Blog For Arizona

Drinking Liberally 11/30 & Green Drinks 11/29

UPDATE: Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll will be joining us this evening for a liberal dose of conversation.

After a week's hiatus to accommodate everyone's Thanksgiving turkey-induced comas, Drinking Liberally is back to make your holiday season a little more merry. We will be meeting this week on Thursday at the Shanty on 4th Avenue starting at 6pm, as usual. All the info you need is on the right hand side bar of this blog.

For a while, we are trying a new approach concerning food at Drinking Liberally: potluck! Please bring food for the group if you can. Much appreciated are finger foods that go well with beer and don't suffer spoilage and don't need anything in the way of serving utensils.

Recently, we hosted City Manager Mike Hein, who gave us all a crash education on city government and proved to be a heck of a fun guy and real sport, answering our questions for over 2 hours. He claims to be a simple guy, but it's obvious to me that Mike is a very smart fella.

If you have in mind public figures you would like to see at Drinking Liberally, drop us a line.

Many of you might be interested in our 'sister organization' of sorts, Green Drinks of Tucson. Green Drinks is a networking and discussion group for those working in and interested in the environmental field. Green Drinks meets once a month on the last Wednesday of the month at La Cocina at Old Town Artisans square. Their next meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday the 29th, at 6pm.

Please consider joining their mailing list if you are interested in attending.

Good-bye to All That

The American Conservative: Good-bye to All That.

I seldom simply recommend an article on my blog. That I'm doing so should be taken as evidence that this essay by Austin Bramwell, formerly a trustee of the conservative mouthpiece National Review, totally blew my hair back. A few intellectually honest conservatives have recently begun attempts to dig themselves free of the conceptual wreckage that has been made of the conservative movement by conservative politicians. This is one of the best of that new breed of screeds that I have read in which an conservative divine declares conservatism intellectually bankrupt.

Like we didn't already know that... but the question still remains, what now? Liberalism still has not poured a coherent intellectual foundation that antedates the New Deal and synthesizes the lessons learned since then and the vast chances in American life since the 1930s. Perhaps we don't need any ideology beyond a salutory concern with the common welfare and hard-nosed pragmatism; but such values are harder to communicate to the electorate (such flexibility results in the laundry lists of complaints and projects the Democratic Party is notorious for, and often descends into simple interest group politics). Perhaps ideology is the scourge of American politics, not its savior.

Now that the conservatives are coming out and telling the truth about their paucity of intellectual consistency in their actual use of power, perhaps we liberals should draw inspiration from the example of these worthies and do the same. I defy anyone to frame the internally consistent premises upon which the DLC makes policy. Let's hope that it doesn't take a complete train-wreck such as the GOP has conducted over the past 6 years for us to wake up and realize that we too may lack the intellectual freight to keep our Democratic Majority Express on the rails.

P.S. Thanks for all the supportive and helpful comments and emails during my hiatus. It seems many of you feel that blogs like this one are the best source you have for much local and state level politics. While I'm sure to continue to comment and ask for your thoughts about national politics, I intend to refocus on local and state matters. With a greatly improved minority position in the state legislature and near complete control of Tucson government, there is a lot of interesting and, hopefully, empowering news to bring to readers. I hope some of you feel up to delivering on the promise of citizen journalism and activism as writers.

DFA Tucson Iraq War Forum Dec. 6th

DFA Tucson
PRESENTS

IRAQ: What Next?

Wednesday December 6^th , 2006
at 7:00pm

Northwest Neighborhood Center

2160 N 6th Ave , Tucson, AZ 

(One block south of Grant Rd on 6 ^th Ave. Next to Mansfield Park)

Click here for Map

 

A Panel Discussion followed by Questions and Answers.

This Event is Free and open to all.  Please invite others to attend.

Why did the Bush administration invade?

Dr. Richard Eaton

Professor, Dept. of History, The University of Arizona. He has had a long term interest in the Middle East, South Asia, and geopolitics and the global policies of the U.S. He has lived in the Middle East and India and has traveled extensively.

What is the real situation in Iraq?

Dr. Leila Hudson

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Near Eastern Studies, The University of Arizona . She is fluent in Arabic and monitors U.S. and Arab Media. She has lived and worked in Syria periodically since the 1980s and is familiar with the perspective of the people in the region.

How can this conflict be resolved?

Ambassador David Dunford

Former U.S. Ambassador to Oman from 1992 to 1995. Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1988 to 1992. He served on the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad as Senior Ministerial Laision to Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs between April and June of 2003.

Forum Moderator

Dr. Charles Smith

Professor, Dept of Near Eastern Studies, The University of Arizona Specialist in modern Middle East history. The sixth edition of his book "Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict" will appear in December.

An Invitation

You might have noticed that I've been rather quiet of late. My heart just isn't in the blogging at the moment. Every time I think about a topic I might want to blog about a little voice says, "Well, who cares, really?" I've been locked in oppositional mode for so long that I've lost the taste for anything but GOP blood.

I need you to help me out of the slump. There are only two basic topics that seem obvious targets for my 'fighting keyboard': harrassing the GOP's rearguard and riduculing their supporters as they deny that there is any retreat going on, and holding our own accountable as they take power. Both feel like somewhat limp beats for a blogger; one is too easy, the other thankless. I hope that you can give me some idea of what you would like to see at this blog in the future.

Would you prefer I focus much more locally on city, county, and state politics? Would you like to see more discursive essays on Democratic priciples and policies? Something else entirely? Would you like to see more guest authors weighing in with different viewpoints? I'm all ears... tell me what you want.

