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8 comments on this story
Sigh. I thought finally a political candidate around here I can vote for happily with a clear conscience. Oh, well. :(
Despite what this story may lightly imply, Carmona is a lock for the Democrat nomination for Senate.
If one looks to Tucson politics, they might think that “Democrat” is synonymous with terms like “corrupt”, “soft”, “weak”, “incompetent”, or “clinically retarded”. And, for the most part, in the Tucson metro area that is true. However, by and large Democrats are not stupid. They know that Carmona has a good shot, and they’re going to vote him in. The primary is merely a formality and a waste of resources in this particular case.
Besides, who else do they have? The best they could come up with the last time around with a Senatorial candidate is Rodney Glassman. I honestly and legitimately believe that I had a better chance at defeating McCain then Glassman ever did.
@Bret Linden
Don Bivens is a former state party chair who’s been running for the nomination longer, has raised a substantial amount of money, and has the Maricopa County political base that’s important to winning a statewide race. Carmona may indeed have a better shot of winning a general election, but needs to get through a primary first.
@Dylan Smith
So where was this guy when McCain had to defend his seat in ‘10? I can not envision any Democrat actually thinking Glassman had a shot. Not only is he an idiot and a fraud, but he had the stink of the Tucson City Council on him.
Am I to understand that Bivens is even worse than Glassman? If Bivens can’t beat Glassman, there’s no way on Earth he’s gonna beat Carmona.
@Bret Linden
Bivens has never run for office before; he ran the state party from 2007 until last year (except a brief period when Tucson’s Paul Eckerstrom was chairman).
@Dylan Smith
Ahhh….OK. I get it now. I’ll confess to not following the Democratic Party as closely as I should. Tucson politics will do that to you. The Democrats really should consider a split…you can have “Tucson Democrats”, and then have “Real Democrats” or “Smart, honest Democrats” or just something to separate other Democrats from the filth that runs this town.
Anyway, I still stand by what I said…Carmona is the pony to bet on. I’ll remind everyone that Democrats in this state are outnumbered by Independents such as myself. If the Dems want that seat, they’re gonna have to set aside what they may want, and pick someone who appeals to the Indy’s. Carmona largely does that.
If Carmona is indeed open borders, then it would be difficult to vote for him…but not impossible, as he seems to have several other strengths.
OK, so, I just watched the full 37:10 of the video. Based on that, I’ll share my thoughts…
First, the bad.
As an indy, I’m disappointed to see a fellow indy defect to a party…any party. But, though I don’t condone it, I guess I understand it. You need the machine, the help to get you elected these days. I hate it, but I guess it’s reality.
Also, I’d like to hear him clarify his issues on “immigration”. He did use the term “comprehensive immigration reform”, which scares me. A huge thing that people on both sides of the aisle (but mostly the left side) seem to get is that you can’t know how ANYTHING works until you use it. We have many laws and procedures in place for dealing with issues of immigration, but many of them are ignored or disregarded. Then, when an individual state wants to enforce those laws, they’re sued by the federal government. Nothing needs reforming, let’s just use what we got.
And, also negative…rather than latch on to the Giffords camp, I personally would like to see him distance himself from it. Giffords was a lousy congresswoman, and she’s married to someone with serious character issues, in my opinion.
Those things out of the way, I’m largely impressed. Dr. Carmona seems intelligent, articulate, and honest. He has that “everyman” quality that most can relate to. Identification is the key to success, especially in politics. He doesn’t seem pre-packaged, cookie-cutter like so many other politicians do. He has a real good feel to him. He talks to you rather than down to you or “at” you.
Plus, because of his roots here and his stint at Surgeon General, he has name recognition.
I think that in the primary or in the general election he is going to be really, really tough to beat.
I will be supporting Richard Carmona for the U.S. Senate because of his intellect. IMO he is the one person who has the gravitas to win the office. For too long the Arizona Democratic Party has been supporting people with a record of losing because they belong to the old boy network. Randy Parraz has shown the people of this state that we the people have a voice and we do not have to except mediocre candidates. I am also supporting Wenona Benally Baldenegro for Congress because America needs true Democrats to help our president instead of Blue Dogs who do not know what side of the fence to sit on.