Monday, September 11, 2006

CD-8 Latas Opposes Giffords Support of Troops

The latest Latas attack ad on Giffords strongly opposes her support for the 2003 Senate Concurrent Resolution 1026. Does that mean that if he had been in the Senate he would have refused to vote for the following language? I don’t think so, but that's what he criticizes Giffords for doing.

The Members of the Legislature express their gratitude for the members of the United States armed forces who are serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and recognize their excellence, patriotism and exceptional bravery.

The Members of the Legislature extend their prayers and best wishes for the families of the United States military personnel who are serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The trouble with the “Die For a Lie’ ad is that in the last analysis it won’t get him elected this time around and it damages any hopes he might have for a future political career. (Personally, I hope he pursues those hopes by taking a shot at the legislature. We haven’t had a hell raiser since Kromko.)



8 comments:

x4mr said...

The last sentence of your 1:36 post, Roger, nails it.

The ad surprises me in that I cannot understand the context that produced it. What is the big picture objective of the ad? He can't possibly believe (can he?) that it will actually produce votes in any quantity. It undermines his ability to support Giffords if she wins tomorrow, and whether he believes she will or not, the scenario has a probability worth including in his planner!! Finally, the vote he is attacking is not a bad vote.

Maybe folks are just worn out, cranky, and desperate. Not meaning to play Monday Quarterback, but from day one the home run for Latas in this thing would be a positive campaign that sends a strong message, gets his name in the limelight, and generates $100K or so of support and 15% or so in the primary. He then gives a fabulous speech on tv congratulating the nominee and voicing full support for "her."

Obviously that didn't and won't happen. Still, if he stayed positive and supports the winner, could eeke out a single or double.

Showing Giffords with republicans and attacking this vote looks more like wild swinging in hot air-- with predictable consequences.

Liza said...

This is off the subject a bit, but I was just in one of those Sally Hansen Beauty Supply Stores and they had this country music station just blaring. The song had lyrics that went something like "have you forgotten" then they made that rhyme with "bin Laden." I asked the little airhead at the counter why they didn't play Dylan's "Masters of War", a much better song. I asked her if she ever wondered what it felt like to live in Iraq. Then, of course, I had to begin to wonder if I'm really starting to lose it. You can't hate people just because their music sucks. So, to reassure myself I told the guy at the post office about this and he said, "Do you know what you get when you play a country song backwards?" I said, "No, what?" He said, "you get your wife back, you get your dog back, and you get out of prison." We laughed and I felt better. This just happened, I swear to God.

Moral of the story: if we can still laugh together, maybe we'll be okay.

x4mr said...

Always a pleasure to hear from you, Liza.

Fate is smiling on CD 8, I believe. With only one exception, I actually like and respect every candidate for this nomination and could support any of them.

Head over to Arizona Eighth and look at what is happening there.

I think we are choosing someone for Congress tomorrow.

Liza said...

x4mr,
The Republican side of this CD8 primary is absolutely unbelievable. I would never have been able to predict that they would screw it up this badly.

Well, its not going as well for Democrats in New York state. This is a quote from the Times: "just a few months ago, Democrats envisioned significant gains in New York, perhaps picking up as many as four seats, possibly even five. But that goal now seems increasingly remote, and there is an emerging consensus among political analysts that the party’s best chance for capturing a Republican seat is the battle to succeed Representative Sherwood L. Boehlert, one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress, who is retiring."

I haven't seen any recent information about how things are looking for Democrats overall, but New York is surprising given that its a blue state. Interesting, huh?

Art Jacobson said...

Dear Blue,

Lucky you! We have a great system, well stocked with candidates, and you don't have to vote for her.

If Gabrielle wins today you can always vote for Graf in November!

Liza said...

Art,
You know as well as anyone that there was a lot more to that resolution than "Support the Troops."

"That the Members of the Legislature express their unequivocal support and appreciation to the President as Commander-in-Chief for his firm leadership and decisive action in the conduct of military operations in Iraq as part of the ongoing global war on terrorism."

Well, the Commander-in-Chief has ramped up his warmongering rhetoric, as we all know, getting us ready for Israel's soon to happen attack on Syria and our soon to happen attack on Iran. Will these new wars really happen? Well, nothing is for certain, but I'm putting my money on "very, very, likely."

I have believed from the very beginning of this CD8 campaign that we, the electorate, needed to take advantage of every opportunity to elect representatives who have in-depth understanding of this administration and the origins of their reckless and violent foreign policy that is destroying the Mideast as well as our own nation.

Voting on the above resolution shows me a lack of that understanding that is so crucial to altering the destructive course of endless war that we have endured for the past five years.

Sorry, that's where I stand and maybe a few other people. If my precinct is at all representative of the district, then its a nonissue. People, for the most part, really don't care. They understand recessions, high gas prices, and immigrants "invading" their neighborhoods. But, tens of thousands of dead civilians in Iraq and Lebanon, destroyed infrastructure, and decimated economies in the Mideast really don't seem to bother them.

So, bottom line, I wouldn't worry about this. Very, very few have noticed.

x4mr said...

I think the reality of what our new Congressperson can do in the first couple months is more complicated than what is usually discussed. My sense is that early on they are mostly a mark in the blue column that can help established leaders go up against horrors of the current administration. Obviously getting to majority is a huge deal, but any blue victory for CD 8 contributes to this.

In reality of Washington, my opinion is that it's a toss between Gabrielle and Francine regarding who would most quickly reach the ability to influence and "work the system" to some degree.

But, hey, I'm done arguing about who should be the D nominee. I've cast my vote, and whoever prevails will get my enthusiastic support.

Frankly, at this point my blood pressure is more tied to the red side of this thing.

Go Randy!

Liza said...

Sirocco,
Have you ever thought about how different Colin Powell's life would be now if he had resigned from the Bush Administration instead of delivering his ill-fated WMD speech before the UN Security Council? He would be the most sought after Republican candidate of all time and very possibly could have been the first African American president of the United States if that was his aspiration.

I agree that politicians are often between a rock and a hard place and those who act on principle rather than political expediency often get left behind. History may vindicate them, but how many people really want to be vindicated by history? Its easier to "go with the flow" and hope it never comes back to haunt you. And, this is what the real, career politicians do all the time.

Just another good argument in favor of term limits, in my opinion.