It’s time to bring down Ariz.’s 4 Mastodons
The business community needs to recruit replacements for Arizona’s GOP House members. The Russell Pearce experience shows how and why.
The model that brought down the manonce called Arizona’s de facto governor can rid the state’s delegation of Republican Reps. Trent Franks, Paul Gosar, Matt Salmon and David Schweikert.
These Four Mastodons got elected in teddy bear-safe GOP districts with the help of the business community.
So why should Arizona’s business leaders oppose their own guys in 2014?
Because this Not-So-Fab Four drank too much tea, got silly and put ideology above pragmatism.
Closing down the government had huge costs, and playing chicken with default gave the Chinese an opening to crow about the need for “building a de-Americanized” world order.
Unpatriotic and unproductive.
Neither of October’s GOPmanufactured crises served business interests. What’s more, Arizona’s GOPHouse delegation previously rejected the business community’s pleas to work for comprehensive immigration reform. Some friends. Conventional wisdom says Franks-Gosar-Salmon-Schweikert are in such cozy GOP districts that they will win re-election no matter what they do.
But conventional wisdom said former state Senate President Pearce was untouchable.
All you need are the right four men. Sorry, ladies.
They have to be White because these are predominately White districts.
They have to be conservative because RINOs won’t do.
They have to be Republicans because there aren’t enough Democrats in these districts to put together a decent softball team.
But there are independents. Lots of them.
Even in these GOP strongholds, registered Republicans do not make up the majority of the voters. Not anymore.
In Franks’ District 8, Republicans make up only 41 percent of registered voters, according to July numbers from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. Republicans make up 42 percent of registered voters in both Gosar’s District 4 and Schweikert’s District 6. Salmon’s Dis- trict 5 has the most registered Republicans: 45 percent.
In all four districts, a third or more of registered voters have rejected both the Republican and Democratic labels to register as independents.
This is the magic hat from which to pull a little moderation.
Independents can vote in primary elections, but many don’t.
The business community needs to find candidates who can attract independents — and moderate Republicans — to vote in the primary.
These White, male, conservative Republican, religiously compatible, business-type candidates must be able to channel Ronald Reagan — and still remember that calling government the problem doesn’t negate the need for government to be open in order to be of any value to the business community.
Once identified and recruited, these candidates will need lots of resources, plenty of support and a robust get-out-theprimary-vote effort. These races are won in the primary.
Consider the potential for success: When Russell Pearce tried to be politically reborn in the 2012 GOP primary election (after losing a recall that was open to all voters), he was defeated by just this kind of GOP candidate.
Pearce lost to Republican state Sen. Bob Worsley, who is as conservative as Pearce — but without the clown suit and other extremist baggage.
Now consider the payoff: Last session, Worsley voted in favor of Medicaid expansion — something business leaders strongly supported and “tea party” Republicans vehemently opposed.
There are tangible benefits from electing reasonable Republicans.
The temptation will be to stick with the Four Mastodons. After all, they have proven they can win elections.
But they also have demonstrated that their priorities are more about kicking down the barn than building up the atmosphere and infrastructure that helps business flourish.
In 2014, the state’s business elite can use the Russell Pearce model to pursue better representation.
And get their money’s worth for a change.