Marijuana

Now that the election is drawing near its final hours, many things hang in the balance, least of all the leader of the free world. Also numerous senate races, all of the representative races and many, many referendums. One such law that will be voted on is Arizona's proposed law that makes it legal to carry, sell, and use marijuana. Arizona allows for medical marijuana, but as was noted in the article I read, even getting that vote was tough. They only won by about 4000 votes and many marijuana advocates are worried that this vote will be even closer. While there is a large grassroots (no pun intended) effort in the state to get out information about weed and to try to convince people to vote yes for legalization, there is also a large group of businesses and community leaders who oppose this legalization. The claim that it will impede workers abilities and attitudes, while the advocates completely ignore the issue of the known lethargy that often accompanies marijuana. Either way, this vote will have consequences for the state, least of all in terms of increased tax revenue. This issue will probably drive numerous younger people to the polls, because they have a personal stake in this law.

Joe Engels

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/11/04/arizona-marijuana-campaign-says-prop-205-race-could-decided-couple-thousand-votes/93297986/

Last Ditch Election Mailers

In Arizona, a surprise battleground state, the Republicans are throwing every thing they have at the voters. A classic deep red state, if AZ goes blue it could signal a national change. This week voters were either encouraged, or outraged by the mailing of "voter report cards". These cards showed a person's past voting history, the frequency of their voting, and the voting records of their closest neighbors. Some people were given an F grade and others an A. Some people were livid about this, calling it an invasion of privacy. This is not only a Republican trick though, Democrats also utilized this technique, but instead of grades, they gave out various levels of gold stars. While the grade has no actual effect, the social connotations of knowing which neighbors are involved and which ones are not has the potential to increase turnout. This type of social peer pressure could also have negative backlash. A person who received a mailer from the state Republican Party said she is leaving the party due to the "intimidation" from the mailer.  Another person, who was called and texted by a supposedly non-partisan group was then harassed by a volunteer of that organization for voting for Trump. The volunteer involved called her names and eventually sent a text message with the words," Trump is going down!" A spokesman for the organization said the volunteer acted correctly, except for the text message. A spokesman for the Republican party said the mailers were effective in increasing turnout in previous elections and that they expect to see the same results here. As the final week draws near, all candidates and parties are grasping at straws.


http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/10/27/arizona-republican-voter-report-card-mailer/92840150/

Joe Engels

Penzone verses Sheriff Joe

The democratic nominee for Maricopa County sheriff Paul Penzone is leading the incumbent Joe Arpaio by 15 points in a recent poll. The poll was conducted in light of recent federal charges brought up Arpaio in a racial-profiling case, and 15 points is a lot of points to be leading by. So this might be the year Sheriff Joe looses his prized seat he's held for the last 10000 years. There were some potential problems with the survey; maybe the pollers interviewed a disproportionate amount of Democratic voters, or maybe the pollers asked biased questions.  Ultimately, polls are polls: they're like the over/under for football games, where they tell a story on who might win, but don't too much until the game is actually played. However, 15 points is a wide margin of victory. This could be Sheriff Joe's last hoorah (I wonder what he'll do if he does lose the race...he'll probably have a late-life crisis and not know what to do with himself). 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/10/20/poll-paul-penzone-leading-maricopa-county-sheriff-joe-arpaio-15-points/92427426/

--Andrew Moen

Arizona

Hillary Clinton has established a lead in the polls of Arizona. Taking the polls with a grain of salt, it is still a huge step in the alignment of future voters from Arizona. She is leading Donald Trump throughout Arizona, but especially with women and Hispanics after Trump's damaging rhetoric and racist remarks. While some Democrats were hoping to also upset John McCain in his senatorial race, now that seems like a slim chance. McCain, who has feuded with Donald since the beginning, has a solid 10 point lead over Ann Kirkpatrick and it probably will not change by election day. He has cut ties with Donald, and while that might hurt his standing among ultra-conservatives, it will only help him with the rest of the party that abhors Donald Trump. This race could have been a major swing for the Democrats who are hoping not only for a sweeping Clinton win, but also a sweep of the Senate. But McCain is not only hanging on, his support appears to be growing. He has a remarkable campaign machine that is led primarily by college and high school interns who devote their weekends to knocking on doors for the Senator. He also has full approval and use of RNC funds and staffers. This of course came after a strongly contested primary when he was challenged by a tea party conservative. Given the current state of politics in the state, I believe he will maintain his lead and keep his seat for his sixth term in the U.S. Senate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mccain-hangs-on-as-clinton-aims-at-winning-arizona/2016/10/24/786596b4-9702-11e6-bb29-bf2701dbe0a3_story.html

