Fighting Dems SPOTLIGHT ON ARIZONA: Live blogging!

[trillian]

You can live blog with Jeff and Herb here:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/5/1316/99748

Fighting Dems SPOTLIGHT ON ARIZONA: Jeff Latas (AZ-08) and Herb Paine (AZ-03)
by Fighting Dem Vets
Sun Mar 05, 2006 at 11:01:05 AM PDT

Jeff Latas and Herb Paine and are here to live blog with viewers this Sunday. Our Fighting Dem guests today are the only two Fighting Dems in the mid-term election this year in Arizona. However, we should not forget that State party chair Jim Pederson (D) is running against the 2nd term Republican incumbent Jon Kyl (R) for his Senate seat. Jim Pederson has been endorsed by Gen. Wesley Clark (ret.) - see WesPAC endorsed candidates at SecuringAmerica.com. DC Political Report gives this race four stars, the second highest rate, which shows vulnerability. This is a chance we have to take back a seat in the Senate. And another congressional seat that is given a chance for us to take back will the nominee from the large field of Democrats running for the nomination to oppose Rick Renzi (R) in AZ-01. If we support all these candidates, the political landscape of Arizona could be significantly altered and our Fighting Dem brigade in Arizona is ready to take back the hill.


Herb is taking a stand like many Fighting Dems in a district that might in any other year be considered `safe Republican' - a "red" district. Congressional District 3 has approximately 335,178 registered voters of which 98,247 are registered Democrats, 154,723 registered Republicans, and 79,587 registered Independents. The key for Democrats to win elections in this district is to attract independents and disaffected moderate Republicans who are attracted to a progressive agenda and appalled at the unethical, irresponsible and inept policies and practices of the current administration and its henchmen like Herb's opponent John Shadegg. Herb is unopposed by a Dem challenger and is concentrating on the General Election against an entrenched Bush crony.

Jeff is running in a district where the incumbent, the 11th term Republican James T. "Jim" Kolbe is retiring. There is a large field of both Democrats and Republicans running for the nomination. While Jeff is the man to take on the Republican nominee, he must still win the primary. His nomination would be particularly welcome if the Republican nominee is the Iraq war veteran Frank Atenori (R) against whom non-vet candidates might have less chance. Currently there are 76 Fighting Dems (see the Muster Roll on Fighting-Dems.com) running for Senate and House but less than half that number on the Republican side. We honor their service, but why can't they step over the line and abandon the worn out tactics of this administration, such that this candidate, for example, says that it was al-Qaeda who chose Iraq for their base of operations as a launch pad for future terrorist attacks and favors staying the course. It would be an interesting confrontation between truth and GOP misrepresentations. DC Political Report gives this race five stars - a wide open race.

Both these candidates need and deserve the support of the netroots. It is such as these that can help us "take back the Hill" as the repeated refrain of the Band of Brothers has it.


Herb Paine (D) for U.S. Congress (AZ-03)

Rank/Branch: 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Army
Service summary:1969-1971. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer, V Corps, stationed in Germany
Website: PaineforCongress.org
Contact: [e-mail]
bio: issues :: donate

Background: He grew up in Boston, the cradle of liberty, and made Phoenix his home eight years ago.

Education: Herb attended Boston University, majoring in Government. He received his Master's degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1970, specializing in American Foreign Policy, Soviet Affairs, and International Economics.

Positions: Following his service in the U.S. Army, he embarked on a career devoted to human services, social justice, and community problem solving, spending thirteen years with the United Way becoming Executive Director of United Way of California and the leading legislative advocate for the nonprofit sector in California. Herb Paine is currently president of Paine Consulting Services, a leading enterprise specializing in business strategy, organization development, and turnaround management for a diverse range of public, private, and nonprofit sector clients.

Family: His wife Debbie is executive director of the Arts and Business Council of Greater Phoenix. His daughter Carli graduated from MIT in 2005 with a Master's Degree in City Planning.

CAMPAIGN
Opponent(s): 6th term incumbent Republican John Shadegg; unopposed in primaries by a Dem challenger.

District Profile: Shadegg received 80.1% in '04, but he was unopposed and is now tainted by the Abramoff scandal. Paine is running against Shadegg to stem "a reversal of decades of progress in environmental protection, civil rights and social welfare.

