Solitary vote runs against the tide
Astonished members of the Maricopa County Executive Guidance Committee (EGC) have been talking about little else tonight.
In a show of support for Rep. Russell Pearce (R- Dist.18) this evening, a resolution was passed 20 – 1 endorsing Pearce over his rival Kevin Gibbons, brother-in-law of Congressman Jeff Flake.
Gibbons, it has been reported, is the recipient of maximum donations by high-rolling Democrats and those riding the McAmnesty train.
The conspicuous lone vote against Rep. Pearce, the popular East Valley conservative, emerged like rank sulfur from District 6. In Chairman David Braswell’s absence, and for reasons that can only be guessed, stand-in district secretary, Horst Kraus. cast the solitary opposing vote.
July 3, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Gibbons has an interesting array of donors. Andrew Pacheco, who has been running the deceptively named initiative, Stop Illegal Hiring, and was an unsuccessful candidate for Maricopa County Attorney in 2004. Guess who endorsed Pacheco? Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, the architects along with Ted Kennedy, of the also erroneously named Comprehensive Immigration Reform…which was actually Amnesty!! What a surprise, eh?
Other donors to Gibbons? Marion “Mac” and Sandy Magruder, McDonald’s franchisers. Life is good when they can pay illegals substandard wages so they don’t have to pay a decent salary to American citizens.
Julie Pace is also on the list of contributors. Pace is the lawyer representing the businesses and minority groups who never saw an illegal they didn’t want to give aid, comfort and a low paying job to.
And, Douglas Yonko made the infamous list. He is listed as a “principle” at Hensley & Co. What a coincidence that Cindy Hensley McCain is the CEO of the beer distributorship. Such a treat going through the donor lists. There’s a lot more. Check it out at the Secretary of State’s website.
http://www.azsos.gov/cfs/CommitteeSearch.aspx
July 3, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I was in attendance at the EGC meeting tonight. It was a pathetic display that poorly represented LD 6. The PC’s there have a right to be upset. Chairman Braswell should be embarrassed. If he is unable to attend future meetings, he should send another officer in his stead.
July 3, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Ya gotta know Kraus. He marches to the beat of a very different drummer!
July 3, 2008 at 11:25 pm
So I’ve heard. I’ll pass!
July 4, 2008 at 1:15 am
Mr. Sidewinder and fellow Hometown Guy,
The answer to your question is very simple, We the District six that works and does not loose seats to Democrats, adhere to a very simple principle and that is: We do not take, as a whole, sides when 2 or more candidates from the same party bid for the same chair.
Your gratuitous remarks about who all supported Mr. Pacheco, misses the mark when it comes to my persona. Had you taken the trouble and half the venom, to find out whom I supported in that race you would have learned that I supported Andrew Thomas, not Andrew Pacheco.
Now that I got this off my chest, permit me to repeat my disclaimer of a few days ago: “I am just as miffed as any three of you together on this BLOG about the state of the art and how our Government copes, or not, with the immigration problem”.
So, why are you talking about “OPEN BORDERS” when I do not?
I certainly don’t advocate open borders, and I do not know anyone that does. Then why are you fixing to lay such blame on to my door steps?
Is it because you and your comrades have really no clue and no [do-able] plan to rectify it?
The way I recall the Call was not about borders at all, it was a vote that called for the endorsement by all legislative districts in Maricopa County of one Republican Candidate over another Republican Candidate.
I have seen a lot of Lock-Steps during my formative years under a dictatorial Government, and that is why I have forsworn Lock-Stepping.
July 4, 2008 at 1:38 am
Chuck,
Whomever Chuck, you got it right my drummer has two middle names They are CONSCIENTIOUS and PRINCIPLED.
July 4, 2008 at 8:16 am
Naked Politics Kraus, Naked Politics.
July 4, 2008 at 8:23 am
Being fairly new to Arizona, I do not know all the political background of everyone, but, even in Appalachia, we were taught some basic guidelines. One is “Birds of a feather flock together”. Another, You can tell where people stand on issues by the company they keep. Even in Morgantown we knew of the Flake/Gutierrez bill and the Comprehensive Immigration Bill and most were aware of the fact that Arizona was on the front lines of the border war.
