US Senate Debates: Arizona -- Carmona versus Flake

Romney's preferred Senate candidate is not doing so well in Arizona.  His fellow Mormon Flake learned well from Mitt on how to lie and sound convincing.  Did they go to the same school that teaches candidates how to lie and make people believe them?  I am just shocked that they think they can lie and no one will notice.  It is the same tactic as Romney -- say something in a debate and then have your staff clarify.  The dishonesty of GOP candidates is not just the top of the ticket but also now in Senate races.

Jeb Bush has been warning the GOP leadership for a long time about taking Hispanic voters for granted.  Leadership preferred to listen to the hard right with their nasty illegal immigration bills then common sense Republicans.  Now they could pay big time by losing Senate seats.  Arizona could be one of those pickups by the Democrats.  Frankly Carmona deserves to win after Flake lied last night:

Flake was for pledges before he was against them

By Steve Benen -
Thu Oct 11, 2012 1:22 PM EDT 

The U.S. Senate race in Arizona has become increasingly competitive, with Republicans increasingly concerned that former Surgeon General Richard Carmona (D) may upset Rep. Jeff Flake (R). Last night, in a televised debate, the Republican congressman didn't help his case. 

For those who can't watch clips online, the moderator asked, "Did you sign the Grover Norquist no-tax pledge?" Flake replied, "No." Asked if he would sign such a pledge, the congressman again said, "No." Flake added, "The only pledge I'd sign is a pledge to sign no more pledges." 

That's a nice sentiment, of course, but there's a small problem: Flake is already listed as one of the 238 members of the current Congress who's already signed the pledge. 

So, which is it? The congressman's spokesperson told The Hill that Flake signed an older version of Norquist's pledge, not the newest one, so technically, Flake wasn't exactly lying on statewide television four weeks before the election. "Jeff Flake has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in the past, but the language of the pledge was changed last year," the spokesperson said. 

OK, so which part of the new version of the pledge does Flake oppose? According to the spokesperson, the congressman doesn't like the language that pledges to "oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates." 

That might be more compelling if the identical language wasn't in the original pledge that Flake signed. 

The congressman's spokesperson "was unable to explain the discrepancy." Imagine that.

Then there is this from the Huffington Post  on the results of a Latino polling group who just polled Arizona.  Looks like doing their own polling is about the only way they are going to be heard because some national pollsters are ignoring the Latino voters:

Mitt Romney has a problem with Latino voters nationwide, but things look particularly bleak for him in Arizona. 

A poll posted Wednesday by Latino Decisions found 80 percent of Latino voters in Arizona prefer President Barack Obama to Romney -- eight points higher than the percentage of Latinos nationwide who support the president in other surveys from the firm. 

There's bad news in the poll for down-ticket GOP candidates as well. Three-quarters of Latino voters said they prefer Democratic candidate Richard Carmona to Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) in the senatorial race. And 67 percent of those polled said they will vote Democrat in congressional races. 

Latinos make up 30 percent of the population in Arizona, which is typically a red state. 

Saying Romney has a problem with Latinos may be the understatement of the year.  If the Republican Party doesn't lose its bigoted ways which we are seeing in this election, then the GOP will not have to worry about Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida where you find large Latino populations who are growing.  They will shortly start dominating elections in these states which will go blue with the hatred of some members of the GOP toward minorities.  If I was a young Latino, there is no way I would join this Republican Party today with their hate filled rhetoric.  The GOP is becoming more and more the Party of the white southern male with women also starting to leave the GOP because of the GOP anti-women stance.

Then there is the interview with the Vice Presidential candidate Ryan who once again gets it wrong but sticks with the narrative if you live in the inner city, it is your fault if you get shot.  Latinos/blacks in Phoenix will be glad to know they are responsible for getting shot because of lack of character according to Paul Ryan:

The clean-cut, VP candidate that Romney thought would be good at crunching numbers and keeping his mouth shut seems to be growing closer and closer to a Y-chromosomed version of 2008 Sarah Palin every day.

On Monday, Paul Ryan illuminated the real reason that some U.S. inner city areas are posting murder rates higher than Kabul’s and Mexico City’s. Public school systems buckling under the weight of austerity cuts and useless teacher tracking programs? Nope. Poverty and unemployment caused by a capitalist system hell-bent on exporting every available job overseas? Nope. A lack of gun control that allows firearms to find their way into the hands of young children? Definitely not. 

The real reason, Ryan asserted in an interview with a local Michigan reporter, is the “character” of those living in inner city neighborhoods. 

“The best thing to help prevent violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunity in the inner cities. Is to help teach people good discipline, good character,” Ryan said.
In other words, it’s the immoral and inferior culture of inner city (read: minority) neighborhoods that creating all this crime downtown, which is a disaster for the upstanding (read: white) citizens from the suburbs who just want to enjoy a basketball game at the stadium every once in a while. 

