WATCH: Arizona Reps. Barber and Kirkpatrick On House Floor This Morning; "Supershitstorm Congress" Looms; "Everybody Loses"

Arizona Reps. Ron Barber (D-CD2) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) were among the 30 House members (15 from each side) to give one-minute speeches this morning on the House floor, as everyone awaits what could be a climactic day in the 15-day old partial government shutdown that is now threatening to become "Supershitstorm Congress" as the nation's debt limit is fast approaching.

First up was Barber, who has been walking a fine line between urging House Republican leadership to pass a "clean" Continuing Resolution and crossing party lines to support some of the GOP's "piecemeal" bills and controversial resolutions:



I have not had the time to transcribe his speech.

Next up was Kirkpatrick, whose office also provided the transcript below the video.





TRANSCRIPT of floor speech:

Mr. Speaker, as we enter a third week of this reckless, irresponsible shutdown, it’s no wonder folks in my Arizona district and across the nation are disgusted.

They see Washington treating this shutdown as a political game.

How far will the House majority push our nation -- just to score political points?

I’ve got news for them: No one wins, everybody loses.

And here’s what an editorial in The Arizona Republic says today about the shutdown:

“When it’s all over, the huge costs will be tallied and the hard work Congress has avoided will remain undone.

“America will join the world in wondering: Is that all there is?

“The only heroes in this tragedy are the Americans who still believe their government can — eventually — do the right thing.”

Mr. Speaker, let’s show the American people that this House is still capable of doing the right thing.

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Arizona Sen. Flake 2018 Re-election Fundraisers Optimistic About Resolution Of "Superstorm Congress"

The fundraisers for the 2018 re-election campaign of Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) must be optimistic that the Congress will get its act together before the weekend.  Politico reported late last week that they were choosing to go forward with a fundraising retreat/dinner at the Royal Palms Resort starting on Friday.

FLAKE FUNDRAISERS STILL PLANNING FOR PHOENIX RETREAT: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is counting on the shutdown impasse to be resolved soon, it seems. As of Tuesday, his fundraisers are still circulating invites to a Royal Palms Resort & Spa retreat in Phoenix on Oct. 18-20. The event will cost sponsors $2,500 for a VIP guest ticket or $5,000 for a sponsor. They're also hosting a fundraising dinner in Paradise Valley during the same retreat. That dinner costs PACs $1,000 or individuals $500. Donors who are attending the weekend retreat get into the dinner for free. Treasury’s date for a debt ceiling default is on or around Oct. 17 but there is some dispute about that timeline.

Flake's 2018 committee (which Arizona's Politics has reported on before) has apparently not yet filed its October quarterly report (due today, but the FEC's website is somewhat impaired by the shutdown), but as of June 30 (2013) reported only $31,000 cash on hand.

It makes sense to wait until the last possible minute to call off the fundraiser;  however, given the 5-year distance of Flake's next primary contest, it would seem that the committee might have wanted to be more cautious in order to avoid the almost-inevitable publicity.


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WATCH: Arizona Rep. Kirkpatrick Fights Piecemeal House Bill On Some Native American Funding; Two AZ Democrats Say "Aye"

Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) led the Democrats' fight last night on the most recent "piecemeal" agency funding bill from the House GOP leadership.  The bill was to fund portions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service and Bureau of Indian Education;  Kirkpatrick argued for a "clean" Continuing Resolution instead.

She was voted down on a straight party line vote (to table her motion), and the House then passed the BIA funding joint resolution (which will not receive any consideration by the Senate).

Kirkpatrick was impassioned, reading quotes that she collected from leaders from several Native American governments in Arizona.  (The clip starts and ends with her procedural battle, her 3-minute speech begins 55 seconds.)

"These partisan games and this lack of urgency show a reckless disregard for the people, communities and the economies hurt by this shutdown."



Although Kirkpatrick then voted against the piecemeal funding bill, two of her Arizona Democratic colleagues voted with the Republicans.  Reps. Ron Barber (D-CD2) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-CD9) joined 19 other Democrats who voted "aye".

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Arizona Rep. Schweikert Among Group Today Pushing House GOP Proposal To The Right; BONUS, WATCH: Schweikert On C-Span

While Arizona Democratic Reps. Ron Barber (D-CD2) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) were on the House floor giving one-minute speeches (video not yet available) calling for an end to this stalemate, Republican Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD6) was being quoted on The Hill as pushing the House GOP proposal further towards the right in order to counter the apparent Senate compromise coming through the pipeline.

In a piece on TheHill.com titled "Right wants changes to House plan,"

Schweikert is noted as being one of "the conservatives" that is looking for a little bit more before agreeing to support the House preemptive counter-proposal.

Like Boustany, conservative Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) said conservatives were close to supporting their leadership's deal. 

“There are a handful of things I think will make it better,” he said. 

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.). said he had faith leaders would make changes.

When asked if the bill GOP leaders presented would differ from whatever plan that would eventually receive a vote on the floor, Wilson said, "Oh yes, yes."