Joe Engels

Famous Democrats/Daugher Campaigning in AZ

Due to the closeness of the race in Arizona, Hillary might want a little extra endorsement if she plans on winning Arizona. That's why former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, first lady Michelle Obama, and Hillary's daughter Chelsea are all campaigning for her this week in various cities throughout Arizona. Traditionally a Republican-leaning state, the democrats believe they have an opportunity to win Arizona for the first time since her husband Bill won it in 1996, hence the campaigning. Ultimately, it will be interesting how the state of Arizona plays out. I don't know if their campaigning will make a difference; it definitely could if Bernie convinces all of his supporters to vote for Hillary (which I think a lot are. I don't know the numbers, but his public endorsement of her helps more than hurts). Bernie, Michelle, and Chelsea's endorsement definitely will help Hillary's popularity in the traditionally republican state, however will it be enough for the Hillary to win Arizona for the first time since 1996???

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/212008372-story

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/211961957-story

--Andrew Moen

Losing Ground

The name Donald Trump is quickly becoming an expletive with the Republican Party's moderate members. His name, his nature, and his actions are turning away loyal conservatives to either not vote, or vote for Hillary Clinton, the bane of all Republicans. This is evident throughout the country, but no more so than in Arizona. This historically red state has been carried by every Republican contender for president since Eisenhower. Except for once. In 1996 they voted for Slick Bill Clinton, and I believe that this year, Arizona will also go to Hillary Clinton. Now, with both candidates polling within one point of each other, it is starting to look as though Donald is losing his base. The state's conservatives, including the two sitting senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, have criticized and attacked Donald Trump on his rhetoric and dangerous policies. While this itself may not dissuade voters, Donald has also neglected to campaign in Arizona, thinking that it was in the proverbial bag. Not so fast, Donald. You very well could be the person that scares Arizona back into the Clinton's fold. With Arizona only one in a slew of states that Donald Trump has ostracized in his bumbling attempt for the presidency there is one clear loser in this campaign and that is the Republican Party. From the RNC to the state organizations to local politicians, Donald Trump has spectacularly sabotaged the very party he claims to be representing. His poor character and bombastic attitude have brought attacks upon the Republicans in both the Senate and the House and he risks not only losing his bid for the presidency, but also contributing to the loss of Republican legislators that will undoubtedly take place come election day.


Joe Engels



http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-risk-losing-arizona-state-officials-say-n667281

McCain and GOP, Bye Donald

This week has been an even more tumultuous week in American politics, if that is even possible. The Trump Tape being released,  the debate between two children that took on a reality TV style feel, a large Clinton lead, and the distancing of the GOP. It is the last point that I think is the most telling. Many of the powerful and respected conservative and republican leaders of this country are deserting Donald Trump to meet his fate. They say it is because of the release of a tape that is truly awful, or that in the debates he has proven a lack of judgement and a bad temperament. One of these Republican lawmakers is Senator John McCain of Arizona. McCain has decided that due to the horrible nature of the tape released, that he and his campaign are leaving Donald Trump. This is important because McCain is in a contested race for his senate seat with Ann Kirkpatrick, a democrat. Earlier this week they met for their first and only debate and wouldn't you know it, Trump was a large part of their debate. McCain said that he no longer could support Trump due to his treatment of women, with Kirkpatrick attacking him on taking this long to leave the Trump Train. This is an important state for Trump to win and to lose an influential backer such as McCain could take away needed votes. Clearly the majority of conservative voters will not vote for Clinton, but McCain suggested writing in a candidate that is an actual conservative, not just a braggart. Another important thing to think about is that McCain, a highly influential member of the Senate and Republican Party, said these remarks, after the presidential debate. That means he was not convinced by Donald's excuses and rhetoric that poured forth during the debate..For Donald Trump, the release of this tape and the desertion of the only people who gave his candidacy any sort of legitimacy very well could derail his lunge for the presidency.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/10/11/5-key-moments-john-mccain-ann-kirkpatrick-debate/91860250/

Joe Engels

Do we really need a wall??