OK, perhaps the last part was an editorialization of his statement, but the racial undertones of his words are undeniable. The idea feeds into the well-developed propaganda about the “culture of poverty,” the idea, first pushed under Reagan, that the inferior ethics of the inner city is what keeps its residents impoverished.
This theory entirely disregards chronic unemployment, failing schools, institutional racism, political disenfranchisement and the dozens of other structural forces that create chaos and crime in swaths of the country that capitalism has effectively abandoned. To hear such a dangerously misinformed statement coming out of the mouth of a vice presidential candidate less than a month before the election is terrifying. 

Then again, it should come as no surprised in what has been one of the most racialized election season in recent history. From the President’s birth certificate to the controversy over “Obama phones,” from Romney’s disparaging comments about the 47% to Gingrich’s suggestion that janitors in inner city schools be replaced by nine-year-old students , both the fringe and the heart of the GOP has been spewing thinly-veiled, blame-the-victim criticisms of African Americans left and right. (It’s also an offensive they’ve used against another large percentage of the American population--women--throughout the election season, but that’s another story. ) 

Laura Gottesdiener is a freelance journalist and activist in New York City.

The comments get more bizarre every day from Romney/Ryan and Republican Senate candidates who are going hard right to play to their new base.  

Wes Harris, Arizona Tea Party Leader, Seeks To Recall John McCain Over Huma Abedin Defense

This quote from Harris should have every Republican up on arms but unfortunately the party is quickly being taken over by the likes of conspiracy theorists like Bachmann along with the Tea Party who support her:

“Go to hell, Senator, it’s time for you to take your final dirt nap,” Harris concludes.

What a nasty thing to say about anyone you disagree with and that is the problem today by some of those on the right as they attack viciously anyone who disagrees with them.  This election has been an eye opener at just how many nasty people are involved in today's politics and makes you wonder why anyone would run for office or take a job that would put them in the target zone.

In Arizona being Hispanic is a problem to some of these people who don't care if they are here legally or not -- they put them all in the same category.  Saw some of that when I helped out McCain in the Senate primary race against Hayworth using this blog.  Some of the Hayworth supporters were way over the top and frankly bigots.  Shame on Senator McCain for believing people no matter their origin or race should be given a chance to be successful.  (sarcasm)  The more I have learned to know about the Senator, the more respect I have for him.

No longer listening to some posters on sites where if you don't agree with their outlandish statements, you are the one with the problem and are called names.  I took my blinders off some time back but this man tops everyone although Mark Levin I have been told is over the top in his rhetoric defending Michelle Bachmann, but then he also supported "I am not a witch" O'Donnell and the lackluster candidate in Nevada Sharron Angle.  We cannot forget Rush Limbaugh and his over the top rants he keeps making.

What do conservative pundits have in common?  They work for Clear Channel who is owned by Bain Capital.  The deal in which Bain Capital became one of the owners of Clear Channel was initiated just a short time before Mitt Romney's first run for president.    

Wouldn't it be great if a Republican presidential candidate could just buy the support of just about every major conservative talk show host in America? Well, it may not be as far-fetched as you may think. Clear Channel owns more radio stations (850) than anyone else in the United States. They also own Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates the radio shows of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, among others. Needless to say, Clear Channel basically owns conservative talk radio in the United States.  

Imagine this, Rush got a big raise just when Romney is running for office this time, does little research on Romney and gets on board.  Why anyone listens to his rhetoric today and cannot think for themselves makes me wonder who they are.  I guess I have a different group of people for friends and family because no one I know listens to these pundits any more.  Most of my friends are like me and listen to sports talk radio or music.  Much less upsetting.  When you find yourself talking back to the radio, time to turn to another station.


What is upsetting to common sense conservatives who happen to be Republican is that people like this Wes Harris who heads a Tea Party is damaging the Republican brand whether some want to admit it or not.  But then some Republicans are perfectly happy to be a member of a party that doesn't think twice about attacking people who are not white or a member of their evangelical church.  You see it when some of these people talk at Town Halls.  I am frankly embarrassed by some of their comments which are right out of the gutter.  Is this what the leaders of the Republican Party want the face of Republicans to be?  


Marco Rubio was criticized for standing up against the Bachmann group along with others but none have been treated like Senator McCain although it is starting to come close for Rubio as Debbie Schlussel attacks the Senator:

UPDATE: Marco Rubio joins the chorus of Islamo-pandering Republi-dhimmis attacking Michele Bachmann (maybe Muslims helped him avoid criminal charges for illegally charging tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenses to his Florida GOP credit card)***  

The hatred is going to destroy the Republican Party if the leadership is not careful.  When you choose to hate someone and will do anything to destroy them, you have lost your way and that is exactly what I am seeing today out of some so-called Christians who are vicious and hateful with no basis in fact.  They are so filled with hate and doom and gloom that it makes you wonder how long the Republican Party can survive before people like me and a lot of others take a walk.  