Since coming here, I have learned of the leadership of Russell Pearce and Don Goldwater in trying to protect all legal residents from the direct and indirect costs of illegal immigration. Over the last couple of days I have taken the time to identify the feathers of the birds. Pacheco supports and ran for office in support of illegal immigration. Magruder, Pacheco and Pace are all key players in the efforts to overturn the current law holding employers accountable when they hire illegals on purpose and Pedersen works hand in glove with the Governor.
That is enough evidence of the type of “feather” adorns the Gibbon. I will not let him make a monkey of me by flakey rhetoric.
July 4, 2008 at 8:30 am
From what I have read from him lately, we all need to recognize that Kraus is concientious and principled. Unfortunately, it seems that his conscience and principles are more in alignment with Goddard, Napolitano, Kennedy, Kolbe, and Hershberger. The emperor of Japan was concientious and applied his principles, as did Mussolini and Hitler. They were just plain wrong principles.
Pearce has led the fight to protect and defend all the citizens of Arizona from the illegal horde coming across our southern border. Thanks to the twenty who took a stand in support of a person who has taken a stand in support of all of us.
July 4, 2008 at 8:37 am
Charlie,
You used the wrong adjective. It is “raw” politics, raw on your side.
On my side is more like “transparent”.
July 4, 2008 at 9:11 am
Janelle,
You are way off tangent, The vote has nothing to do with the emperor of Japan or the Prince of China.
It had something to do with favoring one Republican over another Republican in a contested primary in a particular district.
Let the people of that district be the judge. That is what elections are designed for.
Uh, one more thing, Your post would have had much more punch if you left the ad hominem attacks out.
July 4, 2008 at 9:15 am
Look, there is a bottom line to the Kraus vote. He is a McCain lackey–and I mean lackey, not a normal supporter. With that solid information, all one needs to do is connect the dots from his slavish adherence to McCain’s pro-illegal policies to Kraus’s vote against the principled and loyal Russell Pearce.
Today, Independence Day, of all days we owe Russell Pearce and his efforts a genuine debt of gratitude. He has served us well and ably as a true Arizona patriot, fighting the good fight for upholding the laws of our state and nation. Ronald Reagan said it well when he said a nation without sovereign borders is not a nation at all.
Yes, this country was build upon the shoulders of immigrants. But they came legally and assimilated into the American culture, learning the English language, educating themselves and having a deep and abiding pride in this country they chose to make their own. That is very different from the Hispanics–Mexicans and others from Central and South America, illegally entering through our southern border. Many are Reconquistas, who believe (and teach their children) this is their own land to be reconquered.
Señor Juan McCain is going to address the separatist and racist La Raza (“The Race”) group in just a few days. He should be ashamed of himself, but he erroneously thinks he can win with his obscene pandering for their votes. Interestingly, the larger number of Latino votes are with the Marxist Obama. Americans are left defenseless and without a viable choice in this race.
How does this tie in to Kraus’s vote at the EGC? He voted against Pearce merely because McCain would have. Gibbon’s supporters are McCain supporters. That’s the bottom line.
July 4, 2008 at 9:29 am
Sorry, but it seems that the only thing that matters to some is whose ox is being gored. I did not hear these “Principled” opposition when the Party supported one candidate over another in LD20 a few years ago. Of course, the leadership of the party was supported by McCain, Kyl, etal. Maybe that’s why they thought it was OK then, but now those same people think it is not OK.
The people in the district will make the decision. Sometimes, however, the voters should be know that a candidate has been encouraged to run from people outside the district, most of his money is coming from people outside the district, and be made aware that the supporters of the candidate will expect certain votes in the legislature in return for that support.
July 4, 2008 at 9:36 am
I am neither a member of the EGC nor do I reside in District 6, but I have one question that more accurately falls into the realm of Robert’s Rules of Order:
Why does the District Chairman allow a mere secretary to stand in for him and more importantly vote in his stead, at these meetings? There should be a Vice Chairman, and First and Second Vice Chairs, all of whom should take precedence over the secretary. The precinct committeemen should make it clear that this is unacceptable behavior.