Representative Giffords Announces Transistion Team

A fairly important document, which has gotten only pro forma coverage from the traditional media, and a little more coverage in the local Douglas Dispatch, recently landed in my in-box: a press release naming the members of Gabby's transition team tasked with creating a staff for the new Congresswoman. Their actions and decisions will have tremendous impact on the effectiveness of Gabby's representation of our district. A weak staff can be the difference between an efficient, responsive office which supports the Representative with timely research and fact-finding and wise counsel and an unprepared, ineffectual Representative surrounded by yes men.

Congresswoman-elect Gabrielle Giffords has announced her Transition Team, a group of eleven community, business, and government leaders from across Congressional District 8 who have extensive experience achieving results through consensus-building, listening, and collaboration.

"The people of Southern Arizona spoke clearly last Tuesday: they want leadership that rises above party lines and focuses on getting the job done for the families of Southern Arizona," said Congresswoman-elect Giffords.  "I'm pleased to announce our Transition Team, a group of people who have broad experience in achieving results for Southern Arizona.  This team will enable my Congressional office to transition seamlessly into performing the same high quality constituency services for the people of the Eighth Congressional District for which Congressman Kolbe was respected."

The Transition Committee will be chaired by Ron Barber, Former District Program Administrator of the Arizona Department of Economic Security's Division of Developmental Disabilities.  Barber also served as Giffords' Community Outreach Director during her Congressional Campaign.

The Transition Committee will also include:

Art Chapa -- Former District Director, Rep. Mo Udall; Former Member, Arizona Board of Regents

Judy Gignac -- Former Member of the Arizona Board of Regents; Former Chairperson, Cochise County Board of Supervisors

Gene Karp  -- Former Chief of Staff, Sen. Dennis DeConcini

Fred DuVal -- Member, Arizona Board of Regents; Former White House Deputy Chief of Protocol

Ana Ma  -- Senior Advisor, Rep. Raul Grijalva

Morris Farr  -- Former Arizona State Senator, resident of Sonoita

Michael McNulty  -- Campaign Chairman, Giffords for Congress; Water rights and technology attorney; son of Rep. Jim McNulty

Jim Woodbury, Ph.D -- Retired business owner and physicist; resident of Green Valley

Terry Babcock-Lumish, Ph.D  -- President, Islay Consulting, an economic, policy, and political consulting firm;  resident of Sierra Vista

Margy McGonagill -- Former Director of Federal Relations, University of Arizona

There is a good bit to add to this spare listing of qualifications, and there are some interesting facts to highlight about some of these team members. First, though the team does "rises above party lines," it only rises high enough for a challenging limbo contest. Only one of the team members is a Republican. And that one may not be the best choice - but more on that later.

Ron Barber was a key member of Gabby's campaign, and I'm glad to see him at the helm of the transition team. I've met him a few times, but it is his sterling reputation from his 32 years at the Division of Developmental Disabilities which recommends him as both a compassionate advocate for those in need, and as an able administrator, capable of creating profound institutional changes.

Art Chapa has been a lobbyist for Pima County and Pima Community College, a member of the Arizona Board of Reagents, and serves on the Raul Castro Institute advisory board as the representative of the Castro family. Mr. Chapa will bring a great deal of experience and institutional savoir-faire to bear on building Gabby's team.

Judy Cignac is part of Gabby's effort to reach across party lines. Ms. Cignac is long-time supporter of Jim Kolbe in Conchise County and a prominent Republican. In addition to the positions noted in the release, she was a member of the Ft. Huachuca 50 and leader of it's Team Cochise. She was past Vice         President and General Manager of Bella Vista Water Company and the General Manager of Bella Vista Ranches Limited Partnership in Sierra Vista. She has held positions on numerous boards and committees including the Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Sierra Vista United Way, the Sierra Vista Citizens' Advisory Committee, the University of Arizona South Foundation, and the Upper San Pedro Partnership. She also served as a member of the statewide Riparian Area Advisory Committee, co-chair of the Water Issues Group for the Sierra Vista area, and director of the Water Utilities Association of Arizona.

There is no doubt that Ms. Cignac is an accomplished and knowledgeable person with considerable experience in county government, education, and water issues. Part of Gabby's challenge as U.S. Representative, and a key campaign promise, is working to save the San Pedro river and preserve Ft Huachuca's mission. Ms. Cignac certainly has relevant experience to that mission. However, no matter how well-intentioned an individual, I question whether someone who makes their living developing real estate, bringing ever more people to Cochise County, and then selling ground water to those people, is the best person to be taking advice from on how to save the San Pedro from those very activities.

It is laudable that Ms. Cignac is deeply engaged in so many self-regulatory private initiatives to deal with the issues of development and water in Cochise County, and that she has a great deal of experience in government, but none of those efforts have yet created significant progress toward sustainability and conservation in the region. It is, I hope, not too cynical to suggest that maintenance of the status quo is the true aim of people who have clear conflicts of interest as has Ms. Cignac. Though, in principle, I think Gabby's attempt to bridge the partisan divide is laudable, I suggest she choose her lumber more carefully.

Gene Karp is one of Tucson's political hierophants and a partner in the actively Democratic firm of Karp, Huerlin & Weiss. He served contemporaneously as DeConcini's chief of staff and chief legal council for 17 years. Gabby could hardly have chosen anyone better to serve as an institutional anchor of her transition team.

Many of us political junkies are familiar with Fred Duval. I don't know why the capsule bio in the release doesn't state Fred's most immediately relevant experience; he ran for the Democratic nomination to Congress himself in CD1 in 2002 and was defeated by George Cordova. In fact, his campaign website is archived at Minerva if you're interested.

Ana Ma is, of course, Rep. Grijalva's gal Friday, political mastermind, and, reputedly, the agent of Grijalva's early endorsement of Gabby, which considerably smoothed her path to the nomination. Ana directed the state co-ordinated campaign in 2004. I can only see it as a good thing that Ana will be injecting Grijalva's political DNA into Gabby's Congressional egg.

