It’s Up to Us to Hold AZ Legislative Extremists Accountable

Observing, digesting and writing about Arizona politics takes a toll on all of us.

The ground-game Democratic party or candidate worker – after a good day of knocking on doors of voters – comes home, kicks off her walking shoes, pours a favorite beverage, and turns on the news or opens their social media feeds.

Only to learn the slim Republican majority in the Arizona legislature has sent to the Governor measures to:

• Deconstruct public education in favor of private profiteers
• Suppress voting rights
• Attack women’s reproductive rights
• Promote anti-science policies of all kinds

We rage at the madness of these extremist legislators. They have hijacked the Grand Old Party to become the 2022 voter-denying, white-privilege autocracy-believing legions of the Trump fringe cult.

But there are signs that big “D” Democratic winds are blowing in our favor. Over the past decades, we Democrats have cut the legislative majority of Republicans in Arizona to a few seats in each chamber. In each cycle, in statewide elections, just being “not those crazy extremists” has helped Democrats turn many red legislative districts into purple or blue. The recent voter registration numbers bear this out as Republicans are taking their precious — and some feel “threatened” — franchise to safer shores, and registering as Independents or even Democrats.

Pain and rage

Turning our pain and rage into productive and energized support for Democratic legislators and new candidates is vital. Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America, said, “Waiting on someone else to deliver accountability to the Republicans will never work. It’s up to us.”

November 2022 will not be too far removed in time to remind Arizona voters of the genuinely horrific legislative proposals these extremists have offered in the current Legislature. In addition, the August primaries this year hold the threat of Trump-endorsed candidates who will turn voters’ stomachs. Most Arizonans support public education, access to affordable healthcare, jobs that pay well, protecting the environment, fighting climate change, civic engagement, the equitable treatment of all people, and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

As Larry Bodine, an attorney, journalist and President of Democrats of Greater Tucson indicates, the strategy for Arizona Democrats to win in 2022 boils down to “FEAR” – portray Republicans as “dangerous Trump stooges” who will further destroy our shared values – and “ANGER” – capitalize on voters’ inclination to be “angry at anti-vaxxers, most of whom are Trump Republicans.”

Civic Engagement Beyond Voting (CEBV) runs an Accountability Project whose goal is to hold lawmakers accountable for the bad legislation they pass. As Catherine Sigmon, CEBV’s co-founder writes, “It’s vital that voters connect bad policy with the legislators who promote it, particularly those who are not representing the needs and welfare of their constituents.”

Let’s take just one issue like the AZ legislative votes on the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL). Overriding the limit had the sane and universally accepted goal of providing approved and allocated funding from the last legislative session. No new taxes were needed, nothing but dollars appropriated and ready for use in desperate schools.

So, let’s do everything in our power to hold the following Republicans accountable who – in the throes of an anti-public education lather – voted not to provide these much-needed funds.

Vote these people out

AZ House Member — Barton, Burges, Carter, Chaplik, Diaz, Fillmore, Finchem, Grantham, Griffin, Hoffman, Nguyen, Parker, Payne, Pingerelli

AZ Senate Member — Borrelli, Gowan, Leach, Petersen, Rogers, Ugenti-Rita

And, according to the fabulous Melinda Iyer, also with CEBV, two other Republicans deserve a special mention because, even though they voted for the AEL override, they said “really nasty stuff about our public schools.” They are AZ Senators Livingston and Mesnard.

A record turnout of motivated Democrats, Independents and disenchanted Republicans in 2022 will help:

• Maintain the Democratic majority in Congress
• Will elect a more accepting, inclusive and just governance from our elected officials at the state, county and local levels
• Switch a few House and Senate seats in the AZ legislature to produce an era of Democratic majority rule and a return to sanity and progress in Arizona.

My friends, delivering accountability is “blowin’ in the wind.” Can you feel it at your back — moving us forward?