July 4, 2008 at 10:25 am
I just looked up the funding sources on the Secretary of State’s website for Gibbons and was astounded. Almost all of his 62k came from out of his district – nearly half from Yuma farmers and construction contractors, most of the rest from other farm and nursery owners and employees, supplemented by WAKE UP principles and hirelings as well as farm, restaurant assn, and resort PACs Horst Kraus says to let the people in the district decide their representation. If he really believes his own words, he will support Pearce who is being targeted almost exclusively by people outside his district.
July 4, 2008 at 10:37 am
Fooled Twice:
You hit the nail on the head with your comments, but you left out one very important detail: It is not only Mexicans and Central and South Americans invading our nation though the southern border. Agents have apprehended Koreans, Chinese, Russians, various Middle Easterners including those from nations that are state sponsors of terrorism. We are ensuring our own demise by not sealing our border.
Juan McCain says he “got the message,” and will “secure the border first.” First before what? He says one thing to us and another to the Hispanic groups he speaks to. I am sick of him and his buddy, Kyl. Kyl is slicker than McCain, and neither are to be trusted.
Also, have you noticed that they have ditched the term “guest worker,” which focus groups have shown to be offensive to American citizens workers? Now they have taken to using the more palatable term “temporary workers.”
The Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado slaughterhouse raids of illegal workers months back laid lie to the claim that these are people taking the jobs Americans refuse to take. Lines of willing American job seekers circled the buildings at all of those plants. I saw the photos on the news. Do you think our lying senators did?
July 4, 2008 at 11:16 am
Kraus is very good at the semantics game. He was born just a little too late because he would have been an excellent addition to Goebbels propaganda staff. I dare say if Napolitano called herself a Republican, Kraus would say, “the EGC can not render a vote in favor of her Republican opponent. We can’t take sides. they’re both Republicans after all.”
The definition of words don’t seem to mean much to Kraus, rather it is the feeling they evoke. The candidate could favor any whacked out political agenda and that wouldn’t matter to Kraus just so the person called himself a Republican. It feels good to be called a Republican. It matters not to Kraus that the candidate does not represent what a Republican is suppose to be. Thus, he is a unapologetic loyalist to John McCain.
Kraus claims that this was not a vote about open borders. HOGWASH! My bet is that everyone there knew it was a vote about open borders no matter what terms Kraus wants to shade it in. We have been subjected to the semantics game too long to not know what this vote was about .
Recall that instead of illegal aliens the propagandists gave us… undocumented workers, migrants, God’s children, they are just coming here to work, path to citizenship, take them out of the shadows, you can’t deport 12 million people, and their favorite..”you are a racists”.
Do you not recall McCain, Kyl & Flake shouting “it is not Amnesty” and particularly Kyl saying “border enforcement first” while he worked behind the scenes with Kennedy to accomplish the opposite.
All of this while the invaders killed our citizens, stole our property and identification, made wreck of our schools, hospitals, judicial system, economy, welfare system, environment, birth rights and sovereignty. And our leaders feigned concern and gave us as a solution COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM. And McCain and Obama are set to shove it down our throats again “my good friends” (McCain is not my good friend, and I resent him continually referring to me as such).
The solution Kraus, as you very well know, is to enforce the law as Arpaio and Thomas are doing. They are being crucified by the media and by the very people who endorse Gibbons. We do not need any special legislation or as you say, “do-able” plan. We need honest politicians who put the United States and her citizens first. Regrettably, most of our incumbent Congressional delegation are just as good at semantics as you are Kraus. Goebbels would have been envious of their ability to repeat the lie.
Anything but an enforce the law approach is semantics for OPEN BORDERS because that is their goal and that will be the result of unenforced or unenforceable new legislation. Our politicians are lying to us again. Do not believe them. Demand that the law be enforced. No new immigration plans. Any new plan will be a ruse.
