The esteemed Republican senators John McCain and Jon Kyl are two of the most powerful Republican senators in Washington DC, arguably in the top 3 or 5 most powerful of all GOP senators on the hill.
Neither of them alone, nor working together, were capable of persuading the RNC to hold its convention in Arizona.
Instead the RNC chose to host the convention in Florida, where its governor who campaigned on behalf of John McCain, just chose to leave the Republican party and become an Independent (along with Lieberman also pictured above.)
Some argued that it had to do with the illegal immigration law. Now, we hear it doesn’t. Some argue that the RNC has to hold its convention in FL because it cannot stand to lose FL electors in the 2012 campaign. Who did MN electors go to in the last election? It didn’t seem relevant to Karl Rove et al. when they scheduled the last national convention in Minnesota.
The bottom line is that McCain and Kyl failed the state yet again.
Personally, I think McCain and Kyl don’t want the convention here. I think they think they will be embarassed in front of all their comrades when out of staters see how little respect they actually have from their own party members from years and years of selling out the interests of Arizonans to federal, globalists, wall street bankers, and other states’ interests.
Of course we know John McCain as Mr. Comprehensive Immigration Reform (read: amnesty), but did you know that the 2005 amnesty bill was actually *sponsored* by Senator Kyl? (Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act of 2005 S. 1438). Jon Kyl was also the Bush Administration whip in the Senate whipping Senate GOP votes in favor of Arlen Specter’s 2006 Amnesty bill? In the House, that role was filled by Chris Cannon of Utah.
This is the final birdie that Mr. McCain and Senor Kyl have to flip us. As a Republican, I will remember that well – as should we all.
I’m mad and I’m an Arizonan. Time to clean house y’all. TeaParty anyone?
This post is a complete joke. So by this logic, Florida’s interim lame duck Senator who is just keeping the seat warm for Rubio is all powerful? No, because the decisions are made solely by the RNC, not Congress. Maybe RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen can share some blame, but our delegation? Give me a break.
I understand you want McCain to lose, but trying to take down Jon Kyl is ridiculous. He is probably the best Senator we have ever had.
Jon Kyl’s the best Senator Goldman Sachs ever had, that’s for sure. Don’t think for Arizona though.
OFF TOPIC…BUT ON POINT! SB1024,amending sections 16-311, 16-312, 16-321, 16-341, 16-344, 16-502, 16‑507 and 16‑543.02, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to conduct of elections.
The following 4 REPUBLICANS voted with Democrats, who think THIS piece of legislation is what has made Arizona the national laughing stock:
Rep. Russell Jones (R), LD-24, 602-926-3002
Rep. Adam Driggs, (R), LD-11, 602-926-3022
Rep. Rich Crandall, (R), LD-19, 602-926-3020
Rep. Vic Williams, (R), LD-26, 602-926-5839
1st, this ain’t th’ legislation that has made us the laughing stock of America…True Conservatives can factually TELL anybody that!
2nd, The “long form birth certificate” is a $36.00 document, in America. Why would the sitting president spend over $1,000,000.00 of his own money to NOT show it to Americans who want to see it? It would be a win,win,win for him & “Team Socialism”! Also, THIS IS ALREADY IN THE U.S. CONSTITUTION! Why we needed to even bring this up is a mystery to me. Why didn’t then Sec. of State Brewer simply envoke this constutional regulation before accepting his electorial documents?
Lastly, what’s up with these 4 ?republicans? siding with the Dems on this issue? Why is it SO HARD TO READ & FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION?!?!?! Are these 4 also involved with voting “nay” on The ILLEGAL immigration legislation, & the topic of discussion on this thread, SB1070?!?!?!
This type of garbage is why we conservatives are having such a rough go, presently, in my opinion…
It’s true, Kyl was a co-sponsor. I want him out too because of his bait and switch routine in 2006. But in all fairness, the 2005 bill was no where near being the beastly legislation John McCain tried to inflict on this country.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.01438:
LOL! The reason the convention is going to Florida is that Republicans need to win Florida to win the White House. Period.
This really is a nonissue. Orrin Hatch tried very hard to get Salt Lake the convention it doesn’t make him a bad senator that Utah lost. Tampa got it because Florida is seen as a battleground state and the GOP takes Utah and AZ for granted.
Great blog, Shane. Keep up the good work. This is insightful stuff.
Sure it is VSB.
Craig, the Utah GOP state convention delegates booed Hatch literally off the state in 2000.
McCain knows that. He’ll never forget it. He wants to make sure that doesn’t happen to him here in front of all his pals.
Oberserve, that doesn’t change the fact that the GOP feels Florida is more important to woo than Utah or AZ. I will be voting for JD but the fact we are not getting the convention id not kyl or McCain’s fault.
Kyl doesn’t care. He knows he did just what he said he wouldn’t do once we re-elected him.
McSame knows he’s planning to do likewise once he is re-elected.
PLUS! Imagine in 2012 when Senator JD Hayworth takes the stage! And McSame and his diversity loving wife and daughter are no where to be found!
