Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
The shock over the violence against Jews on the streets of New York City and in its suburbs might be welcome but, we ask on today’s podcast, where were people when all this started two years ago? Where were the media? Where were the Jewish organizations? We also discuss Iran’s shenanigans in Iraq and how the Democratic party is slouching toward nominating Joe Biden. Give a listen.
Subscribe to The Commentary Magazine Podcast in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.
I love Noah, but he made a mistake in this podcast when he said that Arizona’s Republican Governor would appoint a Republican if Senator Kristin Sinema left office. Nope. By statute, if an elected official retires in Arizona, they must be replaced by a new person of the same party.
There are two exception. First, if a Governor steps down, then there is a specific statute that says that the elected Secretary of State, then then the elected Attorney General becomes Governor, all the way down to the State Mine Inspector.
Second, under the U.S. Constitution, if there is a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives, there must be a Special Election.
Hi there.
Could someone please tell John Podhoretz that Poway is pronounced POW (as in ka-POW, see image below) and not PO-way?
I know whereof I speak as I live in Escondido, CA, which is about 10 miles north of Poway on the 15 freeway, and also my husband used to teach at Poway High School, and I can assure you that no one calls it Po-Way.
Thanks.
Other than that, appreciate the discussion. Sad (and terrible) times.
“…the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.”
That still doesn’t sound very Constitutional as political parties aren’t really mentioned in the Constitution.
That’s a bit like Arizona saying that the governor can only appoint someone from the state legislature, a military veteran, someone with a college degree, a resident of so many years, etc.
Besides what would prevent someone from changing parties the day before the appointment. Dick Cheney did something similar when he moved his voter registration to Wyoming the day before George W. Bush designated him to be his vice presidential choice.
“the legislature of any State may empower the executive…”
I presume this means that the legislature may circumsbribe those powers as it sees fit. The word “may” implies it could revoke the power entirely if it wanted. So if they pass a bill limiting the choices a Governor may make in choosing a temporary replacement, I think that’s more than likely fine, barring certain discriminations prohibited explicitly in the various amendments of the US Constitution.
I have lived in Arizona for over 90% of my life, and over 95% of my adult life.
Statewide office holders who die or resign are replaced by the Governor with a member of the former office holder’s party.
Members of the legislature who die oe resign, are replaced by the County Board of Supervisors where the legislature lived with a member of former legislator’s party.
I would be astonished if this were only a “pattern and practice” and were not required by a statute. If someone can cite an Arizona example of an appointment of someone of a different party to an elected position which is vacant due to death or resignation, I would reconsider my statement, but otherwise my statement stands.
I could change my Party registration tomorrow, get appointed to the Arizona Senate seat and switch parties again next week.
This is a pro forma and feckless statute.
I’m more curious about the gang’s response to events that transpired after this was recorded. That’s the trouble with current events podcasts; they’re dead on the vine sometimes before they air!
Technically yes. However the person(s) who appointed you would receive a terrible blow-back. As an observer of Arizona politics, I have not seen such a maneuver and manipulation in the last 50 years.
You mean Governor Ducey? I’m sure he wouldn’t particularly care.
Correction: There would be a “terrible blow-back” only if the switch were from Democrat to Republican.
If the switch were from Republican to Democrat, only Republican politicians would complain, and their complaints would be played for laughs by the liberal media.*
@majestyk — I think something like what you propose actually happened on a “bipartisan” Congressional redistricting commission, on which the “neutral”, tie-breaking vote turned out to be a covert Democrat.
*See, for example, what happened when a fake Republican won the Republican Senate primary in Vermont, some years back.
Donald Trump, whose grandchildren are Jewish, and who at long last recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, is “not 100% responsible” for the recrudescence of right-wing anti-Semitism among Twitter trolls.
Sigh …
Obviously this law doesn’t work anyway as a Republican named Jon Kyl was named to replaced John McCain.
Look at Ducey’s excellent appointments to the Arizona Supreme Court. Ducey is a pro-business, Pre-Trump conservative.
That happened in 2010. CD 4 was filled with Republicans, so Dems won swing districts. I would like to see a formula type of redistricting. The problem is that it would violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act by not having sufficient Minority-Majority Districts. I do not know how to crack that nut with a formula.
There is part of me that is thinking seriously of changing my registration to Independent, and then to apply to be on the Redistricting Commission. Arizona has one Senator and two Representatives for each of 30 Legislative Districts. A tragedy is that the primary election the only real election. One year, in 29 of 30 districts, both Representatives and the State Senator was from the same party. If I had it all my way, we would stop stuffing the districts with all Republicans and all Democrats. I would win the lottery, as I wouldn’t be paid, but I’d get mileage and per diem when traveling.
I am getting a bit off topic, but here is a website that shows how to gerrymander for Republicans, Democrats and Minority Voters in all states that have 2 or more members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and their proposals for fair districts. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-maps/
McCain, Jon Kyl and Martha McSally are all registered Republicans. Or is your point that McCain is a Republican in Name Only?