Arizona's Own Espresso Pundit

Sounds Like Terry Goddard just Resigned.

Arizona has a tough Resign to Run law.   ARS Sec. 38-296 says that an incumbent shall be deemed to have offered himself for election to an office in violation of the resign to run law if he makes "a formal public declaration of candidacy for such office".  If an elected official "offers himself" while not in the last year of his current term, he is deemed to have resigned from office.  

That's why if you talk to an elected official who is widely expected to run for a higher office, he will invariably say that he's "seriously considering it," or he's "exploring his options."  I recently emailed an elected official and asked him about rumors that he was running for a higher office.  Here was his response.

"Yes, I am still considering the race.  I cannot say anything definite until January."

That's pretty clear, but well within the law. 

Occasionally however a politician can let his guard down in front of a friendly crowd.  Here's an audio tape of Attorney General Terry Goddard in front of a group of Democrats in west Phoenix.  Fast forward to 1 minute and 15 seconds and you will hear an inaudible question about his future plans, followed by a very clear answer. 

 "I intend to run for Governor."  At that point, the crowd goes wild. 

While we might quibble about "I intend to run" verses "I am running," it seems like a distinction without a difference.  There is no equivocation.  He's basically saying that he's a candidate but that he hasn't started a formal campaign yet. 

That's a clear violation of the law.  Now here's the interesting part.  The law does not REQUIRE Goddard to resign after his declaration.  The law says that he HAS resigned when he makes the declaration. 

Here's the tape. 

Maybe that fancy taxpayer-funded publicity brochure should say "I used to work for you!"

My Sincerest Condolences

( PHOENIX) – Due to complications from childbirth, Kerry Martin, 34, wife of State Treasurer Dean Martin, passed away late Monday night on May 25, 2009.  Kerry and Dean’s son, Austin Michael Martin, was born on Monday at 7:31 p.m. weighing eight pounds and measuring 21.5 inches in length.  Austin remains in grave condition.

Dean is standing vigil at his son’s bedside with family.  Dean and his family ask that you join him in prayer for his son’s health.

Kerry was a loving wife of 13 years, as well as a mother, sister, aunt, and daughter.  Prayers for the family are also appreciated.

Kerry is survived by her father Edward Mabey, her aunt Phyllis Pulice, her sister Tracy Smitherman, her brother John Mabey, and a niece and two nephews.  Funeral arrangements for Kerry are pending.

The family kindly requests no cards or flowers be sent at this time. Notes of encouragement can be sent to Treasurer Martin at dean@americanvisuals.com.

Now That's Customer Service.

I like to read the Spanish language media because it oftentimes provides a different perspective on key events.  Here's an article that I saw in La Voz and is circulating widely.  Here's the Spanish first and then my attempt to put it into English.

México busca apoyo en la frontera para ayudar a los indocumentados

Tucson, 21 may (EFE).- El consulado de México en Tucson prepara un directorio de personas que hablen algún idioma indígena de su país en Arizona para apoyar a los inmigrantes indocumentados no hablan español y que necesitan ayuda cuando intentan cruzar la frontera.

Here's the Translation: 

Mexico is seeking support at the Border in order to help the undocumented.

The Mexican consulate in Tucson is preparing a directory of individuals in Arizona who speak an indigenous language of Mexico in order to support undocumented immigrants who don't speak spanish and need help when they intend to cross the border. 

Sure glad to know that the Mexican government and Spanish language media are working hard to ensure that illegal border crossers have as easy a time as possible. 

California Love!

Let's show these fools how we do this on that west side
Cause you and I know it's tha best side

yeah, That's riight
west coast, west coast
uh, California Love
California Love

Although Tupac is being somewhat obtuse, I think he is attempting to articulate that national cultural trends often manifest themselves first in California. 

Political scientists have a different phrase for it:  As California goes, so goes the nation.

And While Governor Brewer's people are still wearing their game face while they push her tax initiative at the capitol, Arnold's California debacle has terminated what little chance she had of getting a tax increase on the ballot.  Put simply everyone who isn't sniffing the rarefied air of the 9th floor knows that if California voters--who gave Obama 61% of the vote to McCain's 37% a mere five months ago--rejected Arnold's tax plan, there's no way Arizona voters are going to approve a $1 billion annual sales tax increase..even if they are assured that it's "temporary." 

Californians  were offered a choice--$20 billion in cuts or $20 billion in tax increases, and the increases had wonderful names like "Education Funding Payment Plan" and "Children's Services Funding" which lost by 63% and 65% respectively. 

Here's how the Examiner put it.

A title wave is headed to the shores of the golden state. However, the wave is a $21.3 billion deficit. The years of over spending met their fate yesterday with a thumping at the voting booths. All five of the budget-related propositions 1A-E were voted down by a 2-1 margin. The only measure to pass was the "feel good proposition" 1F a no pay increase for legislators during a deficit spending year.

So while Team Brewer continues to insist that Legislative leaders send a $1 billion annual sales tax increase to the ballot as part of her budget "solution," everyone else at the capitol knows that there's no way it would pass.  After that debacle, the budget would not only be in much worse shape, but also voters would likely take their wrath out on the politicians who punted the issue to the ballot.

Legislators know that if they follow Brewer's plan, not only will it fail, but there's a good chance that many of them will be find themselves unable to quote the Terminator's most famous line..."I"ll be Back."

Look Mom, I'm in the Newspaper

Occasionally a post takes on a life of it's own.  With MacEachern becoming so unhinged and the usual suspects* coming to my defense, I have to admit that the comments to my "Doug MacEachern:  Phone Home" post are more entertaining than the post itself. 

So much so that Ray Stern profiled the dust up in New Times. 

* Footnote:  I saw Casablanca too.  Just Remember Doug, we'll always have Paris. 

