Jeff Flake and the bi-partisan company he keeps

Jeff Flakes on the border: “This time is different” he vows

National Review Online’s Jonathan Strong uncovers the Jeff Flake Arizonans know well enough to call Jeff McFlake, in acknowledgement of his sycophantic allegiance to his mentor. And like John McCain, Flake has become the darling of the “bi-partisan” crowd. Translated, that means he is more comfortable with Democrats than the Republicans he used to further his career.

In truth, the Libertarian-leaning Flake was never at ease in conservative garb. He talked up his aversion to earmarks in order to gather the East Valleyites he needed to win a seat in the U.S. House, but remains silent regarding the $6.3 trillion price tag of implementing the mammoth amnesty scheme and deliberate destruction of the Republican Party.  Now in the Senate, and with six years before he has to answer his critics, Flake has put pedal to the metal on promoting the opening of our borders for upward of 25 million illegal aliens — not the mythical 11 million figure in use for over a decade. Stretching the truth comes easily to the aptly named Flake, who nimbly broke his term limits pledge when it no longer suited him.

Sen. Dick Durbin one of Flake’s “Gang of 8” amnesty partners, warmly refers to those in our country illegally as “courageous,”  while publicly stating he’s not sure bloggers and Tweeters should be afforded the Constitutional protections granted to all American citizens.

Using the vaguest of terms to describe his confidence in the penalties for violations, Flake claims there will be “consequences.”  Although in a rare moment of honest reflection, he concedes that Janet Napolitano’s Department of Homeland Security hasn’t always acted in good faith dealing with border enforcement. Flake and Napolitano share an Arizona history going back to his days as a congressional representative and hers as governor. She and McCain are such good buddies that even knowing her leftist proclivities, he and Jon Kyl — the duo who went to the mat shoehorning Flake as Kyl’s replacement — still supported her nomination as DHS chieftain.

Such are the alliances built when “bi-partisanship” is heralded. Astute politicos know that the accurate definition of bi-partisanship is Republicans setting aside principles to join forces with Democrats in promoting their agenda. That was illuminated by the Republican-bucking “maverick” John McCain yesterday, when he thumbed his nose at the push for 6,500 border agents by declaring on the Senate floor that “No border is ever going to be sealed.” *

*H/T Breitbart

US Rep. Schweikert nixes AZ Medicaid expansion

Citing the fiscal risks and structural problems with the plan, Arizona’s 6^th Congressional District Congressman David Schweikert has announced his opposition to the proposal to expand Medicaid currently being debated in the Arizona Legislature:

“While I understand the desire of some of our state leaders to address uncompensated medical care, this proposal is simply too fiscally risky and should be voted down,” he said.

In explaining his opposition, Republican Schweikert said, “Specifically, this proposal relies upon a provision of federal law that allows states to effectively double-dip when collecting the provider tax, the first time from hospitals and then again from the federal government during the reimbursement process. Unfortunately, this provider tax reimbursement provision is currently being eyed by members of both parties to either be eliminated or substantially reduced. Should this happen, and there are indications that it will, Arizona taxpayers would be on the financial hook for the shortfall.”

“That fact drives my opposition to this proposal. Unfortunately, this proposal is not a ‘freebie’ for Arizona taxpayers as some have claimed. It is structurally flawed and will very likely become actuarially unsound in the very near future. I would strongly encourage legislators considering this proposal to fully understand the financial implications of what passage would mean for our state and more importantly for Arizona taxpayers.”

The Arizona native and small businessman knows a thing or two about fiscal issues. Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Schweikert served as Treasurer of Maricopa County — one of the largest counties in the United States. He was responsible for protecting billions of taxpayer dollars and earned over $300 million in investment income while never showing a deficit despite a tough economic environment. He holds an undergraduate degree in Finance as well as an MBA.

Congressman David Schweikert’s opposition to this unsustainable governmental overreach is based in expertise and intellectual acumen, combined with a good dose of common sense. Seeing Red AZ applauds his strong, conservative voice in opposition to Gov. Brewer’s efforts to expand Obama’s Medicaid into our state.

