Democratic Senate primary to cull an already weak herd
As John McCain buckles down in his own tough primary to once again be the Republican nominee for one of Arizona’s U.S. Senate seats, a hodge-podge of Democrats want to be the one to challenge him. Unfortunately for Arizona Democrats, even in this deeply anti-incumbent election cycle, not one of the candidates has what it takes to beat McCain, or even provide an exciting race.
Former Tucson City Councilman Rodney Glassman leads the four Democrats at the polls. Though he has run a cautious, glossy campaign, billing himself as a “”coalition builder,”” recent reports about his treatment of campaign workers have marred his reputation. A Phoenix New Times blogger reported Friday that several of his top staffers have fled the campaign. The blog cited Glassman’s quick temper and bullying as reasons for leaving. The accusations are based on too many unnamed sources to be trusted, but where there’s smoke, there’s likely to be fire. Glassman also refuses to answer important questions about his own politics; most notably, he is the only Democratic candidate not to proclaim his support of gay marriage.
The field is rounded out by former Arizona Rep. Cathy Eden, whose calls for “”can’t we all just get along”” ring false in this bitterly partisan election cycle; labor leader and grassroots favorite Randy Parraz, who seems to have entered the race almost exclusively to combat S.B. 1070; and investigative journalist John Dougherty, whose journalistic track record and clear stance on the issues are admirable, but whose personality and lack of charisma seem ill-suited for the U.S. Senate.
It’s rare that Arizona has a chance to topple McCain’s too-long Senate reign. This could have been the year, but the Democratic Party appears to have been picking its own bellybutton lint rather than rounding up a potent, viable McCain challenger.
— Heather Price-Wright is the opinions editor. She can be reached at
letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Jesse Kelly’s blatant hypocrisy
The 8th Congressional District election has proven itself to be one of the most vitriolic U.S. House races in the state of Arizona. As Gabrielle Giffords, who faces no primary opposition, prepares for what will surely be a highly contested general election, she can watch leisurely as the Republican primary candidates proceed to rip each other to shreds. The latest bout of infighting broke out between Republican primary candidate Jonathan Paton and his opponent Jesse Kelly. Don Kelley Construction, Jesse Kelly’s family business, is said to have accepted millions of dollars’ worth of public works projects, many of which were partially funded through H.R. 1 federal stimulus dollars. Paton, seizing the opportunity to tarnish Kelly’s conservative credibility, has accused him of hypocrisy for deriding the use of stimulus dollars and then turning around and profiting from them.
We’ve all heard the Republican anti-stimulus mantra and claims that H.R. 1 is destined to be a dismal failure that will indebt our grandchildren for eternity. Keep in mind that those who are making these claims are the same people who had no problems squandering billions of taxpayer dollars and compounding the federal deficit on the Iraq war. Now that we have a president and an administration actually investing American taxpayer dollars in America, Republicans are suddenly concerned with tightening federal purse strings. More sickening still is that those who are the most opposed to H.R. 1 are the first to accept federal stimulus money if it benefits them personally. Jesse Kelly seems to be a hypocrite, indeed.
— Nyles Kendall is a political science junior. He can be reached at
letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Points for Palin
Tuesday’s primary could be another blow to the political weight of suspiciously-popular former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin has been attempting to stay politically relevant by endorsing candidates in Republican primary elections. Unfortunately for the endorsed candidates, her political backing has been a kiss of death from a lipstick-wearing pit bull— er, I mean hockey mom. All five of her endorsed candidates have lost and this Tuesday’s U.S. Senate Republican primary election in Arizona puts her record to the test once again.
Palin is backing maverick-mate John McCain against JD Hayworth. What makes this race even more interesting is the news that members of the trendy “”Tea Party Coalition”” has backed both candidates. Surely you must be shocked that a mob of unorganized people who don’t like to be called Republicans, yet share nearly identical political opinions, would lack uniformity. Endorsing both candidates makes the Tea Party’s endorsements as irrelevant as their entire “”party.”” But wait, there’s more! The mudslinging we’ve seen between the two candidates has truly been interesting. McCain’s television ads have listed Hayworth “”among the dumbest members of Congress”” and Hayworth has retorted by accusing McCain of lying when he denied supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Can McCain get all mavericky with the endorsement of his former running mate Sarah Palin? Or, will Hayworth pull it off and send another Palin pick home a loser? Even if you’re not into politics, you’ve got to appreciate this drama fest that, for all of us political nerds, rivals Lindsay Lohan vs. the criminal justice system.
— Storm Byrd is a political science sophomore. He can be reached at
letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
