WATCH: Rep. Quayle Questions Administration Re: $1billion National Network of Manufacturing Innovation Program

At Arizona's Politics, we like to try to provide insights into how our elected officials are handling their jobs when the spotlight is not necessarily shining on them.  In this instance, Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) took about five minutes to question an Obama Administration witness about a $1 billion program called the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation.

Quayle started off reading his question of John Holdren, but later parried with him without notes.

Here is C-Span's description of Wednesday's hearing of the House Committee on Science and Technology:
John Holdren testified about programs administered by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), as well as its roles, responsibilities, operations, management and its function in shaping our national science policy. He said the United States continued to be a global leader in science and innovation, but admitted that a better job needs to be done with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. He also spoke about the Obama administration's research and science policies, clean energy and green jobs initiatives, and the restructuring of the U.S. space program.



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DEBT CEILING COVERAGE, Arizona Delegation: Some Catch-up items

I haven't had too much time to sit down at the computer the last few days - certainly not as much time as I would like to given the circumstances.  So, here are a few things from the e-mail box and the twitter feeds and the Google-monster that I would like to post.  As always, if you know of something that you think should be included, drop me an e-mail - I'd love to include it!
***
Quayle, Ben (R-CD3):  Quayle was interviewed by Fox News' Neil Cavuto this morning (Saturday, 8:15a.m., AZT).  Below the video are some quotes pulled by Quayle's office.

On Speaker Boehner’s bill:

“The plan that we put forth in the House, it was not going to solve all of the problems that we have, but this is going to take time… This is what the Boehner bill did. We had caps on spending; we had a balanced Budget Amendment. I voted for it and I think it was the right step.”
On the long-term fiscal situation:
"We need to move our country in the right fiscal direction. We can’t be saying, ok look S&P and Moody’s might downgrade us. We have to make the best decisions to try and make sure that we are tackling our fiscal problems.”

On differences within the Republican Party:

“We are all in this together. We all have the same ideals and we’re looking to push that same ideals. We have different strategy. Some people try to get it all at once. Others are trying to say— hey look, we understand where we are. We don’t have the Senate, we don’t have the White House. Let’s get what we can get and move the country in the right direction. So, I don’t think there is really any schism of ideology. It’s just a difference of opinion in strategy. “

***
Schweikert, Davide (R-CD5):  Rep. Schweikert released an angry statement this (Saturday) afternoon.  Here it is:

“While our economy is on the brink of a debt disaster, it is unconscionable that President Obama and the Senate Majority still refuse any plan that will not give the president a blank check.
“The House of Representatives did the heavy lifting and passed a bipartisan plan, yet President Obama’s calls for ‘compromise’ seem to ignore this reality.
“The Reid plan borders on embarrassing. It is full of smoke and mirrors instead of common sense and math. It will have a disastrous impact on our military, does not cut close to the amount it hikes, and advertises $1 trillion in phantom cuts.
“Senator Reid continues to play games and disregard the will of the People’s House. It is clear that President Obama and the Senate Majority just don’t get it.” 

***
Gosar, Paul (R-CD1) :  Rep. Gosar released a statement last night (Friday), after passage of the Boehner bill:

“I’ve said all along, default is not an option for our country. The plan that offered the best solution was Cut, Cap and Balance, however, the Senate refused to even vote on that. We are forced to provide a compromise, which Speaker Boehner has forged that overall cuts more in spending than gives in debt ceiling increases. This conservative plan still moves the nation on a path to fiscal responsibility.”

“A year ago Congress only talked about tax increases and more failed stimulus plans. Now we are talking about, and voting on, measures that restore fiscal sanity. We are moving our country forward.”  

