This is NOT what the party needs. If he had just sent that to the leadership and asked for help to get everyone on the same page….sending it to the entire organization was extremely unwise. It will impact the morale of the precincts and others, at a time when nobody can afford to lose momentum. Poor judgement.
Seems like most the shade in these comments is on the Chair. I'm kinda surprised - i thought more people would blame Kelly and the Egos. (That's the cute name I just came up with for the five-piece band of statewide democrats.)
So he should stay silent and be left holding the bag when everything goes to Hell in a hand basket due to the lack of cohesiveness. They are setting him up for failure and it is obvious.
The real irony here is that all of us are talking about the state Dem party like it’s a thing. I’ve been volunteering on campaigns for years and have never once thought, “My Lord, this cycle would be so much better if So & So was at the helm!” County and Ld leadership is what matters to the rank and file Dems. Candidates and their campaign managers matter to those of us that put in the serious hours- not state party chairs.
But, if we are now open to a new state party chair- can we please have Steve Slugocki?
While the state and national parties could be greatly improved (in part by understanding that money, while important, is not the MOST important thing [see Musk, Elon, in Wisconsin]) I completely agree that the more local leadership, and the quality of the candidates themselves, are more important.
I feel like the problem you describe is emblematic of the perpetually weak leadership in ADP. With strong leadership at the helm in the state party, we can create processes and procedures that the LDs can draw from. Right now, with LDs changing every 10 years due to redistricting, the LDs are mostly left to their own devices. This oftentimes results in a lack of uniformity and organization; overall lowering the efficacy of LDs.
I commend Robert for speaking out and sticking to his guns. I know he is involved with LD leadership throughout the state and is committed to providing direction and support wherever he can. We desperately need reform within the Democratic Party and Robert knows that.
It’s time to question our elected officials, hold people accountable, and fight to change the status quo.
American democracy is facing an existential threat. As a border state with a burgeoning tech economy, Arizona is in position to be a national leader in bringing back sanity. What AZ Dems need right now is a leader or leaders to be the one(s) to call “once more unto the breach,” to the party faithful. Despite the upheaval in the leadership ranks, regular folks are taking to the streets. Armed with righteous indignation and handmade signs, these folks are raging against the dying of the American light. The best thing the leadership class can do right now is thank, cheer on, and bring water to the folks who are showing up to save democracy. Hopefully, leadership can work this out as America needs an organized and battle-ready Arizona.
This garbage is exactly what the Republicans want to see - weakness, infighting, loss of control, failures, and fractures. They are laughing at us because of this unnecessary situation and drama. Clean it up, get back on track, and stop the soap opera NOW! We need to win in 2026 and beyond.
Republicans do not pay attention to anything in the Dem party. They are to busy with their own internecine battles that are completely irrelevant to the actual winning of elections.
It appears the state chair does not understand politics. He needs to manage the sausage making out of public view and work to show a unified party, not sow division. While the chair received a few hundred votes from state committee members (who in large do not understand politics either) Mark Kelly received 1.3 million. Why make public disputes among the only statewide Dems we have elected in the past decade (except Kathy Hoffman who lost reelection)? What would he hope to gain? Even if those few hundred state committee members take his side what does he expect - to call out or primary Mark Kelly? Like it or not it takes money to win elections and donors will be reluctant to invest in a state where the party chair and top electeds are on opposite sides. You have to respect those candidates and staffers who have ran a successful campaign, connecting with Arizona voters and winning. I hope we don't go backwards and have a chair who feels like he can run the party as he sees fit but have actually no Democrats in any statewide or federal offices. It wasn't that long ago that we had McCain, Flake, Ducey, Brnovich and Regan. Sure all Dems i office have egos but that's why they ran and why they won. As party chair you have to be able to deal with that behind the scenes. Transparency is one thing. Airing all your dirty laundry is something else. Bottom line - our mission is to elect Democrats. The party chair should have asked himself if pressing send on that email would have helped that. And petty things like no computers or furniture? Sounds typical of a campaign office in the first few months after an election to me. These days everyone brings their own computer, chair, decorations, and supplies and takes them when they leave. Talking about personnel issues like employment agreements (sometimes you do what you need to when hiring is tough) and why you did or didn't hire people raises privacy issues. I doubt many experienced staffers are more inclined to apply with the Arizona Dems now.
