personal

The primary battle between Ben Quayle and David Schweikert in the newly drawn Congressional District 6 will be the first time in modern history that Arizona has had a Congressional primary match-up between two incumbents.

[Sidebar]

I have known David Schweikert for nearly 20 years and Ben Quayle is my Congressman.  I do not represent either campaign, nor will I, or my firm, sign on with either campaign in this race.

[End Sidebar]

Let’s look at the facts:

* The new CD 6 includes about 63% of Quayle’s current district and about 27% of Schweikert’s current district.

* On the money front, the two candidates will probably raise about the same amount.

* While I haven’t done a vote analysis of Quayle and Schweikert, my guess is that they have tracked within a couple percentage points of each other on voting the same way in the U.S. House.

* Quayle will have the advantage of having represented nearly 2/3 of the district.  Schweikert has been on the ballot county-wide, although that’s now a number of years ago. It’s hard to know what carry-over effect that will have on the parts of the district that will be new to him.

With those facts, no one can credibly predict what the outcome will be.  That’s why we have elections.  While I don’t think endorsements matter that much in politics, in a race that will be more about style and personality, rather than issues, an endorsement by Senator Jon Kyl or Congressman John Shadegg could tip the scale.

Given that Shadegg did not endorse in the primary for his replacement, I would be surprised if he endorsed now.  I would also be surprised if Senator Kyl endorsed here.

This will be a major battle.  It already appears to be turning personal- Schweikert sent an email to supporters accusing Quayle of taking a “magic carpet ride to carpet bag” into CD 6.  I don’t think that argument is going to get Schweikert very far, but it’s just the beginning, and it will get pretty wild.

(picture courtesy of Dr. Fred Vidal)

[This is a modified post from 2010]

Today Ronald Reagan would have turned 101. If there was ever a time we needed another Reagan, it is now.

Reagan embodied a concept of America very different than our current President. In his final address to the nation from the Oval office he spoke of the success of America as an example of freedom.

“I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it.But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.”

Happy birthday President Reagan. We miss you, we need you.

I don’t think I qualify as an early adopter when it comes to technology advances, but I’m by no means slow to get the latest and greatest.  I have a 1-terabyte MacBook Pro, an iPad 2, an iPhone 4, and a Blackberry Curve.

And I just upgraded my iPhone 4 to an iPhone 4S.

One word… Wow!

This Siri girl is amazing!  She transcribes emails and texts, places phone calls on voice demand and comes up with some amazing answers when asked questions.

It’s one way to blow through a Saturday.

Remember this line from my blog back on January 19^th?

Seriously, how ironic is it that the guy everyone is trying to show as the alternative to the “weird Mormon guy” is the one who has actually tried to practice plural marriage?

Now we read that Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor hits the same theme last weekend at the Alfalfa Club Dinner as reported in the Washington Post.

But according to two accounts, O’Connor waded into the Republican presidential campaign with a joke about Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich that drew a lot of laughter.

According to ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser, who was at the Capital Hilton for the dinner, O’Connor said that of the two leading Republican candidates, “one is a practicing polygamist, and he’s not even the Mormon.”

Romney is a Mormon, and often points out that he and his wife, Ann, have been married for 42 years. Gingrich’s three marriages have been much discussed in the campaign. The Reliable Source column in The Washington Post had a similar account.

I guess imitation is the greatest form of flattery, so Justice O’Connor can continue to read my blog and steal my stuff anytime!

Heading into the Florida Presidential Primary, the soap opera that is the GOP nominating process is becoming a full-on hurricane.

Newt Gingrich’s polling line looks like a heart monitor, Ron Paul is wandering in the sugar cane fields looking for relevance, Rick Santorum can’t think of a place he will actually win and Mitt Romney is starting to get that terrified look in his eye as he realizes this isn’t his just for the taking.

That is one of the more interesting aspects of the last week.  We actually get to see Romney express some emotion, because nothing makes you more emotional than fear.

And guess what?  Newt Gingrich getting the nomination scares the crap out of me.

That’s kind of the story for the last day or two: conservatives realizing “Oh my gosh, Newt might win this!”  And that isn’t a happy exclamation point.

Thursday’s debate didn’t really change the make up of the race, so let’s get Tuesday over with and move on.

With the nomination of Mitt Romney becoming more likely, there will be increased chatter about Mormonism, and more specifically, the “Mormon Moment.”

In preparation of the forthcoming stories, I strongly recommend you read this piece by Thomas Grier, a smart third-year law student, and a great thinker.

Here’s an excerpt:

The media and pundits have suggested America is in the middle of a “Mormon moment,” highlighting the fact that there are two Mormon candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, a critically acclaimed Broadway musical poking fun at Mormonism and a general discussion about Mormon theology and culture. There is a projected narrative that wherever you look, whether in business, government or talk radio, you are sure to find a Mormon staring back at you.

If, as expected, Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination expect Mormonism to be in your face until the elections and beyond.

It’s well worth your time to read.

Tony Blankley, a long-time communications guru, passed away the morning of January 8^th at the age of 63.  He was battling stomach cancer.

I knew Tony – he didn’t really know me – and I always admired him and marveled at his skill.  When I first met him in 1994 he was serving as a special advisor to Newt Gingrich, and stayed with Newt through 1997.

From 2002-2007 he was the editorial page editor for The Washington Times.

He was smart, witty, and a great writer.  He was born in London, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen after his parents moved from England to California.  He still had a bit of an English accent and for a young, impressionable kid fascinated by communications, to me he seemed an even more commanding presence.

He was one of the happy warriors in the conservative cause, and he will be missed.

UPDATE

C-SPAN has a great page up for Tony with all his appearances – you can find it here.

I got LASIK surgery yesterday.  It was very simple (easy for me to say) and I am amazed at how little discomfort there has been.

Even more amazing is that in my follow-up appoint today, I tested at 20/15 vision.  It is a miracle.

Big thanks to Dr. Andrew Holzman and his staff.  They do amazing work.

It is an unfailing truth that kids will focus in on one toy from Christmas and that it will generally be one of the cheapest of the bunch.  It makes me wonder why I don’t just do the dollar store for everything.

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I did not tell my kids what I wanted for Christmas this year, so they were left to truly think on their own.  I got a variety of Dodger paraphernalia, four ties and two shirts.  They know me well: fun and practical.

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I understand the appeal of a white Christmas, but you just can’t beat sunny and 70 degrees.

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Speaking of sunny December weather, President Obama played his 90^th round of golf as President this week.  Not only is that nearly double what Bush played in eight years, it is more rounds than I’ve played in my lifetime. (Which is more a commentary on me than Obama.)

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Apparently the NBA season is now underway.

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I always enjoy the year-end specials about the top stories of the year, the year in pictures, best sports moments of the year and the like.  There were some interesting things that happened, but I’m guessing most people will be glad to see 2011 end.

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I really feel for people who have a birthday on or near Christmas.  Speaking of which, Happy Birthday Nicole!

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What does it say about me that I think of PF Changs as comfort food?

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)