From the "Since you asked..." file.

Hunter is perplexed...

I swear, is there any conservative official in Arizona who isn't a national laughingstock at this point?

Since you asked, no. Not in Arizona, not anywhere in America, which is why ridicule is one of our most potent politial weapons.

Well, one of my favorite political weapons, anyway...

From the "Credit where it's due" file.

At least Arizona Governor Jan Brewer makes me feel better about Washington Governor Christine Gregoire.

Not great, mind you, but better.

What if they had an election…

…and our side won? Won a bunch. All over the place.

Like I said, yesterday was a good one for the good guys.

Key Republican issues and political strategies took hits from coast to coast. Voter suppression? Maine offered the first blow for liberty of the day, restoring the same-day voter registration that Republican legislators had taken from them. Mississippi, of all places, scored a hat trick of sorts, setting back the Republican anti-science, anti-choice and anti-woman agendas when they rejected Amendment 26, which would have granted "personhood" to embryos.

Republican ant-unionism was dealt a critical blow by Ohio voters, with 82 of 88 counties rejecting Gov. John Kasich's attack on public-sector workers right to organize and bargain collectively. Republican anti-immigrant champion Russell Pearse, President of the State Senate, was removed in a recall election after sponsoring legislation that provided a blueprint for devastation of agriculture in several states. (Another noteworthy Arizona outcome - both Tucson and Phoenix have Democratic Mayors for the first time in decades.)

Here in the upper left, voters approved stronger training and regulation requirements for home health care workers, took the state out of the retail liquor business (a probably good thing accomplished in a highly dubious fashion) and, so far, are rejecting Tim Eyman's effort to cripple our transportation infrastructure.

Our local elections have turned out to be a pretty status quo affair. Where the results are clear, they're clearly in favor of incumbents for the most part.

Sherril Huff will continue as King County Director of Elections with over 75% of the vote against a patently unqualified challenger. Port Commissioner Gael Tarleton has a margin of 33,000 votes over her opponent, but apparently won't be joined by fellow reformer Dean Willard, who trails incumbent Bill Bryant by a margin of 37% to 62%.

Here in Shoreline, that pro-incumbency trend holds, with City Councilmembers Chris Eggen and Doris McConnell having margins of over 60% after the second day of ballot counting. I'm afraid that means my friend Janet Way won't be returning to the Council, but the Janet I know is indefatigable, and it won't be long before she sets her eyes on a new target for her effective activism.

In the open seat for Shoreline City Council, Jesse Salomon is less than 500 votes behind former Planning Commissioner Robin McClelland, still too close to call in my view.

Our School Board incumbents, Mike Jacobs and Richard Potter, appear safe at this point.

After the Huff/Greene and Willard/Bryant races, the campaign that brought generated the most search engine interest according to my logs was for our local sewer service, the Ronald Wastewater District. Bob Ransom, a fixture in local politics for decades and a former School Board member and City Councilmember, took on longtime sewer commissioner Arne Lind, largely over the question of whether and how the city should absorb the district. Ransom says it's time, and that it can be done administratively. Lind is not so sure, and favors a public vote before any change is made. Ransom, with an overwhelming advantage in name recognition, is leading by a scant 311 votes in another race I won't be ready to call for a while.

So what happened where you are?

The questions just keep coming.

Stephen Suh ponders the notorious "Tony Hill" letter touted by Republicans in the Arizona legislature and wonders...

It's extremely racist, a textbook example of how conservatives/racists - should we use separate words to describe them anymore?

Sounds like a question for the Department of Redundancy Department.

Arizona.

Spanish for South Carolina?

From the "Since you asked…" file...

The McCain campaign takes to the air to wonder...

"J.D. Hayworth, is it any wonder he was voted among the dumbest members of Congress?"

Since you asked, no. After all, he is a Republican.

How 'bout them Dawgs?

Washington defeats Arizona 36-33 in a game whose finish proves that anything's possible in a game played with an oblong ball. What can I say...

They want to have their cake…

…and hate it too. Dan Nowicki at the AZ/DC Blog...

Kyl maintains this year's stimulus law isn't working as advertised and argues that taxpayers shouldn't have to stay on the hook for money that hasn't been spent or won't be spent until years from now.

On Monday, four Obama Cabinet secretaries sent letters to Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer asking if she, too, wanted to shut off the spigot of federal stimulus cash.

“I believe the stimulus has been very effective in creating job opportunities throughout the country,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote to Brewer. “However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to the state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know.”

McCain shot back on Tuesday: “I strongly support the comments of Senator Kyl and call on the administration to retract its threat against the citizens of Arizona."

Let's see, Kyl says "Don't spend it." LaHood asks the Governor "Whattaya think?" McCain calls the question a threat.

Of course, there was no threat in the administration's question, just a question. The Governor, of course, opted to keep the cash. That means one of two things is true - either the stimulus money is doing some good, meaning Kyl and McCain are lying, or the Republican leadership of Arizona is unanimously standing behind pouring taxpayer's money down a sinkhole, at least as long as the sinkhole in question is in Arizona.

Or, perhaps, the Republican leadership of Arizona is simply hypocritical.

Yeah, I know. That's redundant.