Do we need a wall constructed on the Mexican-American border to block off illegal immigrants from crossing over to the United States? Trump says we do; however, according to recent research, far fewer Latin American Immigrants are trying to cross into the country, due to a multitude of reasons. The main reasons for lack-of-illegal immigration are the increase of overall border security during the last 15 years (people wanting to cross the border figure it's too risky, due to the stepped up border enforcement), smugglers charging higher prices to help smuggle people (also due to stepped up border enforcement), and fewer women in Mexico producing children (lowering the amount of people entering the workforce, which creates less incentive for workers to leave). Not that the issue of illegal immigration is solved by any means--people are still entering the country illegally through other means--but is it that big of an issue anymore where we need to build the Great Wall of Amurikka??

(I realize this may be biased, and it wasn't meant to be. I don't know how I could have written this without at least some bias, if all of the statistics point against building a wall).

--Andrew Moen

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2016/10/09/how-many-mexicans-actually-cross-border-illegally/91280026/

Voter Registration Deadline

The Arizona deadline for voter registration is coming up on October 10. I'm curious as to why states have voter registration laws; traditionally voter registration laws/voter ID laws have benefited the Republican Party, due to the lack of voter turnout. However, upon further research, most states are like Arizona in the fact a person has to have their registration in by a certain date (the actual date varies between state, generally anywhere from October 8-November 3), so I wonder if the enactment of these laws was a political move, or for more practical reasons like not having ridiculous registration lines at polling places.

Also, another interesting tidbit about this Arizona voter registration story is the fact October 10 is Columbus Day--which means no mail, and no mail means no mail-in voter registration. The Democrats in Arizona tried to change it, because no mail on the 10th means the deadline is actually the 8th, however I gotta hand it to the Republicans. To put the voter registration day on a holiday is genius; people who forgot to register or held it off to the last minute now won't be able to send in their registration, further helping the Republican cause (although some counties said they would also take registration on Tuesday the 11th). It's a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off for them.

-Andrew

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/politicalinsider/2016/09/30/arizona-voter-registration-deadline-remains-oct-10/91293046/

Nader & Gore or Johnson & Trump?

In 2000, Ralph Nader was the third party presidential underdog in a race dominated by George Bush and Al Gore. While he never had a serious chance of winning, he did have a habit of taking votes away from the Democratic Presidential Candidate, Al Gore. This is most frequently showcased by Florida, where he took enough votes away from the Democrats to hand the state to G.W, and with the state, the presidency. This type of phenomenon has a chance to repeat itself in Arizona this year. Gary Johnson is galvanizing support among disenfranchised conservatives and the Hispanic community. While he has no chance of actually winning, his efforts in AZ may be enough to derail The Donald's campaign. Arizona has gone Republican in 11 of the 12 last presidential elections but it very well could go Democratic again. With Hillary showcasing political experience and lenient immigration policies and Gary proposing to legalize marijuana and pull back government interference, Donald's blustering rhetoric is falling on deaf ears. If enough conservative voters vote for Johnson, that may just give Hillary the chance to pull ahead and capture Arizona's 11 electoral votes. If Hillary does take over this bastion of conservatism, she will have won more than just 11 votes. She would have a won a state with one of the largest increasing Hispanic populations who normally sympathize with Democrats. If she wins she will be able to start laying groundwork to ensure that Arizona stays within her party, which could deal a blow to the GOP. November cannot come fast enough.

http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/09/election_2016_on_road_to_270_a.html

Joe Engels

In the recent light of the presidential election, Arizona's county Maricopa is seeing voting patterns that deviate from patterns in the past.  There has been a large growth of Latino voters in Maricopa county, in part due to anger from presidential candidate Donald Trump and because many Latino citizens in Arizona have turned 18 since the previous presidential election.  A lot of the issue in the past had to do with many eligible Latino voters that were not registered.  However, what seems to be the biggest motivating factor increasing Latino votes is Trump's tough stance on immigration.  Trump targeting immigrants and speaking about building a wall has caused anger and backlash among the Latino community who are now ready to cast their vote against Trump.  This is very interesting in which it shows that a single candidate, not a political party, can influence an entire group of voters to change their ways and make it to the polls.   

