Less Than Five Weeks To Go...

The November elections are a little more than a month away and I've been slacking. At least when it comes to blogging. Between going to work and school, studying and volunteering, and what little social life I have, that time left over is when all you want to do is sleep. But now is not the time! I apologize for the two week lapse in updates, it won't happen again, especially as we get down to the wire.

But what a two weeks it has been! The American public is absolutely sour about Iraq. The country is bursting at the seams. Bush currently holds a 61% disapproval rating on Iraq. A large majority of Americans just aren't eating up Bush's crap that Iraq is a central front to the war on terror. It is becoming widely recognized that Iraq is making us less safe.

Bob Woodward has released a new book and I'm going to be worried when this guy dies. Over the course of thirty years, Woodward has been at the top of investigative reporting and his work led to the downfall of one of the most corrupt politicians in our history. Now, he's working on his second downfall in the making. New revelations about what the Bush Administration knew before 9.11.2001 and their subsequent responses have broken through in the mainstream media. It seems that it wasn't Clinton's fault after all... I find it ironic that ABC has done most of the work on the Foley scandal thus far, only a couple of weeks after the GOP-fellate-fest that was "The Path to 9.11".

And, of course, the Foley Scandal. We all know the story: Foley preys on underage male pages. House GOP Leadership finds out. Does nothing. Acts to preserve a seat rather than preserve the safety of children in their charge. Then lies about it.

Make no mistake about it: This scandal will affect every single House race in this election. I would bet most Republican voters are re-thinking their options for November. Some of the most avid believers in the modern GOP cause will want to sit this one out. They won't vote for Democrats, but they sure will sit on their hands on Nov. 7 and pout over their loss.

The rank-and-file Republicans have lost their Party. This is Arizona, a fairly conservative state. I know many Republicans. They are good people, smart people, and most have principled positions. They may disagree with Democrats or be outright fearful of us, but they don't stand for covering up the actions of child predators in the halls of Congress. The House is for Democrats to lose.

What does this mean for J.D. Hayworth?

Well, he's probably afraid that some of his hardcore GOP base will be turned-off completely by the Foley Scandal and sit this one out. He should be worried that Harry Mitchell will gain GOP and more indy votes for demanding accountability and arguing for new leadership (both within the GOP pre-election and an elected Democratic leadership post-election). He should be worried that immigration is taking a back-seat (hell, immigration is in the trunk) to Iraq and the Foley scandal.

The events of the past two weeks have been a gift to Democrats, every Democrat, including Harry Mitchell. It is important that Harry get his message of new, honest leadership out there. So canvass, phone bank, and donate. Talk to your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family. It is also important that Harry demands that J.D. support a full investigation and call for the resignation of Dennis Hastert. So call J.D.'s office and tell him to do just that. When he doesn't (and he won't), that will be Harry's cue to pounce.

This is ours, guys. Ours to take. Let's not let this one slip away.

Note: In my absence there has been plenty to read around the blogosphere. Craig at Random Musings has been keeping very busy and every post is well worth the read. Geo at Precinct 134 is back and has a new piece. Check out AZ Netroots, where Tim O has been doing some blogging on polling and other topics. And if you want a full re-cap on news and information, then I suggest dropping by AZ Congress Watch and Plugged In. No worries!