Ann Kirkpatrick: political opportunist carpetbags to CD 2

She’s ba-a-ack, newly reincarnated

Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick has had a bumpy ride in Congressional District 1 —  opting in and out, winning, losing and getting chased down and booed (brief video) by angry constituents. Now, at age 67, she wants to reprise her political adventure after losing a senate effort to unseat John McCain in 2016.

The on-again, off again Kirkpatrick has recently carpet-bagged into Tucson and registered in Congressional District 2. Throwing caution and good sense to the winds, she’s banking on mounting a successful challenge to 3-term Republican incumbent Martha McSally. There are seven other already declared local Democrats in the race.

The burning question is, will Kirkpatrick stay in Tucson after her 2018 loss or move back to Flagstaff? That nearly 300 mile drive gets tedious. Her husband, Roger Curley, has a legal practice in Flagstaff, making it unlikely he’d join her in setting up a sham residency.

Dr. Kelli Ward criticized for prayers, expressing concerns

Valid concerns should be addressed

In the news section of her website, Dr. Kelli Ward for U.S. Senate,  senate candidate Kelli Ward is taking heat from commenters for her post, My Prayers to John McCain, Such is the political world today.

 Kelli Ward is a physician and is addressing John McCain’s serious medical condition. His own doctors at Mayo Clinic have described his malignant brain tumor as aggressive and resistant to treatment. Sen. McCain evidenced his inabilities during his recent questioning of former FBI Director James Comey, in what was described in the media as “bizarre and incoherent.” We now know the reason.

Dr. Ward is no longer running against the nearly 81-year-old John McCain, who was reelected to another six-year-term in 2016 but is challenging virulent Trump opponent Jeff Flake. She gains no foothold by suggesting McCain not attempt to subject himself to the rigors of the U.S. Senate and concentrate on his treatment and enjoy time with his family. He will be undergoing a tough treatment regime, and should be with his loved ones. There is nothing untoward about suggesting he step aside, saying, “When the time comes that Senator McCain can no longer perform his duties in the Senate at full capacity, he owes it to the people of Arizona to step aside.”

That is reality for both Sen. McCain, the people of Arizona and the nation as evidenced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell putting the critical vote on health care reform on ice due to McCain’s absence, where every vote was needed to pass and McCain was recovering from brain surgery.

Prepping for Meghan? Would Gov. Ducey actually do it?

On the heels of the disclosure that Arizona Sen. John McCain is battling brain cancer, comes a barrage of Meghan McCain image polishing in the local newspaper.

Thursday’s front page features a massive photo of the nearly 81-year-old senator with a report on the “aggressive, tough to treat” malignancy. It also includes this tweet from daughter Meghan, in which she says of her father, “….like any daughter, I cannot and do not want to be in a world without him.”

Page 7 carries a full page report, headlined,: “Meghan McCain: He is the toughest person I know.”  But the editorial is what was the attention grabber, the hard copy version is headlined, “Meghan McCain emerges with poise and eloquence.”  It would be difficult for Arizonans to equate this description  with the coarse, tattooed, motor mouth who complained that her father’s presidential campaign ruined her sex life, calling his failed effort a “libido killer” and even throwing in a slam to her much classier mother. The editorial, referring to John McCain as “one of the most influential leaders of our time,” was a rehash of his legendary heroism, disputed (video) by those who were imprisoned with him in Vietnam and members of congress who questioned his permanently shutting down access to POW and MIA records.

The online version of the editorial is even more blatant, “Our View: John McCain’s legacy is in good hands.” Sounding more appropriate for an obituary, this creepy praise came as John McCain is still among us.

Despite being bewildering it’s clear the Arizona Republic is pushing for Gov. Doug Ducey to appoint the marginal Ms. McCain to fill the senate seat occupied by her father. Ironically, it wouldn’t be much of a push, since the governor and senator have a longstanding connection dating to the  early 1980s when Ducey moved to Arizona to attend Arizona State University, and began working at Hensley& Co., the Anheuser-Busch distributor owned by Cindy McCain.

None of his 6 other children (2008) rate this syrupy coverage or even a mention.