Last Thursday, Schweikert was interviewed on C-Span about debt ceiling options:


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LISTEN: Secretary of State Bennett Re: Dual-Track Ballots In 2014 Election, Based On Citizenship (from KTAR)

Arizona's Secretary of State - and, coincidentally, 2014 gubernatorial candidate - Ken Bennett was questioned on news-talk radio station KTAR (92.3FM, Phoenix) yesterday afternoon.  (Link to audio below.)  The second topic was the opinion he received earlier that day from Attorney General Tom Horne declaring that the state could and should provide federal-election only ballots for people who registered to vote without providing proof of citizenship (through the federal motor voter law).

For more information on the opinion and the background behind it, please see Arizona's Politics' article from yesterday.

(Click on picture to pull up KTAR interview with Bennett in separate window.  The "m4a" audio will automatically start.)

(Alternatively, if you are unable to play the "m4a" audio, you can click on THIS LINK to go to KTAR's website to listen to the interview.  The interview begins at 0:50 and the portion regarding the federal-election-only ballots begins at 3:40.)

The afternoon hosts (Mac and Gaydos) first questioned Bennett about the reports about TANF checks to Arizonans, and got to the voting issue in the 2nd half.  Here are a few "quickie quotes" (i.e. gets the gist of the Secretary's comments, not re-, re-, re-listened to and transcribed) from the interview:

"Thrown us into a rock and a hard place. The only way you can comply with both of those at the same time is to kind of run two systems. There will be a handful, about 2,000 (people effected)." . . . 

"85% of people who register with the federal form give us something that allows us to verify citizenship." . . .

"We’ve been talking about this possibility ever since the Supreme court ruled (in June)."

  
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READ: Arizona and Kansas Moving Forward Together To Begin Separate Federal and State Election Ballots; U.S. Supreme Court Has Struck Down Similar Plans Recently

Arizona's Attorney General Tom Horne and Secretary of State Ken Bennett are not going it alone on their plan to have separate federal-office-only ballots for registered voters who failed to show proof of citizenship by using the federal motor voter form;  Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is laying similar groundwork there.

Horne issued his Attorney General Opinion earlier today (posted in full below), answering Secretary of State Ken Bennett's questions about whether the people who do not provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote can be given "federal election only" ballots and whether their signatures can be struck from petitions for state and local offices and issues. 

The question and opinion arose after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision this past June in the Arizona v. Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona struck down Arizona's law requiring people to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote.  

Although he has not made an official announcement yet, news leaked out Friday night that Kansas' Secretary of State Kris Kobach - who has worked with Arizona officials before* - is laying the groundwork for similar plans there.  Kansas and Arizona have jointly sued the U.S. Election Assistance Commission at the suggestion of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia - the EAC's answer in the case is due later this month (October 28).

This is not the first time that a state has decided to try setting up a separate ballot for people registering under a national voter law designed to standardize and ease access to the ballot box.  In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously (also including Justice Scalia) struck down Mississippi's efforts to minimize the effects of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.  The decision in Young v. Fordice was based upon the now-struck down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act; however, given the litigation addressing other sections of the VRA, it is not hard to imagine that the Arizona/Kansas efforts might also be receiving judicial scrutiny.  (Particularly in Arizona, which was a "pre-clearance state" until this year's Supreme Court Shelby County v. Holder VRA decision.)

  AZAGopinI13-011

* Kobach helped write Arizona's well-known SB 1070 anti-illegal immigration law (which went to the U.S. Supreme Court), and was hired by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to train MCSO deputies about immigration law.
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DAY 4, Shutdown: What Is Your Arizona Congressperson Saying/Doing/Tweeting Today?

A quick "around-the-horn" as the federal government shutdown is winding down its fourth (freakin') day:

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1):
--Kirkpatrick gave a 1-minute speech this a.m. on the House floor, saying that veterans are "disgusted" with the GOP piecemeal approach. 
--At about 5:30pm ET, Kirkpatrick challenged the GOP's efforts to pass a piecemeal resolution to fund the the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and managed 10 minutes of debate.  After being ruled against, she moved to appeal the ruling, but that was tabled by a party line vote:
http://cs.pn/1fPfzF9

Rep. Ron Barber (D-CD2):
--Continued speaking on House floor each day urging clean CR: "Enough is enough," he said today: 
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-CD3:

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD4):

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-CD5)
--Salmon issued a statement stating that the
Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD6):
--Schweikert spoke for 5 minutes on the House floor this afternoon: 
Rep. Ed Pastor (D-CD7):

Rep. Trent Franks (R-CD8):

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-CD9):

Sen. John McCain (R):

Sen. Jeff Flake (R):

--Speech on the Senate floor this morning (Arizona Time): 

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HELP!: Anyone know how to disable autoplay for embedded video?

I'd really like to keep the embedded video of Channel 12's/Brahm Resnik's report on Governor Brewer and the Privatized Privies.  However, I don't want to have the video (with the annoying commercial) auto-starting whenever someone opens the article.

If you can explain what part of the embed code I need to delete to get rid of the auto-start, I would be most grateful.  You can leave it as a comment, or e-mail me at the address below.

If I cannot disable it by tomorrow morning, I will remove the embed and simply provide a link to the report.

Sorry for any inconvenience or annoyance that the auto-start has caused!



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