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READ: L.A. Times Op-Ed Featuring Ben Quayle: Tells Colleagues Must Pay Our Bills, Even If Administration Is "Fear Mongering"

Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) is featured in an op-ed in today's Los Angeles Times.  He is held up as an example of the group of freshmen Republicans in the House of Representatives who have had a major impact on the recent deficit-reduction negotiations tied to raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Quayle talked about the need to make sure that the U.S. does not default on payments on the debt (or Social Security, Medicare, military and veterans), but also noted that he believes that the Executive branch is "fear mongering" on the consequences of not getting the issue resolved before August 2:

Quayle was elected with "tea party" support, but he's not a bomb-thrower; he says he's willing to vote for an increase in the debt ceiling at some point. "I do not want to have a default," he said. But he's not willing to compromise easily. The debt ceiling, he says, gives conservatives the leverage they need to force deep spending cuts. "This is the time for us to rein in federal spending," he said.
. . .

And there's a deep divide of mistrust between House conservatives and the Obama administration. Like many Republicans, Quayle says he's skeptical of the administration's claims that Aug. 2 is a real drop-dead date and that the consequences of failing to raise the debt ceiling would be catastrophic.

"There has been a lot of fear-mongering coming out of the administration," he said. Even if the debt ceiling doesn't rise, he said, "I believe we can still pay the interest on our debt, pay Social Security and Medicare, pay military salaries and veterans' benefits. And they can do some prioritization after that."

Quayle says his constituents back home in Phoenix expect him to rein in the budget — and to hang tough.

"Some don't want us to raise the debt ceiling at all," he said. "I tell them that even though we don't like the debt that's been accumulated, we need to honor it. You have a teenager who misuses a credit card, you tear up the card, but you still have to pay the bill."

The veteran Washington reporter McManus (who wrote the op-ed) notes that Quayle and his colleagues are going to have to figure out if they can agree to a deal with most - but not all - of what they and their Tea Party supporters were looking for.  (Read the entire op-ed here.)


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Rep. Schweikert Only Arizona Freshman To File Financial Disclosure Statement Before Deadline; Links To Rest of Delegation

The House of Representatives released its members' annual personal financial disclosure statements today.  Six of Arizona's eight Congresspersons' reports are available.  Of the three new lawmakers in the delegation, only Rep. David Schweikert's (R-CD5) is posted; Reps. Paul Gosar (R-CD1) and Ben Quayle (R-CD3) either asked for an extension or have not yet filed anything (even those posted earlier today are available on the House website).  (Update 12:41pm: Rep. Gosar's office has replied that he did receive an extension.  Further update 5:02pm: Was able to confirm through Legistorm that Rep. Quayle also sought and received an extension.)

Although we have not yet reviewed all of them, here are the links to them in case you want to check them out.  (If you find something noteworthy, please send me an e-mail.)  Here is Legistorm's page with all of Arizona's Representatives conveniently grouped together.

CD1: Paul Gosar (not available as of June 15)
CD2: Trent Franks
CD3: Ben Quayle (not available as of June 15)
CD4: Ed Pastor, and amendment
CD5: David Schweikert
CD6: Jeff Flake
CD7: Raul Grijalva
CD8: Gabrielle Giffords

One other quick note: these financial disclosure statements do NOT provide a "net worth" of the Representatives.  In fact, they do not even provide an accurate range of net worth.  This is because assets such as homes, second homes, timeshares (and anything which is not owned to provide income) does NOT need to be reported.  This came up the other day when it was reported (elsewhere) that Sen. Jon Kyl owned a cabin in the path of the Wallow fire; it was not listed on his disclosure statement because he does not rent it out.  Thus, a Congressperson could own expensive mansions in Arizona, Washington and elsewhere - even free and clear; if he or she does not receive income from it, it is likely to not be listed.

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WATCH: Quayle About Town (Hall), Now (@9); Obama Still "Worst President", But "Has Made Some Strides"; Oil Producer Subsidies

Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) is in district this week, working the townhalls and the local TV stations.  He stood by his campaign ad claiming that Barack Obama is the worst President ever, but "lauds him" for making "some strides" since then.  He pretty much denied that oil companies get any tax breaks or subsidies that are not part of broader tax breaks, although that is disclaimed by conservative experts as well as Democrats.

First up is video from last night's townhall meeting in Anthem, posted on the liberal Think Progress website (and summarized by Phoenix New Times).  The clip is of the Congressman answering a woman who decried cuts to Planned Parenthood while oil companies receive subsidies.



