Newsflash:
IMF Sounds Warning on U.K. Austerity LONDON—The International Monetary Fund urged the U.K. government to counter the effects of its austerity program by raising spending on infrastructure projects to avoid long-term damage to the nation's growth prospects. Read the Full Story
Congresswoman Lee Introduces “No More Ghost Money Act” Washington, D.C.— Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the No More Ghost Money Act of 2013. The bill would prohibit illegal payments to foreign officials and would require a report to Congress on payments made by the CIA to employees, officers, and elected officials to foreign entities. Read the Full Story
Reject pipeline's jobs pipe dreams President Barack Obama knows the dangers of not going far enough or fast enough to stop the climate crisis. History will celebrate his decision to lead us toward a clean energy economy that solves climate change and creates long-term, sustainable jobs for Americans. Read the Full Story
An Answer to Unemployment: A Jobs-for-All Bill | Commentary Act would boost employment now for the many who need it, eliminate residual joblessness even in times of prosperity It has been five years since the financial crisis struck, and progress in putting the unemployed back to work still lags, with no end in sight. Read the Full Story
How America Became a Third World Country The streets are so much darker now, since money for streetlights is rarely available to municipal governments. The national parks began closing down years ago. Some are already being subdivided and sold to the highest bidder. Reports on bridges crumbling or even collapsing are commonplace. Read the Full Story
Child poverty is the real scandal Washington is descending into another silly season. Let’s end this diversion of dust and smoke as partisans hype mock “scandals” for political profit. Read the Full Story
Inoculating Our Children Against Fear and Hatred "Ewww. Don't do it, Patrick. Don't do it. Dogs pee here." A woman was giving my husband a hard time because our 10-month-old son had dropped his banana on the ground. Patrick picked it up, licked it and was about to hand it back to our boy. Seamus grabbed for it eagerly and scarfed it down. A minute or two later, he was grunting for more. Read the Full Story
Pentagon officials ask Congress to shift $9.6B The Pentagon wants Congress to shift $9.6 billion of this year’s Defense Department budget toward expenses for the Afghanistan war, transportation and other items. Read the Full Story
Syria: the threats, costs, claims and lives What the civil war in Syria has exposed is that the massive political and social transformation, and real regime change under way is led by people themselves. US military involvement serves only to escalate the destruction. Read the Full Story
Pentagon Said to Seek $80 Billion for War Amid Withdrawal The Pentagon will ask Congress to approve about $79.5 billion for combat operations, the least since 2005, as U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan, according to administration officials. Read the Full Story
Jerry Brown: California’s Mystery Man One of California’s great mysteries is the state’s governor, Jerry Brown. In a time when America’s politicians strive to be everywoman and everyman, Brown goes his own way. While a nation frantically chases youth, the 75-year-old governor who glories in his age and experience, is at the top of his game. Read the Full Story
No Koch News: A Movement to Unsubscribe After years of mismanagement, the Tribune Company newspapers -- including the Chicago Tribune and L.A. Times -- are up for sale.  And one of the potential buyers? The Koch brothers.  And wow are people outraged! Read the Full Story
image IMF Sounds Warning on U.K. Austerity
image Congresswoman Lee Introduces “No More Ghost Money Act”
image Reject pipeline's jobs pipe dreams
image An Answer to Unemployment: A Jobs-for-All Bill | Commentary
image How America Became a Third World Country
image Child poverty is the real scandal
image Inoculating Our Children Against Fear and Hatred
image Pentagon officials ask Congress to shift $9.6B
image Syria: the threats, costs, claims and lives
image Pentagon Said to Seek $80 Billion for War Amid Withdrawal
image Jerry Brown: California’s Mystery Man
image No Koch News: A Movement to Unsubscribe
Saturday, 03 March 2012 00:41

Democratic Shift: Arizona Turns to New Leadership in Historic Congressional Campaign

Written by  Jeff Biggers | Huffington Post
Arizona Congressional District Map, Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission Arizona Congressional District Map, Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission

With a 9-point Democratic voter edge in the newly redrawn District 1, an extraordinary alliance of resurgent Arizona Democratic Party leaders and rural, Latino, Native American and environmental groups has placed Navajo attorney Wenona Benally Baldenegro's historic Congressional campaign into the national spotlight as a bellwether in the state's new politics.

