Kerry faces organizational challenge in Arizona

[Judi Lynn]

2:40 PM MST Monday
Kerry faces organizational challenge in Arizona
Mike Sunnucks
The Business Journal
The national polls may be tight but Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is playing catch up to the GOP in Arizona in terms of in-state organization and political ground troops.


President George W. Bush's re-election campaign has its Arizona state organization up and running with a headquarters and call center in Phoenix, six paid staffers in Arizona, and just under 13,000 Republican volunteers in place.

Kerry, who won the Feb. 3 Arizona Democratic primary, is still ramping up his Arizona campaign structure for the November general election.

That has the GOP seeing an advantage as both candidates try to mobilize their bases, reach out to swing voters and get them to the polls in November.
(snip/...)

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2004/05/03/daily11.html?jst=b_ln_hl

[denverbill]

1. Jebus. New Mexico. Arizona. Why not just throw the race?

For Christ sakes, those two states are most definitely in play this year. Who the hell is Kerry's campaign manager? G Gordon Liddy?

[Gothmog]

2. The fact that Arizona is in play is encouraging

I have assumed that Kerry would not be competitive in Arizona. The fact that he might be competitive is very encouraging.

[Justice]

3. McCain is reason Bush is organized in Arizona

For all of those McCain supporters on DU -- McCain is Bush's Arizona chairperson. I am sure McCain's people are the 13,000 volunteers.

[Leilani]

4. Kerry still needs an office in Ohio

from what I have read.

I think they need a little more energy.

[izzie]

5. Kerry better get to work and soon.

We have wall to wall Bush on TV and hardly any Kerry. I know the president can be a bore, but to be in your face seems to help him in the polls.Well I was for Dean but I had more hope that Kerry would take off.Lets start a fire under him.

[Malva Zebrina]

7. I share that observation

it does not hurt to point it out.

Kerry is working hard, but for some reason, the whole campaign lacks energy.

I am actually fearful that if it keeps up, Bush will, indeed, win by the use of his excellent propagandist efforts

In other words, his LIES.

We NEED someone to fight for us, more than what we are getting.

[FlemingsGhost]

8. John Kerry's plight.

Too many Democrats have a ABB mindset. They are simply voting against Bush, not for Kerry. He'll get the money and votes of those who would normally vote Democrat anyway, but I don't see the passion and grassroots involvement that someone like Dean created.

That is trouble.

(on edit: typo)

[Iceburg]

6. I don't don't how widely distributed AZ Republic is but

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/
I read azcentral (on line version of the Republic) everyday and I would have to say its has a pro-kerry flavour.

[Tansy_Gold]

10. The AZ Repulsive [sic] is the state's largest paper

in terms of circulation. It leans a little more liberal than it used to, but it's still far more right than Tucson's Arizona Daily Star.

That said, the Kerry campaign staff in Arizona sucks dead toads. I mean, it is terrible, terrible, terrible.

How terrible is it? Well, let's see.

1. One of the paid campaign staffers wrote a letter to the Repulsive in which he advocated McCain as Kerry's running mate. The staffer later told people he was drunk when he wrote it. Didn't matter, he was still proud of himself.

2. At the Phoenix Veterans' Day parade, in which Kerry marched, staffers were taking pictures that ended up on the campaign's website. IIRC, there were no pix of Kerry with AZ's Democratic Governor, Janet Napolitano, but there were pix of him with one of AZ's most repulsive GOP congressslugs, JD Hayworth.

3. When Theresa Kerry visited a few days before the AZ primary in March, the staff did not have a microphone for her to address the crowd of about 300 who showed up. Their excuse -- they didn't think she'd need one.

You'd think they'd learn their lessons, but they don't seem to. They're well-meaning, I'm sure, but they are utterly inept. Makes me sick. I don't know what it would take to turn these people around, but I've tried and gotten nowhere. I've even spoken at length with some of the HQ staffers, to no avail.

There is -- for any AZ DUers -- a big rally coming up this Saturday. If you haven't got the two ememos regarding it, let me know and I'll try to figure out how to post them. Maybe if enough of us get together and confront the campaign staff, we can get something done.

The good news is that there is also a huge amount of support for Kerry here in Phoenix, and if the campaign would just utilize it, maybe we could do something.

Tansy Gold, frustrated as hell

[Just Me]

9. Why is the media doing a Kerry campaign be damned thingy?

And "democrats fear(s)" and,...oh, nevermind.

[readmylips]

11. Kerry AZ Primary Won 92% of Votes...

Democrat Governor Janet Napolitano, won by 65%. Janet is very active in the Kerry campaign. I don't see how the population who elected Janet by 65%, will vote for bush. The AZRepublic Newspaper, very republican, has changed a lot. They endorsed Janet when she was running, and run very positive stories about Kerry. Even the cartoons are anti-bush.

[KittyWampus]

12. There's A Hell Of A Lot Of Wes Clark Supporters In AZ, NM & OK

Perhaps they can give a helping hand.