Wednesday News Roundup

Craig over at Random Musings continues to impress me. He has an awesome piece on J.D.'s record concerning prescription drugs and Medicare Part D. It breaks down J.D.'s press release attacking Harry Mitchell for "lies and distortions." As Craig clearly points out, it is J.D. doing the lying and distorting.

MoveOn members held another protest against J.D. "Red-Handed" Hayworth. Ghostgrrl has all the details and pictures. They did excellent work and got coverage from two Valley news stations.

Lofty Donkey posted a YouTube video that was floated around Kos and other blogs. "This video really highlights why we need to get rid of JD Hayworth and why we need Harry Mitchell in Congress." Watch it. Pass it on. Support Harry.

Finally, the Mitchell campaign's latest press release calls J.D. out... on everything.

Young Voter Turnout and the AZ-05 Race

On Saturday I joined my Young Dem friends at the Young Democrats of Arizona Organizing Convention. We discussed youth voter turnout in past elections and trends for this year. If 2004 was any indication, this year we should expect a big turnout for young people (ages 18-3o). There were nearly 4.6 million new young voters last cycle, close to a 10% increase from 2002. Young voters also backed Kerry over Bush, 54% to 44%.

The main focus of the convention was on getting young people out to vote. Historically, the conventional wisdom has been that young people are lazy and apathetic. Working with the people at the Convention, I know that the CW is dead wrong. I was very encouraged by the number of dedicated young people who participated at the Convention. We are not a group of kids obsessed with iPods and Laguna Beach. We are dead serious about politics and we want to win. Very badly.

Young people care about what is going on in the world. I don't think lazy or apathetic is a fair label for my generation. However, I will admit that we can be a cynical and skeptical bunch. That's what turns most young people off, I think. They see a system full of corruption and dirty dealings, run by schmucks. And, unfortunately, they think that corruption and incompetance pervades both parties. As one ASU student said to me the other day, "They are all the same, the system can't continue without corruption and corrupt bastards." The only way for that to change is to get out and vote. Corrupt bastards like J.D. Hayworth don't need to be there nor do they deserve to represent us. People listen to their peers, and if enough people scream "VOTE!", the more people will vote.

I learned that statistically it usually takes seven times for a voter to hear from a campaign or group to be motivated enough to not only vote, but support your candidate or goal. That is a lot of phone-banking, a lot of canvassing, and a lot of hard work. It can be done, and I know from working with the Young Democrats that there is a group of hard working activists that will do everything they can to get those young voters to the polls.

Young voters will be instrumental for Harry Mitchell in CD 5. And students couldn't ask for a better candidate in Harry. For J.D. Hayworth, who voted for slashed education budgets, to criticize Harry Mitchell of not being a friend to students, young people, and children, he ought to do better than cite the Goldwater Institute's report cards. There is no need to go over Harry's education record again. He will be there for young people, especially students. Period. All of J.D.'s blowhardiness cannot undo 30 years of work and principle.

The youth vote helped Janet Napolitano into the governor's seat. They helped John Kerry take District 17 in Tempe by almost nine points. They can help Harry Mitchell in to Congress.

If you're a Democrat under 35, get involved with your local Young Dems chapter. They are constantly busy with phone-banking and canvassing. And, of course, you can directly help Harry Mitchell and other local candidates. The important thing is that in the two months before the election we reach as many people as possible. And remember, we have to reach them all seven times. Get out there, help drive up the vote, talk to friends and family. You know the drill.

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Harry Fires Back!

The press release war between Hayworth and Harry Mitchell continues today with Harry telling J.D. to get with the frickin' times.

Hayworth's campaign issued a press release that claimed, "Even after two
decades Harry Mitchell still refuses to do the right thing by returning the
tainted cash associated with [Charles] Keating."

Hayworth failed to mention that 16 years ago,
then-Tempe Mayor Mitchell donated $2,500 representing all contributions to the
Mitchell for Mayor campaign from Keating, his family and his
representatives to the Valley
of the Sun United Way.

Ironically, the Hayworth campaign asked, "Why can't Hypocrite Harry do
the right thing and donate his Keating contributions to charity?"

Mitchell's donation to the United Way took place two years before
Keating was convicted of fraud, racketeering and conspiracy charges.

J.D. and company have been digging a tunnel to China trying to find dirt on Harry Mitchell. Then when they find some garbage, as insignificant or minor as can be, they distort it and throw it back at Harry like a ten-year old with a temper tantrum.

Congratulations, J.D. In the five months since Harry Mitchell has entered the race you have yet to campaign on your record. And I don't blame you. If I went to the moderate voters of District Five with votes against stem-cell research and a minimum wage increase, I'd expect a backlash. Even J.D.'s harsh rhetoric on immigration is falling on deaf ears. Arizonans want a sensible, logical solution to immigration. Building a fence and supporting the prosecution of Good Samaritans is not what the people are looking for. Of course when a pollster asks if there should be a fence on the border, most people will say yes. If asked if that was an adequate solution to the thousands of people coming to our country to work illegally, I'd guess a lot would say no.

There are less than 100 days until Election Day. Harry Mitchell has taken the gloves off when it comes to ethics. He's got Hayworth digging up newspaper clippings from the late 80s and denying the amount of contributions from Abramoff (even though he denied the numbers his own office released). Ethics will be important this November, but I would like Harry to really take it to Hayworth on one issue: Iraq.

The War is front and center in our national debate. Everyday it becomes increasingly unpopular. America wants a change of course. If we have heeded the lessons of the Lamont/Lieberman primary, we know that those who support Bush's plan in Iraq are in deep shit. Hayworth has been a Bush enabler on Iraq since the beginning.