VSB,
Everyone loves to play the battleground state card, but lets be honest did the dems need to hold their convention in Boston? Did the GOP come close in Minn? The GOP did NYC one other year, did they have a chance in NY? Year after year people claim this but the conventions happen way to far out to have any effect and mean next to zero.
To me the best argument is who wants to be in AZ in August…
If Arizona was chosen, Randy Pullen would have tooted his own horn taken all the credit.
No one here will buy this but it had some to do with 1070. Might have been leaning Florida already, for reasons stated above, but 1070 sealed the coffin folks.
Florida is definitely needed for the GOP to win in 2012. They don’t need Arizona…got it locked I suspect. But I also suspect that they would pick a state with a lot of Latinos that they hope to court, not a state that has inflamed Latinos…who they hope to support.
Sucks to be you.
For once, I agree with Kral. I suspect that the Republican establishment, which is filled with moderates like Steele, didn’t want to touch Arizona with a 10′ pole because they’re sissy enough to think that if they located the convention in Phoenix, they’d be shouted down as racists by the looney Left and suffer headline grabbing protests. It’s too bad the national party doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to show support for Arizona and thereby reflect it’s adherence to Republican principles, like border security.
This tells me something: the Republicans STILL haven’t learned their lessons from `06 and `08. The masses wanted change from Bush. They elected Obama and a Dim Congress. Now, they realize things have swung too far to the left and they’re clamoring for change again. Congress may change hands, but trust me, this, along with the failure in Congress to elect REAL small-government conservatives to leadership positions (Boehner should have been hung along with ALL the Republican leadership in office in 2006 and 2008) just shows me that once the Republicans get control of Congress and or the White House, they’ll malf up yet again and get ousted again. When we see the likes of Pence and Hensarling and Ryan in positions like Majority Leader, Whip and Speaker and all the moderates are banished from all leadership positions, THEN, just maybe then, will Republicans exhibit that they’ve learned the lessons of `06 and `08. Mark my words, the Republicans will betray their principles soon after they take office in 2011.
The Arizona Republican leadership, lead by Randy Pullen and Rob Haney, were definitely a factor in the loss of the RNC convention.
These men make every Republican gathering a chance to damage fellow Republicans. At the county meeting the Haniacs passed out cards asking everyone to boo the Republican governor. They made it a hatefest against our most powerful Republican senator.
The last few state conventions have been a laughning stock as the state leadership has fomented hate and misinformation – not against the Democrats – but against fellow Republicans.
Count up the posts and comments on this blog against Republicans as an example.
How are the coffers at the state party? Tragic! No responsible RNC leadership would bring the spotlight to the leadership here.
We need to change the Arizona party leadership or the state of Barry Goldwater and the party of Ronald Reagan will not emerge here again for a long, long while.
I am not convinced the RNC choice of Tampa had much to do with SB1070 as much as it has to do with Florida has about twice the electoral votes as Arizona and has twice proven to be the pivotal state in the winning of a presidential election.
SB1070 aside, it is practical math that Florida gets the nod for the all-important 2012. Republicans either turn back another four years of Obama – and Florida is critical to that vote count – or we get stuck with more of this pain longer.
Electoral votes aside, our U.S. Representative total is weighted to the Dems, not the R’s. Florida has most of its Congressional seats held by Republicans.
Maybe the census gives us a few more seats. Maybe the efforts of Republicans in this election year changes the Congressional seat tally for us. And maybe we have another shot at the 2016 or 2020 convention.
Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan are in the past. We need new champions to emerge who may have some of the same qualities of leadership and sensible ideas – but we need those champions for our party to emerge to stand on their own, not in front of some deceased political hero. After all, Ron and Barry are no longer around to tell us in this life who they would endorse or not.
It is who we, as Arizona GOP members, endorse with our hard work to get them elected. When we get out of the shadows of the past we will find we will be the political destination of choice.
Jon,
By your math, we had a chance of taking the electors in NY two cycles ago and the electors in MN last cycle.
Which is absurd.
Which means you have no idea what you are talking about.
I agree with Jon Altmann. It’s mostly about the Electoral College with probably some fear of being painted as anti-immigrant and a greater fear of 120-degree August heat.
As for Oberserve’s comment about the last two conventions. The party probably did think it had a shot at Minnesota last time and c’mon, everyone knows that 2004 NYC was because of 9/11.
“Everyone knows” = I’m speculating while trying to persuade you.
Pathetic post. Pathetic. This sort of garbage is why JD was un-elected by Republicans before and will be again. He, and his loyal minions, will do and say anything to paint the “other guy” as bad and excuse all JD’s shortcomings.
Florida was passed by twice before. They hold a huge electoral advantage. They are also trending more conservative. Good pick for a lot of reasons ALL of which had zero, zip, nada to do with the Senatorial delegation of any state.
Ann, did you contribute to the Christ campaign? Bet you did. LOL.
Keep laughing, Oberserve – then learn to spell.
The RNC’s decision to pick Tampa just makes it easier to determine who needs to go in the 2012 national leadership elections.