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U.S. Senate candidate and Air Force reservist Rodney Glassman has been promoted to Captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps Reserve.
Glassman enlisted in the Air Force Reserve after completing law school and joining the Arizona Bar. He now works at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, often meeting with troops days before they deploy to war zones. This experience has made him wary of any open-ended commitment of forces in combat without specific goals to achieve.
Glassman took a break from his “Turn the Page Express” tour to receive the promotion at Davis-Monthan and on Friday will resume traveling to each of Arizona’s 15 counties talking about issues that matter to Arizona.
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“John McCain has now completely turned on his own legacy. He’s denied he ever claimed to be a maverick despite video evidence to the contrary. He has completely flip-flopped on immigration reform. This week he has broken the very law that stood to be his legacy, the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation. The deterioration of a once-proud career has become an all too common story for Washington politicians driven by personal ambition and lubricated by the special interests whose loud voices are listened to these days much more than the quiet interests of the American people. Sadly, John McCain has become one of those stories.”
Rodney Glassman
Candidate for U.S. Senate
On Monday, the New York Times blog ‘The Caucus’ featured the latest video to come out of the Rodney Glassman for U.S. Senate campaign.
In yet another attempt to highlight the issues facing Arizonans and after being repeatedly ignored by the current Senator, the Glassman campaign released the satirical video, “Sweet Home Arizona.” This spoof on the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic “Sweet Home Alabama” features Glassman, complete with backup band, performing an homage to Arizona as well as trying to counter some of the negative press his state has received of late. The lyrics are a tongue-in-cheek expression of Glassman’s pride for Arizona and his campaign’s core message that John McCain has failed to serve his state, and how that failure has cost his state in a big way.
The song begins,
Big oil, keep on drillin’
What about solar for our kids?
Housing market’s in the toilet
Gotta get our families working again
Relevant captions scroll across the bottom of the screen, highlighting facts like McCain’s support of $39 billion in subsidies to oil companies (whereas that money could be going to research into renewable energy sources) and that Arizona’s unemployment rate is currently 10 percent.
In a message to supporters, Glassman explained his decision to release the video: “Arizona has its own distinct style. We’re a little unconventional. We have our own way of seeing things and our own way of doing things. So I thought I’d get a little unconventional myself. “ He continued to say that this video is another manner in which he is using humor to talk about the pressing issues facing the state. “I have tried and will continue to try to talk about job creation, educational reform and alternative energy methods. I urge my opponent again to talk about these pressing issues. If this video helps in that dialogue, then great.”
The Glassman campaign has traveled to all 15 counties in Arizona and has challenged McCain to debates all across the state. McCain has refused, denying Arizonans the ability to make an informed choice in November. During the 2008 election, McCain called for “as many [debates] as we can possibly get.” In this general election he has only agreed to one.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO
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PHOENIX, Ariz. — U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman today announced a 21st-century jobs agenda to put Arizona on the cutting edge of the green industry revolution as well as improve America’s national security and the country’s long-term economic vitality.
While John McCain has been on all sides of this issue, all he seems to be able to say now is “Drill, baby, drill.” For 28 years he has made a career of refusing to bring Arizona’s tax dollars home — money that could be invested in clean energy, green industry and the kinds of jobs that will define the new century. The city of Portland, Ore., receives more federal solar energy dollars than does the entire state of Arizona.
Arizona has abundant sunshine, enough to make it the solar capital of the world. It also has some of the top researchers in the fields of ecology, water resources, optics and other sustainable fields. Glassman’s plan includes bringing these researchers and innovators together with industry leaders to chart a course for Arizona’s green future — a future that includes more investment in clean energy research, as well as tax credits to spur innovation and sustainable industry expansion.
“With the right investments and the right leadership, Arizona can be an engine driving the new economy, creating jobs and improving our national security,” Glassman said.
Countries like Germany and China are not waiting. They are pouring massive investments into clean-energy research. In 2009, Germany overtook the United States as a key location to invest in technologies like solar and wind. In the second half of last year, China increased its renewable-energy investment subsidies to consumers by almost 200 percent, according to Ernst & Young. To compete on the global stage, we need to elect lawmakers who are ready and eager to support initiatives necessary to spur innovation and sustained growth in these developing industries — industries that will continue to bring jobs and stability to Arizona’s economy.
