Dec

9

My Response to Laura Knaperek

Over on Ted’s blog, there is an exchange between former LD 17 Representative Laura Knaperek and some of the usual r cubed crowd about her opposition for SB1040, a bill in 2005 that was killed in committee that was written to modernize spousal rape laws. I responded with a comment, and then went back and looked for some of the old stuff we did as the Young Democrats of Arizona on the issue. I added another comment, but all the links I used got it spam blocked. So I return to this dead blog in an attempt to post the comment that didn’t show up.

Hey so check this out.

I was prez of the Young Dems of AZ and worked at the ADP when this whole episode went down. With the Gov stuck in a budget battle and the Party doing their best to help get it through, it seemed that nobody was willing to step up to the plate and fight for this bill. There was just too much going on.

So, the Young Dems stepped up in a big way. I found the old web page we put together with bill links, articles from the time, etc (it is still up!) We collected over a thousand letters, hundreds for Ms. Knaperek specifically, urging reconsideration on the bill. You should go check it out.

We delivered all of these letters to Ms. Knaperek and the other committee members who had previously voted no before the hearing to reconsider. We also provided them with a letter and a purple ribbon to wear during the committee meeting to signify their support for stopping domestic violence. None of them wore the ribbons, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything - it is just something I remember.

Here is the link to our action center:
www.ydaz.org/sb1040

It is important to note that the bill was NOT slated for reconsideration until AFTER all of this pressure from us an others. Links to articles on the web page show that the legislators who voted against the bill weren’t talking about bringing it back up - they were talking about it as done. Go read them and you will see.

Also, here is the worst part. Look at what Ms. Knaperek’s colleague said about this bill and why he killed it. Just look at HIS rationale for voting against it in committee. I’d like to note that this rationale was never publicly repudiated by Ms. Knaperek. I imagine she has an opportunity to do so now.

From az daily star http://ydaz.org/spousal-rape-bill-is-tossed-by-panel

“And Rep. Warde Nichols, R-Gilbert, said he feared the legislation would undermine the whole concept of marriage.

‘When you enter into a marriage, you enter into a contract for all sorts of different things with your spouse,’ including sex, he said.

Nichols said those benefits ‘need to be eliminated’ if someone is getting a divorce. But short of that, he said it is wrong to impose this kind of penalty when a wife charges rape.”

Also, I wrote a blog post generally about this entire thing on the long since dead wactivist in response to Ted Downing’s defense of his no vote on the issue. It includes my recollections of how the reconsideration committee meeting itself went (I was there and spoke) and why we joined the fight when we did. It also can be offered as evidence that many people, myself included, were angry at opposition to this legislation regardless of party - despite Ms. Knaperek’s claim that attacks on her public voting record are purely partisan.

http://www.wactivist.com/?p=1258

I’ll let everyone draw their own conclusions here,.

Gotta tell you though, researching all this again makes me want to pack up my things here in DC, ditch national politics, and get back home to rejoin the fight leading up to 2010.

Next up, stopping what i’m sure will be their renewed push to allow guns in bars. Another piece of legislation Ms. Knaperek has a strong record of support for.

Sep

13

Schweikert Caught In Attack Ad Coverup on 9/11

Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments

It turns out that John McCain isn’t the only Federal candidate from Arizona having some major issues with the truth.

Republican David Schweikert unleashed the first negative ad of the general election for Arizona’s Fifth on … you guessed it, September 11th. Schweikert took this classless step despite nearly every other candidate for office, including the McCain and Obama campaigns, swearing off campaigning and attacks on 9/11 as a sign of national unity and to honor the lives lost seven years ago.

Pretty sleazy huh? But as they say in only the best infomercials, “wait, there’s more!”

When his opponent, Freshman Democrat Rep. Harry Mitchell, called Schweikert out for the break in protocol - the Republican ironically running on a platform of honesty and government reform showed his true colors.

Instead of apologizing for the poor timing of his bad ad buy - or heck even trying to pass the blame … Schweikert just decided to lie and pretend he didn’t launch the attack ad on 9/11.

The method used? Well I’ll let a Mitchell press release tell the story.

TEMPE — Less than 24 hours after he was called out for launching a negative attack ad on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, perennial congressional candidate David Schweikert tried to cover it up by switching the dates on press releases posted on his campaign web site. Schweikert’s cover up demonstrates the lengths he and his campaign are willing to go to hide the truth during remaining 53 days of his campaign.

Earlier today, a press release titled “Schweikert Releases New Television Ad” was posted on Schweikert’s campaign Web with the date Sept. 11. Later in the day, after the Mitchell Campaign pointed out that Schweikert stood alone in using the anniversary to launch negative attack ads, the date on the same document had been altered to Sept. 12.

