US House Races:

[dorktv]

Paul Babbitt-36%
Randy Camacho-39%
Ed Pastor-70%
Elizabeth Rogers-38% (me by the way)
Raul Grijalva-61%
Eva Bacal-36%

[saracat]

1. Wow! Babbit got shellacked!

[dorktv]

2. I know...I cannot believe I did better then him!

[saracat]

3. message to Jim, you need more than a name!

[dorktv]

4. Pederson was totally no help AT ALL for my race

Camacho's, Starky, or anyone who was not in a "winnable" race.

One of the things we need to do to fix our party is get rid of the people who only care about winnable races.

[iamladybug]

5. Congrats on Strong Showing!

Pederson promised you a donation, did he ever deliver?

[dorktv]

8. *snort* Nope. He is outie!

[69KV]

9. Shame

There does look like there needs to be a shakeup in the Arizona Democratic Party. Jim Peterson picked one race that he thought was winnable, ignored all the others. Starky got no support from the party, Camacho got very little. All the effort was poured into Paul Babbitt.

He's a good guy but I saw this coming months ago. I might as well come out of the closet here and admit I voted for Bob Donahue in the Democratic primary, because Babbitt ran a poor campaign from the start. I frankly saw Donahue as a more viable candidate than Babbitt. Arizonans tend to be political mavericks, even the majority registered Democratic in this district - and I think Donahue could have pulled off a near-win like George Cordova did two years ago. The AZ and national Dem parties brought in outside campaigners and it looked like the Babbitt campaign was run from Washington, D.C., without Arizona issues in mind. The campaign was slick, low-key, almost under the radar. Very DLC-like. And I hate to break it to Jim, Janet and the rest, but the DLC style *does not play well* in Arizona.

Two years from now we have a much better chance with Bob Donahue or Dianne Prescott, or somebody new. What we don't need is another campaign run by D.C.ers out of touch with Arizona issues. I also think Rick Renzi should be vulnerable to a nasty primary challenge or a spoiler independent campaign from the right. Some of the right wing loonytunes consider Renzi a RINO.

I also think Stu Starky could have done a lot better than the 20% he got, if the party hadn't ignored his campaign. There are apparently still some misguided souls who hold out hope that McCain can be wooed to switch parties, and didn't want to alienate him. If sheep could fly...

[dorktv]

12. I agree.

You need to support as many people as you can. And you do it by having candidates trained before you even start the sig collection while having good PCs who do the leg work in the precincts. My local chair only cares about getting a lot of PCs not about getting good ones.

[blondeatlast]

14. But Peterson IS an Arizonan, from Casa Grande, in fact. The problem

is his Washington ASPIRATIONS; he's massaging the national party's support while turning his back at the local level.

As we all no doubt know, that won't work at all in Arizona.

The lack of support for Starky was absolutely heartbreaking, he could have at least put the fear into McCain. He was so good at the grassroots level. I wonder if he'll ever try again.

I hope os.

[dorktv]

17. Well he can want them all he wants but NO ONE

is going to help him. The people who help out are too angry.

[blondeatlast]

13. I know... it was pathertic. So sorry about that.

Jim's out for himself, IMHO.

[blondeatlast]

15. Not just lack of funds, but they should have made better use of volunteers

I can't tell you how many times I contacted the party early this year to volunteer.

No call, not one, I even showed up at party HQ; until AZDemDist6 saw me gripe about it right here at DU. Even then, they had nothing for anyone to do but canvass for the BIG races.

I didn't put in my fair share of volunteer hours this year because I was just disgusted, and I KNOW I'm not alone. I also know this has been complained about here at DU in other states as well. I've worked from Governor Babbitt's re-election and up.

From now on, I'm volunteering for local races and the PACs, not the Dems.

Let me know if you plan to run again--even if you aren't in my district (6), I'll help out.

But not for the party anymore until something changes at a fundamental level.

[dorktv]

16. Well that is why DFA is stepping in and fixing the

massive problems. We should have volunteers working year round.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

18. Pederson has never helped anybody except napolitano and her only because

she promised to help him get elected later. pederson is all about back room deals, that's all, all about what he can get for himself. In my county, the democratic party is just a dinner club. They go out to dinner, decide not to do anything, and go home till next meeting. Additionally, they are all so far right it makes your head hurt, it's hard to tell them from the repugs.

[blondeatlast]

22. Amen to that.

The lack of party support this year sickened me.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. No one was running negative ads against you

[dorktv]

7. No one was paying attention to me!

And you do not think that I could not have done better had I had more support?

[NoodleBoy]

10. wow! a real live person involved in a political race

if I had a stick right now I'd poke you with it.