“We can’t keep sending money to oil-producing countries that fund our enemies,” Glassman said. “America should settle for nothing less than standing at the forefront of the evolving global economy and cannot afford to simply maintain our current practices and hope for the best. ‘Drill, baby, drill,’ is not a plan, and we can’t afford to wait.”
Facts:
- Germany leads the United States in photovoltaic energy production, adding 2,600 Megawatts in 2009. The United States added just 500 megawatts of photovoltaic production in 2009.
- China now invests $34 billion in renewable energy production, nearly double the $18 billion the United States invests.
- A 2009 study by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, in partnership with the Center for American Progress, found that investing $150 billion in clean energy produces a net gain of 1.7 million new jobs and reduces the unemployment rate by one full percentage point. It also creates pathways out of poverty by expanding job opportunities to low-income working Americans, with roughly 870,000 out of the projected 1.7 million clean-energy jobs accessible to workers with high school degrees or less.
- A 2004 study done by the nonpartisan Perryman Group in Waco, Texas, in conjunction with the Apollo Alliance, found that a $300 billion investment in a clean-energy future would create more than 3.3 million new jobs spread across every state in the country.
- A June 2009 report from Pew Charitable Trusts shows that clean-energy jobs grew by 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007, while total jobs grew by only 3.7 percent. The industry is ready to take off, with the right leadership.
- According to the 2009 Green Collar Jobs report from the American Solar Energy Society, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries can create 37 million jobs by 2030 as long as policymakers support their development.
- Governments last year gave $43 billion to $46 billion of support to renewable energy through tax credits, guaranteed electricity prices known as feed-in tariffs and alternative energy credits, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. That compares with the $557 billion that the International Energy Agency recently said was spent to subsidize fossil fuels in 2008. The oil industry is not winning a fair economic fight.
- The clean-energy sector produces more jobs per dollar than the fossil fuels industry because a larger share of clean-energy expenditures goes to manufacturing, installation, and maintenance — far more labor-intensive than the extraction and transportation sectors that comprises most fossil fuel jobs.
Glassman 21st-century Jobs Plan:
Create the National Institutes of Sustainability, modeled after the National Institutes of Health, to distribute research grants throughout academia and business, which would encourage knocking down barriers between academia and industry. NIH funding led to the discovery of DNA, and continues to advance the fundamental research necessary to push American medical science to new frontiers. The National Institutes of Sustainability would help to dissolve the barriers between academic institutions, such as Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability, and the industries that rely on ASU graduates and their research.
Invest $30 billion annually into energy innovation research and development, including support for development and implementation of advanced manufacturing processes to lower costs and improve efficiency of green energy platforms. And we would still trail China.
Phase in reductions of fossil fuel subsidies and divert that money into direct investment to create a clean energy grid. The federal government subsidized the oil, coal and natural gas industry with $72 billion between 2002 and 2008. Renewable, 21st-century energy received just $12.2 billion not related to ethanol.
Make permanent the solar and research and development tax credits that are set to expire in the short and immediate term, denying businesses the certainty they need to make long-term investments. These credits come in the form of income tax credits, production tax credits and grants based on the property value of solar industries. They are set to expire in 2016.
Call for a Clean Energy and Water Resources Summit to bring industry experts, leading researchers and the appropriate government agencies together with venture capitalists to discuss how to turn Arizona into a world leader in sustainable technologies. There are other ideas that could be pursued if we bring people around the table and listen to them. This summit would focus on 21st-century industries that will allow for economic expansion without environmental devastation. Arizona’s universities are already leading the way in these fields.
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PHOENIX, Ariz.- Saying it appreciates Rodney Glassman’s “demonstrated commitment to protecting America’s environment,” the Sierra Club has endorsed Glassman’s campaign for U.S. Senate.
A letter this week to Glassman informing him of the endorsement was signed by Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune and Sierra Club Political Team Chairman Ken Brame.
Glassman’s environmental priorities include incentives and investments that would help make Arizona the solar capital of the world. He also steadfastly opposes development of uranium mines on publicly protected lands next to the Grand Canyon – something John McCain has favored.
“We are pleased to support Rodney Glassman, someone who will stand up for public lands protection and the public interest and ensure that lands such as Oak Flat [near Superior, Ariz.] continue to be available to the public and are not subject to the whims of a foreign mining corporation,” said Jim Vaaler, chairman of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter in Arizona.
Glassman said he was very pleased to receive the Sierra Club endorsement, noting, “Arizona’s future is inextricably linked to preserving its environmental resources, which I am committed to protecting.”