Key issues:
Economic Security centered on innovation that creates good-paying jobs and that gives every American a fair opportunity to prosper. Good jobs with meaningful benefits for working families, quality education and job training opportunities are key to our remaining a leader in the global market. The price of investing in Arizona and in America does not come cheap. Neither does it require burdening already strained taxpayers with new levies. By working smarter and using our resources more wisely, we can make our tax dollars work better for us. The price that we pay for our freedoms and our security must not be at the expense of America's middle class and impoverished families, children, and seniors.

National Security that not only depends on military strength but also relies on strong diplomatic alliances and intelligent foreign policy that safeguards us at home and creates a safer world. We must strengthen and revitalize American leadership in the world and advocate a foreign policy that promotes democracy, revitalizes our alliances, and quells terrorism across the globe. Our armed forces serving in Iraq and throughout the world must be adequately protected and equipped, the needs of our veterans must be immediately addressed, and we must free ourselves from our dangerous dependence on Mideast oil.

Personal and Family Security that ensures access to quality health care and excellent education, respects the rights of all, and preserves our environment. All Americans have a right to affordable, accessible, and quality health care. We must stop the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, expand health insurance, and protect Medicare. Social Security is a solemn promise to the American people and must be protected and strengthened for current retirees, disabled workers, survivors, and future generations of Americans;

Education: Excellence in education and high-performing public schools offer the greatest hope for millions of American children. Education that integrates innovative technology and information is the key to ensuring that our new generation of workers can compete in the global marketplace;

Environment. The people of Arizona and all Americans should have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and safe uncontaminated land on which to build their homes and create public spaces.

STATEMENT: This is a crucial time for America, Arizona, and the citizens of this District. There is an unfinished agenda in our Nation and in our State. And there is a profound failure of leadership and absence of accountability in the White House and in the Congress.

The unfinished agenda is that of the American Dream. For all of us, the American Dream is about owning and affording the house we want, giving our children the education they deserve, being able to pay our bills and build up our savings, living without fear, having the health care we need, and enjoying a secure retirement. I am running for Congress because I believe that the American Dream is at risk. We are witnessing a reversal of decades of progress in environmental protection, civil rights, and social welfare. We are no longer assured that our children will grow up to have a better quality of life than we have enjoyed. Our personal freedoms are under attack. Regressive social and economic policies are breaking the backbone of our middle class. We cannot sustain spending 9 billion dollars every month on the war in Iraq, a mushrooming deficit, and the costs of revitalizing our own devastated urban areas without breaking the national treasury. Our borders are compromised and the issue of immigration remains unresolved. Gas prices are out of control, pensions are in jeopardy, and the economy is in danger of recession.

The crisis of accountability lies in the failure of the current Administration and Congress, not only to take decisive action to resolve these pressing issues, but also, most sadly, to be straight with the American people about the facts behind the war in Iraq. I am running because I know I can make a difference in Washington and bring that difference back home to Arizona. I will fight for the issues that matter most to us, like keeping American jobs at home and enhancing Arizona's economy, investing in quality education, resolving the immigration issue, preserving and developing our roads, waterways, and open spaces, protecting our Social Security benefits, making good health care accessible to everyone, ending our dependence on foreign oil, and bringing the war in Iraq to a swift and secure resolution.

As Congressman, I will be the people's voice in Washington. I ask the citizens of District 3 - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Greens - to join me in our campaign to revive the American Dream and restore the middle class, to invest in Arizona and in America, to demand accountability and responsible government, and to deliver the message that skimping on the American Dream is unacceptable.

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Jeff Latas (D) for U.S. Congress (AZ-08)

Rank/Branch: Lt Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Service summary: Jeff was a fighter pilot in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He flew 38 missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism as well as many other medals, including four Air Medals, four Meritorious Service Medals, and nine Aerial Achievement Medals. Jeff's wife, Salette, and son, Jesse, are also a vets. Jesse was recently medically evacuated out of Iraq after he suffered a relapse of leukemia. Jeff and Salette spent time at Walter Reed with Jesse and many other sick and wounded soldiers.

