by David Safier
Arizona's moderate Republican leaders are still sitting on the sidelines. Maybe they're hoping next time they'll be able to get sneak a few of their fellow moderates through the Arizona primaries. It seems they believe working behind the scenes will somehow get the job done.
Meanwhile, the extremists who have taken the party are gloating openly: "The era of big-government Republicans is over," crows Frank Antenori.
And the Weekly's Jim Nintzel states the objective truth: "The purge of moderates within the GOP is nearly complete."
The purge of moderates within the GOP is nearly complete. As state Sen. Frank Antenori said on Election Night as he crushed former state lawmaker Marian McClure by a 2-to-1 margin in Legislative District 30: "The era of big-government Republicans is over."
That appears to be true in GOP primaries; in the LD30 House race, incumbents David Gowan and Ted Vogt came in ahead of more moderate Republicans; in Legislative District 26, Terri Proud easily edged out the more moderate Wade McLean in a House race.
I know this tax-and-spend liberal doesn't hold much sway over moderate Republican leaders. But it seems to me, if you flexed some muscle and showed the crazies they will lose elections without your support, you may regain a seat at your party's table.
How do you do that? State publicly you refuse to support or vote for some of the extreme-est of the extreme right wing candidates. You might be surprised how many moderate Rs and R-leaning independents — there are a lot of them out there, especially in swing districts like LD-26 – will withhold their votes from certain candidates if you give them a little push.
First, weigh how much you stand to lose by speaking out. There are obvious risks.
Next, weigh how much you stand to gain by speaking out. You could gain considerably.
Finally, factor in the fate of Arizona if Russell Pearce is the de facto governor for four more years (I'm sure you're aware he's been running the state recently, not our Accidental and Barely Coherent Guv).
The choice is yours. And remember, doing nothing is as much of a choice as doing something. Both have real consequences.