What happened to the Party of Civil Rights or the positive outlook of Ronald Reagan or willingness to help others less fortunate?  Looks like it doesn't exist anymore as the Koch Brother's Tea Party movement has taken over a lot of the Republican Party with the Kochs joining with other big donors to elect Romney.  Is it so they can get the DOJ off their back for alleged bribes in the Middle East?  Would they destroy the Party to get out of serious trouble.  Without a doubt just like their speculation on oil drove up the prices which hurt our economy.  They are rich, selfish people who only believe what they want matters so they formed organizations like Americans for Properity and the Tea Party movement to get their way.  


The hatred of Obama is so far over the top I find it embarrassing to be a Republican with the racist comments thrown at the President.  Been told if I don't support Mitt Romney, then leave the Republican Party.  I am not leaving yet because I want to make sure my voice is heard as a longtime Republican, but that day could be drawing near if things don't change after November.  I will not remain in the same party with a bunch of bigots who look no further than the color of a person's skin, their religion, or nationality and report conspiracy theories as facts even when they have been disproved. 


Truth does not seem matter to some of these people today -- it is the narrative which is important.   Just like Fox News reporting on what Obama said cut out major portions and changed the whole meaning and next day Romney takes it and runs with the Fox version.  Did the same thing yesterday with the foreign minister of Australia -- misquoting his words to say what he wanted which caused the foreign minister to issue a statement to set the record straight. Is this who you want for a President?  That's who the Koch Brothers and other major donors want!  Just remember the Koch Brothers help found the Tea Party movement -- same movement that has bred people like Harris.

Wes Harris, Arizona Tea Party Leader, Seeks To Recall John McCain Over Huma Abedin Defense 

The Huffington Post | By Nick Wing Posted: 07/24/2012 10:14 am Updated: 07/24/2012 2:28 pm
Conspiracy theories about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin being linked to the Muslim Brotherhood publicly dribbled down to the lower echelons of conservative politics this week, with an Arizona Tea Party leader promising to launch a recall effort against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for his defense of Abedin. 

Last week, a group of Republican lawmakers led by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) drew widespread condemnation from both sides of the aisle for the loosely sourced contention that Huma Abedin, the Muslim-American wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. 

McCain strongly pushed back against this charge, taking to the Senate floor to call the allegations "nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable woman."
Wes Harris, the founder and chairman of the Original North Phoenix Tea Party, now says McCain's words have given him grounds to mount an effort to unseat the longtime senator.
In an interview with the Arizona Capitol Times, Harris called McCain an "embarrassment," before laying out a variety of unapologetic anti-Islamic sentiments.  

“Have you ever read the Quran? I suggest you do so, because anyone that is a Muslim is a threat to this country, and that’s a fact,” Harris told the Times. “There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim. If they are Muslim they have to follow the Quran. That’s their religion and that’s their doctrine.”

According to the Times, Harris believes Muslims are incapable of being loyal to the U.S., because he claims that their faith in Islam and the Quran trumps any other allegiance. He also apparently believes Muslims shouldn't be able to serve in the State Department at all.
“Is [Abedin] a Muslim? Is she an active Muslim?” Harris asked the Times. “I rest my case. That’s all she needs to be.” 

In his email airing his grievances, Harris also linked to the Bare Naked Islam blog, an internet clearinghouse for Islamophobia that claims to have further proof of Abedin's supposed ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. One post touts a new report from the Center for Security Policy, the right-wing think tank behind the paper that led to Bachmann and her cohort's initial inquiry, that seeks to unveil the "Islamist" roots of Abedin's mother. 

While other top Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), came out to reject Bachmann's accusation, Harris says McCain's defense of Abedin is just the latest in a string of actions that have warranted a recall effort. 

“Go to hell, Senator, it’s time for you to take your final dirt nap,” Harris concludes.   

Source:  Huffington Post

Weekly Standard: Debate Reax, Pravda Edition

The Romney camp never ceases to amaze me how they have gotten their surrogates to peddle the Romney line which makes them look really stupid.  The latest are former Senators Bob Dole (R-IA) and Jim Talent (R-MO).  It is nothing short of amazing what the Romney camp will do to push their candidate.  This is unlike any political campaign I have ever seen.  How many key staffers are Mormon is what I keep getting asked by people I know.  I don't have a clue but I do know the media people inside Romney campaign are annoying at best with their emails.

Looks like the Weekly Standard is in agreement with this article which actually made me chuckle.  Agree with everything they had to say:

Debate Reax, Pravda Edition

11:01 AM, Feb 23, 2012 • By JONATHAN V. LAST 

Mitt Romney had a good night at the debate in Mesa last night. But after the debate (as well as during) the Romney campaign flooded the press with the kind of emails that make the candidate so hard to love.

