to a recently released poll, former Massachusetts Governor (and one-time Joe Arpaio butt-smoocher) Mitt Romney has a double-digit lead over each of his opponents in the "Colt Single ... More >>

Political (Action) Figures: The Republican Candidates' Collectible Matches

​Remember when you stopped rehashing TV and comic book storylines with your action figures, and instead re-cast them to play out real-life drama? Like that one time your dad (played by Hordak) got drunk and totaled the minivan (a great stand-in by Ecto-1) then tried to hide it from your mom (the ... More >>

Governor Brewer to Ponder Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Ruling While Keeping Her Ban on Dispensaries; Supporters of Law Praise Ruling

Governor Jan Brewer and her legal counsel will study today's dismissal of her lawsuit against the medical marijuana law while keeping a ban on dispensaries, a spokesman says.Brewer, with the help of state Attorney General Tom Horne, filed the federal complaint back in May, claiming a letter by a for ... More >>

Kyrsten Sinema Surprises Precisely No One With Announcement That She's Running For Congress

​In a move that doesn't come as much of a shock to anyone familiar with state politics in Arizona, Democratic state Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced today that she's resigning from her Senate seat and running for Congress -- potentially against Congressman Ben Quayle (although, that's unlikely. Mo ... More >>