Fiscal conservatives know full well that Jan Brewer is a tax and spend liberal. She increased spending with her line item vetoes and had to call three special sessions just to undo her damage. She was the poster girl for Prop. 100. Spending levels are still as they were in 2009. She lied about fixing the state’s structural budget deficit. Revenue projections for Prop. 100 shows that the 18% tax increase isn’t bringing in the revenue Coughlin told Brewer it would. We’re looking at a budget deficit of at least $700 million next year and over $1 billion in 2012…all because Brewer and the state legislature don’t have the spine to cut the budget and unnecessary spending. She has shown on YouTube and in the CCEC debate just how stupid she really is. If it weren’t for S.B. 1070, we’d likely have a different nominee. Some polls show that Goddard, of all people, is narrowing her lead. I’d wager this wouldn’t be the case if we had a better nominee.
If, like me, you refuse to vote for Brewer because she’s demonstrated that she loves big government, there are alternatives. One alternative is Libertarian candidate Barry Hess. I recently interviewed him on AZ Political Interviews. As with David Nolan or any Libertarian, there may be enough bright-line difference in ideology that may prevent a conservative from voting for a Libertarian. See for yourself. The link to my audio interview is below.
One thing I meant to bring up with Barry, and I wish I had, but we were running short on time (and these Libertarians LOVE to talk!), is that he may be partially responsible for Arizona suffering 6 years with Napolitano as governor. Barry garnered roughly 15K votes in 2002…about twice the margin that Matt Salmon lost by. If the Libertarians had voted with the Republicans in 2002, we wouldn’t be in the budget mess that we’re in now and JaNo would not be the head of the Department of Homeland Security. Perhaps Barry will comment in this thread.
Link to audio interview with Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, Barry Hess
Maybe, the Republicans should have voted with the Libertarians.
Marcus,
Your best interview yet. Very refreshing.
Finally, a candidate who can speak in a clear, concise fashion. Worth a listen.
The Republicans definitely should have voted with the Libertarians! It sounds like Salmon cost Hess the election!
There are two reasons why Matt Salmon lost in 2002. The first is that there are voters who passionately dislike onerous government that takes money from their wallets and treats them as children instead of adults (drug and prostitution prohibition just to name two topics) and didn’t find Matt Salmon to represent their beliefs. The second is the election system whose result can produce winners without 50% support (unintended consequences).
The day someone gets really motivated about eliminating this problem is the day Instant Runoff Voting (or any of several better alternatives) is adopted.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0330glenvote0330.html
I’m happy to comment in agreement with the first 4 comments before me.
I recently had one of our Congressmen wiggle his finger at me at tell me I had to ‘come back’ to the R party. I declined, reminding him that it’s become a cesspool, and if you clean up a cesspool, it’s still a cesspool and it will fill up again, with the same stuff.
He then glowed red in the eyes and told me “I” gave us J-Nap. and that he had ‘lost some respect for me” (for sticking to what I know [and he knows] is right), I reminded him that I had long since lost respect for him, so he was just an insignificant little man in my life and his opinion didn’t matter at all to me. He huffed and puffed and stomped away.
That’s the problem with those people, their only concern is to fix blame, my only concern is to fix problems. Hence the disconnect.
I didn’t give ‘us’ anything, except the opportunity to put Arizona back on track. The Republicans short-sightedly chose to go with what they perceived as the ‘easy’ way, (loyalty to a political/social club–rather than what they knew was right).
I make the same offer in this election. We’ll see what they chose to do with it.