Friday, September 28th, 2007...7:44 am
Critics Starting to Swarm
There have been a couple of articles in this past week (here and here) criticizing Tim Bee for not stepping down from his position in the State Senate in preparation for his possible, no, likely, no, certain run for congress next year.
I’m a bit torn about this. I mean, anything where the local press is piling on Bee is okay with me, expecially after the days of lauditory stories about the budget negotiations (say, not too many in Bee’s camp talking about that one now…) followed by endless “Bee is going to run” stories. However, I don’t see how it benefits anyone for him to step aside now, especially since the Senate isn’t even in session.
It is useful to point out that the four Southern Arizona legislators to serve in congress (Gabrielle Giffords, Jim Kolbe, Jim McNulty and Lewis Douglas) all ran as former legislators. Kolbe and McNulty had both lost races for federal office as sitting legislators.
Some of this may be the fault of Bee’s own folks. They wanted to avoid a divisive primary, and the best way to do that was to make sure that everyone knew that he was the choice, so please don’t file, okay? This resulted in what seemed (at least to me, but I am over sensitive about such things) like days of stories, likely driven by them: “Bee Thinking About Filing an Exploratory Committee, ” “Bee Now Thinking Hard About Filing an Exploratory Committee,” “Bee Files an Exploratory Committee,” and of course ”Did You Hear that Bee Has Filed an Exploratory Committee?” It may have been a bit of a let down for the editorial boards and political reporters after this initial flurry of activity that now it is a rather dull slog until he jumps in as a for real and genuine candidate. It probably doesn’t help much that this City Council race has been the dullest in over a decade, so these guys need to cover something. It probably also doesn’t help much that he has had campaign style public events, such as the press conference a few weeks back where Bee couldn’t answer questions.
These guys in the press, so fickle. The guy was brilliant a month ago, now he’s a waffler. ¡Pobrecito!
NB – Actually, one sitting legislator represented Southern Arizona in congress, but you have to go back to 1885, when Arizona had a single non-voting delegate in congress. C. C. Bean had been in the Territorial Council (the equivalent of the State Senate) from Yavapai County when he was elected to a single term in congress.
11 Comments
September 28th, 2007 at 8:48 am
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the not one, but TWO “Rah, Rah, Go Tim Go!” videos posted on youtube.
Then, of course, there’s that Web site taking donations by credit card.
You’re right about the current election. Dull beyond dull.
September 28th, 2007 at 8:49 am
I love the obscure history lessons proffered by brothers Prezelski….
Let me share a perspective I picked up the other day from a Republican legislator who we shall allow to go nameless.
Tim Bee faces a rough session. The state is facing at least a $600 million shortfall that will likely grow larger as the year drags on, and the housing market continues to swirl around the old porcelean bowl….
Napolitano’s proposals make sense (imagine the concept of taking out mortgages to build school buildings) but Republicans won’t buy it, and if memory serves, I think some tax cuts may be coming up for expiration.
Rusell Pearce will beat his chest and pound on rocks to demand deeper cuts to the budget. Speaker Jim Weiers has some old scores to settle. Bee did the right thing by pushing a bipartisan budget last year, but it humiliated Weiers and the House Republicans, and now Weiers will be looking for payback.
In summary, the 2008 session will be long and ugly, earning bad press for Bee and keeping him tied up in Phoenix well into late spring and early summer. They may well be pushing the July 1 deadline before a budget is finally resolved.
In the meantime, Bee’s fund-raising efforts will be hindered by the fact that he can’t hit up lobbyists while the Legislature is in session, and once the session is over, they won’t need him any more. I still think most will pony up, but maybe not as much.
Bottom line: Bee needs to keep his exploratory committee running as long as possible, and he needs to watch out for potholes on the road to the 2008 campaign.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Just to add to the obscure history lessons, it should be noted that Representative Bean has a street in District 29 named for him.
September 28th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Please correct me on this, but isn’t the bigger issue about him raising funds now. I mean, if he has an exploratory committee and is raising funds for a 2008 race (and I have seen email mailers where people are asking for donations), then he is running right? If he is raising funds, doesn’t that mean that the resign to run law kicks in?
I am not opposed at all to him staying in office, but this broad broad interpretation of the law letting him sort of do both seems wrong (unless I am totally off base…and don’t pull BS legalisms to show me that I am…I want to see some black letter law and some examples).
If I am right, fine…stay in office Tim, but if you do (if I am right) you can’t have people raising funds for you and you can’t have a webpage with a fundraising button that lets people contribute.
Again, I may be wrong, can some election law, brilliant person give me the scoop? Set me straight?
September 28th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
I really feel sorry for Tim Bee. He’s going from his good to excellent press as Senate president in the last session to what looks like a really miserable experience in the next session. Running for office may be the only fun he has for the next year. He gets out of the budget mess for the next year and has the exhilarating experience of being the Republican Anointed One until the 2008 election. Then comes pay-back time. If he looses – whew!! no fun and as someone has noted, he is pretty much washed up politically here. If he wins – it could be worse. He goes to D.C. as a member of a weakened minority, has to immediately begin raising huge sums of money for the 2010 election and never gets a chance for any family life for the ensuing two years. Stay tuned!!!
September 28th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Ted, Ted, Ted….
“…articles in the past week…”???? Huh? You mean “editorials”. At
least the pithy stuff you linked. Opinion. C’mon bro, you’re smart enough to know that. Don’t laz’ me bro!
…and Francine…I luvs ya babe but if MC is such a bad gig, why did you run for it? Having to raise moolah every uthah year….you’re better off holding your breath till ya toin poiple. Night sweetie.
As Dick Deitrick used to say: People, people
September 29th, 2007 at 6:53 am
I am sure that “Flipper” is one of those scholars that wants us all to support legislation making English the official language.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Cute, Flipper! You love me? Dots nize – but you don’t even know who I am. I don’t have a family that includes young children. I have never been President of the Senate – but maybe that’s because I have never served in the legislature. So, had I been elected, my only family member to be inconvenienced is Twinkle, 20 pound Champion Dachshund, who is small enough to go under the seat of an airplane and who just loves travel! Sorry, fella – or is it a gal? You folks who prefer to blog with a pseudonym avoid having anyone know who you are – you picked the wrong analogy. But, given your assault on the English language, you probably don’t even know what an analogy is!
September 29th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Gee, Francine, there is so little love out there we need to take whatever we can get. Besides, doesn’t everyone love you? That’s the impression I get.
September 29th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Well, Liza, if that’s true I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people!
September 30th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Funny, I don’t recall any criticism of Steve Huffman running last year with young children. For that matter, I don’t recall anyone condemning Presidents Kennedy, Carter, or Clinton for being in a 24 hour a day job with young kids. Just an observation that this is a new tack of criticism of the presumed candidate Tim Bee.
Francine, we’re on different sides of the political fence but I enjoyed the times I heard you speak last year. Of course you know that ALL of them have to “immediately begin raising huge sums of money” for re-election. Including the incumbent here in CD8 who has apparently been busy doing just that.
It is funny to see the editorial writers getting the vapors over Tim not declaring himself a candidate.