Yeah, the "what would he hope to gain" part of this whole thing stood out to me too. Like, i don't see an outcome here that could have gone his way. But I also feel for the guy like, So what you're just supposed to shut up and let Mark Kelly bully you and shadow run the party? IDK i never been a party chair but seems like bad options either way.
What he might hope to gain is the confidence of the state committee members for actually following up on his campaign promises. Its so rare these days that no one seems to even recognize it! The EGOS ought to take a page out of his book instead of a pound of his flesh
No, Sen. Kelly is ONE of the state party leaders. We elected Robert Branscomb because Yolanda Berjanos was unresponsive to party members. She was an excellent fundraiser, but a lousy communicator, and when she lost reelection, she and her Executive Director were highly unprofessional in sneaking out the back door, not addressing committee members, congratulating her successor and pledging to help in the transition.
I am not privy to the inner workings of the Democratic Party chairs and their delegates in Arizona. I am a foot soldier and contributor. I didn’t vote for Branscomb or work for him. His email was childish. Ask any Democrat off the street who they’d vote for; Kelly or Branscomb. The trouble in the Democratic Party, which I have been a member of for over 50 years, is they think they need more than one leader. It’s why we lose.
He was trying to pass Prop 140 which would have been a very good thing for this state. Open Primaries would have made party infighting less relevant to elections.
Isn’t your party the one that can’t even vote for a state party chair without accusations of election fraud? Aren’t y’all the same people that had a former gov and sen candidate secretly record your state party chair? We Dems can be a hot mess. In a room of 5 Dems you are going to hear 5 different policy positions. But, we don’t threaten to shoot each other. The police haven’t been called to our LD meetings. Maybe, you and your snark should sit this one out.
You have leveled an ad hominem attack in an attempt to obfuscate the real issue, which is the hypocrisy of the Democrat Party that’s constantly accusing Trump of being an oligarch, now having its own oligarchs trying to suppress a grassroots reformer supported by 60% of the PCs.
What is your argument? Is it that the bad things happening in the Democrat Party are ok because the Republican Party is worse? So, in addition to obfuscation and an ad hominem attack, are you now also using the logical fallacy of two wrongs make a right?
Also, I work in a room with 13 Democrats, and they all march in lockstep opposing the Laken Reilly Act and other measures designed to go after illegal immigrants, whom they call undocumented migrants, in yet another example of Democrat obfuscation.
True to form, you managed to bring illegal immigrants into a discussion on the inner workings of political parties.
Is it gaslighting or is it ADHD?
Squirrel!
😂😂😂
But, honestly, the Dems can learn a lot from you. Why we aren’t turning every topic into a discussion on tariffs and the tanking economy regardless of topic is why we haven’t been as successful as Republicans.
How I wish we could post a gif on Substack comments. If I could, you know it would be Ross yelling “PIVOT”!
You lost me at "Democrat Party". I'm old enough to remember when the GOP starting using that term to irritate those of us in the "Democratic Party". Also, it just sounds ignorant, but consider the source.
I am surprised, Mr Kavanagh, that you have time to read Az Agenda comments given that you spend so much time snooping in bathrooms to see who is there, finding ways to defund DDD, and working to destroy public education.
While i appreciated your comments about oligarchs, you are so far off base about the deportations that are actually taking place that its truly pathetic. We are losing our right to protest, to free speech and to due process because your guy is creating hatred out of whole cloth and then going after those people he hates. An anti semitic white nationalist with a big mouth snd too much power is going to save the country from antisemitism? You cant make this stuff up. And daily the continual spewing of vitriol about migrants to this country and their supposed criminality is fact- checked and found to be yet another hate filled fantasy of his.