This vote exposed again the split of the elected Republican politicians and power brokers from the Republican conservative base. Another thank you to John McCain for his polarizing leadership. Global warming and $5.00 a gallon gas anyone?
July 4, 2008 at 11:19 am
Thanks, RW. By the way, has Gibbons returned or donated to a charity the contributions from the Pancrazis – Yuma Democrat State Representative Lynne and family – or will he do that after someone makes a point of it and it becomes politically necessary to do so?
Gibbons seems to have the integrity of Obama. I support all my supporters until it seems to hurt my campaign and then, I state that I have always opposed those same supporters.
I am waiting for Gibbons to announce that his campaign slogan is CHANGE. Makes me sick.
July 4, 2008 at 12:35 pm
My sincere thanks to so many of the commenters who have given me information I never would have been able to get on my own. I appreciate the education and the insights into why some so-called Republicans are correctly called RINOs.
Happy Fourth of July to all of you!
July 4, 2008 at 12:39 pm
By the way, why are the references to nudism associated with Kraus? Is this an inside joke?
July 4, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Frankly, I don’t care how Horst voted. One No vote in a sea of Yes votes really doesn’t matter at all. So let’s leave him and his reasons alone. They don’t have to be right or make sense. That’s just Horst.
The big story, which is otherwise at risk of getting lost, is that the MCRC took a stand to protect a great Republican from a concerted effort by open-border, illegal-hiring employers who don’t want Russell Pearce defending our state from this invasion that has lined their pockets. Good job MCRC, now let’s back up that endorsement with some real fundraising and a serious get out the vote effort. Let’s kick those lawbreakers’ asses in the primary and defend our party and our state!
July 4, 2008 at 1:36 pm
And no Elizabeth, its not a joke. Horst runs a nudist colony, so we get lots of reference to naked politics, nude elephants, etc. Its a waste of time mostly, because Horst certainly isn’t ashamed or embarrassed by his lifestyle, so it serves little purpose.
July 4, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I think John has a point there about the big story getting lost and the stand taken by the MCRC. As I recall, a few months back, there was another vote taken against endorsing McCain for president. A number of EGC members who had committed to vote for the resolution not to endorse McCain were intimidated into changing their vote and the resolution failed, but did garner 12 votes. Could the EGC members see this as a way to get back at the McCain, Kyl, Flake Open Borders Amnesty bunch by voting against their surrogate?
July 4, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Kate,
I hope a commitment to Russell Pearce is more than “a way to get back” at McCain. John is right. We need to concentrate, on our Independence Day as a country, on supporting one of the most visible and effective Patriots of our time. Even if there were no McCain, no Flake, no Pacheco, we need to honor and support Russell Pearce.
Let us concentrate on the job at hand as his opponent has probably raised more than $100,000 in a strong effort to derail the fight against illegal immigration. Contact Mr. Pearce and offer your volunteer efforts. Much can be done from your home, so the cost of gasoline or other expenses are not a problem. According to the Secretary of State’s website, his campaign phone number is (480) 834-2004.
Don’t forget, Early Balloting begins in less than four weeks away.
July 4, 2008 at 11:08 pm
STANFORD: Yes, that is my understanding too. What is a district secretary doing voting at the EGC? I thought only a Chairman or a 1st Vice Chair could vote for a District? And what has Braswell made–half of the meetings maybe?
July 5, 2008 at 5:36 am
Great job EGC. We need to use all means necessary to root out the RINOs. And this is done in the primary. Unfortunately we failed this year in the Presidential race and ended up with the McCainiac. Major bummer!
July 5, 2008 at 7:01 am
What the deal with the Kraus name linked to the nudest ranch?
July 5, 2008 at 10:38 am
In state and local government just as at the national level it time for the “average guy ” to start paying attention to what is going on. Read “Free Lunch” and “Perfectly Legal”. Continuing to allow corporate interests (including McDonalds) at any level to dominate the political scene is ruining us.
July 5, 2008 at 11:11 am
William,
Kraus is the owner of the Shangri-La nudist colony. He prefers to call it a “clothing optional ranch.”
If you go to his website, you can even obtain a free one day visitor’s pass!