Since incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar's (R-AZ) decision to run in neighboring District 4 last month, bipartisan support for the Harvard-trained public interest advocate's bid to become the first Native American woman in Congress has surged across the vast rural district, which includes Flagstaff and 10 Native American tribes, historic labor towns and an estimated 40 percent Native/Latino electorate. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has placed District 1 in its Red-to-Blue program. 

In a line: Galvanized by Benally Baldenegro's bold campaign to reinvigorate the Democratic base among her rural and main street towns, Arizona Democrats and Independents are jumping ship from one-time conservative Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick's largely out-of-state-supported attempt to revive her disastrous 2010 campaign, which turned away record numbers of voters. As a defiant supporter of Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, environmental rollbacks, and her lagging support for workplace safety and Latino and Native American concerns, Kirkpatrick lost 44 percent of her one-time supporters in 2010.

"Ann lost me and lost her base when she consistently obstructed or went AWOL on core Democratic party positions," said Flagstaff attorney Mik Jordahl. "It doesn't help to have a "D" after your name if you consistently vote against core Democratic Party positions. It's so exciting to finally have a candidate in Wenona who stands up for core Democratic valves and doesn't cave into the Republican Lite wing of the Democratic party."

As the Tea Party-led state legislature in Arizona unveils their Wisconsin-copycat assault on public unionsthis session, Benally Baldenegro's defense of labor rights and workplace safety has also won the surprise endorsement of the United Steelworkers of America, the largest union in District 1, as well as the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees #449 in the district's southern ranks in Pima County. The United Steelworkers singled out Benally Baldenegro, who was raised in the mining town of Kayenta, on the Navajo Nation and has worked in the public policy sector for sustainable job creation and small business development in rural areas, for her "commitment to fight for working families."

While Kirkpatrick's early candidacy and prior Capitol Hill connections picked up support from some major funders last summer, including Emily's List, growing numbers of Democratic party leaders and women advocates are calling on Beltway organizations to reconsider their premature endorsements and donations, and recognize Benally Baldenegro's more representative base of supporters and commitment to Democratic values.

"I'm supporting Wenona because she's a smart and dynamic woman and will serve the district well," said Arizona state Rep. Sally Gonzales, one of numerous state legislators backing Benally Baldenegro. "I think as a young woman she can motivate the masses of young people and can make a difference in the upcoming election. As the first Native American woman to serve in the state legislature I strongly support the need for more people of color in all areas of government representation."

Along with the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) and the prized support of Arizona's U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, and the local, state and national Progressive Democrats of America, Benally Baldenegro has won the support of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tohono O'odham Nation, Tulalip Tribes of Washington, San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians, Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, and Johnny Naize, Navajo Nation Speaker of the Council and Ben Nuvamsa, the former Hopi Tribe Chairman.

"I voted for Ann Kirkpatrick in 2008 and 2010," said Cheryl Bader, a Democratic Party activist in Flagstaff. "While many of Ann's votes while she was in Congress reflect the values of the Democratic voters in this district, some did not and they are troubling. Kirkpatrick was one of a few Democrats who joined Republicans early on to ask Nancy Pelosi to extend the Bush tax cuts for the very rich. Had she supported the majority of Democrats and Nancy Pelosi who were calling for a fair tax structure, we might have seen a different result in that fight. We have an alternative here in Arizona's CD1 and that's Wenona Benally Baldenegro. She will fight for us without compromise. Wenona will excite the voters who stayed home in 2010. She gets my vote!"

The original article may be found on Huffington Post

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