Website: JeffLatas.com
Contact: [e-mail]
bio :: issues :: donate

Background: Jeff was born in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, the third of four children. His father was a teacher who became a stillman in an oil refinery and joined the union. Jeff's mother worked in various clerical jobs. Jeff was captain of the football team in high school and played football at Wichita State University. Jeff moved to Tucson in 1978 where he worked as a construction carpenter and attended Pima Community College and then enrolled at the University of Arizona as an aerospace engineering major. Jeff continued to work his way through school as a ranch hand and as a service station attendant.

Service details: Jeff was in the Air Force ROTC program at the U of A, and upon graduation, he was commissioned into the United States Air Force. He completed pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi and flew F-111s at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico, subsequently becoming an instructor in T-38 advanced jet trainers at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas. Jeff was then selected to be one of the first 100 pilots to fly the F-15E "Strike Eagle." He returned to Arizona for a summer for training at Luke Air Force Base. Jeff's first assignment in the F-15E was to the 336th "Rocketeers" Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. On August 9, 1990, Jeff deployed with the Rocketeers to Oman in support of Operation Desert Shield. Just before the start of Operation Desert Storm, the 336th moved to Al Karj Air Base in Saudi Arabia. On the third night of Desert Storm, Jeff led a 10-ship formation into heavy fire. Six of the aircraft turned back, but the remaining four completed the mission under heavy fire. For his role in leading that mission, Jeff was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism. Jeff flew 38 official combat missions and remained in theatre for nearly 8 months. Some of Jeff's missions are chronicled in the book, Strike Eagle: Flying the F-15e in the Gulf War, by William L. Smallwood. Jeff, named as the Rocketeers' Top Gun, returned to Saudi Arabia twice with the Rocketeers in support of Operation Southern Watch. Jeff's next assignment was to the Pentagon, where he managed requirements for weapon modernization programs. He argued unsuccessfully against the continued use of depleted uranium weapons, and advocated for systems that could disable enemy weapons while minimizing injuries to soldiers and civilians. In 1997, General John Shalikashvili, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awarded Jeff a Joint Achievement Medal for an anti-armor study he submitted. Jeff returned to flying the F-15E with an assignment to the 391st "Flying Tigers" fighter squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. He returned the Middle East twice more with the Flying Tigers, once in support of Operation Southern Watch in Kuwait, and once in support of Operation Northern Watch in Turkey. During this time, Jeff was also selected to become an Accident Investigation Board president. Finally, Jeff was able to transfer back to southern Arizona to work as a Flight Evaluator for the 12th Air Force at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson.

Positions:Upon retiring from the Air Force in December 2002, Jeff was immediately hired by JetBlue Airways as a pilot. He upgraded to Captain in 2005.
Family: Jeff is married with two children. His wife of 26 years, Salette, is also a U of A grad, and currently manages a small web design business in Oro Valley. Daughter Virginia completed her studies at the University of Arizona in August and works at Arizona Bird Clinic. Son Jesse graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in 2003, after a year-long battle with leukemia, attended Pima College and the U of A, and is currently a soldier with Tucson's own 208th Transportation Company, United States Army Reserve. He was medically evacuated from Iraq in October and is now awaiting a bone marrow transplant.

CAMPAIGN
Opponent(s): 11th term Republican James T. "Jim" Kolbe is retiring and there is a large field of both Democrats and Republicans running for the nomination.
District Profile: Kolbe received only 60.04% in `04 and it is a wide open race where the Republicans are extremely vulnerable. Many commentators believe Jeff an excellent chance to win the nomination and election. He must win against a large field of Democrats and it is uncertain which Republican will run against the Dem nominee.

Key issues:
Energy: Although Jeff has a strong military background, his true passion is environmental protection through sound energy policy. Based on his education in aerospace engineering and his experience in program management in the USAF, Jeff's expertise is in using technology to solve problems. Jeff believes that the United States must achieve energy independence, not only from foreign oil imports, but from all fossil fuels. Let there be no doubt that our consumption of vast quantities of oil has led to war, environmental crisis, and an economy so tied to foreign oil reserves that the standard of living with which we are so comfortable is threatened.
Iraq: We should have never invaded Iraq based on the false and misleading evidence that Iraq was an immediate threat to our country. While I was assigned to the Pentagon (1994-1998), before the weapon inspectors were expelled from Iraq, I had extremely high-level access to intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. From the knowledge that I had on this issue, I cannot support or pardon our President for invading and occupying a country with our sons' and daughters' lives. The Army sent my 19-year-old son to boot camp for three months, and then to truck driver school for two months, and then declared him fully trained to risk his life for Iraq. Yet in 3 years, they have trained only one out of 15 battalions of Iraqi soldiers to defend their own country. Something isn't right about that. It is time for us to leave Iraq to the Iraqi people. I support democracy and wish that all the people of the world could share in its blessings; however, we must weigh our sacrifices against what is really being accomplished in Iraq.