Alex Rezutek 

http://www.caller.com/news/politics/elections/national/In-an-Arizona-county-anger-at-Trump-spurs-Latinos-to-vote-394870001.html

Presidential Campaign and AZ

I, like many others in our country, watched the presidential debate this past Monday night. While I mostly just felt sadness at the state of our country's political arena, there were some key takeaways that I noticed. One of course was Clinton's proficiency at debates. She wiped the floor with Donald and that made it quite clear that she has done 15 debates to his one. This is important to recognize that without his loud crowds, Donald's showmanship will not help him win debates. This could drastically alter the polls throughout the country, due to our reliance on the debates in the home stretch of the campaign. Another was that both candidates failed to press their advantage when given the opportunity. Both candidates were rude, smug and constantly interrupting each other and the moderator. But the most surprising thing was that neither candidate mentioned or discussed immigration. Besides Trump's offhand comment that ICE supports him, immigration reform was not even mentioned. This, being a cornerstone of both candidates platforms, is a hugely controversial topic that will dramatically alter AZ. Arizona has the second longest border with Mexico and has a huge immigrant population who would be directly affected by any and all future immigration policies. But both candidates neglected to mention, much less debate this issue. Due to this neglect, I believe that AZ is still in the battleground because of immigration reform issues that will profoundly impact this state.

Joe Engels

Politics of Public Education

In my experience as a student in Wisconsin's finest public school system (Madison Metropolitan School District represent!!!!), I received a great, challenging eduction that fostered a enjoyable learning environment. And in my humble opinion, public schooling was the best route for me because of the opportunities to meet a variety of people, and the opportunities to take a variety of different classes. However,  the politics of public education in the United States varies: some states place high value on publicly funded schools through citizens' tax dollars (typically a liberal stance), while other states place high value on more school choice through voucher programs (typically a conservative stance). For those that don't know, school voucher programs allow students to use tax-payer dollars to attend charter/private schools, utilize home-schooling, obtain special tutoring, and other services. Parents generally choose to take advantage of voucher programs due to a multitude of reasons: maybe their child has a learning disability and wants more special attention to adequately meet their needs; maybe their child is failing and needs more localized attention; maybe the parents just want their child to attend a private school because they don't like the publicly zoned school, but can't afford the private-school tuition. 

The voucher program relates to Arizona because a Washington DC-based group called American Federation for Children is funding local Arizona candidates who supported a bill purposed in March expanding the school voucher program. Usually voucher programs are limited to certain people--like students with special learning needs--however with this new bill, Arizona's voucher program would expand so over 1 million students could take advantage of using taxpayer dollars to attend whatever school they wanted, public or private. Whether or not the voucher program is a good or bad idea, I don't know. I know in Milwaukee it messed up their public school system because of all of the unqualified charter schools that opened, and the poor educational attainment it created. However, Milwaukee is its own case, and even though public schooling was the best option for me, taking advantage of the voucher program to attend a private school may be the best option for another person. 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/09/25/group-aids-arizona-allies-fight-expand-public-money-private-schools/90718618/

Pre-emption in Arizona

Pre-emption in this context is referring to the overruling of local ordinances by the statehouse.  This is common in states when used with issues like gun control and smoking restrictions.  Arizona on the other hand is going slightly overboard with overruling local ordinances, and this is upsetting the mayor of Phoenix.  Mayor Greg Stanton is a Democrat and he is mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, the country's six largest city.  He was interviewed and discussed how the Legislature is extremely polarized and that it is extremely difficult to pass policies in his city.  Policies on climate change are at constant threat of being pre-empted, due to the Legislature being a majority climate deniers.  Phoenix tried to ban plastic bags as well but was immediately pre-empted.  Mayor Greg Stanton also discussed how constantly pre-empting large public policies completely erases the opportunity for experimentation and possible progress.  He states this opinion with the quote "You kill it before it begins."  This issue shows how there is major conflict between local and state legislatures in some states, especially Arizona.

