There’s still a lot of time between now and when the vote-by-mail ballots go out in October, but whatever vague excitement I had that I might have an actual choice to make between Karin Uhlich and Ben Buehler-Garcia in the Ward 3 race was dashed this weekend by his Tweetathon, held over six hours on a Saturday. Believe it or not, both professionally and personally, every election cycle I hope for actual races discussing the issues facing our city. In fact, I assumed I would have an actual decision to make, considering I haven’t been terribly impressed by Uhlich’s time on the council.
Ignoring for a moment the wild miscalculation the event seemed to be (no one wants to spend a Saturday watching a choppy Ustream video on a computer screen, even in the middle of the summer), the problem really seemed to be that Buehler-Garcia decided to present himself as the same old Republican candidate running for office in Tucson, in the tradition of those who seem to lead any conversation with their dislike for the city and everything about it.
All my personal interactions with him have been positive. In fact, when I met him for the first time and introduced myself as the editor of the Weekly, he didn’t even visually seem repulsed (this happens more often than you might imagine). I had the feeling that he might be closer to a Bob Walkup (stop laughing) than Frank Antenori in his perspective, but somehow during the Twitterthon’s live stream, he was surrounded by the usual suspects: Shelby Hawkins, Jon Justice and a stream of people claiming that Tucson is the city that can’t shoot straight.
Beyond that even, it seemed that he was unwilling to actually discuss the issues, as people (admittedly some of whom are affliated with Uhlich’s campaign) asked the candidate questions he didn’t want to answer during a Q&A session on Twitter. Apparently, he answered some of those questions on the nearly unwatchable video stream, but if you’re going to take questions on Twitter, you sort of have to answer them, especially if they’re focused on issues the City Council actually has to face, like pension reform and the budget.
Maybe this was just a kayfabe (an opportunity to use a wrestling term! look it up!) to get some donations in before the actual election cycle heats up, but if Buehler-Garcia is aiming for the far right instead of the center, I’ll just have to be hopeful the GOP gets a clue before 2015.
As we were going to press this week, news came that longtime local journalist Jeff Smith had passed away in his home in Patagonia. Smith, 67, was a hell-raisin’ reporter and columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Weekly, Tucson Citizen and the Phoenix New Times over the course of four decades and will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. Look for more on his life and times on The Range and in next week’s print edition.
This article appears in Aug 8-14, 2013.
Why did you leave out “Ask A Mexican” again? You doing this WAY too often!! I protest!!!!
Icecld2: That’s my fault. We had some technical issues last night, so I put up what I could of the new issue. Mexican and some of the other features should be up shortly.
Reading this article about this candidate all one has to note is the usual suspects surrounding him “Jon Justice” a alias used by a disgraced former Michigan right wing radio shock jock who uses a alias to hide his drowned dog hoax past! Of course no doubt he will say he has other reasons for this use of a alias, at least his recently imported black pal from the Midwest uses his real name James T. Harris but they are the dynamic duo like Bat man and Robin one the star and the other the side kick almost as comedic in their constant hate of anything not true conservative and republican! I am reminded of the old southern classical novel though Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this might be how best to view how this duo is operating to try and convince voters the republican party is ok for non-whites, non-republicans to vote for, since only independents might fall for this ruse! I think hard core republicans like Antenori are to busy turning on their own in that civil war inside the GOP!
Anyone who appears on Jon Justice show either in audio via phone call or visual on his new channel 58, is either a shill for the show or a desperate right wing politician like Frank Antenori trying to boost his sagging, failing political career! Anyone who calls into the show and is not agreeing with Jon Justice or one of the other many right wing snake oil salesmen or sales ladies in case of Laura Ingraham, that cure all that ails you right wing stuff that if it worked why did it not work from 2000-2008! Albatross around ones neck is good but a “Mill Stone” is a better description! Frank Antenori is going to get his enemies in the republican party defeated at the ballot box, how did that work for him when he tried to win a seat at the ballot box, one ahs to laugh at this neutered right winger with no job, no power no mojo!
Where is Russell Pearce now? Where is Chris Simcox now? Where is J.T. Ready now?
What do the three have in common? They do say birds of a feather do flock together, and two of the three have been special guests on 104.1 FM radio, but have moved onto disgrace one lost his job, one was arrested and is likely to lose his freedom the 3rd was pals with the first but killed himself after murdering 4, one a infant! I think if one looks at the guests who appear on 104.1 FM radio do they do any kind of background on them?
Wow, been watching channel 58, aka 104.1 FM Jon Justice and his pal Frank Antenori and they finally came out of their closet and admitted they do not like other ethnic groups moving into their neighborhoods! I mean this one is so proverbial give one enough rope one can expect one to hang ones own self! Is this due to both have Italian ethnic shared backgrounds? It must terrify them to imagine having a black president in the white house no wonder they stay so obsessed with him 24/7! They are terrified one might move into their neighborhood! I truly believe 104.1 FM hired James T. Harris as a station mascot, token black fellow I am still reminded of that old southern classic “Uncle Toms Cabin”!
Dan, I am sad to read your news that the fine writer, Jeff Smith, has passed away. I am a writer and I saved a thick file of his articles through the years. My favorites are his humor articles when he wrote as a woman, complete with frumpy dress and boa, under the name of Wanda Johnson I believe it was.
We emailed many times years ago, his email address was Jeffyboy, and then he stopped and i wondered if he was sick. I never phoned him to find out. His work disappeared and editors he had worked for told me he was too difficult to deal with. A motor cycle accident decades ago that put him in a wheelchair may have had a lot to do with his disposition. His talent was
large and I am sure his fans wish he had written more.
Now most media is politically correct and boring. Jeff’s writing was never boring. And rarely politically correct.
Barbara in Houston, TX
Not a comment on your usual useless (except for the Jeff Smith comments) editorial but on your appearance on the Jon Justice Show. I’m not sure what you said because I was revolted by your (and his) grammar and switched to (as I more frequently do these days) the Andrea Tantaros Show.
I mean like I didn’t like know what like you were like saying—oops I mean like “going.” It sounded like two like teenaged-boys like talking. So, like what was like your point?
I think you should stick to editing. Maybe you could fix things such as the use of “sight” instead of “site” in last week’s Chow, or “less” instead of “fewer” in this week’s Chow. Just a thought.
Wes. S: We certainly do make mistakes and, as the editor, it’s particularly embarrassing for me. There are a few technical errors each week, although thankfully very few factual ones.
Considering your other comment today calling the award-winning staff of the Weekly “sleazes,” “pervs” and “dickheads,” and how these occasional errors vex you so, I hereby release you from the need to read our paper or online product. Celebrate your freedom from this burden in whatever manner frustrated geniuses like yourself do. Perhaps yelling at contestants on “Jeopardy!” Muttering about innovations you thought of first? I imagine hate-reading our work became an essential part of your week, but life will go on.
One has to love them cyber grammar police, issuing their worthless, meaningless cyber grammar tickets as if anyone cared about a misspelled word other than them, but my best guess is those cyber grammar police use their spell check constantly worried someone will find out they too cannot spell 100% of the time or by accident hit the wrong key in a fast typing moment or someone might find out they do not use all ten fingers but one finger type since they cannot do the ten finger thing! I always find amusement when they issue me a cyber grammar ticket since it proves they are angry, miserable and have absolutely nothing in their mental tool bags to use other than issuing the useless, meaningless and worthless cyber grammar tickets!