Almost worthy of a Fact Check.  I am reasonably sure that the Senators were not only discussing broad-based tax provisions that do not only benefit oil producers.  And, even the experts at the conservative Heritage Foundation agree that oil companies do receive specific subsidies and tax breaks... which should be taken away.

Next up was an easy appearance on channel 15's 9a.m. program this morning.  He sat for two segments, and answered a variety of questions.  In saying that he does not regret his campaign ad calling Obama the worst President in history, he did acknowledge that "the President has made some strides, and I laud him for that."  Quayle cited Obama's support for extending tax cuts and making the call for going after Usama bin Laden were "good ideas".





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READ: Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle Statement On Killing Of Bin Laden; "Monumental Achievement"

Via e-mail, here is the reaction from Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) to tonight's news about the killing of Osama Bin Laden:

"Nearly ten years after the horrors of September 11th, the man most responsible for the attacks has been brought to justice. This development is a monumental achievement made possible by continuous operations of American intelligence officials and members of the United States Armed forces, many of whom were inspired to serve their country following the attacks in New York and Washington. While Bin Laden’s death is indeed significant, the threat of terrorism around the world will not dissipate. For the thousands of Americans who lost loved ones on 9/11 and in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, justice has been served tonight."

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FOLLOWING MONEY IN ARIZONA'S POLITICS: Gabrielle Giffords, Ben Quayle Raising Money Fast Out of Gate; Five Of AZ's Eight Reps' Reports Are Up

Not sure how the FEC places candidates' reports up on its website - but only five of Arizona's eight Representatives have their 1st quarter campaign finance reports posted so far.  The biggie is not yet up - Jeff Flake's $1 million plus gathered in the six weeks after he announced his candidacy for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Jon Kyl.

Of the ones that are up, Reps. Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) and Ben Quayle (R-CD3) are far out-pacing their colleagues.  Rep. Ed Pastor (D-CD4) has the most cash in the bank.  Here are the thumbnails.

Giffords - who has been recovering from the January 8 attempted assassination - received $357,737.69 in contributions, spent $87,025.79, and has $556,013.14 in the bank (as of March 31, 2011).  Approximately $240,000 of the contributions are from PACs and from colleagues in the House.

Quayle may be the biggest surprise.  The freshman has raised $210,447.43, spent only $29,413.84, and has $188,865.73 cash on hand.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD1) has gathered $84,575.00, spent $26,083.23, and has $65,069.11 in the bank.  He defeated Ann Kirkpatrick last Fall, and she recently announced her intent to try to win the seat back. Her statement of candidacy was filed with the FEC on April 1, 2011, so she did not have to file a quarterly report.

Pastor received $47,683.63 in contributions and spent $33,576.26.  That $14,000 net swells his bank balance to $1,376.490.15.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-CD7) doubled his cash on hand during the quarter, to $54,722.23.  He spent $27,717.76 and raised $53,402.22.

Besides Flake, the reports for Reps. Trent Franks (R-CD2) and David Schweikert (R-CD5) are not yet posted.

By the way, if you spot anything noteworthy in these reports, please do not hesitate to either post a comment or shoot me an e-mail (info@arizonaspolitics.com).  Thanks!

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Rep. Quayle Most Absent Member Of Congress; Unfair Statistic?

The front page of the very non-partisan GovTrack.US website shows freshman Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) in a very unfavorable light. And, likely an unfairly unfavorable light. "The highest percentage of missed votes" dubious distinction belongs to Quayle, having missed 58 votes since being sworn in three months ago - 22%.

But, a review of the voting records show that Rep. Quayle only missed a Friday-Saturday debate on the 2011 spending in February (18th-19th) - the voting that continued the issue to last weekend when a government shutdown was averted at the last moment. (Quayle voted against that budget deal earlier today.)

During those two days, the House voted 58 times - almost entirely on various amendments.  Quayle has not missed a vote before or since.

