Az just about lost everything thanks to putting ALL our money toward Obama.

[saracat]

I am done. Done. Never agin will I donate. I am terminating my donations today. All for making AZ closer for Obama we lost evrything except corop commission and i won'r even go there. Remeber all that money and expenditure gropu money? None went to most leg candidates and there were not feet on the grouund for anyone. But hey, Maricpa count got lots of "poll watchers" in districts that din't need them.And BTW, the candidates not only din't get help, they weren't even thanked for running.

[Sedona]

1. ahem-

http://www.kirkpatrickforarizona.com/

[saracat]

2. Yes, I know about Anne and like her but we lost the legislature and

State Senate. We lost the Maricopa Senate race and the County Attorney race. We lost all our board of supervisor races.We lost "safe" Dem legaslative seats.The Party says they are going to reevaluate why their stategy failed.They put all the money into Obama and a few targeted house races. Screw them.I am happy for Harry and Anne.Love them both but I really need to move but can't afford too. My District has now worse GOP reps than before.

[jillan]

3. I can't believe 102 passed. What happened to Kirsten Sinema?

She led the fight against it 2 years ago, the newspapers recommended voting no.

What happened?

[saracat]

4. Out of state money. 8.2 million. And 102 was part of the reason our candidates lost

The combination of no funding to local candidates( while trumpeting our anticipated victories and boasting of our financial advantage inflaming the right) and 102 getting the RW loons out, we screwed the pooch. It hasn't helped that this term Kirsten has discovered she "likes" the right and was "wroing" to be so liberal. She now has quite a rep as "bipartisan". She is now a "moderate" She did do a robo call against this and tried to defeat 102 but really didn't try to get the money behind it they had last time. I am sickened by all of this.

[NoodleBoy]

5. are you forgetting that AZ dems were at a disadvantage this cycle?

Had McCain not been on the Republican ticket, I believe that the state would have been much closer for Obama, and we may have gained seats in the legislature, although that was always a longshot.

I knew there wouldn't be a Democratic majority in the AZ leg the day McCain won New Hampshire, and that Arpaio and Thomas were given a leg up as well.

But guess what, in 10 we're going to have a popular Attorney General running for Governor, with a popular Governor running for Senate, and we apparently now have a good formula to win Corporation Commission seats with.

From what I can see, 2010 we'll gain seats, although we might not get a majority-- there's a much better chance of that happening in 2012.

So, don't blame this on Obama, blame it on McCain.

[saracat]

6. Sorry. We were NOT at a disadvantage and I know where they spent the money.

I am not blaming this on Obama.I am blaming the AZDP.Their priorities were wrong. We raised as a state party more money than any time in history and didn't spend it on "our" candidates.We tried in a few poorly targeted races but contributed less than we ever have to the majority of the candidates.

Until the last several weeks the county website didn't even mention the county candidates, only Obama. In fairness, the county didn't have any real money but that also was as the result of misplaced priorities.But it wouldn't have cost them amything to mention the candidates.

We were also at the top of the ballot due to Janet's "win". The GOP was in tatters, out of money,and running scared ,and yet they still won. We likely would not have taken down Arpaio but Tim Nelson should have won and it was the DCCC negative ads that finished off Bob Lord and that also effected the down ticket. We lost seats in Democratic leg districts.Even the GOP thought we would win. Instead we coordinated with the Obama campaign and sent volunteers out for him. We became obsessive about "narrowing the gap" in Arizona for Obama to the exclusion of all other races.
The AZDP wouldn't even do anything that cost nothing for the leg candidates. They didn't even recognize them at dinners.

I frankly don't give a damn about 2010.We have an ultra conservative house and Senate , Andrew Thomas, and Sheriff Joe.Jan Brewer is likely to take over when Janet leaves and the odds are she will. Those on the corp commission only won on faux name recognition and because Sam George put up his own money triggering matching funds and the irony of it is he may not win himself!

All politics is local and we are trashed.

[NoodleBoy]

7. Look. I remember the primaries. I remember your dislike for Obama

but don't let that cloud the way you're looking at our election results.

Already, other AZ pols I've heard speak are saying basically what I said: prop 102 and McCain were the reasons we lost seats.

[saracat]

8. I didn't say this was about Obama. It was about support and where

money went. If you prefer that it be phrased about defeating McCain than a victory for Obama in AZ , I don't see the difference. There is nothing clouded about how I am looking at our results. I agree Prop 102 was a huge factor but we should have dealt with it.And there was more than that going on. In LD10 a Republican ran as a green and took just enough votes from Jackie Thrasher to lose her seat. We needed to be on top of that as well. We reacted too late. And that was a race we justifiably spent money in.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

9. Bullcrap. Plenty of money went to lege candidates.

The problem was a lot of them were duds and the overall strategy was stupid. I agree with you that the AZ Dem Party screwed up but that's not the fault of the Obama camp. They were separate entities. The Dems tried, yet again, to run as GOP lite. Contrast that to the Corp Comm candidates, who ran as the "Solar Team". They ran as a team, on a popular (and progressive) issue. Newman and Kennedy won decisively, even in Maricopa Co., and Sam George barely lost to Bob Stump (who has the same name as a dead Congressman).

Also, let's face it, McCain at the top of the ticket and Prop 102 were killers. As is the fact that legislative districts are gerrymandered as all hell. We have exactly 4 districts, out of 30, that could be described as competitive.

[saracat]

10. I Never said it was the fault of the Obama camp.I said the party leadership made bad choices.

I agree prop 102 was a killer but we did nothing about it. Whatever. There is a lot more to this than it appears. And actually many of the candidates who lost disn't run as "GOP lite" if they had( and I am proud they didn't) they might have won. I know several that would have won but for 102.

[dbackjon]

11. The Democratic Party showed no leadership on Prop 102

they should have opposed it full force.

[dbackjon]

12. Yes, blame it on the gays again.

No wonder our state party sucks, with attitudes like that.

[saracat]

14. Who is "blaming it on the gays? Sheesh. 102 should have been kept "off" the ballot!

And if they couldn't do that they should have fought back against it. The State party did nada.

[SargeUNN]

13. I agree the Dem. Party in AZ was the Dim Party

I was amazed at how many wonderful candidates we had that was shunned by the party because they felt it was impossible to win. Yeah we doubt they can win so let's make damn sure they don't is the result, and that is the thoughts of a loser.

I had candidates like Rebecca Schneider, Judah Nativio, Karen Price, and others on my show who really were impressive candidates but they were getting no help from the party and yet did better than expected. Just think if they had been helped by the party.

I plan to try and work on pressuring the party to do more, but sadly thanks to the stupidity of KPHX/KNUV (don't get me started on them) Jeff Farias and I are just on the internet here in AZ although I air in MS on terrestial radio that hardly does much for this area. I am willing and eager to hear any suggestions how I can use my radio show to help change this losing ideas so please let me hear from you.

[jillan]

15. Hey Sarge! I've listened to you before on NovaM :)

With the loss of Janet, we need to get the Az Dem party motivated NOW.
It's time to take our state back. The rest of the Southwest is moving on, and here we are being controlled by right wing wackos. Enough!

What's the link to your website?
We need you and Farias back on the radio.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

16. I was really impressed by Judah.

I think he's got quite a future ahead of him.