Hobbes doing a good job in adverse conditions-given the state of the legislators. It would be helpful if she had more support from dem senators. Hopefully she'll continue to use the veto. Something that is annoying is how the state budget is contructed, and then sprung on legislators with a day or two to read before voting. I had hope she would change that; she hasn't.
Kris Mayes is doing a very good job. In the general sense of protecting residents from the onslaught of undemocratic deeds coming out of DC, as well as specific things she had done as with county recorders.
It would be best if Sen. Gallego would ease himself out of the relationship with the crypto guys, it is an energy suck and not a frutiful area for him, despite their dough.
Sen., Kelly is disappointing because of a failure to lead efforts to stop the trump administration. One of the few in congress that has the background and the moderate presence to stand up and roar back, he seems intent on staying in the background which is not what is needed.
The dems need a ground game, that's where the races are going to be won, the distraction in the main office are just that, distractions from doing the hard organizing work of getting new candidates, and providing some foucs to the dissatisfaction surfacing in the demos.
Yeah, it's hard for Hobbs to change the legislative crapshoot budget process. I'd suggest she could just leak budget docs to all us reporters tho so we can share it with rank-and-file lawmakers ...
Agreed. There has got to be some way to get the draft docs out to see where the dough is going. Give somebody a free sub to AA to the first one to get you the docs. That'll really move em.
We need AZ Dem leadership to act like adults. We need mature wise leadership to turn things around in our state and nation. We are in constitutional crisis. We can’t afford this conflict- Dems need to get their act together and pull in the same direction. Which I hope will be a wise direction which speaks to voters’ concerns. I have high respect for Kris Mayes. Appreciate Adrian Fontes. Hobbes does some questionable things but I appreciate her veto defense of our rights.
The parties are largely irrelevant to the general elections pertaining to state-wide candidates and even most Congressional races. The salient role the party structure plays is in primaries where an underfunded candidate can manage to get nominated with grass-roots tactics and the volunteers. Otherwise, candidates pay little heed to party officials and run their own campaign.
This silly dust-up in the Dems is news filler for political junkies.
hahah. accurate about the news filler. But you don't think the party apparatus matters? That's funny, I would think the Republicans on this thread would have more appreciation for how much a party chair matters, given the colorful history of GOP chair fights
A pox on all of the handwringing about airing our dirty laundry. Its dirty, y'all, and it hasnt gotten cleaned up in its closet for many years. A long-past Pima County democratic chair was treated much the same way by our local machine. You want to know what REALLY loses confidence in democrats? The fact that this garbage happens ( because if you don't think all those machines are keeping new and younger candidates out of races you are delusional) and then gets hidden--as if its the normal price for politics. I don't know if Branscomb is a saint or a sinner but the fact that he finally came clean about the dirty politics going on behind the scene is a point in his favor. For all our decorum we faithfully elect faux democrats with military backgrounds that are afraid in the political world to confront serious evil. THAT is the real danger to the Dems. I was very sorry to see Hayes' inclusion in the snotty " its our ball and we are taking it home" letter from our esteemed politicians--i think highly of her and her fighting spirit--something the rest of them don't have.
You are on target with this. The dirty laundry needs to be cleaned and dealt with. Sweeping this under the rug will not help the party. This kind of garbage is what is causing the major problems. The gate keeping has got to stop.
It looks like John Kavanaugh is reading posts that Dems are adding to the conversation becasue he liked what I had to say about the unnecessary drama going on in the state Dem party. Well, Senator, take that mesage back to "The Cult" (one of my favorite bands, by the way) and have a little strategy meeting with your fans. Continue your discriminatory, education hating, and overall right-wing destruction at the state level politics and see where that takes you and your cronies. I'm waiting....