Meghan McCain’s Republican credentials have always been suspect. A social liberal, she became a Republican as a Father’s Day surprise, in a display of “commitment” to her Dad. It’s worth noting that at the time, he was the GOP nominee for the U.S. Presidency. Like her father, Meghan refused to vote for Republican nominee, now President Donald Trump.

Even plagued with serious health problems, John McCain continued to lash out at President Trump, who, joined by First Lady Melania, sent him warm wishes after hearing of the serious diagnosis.

Dignity, collegiality and propriety? We need a fighter

Author Evan Sayet provides a rational look at the political world as it is. Take a couple of minutes to read, “He fights.”  

The title comes from a wartime statement made by President Lincoln describing General Ulysses Grant. Donald Trump is America’s first wartime president in the Culture War. The analogy is unmistakable.

Sen. John McCain diagnosed with brain cancer

Reported to be a particularly aggressive type of malignancy

At the request of Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and his family, Mayo Clinic released the following statement today:

“On Friday, July 14, Sen. John McCain underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot.

“Scanning done since the procedure (a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision) shows that the tissue of concern was completely resected by imaging criteria.

“The Senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options with his Mayo Clinic care team. Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. 

“The Senator’s doctors say he is recovering from his surgery ‘amazingly well’ and his underlying health is excellent.”

The office of Senator John McCain also released the following statement:

“Senator McCain appreciates the outpouring of support he has received over the last few days. He is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona. He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective. Further consultations with Senator McCain’s Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate.”

Because glioblastomas can grow rapidly, the most common symptoms are usually caused by increased pressure in the brain. These symptoms can include headache, seizures, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness.

Depending on the location of the tumor, patients can develop a variety of other symptoms such as weakness on one side of the body, memory and/or speech difficulties, hearing and vision loss, according to the American Brain Tumor Association website.

Glioblastoma can be difficult to treat because the tumors contain so many different types of cells, the association says.

The Hill carries this account of John McCain’s condition.

The Tucson Daily Star reports on a “malignant brain tumor.”

The Arizona Republic refers to a “brain tumor.”

Elvia Diaz or Russell Pearce: Who’s the hate monger?

The leftwing, Hillary-endorsing Arizona Republic outdid itself with a hate-laden, incendiary screed passing itself off as an editorial.  Elvia Diaz, the heir apparent to long-in-the-tooth Linda Valdez, must have missed her dose of Prozac as she took to the keyboard in a venomous rant against Russell Pearce. The threatening headline reads, “You’ve got our attention, Russell Pearce, and we’re ready for you.”  Whether the readiness includes more than words is left to speculation.

Who is Russell Pearce? He’s the former Arizona Senate President who has dedicated his life to others. A brief overview includes serving as a Maricopa County Deputy Sheriff, promoted to Chief Deputy, Justice of the Peace and pro tem judge. He served in the military. Pearce has been the director of state agencies and is now Chief Deputy of the Maricopa County Treasure’s Office. He was also instrumental in the passage of Arizona’s SB1070. As you read his full and impressive bio, it becomes clear this is a man who stands head and shoulders above the crowd. 

What has Diaz so riled up is the fact that the respected investigative and  legal watchdog Judicial Watch and Pearce have joined forces requesting Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich sue the state Board of Regents for skirting a recent Arizona Court of Appeals decision denying illegal aliens in-state tuition rates.

In Diaz’ fantasy world, the illegals have morphed into venerated “immigrants” and “dreamers.”  And patriot Pearce?  He is worthy of a voluminous assault, exemplifying a new low in journalistic standards. Here are a few examples taken directly from the editorial with Diaz’ smiling photo smugly attached:

Russell Pearce is described in the opening sentence as the man “behind Arizona’s infamous, anti-immigrant law…we thought we sent to the depths of irrelevancy.”

Pearce, she construes, “Is attempting a comeback, with his divisive and corrosive rhetoric clearly intact.” Because he has worked and earned retirement in the state legislature, law enforcement, and the judicial system and he doesn‘t think Arizona’s taxpaying citizens should be forced to underwrite illegals by gifting them with  in-state tuition,  Diaz refers to him as a “disgraced, triple-dipping bigot.”