His percentage of missed votes is also higher than others who may have missed those two days (including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from the January 8 assassination attempt) because GovTrack calculates the percentage for the Congressperson's entire tenure.  For example, Senator John McCain is the only other Arizonan on the list, and he has missed 10% of votes dating back to his first day i the House (representing much of the same district Quayle currently represents, by the way) in 1983.

It is unclear why Quayle was not there, or where he was.  Our records show no scheduled constituent events, his website yields no clues, he did Tweet several times on the 18th but do not answer the question, and his spokesperson has not responded to Arizona's Politics e-mailed request.

Regardless, statistics can often be painful, but much of that pain can be dulled once the evidence behind the statistic is looked at more closely.  Nevertheless, it is not hard to imagine that the missed votes from those two days may find their way into some political ads next year.






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READ: Post-Funding Bill Comments From Reps. Flake, Quayle, Schweikert

Here are the comments from three members of Arizona's House delegation, who all voted against the bill to continue funding the federal government through FY2011, in the order in which they hit my e-mail box.  (Although Arizona's Politics always reserves the right to limit the length of these comments, in this case, we did not.)

Rep. Jeff Flake:  “Simply put, the cuts in this bill don’t go deep enough to begin to get us on the right fiscal course.  As President Obama conceded yesterday, the fiscal crisis facing the country is serious.  Unfortunately for taxpayers, this bill doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the problem.”

____


Rep. Ben Quayle: “Without question, the Republican Majority in the House has brought about a fundamental shift in the dialogue coming out of Washington. Since Members of the 112^th Congress took the oath of office, the crux of our debates has been about saving money rather than spending it. Speaker Boehner and the Republican House leadership should be commended for shifting the debate.  However, I do not believe this funding agreement goes far enough to reduce our debt. My constituents sent me to Washington to rein in spending and create jobs. We need to make serious reductions and reforms to ensure that future generations of Americans have the same opportunities that past generations have enjoyed.”

____

Rep. David Schweikert:

“We have a duty to be unwavering in our commitment to get Washington back on the right track, but today’s bill does not go far enough in doing that. This is the first continuing resolution brought to the House floor this year that does not achieve the $100 billion level of spending reductions that Republicans had pledged.


“I applaud the Republican leadership for forcing the president to the table during this debate. We must continue to change the conversation in Washington from raising taxes and growing government to limiting government and preserving economic freedom.

“House Republicans know we must keep up the fight to cut spending at the scale we need. We can do better and we must do better.”

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WATCH: Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle Kills, Dies At Congressional Correspondents' Dinner; Not As Bad As Paper Made It Out To Be

Comedy is tough.  Political comedy is tougher.  Political comedy for a politician is tougher, still.  Arizona rookie Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) took a crack at it last week, whiffed on a couple, fouled a couple more, and connected on a couple of others.  He even was on the receiving end of a couple of shots, and left the game standing.

Arizona's Politics has been on the DL much of the time recently and had not heard about Quayle's call up to the big leagues until the Arizona Republic panned his debut.  Thanks to C-Span, we are able to go to the tape (how quaint that sounds) and run a few instant replays.

The Congressional Correspondents' Dinner was last Wednesday night, and it featured three freshman lawmakers and one veteran in the comedy/roasting slots (evenly split from the GOP and the Dems).  NY Rep. Anthony Weiner (Dem.) was easily the most comfortable with the assignment and probably exceeded the professional comic (Larry Wilmore from "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart").  Quayle and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) bookended Weiner and seemed equally uncertain about whether they should be repeating the jokes that were on the note cards in front of them. (Actually, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) preceded Quayle to the microphone and uncomfortably - repeatedly - joked about how a staff member was going to be fired for each bad joke, leading to an increase in the unemployment figures. Laugh or else.)

Quayle's seven-minute routine did everything it was supposed to - mention the other speakers, roast a portion of the media that invited you, make some standard late-night jokes about members of both political parties, gently poke fun at yourself (or, in Quayle's case, his father), and close with sincere praise for the media organization that invited him.  Some were funny, some were not.