I'm a Democrat and despite the continual dysfunction often displayed by the state and national parties, the grassroots remain committed to a world view that I share. It is not unusual that we form a circular firing squad. Still, regrettable. And yet, in the end, while leadership matters, it's fundamentally the actions of the many that will ultimately matter - that and having good candidates. Focus, people.
As a local teachers union president who is not up on all the behind-the-scenes drama, I'm amazed by how many of those more "in the know" in this comment thread basically take the side of big egos and the money machine. At the same time, I get that this approach by the new chair may not be the most politically/publicly strategic. But what is he supposed to do when seemingly none of the electeds want to acknowledge his putative role in running the state party and hiring the staff to make it effective? It's disappointing but not at all surprising that this is the current state of AZ Dem insider politics. Explains why we have so many milquetoast Dems who regularly bow to the consultant class and rarely have a spine, even in times of creeping fascism (see Gallego's recent stances on immigration).
Hobbs is an utter disappointment, the very definition of a politician defined purely by what consultants tell her is safe to say. Mayes at least is lively and fighting Trump's fascist moves. Fontes has personality but seems much more purely ambitious / self-serving and that concerns me, because character does matter.
Hahaha I just figured I better slot somebody coming out on top there. And it seems like he's the one who has real staying power. Kelly may too, but nobody really likes Kelly and it's hard to run a machine long term without being loved or even feared (look at Sinema's collapse). Gallego is smart enough to play a long game, understands organizing and already has his own little growing fiefdom. So if I'm a betting man, I'm betting on Gallego being our next (Democratic) McCain.
Why don't people like Kelly? I assume it relates to the kinds of tactics this story revealed? Like perhaps he's very bossy and entitled, swings his weight around, and wants to be bowed down to? ;)
As the wife of a retired electrical engineer who worked on the NASA Orion program, I can attest that these really smart guys (and gals) with serious type A personalities will (and often should) take charge when taking charge appears to be needed. It can be interpreted as bossy/entitled, but when they take charge, sh#t gets done. In my experience. Nothing racial about it. You don't want that A type up in your business, don't send out email blasts. JS.
I admire Kelly’s accomplishments, but like someone said here, he has not stepped up to fight back against Trump. Maybe it’s unfair of me, but I get the feeling that he’s not doing a lot for us until he needs to raise money.
Guys, we have a common enemy and it’s not each other… Get your act together or we will be beaten again during the mid-terms, which may be our last chance to save Democracy. Local party politics is a petty game being played on a much larger field.
This is NOT what the party needs. If he had just sent that to the leadership and asked for help to get everyone on the same page….sending it to the entire organization was extremely unwise. It will impact the morale of the precincts and others, at a time when nobody can afford to lose momentum. Poor judgement.
Seems like most the shade in these comments is on the Chair. I'm kinda surprised - i thought more people would blame Kelly and the Egos. (That's the cute name I just came up with for the five-piece band of statewide democrats.)
News flash! State Committee Members supposedly ARE the leaders!
So he should stay silent and be left holding the bag when everything goes to Hell in a hand basket due to the lack of cohesiveness. They are setting him up for failure and it is obvious.
The real irony here is that all of us are talking about the state Dem party like it’s a thing. I’ve been volunteering on campaigns for years and have never once thought, “My Lord, this cycle would be so much better if So & So was at the helm!” County and Ld leadership is what matters to the rank and file Dems. Candidates and their campaign managers matter to those of us that put in the serious hours- not state party chairs.
But, if we are now open to a new state party chair- can we please have Steve Slugocki?
Hahah. Steve, u up? Thanks for the embeds, Jennifer!
Hi! 👋
Lol. Get back to work! The people need you.
While the state and national parties could be greatly improved (in part by understanding that money, while important, is not the MOST important thing [see Musk, Elon, in Wisconsin]) I completely agree that the more local leadership, and the quality of the candidates themselves, are more important.
I feel like the problem you describe is emblematic of the perpetually weak leadership in ADP. With strong leadership at the helm in the state party, we can create processes and procedures that the LDs can draw from. Right now, with LDs changing every 10 years due to redistricting, the LDs are mostly left to their own devices. This oftentimes results in a lack of uniformity and organization; overall lowering the efficacy of LDs.
