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Cochise County – According to two separate press releases, dated today and yesterday the Glassman campaign has picked up the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which praised his record of public service and advocacy for women’s health and rights. His campaign has also picked up, the endorsement of the Arizona Education Association for his deep commitment to the importance of education.
These endorsements come after picking up the SEIU endorsement four days ago. The Democrat Rodney Glassman has been very involved in the state, and his community with many various programs one of which was tackling the water issues that Tucson has had with the following program outlined on his site, “He worked to tackle Tucson’s water shortage by championing the nation’s first-ever rainwater ordinance, which now requires new commercial development to harvest and re-use rainwater.”
One could say that whoever wins the Republican seat will be running against Mr. Glassman, however, that would be putting the horse before the cart as we do have to get through the next month to see for sure. I will say however, that Mr. Glassman is quickly building a positive image that will soon be seen on a national front regardless of the results of this election!
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
PHOENIX, Ariz. – U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman has been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which praised his record of public service and advocacy for women’s health and rights.
“This election is crucial, and we need leaders in the U.S. Senate who will stand strong against attempts to restrict women’s access to basic health care, and who will champion policies that make that health care more available to all women,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “Rodney Glassman’s record of public service and charitable giving stands on its own, and he is a proven advocate for women’s health and rights.”
On its website, the action fund notes that as Vice Mayor of Tucson, Glassman was a strong advocate for children and working families. His charitable foundation, which provides financial support for organizations that support underserved children in southern Arizona, has also raised money for women’s causes, including programs to educate girls and support women who have suffered from abuse and sexual assault.
“The voters in Arizona are tired of politics as usual from their elected officials who represent them in Washington,” said Bryan Howard, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona. “They want to elect a champion of women’s health, and Rodney Glassman is that candidate. He is committed to standing up for women and families by putting common-sense health care needs ahead of ideology and politics.”
Glassman, a Democrat seeking to unseat GOP Sen. John McCain, said, “I am gratified to have received the support of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Their important services have been vital to helping educate women and families about their health and well-being.”
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is the non-partisan, not-for-profit advocacy and political arm of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which for more than 90 years has helped women make informed decisions about sex, their health and family planning. Planned Parenthood affiliates provide sexual and reproductive health care, education, and information to 5 million women, men and adolescents worldwide each year, according to the organization.
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PHOENIX, Ariz. — Rodney Glassman, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, has earned the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union because of his commitment to improving Arizona’s economy, supporting education, and creating stable, well-paying jobs.
This latest expression of labor support adds to a long list of unions that are backing Glassman’s candidacy, including the AFL-CIO; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
“I appreciate the support of this important and respected union,” Glassman said. “Washington, D.C. and John McCain have failed us. We will continue to travel throughout the state listening to the concerns of the hardworking people of Arizona so that we can go to Washington, D.C. with real solutions for Arizona.”
Scott Washburn, state director of SEIU Arizona, said the union chose to endorse Glassman because he is “a tireless supporter of quality public services and the employees who deliver them,” adding that Glassman is “well-qualified to represent the citizens of Arizona in Washington.”
The Service Employees International Union is the largest and fastest-growing union in the United States, uniting workers in public and private sector service jobs to improve their lives and the services they provide. In Arizona, SEIU represents public employees in Pima County, the cities of Tempe and Chandler, and the Town of Gilbert, and is organizing state workers.
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Already known as a strong advocate for military veterans, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman today announced a plan to ensure high-quality medical services for veterans on the Navajo Nation.
Currently, Navajo veterans typically travel up to six hours to reach the nearest VA medical facility. Depending on where they live on the three-state reservation, they must travel to Prescott, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City or elsewhere. Because many cannot take the time off from work or don’t have the means of transportation to get to the medical centers, a large number of Navajo veterans simply do not register for the VA benefits that they have earned.
“The needs of these brave men and women who have served our country with honor have been overlooked by Washington, D.C. for far too long,” Glassman said of his plan to expand the accessibility and quality of health-care options for Navajo veterans. “It is disgraceful that they should have to travel hundreds of miles to Veteran’s Administration facilities for the much-needed services they have earned.”
Glassman’s policy calls for establishing two additional VA medical facilities within the Navajo Nation, one community-based outpatient clinic and one fully staffed outpatient clinic. These moves would bring the total number of facilities on the Navajo Nation to three, including the existing community-based outpatient clinic in Show Low. Specific locations for the new facilities would be determined in consultation with tribal leaders and Navajo veterans for maximum accessibility to the most veterans possible.
Because of the geographic diversity of the Navajo people, Glassman’s plan also calls for the fully staffed outpatient clinic to have some of the same resources provided to the nation’s VA Medical Centers with the 10 highest per capita concentrations of Native American patients. This would include employment of a staff member to:
- Enhance outreach between VA staff and tribal communities
- Coordinate medical services between the VA outpatient facility and Indian Health Services (IHS) facilities
- Expand access and participation of the VA, IHS, and tribal members in the Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal Veterans Representative program
- Act as an ombudsman for Native American veterans enrolled in the VA Health Care System
- Advocate for the incorporation of traditional medicines and healing into VA treatment plans.
Other services Glassman’s plan proposes at the three facilities include the increased capabilities and usage of telemedicine and teleconsulting for patients and doctors who cannot interact in person. Glassman also would fight to ensure that the fully staffed outpatient clinic is named a “center for excellence,” which under the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Act of 2010, would provide additional funding and support to conduct rural health research, education and clinical activities.
