Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The other day the Arizona Daily Star published a candidate profile piece for the CD 1 Democratic primary. Creating jobs a key factor for 2 in CD1 Dem primary. In a word, "superficial" reporting.
Thankfully the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff still knows how to do political reporting to inform its readers. The Sun published the Candidates' bios, but it also published substantive reporting. Two Dems far apart in CD1 primary:
Area voters headed to the polls for the primary election in about three weeks will have a choice between two very different local Democrats running for Congress.
Both Ann Kirkpatrick and Wenona Benally Baldenegro are attorneys who live in Flagstaff. They have similar views on health policy, immigration and abortion.
But after that, their politics diverge. Asked by the Daily Sun how they would have voted (or did vote) on 30 key bills in the House dating back to late 2008, the pair had different answers on 18 of 30 issues. (See CD1 Key Bills Explained -- with candidate comments -- a must read).
Benally Baldenegro would have voted against expanding a copper mine east of Phoenix; Kirkpatrick introduced legislation for it.
Kirkpatrick voted against low-interest loans for homeowners wanting to make their houses more energy-efficient; Benally Baldenegro would have voted for it.
And although both Benally Baldenegro and Kirkpatrick said they grew up with guns, Kirkpatrick says "I believe it's appropriate for guns to be in the national parks," while Benally Baldenegro wrote "There is no need for people to be carrying guns in our national parks."
* * *
Kirkpatrick stuck to her record, affirming the votes she took in Congress in 2009 and 2010.
She voted against the Dodd-Frank legislation that added more oversight to the financial system.
"It goes back to: Do we need another layer of regulation, or do we need to enforce what we had? I think we need to enforce what we had," she said.
Some other votes were much less clear.
Kirkpatrick would have voted against extending Bush-era tax cuts, she said, except that extending unemployment was tied to that measure, too. She wound up supporting the tax-cut extension.
A vote to extend student loans would normally garner Kirkpatrick's support ... until an amendment gutting part of the Affordable Care Act was added to it, she said.
And Kirkpatrick says she proposes measures to balance the budget and to raise taxes on the wealthy.
"I favor keeping the tax cuts for people who make $500,000 or less, and that's most of the people in our district," she said.
Out of 30 issues, Kirkpatrick wound up agreeing nearly as many times with Republicans Wade and Martin (11 votes each) as she did with Benally Baldenegro (12 votes).
Note: This report also discusses the Republican primary candidates and Libertarian candidate in CD 1. "Four other candidates running in the First Congressional District -- three Republicans and a Libertarian -- responded to the checklist. Only Republican Jonathan Paton declined to participate. Candidates had 12 days to examine the measures and give their views."
Wenona Benally Baldenegro is a friend, and I think it is long past time that Arizona elect its first Native American member of Congress. But the Democratic powers that be in D.C. made a decision to back blue dog Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick early on in this election cycle, which made it impossible for Baldenegro to raise the kind of money it takes to run a credible campaign for Congress. That is a pity and a shame.
So Ann Kirkpatrick is likely to be elected to Congress again this November, and I can look forward to receiving her press releases again telling me how she "stood up to" her Democratic leadership and voted in opposition to the position of the Democratic Party by siding with corporate interests and the Tea-Publicans. Sigh.
Recent Comments