 One email release, for instance, was slugged, "Michigan Leaders Agree: Romney Won Tonight's Debate." There followed eight one-paragraph testimonials to Romney's victoriousness from Michigan politicos. But here's the thing: These weren't objective reactions from people who happened to see the debate—all of these men have already endorsed Romney. So of course Romney's surrogates are going to say that the candidate did well.

Now look: There's nothing wrong with having surrogates shill for a candidate—that's why God made them! What's weird is the campaign packaging their statements like they would clippings of newspaper editorial boards. It's kind of Pravda-ish. 

Another email release carried a statement from Romney surrogate Bob Dole. Like the Michigan Leaders, Dole thought that Romney had a very good night. But he went further, attacking Gingrich and Santorum as "Washington insiders." 

Which is certainly true. But few men have ever been "Washington insiders" to the degree Sen. Dole was. Which leaves you with one of two conclusions: Either being a Washington insider isn't such a bad thing, or, if it is a very bad thing, then we can't trust anything Sen. Dole says, either. 

It's like rolling out Jim Talent to criticize Santorum for voting the same way Talent did. The cognitive dissonance it creates is remarkable. 

Source:  Weekly Standard

When the Weekly Standard starts writing things like this, a candidate is in real trouble.  People don't like to be bullied by receiving press releases over and over again to try and sell the candidate.  This sentence from the article was very telling:

What's weird is the campaign packaging their statements like they would clippings of newspaper editorial boards. It's kind of Pravda-ish. 

That one sentence stings Romney and his campaign big time and shows a lot of conservatives are frankly very fed up with Romney and his tactics.  Their chief tactic is to bully you into believing he is the only candidate that can beat Obama.  It is not working and in fact it is having the opposite effect as more and more people are totally fed up with Romney.  Facts don't matter as it is the narrative they want to present about their candidate which a lot of conservatives are seeing right through the facade of Romney.

Try and get off the Romney email list that you never signed up to receive the emails.  It is almost impossible.  How they got my personal email is anyone's guess.  The Romney campaign is tone deaf to they think sending emails to people who never signed up for their campaign is going to get them supporters.  That thinking could not be farther from the truth as everyone I have talked to who has had it happen is annoyed.  Most of us in the conservative ranks wouldn't walk across the street to see Romney.

Have never seen supporters of a candidate stretch the truth about their candidate that can be easily refuted with sourced info.  It is like the Romney supporters are paid to post, given their talking points, and no matter what you say in return, they come back with the same words time after time.  The reason I think they are paid because I cannot see anyone doing this for free as they look like robots for Romney the way they post the same thing over and over again.  Now we know where they are getting it as the Romney campaign media types send out all these emails after the debate pushing Romney.  Same mentality at play with the posters and inside the campaign media types.

I am guessing that the emails sent out to places like the Weekly Standard didn't talk about Romney refusing to answer a simple question.  Any candidate who refuses to answer a question at the debate doesn't deserve any of our votes.  What would Romney do as President at a news conference, get mad and storm off refusing to answer questions?

BREAKING NEWS from REDSTATE: Suspicious letter with "powdery white substance" addressed to Gov Brewer Opened at the AZ Capitol

Breaking News Email from RedState -- will post more when details are available:

BREAKING NEWS FROM REDSTATE:

Caleb Howe just spoke with Chief Andrew Staubitz of the Capitol Police in Phoenix, Arizona. This morning, police and the fire department responded to a call from the first floor of the executive tower of the Arizona Capitol. An employee opened an envelope addressed to Governor Jan Brewer which contained a "powdery white substance." The immediate area and lobby were closed for about thirty minutes, during which time the substance was packaged as evidence of a crime and sent to the State lab for analysis.

Chief Staubitz believes during that thirty minutes the employee who opened the package was likely checked out by paramedics who responded to the call, but he does not believe she required any further medical attention.

The results of the lab analysis are expected in less than 24 hours, and the Capitol Police will be issuing a statement at that time. The police will be working with the FBI in investigating the incident.

How long after the Capitol steps alleged spit incident was it before talking heads were running with the Democrat and Shepard Smith talking point that tea partiers were becoming violent? How many times in the last year, from the town halls through today, has MSNBC had panels and pundits discussing the "violent rhetoric" and increasing danger from the right? Can you imagine if Governor Brewer had declared a Arizona a sanctuary state and then received white powder in the mail? The uproar? The outrage? The utter ALARM!??!

More here.

Sincerely yours,

Erick Erickson
Editor, RedState.com

Obama at the AZ Border!

Is this one reason why he supports amnesty for illegals? Thanks to Lucianne.com for the graphic.