Jeff Flake exposed — again*

U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake has perfected his dip-and-dodge routine to the point that he is unable to give a straight answer to questions regarding his slipperiness on conservative issues, even to decidedly liberal publications such as Mother Jones. Instead, the libertarian Flake tried to convince Mother Jones (Jeff Flake’s Immigration Problem) that we are all on the same ambiguous page — which is anything but the truth:

“As you might be able to tell,” he disingenuously says,” Arizona voters have a bit of a libertarian streak, an independent streak. I think they appreciate a politician who isn’t lockstep in any one way.”

The truth is, Republicans, Independents and voters of all stripes aligned with the Tea Party, are categorically conservative.

In his article, Ariz. Senate Candidate Jeff Flake Indicates That Visa-Overstayers Shouldn’t Have To Go Home, Roy Beck of NumbersUSA, writes that Flake showed that he just can’t let go of his pro-amnesty views despite their liability to him in his run for the AZ Senate seat in 2012.

Beck calls Flake’s quotes in the Mother Jones article “even more radical than anything he’s ever said before, and that includes all of his work with Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) for a comprehensive amnesty.”

On their immigration reduction report card, NumbersUSA gives Gutierrez a grade of F-.  Govtrack Lists Gutierrez as a “lonely far-left Democrat.“ It’s a good bet most of the East Valley conservatives in Jeff Flake’s district are unfamiliar with the alliance — which Flake did his best to hide when Gutierrez was in Phoenix as part of his 17-city amnesty tour.

In this article The Numbers Are On Our Side, Gutierrez credits Jeff Flake for his support as “hard-working immigrants are turning red states blue.”

* More exposures.

Legal criminal?

Notice the last sentence regarding a criminal drug bust in this report in the daily. The circumstances are unusual enough that they warrant specific mention — although the name of the suspect is oddly missing.

As a special gift to our readers, we offer this bit of assistance in reading this newspaper.

AZ “Honor” killing: Muslim dad rates only second-degree murder verdict

The daily covers the case of the Iraqi immigrant father, Faleh Hassan Al-Maleki, who stalked, threatened and tormented his 20-year-old daughter Noor, before finally murdering her for being too “westernized“ — not Muslim enough.

A Maricopa County Superior Court jury has found him guilty of running down Noor and injuring her boyfriend’s mother, Amal Khalaf, 41, in a Peoria parking lot in October 2009.  And like the Buffalo beheader, he only received a second-degree conviction.

Politically correct juries appear to go soft on Muslim murderers.

Additional background can be read here.

Birthright citizenship bill gets AZ Senate nod; Crandall votes with Dems

The Arizona Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a bill intended to set up a Supreme Court test case regarding the granting of citizenship for children born to parents illegally residing in the United States.

The bill (SB 1308) and a companion measure (SB1309) setting up a birth certificate compact between states that agree  at least one of a child’s parents is an American citizen passed on a 8-5 vote.

Also scheduled for debate is an extensive immigration bill that addresses illegal aliens with regard to housing, public benefits and employment.

The vote on the citizenship bill broke along party lines, with only one Republican — Rich Crandall (Dist. 19) — opposing it. It will now move to the full Senate for debate.

Democrat senators Paula Aboud, Olivia Cajero Bedford, David Schapira and Kyrsten Sinema voted No. They were joined by Republican Rich Crandall.

Republican senators Sylvia Allen, Andy Biggs, Ron Gould, Lori Klein, Al Melvin, Rick Murphy, Don Shooter and Steve Smith all voted in support of the bill.

Last year we reported on Crandall’s pathetic record in the House, where the Mesa Republican missed nearly two-thirds of the votes, a whopping 254.  His primary opponent withdrew in the waning days of the campaign, and Crandall was elected to the senate — where he continues to disappoint.

“Insurgents” meet in Tucson

 Embarrassed to be liberals, they are now reincarnated as “progressives”

This article the Arizona Daily Star details the recent rally held by the Tucson Chapter of Progressive Democrats of America. The radical left-wing ideologues in attendance say they are sick of compromising.

They want it all, they want others to pay for it, and they want it now.

“We are not the Demo-cratic Party,” said Tim Carpenter, the organization’s executive director. “We are what we want the Demo-cratic Party to become.”We are the insurgency inside the Democratic Party,” he said to cheers.

Sounding a lot more like Socialists than Democrats, they are even disenchanted with liberal Barack Obama, whom they accuse of cutting deals on tax cuts. The crowd reportedly hissed at a reference to Wisconsin’s heroic Republican Gov. Scott Walker, cheered at mentions of ObamaCare and expressed dismay at the reining in of out-of-control federal expenditures — being implemented by the new Republican majority congress in response to unsustainable spending programs.

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, who nearly lost his last election to a savvy novice candidate after calling for a boycott of Arizona “goods, services and tourism,” told the crowd the Tea Party movement will be short-lived. During his campaign, he referred to the activists as “frightening creatures from the Tea Party.”

These folks are reminiscent of the Creatures from the Black Lagoon themselves.

Jeff Flake perfects McCain impersonation

Sean Sullivan writing for the National Journal’s Hotline On Call titles his commentary: Flake defends immigration record as others disapprove. The article begins with these topical words: “Following an election cycle in which immigration and border security were front and center in several statewide contests, Arizona finds itself fractured politically, with different groups, factions, parties, and even subdivisions within parties clinging to disparate beliefs about how to address concerns over the border.

And recently declared Senate candidate Rep. Jeff Flake’s success in the Republican primary will likely hinge heavily on how he navigates the issue.”