I commend Robert for speaking out and sticking to his guns. I know he is involved with LD leadership throughout the state and is committed to providing direction and support wherever he can. We desperately need reform within the Democratic Party and Robert knows that.
It’s time to question our elected officials, hold people accountable, and fight to change the status quo.
Thank you Robert!
American democracy is facing an existential threat. As a border state with a burgeoning tech economy, Arizona is in position to be a national leader in bringing back sanity. What AZ Dems need right now is a leader or leaders to be the one(s) to call “once more unto the breach,” to the party faithful. Despite the upheaval in the leadership ranks, regular folks are taking to the streets. Armed with righteous indignation and handmade signs, these folks are raging against the dying of the American light. The best thing the leadership class can do right now is thank, cheer on, and bring water to the folks who are showing up to save democracy. Hopefully, leadership can work this out as America needs an organized and battle-ready Arizona.
"Arizona is in a position to be a national leader in bringing back sanity" is a sentence i never thought i'd hear.
This garbage is exactly what the Republicans want to see - weakness, infighting, loss of control, failures, and fractures. They are laughing at us because of this unnecessary situation and drama. Clean it up, get back on track, and stop the soap opera NOW! We need to win in 2026 and beyond.
And it's happening just as the Republican civil war seems to be concluding!
I know! Timing is everything.
Republicans do not pay attention to anything in the Dem party. They are to busy with their own internecine battles that are completely irrelevant to the actual winning of elections.
Let's hope so, but Senator Kavanagh has been collecting comments from this thread. So, there is some kind of slimy slithering going on.
If there's one thing i know about Kavanagh, it's that he reads the comments. I don't think we're even special in that regard.
I hope not. Perhaps he has a short-term memory loss disease and he won't recall what he read here.
And you say Republicans are conspiracy theorists!
Actually, you caught me. I am collecting quotes for my new book, "1,001 Political Obfuscations."
I appreciate you being here and also your comments!
It appears the state chair does not understand politics. He needs to manage the sausage making out of public view and work to show a unified party, not sow division. While the chair received a few hundred votes from state committee members (who in large do not understand politics either) Mark Kelly received 1.3 million. Why make public disputes among the only statewide Dems we have elected in the past decade (except Kathy Hoffman who lost reelection)? What would he hope to gain? Even if those few hundred state committee members take his side what does he expect - to call out or primary Mark Kelly? Like it or not it takes money to win elections and donors will be reluctant to invest in a state where the party chair and top electeds are on opposite sides. You have to respect those candidates and staffers who have ran a successful campaign, connecting with Arizona voters and winning. I hope we don't go backwards and have a chair who feels like he can run the party as he sees fit but have actually no Democrats in any statewide or federal offices. It wasn't that long ago that we had McCain, Flake, Ducey, Brnovich and Regan. Sure all Dems i office have egos but that's why they ran and why they won. As party chair you have to be able to deal with that behind the scenes. Transparency is one thing. Airing all your dirty laundry is something else. Bottom line - our mission is to elect Democrats. The party chair should have asked himself if pressing send on that email would have helped that. And petty things like no computers or furniture? Sounds typical of a campaign office in the first few months after an election to me. These days everyone brings their own computer, chair, decorations, and supplies and takes them when they leave. Talking about personnel issues like employment agreements (sometimes you do what you need to when hiring is tough) and why you did or didn't hire people raises privacy issues. I doubt many experienced staffers are more inclined to apply with the Arizona Dems now.
Yeah, the "what would he hope to gain" part of this whole thing stood out to me too. Like, i don't see an outcome here that could have gone his way. But I also feel for the guy like, So what you're just supposed to shut up and let Mark Kelly bully you and shadow run the party? IDK i never been a party chair but seems like bad options either way.