Morris Farr is on the Board of the Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum, which advocates for issues of concern to Sonoita Valley communities in Santa Cruz county. He is also the Chairman of Arizona Borderlands Democrats.

Dr. Jim Woodbury, I don't know much about, but the more advanced degrees a Congresscritter works with, the better I like it.

Dr. Terry Babcock-Lumish is an interesting choice for the team. She holds a doctorate in economic geography, is an Associate Fellow of Geography at Oxford, a senior research associate at the Harvard Law School's Labor & Worklife Program, and a visiting scholar at UofA living in Sierra Vista, and is President of Islay Consulting. She has been named by the Tucson Citizen as one of our 40 under 40. Her academic profile indicates a very interesting research focus:

Terry Babcock-Lumish's research interests involve decision-making in financial innovation, the ways in which trust sustains venture capital and angel investment processes, and the extent to which shared experience - including gender, ethnicity, education, language, interests, etc. - factor into high-risk decisions involving information asymmetry. She is particularly interested in how an improved understanding of recent years' successes and failures in major financial centers, such as London and Boston, may shed light on improving the formal funding of scientific and technological innovation, particularly in information and communication technologies and biotechnology.

Dr. Babcock-Lumish is also involved in a program to study best practices in investing pension funds in urban renewal projects. This is one of my own pet preoccupations: how much more could we do to improve our urban environments if pension fund managers and beneficial owners could direct the hundreds of billions invested with pension funds toward improving our cities, rather than chasing the highest rate of gain in the financial markets? I'm glad to see Gabby taking advice from someone who is interested in this topic, and in fostering the growth of a vigorous entrepreneurial environment in Arizona.

Margy McGonagill, in addition to her work with the University, is serving on the Judicial Performance Review board. She is a state coordinator for the Parkinson's Action Network and Margy worked for Michigan Democratic Congressman William Ford as his Chief of Staff. Margy sits on the Board of Directors of ImmuneRegen BioSciences Inc. of Scottsdale, a biotech pharma developing drugs for radiological and chemical weapons exposure. She brings a wide array of experiences and competencies to Gabby team.

 

Drinking Liberally 11/16

Liberals will be found drinking and talking at the Shanty on 4th Ave. again this Thursday evening, beginning at 6pm.

This week our special guest will be Mike Hein, Tucson's City Manager. I'm sure many of you haven't yet met the fellow who now runs our fair city. In our City Manager-centric, civil-service-oriented city charter, the Manager has a great deal of influence over the daily administration of the city. Take this chance to come and meet with Mike in person.

Last week, we had some good fun. We had a champaign toast to the new Democratic majority, and a whole lot of other toasts following that one. We met some new friends, reconnected with some old ones, and even had some friends down from Phoenix who made the trip just to be with us at this happy time. If some folks will drive 4 hours to come to Drinking Liberally, what are you waiting for, a written invitation? Come on down. You won't be sorry you did.

On to '08

There are many who view the recent Democratic revolution (we might as well use the grandiose term, too) as little more than an opportunity to more effectively campaign to retake the Presidency in 2008. Given that there is little Congress can do to definitely end the war in Iraq (though plenty they can do to accelerate our departure) beyond cutting off funding for the troops (which Democratic leaders have vowed not to do - foolishly in my view), that is a valid viewpoint. Control of Congress will give us much needed oversight and investigatory powers, which is likely to only further discredit the GOP. But access to the levers of power will also allow Democrats to frame an agenda and prove our ability to create a 'vision' for the country.

However, I'll concede some curiosity as to who's rising and who is falling in the Presidential firmament of 2008.

I make no bones about the fact that I think the best person for the job is the guy who won in 2000: Albert Gore. His reluctance to place his hat in the ring is entirely expected and good strategy. The GOP can't turn the entire battery of rhetorical guns on him until he's announced. He has more incentive than any other candidate to make a late announcement.

The other obvious candidate is Hillary Clinton. She has strong support in the party, is sitting on a massive war chest, and has the savviest political players in her camp. Problem is, people don't like her much. She has very high negatives, but she's shown she can win elections - in New York state, at least.

The smell in the room that everyone is pretending to ignore is Senator John Kerry, the 2004 candidate. Many think he's damaged goods, proven unable to lead the party effectively, and prone to sticking his silver-plated foot in his mouth. But he and Edwards very effectively leveraged the netroots to support candidates for Congress by hammering their '04 mailing lists for donations to key races through Act Blue.

The Conventional Wisdom is that one of these four is likely to be the nominee for 2008.

Of course, there is also Obama-fever, which may or may not be a factor by 2008. They say that the Senate is 100 guys (though a few are actually girls) who think they should be President. It's refreshing then to see a freshman Senator come in and disclaim all the hoopla, and say he's just there to learn the ropes and any Presidential talk will have to wait awhile. Oddly, that seems to have only fanned the flames in Obama's case.

I like a lot of things about Barak Obama (not the least of which is his really cool name), but I think the expectation that he'll choose to run for President in 2008, or that he would win if he were nominated is badly misplaced. Firstly, much of his appeal is his overwhelming win in Illinois, a very large, diverse, and moderate state. Two problems with that: his win was exaggerated because he lacked any credible opponent, and his appeal to religious voters is overstated.

Many think that Obama, with his openly religious rhetoric and appeal for bi-partisanship could win in at least the border regions of the South. Ford's failed Senate bid in Tennesee pretty thoroughly discredits that idea. Ford is every bit as attractive a candidate and every bit as religious, and he only picked up a few percentage points among religious voters while fatally under-performing among Independents as a direct result. The problem is, of course, not the religion of these Democrats, nor how they talk about it - it's their color. A black man will not win the South; hell, even white evangelical Democrats like Gore, Clinton, and Carter must have their stars align just so to win anywhere in the South now.

