At a recent meeting of Teabaggers here in Arizona, Senator Jon Kyl made the stunning allegation that during a private conversation he had with President Barack Obama, the president basically told him he was holding lawmakers “hostage” by not securing the border in order to get some form of comprehensive…
A new poll was released today in the ruthless dogfight that is the Arizona Republican Senate primary, and, as has been the case in several other polls, Senator John McCain is hovering around 50 percent — something that has pollsters like Scott Rasmussen and McCain’s opponent J.D. Hayworth saying “The…
We just got word that R. Lee Ermey — best known for playing the no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket and later for making out with Steve Zahn in Saving Silverman — will appear at an event with Senate hopeful J.D. Hayworth. If you’re not familiar with the guy,…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is many things, but not much of a sports fan. That didn’t stop him from attending a Opening Day game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Interesting because Arizona passed a law in 2000 that prohibits elected officials from accepting free tickets to sporting or cultural events. It’s a law…
Sunday’s Arizona Republic story about Tom Horne wasn’t the first time the candidate for Attorney General has been asked about a decades-old bankuptcy and government sanction. As Horne reminded us today, Republic reporter Pat Kossan wrote an article in 2002 about his failed business venture from long ago, which resulted in his being…
Along with the praise and help in the polls Governor Jan Brewer’s received after signing SB 1070, Arizona’s controversial, new immigration law, the governor’s also getting a little heat from those opposed to the new statute. By “heat,” we mean people are comparing her to Nazis…
Oh, the irony of all ironies. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon sent out a letter today to Phoenix residents on the city budget with an opening line that read: “In the City of Phoenix, we value transparency in government.”Value transparency?Wait, there’s more: “Every city employee and elected leader reports to you, the…
Augustus Shaw, Republican candidate for State Representative, has been kicked out of the race by a judge because he doesn’t live in the right district. The ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Edward Burke prohibits Shaw’s name from appearing on the primary ballot in Tempe’s District 17 this year. Shaw lives a…
The mood at the courtroom hearing was light.Maricopa County Judge Edward Burke cracked jokes about Augustus Shaw’s lack of hair, Shaw smiled and waved to the man hired to spy on his family.But the weirdest part had to be the very subject of the hearing itself — an absurd attempt…
Anyone hip to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Twitter page knows that his birthday was “ruined” last weekend with the news that he was uninvited to speak at a convention of guide dog users.As crushed as the sheriff seems to be after getting the boot from the convention, we just…
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may have let the cat out of the bag when it comes to the federal government’s apparent plans to sue Arizona over the state’s controversial, new immigration law.In an unscripted interview with an Ecuadorian television station today, Clinton says the Justice Department — at…
Augustus Shaw, a Republican running for State Legislature, failed to close out a political action committee he started when he ran for Tempe City Council in 2004, officials say. Because of state campaign-finance laws, Shaw should have either terminated the PAC or filed finance reports each a year. Because he’s done neither since…
Augustus Shaw is a legendary name around these parts, but not because of the ethics-bending Tempe HOA attorney who’s candidacy for the State House has been challenged. We’re not sure that the “original” Shaw, who died in a Saguaro Lake boating accident in 1977, would be all that proud of…
According to a recent national survey, if you’re gay, opposing Arizona’s controversial, new immigration law is very in right now. The survey, released earlier this week by Harris Interactive, finds that gays, lesbians, transgenders, and bisexuals oppose the new law in much higher numbers than heterosexuals…
We got word yesterday that as U.S. Senate hopeful Rodney Glassman hits the campaign trail with his snazzy, new, Arizona flag lapel pin, one of his opponents in the Democratic primary will be contributing to the Huffington Post. U.S. Senate candidate, and former New Times columnist, John Dougherty announced that as…
The nominating petitions for Jose “Joe” Penalosa, a Republican challenger to incumbent Democrat Ed Pastor in Congressional District 4, won’t be tossed, a judge has ruled. An elections complaint filed last week against Penalosa alleged that he didn’t live within the boundaries of CD4, that one of his petition circulators…
Tom Horne, Arizona’s superintendent of schools and candidate for state attorney general, is standing by his comments that terrorism is no longer a problem in Israel after they built — in the words of Senator John McCain — a “danged fence.”At a Tea Party rally earlier this month — in a…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is center-stage in highlighting the evils of SB 1070. He has become a champion to many in the Latino community for publicly condemning the misguided law that makes it a crime for illegal immigrants to be in Arizona.And he’s milking it.On Sunday, Gordon received a standing ovation…
In a political move only newsworthy because of its high-level of tackiness, U.S. Senate hopeful Rodney Glassman actually put out a press release last night to make an announcement regarding his campaign wardrobe: In addition to the U.S. flag lapel pin he wears, he will begin wearing one of the Arizona flag. Stop the presses!…
Lisa Hauser, an attorney for Governor Jan Brewer, blasted Arizona’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission after its members refused to take further action on matching funds for this year’s election cycle.In a tense, two-minute speech, Hauser blasted the commission for “turning your backs on participating candidates.” She also questioned the commission’s…
On the heels of saying he’s contemplating dropping out of the race, residentially challenged Republican State House candidate Augustus Shaw now says he’ll stay in the fight. We’re not sure why he’s bothering — it certainly appears he tried to pull a fast one on voters by claiming he lives…
HOA lawyer Augustus Shaw tells New Times today that he’s “strongly considering” dropping his run for the State House following an official complaint that he doesn’t live in the right legislative district.Shaw, a Republican, wants to represent District 17 in Tempe, but the complaint alleges that he actually lives in south…