What he might hope to gain is the confidence of the state committee members for actually following up on his campaign promises. Its so rare these days that no one seems to even recognize it! The EGOS ought to take a page out of his book instead of a pound of his flesh
Voting for the State Party Chair is serious work for some. Others are there because they are supposed to be there. Call them low-information Members.
I cannot imagine what Branscomb thought he could achieve.
Yes. Kelly is the leader of the Az Dem Party. We didn’t vote for the party chair. We voted for the Dems we worked for and put in office in 22.
No, Sen. Kelly is ONE of the state party leaders. We elected Robert Branscomb because Yolanda Berjanos was unresponsive to party members. She was an excellent fundraiser, but a lousy communicator, and when she lost reelection, she and her Executive Director were highly unprofessional in sneaking out the back door, not addressing committee members, congratulating her successor and pledging to help in the transition.
I am not privy to the inner workings of the Democratic Party chairs and their delegates in Arizona. I am a foot soldier and contributor. I didn’t vote for Branscomb or work for him. His email was childish. Ask any Democrat off the street who they’d vote for; Kelly or Branscomb. The trouble in the Democratic Party, which I have been a member of for over 50 years, is they think they need more than one leader. It’s why we lose.
Thanks for responding to me. We need good conversation and a share of ideas and priorities. That makes for good policy.
Nailed it! THE question is what did Branscomb hope to accomplish with this screed? And is he anywhere near that goal? I guess time will tell.
Where is Terry Goddard when you need him?
The CAP Board.
He was trying to pass Prop 140 which would have been a very good thing for this state. Open Primaries would have made party infighting less relevant to elections.
It appears to be a battle between grassroots and oligarchs. Where are Bernie and AOC when you need them?
Isn’t your party the one that can’t even vote for a state party chair without accusations of election fraud? Aren’t y’all the same people that had a former gov and sen candidate secretly record your state party chair? We Dems can be a hot mess. In a room of 5 Dems you are going to hear 5 different policy positions. But, we don’t threaten to shoot each other. The police haven’t been called to our LD meetings. Maybe, you and your snark should sit this one out.
Hey they got Gina Swoboda without fraud, right? RIGHT?!
😂
You have leveled an ad hominem attack in an attempt to obfuscate the real issue, which is the hypocrisy of the Democrat Party that’s constantly accusing Trump of being an oligarch, now having its own oligarchs trying to suppress a grassroots reformer supported by 60% of the PCs.
What is your argument? Is it that the bad things happening in the Democrat Party are ok because the Republican Party is worse? So, in addition to obfuscation and an ad hominem attack, are you now also using the logical fallacy of two wrongs make a right?
Also, I work in a room with 13 Democrats, and they all march in lockstep opposing the Laken Reilly Act and other measures designed to go after illegal immigrants, whom they call undocumented migrants, in yet another example of Democrat obfuscation.
You’re funny.
True to form, you managed to bring illegal immigrants into a discussion on the inner workings of political parties.
Is it gaslighting or is it ADHD?
Squirrel!
😂😂😂
But, honestly, the Dems can learn a lot from you. Why we aren’t turning every topic into a discussion on tariffs and the tanking economy regardless of topic is why we haven’t been as successful as Republicans.
How I wish we could post a gif on Substack comments. If I could, you know it would be Ross yelling “PIVOT”!
😂😂😂😂
Thanks for the laugh.
Chump thinks up 5 new lies daily before attending to that sacred morning ritual shared by us fellers. And tens of millions still believe him.
You lost me at "Democrat Party". I'm old enough to remember when the GOP starting using that term to irritate those of us in the "Democratic Party". Also, it just sounds ignorant, but consider the source.
I am surprised, Mr Kavanagh, that you have time to read Az Agenda comments given that you spend so much time snooping in bathrooms to see who is there, finding ways to defund DDD, and working to destroy public education.
Don't forget trying to remove criminal illegal aliens from the state over the objections of legislative Democrats.