Alex Rezutek


http://www.slate.com/articles/business/metropolis/2016/09/phoenix_mayor_greg_stanton_is_fed_up_with_arizona_pre_empting_his_city_s.html

Legalizing Mariana, Minimum Wage Increase, and other Factors Could Increase Voter Turnout in November.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/09/14/marijuana-minimum-wage-hillary-clinton-arizona/89122482/

Arizona is entering the race as an unheard of battleground state. This state has gone Republican in the all presidential elections since 1952, except for Bill Clinton's 1996 election. This state has historically been a conservative stronghold, but due to the divisiveness of our candidates this year, that may change. Many issues, such as legalizing marijuana and raising the minimum wage has made it possible that AZ will again be captured by a Clinton. According to azcentral, a local affiliate of USA Today, these issues are bringing more young and disenfranchised voters to the polls. These younger voters are often more progressive than their older, more conservative counterparts. With these younger progressives showing up to cast the ballot, that could help the Clinton campaign and seriously undermine Donald Trump.

There has been a high level of media attention in Arizona on two ballot measures, one that would raise minimum wage to $12 dollars and hour and one that would completely legalize marijuana. These issues have sparked enthusiasm and participation from the younger generation of Arizona voters. This has implications not only for the presidential race, but also for the U.S. Senate race between sitting Senator John McCain (R) and challenger Ann Kirkpatrick (D). McCain has not commented on the legalization process, while Kirkpatrick said the issue should be left for the electorate to decide. If either candidate for this race came out in support of marijuana, that could be a major game change in the race.

Even voters who are not proud of their candidates say that they could change their mind on how each candidate stands on minimum wage and legalization. Republicans and conservatives usually are against legalization, but that might change due to the pressure of these elections. This could be an area where the Democrat party, which supports a pathway towards legalization, could pick up enough voters to carry the state, Minimum wage is a thornier issue. While it is technically in the hands of the state, federal laws and restrictions can be passed to raise the absolute minimum. An example of this is that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 while AZ minimum wage is currently $8.05. (Wisconsin's minimum wage is $7.25) Hillary Clinton supports a national raise to 15 dollars an hour, while the Republicans believe it is up to the the states to decide and Donald Trump has been far from clear on the topic.

These issues and more, such as immigration and gun rights will ultimately decide if Arizona stays red or is once again painted blue. This election is historic in that the dislike of the candidates far outweigh the like. This is an election for the lesser evil, and I believe that many Americans will continue to feel conflicted until Election Day.

Joe Engels

Maricopa County Sheriff Election

What may be more interesting in Arizona other than the upcoming presidential election is the election for Maricopa Country sheriff. Maricopa County—home to roughly 55% of Arizona residents and one of the most populous counties in the United States—has experienced the reign of Sheriff Joe Arpaio since 1993. The self-proclaimed “toughest man on crime” is up for reelection this November, and this could be the year he loses his throne. 

Why is this election important? With all of the illegal immigration rhetoric sweeping the nation, whoever is elected will determine how law-enforcement in Maricopa County will tackle the issue of illegal immigration. Throughout Arpaio’s tenure, he has tackled the immigration issue with an iron fist, usually by ordering law-enforcement to sweep through predominantly-latino neighborhoods in order to round-up potential illegal immigrants. 

But no way, no way Sheriff Joe loses in his 7th reelection bid, he’s been in office since 1993, his campaign spending is too powerful, the citizens of Maricopa County love him too much to let him go. But sometimes, change is inevitable. And with a surge in the donations from billionaire hedge-fund manager George Soros to Arpaio’s democratic opponent Paul Penzone, and continued criticisms of Arpaio targeting latino citizens in anti-immigration roundups, the tides may be a-turnin for old Sheriff Joe. Which I don’t know if Sheriff Joe losing the reelection bid is a good or bad thing. For people who view illegal immigration as a problem and strive for law-enforcement to crack-down on crime, Sheriff Joe is their candidate (as evident by serving six-straight terms). However, Arpaio has a history of violating the civil rights of his constituents—especially the latino population in Maricopa County—which expectantly turns off a majority of latino voters. 

Usually, Sheriff Joe’s opponents have a hard time competing with his campaign spending (according to this FoxNews article, Arpaio has already spent 8.9 million on his reelection campaign), but with the large donation from Soros, Penzone might have a fighting chance against  pulling a shocking upset win over the undefeated incumbent. 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09/14/phoenix-sheriff-joe-arpaio-may-have-new-foe-george-soros.html