Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr has announced that he has quit the Republican party and joined the Libertarian party.
Barr has been a vocal administration critic on matters of privacy and a critic of the outgoing congressoinal majority. He is no liberal, however. His show has featured interviews with Ann Coulter and his website lavishes praise […]

Okay, is this the lamest “Person of the Year” ever? This is even lamer than the 1966 “Man of the Year” given to the boomers (Gawd, don’t even get me started).
Wow, could these guys be more lazy? Heaven forbid they choose an acutal mover and shaker, a newsmaker. God knows, nothing happened this year, right?
I […]

From Raúl Grijalva’s office:
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva will host a Holiday Open House and Toy Drive at his Tucson office, 810 East 22nd Street, on Wednesday, December 20th from 5:30pm - 7:00pm.
During the open house, there will also be a toy drive for the families of the International Association of Machinists Local 933, who remain […]

So, I was reading that Jeff Flake and a bi-partisan group of US House members is in Cuba this weekend. They hope to be able to meet with Raúl Castro.
Raúl Castro?
Wouldn’t it be easier for Flake to get into his car and drive south? I mean, Raúl Castro is practicing law in Nogales these days.

One of the e-mails I recieved after my post about the hoo-hah the Democrats are trying to raise about the partisan breakdown of committees pointed out to me that back in the 1960’s, when the Democrats had control of both houses of the legislature, that some committees had a 12-3 partisan make up. Well, that […]

Phoenix Buisiness Journal ran an article this morning where Russell Pearce takes on folks who have been critical of his behavior and public statements. Pearce is quoted as saying:
These are anarchists who continue to attack me because of my sincere effort to secure our borders, enforce our laws and I put God, country and family […]

I spoke to a Republican activist up in Phoenix and he seemed to feel that Lisa James had some momentum in the chairmanship race. His take: despite whatever problems the activists have with the consultants and the hierarchy, Randy Pullen is being seen in some quarters as someone who is looking at the chairmanship as […]

Yesterday, some politicians and community organizations held a press conference to ask House Speaker Jim Weiers to reconsider his decision to allow Russell Pearce to continue as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
The Republic ran a piece on the press conference this morning, and it included a quote from Barrett Marson, spokesman for Speaker Weiers.
The speaker […]

A couple of days ago, the Arizona Daily Star removed comments from some stories. The move was controversial, as shown by the 232 comments posted to the story about the comment removal.
Star Executive Editor Bobbie Jo Buel said a few days ago that there may be restrictions placed on comments in the future. Looking at […]

A regular reader took issue with some of my points in my post regarding the organization of the House in the upcoming session.
First, I didn’t make it clear enough that the issue about the third floor offices was a rumor that I had heard. As it turns out, what has actually happened is that despite […]

The best system is to have one party govern and the other party watch. - Speaker Thomas Bracket Reed
It seems that the Republican leadership at the legislature is already being punitive toward Democratic members. There has already been talk that their offices may be moved from the third floor of the capitol, where most of […]

I can tell that Barack Obama must be scaring the Republicans, because they have already made a couple of butt-stupid attacks on him over the last couple of weeks.
Most of you already heard the one about Obama’s middle name being Hussein. So effin’ what? Other than the bozo that said it, it doesn’t seem to […]

The Yellow Sheet, a capitol tip sheet that all the cool insiders read (you know it must be what the cool people read because I don’t), has a few items on the ongoing controversey about Russell Pearce’s reappointment as head of the appropriations committee.
The editors give credit to our own Jim Nintzel (who is cool […]

Today is the day we celebrate the appearance of the Blessed Virgin to a poor young native named Juan Diego at a place called Tepeyac. Many of us see comfort in the story, since She appeared not to the rich or the powerful or the oppressor, but rather the most humble.

I was going to wait for a transcript to be posted, but it appears it won’t be until later today.
As some of you know, Boston-based curmudgeon and plagiarist Mike Barnicle has been hosting the show while Chris Matthews does whatever Chris Matthews does when he ain’t working. Yesterday, we viewers were told that Tom DeLay […]

Many of us have seen and read the statements from various members of the right-wing communitariat condemning the Iraq Study Group report and calling its members, who include such well known flower-power lefties as Alan Simpson and Edwin Meese, “surrender monkeys” and deriding their recommendations as “cut and run.”
Well, ISG skeptics may be comforted by […]

Matt Salmon, as quoted in yesterday’s Political Notebook column:
I think it’s very, very important for Republicans to pick people who can win in the general. I have lots of respect for the candidates who ran. But Jim Kolbe represented (District for years and years and years, and I believe someone who was more in […]

Cardinal Józef Glemp, Primate of Poland, submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI, who accepted it.
Glemp spent his youth in a Nazi slave labor camp and later went on to be the spiritual leader of the Solidarność movement, using the pulpit to call for civil disobedience during Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski’s imposition of marshall law. Actions […]

For some time now, I’ve been linking to my brother’s State House page. I don’t know if you’ve seen the urls for the House and Senate pages, but they end in a number. Tom’s used to end in 47.
Turns out #47 has now been changed…check out who has #47 now. I don’t know whether to […]

The House ethics committee has released its official report into the Mark Foley matter. National media attention has focused on the involvement of outgoing Speaker Dennis Hastert, but local media has focused on the involvement of long time Southeast Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe.
The committee’s findings on Kolbe’s involvement can be found on pages 27-32 of […]