Small-business association standing up for lawmaker who has stood up for its members
PHOENIX, Ariz., July 25, 2011 — In a less petty political world, no association should have to issue a news released endorsing a candidate for the state legislature in a July of an odd-numbered year, but in doing so today Arizona’s leading small-business group wanted to make an early, emphatic and unqualified endorsement of Senate President Russell Pearce for election, once again, to his 18th Legislative District seat.
“We’re making our endorsement of Russell Pearce early to register small business’ strong support for one of Arizona’s most pro-small business lawmakers as he faces a needless November 8th special election to represent a constituency who overwhelmingly voted for him nine months ago just as they have in five prior elections,” said Farrell Quinlan, Arizona state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
“Small business is rallying to stand up for the man who has stood up for small business for more than a decade. His recall is a shameful abuse of the election process and a wasteful distraction from the Legislature’s important work of helping Arizona’s private sector create jobs again. Nothing in Russell Pearce’s actions since the last election warrants this recall election. The next regular election would have been the appropriate time for his political opponents to try a seventh time to defeat him.
“With apologies to noted political philosopher Dennis Green, District 18 voters will say ‘Russell Pearce is who we thought he was!’ and re-elect him handily on November 8th,” Quinlan quipped.
In the May release of NFIB’s 2011 legislative Voting Record, Pearce posted a 100-percent, pro-small-business voting tally on 15 issues vital to Main Street, mom-and-pop businesses repeating his perfect voting record on small business’ legislative agenda from 2009-2010.
The formal endorsement of Pearce was made by the NFIB/Arizona SAFE Trust, the political action arm of the association. More information can be found on President Pearce’s website at www.russellpearce.com.
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NFIB is Arizona’s and the nation’s leading small business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small- and independent-business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system.
While I worked in the California Legislature, I was constantly amazed by the ability of the US Chamber of Commerce via local chambers of commerce, the Farm Bureau and the NFIB to get their small members to vote against their own interests while supporting policies and politician to the benefit of their giant competitors. They are the Tea Party professionalized. In fact, the rise of these organizations should have been more alarming than the Tea Party, except that they were so adept at mythologizing their purposes and goals.
When the NFIB supports a candidate, it means that candidate almost always is pro-Big Business and in contradiction to the interest of small businesses. Russell Pearce’s candidacy validates this observation in spades. It’s up to the moderate and progressive elements in AZ to point out to individual small business owners _and workers_ that their own best interests have been trashed by the Legislature in the hands of Pearce and his cronies.
The Chamber supports illegal immigrants who supply CHEAP labor for the tourism and construction industry. To heck with the citizens.
I am a small business owner in Russell Pearce’s district and he has only hurt us with his policies to cut education and health care funding….not to mention that he has done nothing to create jobs! He is a bully and seems unable to focus on anything other than “illegal immigration”, gun laws and the birther bill! And frankly, a tax hike would be perfectly with us if the proceeds restore what his leadership has destroyed.
We are currently expanding and hiring multiple workers WITH benefits and we can’t get a lender to help us with start up expenses. Our credit is stellar, our business model is great and still no help! That is not supportive of small business in LD 18.