Diaz goes on, “It’s a mistake to dismiss Pearce as the lunatic, publicity-hungry politician some Arizonans love to loathe.” At least she conceded it’s only “some“ loathers. Most of us regard the man whose personal motto is “faith, family freedom — above all else,” with respect.

The diatribe ends with this sunny thought, “The stars have aligned in his favor. Donald Trump’s election to the White House makes it all too plain that people like Pearce remain in our midst.

We can’t become too distracted with Trump to ignore them. We must remain ready to fight their kind of intolerance.”

Long known to be in the grasp of death throes, the Periódico de la República de Arizona (Arizona Republic) continues to insult its dwindling reader base.

In the skewed thinking of the radical left, it’s intolerant to want to secure our border and deny undeserved benefits to invaders. They are poised to fight for the hordes over our own citizens.

AZ Sen. Jeff Flake, dedicated Trump antagonist, vulnerable in 2018

A Politico article referencing Jeff Flake’s reelection vulnerability is making the rounds. Conservatives who have ample reason to distrust Flake are taking heart in the fact that potential challengers are eyeing the political landscape and assessing their chances in the 2018 U.S. Senate race.

But the article, “White House squeezes Jeff Flake” describing the animus between President Trump and  Flake, is a mixed bag of speculation with some less than stellar options mentioned. As an example, among those said to have had conversations with President Trump regarding the senate seat currently held by his antagonist Flake are former state GOP chairman; Robert Graham, a dedicated McCain booster who has steadfastly supported Jeff Flake, putting him at odds with grassroots activists.  Also mentioned are State Treasurer Jeff DeWit, Trump’s 2016 AZ campaign chair and Dr. Kelli Ward, a physician and conservative former state senator. Ward is the only announced challenger and has been traveling the state, meeting with an ever-increasing group of supporters.

Politico even tosses in former Gov. Jan Brewer, whose top advisers had longstanding ties to McCain and U.S. Rep Martha McSally (CD-2) who generates no enthusiasm among conservatives.

The conjecture of possible challengers might be music to Flake’s ears, since having numerous candidates splitting the vote is how McCain has stayed in office.  He was often accused of recruiting some “opponents” for that very reason. But Flake has charted a risky course far and apart from a potentially crowded field.

As a staunch Obama ally, he played on his White House basketball team and traveled with him to Kenya and Cuba — where Flake has long been eager to open doors with  the Communist dictatorship. Flake colluded with liberals on gun control, and  nuclear negations with terror-sponsoring Iran. His peripheral ties with Iran go back to the early 1990’s when Jeff Flake worked as a lobbyist for Rossing Uranium — one of the world’s largest suppliers of the nuclear fuel. He was registered as a foreign agent representing the company which operates a mine in the African country of Namibia.  Flake earned approximately $7,000 per month opening doors in D.C. and promoting the firm with financial ties to Iran.

And then there’s Flake’s ongoing push for amnesty for the illegal hordes flooding the U.S through Arizona’s porous southern border. He and McCain spearheaded the Gang of 8 to achieve that end, recruiting two other Republicrats and four liberals, including Trump obstructionist, Chuck Schumer.

Flake’s own strident opposition to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was so appealing  to the left that Hillary Clinton featured Flake in this campaign ad.

Quoting Flake’s spokesman, Politico got some facts wrong — most notably Flake’s “successful push to confirm Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.” In fact, Flake shepherded Obama’s lame-duck nominee Democrat Merrick Garland through the senate halls, introducing him as a viable replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died unexpectedly last year. Fortunately, Donald Trump was elected and appointed Neil Gorsuch to the high court.

US Senate terms are six years long. Flake won in 2012 by a mere 3 percentage points. He’s flippable. We can do it.  Acquaint yourself with Kelli Ward’s conservative principles.

Jeff Flake and John McCain are bottom draggers in this recent poll referencing all 100 U.S. Senators regardless of party affiliation. The Morning Consult survey showed the most vocal critics of President Trump are the least popular.

The polling site concludes with this excellent summation from Eddie Zipperer, a professor of political science at Georgia Military College, “Flake ran as conservative, governed as a moderate, tried to push amnesty on Americans, and campaigned against the Republican presidential nominee. That’s not exactly a recipe for re-election.” He correctly described the Gang of 8 amnesty bill as “nothing short of a total Republican surrender on the issue.”