Tucson Sammy

Tomorrow is the big day for our intrepid candidates for City Council, as their fates will be decided by the people of Tucson.

There are only two real races since Councilman-for-Life Steve Leal’s opponent, Vernon Walker, self destructed early in the game. They are the Ward III race in which Democrat Karin Uhlich is challenging incumbent Republican Kathleen Dunbar, and the Ward VI race in which Democrat Nina Trasoff is challenging incumbent Republican Fred Ronstadt.

So who ought to win, and why? From my perspective, both races provide the opportunity to pick a Hardshell Socialist or a Softshell Socialist. No wonder people stay away from the polls in droves during local contests. So, if you have been paying attention, and feel duty-bound to participate, you might consider the Softshells as they are not hell-bent on depriving you of your assets and your rights. Are there no other criteria you ask? Well, yes there are. Both Softshells have records of excellent on-the-job performance that are free of huge blunders and scandals – this has made the jobs of the challengers extremely difficult, and is no doubt a factor in the contentious nature of the campaigns. The Hardshells, while dynamic women of accomplishment, have no experience in elective office, or government in general – unknown entities as far as the councilman job is concerned. These other criteria support the Softshell choice. Consider voting for Dunbar and Ronstadt.

So who will win, and why? The real question is: How did the Republicans get to be incumbents in the first place? Given the overwhelmingly greater number of registered Democrats than registered Republicans, it’s astounding that a Republican has ever been elected to anything in this city. The plain truth is that most registered voters vote their party. The Republican victories were a result of favorable turnout and crossover. The crossover factor was, and will be, determined by the quality of the Republican candidates (you could argue that Fred’s family name helped him initially, but that does not reach past the first term). Turnout will be the deciding factor this time, and the Democrats know it. You can bet a case of Lake City Match Grade .308 ammunition that they’re devoting vast resources to getting fellow Democrats to the polls. The indefatigable Green Party activist Katie Bolger is heading the effort for Karin Uhlich, and advising the Trasoff campaign. Katie is a dedicated hard worker, and is certainly a heap big asset. I fear for the Softshells. I predict a victory for both Trasoff and Uhlich.

Oh yeah! The “Home Rule” proposition to raise the State imposed spending limit for the City of Tucson, you know, the limit that already increases automatically to accommodate inflation and population growth? Har-har-har, guffaw, guffaw. They’re kidding…right?

By the way, if you care to augment the election coverage offered by your humble sevant, check out the Tucson Weekly. Jim Nintzel has been providing the best in-depth coverage.

It would be an understatement to say that the Ward III race is heating up.

Karin Uhlich, the Democrat challenger, is under enormous pressure to find something wrong with Republican incumbent Kathleen Dunbar that will impress voters – no small task. She needs something more than nit-picking complaints, or vague generalities about “direction”, “powerful forces”, and “taking Tucson back”.

In a recent mailing, Uhlich claimed that Dunbar tried to interfere with the Amphi School District’s attempt to extort $250,000.00 out of the developer to get its blessing on a zoning change. The deal was never struck, because, according to attorney for the developer Lawrence Rollin, there was no opposition to the change. As it turned out, they did not need to buy Todd Yaeger, the associate superintendent of the school district who claims that they had a deal and Dunbar succeeded in foiling it. The zoning change was passed by the council 7-0. Dunbar denies the accusations.

Now, I was not there, so I don’t know. It does seem unlikely, however, that Dunbar would come to the rescue of a developer who neither asked for, nor needed, her help. You do not have to take Rollins word, the seven to zip council vote proves that point. Dunbar was so incensed that she hired an attorney to sue for defamation if a retraction is not offered by Election Day.

I suspect that the Uhlich campaign cobbled together a little wishful thinking that got out of control. Uhlich likened Dunbar to the Bush administration in that she is retaliating with attempts at intimidation (Bush engaging in retaliatory intimidation is a pleasant thought, but, alas, a mere Democrat fantasy).

There is a national parallel though, and it’s the reaction of Uhlich. Instead of stepping up to the legal challenge with a declaration that the truth will prevail and she will prove her point (“Bring it on!” as Bush would say), she repeats the tactic of the national party by accusing the Republican of intimidation and acting like the stalwart, fearless champion/victim.