[dorktv]

11. Ow! That hurt *rubs butt*

[Is It Fascism Yet]

19. I frankly think we need a new left of the liberals democratic party in az

we already have enough right and those who want to vote right can go to them. the dems are losing the libertarian and green minded folks because in az they are soooooo republican lite, and such a dinner club, and they make backroom deals at the top. that's why pederson didn't support starkey, or anybody but babbit. the deal he made, no doubt, involved babbit, this time, last time it was napolitano, to the exclusion of the other 4 candidates in the gubernatorial primary.

[dorktv]

20. So does that mean you are going to help me and the other

candidates like me out? With money and time? Assistance in organizing the races?

One thing to say the direction of the party sucks, but another to do something about it.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

21. it depends

I have helped the democratic party out with my vote, my time and money, lots and lots of both, for 30 years now. Prolly since you were in daipers. I feel really abandonded by pederson and mcauliffe, they make backroom deals and throw all the party behind whomever can offer them the most personal power. This is true. I have worked hard in my county party as a pc, a state committeeperson, county secretary, affrimative action chair, chair of the bylaws committee, and committee of one for every event our county party hosted in the years before I up and quit them. I quit in 2002 because I was asking the "dinner club" one night to help me with the gubernatorial debate we had planned. I said I couldn't manage it alone. everyone else said they "had other priorities in life, you know" So, I managed the event by myself, and then abandoned the dinner club to their own devices. It didn't matter anyway, we could have skipped the primary, for perderson had already picked the democratic candidate for us, thrown the weight of the party behind her, and the primary was just a pretense. I guess I can forgive that, since, at least, he actually did get a democrat elected to the office, which, after all, is pederson's job. But you see, I am no longer interested working for the party and pulling all the dead weight of the county dinner club. Still, I reappeared long enough to help them with kerry. I am talking about the party organization here, not the candidates. If you want me to support you in your race, it isn't enough anymore to just be a democrat, because, as far as I can tell, democrats, especially arizona democrats, are just repub lite. these folks are so far to the right you can't hardly recognise them as dems. so, yeah, maybe i would support you individually, and maybe not, depending on your actual position. As far as supporting the party goes, i think i am about done with them, after all these many years, so disappointed in the dems from the top to the bottom. why did kerry capitulate less than 24 hours after the polls were closed? we funded a legal recount fund for him. why didn't he use it to demand recounts and investigations? we are abandoned, and you ask me to worry about your election in 2006? well, its doubtful we will have any kind of legal election in 2006 if we couldn't manage to get one in 2000, 2002, 2004. meanwhile, my five adult children are struggling under this economy. they are college educated and still employed in mcjobs. the democrats have let us down and now we will experience a depression. you think i should send my money to you for 2006 instead of to my pregnant daughters working with their college degrees for minimum wages? Not to mention how the democratic platform has sucked! Stop with the second ammendment assualts already, we are not giving up our second ammendment under this dictatorship, and the democrats are assholes to be working at usurping our second ammendment rights. The whole range of issues, the dems are not standing for freedom. Exactly what do you lmean by "candidates like you"? I supported Starkey but I know him, hosted occasions for him in my county and in my home, and my assesment of him is that he'd be an improvment over McCain, but I didn't really have much hope of finding a champion of civil liberties in Stu. I was not filled with confidence that he had any particular remedies in mind. At least he promised to support civil liberties, inclusive of second ammendment. That's what I mean, if you want my vote, my money, my time, you had better be different from most of the mediocre middle of the road almost republican bunch. I am thinking about doing something about the way the party sucks. I am thinking about abandoning it altogether. The libertarians look awfully good round about now.

[dorktv]

23. Here is where I am coming from:

I have been a party person since I first registered to vote (in 1997) but never got involved until Howard Dean came along. I got involved there because he really did seem different and when I got involved in my local district, I wound up with two chairships, I was appointed PC...all with no help. I had no idea what I was doing and then the chair of the district fought me all the way on what I wanted to do. You know who Bruce Martin is? THAT is who I was dealing with. Then I decided to run for Congress. Why several reasons: 1. JD DAMN WELL DOES NOT REPRESENT MY DISTRICT! I believe that you vote the way your district wants, NOT how you contributers want you to vote. When you are a US Representative you are there to represent the views of the people in your district. Does that mean I have to be right-wing on everything? HELL NO. It means I have to make sure to explain to my district what each major piece of legislation is going to do to them and why going with the left position would most likely be better because almost every time it is. I also was taught that when you do not like something, you jump in and change it. YOU not some other person. 2. No one else was going to. We had 2 districts unopposed and considering the total lack of support that I got, I can see why. I had a primary opponent that I did not know about at first and then I continued because I knew I would do a better job then someone who was a right-wing Dem. And Ron Maynard IS a right-wing dem. 3. It would help Janet. Who do you think will run against her in 2006? Rick Romely? No, it will Mr. Anti-DeLay Rule JD Hayworth. I wanted to show that Hayworth was not as tough a cookie as people think he is.