“What Navajo veterans have to endure is simply an unacceptable situation that the federal government needs to step up to the plate and fix,” Glassman said. “My proposal would get these veterans the care they are entitled to close to home. Washington has failed these veterans for decades. It’s time to give these veterans what they earned.”
Background
Key facts:
- There are about 12,500 Navajo veterans, most residing on the reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- Arizona has the nation’s fourth-highest per capita concentration of Native American veterans.
- There are multiple Indian Health Service facilities on the Navajo Nation, but providers there are typically unprepared to deal with combat-related injuries, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and traumatic brain injury.
- Specific programs for Native American veterans were included in the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Act of 2010 that President Obama signed into law. However, these services specifically target the 10 VA facilities with the highest per capita concentrations of Native Americans, and don’t include the Navajo Nation.
- Because VA facilities are spread across the Navajo Nation, none of them is likely to qualify for additional funding from the Omnibus Health Act. Glassman’s policy would provide equivalent medical services to veterans across the Navajo Nation.
- Additional provisions in the Omnibus Health Act provide services and support to veterans in “highly rural” areas, though it is not clear if these provisions consider Indian reservations “highly rural,” and Glassman’s policy would provide a range of much-needed services that would exceed “highly rural” status.
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – During Saturday’s Republican primary debate in Tucson, John McCain continued bragging about what he won’t do for his home state and instead touted his world travels.
McCain reminded voters that he opposed help for Arizona seniors to get prescription drugs. Unfortunately, McCain has opposed many much-needed programs for Arizona, including:
- In the city of Maricopa, trains pass within 100 yards of an elementary school throughout the day, but John McCain will not support a grade-separated interchange so that children can learn without distraction – because he considers it pork.
- Flagstaff needs funding for the Rio de Flag retention/detention project to protect millions of dollars of city infrastructure, but McCain considers that pork.
- In Santa Cruz County, the Chula Vista bridge project would carry millions of dollars of goods and services daily, but it has been stalled for years. McCain refuses to help fund its construction because he considers it pork.
- The mayor of Avondale is working hard to get a water reclamation facility to provide residents with a clean, renewable water supply, but McCain won’t consider bringing dollars back to Arizona for infrastructure because he considers it pork.
And the list goes on as, in John McCain’s words, he sounds an “uncertain trumpet” for the people of Arizona.
“John McCain has forgotten who sent him to Washington,” said U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman. “While McCain jets over Arizona as he travels the world, he ignores the needs of Arizonans and lets Arizona tax dollars get spent anywhere but here. Arizona needs a U.S. senator who will fight for Arizona first.”
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – U.S. Senator John McCain repeatedly said during a Republican primary debate tonight that facts are stubborn things.
Regrettably, he couldn’t be more right.
Here are some stubborn facts:
Fact: John McCain once believed in sensible and workable immigration reform and now opposes it.
Fact: John McCain once favored deficit-bursting tax cuts on the rich and now opposes them.
Fact: John McCain suspended his presidential campaign to make sure the Toxic Asset Relief Program (TARP) was approved but now opposes it.
Fact: John McCain once called himself a maverick and now says he never was.
Fact: John McCain once presented himself as a statesman above politics and now presents himself as a typical three-decade, flip-flopping Beltway insider.
Fact: John McCain has consistently ignored Arizona while calling himself the world’s senator.
Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Rodney Glassman pledges these facts, “I will serve Arizona, put the state back to work, address the immigration mess and lift Arizona from dead-last in classroom spending so our kids can once again dream about competing in the global market.”
“It’s unfortunate that John McCain continues to run away from himself,” said Glassman. “It’s what happens when a senator fails to serve the state that sent him to Washington and finds himself exposed, even in his own party. Arizona needs a senator that will stand up for the people of Arizona and not lay down for narrow interests and rigid ideologies.”
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PHOENIX, Ariz – Rodney Glassman took early command of the first debate Friday evening among the four Democrats running for U.S. Senate and clearly articulated his priorities, demonstrating why he is the frontrunner and best choice to defeat Sen. John McCain in November.
Glassman handily fielded a wide range of questions during the hour-long televised debate, including ones on immigration, the economy and the war in Afghanistan, laying out his priorities to put Arizonans back to work and make the state the solar capital of the world.
He will continue to campaign on behalf of the people of Arizona and as the best candidate to beat McCain in the fall.
“Arizona voters deserve a U.S. senator who cares about Arizona, will listen to them, work for them and serve the best interests of the state,” Glassman said. “Arizona has been ignored by John McCain, who promises only to serve a narrow special interest, as he shifts with the political wind.”
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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman issued the following statement about John McCain’s opposition to Elena Kagan’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Elena Kagan is eminently qualified to sit on the High Court, having served as dean of Harvard Law School and as the U.S. solicitor general. She has a brilliant legal mind and belongs on the court.
“McCain’s opposition simply makes no sense. He accuses her of strictly enforcing Harvard anti-discrimination policy while accommodating military recruiters’ access to law students. McCain says he wants a justice who will enforce the law, which is what Kagan did.
This shows once again that McCain is a captive of the far right and willing to bend with whatever political wind is blowing to preserve his Senate seat. Arizona needs a U.S. Senator who will serve Arizonans — not narrow political ideology.”
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