Arizona Politics for Conservatives: Sonoran Alliance
Arizona Politics, News, Commentary and Information with a Blatantly Conservative Worldview Presented by an Alliance of Writers, Activists, Consultants and Government Insiders.
Speaker of the Arizona House, Kirk Adams, has gone on the public relations offense with a series of YouTube videos. Here is the first of that series:
Listen to these short message and you will understant what is happening in the People’s House of Arizona.
Here is the link to the Arizona House YouTube account.
Congressman Marsha Blackburn will be in town next Monday as a guest of Congressman John Shadegg for a special fundraising event.
Both conservative congressional Republicans will be at the Biltmore hosted by a several Republican women including the Honorable Mary Peters, Brenda Burns and Laura Knaperek.
Named a ‘rising star’ by the Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, only three years ago, U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn has quickly earned a renowned reputation as one of America’s most articulate and engaged political leaders. The National Journal described Congressman Blackburn as a ‘top House conservative’ in recognition of her conservative voting record. Americans for Tax Reform called the Congressman a ‘taxpayer hero’. The National Taxpayer Union named her ‘taxpayers friend’. She received the ‘Best & Brightest Award’ from the American onservative Union for her 100% conservative voting record.
And yes, she does prefer to be called “Congressman.”
If you plan on attending, please download and print the linked invitation. We hope to see you there!
And you guys call me a pessimistic alarmists. Here’s an article from the Arizona Republic on the growing survivalist culture here in Phoenix.
As the recession lingers, some Phoenix-area residents are shifting attention from their financial troubles, including falling home values and shrinking retirement savings, to stockpiling food and ammo.
They worry the economic turmoil could lead to skyrocketing inflation, food scarcity, even violence. To prepare, they are forming social-networking groups to discuss how to store grains, purify water, plant gardens and, if needed, shoot guns.
It’s not surprising that many of the people preparing for tough times are educated professionals, said Heidi Wayment, a social-psychology professor at Northern Arizona University who has researched disasters and anxiety.
“To understand the huge potential crisis that could come from economic collapse, you have to be educated,” Wayment said. “I wouldn’t say these people are crazy – far from it.”
The people who are newly interested in survival skills recognize their eccentricity.
“I’m cognizant that what I’m doing is not normal,” said Rodriguez, adding that his roommate thinks the food stockpile and garden are cool.
At least I have the guns and gardening stuff down.
Breaking news that the Arizona Supreme Court has denied Governor Brewer’s demand that the Arizona Legislature transmit the budget to her. Arizona legislative leaders believe that the Governor will immediately veto the bill thus forcing a shutdown of state government.
In holding the bill, the legislature believes that the Governor will finally get involved in the budget proces and demonstrate some leadership.
Since this fiasco began, the Governor has been taking the advice of her private consultant which involves derailing legislative efforts to pass a tax-free balanced-budget which would lead to her consultant’s advice to push for an 18% tax increase.
The best advice for the governor would be to:
I’m sure that Republican leadership would be willing to forgive and forget Governor Brewer for her missteps and bring her back to the table in the spirit of cooperation to move the State of Arizona forward.
This could all be settled if the Governor would follow the above prescription, pick up the phone, call Speaker Adams and President Burns and then call a joint press conference to explain to Arizonans that everyone is on the same page now.
Here are links to the pertinent documents related to the case:
The Governor’s Office issued the linked press release in an effort to demonstrate widespread support for her budget which includes an 18% tax increase.
Reading through the list, it’s easy to see why these folks support the Governor. Virtually all of them stand to gain something from you paying more taxes.
PHOENIX – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer today released a growing list of supporters endorsing her comprehensive, long-term solution to Arizona’s budget crisis. On June 1, 2009 Governor Brewer released details of her FY2010 budget proposal that would rescue the state from the looming General Fund budget deficit of $4 billion.
“I want to thank those who have taken the time to contemplate the dire situation the state is facing and have taken the time to learn about my long-term plan for Arizona,” stated Governor Brewer. “My plan to solve this crisis is a comprehensive plan that will not only guide the state through the tough times we currently face, but it is a plan that will set us up for long-term prosperity built on a solid foundation. My plan is a plan of responsibility and courage that will save our children and future generations from fiscal ruin and put Arizona back on the path to prosperity.”
Letters of support from dozens of private and public entities throughout the state have been received by the Governor’s Office in the last several weeks, and continue to be received this week. The letters call on Governor Brewer to hold the line on her budget and continue to stand for what she believes is the right direction for the State of Arizona.
The following excerpts have been taken from letters received, followed by a current list of supporters:
(Brewer Budget Supporters).
by Nick Dranias
Goldwater Institute
One of the hallmarks of the U.S. Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts is its avoidance of divisive constitutional rulings at all costs. The latest example of this approach is the Court’s decision in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder, which sidestepped a constitutional challenge to the “preclearance” provision of the Voting Rights Act.
Preclearance requires Arizona and a handful of other states to seek permission from the federal government for legislative redistricting. To guarantee federal approval, states have often resorted to gerrymandering–drawing oddly-shaped voting districts to pull minorities from some locations and pack them into others. Preclearance has thereby pervasively promoted race consciousness and minority political segregation as a means of enforcing equal voting rights.