I believe Harry can greatly help his chances by publicly endorsing Lamont, supporting the Murtha Plan or a similar idea (be it from Feingold, Kerry, Levin, etc.), and slamming Hayworth for supporting the failed "stay the course" strategy.

Americans don't buy it anymore, Arizonans don't buy it anymore, and it is high time that J.D. be kicked out of Congress for selling a product that has led us to disaster.

Democrats Lead Congressional Ballot Poll!

And it can only mean trouble for J.D. Hayworth.

From kos.

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Aug. 8-9, 2006. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Thinking ahead to this November's elections, if the congressional election were held today, would you vote for the Democratic candidate in your district or the Republican candidate in your district?" [7/11-7/12 results in parenthesis]

Democrat: 48 (42)
Republican: 30 (34)
Unsure: 22 (25)

As kos noted, this isn't just a generic ballot poll. FOX asked how people would vote in their own districts! Support for the Republican Party is at a dismal 30%. That's what's left of the GOP and President Bush. A paltry 30%, whether it be their chances at re-election or Bush's approval rating.

Hayworth must be sweating bullets. His campaign team is digging more than Exxon for even the tiniest and most insignificant things they can distort and throw at Harry Mitchell. It really makes me want a district poll, especially after Lamont's win and in light of current events.

Wednesday Open Thread

I received an e-mail from Carolyn at Buzzflash. They have a piece on J.D. and his connections with Big Oil, a close to $170,000 connection. A group of citizens united against J.D. and his corrupt policies protested outside a Hayworth fundraiser with big red foam hands. [Edit: I just saw on the YouTube summary that it was a MoveOn.org gathering. Go MoveOn!] Yes, J.D., you have been caught red-handed. They also YouTubed the protest, great vid, really cute. Check it out.

Craig has the run-down on the back and forth between Harry Mitchell and J.D. Hayworth concerning ethics. Craig points out that most of Hayworth's ammunition is more than twelve years old and very minor. Todd Sommers must have a lot of time to do opposition research at the library going through reels of microfilm. Well, he has more stomach than me, those things make me feel seasick. I prefer, you know, Google and the Internet. Stuff that is relevant within the past several years, rather than decades.

Last night, Ned Lamont became the new face of the people-powered progressive movement by beating Joe Lieberman. J.D. Hayworth is in big trouble if a Northeastern Democrat with the same positions is getting thrown out in a primary. I hope Harry publicly endorses Lamont. Let's not only make this election a referendum on Hayworth's ethics, his xenophobic immigration rhetoric, and his blowhardiness, but on Hayworth's unwavering support for the President and the disasterous debacle in Iraq.

I See the Signs Now

Harry Mitchell's campaign has been putting up signs in Tempe and south Scottsdale for the past few weeks. It seems he is targetting the areas that would be the best bet for Democratic turnout.

I have a problem with that, though. I was driving through west Chandler and Ahwatukee this past week and I haven't seen any Mitchell signs. Ahwatukee might be leaning right, but west Chandler is up for grabs as it is mostly composed of new move-ins from all over the place. My friends who live and work in north Scottsdale said they see J.D. Hayworth signs, but no Harry Mitchell signs.

Harry's campaign has been doing a great job thus far. I would like to see more signs in heavily Republican areas, though. This will be our chance, the Democrats chance to re-align a huge portion of the electorate. Yeah, that's optimistic speculation, but I think it can happen. It won't happen if Democrats abandon whole swaths of their districts that lean Republican.

I don't think Harry will do that, though. He needs to get his name recognition up in Chandler, Scottsdale, and Fountain Hills. Harry is a pragmatic politician and the moderate voters of this district will vote for pragmatism. But first, they need to know who he is. I wish some polling was done on name recognition and favoribility ratings.

Driving through Tempe, one can't help but notice J.D.'s lame signs. "Please don't steal this sign, Harry"? You got to be kidding me. Are you running for Congress, J.D., or for fourth grade class president?

Then, J.D. releases a press release solely to brag about these signs. You think Todd Sommers would have something better up his sleeve. So, not only is Todd's brilliance good enough to come up with those snipes, but he then takes a step further and accuses Mitchell of stealing the snipes.

Given Mitchell's past sign stealing, for which he faced criminal charges, [Note: for which he was cleared] the new signs are helpful reminders meant to help Mitchell and his supporters fight the urge. They will be going up all around the fifth district. In a disappointing development, however, it has already been reported by the campaign's sign vendor that several of the snipes have been stolen.

"I have to hand it to the Mitchell camp and its supporters, they move pretty fast," said Hayworth spokesman Todd Sommers. "Maybe now we'll have to get snipes asking them not a steal our snipes."

[emphasis mine]

Let me see if I can put myself in their situation. They put up the signs and then attach the snipes. Oh, wow, they must think they are so clever! Then they realize how juvenile and cheap the trick is... not so clever after all. So, let's use an idiotic tactic and make stuff up about the opponent. Let's accuse Mitchell of stealing the snipes.

Excuse me while I use some eye drops... the act of rolling them over and over again can make them dry and tired.

When I was in Tempe, I noticed a few J.D. signs without the snipes. So, either the snipes were never there and Hayworth's team is lying. Or they were taken down by someone who was willing put themselves in legal jeopardy to actually help J.D. out.

Because that's what the person who took the snipes (if they were even taken) is really doing... saving J.D. from a lot of embarrassment.

Update: Some friends of mine and I went to Bartlett Lake to do some wakeboarding and tubing this morning. Damn, I'm sore. Going north on Pima from the 101 to about Thompson Peak Parkway, I saw at least six Harry Mitchell signs. Awesome.