For additional clarity on this Medicaid expansion monstrosity, check in with the Heritage Foundation’s The Foundry. Amy Payne’s “Don’t Take the Money and Run,” explains that Medicaid, which is already so overloaded that the number of people on the program exceeds the population of France, Britain, or Italy — is substandard health care that is losing doctors every year. It comes with increasing and unsustainable costs that will be passed on to already overburdened taxpayers. Payne’s article links to the dire scenario laid out in “Expanding Medicaid, Shrinking Wallets,” by Byron Schlomach, director of the Center for Economic Prosperity at the Goldwater Institute.

We urge you to read them both.  Knowledge is power.

Welcome to AZ, Laura

Laura Ingraham says Jeff Flake “living up to his last name” 

The Daily Caller’s media reporter Jeff Poor, captured conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham’s words on her recent radio show, as she called out a number of Republican senators who voted to support the amnesty bill. Ingraham concluded the segment saying she was thinking about moving to Arizona to primary Sen. Jeff Flake, who is up for re-election in 2018.

Listen to Laura Ingraham here.

“Let me tell you — I am thinking of moving to Arizona,” Ingraham said. “You know why? I will primary challenge Sen. Jeff Flake myself, if that’s what this requires. Jeff Flake, living up to his last name, backed down from a previous promise his spokeswoman made to Breitbart. This is just like Marco [Rubio] breaking his promise, basically, that he would consider voting in favor of amendments to the Senate’s immigration bill that would close a loophole of allowing illegal immigrants access to state and local welfare. Jeff Flake voted with the liberals against the Ted Cruz amendment.”

Ingraham emphasized why this was an important issue and also suggested that Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Orrin Hatch be faced with primary opposition for their support of this measure as well.

“Should this be grounds to primary challenge every Republican who voted for this bill, and I mean every single one!” she continued. “I don’t care if they just got re-elected. Next time they’re up for re-election. Ann Coulter’s right. This is a single issue — this is a single-issue primary challenge. You know why? Because this is it. As Bill Kristol said on this show, as he said on this show, once you give this pathway to citizenship all these benefits, all this discretion to [Janet] Napolitano, it’s over. It’s too late to complain about it. It’s over.”

“Should these people be primary challenged — Jeff Flake, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and everyone else, Orrin Hatch,” Ingraham continued. “He just snuck in. He snuck in. He came on this show and he promised, ‘Oh I’m not for amnesty. I’m not for amnesty.’ Well, of course, Orrin Hatch voted — he voted with the Democrats on this issue.”

Heads up to Laura: 

Seeing Red AZ has dedicated an entire category to the slippery Arizona politician we call “Jeff the Flake.” The posts leading up to and during the 2012 campaign will give you plenty of background to mount a first-rate challenge. You’ve got the credentials and name recognition. Arizonans, living in the major border portal, will give you plenty of support.

AZ Dems get walloped, no woodshed for RINOs

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has launched a mobile billboard campaign targeting Democrat U.S. Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-CD1) and Ron Barber (AZ-CD 2) for their support of ObamaCare. The campaign kicked off at a press conference in Phoenix Tuesday morning and then headed to Tucson.

Both Kirkpatrick and Barber are committed liberals, supported by, and supportive of, Barack Obama. Their positions on the massive federal overhaul of our American health care delivery system should come as no surprise. They were straightforward in their support as they campaigned on behalf of this fundamental Democrat pillar.

What was a stunner, however, was the  recent defection of six Republican state Senators disgracefully joining with the 13 unified Democrats in supporting Arizona’s ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion.  Somehow missing out on a trip to the GOP woodshed are liberal colluders: Rich Crandall (LD-16), Adam Driggs (LD-28), John McComish (LD18), Steve Pierce (LD-1), Michele Reagan (LD-23) and Bob Worsley (LD-25).

