Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Daily Star published its candidate profile piece today for the CD 3 congressional candidates; nothing like a biased headline. Grijalva still taking heat for boycott remark in CD3:
Rep. Raúl Grijalva's comments two years ago about boycotting Arizona continue to attract new challengers at election time, but the five-term congressman says this election isn't about those comments.
The three candidates in the heavily Hispanic, heavily Democratic District 3 are more alike than different.
They all list job creation as a top priority. Each supports the Affordable Care Act and says there's more to be done on a health-care overhaul. Each is opposed to SB 1070.
Where they differ is mainly in their experience levels and their geographical voter bases.
Still, Tucson physician Manny Arreguin and Yuma businesswoman Amanda Aguirre will try to put Grijalva on defense for the boycott comments.
"Sometimes he's more concerned about his congressional job than providing jobs for the people who helped get him into office," Arreguin said.
"My vision is to be more representative of Arizona, and I would never call for a boycott when businesses are hurting," Aguirre said.
Grijalva defended himself, saying: "I think I have an obligation to raise my voice, and I did, and there was consequences to it. But I think they're running on a one-trick pony."
He said his opponents are running "an anti-Raúl race" instead of providing a public policy choice.
Arreguin said Grijalva's boycott comments missed their mark of hitting political leaders and ultimately hurt workers such as electricians and maids, who lost work when Arizona lost business because of the boycott.
Each candidate has a different view on whether voters should elect someone with political experience.
Grijalva said both experience and consistency are important, so voters should elect someone like him.
Aguirre said voters should choose someone with both political and business experience - someone like her.
And Arreguin said voters want an unconventional, moderate citizen legislator like him, not a "seasoned politician" such as Grijalva and former state Sen. Aguirre.
"One of the things we're seeing across the country is that incumbents are losing races to unconventional candidates," Arreguin said.
"When you look at Congress in general, there's a 9 percent approval rating," he added. "You wouldn't go to a doctor who had a 9 percent approval rating. ... So why is it that we find that acceptable in Congress?"
Aguirre agreed that voters are "upset with what's going on in Washington, D.C. Nothing is moving forward, and they relate Grijalva to that problem."
Grijalva said it's wishful thinking by his opponents that he would "inherit that ire."
"Voters can make the distinction, and I trust their judgment," he said.
He said the obstruction in Congress comes primarily from tea-party members and other Republicans. Aguirre and Arreguin are naive or unrealistic if they think they can work through that blockage any better than he has, Grijalva added.
Grijalva said more significant than his experience is his consistency. He hasn't switched parties like Arreguin or turned his back on labor or the environment like Aguirre, he said.
Just like he doesn't have the knowledge to deliver babies or run a health center, he said, they don't have the knowledge to work on the federal budget.
The candidate will appear together in a forum on Arizona illustrated, KUAT-TV (PBS) on August 13, 2012 at 6;30 p.m.
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