(If you want to watch the routine before reading the transcripts of some of the speech and our critiques, please skip right to the video below the jump.  If you want a condensed version, read on.)


In fact, his routine would have generated zero interest from the national and local press, if not for the uncomfortable joke he opened with.  He tried to substitute Politico.com (popular political website, which has some sort of affiliation agreement with the Arizona Republic) for Barack Obama in playing off of his buzzed-about campaign commercial decrying the worst President in history.  In doing so, he appeared to be seriously saying that Politico had no credibility.  That drew surprised groans and silence.  Here's the transcript of the segment:

It's a little weird for me to be speaking at an event that's sponsored by the media.  Although I come from a newspaper family, we seem to have a strained relationship with the press.  'Strained' is the polite term for 'troubled'. And, 'the press' is a generous term for 'Politico'.  Y'know, it took everything I had not to refer to Politico as 'the worst media outlet in history.' 

Half of Arizona's Congressional Delegation Makes A Run For the Border Thursday; Sen. McCain Leads The Pack

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) leads half of Arizona's Congressional delegation to the Arizona-Mexico border this week. (March 23-24)  After their survey of the situation, the five will head back to Tucson for a press conference in the parking lot of the regional office of the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas agency (down by the Tucson airport).

Reps. Jeff Flake (R-CD6), and freshmen Paul Gosar (R-CD1), Ben Quayle (R-CD3) and David Schweikert (R-CD5) will join McCain on the survey and at the news conference.

UDPATE:  Not sure if they're going to the Douglas/Agua Prieta area, but came across this report this a.m.: http://bit.ly/f2nqXI


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FACT CHECK: Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle Misleads On Arizona Border Security

Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) released a statement today using a new GAO (Government Accountability Office) report on border security to slam DHS (Department of Homeland Security) Secretary - and former Arizona Governor - Janet Napolitano.  However, by intentionally using a much lower, overall calculation of operational control over the U.S./Mexico border and then applying it to the more secure Arizona portion of the border, Rep. Quayle apparently decided to mislead his constituents.

Quayle's statement touts the Tuesday report from the "non-partisan" (politicians often use that term when the GAO states something that they like) GAO titled "BORDER SECURITY: Preliminary Observations On Border Control Measures For the Southwest Border".  Quayle noted that the report

"...found that only 44 percent of the Southern side of the U.S./Mexican border is under 'operational control.  The report contradicts recent statements made by Homeland Security Secretary and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano that the border is more secure.

“The GAO’s report confirms what Arizonans already knew to be true: the U.S./Mexican border is far from secure. Even the most artful political spin cannot change that fact. Arizonans aren’t interested in the pie-charts and statistics coming out of Washington, they want our borders secure and the violence to cease. Just this week, two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were shot outside of Mexico City. And on the U.S. side of the border, Arizona ranchers have to deal with the constant threat of violence from drug and human smugglers. Securing our borders shouldn’t be a partisan issue on Capitol Hill. I look forward to working with both parties to find effective solutions to the problem, but we cannot keep waiting and hoping the problem will just disappear. ”

Yes, the report does state (on page 7) that the "Border Patrol reported achieving varying levels of operational control of 873 (44 percent) of the nearly 2,000 southwest border miles at the end of fiscal year 2010.  The number of reported miles under operational control increased an average of 126 miles per year from fiscal years 2005 through 2010."

So, not only is the Border Patrol continuing to put more of the U.S./Mexico border under "operational control" - as opposed to Quayle's "waiting and hoping" comment - but the 44% number is for the entire southwest border with Mexico.  A quick and easy check of the next paragraph and the accompanying figure (Figure 3) shows that the Yuma sector is 100% under operational control, and that the Tucson sector is at 70%.  That means that the Arizona/Mexico border is actually at about 80% "operational control" (and the rest is "monitored").

None of the facts in Rep. Quayle's are incorrect (although some of his rhetoric appears to be misleading).  However, juxtaposition matters.  In this case, he has only cited the 44% figure, purposely ignored the 100% and 70% figures for the Arizona sectors, yet repeatedly referred to Arizona, Arizonans, Arizona ranchers.  The conclusion can only be that the statement misleads his constituents into believing that more than half of Arizona's border is out of control.