So where do the 'major' prospects stand now? Recent polling (Nov. 7th, 2006) suggests little one couldn't guess:

The only surprise is the sheer strength of Barak Obama for someone few had ever heard of as recently as 2003. Only he and John Edwards (also a fresh face on the national political scene) actually gain share when Independents are added, suggesting that both men are doing something right, are simply personally appealing in a way that few other Democrats are, or that less people are sick of them yet.

There may have been a little movement now that Russ Feingold has said definitively he will not seek the Presidency, as has Mark Warner (which is why he's not in the poll), who may seek the Senate seat of senior VA Senator John Warner if that worthy gentleman retires or seeks the Republican Presidential nomination. One wonders how many voters won't even notice the change of first name on their ballots.

But who will take the plunge? Already two have seriously vetted the idea and back away from the edge. Are any of the candidates unlikely to make an announcement? We know Gore is tactfully dodging inquiries, while Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa has already announced. Only the candidates can say for sure, but there is a new political futures market, the Washington Stock Exchange (WSX), similar to the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX), which has been so accurate at capturing latent knowledge about movie releases that major studios have contracted for special access to trading information.

According to the latest prices on Presidential announcement stocks, which translates directly from dollar price to percentage odds, with $0.00 equaling 0% chance up to $100.00 equaling a 100% chance:

• Barak Obama is at $93.70 (93%)
• Hillary Clinton is at $90.89 (90%)
• John Edwards is at $87.54 (87%)
• Evan Bayh is at $75.03 (75%)
• Wesley Clark is at $70.06 (70%)
• Bill Richarson is at $69.00 (69%)
• John Kerry is at $59.87 (57%)

Al Gore is not listed. I suspect that at this point, close to launch of the WSX site, these prices are more aspirational than informational. There is a very nice opportunity to short Obama stock. I don't think the likelihood of his running is anything like 93%. Instead, I think these are closer to popularity rankings. WSX doesn't use real money, which encourages enthusiasms.

Tradesports.com maintains a real-money political book which works very similarly to WSX in terms of odds to price ratios. Actual money attracts better information. The lines on the 2008 candidates are much different at Tradesports. The overwhelming favorite is Hillary Clinton at $58. The only other candidates over $5 are Gore at $11.2, Obama at $14.3, and Edwards at $8.2. It is telling that the two runners-up to Hillary are both candidates who have either denied any ambition to run or remained very cagey about it. Kerry, who one might expect to be the runner-up to Hillary is trading at just $1.6, far below his VP running-mate Edwards.

Our executive bench is deeply sick and overshadowed by the prospect of President Hillary. We know former Governors win the President quite frequently in the 20th century, yet not a single Governor is in the top five of our Presidential line-up. They are all Senators, who have historically very rarely won election to the Presidency. What the heck is wrong with us?

The folks on the board who are, or have been Governors, are Bill Richardson of NM, Tom Vilsack of IA, Brian Schweitzer of MT, and Howard Dean of VT, John Corzine of NJ, Ed Rendell of PA, and Rod Blagojevich of IL. Richardson is expected to run. Vilsack has announced, Schweitzer, Blagojevich, Corzine, and Rendell have not announced any intent, and Dean is likely disqualified by his chairmanship of the DNC.

I believe that several good candidates, and possibly our nominee will emerge from this group of Governors, if it is not Gore or Hillary. And if it is Gore or Hillary, a former governor is likely to be his/her running-mate. We really need to stop running candidates with no credible executive experience and start running Governors. Gore is acceptable because he was a very active and involved Vice President for 8 years, and now has years of entrepreneurial executive business experience. Hillary on the other hand - I'm not sure that First Lady is the best training ground for a President. But I'm not convinced that we'll see Hillary run in 2008. She very well may stay in the Senate if she can snatch a leadership position that suits her. In fact, when I think about the Senate leadership, I picture Harry Reid as Majority Leader with Hillary standing right behind him, ready to step up if he stumbles.

Personally, I like the populist style of Brian Schweitzer of Montana for President or Vice President. I think he is a really great dark horse candidate for the party. He has shown that he knows how to win in rural America, which is a skill that Democrats need add back into our institutional DNA; Brian is just the plasmid for the job. Any of these Governor candidates could break out and surprise us. Dean demonstrated that very clearly in 2004. Democrats are hungry for leadership that speaks to our progressive and populist heritage, and appeals to both our common sense and idealism, and that has a record of executive leadership to run on.

A lot of folks here in Arizona have looked at our Governor's mansion and thought, "Why not?" I don't think that would happen. Janet is not going to run for President, and I don't even think she'd accept a nod for VP. The only job she really covets, other than the one she has, is Supreme Court Justice. And that could only happen once a Democrat is in the White House, say, 2010 maybe? That way we don't have to have Jan Brewer for Governor. Eeech pttui. It burns!

Shadegg's Party

Representative Shadegg of Arizona is making a bid for the minority whip post in the new Republican minority leadership. This excerpt from his letter demonstrates that the GOP isn't chasted by their loss at all. If anything, movement conservatives are more out of touch with reality than ever.

"The vicious onslaught of attacks against us, individually and collectively, showed us that our opponents will stop at nothing to gain power. We will not stoop to their level, but we must prepare for 2008. We must craft an agenda for the next Congress that emphasizes those things we all agree on - our core principles - and we must build a record of Democrats support for extreme positions out of touch with America."

'Vicious onslaught of attacks'? What race was he in? Democrats will stop at nothing to gain power? As opposed to stopping at nothing to retain power? What the hell is wrong with this guy? 'We will not stoop to their level'? You mean these guys can still stoop from race-baiting, gay-bashing, personal attacks as an entire campaign strategy, and calling anyone who disagrees with the President's policies un-American terrorist lovers? All I can do is roll my eyes in disbelief at this guy's disconnection from all reality.