Although the Congressional Democrats were derided as “hypocrites,” the actions of the genuine hypocrites — those six elected Republicans shamefully conspiring and voting with Democrats –  were greeted with silence at yesterday‘s press conference conducted by GOP state chairman Robert Graham.

The movable billboards encourage Arizona voters to contact Ron Barber and Ann Kirkpatrick, over their long acknowledged support of ObamaCare. A more constructive use of  time would be spent contacting those who ran as Republicans and then conspired against freedom with Democrats. The main number for the front desk at the Arizona Senate is available here.

The six errant sheep are following a bad shepherd leading Arizonans into a pack of wolves — the federal bureaucracy that will unconstitutionally and at trillions of dollars in costs, control our health care delivery system.  Their actions violated the 2012 Republican Party Platform position against this massive governmental overreach, which begins on page 32 under the title “Repealing Obamacare.” Before the AZ GOP points out the splinter in the eyes of the Democrats, they should remove the plank from their own.

Weekend reading guaranteed to make you smarter

Amnesty lies revealed

Conservative columnist Thomas Sowell is a favorite for a reason. His brilliant mind clarifies and distills issues that have been analyzed and debated ad infinitum. Here’s Sowell’s take on “Comprehensive” immigration reform, which he argues “serves the interests of politicians who like to be on both sides of a controversial issue, and it serves the interests of those foreigners who want to game the system in the United States, at the expense of the American people. But it does not serve the interests of American society.”

On the issue of anchor babies, Sowell minces no words: “If nothing else, putting a legal end to the “anchor baby” racket might suggest to the American public that they were regarded in Congress as something more than expendable suckers who can be mollified with rhetoric.”

Today’s recommended reading is the incisive, icing-on-the-amnesty-cake commentary Immigration Sophistry to bring you up to speed on the truth behind what we are being sold by the disreputable “Gang of 8.”  Sowell hits all the glib distortions being fed as facts to the American people. For additional background, read Immigration Gambles: Part II and Immigration Gambles.  

Here in the border state of Arizona, we are particularly vulnerable — even more so since two of the gangsters are Arizona senators. The deceptive John McCain is leading this massive sham as well as the ultimate destruction of the Republican Party, along with his open-borders protégé Jeff Flake.

Jeff Flake a “coward” says AZ Republic

Opportunist Flake casts unusual vote upsetting his media friends

This morning’s editorial in the Arizona Republic, Senators take cowardly exit, gives a scathing evaluation of Arizona’s junior senator. The rage fairly jumps off the page as it focuses on Jeff Flake, opining his “nay” vote on universal background checks was “extremely dismaying” while huffing “this was not a proud day for Arizona’s new senator.” It blames NRA Executive VP Wayne LaPierre for the votes they despised:  “It shouldn’t have to take political bravery to stare down the NRA on an issue like this. But, obviously, that is what it is going to take for any meaningful gun-law reform to pass. Flake, alas, failed that test on Wednesday,” spews the editorial.

It’s happened before, as we pointed out in Oops — Jeff Flake’s crown slips as he sinks to mere McPolitician,” when, as an unwavering amnesty-supporting congressman, Flake did an about-face to win conservative votes for the senate seat he so blatantly coveted. At the time, editorialist Doug MacEachern called Flake’s change of heart on legalizing millions of illegal aliens “jarring.”  Imagine our surprise as the Republic declared the vacillating Flake to be a mere “politician” — no longer a “statesman” — for emulating John McCain’s border fickleness during his own 2010 senatorial campaign.

For yesterday’s vote, the newspaper lavishes praise on John McCain, who it claims, “did not fail” as “one of just four Republicans who dared follow their conscience on this bill.” McCain is complimented for taking the path “of the maverick once more.”

Flake, taken to the Republic’s woodshed, is soundly admonished not to let “the harangues of Wayne LaPierre ring through [his] ears the next time this bill comes up.”

Conservatives should make no mistake. Flake’s vote reflected an acknowledgement of realities and his own future political interests.