High Court Rejects Dem's Redistricting Challenge

The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected the Democratic Coalition challenge to the legislative district maps.  Here's the full opinion.  I'll have more analysis once I get through the opinion.

Doug MacEachern: Phone Home

Have you paid attention to the latest kerfuffle at Phoenix City Hall?  The Republic's Scott Wong has the story.

The Phoenix City Council's newest member, Sal DiCiccio, has accused a colleague of breaking the law, saying Councilman Michael Nowakowski violated the city charter when he urged a high-ranking city official to dismiss the police chief.

"By asking for Jack Harris' ouster, Nowakoswki is committing an illegal act," said DiCiccio,

DiCiccio's charge is extremely serious and if proven, could result in Nowakowski's removal from the Council.  Nowakowski's, response makes it clear that he takes the charge seriously.

When asked about DiCiccio's remarks, Nowakowski responded: "Sal is a liar."

Wow, he's not claiming that DiCiccio is making a mountain out of a mole hill, or that this practice is common, or saying that his conversation was taken out of context.  No, Nowakowski understands the stakes and denies the charges in the strongest and most personal terms possible.  "Sal is a liar."  A hundred years ago, that response would have been met with a challenge to duel. 

So who is lying?  Who can shed some light on this serious accusation and absolute denial?

Enter Republic Editorial writer Doug MacEachern who discloses that his sources have confirmed DiCiccio's account.  That's a huge addition to the story.  DiCiccio is acting as whistle blower and has come forward with an extremely serious charge; Nowakowski denies the charge and calls DiCiccio a liar but MacEachern confirms that he has multiple sources who confirm DiCiccio's account.  

But look how MacEachern writes it up.  

We know, for example, that despite charter provisions prohibiting elected Phoenix City Council members from trying to influence the hiring or firing of city personnel, they sometimes do. Try, that is.

So, call us jaded, but we were not especially vexed to hear rumors - through a variety of grapevines - that council member Michael Nowakowski was seeking the ouster of Police Chief Jack Harris.

Not especially vexed?  What the heck is that?  Dude, if Nowakowski really did try to remove Harris then it's an illegal and potentially career-ending violation of the City Charter.  DiCiccio steps up to make the accusation and runs into a buzz saw; then the Republic confirms DiCiccio's account but isn't "especially vexed."

Read the entire editorial and you will get the picture; in the business, it's called "Phoning It In." 

Frankly, MacEachern's editorial reads like he's a coasting tweener--too old to change careers and too young to retire, so he's doing what it takes to get by.  In addition to glossing over the point that DiCiccio is right, the editorial is cynical and trite. 

Check out this line.

Call us shocked - shocked! - then to hear Nowakowski say he may seek legal action against DiCiccio for publicly declaring that Nowakowski has it in for Harris and that he tried to pressure an assistant city manager to give the top cop the axe.

OK, the Casablanca quote has to be the most overused quote in journalism.  Dude, that movie is from 1942.  Incredibly, MacEachern uses the tired quote TWICE in the same editorial.  The conclusion repeats the theme--the Republic has heard from a variety of sources that DiCiccio is right and then quotes Captain Renault once again to show that the Editorial Board doesn't care.  

DiCiccio is a political provocateur, certainly. And an ambitious one at that. But if DiCiccio is making up stories about Nowakowski's political machinations regarding Harris, we here at Editorial Board Central can declare with absolute certainty that DiCiccio is not the first to tell such tales.

Nor the second. Nor third. Nor . . . you get the picture.

Politicians carrying on politically?

We're shocked. Shocked.

Maybe instead of quoting Casablanca, MacEachern should quote Gone With the Wind.  "Frankly Sal, we don't give a damn"--at least that would have been more honest and less hackneyed. 

Or, how about this for a jaded line.

Like we said, Nowakowski's purported pursuit of Harris' scalp was about as "secret" as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's meeting schedule with the CIA.

Talk about an non sequitur.  MacEachern again confirms that DiCiccio's underlying charge is both accurate and widely known--the Pelosi reference is simply an indication that Doug spends most of his day reading the Drudge Report. 

I've often said that the mainstream media is becoming increasingly irrelevant.  However they can occasionally step up and make a difference.  In this case MacEachern could have used his platform, his information and his moral high ground to point out that Nowakowski was out of line, that DiCiccio was right and that this type of illegal interference in the city's day-to-day operations can't be tolerated. 

Instead he chose to phone it in and go back to Drudge. 

Nobody's Governor...

Well placed Democratic sources tell me that Jim Pederson is telling the Democratic establishment that he is definitely running for Governor whether Terry Goddard jumps in or not.

Some Glee is Deferred.

It seems like every week someone asks me why I demonstrate such glee at the demise of the mainstream papers.  I provided an explanation just over a year ago with a piece I called "Why the Glee?".  

Sure, I complain about the bias and the inaccuracies, but it's the outright bullying that bothers me the most.  In Sunday's political insider, the reporters used the fact that Randy Pullen has decided to RETAIN Brett Mecum as an excuse to re-run the incident together with his mug shot.

Brett can take solace in the fact that a few years from now the reporters will be sending him copies of their resumes and asking if he can forward it.  He'll respond that he'll "see what he can do." 

Veni, Vidi, Visa

He came.  He saw, He charged.

Here's what Obama said to ASU students last night.

We've become accustomed to our economic dominance in the world, forgetting that it wasn't reckless deals and get-rich-quick schemes that got us where we are, but hard work and smart ideas -- quality products and wise investments. We started taking shortcuts. We started living on credit, instead of building up savings.

"Started living on credit"? Those words of wisdom from history's biggest debtor.

The blogosphere is quick to point out  that the federal government is planning to borrow 45 cents of every dollar it spends next year.