Finally, the really chilling part of this little graf, 'we must build a records of Democrats support for extreme positions'. What this tells me is that Shadegg proposes to use the same divisive showboating and political theater in opposition that Newt Gingrich and his gang used. The GOP has wasted untold resources and, most importantly, Congressional time (a very limited commodity) in pursuing absolutely meaningless, even unconstitutional, legislation just to be able to use the votes against Democrats and energize their basest constituents. Shadegg proposes a return to the pettifogging bullshit that, in part, won them election in 1994. Shadegg thinks that the American people will fall for that dog and pony show again.

This is not a Representative interested in using a minority leadership position to benefit the country or attempt to moderate Democratic control of Congress with conservative values, Shadegg is only interested in using his office to sabotage and exploit the democratic progress and score political points. He knows that Democrats will not keep the changes to House rules with which the GOP has bound and gagged the minority, and he plans to exploit our fairness to harass and embarrass the majority, not to improve the deliberative process.

This is just more of the same political posturing that has landed the GOP in hot water with voters in the first place. Americans want a change and they want progress on key issues like Iraq, health care, immigration, income inequality, job growth, and the pains of globalization; Republicans should be wary of throwing monkey wrenches in the works for political gain, and instead get down in the trenches and help fix what is desperately wrong with America before it's too late.

The alternative is just the opposite of Karl Rove's dream for the GOP: a permanent minority. I actually don't think there is any possibility of a party building a 'permanent majority' in American politics. One party rule is a self-limiting proposition in a democracy given human nature. But one can certainly ignore what voters want, and act in a counter-productive manner that will ensure your party wanders in the wilderness for a very long time: witness the GOP during the 40 year rule of Democrats in the mid-twen-cen. It can happen again, and with leaders like Shadegg, it will: and we'll all suffer for it.

Reading Liberally Books Through May

Reading Liberally is the book club for discussion of current books on issues of politics, current events, and government.

Reading Liberally meets here in Tucson on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 pm. The location is changed monthly at this point, though it may settle upon a permanent location at some point, so check the calendar for each month's location or join the Drinking Liberally Tucson mailing list to be sure you get the location announcement.

We strongly encourage participants to have read the book; the discussion is more rewarding if everyone starts with the same knowledge. However, don't let that keep you away if you sincerely want to learn about the book through our discussion.

Reading Liberally's mission is to make a book discussion meetings as fun and engaging as Drinking Liberally. We try to meet in locations were we can have a glass of wine or beer and a nosh with our discussion. Often it is best to meeting in members' homes, building community and friendships as we explore these books. Always free-wheeling and fun-loving, but also engaging the issues and ideas in each book with a degree of intellectual rigor, we aim to make learning about these books both a great time and well worth your investment of time spent reading and attending.

Suggestions for meeting locations and books can be posted to the Drinking Liberally Tucson message board or emailed to the Hosts at Tucson AT DrinkingLiberally DOT Org.

Here are the books we have slated for the next several months:

Dec. 6th, 2006

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Jan. 3rd, 2007

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Feb. 7th, 2007

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Mar. 7th, 2007

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Apr. 4th , 2007

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May 2nd, 2007

Drinking Liberally 11/9 Post-Mid-Term Edition

You are invited to the Post-Mid-Term Edition of Drinking Liberally!

We have plenty of reason to celebrate the Democratic takeover of the primary branch of government in our nation's capitol. It's time to talk about what we want a Democratic Congress to accomplish.

Come on down to the Shanty on 4th Avenue this Thursday evening, 11/9, starting at 6pm, to share the somewhat unaccustomed feeling of hope and optimism with your fellow liberals.

We have no special guest this week, and I dare say we don't really need one; there is a Democratic majority in the House! And the Senate!

Next week, Mike Hein, Tucson's City Manager will be our special guest.

If you haven't done so yet, please join our mailing list and feel free to share your ideas for Drinking Liberally at our message board. Drinking Liberally Tucson's schedule is permanently posted on the right sidebar of this blog. Inquiries from public figures interested in scheduling attendance as our special guest are always welcome at Tucson AT DrinkingLiberally DOT Org, as are questions and requests from our members.

Shadegg launches Bellweather Leadership Race

AZ Rep. Shadegg, re-elected comfortably last night, announced his bid for the Minority Leadership position in the reorganized House. Shadegg ran a dark horse leadership campaign to replace Tom DeLay as Majority Leader, losing to Rep. Boehner. Presumably, Shadegg will seek to re-launch the conservative revolution which swept him into office in 1994, his full statement is off-site:

"Last night's election was NOT a revolution, nor was it an endorsement of a true or real Democrat alternative. It was a rebuke of the way Washington has conducted itself as of late. This past year, we were presented with many opportunities to act decisively, but instead we wavered in our responsibilities. Yet in defeat there is hope, and now we are presented with an opportunity to reevaluate, unite, and change course."

Shadegg appears to be one of those Republicans deeply in denial about what this election means. Many moderate Republicans see this election as a chance to reassert their leadership in the party. The coming minority leadership races in the House and Senate will be key bell-weathers for whether the GOP is going to become a more moderate and responsible party, or continue as the bomb-throwing, divisive party with a Leninist-style leadership which raised the party to the heights of power only to guide it straight into the ground. If Shadegg is elected, expect yet more of the latter.

The Great State Victory

The headlines today are, of course, Democrats retaking the House, and likely the Senate (the AP has declared Webb the winner in VA, giving Dems the Senate). But equally important, and indicative of the deep political movement yesterday's election represents, is the less heralded news that Democrats took 9 new state legislative chambers last night, and now control the majority, 28, of Governorships.

"As of 7 a.m. MT, Democrats control both houses of the legislature in 23 states; Republicans in 15, and nine are split. Final counts aren't available yet for three chambers in two states: the Montana House and Senate and the Pennsylvania House. This adds up to 49 states because Nebraska's legislature is nonpartisan.