Frankly, I’m delighted that Dunbar is suing. Many pundits are horrified because it just isn’t done - these are the voices of the jaded. I like it for two reasons, both based on the assumption that the charges are bogus – the more likely scenario in my opinion: 1, It will improve the political process in that people will be held accountable (“accountability” is a term Uhlich uses frequently) for their accusations – yes, I’m suggesting that lying is bad even in political campaigns. As long as people can lie with impunity, issues, debates, and campaigns themselves will be pointless; 2, Now, if Dunbar were to fulfill the pattern that exists at the national level, she would hang her head and “seek a compromise” in the face of adventurous Democrats, encouraging them to hit harder. Instead, she stands up for herself (gasp!). She’s actually willing to defend herself! Why, she has more spine than any three Republicans in the U.S. Senate! This puts everyone into new territory. There is no playbook response for a Republican with dignity. Way to think outside the box!

There is another reason the pundits are dismayed. They often see events through a tactical prism, and they realize that trotting out a lawyer is not in her interest. Non-candidate radio ads are already describing her as a “Playground Bully.” She is savvy enough to know this. So, what could be her true motivation? It couldn’t be that she is trying to right a wrong that she has suffered…could it?

Dunbar herself summed it up well, “How can my constituents expect me to stand up for them, if I won’t even stand up for myself?”

Indeed.

With all the talk of impact fees and trash taxes in this campaign for City Council, no one has mentioned the issue of civil rights; specifically, the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

Now, I understand that some might feel uncomfortable in defining the umbrella of “Civil Rights” as to include anything other than oppression based on race. Fine. Gun control laws are rooted in racism. That’s right, most of the “gun control” laws on the books today are remnant “Jim Crow” laws. They were enacted to keep black people defenseless, in their place, and available for lynching. After the Civil War, Tennessee and Arkansas banned inexpensive handguns (sound familiar?) figuring that they were the only type poor black people could afford. The very term “Saturday Night Special” is a sanitized adaptation of the phrase “N—–town Saturday Night”.

The Civil Rights movement of the fifties and sixties led to the repeal of most of those despicable laws that targeted black people – most, but not the gun laws, which are now expanded to apply to everyone except politicians, rich lawyers, Hollywood celebrities, and criminals.

Not to be left out, the Federal Government passed into law the Gun Control Act of 1968. United States Senator Thomas Dodd (Chris Dodd’s father) participated in post World War II tribunals in Germany. He developed quite a collection of Nazi law. In fact, it was the Nazi Gun Control Act of 1938 that he sent to the Library of Congress for translation, and then introduced on the floor of the Senate as the U.S. Gun Control Law of 1968. A law that he felt was necessary after witnessing widespread rioting in mostly black neighborhoods after the assassination of Dr. King. This has been well documented by the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.

Feel comfortable now?

There is an irresistible, though dishonest, template with which the anti-rights crowd attacks gun shows. Irresistible because attacking gun shows gives them a shot at gun ownership, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly all in one action – a threefer!

Our local example involves the McMann/Roadrunner Gun Show that for years has been held at the Civic Center downtown. The local anti-rights crowd, using the template, tried to shut it down. The National Rifle Association sued the City on behalf of McMann/Roadrunner and lost. The fight went from the courts to the council. Republicans Dunbar, Ronstadt, and Democrat Shirley Scott sided with preserving the right. The Democrats generally voted to infringe upon the right. The Democrats were joined by Republican Mayor Uncle Bob Walkup, who went to heroic lengths to kill the show – but that is a story for another election cycle.

Dunbar and Ronstadt have a pro-rights record. Records speak louder than words. We really need to hear from the Democrat challengers, Uhlich and Trasoff. In the unlikely event that they are pro-rights, I would like to hear it from them. Now, I know that not all Democrats are against gun rights, but last time I checked, Zell Miller was not running for Tucson City Council.

The question needs to be asked because it goes way beyond gun ownership. It goes to the heart of the relationship between the government and the citizenry, in our community and our country. A politician’s position on this issue reveals how he or she sees his or her constituents – as latent criminals waiting to happen or fellow citizens, as rabble in need of control or fellow Tucsonans proud to be responsible for themselves and their families.