While i appreciated your comments about oligarchs, you are so far off base about the deportations that are actually taking place that its truly pathetic. We are losing our right to protest, to free speech and to due process because your guy is creating hatred out of whole cloth and then going after those people he hates. An anti semitic white nationalist with a big mouth snd too much power is going to save the country from antisemitism? You cant make this stuff up. And daily the continual spewing of vitriol about migrants to this country and their supposed criminality is fact- checked and found to be yet another hate filled fantasy of his.
Sure, sure, sure...which confirms my opinion of you and those of your ilk that your racism/xenophobia is exceeded only by your inhumanity.
Due process, Dude.
No, you’re trying to give the state federal powers, which is duplicative and costly
Hey the Agenda is an integral part of everyone's morning. of course he has time!
Hobbes doing a good job in adverse conditions-given the state of the legislators. It would be helpful if she had more support from dem senators. Hopefully she'll continue to use the veto. Something that is annoying is how the state budget is contructed, and then sprung on legislators with a day or two to read before voting. I had hope she would change that; she hasn't.
Kris Mayes is doing a very good job. In the general sense of protecting residents from the onslaught of undemocratic deeds coming out of DC, as well as specific things she had done as with county recorders.
It would be best if Sen. Gallego would ease himself out of the relationship with the crypto guys, it is an energy suck and not a frutiful area for him, despite their dough.
Sen., Kelly is disappointing because of a failure to lead efforts to stop the trump administration. One of the few in congress that has the background and the moderate presence to stand up and roar back, he seems intent on staying in the background which is not what is needed.
The dems need a ground game, that's where the races are going to be won, the distraction in the main office are just that, distractions from doing the hard organizing work of getting new candidates, and providing some foucs to the dissatisfaction surfacing in the demos.
Yeah, it's hard for Hobbs to change the legislative crapshoot budget process. I'd suggest she could just leak budget docs to all us reporters tho so we can share it with rank-and-file lawmakers ...
Agreed. There has got to be some way to get the draft docs out to see where the dough is going. Give somebody a free sub to AA to the first one to get you the docs. That'll really move em.
Oooh i like this idea! Putting the offer in tomorrow's newsletter.
We need AZ Dem leadership to act like adults. We need mature wise leadership to turn things around in our state and nation. We are in constitutional crisis. We can’t afford this conflict- Dems need to get their act together and pull in the same direction. Which I hope will be a wise direction which speaks to voters’ concerns. I have high respect for Kris Mayes. Appreciate Adrian Fontes. Hobbes does some questionable things but I appreciate her veto defense of our rights.
What would a mature leader do in this situation? And do you think they should let Kelly and Gallego make hiring decisions for the party?
Yes.
The parties are largely irrelevant to the general elections pertaining to state-wide candidates and even most Congressional races. The salient role the party structure plays is in primaries where an underfunded candidate can manage to get nominated with grass-roots tactics and the volunteers. Otherwise, candidates pay little heed to party officials and run their own campaign.
This silly dust-up in the Dems is news filler for political junkies.
hahah. accurate about the news filler. But you don't think the party apparatus matters? That's funny, I would think the Republicans on this thread would have more appreciation for how much a party chair matters, given the colorful history of GOP chair fights
The chair fights are eye wash for the hoi polloi. What really matters is the money side and the party is not the main source of that.
But they're the main vehicle for that, no?
No
A pox on all of the handwringing about airing our dirty laundry. Its dirty, y'all, and it hasnt gotten cleaned up in its closet for many years. A long-past Pima County democratic chair was treated much the same way by our local machine. You want to know what REALLY loses confidence in democrats? The fact that this garbage happens ( because if you don't think all those machines are keeping new and younger candidates out of races you are delusional) and then gets hidden--as if its the normal price for politics. I don't know if Branscomb is a saint or a sinner but the fact that he finally came clean about the dirty politics going on behind the scene is a point in his favor. For all our decorum we faithfully elect faux democrats with military backgrounds that are afraid in the political world to confront serious evil. THAT is the real danger to the Dems. I was very sorry to see Hayes' inclusion in the snotty " its our ball and we are taking it home" letter from our esteemed politicians--i think highly of her and her fighting spirit--something the rest of them don't have.
haha Betts! I love that you're the only Democrat who thinks the dirty laundry should be cleaned here.