Before the election, Republicans controlled 20 state legislatures; Democrats 19, and 10 were split.

Democrats won approximately 275 more state legislative seats, adding up to new majorities in nine chambers across the nation: the Iowa House and Senate, the Indiana House, the Minnesota House, the Michigan House, the New Hampshire House and Senate, the Oregon House and the Wisconsin Senate. (The Iowa Senate was previously tied.)

Republicans gained a few seats in the Oklahoma Senate to tie that chamber, but Democrats will likely control it because the lieutenant governor, who casts deciding votes, is a Democrat.

"The voters expressed a real desire for change, and all in one direction," said NCSL's elections expert Tim Storey. "The Democrats have put some light between the two parties. This isn't parity anymore."

The Republicans made a fierce counter-attack on the Colorado legislature, which they lost in spectacular fashion in 2004 (as documented in Crashing the Gate). Same in Montana, though results there aren't finished. Yet all across the nation, Republicans have thus far failed to wrestle a single chamber from Democrats"

In addition, Democrats now have 14 indigo states (states where Democrats are now one-party government), the largest number since the GOP captured the same number of crimson states in 1994.

The voters have spoken, and they've spoken all the way down the ticket. Even here in Arizona there were a number of unexpected Democratic pickups where ultra-conservative candidates, such as Jorgensen and Melvin in LD 26, were defeated by Democrats.

The AZGOP did not get their hoped-for veto-proof majority in the AZ legislature. I'm actually almost sorry for it, because I would like them to face the wrath the voters would pile on their heads for obstreperously thwarting a Governor Arizonans just re-elected by a 30 point margin.

The GOP is in deep denial.

The voters have seen past their bullshit, and business as usual isn't going to work for them any more. Many Republicans still think that a 30 point margin can be explained away as a problem with messaging or campaign strategy (i.e. the voters were fooled, or uniformed): fellas, 30 points means that Arizonans hated your candidate, and think he isn't someone they could trust to run a Burger King, let alone our state. A credible candidate would have gained 20 more points. Janet still would have won, but you wouldn't look like complete assholes right now. But, of course, I'm just a partisan who is trying to tempt you away from the doctrinal purity you must attain to win, so pay no attention to this gratuitous advice. By all means, continue to nominate stiff, unlikeable ideologues, who make women reach for the mace and babies cry and whose signature issue is that a memorial to the dead isn't sufficiently jingoistic. We're okay with that, really.

This massive shift in the American political landscape flows right down to the roots of our democracy; it is not just an act of frustration or anger with particular leaders of the GOP at the national level, it's a fundamental repudiation of the core philosophies (or lack thereof, actually) of the GOP. You don't vote out a Republican state legislative majority because of the war in Iraq, you do so because the GOP has betrayed those it was supposed to represent in fundamental ways.

This election was a fundamental rejection of GOP governance, and I am delighted that the GOP is denial about it. That means we'll be able to do the same to them again in 2008. So much for the 'permanent minority.' When you dish shit for a living, sometimes you end up eating a bit of it. How's that taste, bitches?

So this is what its like...

Sweet. I have (almost) nothing to say (yeah, right).

I am beginning to wonder why Republicans even have blogs. What is there to talk about when you are no longer an oppressed, despised, ridiculed, and powerless minority, lacking any institutional voice, subject to the wicked whims of petty tyrants? Oh, yeah... what completely wicked bastards the other guys are.

Consider this simple thought.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Just savor the lyrical, moral, poetic, and political beauty of that little phrase.

Congratulations to Gabby and all the other new and returning Congress-critters who demanded his resignation. Let this be the first step on the road to restoring democracy to the American Congress.

Maybe Rummy and Robert McNamera can form a support group for bitter old war criminals who micro-managed a stupid, pointless war into a truly horrendous meat-grinder with which they made force meat of both the flower of American youth, and the innocent men, women, and children of the hapless, politically convenient population their President decided to demonize and destroy out of ignorance and/or political expediency.

Goodbye, Rummy. And good fucking riddance. Why don't you take a lovely relaxing vacation to, say, Spain, or someplace else signatory to the International Criminal Court?

Election Night

Just a few observations. There is a lot to digest this evening.

WE WON!!! Bite it, Bush!

We got the House, we likely have the Senate. We elected two new Democratic Congress members for Arizona. We didn't succeed in ousting Jon Kyl or Dick Renzi. We had some close misses and some narrow victories at both the state and federal level. We captured the majority of Governorships.

In short, the voters sent a loud and clear message to the GOP. And it's too dirty for even me to write...

Unfortunately, there is very little cause for joy in the state level returns. We have some good news in some of the state legislative races, but they are balanced by disappointments in key state-wide races such as Treasurer, SPI, and SecState. We re-elected our Governor and Attorney General by wide margins, but the anger and motivation didn't sweep as far down the ticket as hoped.

More soon...

Get Out There and Vote!

"People who don't vote have no line of credit with people who are elected and thus pose no threat to those who act against our interests."
          Edelman, Marian Wright Children's Defense Fund Official (1939-)

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote."
          Nathan, George Jean American editor and drama critic (1882-1958)

"Lower voter participation is a silent threat to our democracy...It under-represents young people, the poor, the disabled, those with little education, minorities and you and me."
          Neuman, Nancy Editor (1837 - AFT. 1860)

"Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good: 'Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm."
          Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The voters have spoken - the bastards!"
          Morris Udall

Drinking Liberally Poll Party at the Trident

Drinking Liberally is having a Poll Party in Tucson at the Trident Saloon on election eve. Starting at 7 pm as the polls close, liberals will be gathering at the Trident at 2033 E. Speedway to bask in the glow of multiple big screen satellite TVs, access the many tubes of the internets via our newfangled wireless laptops, and soak up libations and food from the Trident's great menu (served until midnight).

