Arizona Daily Star – Glassman Harries McCain; 3 Assail Glassman
July 29, 2010
In the second televised debate among the Democrats running for U.S. Senate, former City Councilman Rodney Glassman dogged Republican incumbent John McCain while the other three dogged Glassman.
In the 27-minute roundtable on Channel 8 in Phoenix, Glassman stressed his doctorate, his four months as a lawyer in the Air Force Reserve and a stint as an aide to Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz. Glassman, who put $500,000 of his own money into his race, also stressed endorsements by the National Education Association, Planned Parenthood and the AFL-CIO.
“One of the things we haven’t had for the past 20 years is a candidate to run against John McCain who can get Arizonans engaged and excited about an alternative – and that’s what my campaign is about,” he said, adding the incumbent has failed to bring tax dollars back to shore up Arizona’s crumbling infrastructure.
Investigative journalist John Dougherty, however, said the answer to who can beat McCain isn’t about how much money has been thrown into the race or how many college degrees a candidate has racked up.
“The answer to that question is who has delivered a blow to John McCain and who has the potential to take him out?” he said, adding it was his coverage in 1989 that landed McCain in front of the Senate Ethics Committee because of his dealings with developer Charles Keating. “John McCain does not want to see me standing across from him when we have debates here later this November,” he declared.
Cathy Eden, a former state lawmaker who has run state agencies and served as a county manager, joined in, saying many endorsements were given early on, before the other candidates were in the race.
She noted Glassman, who repeatedly notes his “vice mayor” status, left his council stint halfway through his first term. “Novices need not apply,” she said, adding the job “needs to have somebody who knows what they’re doing, who has been there, who has written legislation and who has made legislation work.”
Community organizer Randy Parraz, meanwhile, challenged Glassman as a “Republican donor” and said he has been dodging questions on marriage equality and precisely what he would do with the illegal immigrants currently in America.
In a search of political donations, Glassman in 2004 donated $500 to former U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe. He also made several donations to the Desert Caucus, which is a bipartisan political action committee designed to strengthen the U.S. relationship with Israel.
Parraz said his role as an organizer sets him apart. “I know how to move an agenda and bring people together to make things happen,” he said, adding while the other candidates talk about the shortcomings of SB 1070, he was out there actively protesting its impact on families.
All the candidates agreed Arizona should be a leader in renewable energy. Dougherty added he wants to let the Bush tax cuts expire for the wealthy; Eden said she wants another round of tax credits to encourage home purchases.
The candidates will meet again for a debate on Tucson’s “Arizona Illustrated” Aug. 5.