The Sierra Club has more than 750,000 members working to support pro-environmental candidates and keep environmental issues a top priority for Americans, according to the organization.
READ THE ENDORSEMENT LETTER HERE
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PHOENIX, Ariz. — U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman on Monday will begin a tour of all 15 counties in the state to meet with residents and highlight key projects that John McCain has ignored because he has been preoccupied with this own political ambitions.
To kick off what has been officially dubbed the “Turn the Page Express” tour, Glassman, during a news conference Friday, also challenged McCain to debate him along the way in each county so voters will have a chance to truly assess the clear choice between the candidates.
During a televised debate on Sept. 26, Glassman first threw down the debate gauntlet but McCain did not respond to the challenge.
On Friday, Glassman noted that McCain debated opponents 17 times during the presidential primary in 2008 and proposed 10 more debates for the general election.
“This year, while asking Arizona for another six years he has refused to debate me one on one,” Glassman said.
The tour will kick off in Tucson on Monday, where Glassman will speak at several events, including a Young Democrats rally at noon on the University of Arizona mall. On Tuesday Glassman will travel to Nogales to talk about the need for the federal government to rebuild the Chula Vista bridge, a project McCain has not seen fit to champion.
“We need to get Arizona moving again, and not with sound bites about ‘pork-barrel’ spending that only accounts for one to two percent of the federal budget,” Glassman said. “What McCain calls “pork” is actually your tax dollars coming home.”
During the course of his travels, Glassman will hold events in more than 50 cities and towns, sometimes talking about long-ignored infrastructure projects that could put Arizonans back to work, and in all places meeting residents and emphasizing why it is time to turn the page with new leadership.
“Today I issue this challenge to John McCain: Join me on this tour, or meet me in Nogales or Kingman, Yuma or Holbrook, and I will gladly debate the issues of the 21st century with you,” Glassman said. ” Come back to the places you haven’t visited in years. Talk to the people of your state. Defend your record.”
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PHOENIX, Ariz. — U.S. Sen. John McCain suggested during a televised debate on Sunday that his legacy for Arizona would be his reputation for “straight talk,” a legacy that the 28-year incumbent has shredded in recent years.
Unfortunately, McCain has lost his moorings on so many issues that his reputation of “straight talk” lies in tatters. Consider:
• He made a name for himself championing campaign finance reform, but now won’t even vote to force corporations to disclose when they try to buy elections in the wake of the Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
• He originally voted against the Bush tax cuts because they were benefiting the rich, but now calls attempts to reinstate taxes on the wealthy “class warfare.”
• He co-sponsored legislation to establish a bipartisan balanced budget committee and then voted against the bill on the Senate floor.
• He once called for a “cap and trade” system to reduce pollution by letting corporations profit off reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but now that the proposal would generate funds for the government, he calls it “cap and tax” and adamantly opposes it.
“No political opponent could have done more damage to John McCain’s legacy than John McCain has done to himself,” said Bill Romjue, campaign manager for Rodney Glassman for U.S. Senate. “Sadly, when it comes to integrity today, his legacy is simply that of double speak.”
Glassman promises to leave a legacy of job creation, better schools and a U.S.-Mexico border that is finally secure.
“John McCain has had 28 years to establish a legacy for the people he has served and he’s got nothing to show for it,” Glassman said. “It’s time Arizona sent a senator to Washington who will seek a tangible legacy for the people he serves.”
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PHOENIX, Ariz.– U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman clearly bested 28-year Congressional incumbent John McCain in tonight’s televised debate. McCain utterly failed to explain why voters should give him another six years in Washington.
McCain had no real answers to a host of questions about what he’s done in the U.S. Senate for the people of Arizona since he was first elected to Congress in 1982. Instead, McCain relied on the same tired Washington tactics of cliched attacks, pledging a return to the policies that got us into the worst economic mess in 80 years and bungled two wars overseas.
Glassman pledged new ideas to get Arizona moving forward again, including tax breaks to small businesses to encourage hiring, and taking up the challenge to make Arizona a leader in 21st-century jobs. He talked about the future of Arizona and how we could not afford to wait to create 21st Century jobs. Meanwhile, McCain laid out no vision at all, acting as if he was simply entitled to the seat that belongs not to him, but to the people of Arizona.