You're welcome to stop by even if you've never been to a Drinking Liberally event. Drop-ins by party hoppers are also welcome and encouraged.

We certainly understand if you want to partake of the heady stench of victory at the Party's party at the Doubletree, or at the HQ of one of our fine Democratic candidates, but if you want a relaxed, well-informed, comfortable cockpit from which to savor the nation-wide Democratic demolition of the GOP majority as it happens, Drinking Liberally is the place to be on election night. Plus, there will be no speeches that we can't either change the channel on, or throw food at.

Wes Clarke Speaks Truth to Power

Wes Clarke, who endorsed Gabby Giffords for Congress recently (which is really about as surprising as revealing that lox go well with bagels), recently gave a speech about the importance of this election to American national security.

Clinton in the Park

I expected, having been delayed in writing about Bill Clinton's rally in Reid Park for Pederson, to have found all the bloggy goodness already squeezed out of the event. But other than some brief mentions and a some quick notes on the action of the Bill/Janet/Jim show in Phoenix, I see nary a peep about the event. So I have a few thoughts about the event.

First, I was floored by the turnout. The organizers claimed 8K. I don't think 8K would even fit on the DeMeester lawn, but it was certainly at least half of that and possibly more. Parking capacity at the park was red-lined and the place was packed, a sea of Democratic humanity. I was up by the stage, so I could look back at the mass of people behind me. When Gabby Giffords asked everyone to hold up their cell phones, it was a lovely and impressive site. When she asked everyone to dial three friends, I could well imagine the local cell towers melting into heaps of slag.

Janet, Jim, and Bill arrived by motorcade from their rally in Phoenix for Harry a little late. Janet was the first to speak. She was great at making the case for her re-election, though the matter is really moot with her 26 point lead. Arizona loves Janet. Simple as that.

Jim spoke next, and he completely changed the energy of the crowd from boisterous to pensive. I was really amazed that Jim decided to address an obviously partisan and wound-up audience with a message of bi-partisanship. He was very effective; much like your wise grandfather warning his grandkids about the way things really are. His low, steady voice, common sense, and self-deprecating good humor had the crowd really listening to him.

Jim pointed out that to win in statewide races in Arizona, Democrats have to reach across the aisle and welcome those Independents and traditional conservatives who share our values and goals in order to win races and govern. We don't have the luxury of alienating and marginalizing those who don't share all of our beliefs. You would never hear such an admonishment to a partisan audience at a GOP rally: never. They are now all about how to pursue a Leninist exercise of party control by dominating a bare majority of a bare majority of a bare majority of a barely majority party. To regain power, Jim tells us we have to open our tent, not systematically kick people out.

Unsurprisingly, Clinton echoed this theme, but did it in a rousing and rhetorically satisfying manner that left the crowd completely satisfied. That man is the FDR of our age; he's going to hold together a center-left coalition as long as he draws breath, simply by the brute fact of his existence. And some help from an incredibly inept and unwise GOP leadership who is chasing the middle class right out of the tent, of course.

Clinton built on Jim's lecture by premising his oration on the premise that Democrats are the party of America. He made three simple assertions: Americans are a practical, progressive people, and not rigidly ideological; Democrats are the party of common sense and facing reality, while the GOP has become inept, corrupt, and in denial about reality (and reality keeps winning, nonetheless); and that the Democratic party has become, by default, both the progressive party, and the party of traditional conservatism.

He argued that the only valid way to judge an office-holder's job performance was simply by whether people are better off after a term than at the beginning of it. By any such reasonable measure, the Bush Administration and the GOP's control of Congress have been a massive and undeniable failure for Americans. Their rejection of reality has led them to argue that deficits don't matter, that Iraq would be an cake walk, and that trickle-down economics would make life better for everyone. Reality won, and we got trillions in deficits that our children will have to pay, an impossible guerrilla war with no end in sight (they say we're cut-and-run, but we're really just stop-and-think, quipped Clinton), and a jobless, wageless recovery that has boosted corporate earnings while leaving workers in misery.

Clinton argued that the GOP has become addicted to using fear to motivate and control voters. He encouraged us not be like Pavlov's dog. He floored the crowd by poking fun at their strategy of fear, saying: They want you to believe that Democrats are going to tax you into the poorhouse, and on the way there, you'll meet a terrorist on every corner, and when you turn to run away, you'll trip over an immigrant.

But throughout the ridicule of the GOP, Clinton emphasized that the Democratic Party is now the home of all those Independents who want common-sense, non-ideological solutions, and those traditional conservatives who have been abandoned by the Republican party. Democrats stand for such conservative bedrock issues like balanced budgets, realistic military policy, and the rule of law, and the GOP no longer does.

Bill concluded by encouraging all of us to find those voters who have the 'diving board problem'. They've never voted for Democrats before, and like a novice swimmer on the high dive, taking that plunge is proving difficult (especially when the GOP is standing pool-side and trying to scare the crap out of them). We need to take the hands of these Independent and traditionally conservative voters and leap into the future.

Save the slightly incongruous liberal Raul (who none-the-less strongly supports Gabby), Janet, Jim, Gabby, and Bill standing on that stage together, advocating opening the Democratic tent to traditional conservatives represented very clearly the triumph of centrist politics in the Arizona Democratic party. And it appears to be working.

Polling Place Monitor Volunteers Needed

I got the following notice from Linda at the Arizona Advocacy Network:

My name is Linda Brown and I Direct the Arizona Advocacy Network, a
community organization leading the fight to overturn Prop 200's voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements through a federal lawsuit.  As you may know, about two weeks ago the US Supreme Court overturned a preliminary injunction that had enjoined these requirements for Tuesday's election.  In their order they challenged us to document the extent of voter disenfranchisement.  We are recruiting volunteers to help us with this enormous task.  They will be stationed outside polling places during the morning and evening rushes to interview voters who were unable to cast regular ballots due to the ID requirements.

