Stochastic terrorism is NOT the last word

Investigators believe a fire that caused extensive damage to state Democratic Party headquarters early on Friday in downtown Phoenix was intentionally set.

Heavy smoke and fire were billowing from the building about 1 a.m. near Central Avenue and Thomas Road as Phoenix firefighters arrived at the scene. They quickly entered the building in search of people and began a fire attack to put out the flames, according to officials.

No one was inside the building at the time, and no injuries were reported.

Phoenix Fire Investigation Task Force and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators were investigating the fire. Phoenix police spokeswoman Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said the incident is being investigated as an arson based on evidence discovered at the scene.

We know that the orange menace has consistently encouraged harm to people who oppose him. We know that some of his credulous followers sometimes are too quickly subject to conjuring up ways to "help" the MAGA movement. We also know that Trump is counting on Gov. Doug Ducey to deliver our state's electoral college votes this fall.

Keeping Arizona red shouldn’t be a challenge; the state has long been a Republican stronghold. But Arizona is changing rapidly, and right now, the forecast for the GOP looks grim... 

One might think that, in its moment of peril, the Arizona GOP would attempt to win over moderates. Yet the person charged with shepherding the party to victory in this most crucial moment is the state GOP chairperson Kelli Ward, a pro-Trump zealot with a soft spot for conspiracy theories, a woman who is most famous for her failed primary challenge to Republican Senator John McCain in 2016. Just as polls show Arizonans—especially those in the suburbs—souring on Trump, the state party has veered sharply to the right. [...]

The 51-year-old Ward is a different sort of Republican. During her time as a state senator representing parts of the ultra-red La Paz and Mohave Counties in northwest Arizona, Ward paid a visit to Cliven Bundy’s Nevada ranch in solidarity with the rancher’s standoff against the Bureau of Land Management; suggested that the Affordable Care Act was part of a broader plot to push rural Americans into urban areas; and entertained constituent concerns about the chemtrail conspiracy theory, the idea that the government is using airplanes to poison American citizens.

To her credit, Ward was smart enough to disavow the domestic terrorist attack on the Democratic Party HQ in Phoenix. But that brief statement doesn't erase or mitigate the suggestibility of fringe elements in the AZGOP.

Nevertheless, as much as the perpetrators might count this as a victory in the contest for ideas in this monumentally important election season, it will do exactly the opposite. Why? Because The Obstacle is the Way. Author Ryan Holiday, in his book by that title, spells out how Stoic philosophy in life today takes difficult events in stride and yields even greater determination.


Video from azcentral.com

From Steven Slugocki, chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party

THANK YOU to everyone who joined us today for our convention. We had nearly 800 people attend today. The past 36 hours have been incredibly difficult but your love and support has brought me to tears many times. Thank you Maritza Miranda Saenz and our incredible staff for making magic happen today *and everyday*. Welcome to the MCDP Board Jade Duran and Alejandro Larios, I cannot wait to work together in your new roles. The donations to aid our recovery from around the country have been overwhelming. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

It is an honor and I am so proud to be the Chairman of this incredible organization, we will get through this difficult time together. I love you all. Thank you.

Great Summer Convention by @MaricopaDems one day after the office was fire-bombed. We will not be stopped. Thank you @Slugocki and the whole MCDP team for your passion and persistence. 💙💙💙💙💙 https://t.co/NBqJXAW11J

— Susie Thornton *Wear A Mask FFS* 😷 (@mst51) July 25, 2020

The @MaricopaDems are strong, dedicated, and above all resilient. Their office was firebombed late Thursday, and today, 36 hours later they are holding their summer meeting online. They are still fighting for every Arizonan. Thank you to the volunteers and staff of MCDP!

— Adam Kinsey (@adkinsey) July 25, 2020

If you'd like to donate to the recovery fund for either the Arizona Democratic Party or Maricopa County Democratic Party, you may click the embedded links.