Specifically:
Glassman challenged McCain on creating jobs, and the 28-year Beltway veteran had no answer other than advocating tax cuts for corporations, millionaires and estates bigger than $3.5 million.
McCain dismissed government-run health care, which he has personally received since the day he was born, and had no answer for what he would replace health care reform with.
Glassman discussed his plan to hire Border Patrol and Customs agents, while McCain only had vague talk about “high walls and open fences.”
McCain once co-sponsored legislation to create green jobs but tonight was silent on the issue of U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
“Voters finally got to see McCain try to justify another term in the U.S. Senate and not come up with one good reason,” said Glassman campaign manager Bill Romjue. “Senator McCain seems to have forgotten what he once called his core principles and is out of new ideas to get the country moving again.”
Perhaps McCain would like another try.
Glassman challenged McCain to more debates across the state of Arizona in order to give voters a better understanding of the choice they have in this election. McCain’s campaign has said the debate tonight would be the only one in which he would participate.
“John McCain clearly doesn’t like being questioned about his meager record serving the people of Arizona,” Romjue said. “But he doesn’t seem to understand this election isn’t about what’s best for him. It’s about who will best serve the people of Arizona.”
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PHOENIX, Ariz. — U.S. Sen. John McCain will vote today on the one issue that established his brand as a “maverick.” But it is unlikely he will vote to protect that legacy, as he seems to be shedding his positions like a snake sheds its skin.
The transformation of McCain’s positions on numerous issues in recent years makes it fair to ask: Is he repudiating his past or has he just forgotten where he stood?
Watch McCain vote today against the DISCLOSE Act, named after the activist Roberts Court opened the door to unlimited corporate-financing of political campaigns. The legislation before the Senate today would only seek to force corporations to let the public know when they are trying to buy an election. The law now allows them to spend the money anonymously, a right no individual enjoys.
McCain already voted last month to refuse to let the Senate consider the bill. McCain 1.0 was known for two things: being a “maverick” and championing campaign finance reform. He dumped the “maverick” title earlier this year. Another vote for secret and unlimited corporate cash will prove that McCain 2.0 will abandon his principles when the political winds shift.
“It’s a matter of trust, and McCain can no longer be trusted,” said U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman. “We shouldn’t have trusted him about campaign finance. We shouldn’t have trusted him about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” We shouldn’t have trusted him about immigration.”
For the past two years, McCain has been campaigning as if his previous 26 years in Washington have been completely irrelevant. Arizona voters have had enough of being his last priority and are ready for a new leader who will represent them.
“The longer people know John McCain, the less they trust him,” Glassman said. “His vote contrary to his record on campaign finance is just one more example of a one-time maverick turning into a muppet, with the far right making his mouth move.”
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U.S. Sen. John McCain yesterday went on a tirade in defense of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” wrongly arguing that the U.S. military does not investigate whether service members are homosexual in order to kick them out of the service.
McCain got into a heated exchange during a news conference, adamantly repeating that the military does not “seek out” the sexual orientation of service members. However, in March McCain heard testimony from Air Force Maj. Mike Almy, who was kicked out of the service in 2005 after the military searched his private e-mails and discovered an exchange between him and the man he loved. Almy was not asked about his sexual orientation. Almy did not tell anyone about his sexual orientation. He was purged in a witch hunt.
McCain ignored the fact that in March he was in the Senate hearing room when Almy told his story.
“John McCain’s argument simply falls apart on the facts,” said Bill Romjue, campaign manager for Rodney Glassman’s U.S. Senate bid against McCain. “If the military never investigated, how would anyone ever be drummed out of the service? McCain is just playing a sad political game to satisfy the special interests on the Far Right, and all the while he’s ignoring Arizona. Or maybe he just forgot.”
Meanwhile, McCain has led filibuster against the Defense Authorization Bill, which includes a provision which would finally eliminate from the military the institutionalized homophobia that McCain supports. But he and his fellow Republicans wouldn’t even let that amendment come to the floor for a vote.
Glassman stands with more than 70 percent of Americans and on the right side of history in pledging to vote to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He’s also more than willing to listen to more than one side of an issue. Politely.
“John McCain isn’t only standing in the way of progress, he’s standing in the way of provisioning our troops, and that is unacceptable,” Glassman said. “The senator should have reviewed the facts before attacking journalists for asking legitimate questions and should apologize to the reporter and Maj. Almy. Arizona needs a U.S. senator who will serve our state and listen to all points of view with the dignity and grace the office commands.”
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