You know how much money I raised? $3,000 The campaign still has a debt of $1000. I got over 102,000 votes. I had almost NO help from anyone in the party (including leg districts) and my own home leg district chair actively worked against me in the primary and in the general. I did get some help after winning my primary by almost 40 points from AZ Vote which is trying to get off the ground and be a major player in Arizona to change the very things you complain about.

Go to my website and check out who I am. I still want to be involved in the party despite my horrid treatment at the hands of the higher-ups in the party because Damnit the people of America NEED US. It is not about us but about them! So what if they mock us, laugh at us and treat us bad, their babies need health care JUST as much as we do, they need decent jobs, they need good roads, clean air, clean water and everything else we work for. Doing something because you will get accolades is fine but even if no one gives a shit you still do it because it is the RIGHT THING TO DO. THAT is what we need to remember.

How was I suppose to know about your past history with the party? I read your other two responses over again and I did not see any thing that would indicate a long term organizing person. I am just so damn sick and tired of people moaning and bitching about the Party instead of thinking of different ways of fixing it. I do not like the way the party is going and I am going to bitch and moan but I am going to do something about it. Your district has only a 'dinner club' thing going? You involved elsewhere in the community? How about checking for the next Democracy for America Meet-up? When you have a bunch of do-nothings, look for then ones who DO something they might not have the night free, or not know about the regular meetings.
As for money, you can do whatever you want with that, and donate time instead. I did.

Sorry about the length but you ticked me off. *gasps in shock* yes a candidate admits they have emotions! oh the world is coming to an end! *watches the Rogers Scream on CNN 9 billion times* heehee

[Is It Fascism Yet]

24. its better to be ticked off than ticked on

Yeah, that's okay, I don't mind the length of your post. You ticked my off too. I rethought my former post and realized it has been 35 years of working for the dems for me, make that 35, not just, say, since 1997. So, if you are frustrated since 1997, imagine the frustration I have been able to muster in such a longer time! Perhaps you missed the point I was trying to make, actually two:

1. I am disenchanted with organizations of all types because they are filled with do-nothings. If you are going to perform all functions, all by yourself, as a "committee of one", you might as well skip the organization altoghter, it's less cumbersome that way.
2. AZ democrats are too far right for me and I don't feel most of them are substantially any different from their republican opponents. I no longer feel inclined to support people just because they say they are democrats. I have seen candidates change their registrations around just so they can run with party backing, seen candidates who were repubs 10 minutes ago and are now asking for party backing from the county organizations. And we do it, too! We eat it up! "Oh, your a democrat, fine". Around here that means something very right. That being said, SOME of them actually are liberals, and if you are one of the SOME more power to you.

Although it is December, I am still worried about election 2004, I have not given up on that, I want a hand recount, I want a fair democratic election in AZ in 2004, and I don't care who wins. I care about voter fraud occuring in this state. For instance, Jan Brewer announced AZ for Shrub 12 days before she counted the mail ballots. That in itself is fraudulent, as announcing for Shrub was one factor which forced Kerry's concession. And it was meant to force Kerry's concession. I personally am not interested in trying to secure in the future what we have not been able to secure in the past. I am interested in making sure our votes were counted THIS TIME. THIS TIME is the important time. This is our last chance to reclaim democracy. If 2004 continues to go south, there is no reason to worry about any future elections, as they will all be as much pretense as this was. I feel it is far more important to "Be here now" than focusing on 2006. How about if you help me to recall Jan Brewer, for permitting vote fraud in AZ, thereby secureing a hand recount, and restoring democracy? Then when we have done that, I will think about helping you with 2006. I feel certain already that you would represent an astronomical improvement over JD in the congress.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

25. PS if the party doesn't like you...

you must be doing something right!

[dorktv]

26. Now I understand better and yeah I agree with that assesment of

our party. However THIS particular time we actually did not support a five minute ago dem. Heard of Don Harris? I did not like Clark for that reason.

As for the legit recount? Good luck. I know my count was off. I only took about half of Tempe and Kerry took it with 90%. Something is off.

As for getting things to change, we need a decent Sec. of State. Who among the last two state wides is well known and not hated?