Podcast: Leaked SCOTUS Opinion Sparks Pro-Choice Bans Off Our Bodies Protests

Posted on by Pamela Powers
Pam Powers Hannley podcast

Season 2, Episode 10 of A View from the Left Side focuses on the fight to maintain abortion rights in the United States. [This podcast was recorded before the June 24, 2022 Supreme Court decision on abortion.]

Senator Nancy Barto brags that Arizona is the #1 “Pro-Life” state in the country. That’s because, for years, Arizona Republican politicians have followed the extreme anti-abortion agenda laid out by Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy. Barto often sponsors these repressive reproductive rights bills, like the recent 15 week abortion ban.

If the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) strikes down the landmark abortion rights case, Roe v Wade, in the coming weeks, Arizona’s  “Pro-Life” label will come back to haunt many residents as they find their right to body autonomy removed by state law.

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Arizona Reacts to End of Abortion Rights (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers
Planned Parenthood & Dems Press Conference

Planned Parenthood of Arizona (PP) and the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) held a joint press conference at the Arizona Capitol on June 24, 2022, the day the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade, the landmark abortion rights case from 1973.

At the press conference, PP President and CEO Brittany Fonteno said that Planned Parenthood stopped all abortion care services and canceled appointments in Arizona that day, due to multiple conflicting state laws on the books.

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What’s the Controversy over HB2839 & Election of PCs? (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers
Rep. Pam Powers Hannley

“PCs” (precinct committee people) are the volunteer backbone of the political parties. They’re the people who knock on your door to distribute election information and literature, circulate petitions, and register people to vote.

Last Thursday, March 3, both Houses of the Arizona Legislature passed HB2839, an election bill dealing with petition signature changes due to redistricting. Legislators thought the bill was procedural and not a big deal. Republican PCs disagreed.

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Meet My Guests for Opening Day 2019 at the Legislature (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers

The speeches droned on during the opening day session at the Arizona House on Monday, January 14, 2019. As a result, about half of the members were unable to introduce their guests. I think the introduction of guests is actually one of the most fascinating parts of opening day because you get to see who people chose to bring to the capital and how they introduce them. Since I did not get to introduce my guests, the first video of this session is my introduction of four LD9 precinct committee people who were my guests on the floor of the house yesterday.

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Blue Wave Washed over #AZLeg: Seven GOP Incumbents Lose Seats

Posted on by Pamela Powers
Arizona House Democratic Caucus, 54th Leg.

Since the 2018 Midterm Election, pundits have been judging the size and very existence of the predicted Blue Wave . To determine if the Blue Wave of newly elected Democrats was a tsunami or a just ripple, the media has focused primarily on Congressional and gubernatorial races–with little or no mention of state legislatures.

With voter turnout at 60%, there is no doubt that a Blue Wave washed over Arizona on Nov. 6, 2018. Democratic women won major victories: US Senate (Kyrsten Sinema), CD2 (Ann Kirkpatrick), Corporation Commission (Sandra Kennedy), Superintendent of Public Instruction (Kathy Hoffman), and Secretary of State (Katie Hobbs). The incumbent Republicans for three of these seats– Corporation Commission (Tom Forese), Superintendent of Public Instruction (Diane Douglas), and Secretary of State (Michelle Reagan)– all lost in the primary. Now, Democrats will hold those seats.

In the Arizona House, the Blue Wave was more of a tsunami. Seven Republican incumbents will not be returning to the Arizona Legislature in January 2019.

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State Committee: On the Road to Kingman (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers
On the road

Many Democratic Party faithful are hitting the road for Kingman today to attend the State Committee Meeting of the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP). The big doings this weekend will be election of Arizona’s Democratic Party “Super Delegates” to the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

Anyone following presidential politics has heard about the “Super Delegates” and their sway on decisions at the national level– from who they back for President to their power in choosing the head of the DNC. (DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has been under a lot of fire lately for the short and oddly-scheduled presidential debates and other controversies.) It wasn’t until I read this blog post by the Arizona Eagletarian that I realized the DNC representatives we State Committee Members elect periodically are our “Super Delegates”.  This puts our vote into a whole new light! (For the record, I don’t buy the conspiracy theory in the Eagletarian’s article about the location of the meeting. Far too many State Committee Meetings have been in Maricopa County.)

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