(Warning: Fact-checking/journalism wonk discussion ahead:) You may be wondering why "juxtaposition matters,"  and whether it is legitimate to diss a politician - or others - for saying/writing things that are correct yet still create a false impression.  Especially when he or she (or they) have omitted relevant facts.  I have often wondered that, too.  This is what I found and why I decided to downgrade Rep. Quayle's full statement.

The two highest-profile fact-checking organizations have both repeatedly recognized the way in which juxtaposition of true comments or images can still earn the speaker/writer/etc low fact-checking marks.  Two recent examples which I found yesterday: (1) Factcheck.org dinged the Crossroads organization for juxtaposing a candidate's comment that the healthcare reform bill would reduce deficits with the announcer's intonation that "instead, we got... record deficits".  As Factcheck points out, the deficits were not caused by the healthcare reform law; (2) Politifact.com hammered Sen. Harry Reid for implying in December that Arizona Sen. John McCain did not support repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" because of the economy.  Reid omitted the context that McCain was talking about relative priorities; and (3) PolitiFact rated as "barely true" a Congressional candidate who lauded former President Reagan's tax cuts for creating exponential growth while omitting the fact that Reagan later had to approve substantial tax increases.

Also relevant is how our justice system is handling such situations.  Courts in several states have recognized a cause of action known as "defamation by implication".  In fact, it is set forth in one of the key legal texts (by Prosser and Keeton) on tort laws: Defamation by implication occurs where "the defendant juxtaposes a series of facts so as to imply a defamatory connection between them, or creates a defamatory implication by omitting facts."  (A classic case is from the 1970's in Tennessee, where a news report noted that a woman shot her husband and another woman when she found them together in the second woman's living room;" the report neglected to mention that there were others in the room at the time, thereby putting the lie to the implication that they were in the living room having "an adulterous affair".)

Rep. Quayle's statement deserves a clarification, and Arizona's Politics has asked for one.  Until then, Quayle deserves his grade of "D" (which also stands for "deceptive").



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Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle's Reaction To Sen. Jon Kyl Retirement Announcement; "It's Never Been About Him"

Quayle:  “The state of Arizona and the United States Senate sustained a huge loss today with the news that Senator Kyl will be leaving Congress at the end of this term. During Senator Kyl’s illustrious career, one thing has always held true: it’s never been about him. For Senator Kyl, it has always been about what’s best for Arizona and for the country. Serving in Congress is a tremendous responsibility, and Senator Kyl carries it out with vigor and distinction. Whether it was his authorship of the landmark Crime Victims Rights Act, his efforts to keep our borders secure or his support for pro-growth economic policies, Senator Kyl never wavers from his principles. His is an example we should all strive to emulate during these challenging times. I look forward to working with Senator Kyl during the remainder of his term. ”






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COMING UP: Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle On Fox Business (Cavuto) At About 4:30 (AZ Time)

New Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) will be discussing the State of the Union address this afternoon on the Fox Business channel.  Host Neil Cavuto will question Quayle at approximately 4:30p.m. (Arizona Time).


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WATCH: Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle On Repealing Healthcare Reform Law

Last night, Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) gave a one-minute mini-speech in favor of repealing the healthcare reform law passed last year.  He stated that the law was extra-constitutional ("...expands the scope of the government well beyond the parameters set forth in our Constitution") and was formulated "behind closed doors and against the will of the American people".



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WATCH: Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle On Fox News Last Night; Sidesteps Debt Ceiling Vote Question, Says Healthcare Reform Repeal Vote Is "Absolutely Substantive"

New Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) had a big day yesterday.  Getting sworn in to represent the 3rd District of Arizona in Congress, and then going on Judge Andrew Napolitano's Fox News "Freedom Watch" show. 

Napolitano wasted no time, asking Quayle how he will vote on increasing the debt ceiling.  Quayle talked about the need to cut the size and scope of government before seeming to indicate that increasing the debt ceiling can only come after cutting the size. 