Environment: We have an obligation to the future citizens of this nation and the world to protect our air, water, and land from destruction at our own hands. With global population on the rise and a continued lack of technological achievements that would promote a clean environment, our children will face a global crisis unmatched by any natural disaster recorded. It is up to this technologically advanced nation to set an example and promote to the rest of the world the values of environmental stewardship.

Social Security: It is typical of our current administration to pass on the tax burden to the next generation in order to reward their wealthy contributors. Whether you favor or oppose the creation of private accounts, the plain fact is that they would make the challenges facing Social Security more immediate and more severe. More than 47 million Americans today receive checks from the Social Security system. Although the average monthly payment to those individuals is a modest $895, Social Security constitutes more than half of the incomes of almost two-thirds of retired Americans. For one in six, it is their only income.

Military Spending: The military budget has nearly doubled in the last four years and the amount of research and development is at a standstill. Research and development money has been diverted to fund contingency operations that only wear out the existing hardware. Every day, we spend nearly one hundred million dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan just on operations. This cost is eroding our ability to upgrade our forces and equipment to offer more protection to our most valuable military resources, our men and women. If we are to win wars of the future, we must maintain a technological advantage in weaponry.

Health Care: Now that the 2004 elections are over, so is the discussion on a comprehensive national health care. We can't continue to ignore it. Millions of Americans don't have any health insurance, putting a burden on all of us. We must evaluate health care needs and study those countries that have workable insurance for everyone. This is not an impossible task and needs to be addressed now.

Tax Reform: We need reform and a more just system for funding our governmental needs. Income tax should be minimized and user tax optimized. Those whose incomes are below the poverty level should not have to pay any income tax, and those who are well above the middle class income levels should have at least a flat tax that can not be minimized by loop holes and is equal to any other citizen above the poverty line.

STATEMENT: We have reached a new point in our campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Congressional District 8. Up until this point, we have been building a vast network of grassroots support. I am overwhelmed by this support and consider this collaboration to be part of a bigger movement of which we are now a part, a movement sparked by the energies of earlier campaigns of Howard Dean and Wes Clark as well as organizations like the Progressive Democrats of America and Democracy For America. This is the progressive movement, and we are making changes. I am deeply grateful to the following national leaders for their support: Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Max Cleland, Gen. Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.), and now The Band of Brothers. Recently, I met with nearly 40 other veterans now running as Democrats for Congress. It was the largest gathering of veterans running for public office since 1946. The majority of these men and women are running for the same reasons I am. With little support from the party, and great conviction in message, we are making great strides in fighting for the future of this country.
My campaign had not been concentrating on seeking out large contributions from a small and influential group. That's the way most campaigns get their financing. I believe that in order to represent the vast majority of the voters in Congressional District 8, I must seek out funding from people who feel as though they don't have a voice in the United States Congress. This is my mission and the mission of my brothers and sisters whom I had the great privilege to meet in Washington last month. If you believe in this campaign, I ask you to help. My son will be receiving a bone marrow transplant any day now, and we need to hire staff to take over the jobs that my family has been handling. I am currently seeking 2000 $50 donations. If you can contribute more, it would be greatly appreciated; however, any donation will help. Thank you.

[autorank]

1. "Fighting Democrats" -- music to my ears. Recommended highly. n/t

[catmother]

2. thanks for all the information and websites. i'm an arizonan in

district 3. interesting statistics on the registered voters. my husband is a registered independent but will be voting dem this time around. he's had it with the repubs.:dem:

[NMDemDist2]

3. Paine is my guy, I'm going to a cmte mtg today for house parties

but dKos is loading SLOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW
and now says he's down for "maintence" :wtf:
:cry:

[trillian]

4. It's back up. n/t

[NMDemDist2]

5. i can't join as I didn't have a dKos account and it takes 24 Hrs to reply

oh well, give herb a :hi: for me!