Phoenix, AZ - In their 2006 campaigns for Congress, now-freshmen Democrats Gabrielle Giffords (D-8th) and Harry Mitchell (D-5th) campaigned on fiscal responsibility, reducing gas prices, corruption and health care, according to AZGOP spokesman Tony Reinhard.  Those issues remain unresolved and, in many cases, in more dire straits today due to lack of action by the two freshmen representatives, he said.

And the state Democrats agree. Despite Democrats like Mitchell and Giffords having campaigned on protecting the 2001 and 2003 tax relief packages, they have continually worked to slap Arizonans with the largest tax increase in history. Yet, Arizona Democrat spokeswoman Emily Bittner dismisses these issues as insignificant, proving how out of touch she and the Democrat Party are with Arizona voters.

However, Bittner does agree with Republicans that real problems exist in areas where Democrats like Mitchell and Giffords made bold promises but have since done little or no work:

"To be talking about the estate tax when the real problem is the mortgage crisis, record gas prices we are paying, health care, is beyond absurd," Bittner said. (Tucson Citizen, April 19, 2008)

For the record:

·         When Arizona homeowners most needed help to survive the mortgage crisis, Republicans in the state legislature passed a permanent repeal of the state portion of the property tax.  Governor Janet Napolitano vetoed the measure, which will lead to hundreds of dollars in new property taxes each year for the many homeowners.

·         Despite making gas prices a central theme of “Campaign 2006”, Democrats in Congress have actually worked to increase gas prices.  From voting to strip oil companies of a tax benefit, which allows for exploration and clean-energy research, to Democrat leadership’s refusal to support stability in the Middle East, to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s personal negotiations with state sponsors of terrorism… it’s no wonder gas prices have dramatically increased since Democrats took power in Washington.

·         Democrats solution to health care is to take away choices, increase prices and put the federal government in charge of health care for all Americans.  If they do as well with health care as they’ve done with gas prices, our health care system will no longer be the best in the world.

·         And let’s not forget corruption.  Harry Mitchell helped award Congressman William Jefferson, who was caught with bribe money hidden in his freezer, with a prime assignment to the Homeland Security Committee. He and the Democrat majority have blocked earmark reform, blocked meaningful appropriations reform, and kept Congress “business as usual”.

“Miss Bittner can tell you what the issues are, but neither she nor her Democrat colleagues are actually trying to solve these problems facing hard working Arizonans,” said Reinhard.  “It’s the difference between playing political games, speaking in platitudes, and actually getting the job done.  The Democrat Congress has earned the lowest approval ratings in history for a reason: the American people can only stomach so much hypocrisy before they pick up the TV remote.  This November, they will be changing channels.”