In Northwest Austin Mun. Utility Dist., the Roberts Court could have ended preclearance. Instead, the Court avoided these issues by adopting a new interpretation of the term “political subdivision” in the Voting Rights Act.
There may be times when such narrow rulings are appropriate. But this was not one of them. As Justice Clarence Thomas underscored in his lone dissent, the Court’s narrow ruling disregarded the relief sought by the plaintiff in the case, exemption from preclearance. Rather than signaling the end of government-sponsored racialism, the Roberts Court kicked the can down the road.
But opportunities to reform constitutional jurisprudence to conform to the Constitution’s original intent rarely repeat themselves. And with nominees like Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the horizon, the goal of ending legally-enshrined race consciousness is becoming ever more tenuous.
The tragic truth is that the Roberts Court had been on the cusp of overturning state-sponsored racialism on principled constitutional grounds. Instead, it embraced intellectual disarmament in order to achieve a transient judicial consensus.
Nick Dranias holds the Goldwater Institute Clarence J. and Katherine P. Duncan chair for constitutional government and is the director of the Institute’s Dorothy D. and Joseph A. Moller Center for Constitutional Government.
No definitive word yet on whether Len Munsil, pro-family activist and 2006 nominee for governor will challenge Senator John McCain in a Republican primary. I personally like and have always supported Len, his causes, and the organization he founded, the Center for Arizona Policy.
I know there is a real sense among some that McCain is vulnerable here. If you attend district PC meetings, you would justifiably wonder how McCain has ever won a Republican primary. The answer is simple: most Republican voters are not the same people you meet at those events.
A United States Senate race is a massive undertaking and should not be undertaken lightly. I recently read about a state senator who primaried an incumbent congressman, and who polled the race only after his announcement (the poll didn’t show a realistic path to victory). He continued for the rest of the race raising money he knew would be set on fire, going to awful events for no reason, and all of the myriad drudgery involved in campaigns for absolutely no reason. Worse yet, the humiliating defeat that followed nearly derailed his entire career. Lesson: get some good numbers before.
The closest hard numbers I can find are here. Perhaps it’s encouraging to potential challengers that 45% of Republican voters think McCain is out of touch. If you keep reading, however, 67% of Republicans nationwide think their GOP representatives are out of touch. Here’s what you also need to look at: favorables of 65% for McCain, and 35% unfavorables statewide. Unfortunately, that number is not broken down by GOP voters (the only kind that matter for this particular analysis). However, it is fair to say that McCain’s favorables are not being helped by Democrats, given his year long contest with Barack Obama and most recent role as the leader of the Republican party. I will fall over dead if McCain’s favorables or re-elect numbers are below 50% among the GOP.
Additionally, any deficiencies are certain to be made up by a long, expensive, and professionally run re-election campaign that none of his rivals can match.
Another “analysis” on the blogosphere points out that Munsil received over 50% in his last Republican primary. It utterly fails to mention that he was the only candidate in that race approaching any level of seriousness. His chief opponent had a famous name, but no professional or civic accomplishments to recommend him for the top office in the state (and some beliefs about illegal immigrant hard labor camps that made some of us cringe). Len received all of the establishment support there was to get. Who is going to get that this time?
Finally, this is not a mano a mano contest. Chris Simcox and Jim Deakin are also running. Being the angriest about illegal immigration will still yield a certain amount of votes in our primaries (sadly), and having your name on the ballot is always good for a percentage point or two. Simcox, who reportedly has raised millions for the Minutemen, could actually put together the semblance of a campaign (though he has no shot at winning, at all). Len would have to share the limited anti-McCain vote that is out there. Am I the only one old enough to remember Stan Barnes and Bill Mundell running against Jay Rhodes for Congress? It was actually McCain who sat the eager youngsters down and told them that, while Rhodes would lose to any one of them, he had enough support to beat both of them. They didn’t listen. Rhodes was so weak he lost to a liberal Democrat in a conservative Republican district. Stan made a ton of money, Bill was on the corporation commission and is now the Registrar of Contracts. Not bad careers, but not the ones they wanted either. My point here is not to say that McCain wouldn’t destroy any of these guys head to head (he would), but that challenging him in a four way race takes this from a suicide mission to something more futile.
With all that said, I think Len would make a fantastic US Senator. I’m also extremely happy with the one I have. John McCain is the biggest fiscal hawk in a time of runaway debt and a defense expert in a time of peril.
I would also like to observe the following: Len Munsil could win the attorney general’s race in a walk. Tom Horne isn’t where the party is, and for schools superintendant that’s fine. My schools superintendant needs to support educational choice, classroom discipline, merit pay, English immersion, and stand up to the unions. My attorney general, however, needs to care deeply about protecting life and religious freedom, and understand how cultural degredation contributes to our crime problem. Munsil could raise millions of dollars, and has an active and loyal network throughout the state. After six years, Munsil could be a frontrunner for the seat he now covets, instead of walking into the buzzsaw I’m picturing.
What do you guys think?