You are on target with this. The dirty laundry needs to be cleaned and dealt with. Sweeping this under the rug will not help the party. This kind of garbage is what is causing the major problems. The gate keeping has got to stop.
It looks like John Kavanaugh is reading posts that Dems are adding to the conversation becasue he liked what I had to say about the unnecessary drama going on in the state Dem party. Well, Senator, take that mesage back to "The Cult" (one of my favorite bands, by the way) and have a little strategy meeting with your fans. Continue your discriminatory, education hating, and overall right-wing destruction at the state level politics and see where that takes you and your cronies. I'm waiting....
And even more obfuscation.
Another veiled message! You are very smart, Senator! Thanks for the reply!
This sums up my assessment of your posts.
https://youtu.be/ORbseYAkzRM
That show is about as old as you are, sir. You are also out-of-touch and your age and attitude display that perfectly. Time to retire.
Your comment would offend Lea Alston.
Oh well.
I'm a Democrat and despite the continual dysfunction often displayed by the state and national parties, the grassroots remain committed to a world view that I share. It is not unusual that we form a circular firing squad. Still, regrettable. And yet, in the end, while leadership matters, it's fundamentally the actions of the many that will ultimately matter - that and having good candidates. Focus, people.
As a local teachers union president who is not up on all the behind-the-scenes drama, I'm amazed by how many of those more "in the know" in this comment thread basically take the side of big egos and the money machine. At the same time, I get that this approach by the new chair may not be the most politically/publicly strategic. But what is he supposed to do when seemingly none of the electeds want to acknowledge his putative role in running the state party and hiring the staff to make it effective? It's disappointing but not at all surprising that this is the current state of AZ Dem insider politics. Explains why we have so many milquetoast Dems who regularly bow to the consultant class and rarely have a spine, even in times of creeping fascism (see Gallego's recent stances on immigration).
Hobbs is an utter disappointment, the very definition of a politician defined purely by what consultants tell her is safe to say. Mayes at least is lively and fighting Trump's fascist moves. Fontes has personality but seems much more purely ambitious / self-serving and that concerns me, because character does matter.
Spot on Derek, as you so often are.
Question: why do y'all in the Agenda believe Gallego will eventually control the AZ machine? That was an interesting tease. :)
Hahaha I just figured I better slot somebody coming out on top there. And it seems like he's the one who has real staying power. Kelly may too, but nobody really likes Kelly and it's hard to run a machine long term without being loved or even feared (look at Sinema's collapse). Gallego is smart enough to play a long game, understands organizing and already has his own little growing fiefdom. So if I'm a betting man, I'm betting on Gallego being our next (Democratic) McCain.
Why don't people like Kelly? I assume it relates to the kinds of tactics this story revealed? Like perhaps he's very bossy and entitled, swings his weight around, and wants to be bowed down to? ;)
Yeah that could perhaps have something to do with it...
As the wife of a retired electrical engineer who worked on the NASA Orion program, I can attest that these really smart guys (and gals) with serious type A personalities will (and often should) take charge when taking charge appears to be needed. It can be interpreted as bossy/entitled, but when they take charge, sh#t gets done. In my experience. Nothing racial about it. You don't want that A type up in your business, don't send out email blasts. JS.
I admire Kelly’s accomplishments, but like someone said here, he has not stepped up to fight back against Trump. Maybe it’s unfair of me, but I get the feeling that he’s not doing a lot for us until he needs to raise money.
Sometimes I think Kelly is where he is because we loved Gabby.
Guys, we have a common enemy and it’s not each other… Get your act together or we will be beaten again during the mid-terms, which may be our last chance to save Democracy. Local party politics is a petty game being played on a much larger field.