In addition, we need help posting our signs outside polling places that provide voters with our toll-free hotline.  The signs say "Questions or Problems Voting?  Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE."

If you are interested in this issue, perhaps you would be willing to
publicize our hotline and send out a plea for volunteers to your readers. Those interested can contact our Organizer, Eric Pashkin at
epashkin@yahoo.com.  Or they can call our Phoenix office at 602-297-2500.

Thanks very much,

Linda Brown
Arizona Advocacy Network
1616 E. Indian School Road, Suite 340
Phoenix, AZ  85016

If you aren't otherwise engaged during the election, please consider helping with this important effort.

GOP's Attack on our Tax Base Proves Unwise

Via AZStarNet (and hat tip to Curtis): Error means service cuts, likely tax hikes in Pima

Pima County faces across-the-board budget cuts and area school districts may have to raise taxes to pay for a $24 million tax refund to Qwest Communications.

The Arizona Court of Appeals sided with the telecommunications company when it claimed the state Department of Revenue overvalued Qwest's property from 2002 to 2006.

This means that in Pima County alone, the county government may have to leave hundreds of positions unfilled - including prison guards, 911 operators, civil engineers, public health workers, and sheriffs deputies. Services may also have to be cut, including public schools.

Why was this 'error' made? Because the county was doing its job as normal. Nothing changed about the properties or the tax rate. Indeed, the counties don't even set the tax rate for telecom property, the state government does. Qwest argued that increased competition and the age of some of its properties had lowered the value of its infrastructure, and won.

The result is that every county will have to reach a settlement with Qwest, gutting services, hiring, and personnel retention as a result.

Another reason to vote no on Prop 101 which would restrict local governments from increasing tax rates to make up for problems like this one.

But perhaps the biggest scandal is that these shortfalls are expected to neatly match the recent GOP tax rate cuts which were made permanent in this year's budget. Had the GOP not been itching to destroy our state's revenue base and thereby put a feather in its ideological dunce cap, and instead followed the Governor's plans for responsible tax reductions to return the surplus to citizens, we wouldn't be facing this mess now.

You're doin' a heck of job legislative Republicans!

 

Specialist Alyssa Peterson

Via KNAU (hat tip to Erin): Alyssa Peterson

An Arizona soldier allegedly shot herself in late 2003 after being ordered to torture prisoners in Iraq and then declining to continue. Alyssa was an interrogator and language specialist who spoke Arabic. There is a diary on Kos by Erin about this tragedy. Was Alyssa just a victim of "non-combat weapons discharge", i.e. suicide, or was her death an attempt to silence a potential critic or whistleblower of cruel and inhumane interrogation techniques being introduced to Iraq at the time? I don't know, but her family is apparently suspicious of the official story. Alyssa was a devout Mormon missionary, making her suicide unlikely on theological grounds. Every Arizonan should know the story of this young soldier like they know about Pat Tillman.

Call For Change House Parties in Tucson

Link: MoveOn.org Political Action. There are plenty of house parties using MoveOn.org's calling lists to turn out low-efficacy Democrats between now and election day.

Grab your cell phone, sign up for a party, and get calling!

Paid GOTV Workers Needed

Drinking Liberally 11/2 and Poll Party 11/7

It's that time once again. Liberals will be drinking at The Shanty on 4th Ave by the underpass starting at 6pm this Thursday. This week we will be competing for liberals' affections with Bill Clinton, who is in town for a rally for Jim Pederson at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park at 6:30 pm. I won't be hurt if you decide to go there first - hell, I might go myself. But we'll still be there for you when Bill is done feeling your pain, so feel free to drop in later - we always go until well after 9 pm. It takes a little while to drink liberally, you know.

Last week, we hosted Tucson City Councilwoman Nina Trasoff, who said she had a great time and will be dropping in on us from time to time from now on. We look forward to it. That's one classy lady.

Next week, we don't yet have anyone scheduled, so drop by our bulletin board and make a suggestion, or email TUCSON at DRINKINGLIBERALLY dot ORG.

November 16th, DL will be hosting Tucson City Manager Mike Hein.

Please join our low-volume announcement-only mailing list, if you haven't already. Not all DL events and info are posted to this blog. To make sure you have all the latest information, you must join the mailing list.

In response to popular demand, Drinking Liberally will be hosting a Poll Watching party on election eve. In need of big screen satellite televisions, wireless internet access, and food service until midnight to sustain us through the long night, we will be holding the party at the Trident Saloon at 2033 E. Speedway (east of Campbell near the Buffalo Exchange). The party starts at 7 pm when the polls close, and continues until they kick us out.

GOP Narrows Its Focus Still Further

The Onion: GOP Throws All Financial Support Behind One Candidate.

Our own J.D. Hayworth (if you want to claim him) is the great white hope of the GOP.

League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard for the Arizona Congressional Delegation

Link: League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard.

The Arizona Congressional delegation is mostly out of step with Arizona voters on environmental protection. How many Arizonans really want a Representative with a 0% or 8% voting record on the environment? With House Republican Delegates that's all that's on offer - and remember that Renzi is a marginal district GOPer who gets let off the leash to vote against the party now and then, and he still only scores 8%. Flake is the golden boy of the "Goldwater" Institute, and he still only scores 8%.

And McCain? The global warming maverick reformer of the GOP? Same as the doctrinaire Kyl: 29%. How pitiful.

Contrast those scores with the 100% scored by my favorite Arizona Delegate, Raul Grijalva, and the 92% of the moderate Ed Pastor.

Arizona needs to reclaim its legacy of bi-partisan environmental stewardship left by the Udall brothers and Barry Goldwater. This election cycle that means voting Democratic, because there is no one on the GOP side of aisle following Goldwater's example.