To Constantin Querard: He Who Lives By the Checkbox . . .

by David Safier

I allowed Constantin Querard, a political consultant for over a dozen candidates on the right wing of Arizona’s Republican party (including Al Melvin and Marilyn Zerull in LD-26 and David Gowan in LD-30), to have the last word in an earlier post. He stated his personal views on some political issues I raised. I considered leaving the discussion and moving on. Maybe I should just give him the last word and be done with it, I thought. But then I found Querard used a double standard for LD-26 Senate candidates Cheryl Cage (D) and Al Melvin (R), and that demanded an answer.

In the earlier post, Querard, along with stating his own beliefs, made some assertions about the stands Cage and Melvin have taken on abortion. He labeled Cage an extremist on the subject based on a box she checked on a Project Vote Smart questionnaire — a questionnaire, by the way, that Melvin declined to fill out. The check was next to the statement, “Abortions should always be legal.”

Querard himself believes abortions should be illegal, only making an exception for the life of the mother. Melvin, Querard said, takes a more moderate stand on the topic: “Al Melvin’s position is actually a bit to the left of me in that he also makes the exceptions for incest and rape,” he wrote.

Since Querard thinks a single answer on a questionnaire is all he needs to know about Cage’s beliefs, let’s see how Melvin fares using the same standard. Melvin answered a questionnaire from the Center for Arizona Policy, which asks candidates to support or oppose 16 statements. Candidates have the option of attaching a comment if they want to explain any of their positions. Statement 11 is, “Prohibiting abortion except when it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother.” Melvin supported it, with no qualifying statements. Cage, by the way, declined to fill out this questionnaire.

Please, Constantin, don’t start getting subtle on us now by shading Melvin’s answer. If Cage’s position can be judged by a single check on a questionnaire, then Melvin has to be judged by the same standard. He does not support abortion in the case of rape or incest, or even when a mother’s health could be endangered — only “when it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother.” No exceptions. Fair’s fair.

OK,I guess I’ve opened Pandora’s Box now. I’ll give into temptation and write on Querard’s other statements about his views in a separate post.