If you get a chance between now to November eighth, ask the Democrat challengers where they stand on “gun control”. Their simple answer will tell us so much.

I was writing an email to a friend today in which I actually expressed sympathy for Democrat candidates Karin Uhlich and Nina Trasoff. Both women are running in City races for the first time. They are running against two incumbents – Republicans Kathleen Dunbar and Fred Ronstadt respectively.

The good news for Uhlich and Trasoff is that Tucson has far more registered Democrats than Republicans, and people tend to vote their party. The bad news is that the Republicans have good records, and no scandals. Obviously, the Republicans have been successful in earning more than a few crossover votes. When they speak in public, the Republicans trot out all their good works over the last four years, and the Democrats whine about the “direction” of Tucson, and unseen sinister forces.

Oddly, given all that, the races are pretty close. I can’t account for that, other than True-Believer Democrat hatred for Republicans. It’s an interesting phenomenon. They seem to live in an alternate universe of their own creation where Republicans are the bought dogs of big business and grind the poor under their boot heels in their spare time. I heard a Ward III resident who lives near Campbell and Grant complain that the use of Campbell Avenue as an expressway for foothills commuters was a problem that “our councilmember doesn’t seem to understand.” Yet it was Dunbar’s office that helped form the Campbell Avenue Merchants Association, and installed signalized crosswalks on that Campbell Avenue itself. Even stranger, in a letter to the editor, the author implied that both Barbara Bush and Fred Ronstadt were racists because the used the words “those people” on separate occasions. Gosh, I hope Fred’s family doesn’t find this out, those people will be shocked!

It occurred to me that all this foam-at-the-mouth parallel universe stuff was primarily ginned up at the national level. Maybe there is some other tactic up there – at the national level - that our underprivileged Democrat candidates might use. Then it hit me! Barbara LaWall is a Democrat! Get her to indict ‘em! All of ‘em! Staff, family, and pets too! Progressive majority, here we come!

Having attended four candidate debates, I’m beginning to detect patterns. My heart truly goes out to Democrats Uhlich and Trasoff. They have their work cut out for them in trying to find fault with Republicans Dunbar and Ronstadt. Their complaints end up being either petty or false. The rest of the time they make vague assertions about “powerful interests”, “leadership”, “values”, and “losing our sense of place.”

The Trasoff campaign in particular seems to be depending on undifferentiated Democrat hatred toward Republicans. She has little understanding of how the Tucson City government works, and seldom fails to provide Ronstadt with proof of that fact. She is also devoid of any positive plan, goal, or scheme. The least she could do is borrow something from another Democrat; you know, like Jimmy Carter’s plan to give every man, woman, and child a thousand dollars to stimulate the economy. If all the voters saw all the forums, Ronstadt would win in a landslide.

If nothing else, Uhlich is a class act. She is always calm and thoughtful in her speech. Quite stoic in an Austrian sort of way. She should probably have waited four more years to run. Tucson has had quite a bargain in the indefatigable Dunbar who puts in more than full time hours in the technically part time job of councilman. Rumor has it that Uhlich will keep her day job. Speaking of which, can Uhlich make the switch from special interest advocate to councilman after decades in that field? The Democrats accuse the Republicans of being divisive, but no one has united more people – including former political enemies – behind her than Dunbar. Uhlich and Dunbar are two strong, capable, and dynamic women. I’m going to hate to see one loose.

Councilman-for-life Steve Leal added some color to a recent forum when he called the state legislators “cretins” because the didn’t want to “register” Sudafed consumers. He suggested that Tucson should tell those pesky lawmakers to go have sex with themselves and start our own municipal registration program and “let them sue us.” He made no suggestion as to how the eighty-some-odd per cent of the meth that is imported to Tucson be controlled. Hey! I have an idea! Maybe Steve should get in touch with the Department of Homeland Security! I mean, we’re already conditioned to accept warrantless searches at airports, federal spying on our financial transactions, federal bans on political speech, and host of other stuff. It’s not much of a stretch to register Sudafed consumers - hell, he could probably get federal funding for it! From there, the program could be expanded to include the registering of consumers of adult beverages, fast food, tobacco products, sexually oriented products and literature, and readers of blogs! Man, he could make bad behavior come to a grinding halt! Steve also complained that the bus shelters have advertising, which means that bus shelters are only being built where people want to advertise, not where the bus riders are….surprisingly, I was the only one who laughed.

