Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

Earlier this week, Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Paul Eckerstrom announced that he is leaving his office at the end of the month.

Geez, Paul, you could have called me so I could have a scoop. Thanks, man.

I first met Eckerstrom when I was in college, when he and Ramón Valadez approached the University Democrats to encourage more of us to become interns at local congressional offices. In all of the years since, Eckerstrom was supportive of Young Democrats organizations.

Eckerstrom was not what you would call a timid Democrat. The press loved his tough talk against local Republicans. Occasionally, you could get him riled up and you would wonder if he needed to lay off the cafeine. But, during this last election cycle, it was great to have him there to respond to Republican attacks. At one point, Republican party chief called him “obnoxious.” I think that Eckerstrom found that a compliment.

C. T. Revere had a column yesterday where he implies that somehow Eckerstrom was forced out of office by supporters of other Democratic candidates who were angry about comments complimentary of Patty Weiss. Eckerstrom has said that Weiss is popular and electable and would be a formidable candidate. Even for a Giffords supporter like me, this is only stating the obvious.

The comments were in a piece where Revere criticized Weiss’s lack of experience. I agree with Revere’s point on that one. Revere asked Eckerstrom for a comment, and he said complimentary things about Weiss’s candidacy. Well, of course he did. What was expected, that he was going to trash Weiss? Revere hadn’t quoted complimentary statements about other candidates because he hasn’t asked Eckerstrom for comments about them.

To imply that he was forced out by other candidates, particularly Gabrielle Giffords, is just ridiculous. The heat he took from Steve Farley’s supporters after Eckerstrom had recruited Nina Trasoff was much worse. The supporters of Jeff Chimene and Eva Bacal gave him all sorts of grief for complimentary comments on rival candidate Tim Sultan. Chimene’s supporters went so far as to force a showdown at a Party executive committee meeting over the incident. Whatever grief he has taken here is rather minor.

I don’t know if Revere thinks he is being helpful to Giffords here, but he is just playing into the story put out by Weiss supporters that Giffords is the candidate of those “part of the problem” insiders, and only Weiss can save us from them. Of course, this is silly. Giffords’s people didn’t demand Eckerstrom’s head on a pike and use their insider voodoo to take him out of office.

Of course its also silly because Weiss’s campaign chair is consumate insider Tom Chandler, and has other muckety mucks pushing her candidacy.

The other thing I find silly here is that Revere called Eckerstrom for a comment, then was critical that he gave one. Eh? So, what would Revere had said if he was critical of Weiss? What would Revere had said if Eckerstrom refused to comment?

The man has never been shy telling me his opinion, but I haven’t heard him say that he is for any of the candidates. I think the candidate he most vociferously supports is one running for Cochise County Clerk of the Court.

NB - Revere quotes a bar owner in the article for comments he overheard Eckerstrom say. Geez, I shudder to think what the owners of the Surly Wench or Club Congress could quote me saying.