Ummm … WOOPS!

This actually might have been a good strategy if … well, you know … he wasn’t caught immediately in the lie by the Mitchell campaign.

Here is a screen shot from September 11th BEFORE the Mitchell campaign criticized Schweikert for going negative on the day of mourning.

Here is a screen shot the Mitchell campaign took of Schweikert’s webpage after they called him out.

Pretty despicable huh?

Congressman Mitchell’s response pretty much sums it up:

“Disrespecting the victims of 9/11 wasn’t enough for David Schweikert,” said Mitchell campaign manager Seth Scott. “He had to go and try to cover it up too. Voters have to ask themselves, ‘If David Schweikert is willing to mislead us about this, what else will he lie about?’”

Let’s join together and help ensure this bum isn’t elected.

Make a contribution to Harry’s campaign, volunteer to turn out your neighbors, or write a letter to the editor of your local paper letting them now how pitiful Schweikert and his childish attempt to cover up his actions shows he doesn’t’ have the character to serve us in Washington.

Sep

10

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the RNCC

Filed Under Politics, Pop Culture | Leave a Comment

Pretty hilarious. I love Triumph.

Anderson Coopers note in the second video is the best part.

Sep

9

New Congressman Mitchell Ads

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I love Harry Mitchell. The man was my State Senator, my boss at the Arizona Democratic Party when he was Chairman, and now is my Congressman. I really really feel lucky to have someone like him representing me in DC.

I just got an email highlighting a new ad they are running - I wanted to post it here.

I love it.

Sep

7

Do it for the boys at Walter Reed … Middle School (and other stock photography follies from the RNCC)

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One day campaigns will start to realize that using stock photography or video footage is hardly ever a good idea. You never know if the person in the video or photo will come out against you, as the 3am girl did against Hillary. You can’t be sure that the photo used actually depicts something ironically beyond what you intended, like JD Hayworth’s local projects mailer that showed an L.A. freeway. You also don’t want to be caught, embarrassingly, needing to use stock photos of “supporters” because … well … you don’t have any real ones.

Enter the Republican National Committee Convention of 2008. Also known as, the biggest collection of stock photography/footage fuckups in EVER.

In my live blog last night I spend some time talking about how weird the backdrops were for McCain’s speech. Well it turns out that the photo I said looked like a “plantation” actually was just a school! This alone, is pretty embarrassing. Why a random photo of a school when there was no discussion of education? Odd. But it gets better.

It turns out, the name of the school in the photo is Walter Reed Middle School in Hollywood, CA. Now, I know what you are thinking. That is weird isn’t it? Walter Reed Middle School sounds a lot like … yup, Walter Reed Army Medical Center - the place our seriously injured troops and their families go after suffering serious injuries. To beat you over the head with this, the GOP said “let’s highlight our troops” but couldn’t figure out even how to do this in the empty symbolic (and awkward) way there were planning.

Of course, that isn’t the end of it. Earlier in the week the Republicans used the convention to unveil the winner of an essay contest about the American Flag. The winning essay was read with a video in the background that not only showed footage of the towers collapsing (which isn’t the only time they used graphic footage) but compelling footage of a military funeral. Oh wait, I mean - of a fake military funeral.

From CBS News:

But CBS News found that the footage of the ‘funeral’ and soldiers is what is called ‘stock’ footage. The soldiers were actors and the funeral scene was from a one-day film shoot, produced in June. No real soldiers were used during production.

The footage, sold by stock-film house Getty Images was produced by a commercial filmmaker in Chicago. Both Getty and the production company, Mr. Big Films, confirmed that the footage was shot on spec and sold to the Republican National Committee.

Yikes. If you want to watch this Casio Keyboard scored masterpiece of a video - click here.

Oh but friends, there is more.

The McCain introduction video included some footage of supporters. Well, not really supporters. Stock photos of supporters. Turns out someone must have done a stock photo search of “African Americans” to add a little color to the video - the easy way … by faking it.

Some smart googlers found the photos and posted them in all their stock photo glory. Sad.

Pretty embarrassing huh.

These people can’t even run their convention. They can’t even run an essay contest. They can’t even run what amounts to a PowerPoint program that puts photos behind the man they want to be President.

Please, tell me again, if they can’t even get these tiny little itty-bitty things right … how the hell are they going to get our country back on track again.

Maybe I am being a little dramatic here - but my dear friend Capt. Zappy Scallydootle (I put a photo I took of him below) is desperate for high quality and affordable medical (and let’s be clear, dental) care. So please John, Sarah, Republicans - can you get your shit together for Zappy? He needs us, more now than ever.