On Sunday, October 16, the Arizona Daily Red Star delivered its endorsements for the City Council contests. I’ll cut to the punchline; they endorsed Kathleen Dunbar and Nina Trasoff.

I was a little leery (no, not the Timothy kind) at first when they opened up by saying the following:

“All four agree on one thing, though, labeling themselves not as members of any party but as transcendent ‘progressives.’”

Please, there is very little “transcendent” about political campaigns. Perhaps the South Park Avenue commissars are trying to protect us from the harsh realities. The term “progressive” is code for “commie/socialist”. Now, few people will vote for a commie or a socialist, but they just might vote for a progressive if he gave them free medicine and warehoused their children for them.

The candidacy of George McGovern in 1972 is considered by many to mark the point at which the Leftists finally seized control of the Democrat Party. McGovern was a member of the Progressive Party before joining the Democrats.

When Trasoff stated publicly that the Democrats want to create a “progressive majority” on the council, she did not have any Republicans in mind.

Fred Ronstadt, Trasoff’s opponent, understood that, given the five to three voter registration advantage the Democrats have in our fair city, he could not allow her to use codewords to rally her base; so, he’s been using “progressive majority” to refer to the current makeup of the council. Right on Fred! Two points for Team Ronstadt!

Anyway, the point is that all the candidates are excruciatingly aware of party affiliation. It’s the Blue County reality that is giving the Democrats hope and motivating their get-out-the-vote efforts, and keeping the Republicans speaking in terms of individuals.

After examining and interviewing Trasoff, the South Park Avenue folks compiled all of her talents, insights, and solutions to Tucson’s problems that voters would find compelling, and stated the following:

“We believe Democrat Nina Trasoff is right for the job, too, as a candidate who can bring fresh perspective to the council and a capacity to balance the competing interests of a diverse and growing city”

Uh…O.K. She’s a Democrat. Is that what you meant to say? From there, they went on to list he shortcomings.

As you might imagine, they found plenty wrong with Ronstadt – wrong from their perspective that is. For example:

“Ronstadt continues his pattern of driving a wedge between the governments of Tucson and Pima County at a time when a new spirit of cooperation is emerging between these two local governments.”

Last time I checked, Ronstadt supported the Regional Transportation Authority, so he is hip to the new spirit; and if blowing the whistle on the theft of money by the County for road improvements (22nd Street) is “driving a wedge”, well, give him a bigger mallet.

“Last week, in an interview with the Star editorial board, he reiterated his opposition to an ultimately successful county bond package in May 2004, which provided money for projects including an emergency communications system and the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.

Ronstadt objected to the process, he said, and complained that too little was allocated for emergency communications. He stood virtually alone among community leaders in his opposition to the bonds, demonstrating a troubling inability to compromise on such a historic step forward.”

Well, one man’s “inability to compromise” is another man’s standing on principle and conviction amidst a wave of “progressive” insanity.

It’s difficult to adequately describe the achievements of Kathleen Dunbar. Let me just point out that she has won over most of the neighborhood leaders who campaigned passionately against her four years ago – including Vicki Hart, and the late Judi Stern to name a couple. Take a few minutes to contemplate all the implications of that achievement alone.

Other than being a leftist, I can find nothing wrong with Karin Unlich. In fact, I admire her for the decades of work that she has performed in service to our community. She has chosen a tough candidate to oppose. She really appears to be grasping at straws as she tries to find problems with Dunbar. Even the South Park Editorial Board, in one sentence, seems to acknowledge both her Leftism, and her desperation to find something with which to criticize Dunbar.

“She also goes overboard on Dunbar’s ties with the business community, speaking in ominous tones of any alliance with this vital segment of the Tucson community.”

So there you have it. One right, one wrong. Better than I expected.

By the way, in an effort to accentuate the positive, I wish to congratulate Steve Leal for changing his mind and not using his matching funds tax money as soft money after all.

More to come!