Arizonans are all too aware that as Flake positions himself as a fiscal watchdog, he ignores the devastating effects illegal immigration is having on states across the breadth of the nation. Fiscal responsibility does not go hand-in-hand with the staggering costs of illegal immigration or promotion of McCain-style comprehensive immigration reform.  Like McCain, Flake has formed strong alliances with the most liberal of Democrats, standing in opposition to the grassroots of his own party.

For those who have questions about Jeff Flake’s opinion on this overarching issue, do yourself a favor and read this article, paying particular attention to the crafty word play as Flake massages this core topic for all it‘s worth.

The article is filled with a variety of noteworthy quotes from Flake and Arizona Republican Party leaders. Despite his machinations, Flake still ends up sounding like John McCain.

Matt Salmon weighing U.S. Senate bid

The AZ Capitol Times, quoting the Yellow Sheet, is reporting that former Congressman Matt Salmon is seriously considering launching a bid for Jon Kyl’s seat and has begun making calls to gauge support.

Salmon was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 2002, losing to Janet Napolitano. He later served as AZ GOP chairman. Unlike Jeff Flake, he honored his term-limit pledge and left congress after three terms.

 

Phoenix Mayor Philly Gordon and his Bahraini royal pals

From Robert Robb’s Political Notebook is this segment with which we agree:

One of the innumerable mysteries in Arizona politics is why Mayor Phil Gordon believes that the path to prosperity for Phoenix goes through the sovereign wealth funds of Persian Gulf monarchies.

Yet there Gordon was, feting a trade mission from Bahrain that turned out to be remarkably ill-timed. Gordon brought the head of Bahrain’s economic-development board, who happens to be a member of the royal family, to speak with The Republic’s editorial board.

Gordon and Shaikh Al-Khalifa depicted Bahrain as a pretty modern-day place, open for business and governed as a constitutional monarchy. Well, a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch still appoints the prime minister, all cabinet officers (half of whom are from the royal family), the upper house of parliament and judges. A decorative figurehead English-style monarchy this ain’t.

By the end of the week, Bahrain was engulfed in growing protests by the Shiite majority increasingly restive under a Sunni monarchy that still clearly runs things for its own benefit.

The trade mission ended up looking pretty tawdry. But here’s how Gordon can salvage it.

Phoenix voters were told private investors would be lining up to build a convention hotel if they approved bonds to expand the convention center. Except the private investors never showed up, and the city had to build it instead.

Sheraton manages it, but the taxpayers own it. Why doesn’t Gordon sell it to the Bahrainis?

Seeing Red AZ has covered the global jet-setting Phoenix mayor numerous times and wondered — as Robb does — why Middle Eastern monarchies hold such fascination for Philly Gordon. A favorite stomping ground is the United Arab Emirates port of Dubai, to which he has made numerous trips. Forgetting he is a city mayor and not the governor, Gordon blamed a lack of leadership and resources at the state level for compelling him to promote Phoenix and Arizona internationally.

This quote from July 2009 sums up his convoluted reasoning for his inexhaustible travel:

“When developing new economic opportunities, you have to do things face to face. I believe to create jobs, to help our city, to keep people safe, the mayor of Phoenix should be leading, not following, and risking that Phoenix will be passed by others cities in the country.

And I’m good at it. I’ve got the energy, I’ve got the background, and I’m representing the state of Arizona when I’m doing this.”

Good thing he’s term-limited.  Even the Republic is wearying of him.

John McCain: It’s that old legacy thing again

“John is going to be in a place to really affect the course of the debate on national security and domestic policy because of all of his years of experience and the positions he has within the institution. I think in many ways John McCain’s best days are ahead of him.”

– Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), John McCain’s close political ally

This quote is excerpted from a lengthy article in the daily, written by Dan Nowicki whose special assignment was shadowing McCain during his failed 2008 presidential campaign. The report speculates on how McCain’s “bold agenda may recast his legacy.”

We’ve previously written about legacies. This post, for example, clearly documents the legacy that border laxity has provided American citizens of the southwestern United States. As a U.S. Senator, John McCain’s pro-illegal alien border policies have had far-reaching and detrimental effects, extending well beyond Arizona — where Rasmussen Reports noted that 70% of Arizona voters supported SB 1070 and “cracking down on illegal immigration.”

Known for forging alliances with Democrats, McCain is more of a polarizing figure than ever, clearly evidenced by his near inability to carry his home state during the presidential campaign. He managed a weak 8.9% margin of victory and lost four Arizona counties to his foe. At 74, his influence has clearly unraveled, as both the state and Maricopa County GOP elected conservative leadership with tea party ties to run the party apparatus — a monumental repudiation of the McCain-Kyl establishment wing. His pandering on the issue of illegal immigration was worthless, as Barack Obama carried the Hispanic vote nationally.

After suffering the stinging defeat in 2008, he duplicitously veered right for his senate reelection campaign, frantically spending over $25 million to keep his seat when challenged by conservative former Congressman J.D. Hayworth.

John McCain’s legacy? You decide.

Napolitano isn’t running for AZ Senate — because she can’t

Arizona Democrats were none too thrilled when their liberal nanny Janet Napolitano abandoned her governor’s seat to join Obama’s administration. They will never forgive her for for deserting them and leaving them in the hands of Republican Jan Brewer, who actually signed SB 1070 and pro-life bills into law.  Those measures would have seen the bottom of Napolitano’s trash bin, had she stayed in office.

An open borders proponent who is unable to say the word “terrorist” — preferring to call their acts “man-caused disasters,” Napolitano is savvy enough to realize she’s burned her bridges in Arizona. She understands the senate seat held by retiring Jon Kyl is beyond her grasp. Thus, the National Journal’s news is no news at all to anyone living in Arizona. Janet Napolitano is distrusted by the Democrats she orphaned and detested by Republicans who control the state legislature and all of the major offices.

She couldn’t win her way out of a paper bag in this state.