"I think what we have to do - and what hasn't been done in past Congresses when the debt ceiling has been an issue - is that we actually look to the root cause of this and that is the spending.  And so, from day one, just starting today when we just are going to be slashing our Congressional budgets, we're going to be looking for ways and areas to cut spending and shrink the size and scope of the federal government, because that's what we need to do to get the American people, to show them, that we are actually committed to what we were talking about on the campaign trail.  And, so, when we do that, and we show that, then we can start making decisions when the debt ceiling bill comes down, what are going to be the short term economic implications and what are going to be the long term fiscal problems that we are going to be facing."

So, whether he considers today's vote to cut Congress's budget by 5% is enough to show the American people that he is serious enough to justify next week's vote is a good question.  Napolitano did not ask it.

Quayle also indicated that next week's vote to repeal the healthcare reform law passed last year is "absolutely substantive" because it will pressure the Senate (specifically, Sen. Harry Reid) to consider it.

The interview starts at the 8:40 mark, and lasts almost exactly 5 minutes.



(LATER:  Just found that CNN also has a video posted on Quayle's interview on Tuesday with Dana Bash.  Softer (in every sense of the word) interview.



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OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Web Site, Office Info For New Arizona Representatives

Now that our new Arizona Congressmen have been sworn in (and are no longer "former" Representatives), their official websites are up and their constituent offices are open for business.  Kudos to new Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5), the only one of the trio to have his "Full Biography" already up on the website; Reps. Ben Quayle (R-CD3) and Paul Gosar (R-CD1) are still running with the full generic website.

For the first time, all 8 members of the Arizona delegation have the same website naming convention: http:last name.house.gov . (Previously, a couple had first initials in front of the last name.)  Thus, you can find the new guys at http://gosar.house.gov/ , http://quayle.house.gov/ , and http://schweikert.house.gov/ .

After the jump is the D.C. and Arizona office info for the new guys:

New Arizona Rep. Quayle Hires Chief of Staff Who Outed Previous Rep.'s Adultery; Indiana Tie-In

Ben Quayle (R-CD3), one of Arizona's three new Reprsentatives in Congress, has picked Renee Hudson to be his chief of staff.  Ms. Hudson had been a longtime chief of staff to Rep. Mark Souder (R-Indiana);  she confronted him and informed GOP leadership about his adulterous affair, which prompted his resignation earlier this year.

The Roll Call story also indicates that Quayle's new press secretary - Richard Cullen - previously worked for Rep. Eric Cantor's Minority Whip office. 

The basic Indiana connection in the story is obvious, in that Quayle's father represented the state in the Senate (before his term as Vice President).  Less obvious: Souder indicates that Dan Quayle had actually warned him years ago that he should move his entire family from Indiana to Washington; that might have helped prevent the scandal which drove him from office.

Two other brief related tidbits: (1) Ms. Hudson's husband is the chief of staff for another Republican Congressman, Mike Conaway (R-Texas) (How many two-chief-of-staff-couples exist on the Hill?); (2) Most chiefs of staff for disgraced/resigned Representatives do not usually get hired in a similar position elsewhere.


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WATCH: Hulburd Ad For Final Days Of Campaign, Suggesting Quayle Belongs In Frat House - Not House of Congress

Here's the ad that Jon Hulburd (Dem.) is running against GOP nominee Ben Quayle in the battle for the CD3 seat being vacated by John Shadegg.  It raises several of the character-related issues that Hulburd has been hammering on:

WATCH: Ben Quayle Ad currently Airing Tries To Pull Lever; Don't Vote For Hulburd Just Because Of His First Name

This Quayle for Congress ad ran has been running for at least several days, and I - appropriately - saw it again after the Cardinals' (lackluster) game. Like the Cardinals and the Wildcats, Ben Quayle is trying to help turn Arizona red again. He presents the election as a team sport: if you like Arizona's Republican Jon-John Senators, you need to vote for him. Because even though his opponent also has "Jon" as his first name, he is really on the Nancy Pelosi-Barack Obama team.