On April 1, in a post titled, Jeff Flake: Why is only 1 bridge “too far?” Seeing Red AZ exposed Flake’s inconsistent positions on the mega issues of guns and amnesty, writing: “While colluding with Democrats and his mentor John McCain to throw open our nation’s southern border to illegal aliens, Jeff McFlake demonstrated his political savvy Sunday on NBC’s ”Meet the Press”— doing a great impression of an equivocator. Aware that he has alienated a good segment of Republican grassroots activists with his longstanding allegiance to amnesty, he scurries to take a tougher position on universal background checks on gun sales, hoping to solidify his eroding support.”

Such is the duplicity of Jeff Flake. Get used to it or get rid of him before he becomes further entrenched. He already sways like a monkey on a branch.

Kirkpatrick, Barber: Will gun control backfire in rural AZ?

Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick (CD1) is increasing her vulnerability as the midterm elections approach. Previously ousted by district voters, she was given another bite at the congressional apple after redistricting changed the parameters. Now taking the Obama administration’s hard-line on curtailing gun ownership by way of imposition of increasingly rigid regulations, Kirkpatrick risks alienating rural Arizona voters who comprise solid portions of the First Congressional District. Many rural voters — even Democrats — tend to be supportive of Second Amendment rights.

Ron Barber’s CD 2 covers part of Tucson and extends to the border, with vast rural areas dotted with ranching communities, similar to Kirkpatrick’s. Democrat Barber also has the added complication of proximity to the U.S.- Mexico border, where crime is rampant and Arizona citizens want the ability to defend their families and property.

All of Arizona’s Democrat Congressional delegation now support restrictive gun-control proposals. Before being co-opted by Obama on this highly charged issue, Kirkpatrick previously touted her credentials as the only Arizona Democrat in Congress with an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.

Don’t look for that to be the case in 2014.

This article in the daily gives insight into the voters who comprise these congressional districts.

McCain colludes with Dems: Pushes gun restrictions

Registry rankles gun owners; Bloomberg tries to “buy America”

In another of his seemingly endless conspiracies with the far left, Sen. John McCain has again emerged as a key player in advancing the passage of gun control legislation intended to expand background checks on all private sales of firearms.

The Senate is expected to vote on a comprehensive (there’s that McWord again) gun control bill when lawmakers return from Easter recess in April. Republicans involved in the negotiations objected to measures they felt could lead to the creation of a federal database of gun owners and language which could impede the transfer of weapons between family members or friends.

The latest impetus for the imposition of gun restrictions was the horrific mass murder of young school children in Newtown, Connecticut. Yet those guns were legally purchased with a background check. The bill being considered would have had no impact on the perpetrator. The state in which the tragedy took place has among the most stringent gun control laws in the nation. Ironically, the pro-gun-control Brady Campaign scorecard proclaims, “Connecticut has strong gun laws that help combat the illegal gun market, prevent the sale of most guns without background checks and reduce risks to children.”

Included in the bill is a measure introduced by Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer to implement universal background checks on all private firearm sales. Semi-automatic firearms, politically reconfigured by use of the incendiary term “assault weapons,” have currently been dropped from the Senate‘s bill.

Meanwhile Liberal New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chairman of “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” pompously opined Sunday that it’s his responsibility to provide advocates for stricter gun control with a national voice that counteracts the NRA’s powerful influence. Reputed as having over $27 billion in personal wealth, Bloomberg is personally funding a massive $12 million advertising campaign aimed at ginning up support for tighter gun restrictions in the states of 13 key senators, facing a vote on several gun control measures. McCain’s sycophantic junior senate cohort Jeff Flake is among those targeted. Apparently he hasn’t gotten his marching orders from McMaverick.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” the NRA‘s Wayne LaPierre countered Bloomberg‘s efforts, “He can’t spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the American public. He can’t buy America.” 

The video can also be seen here.

H/T Commenter Doc

Illegal immigration: The missing components

It’s time to acknowledge that violating our laws reaps rewards

The supporters of amnesty for those who have entered our country illegally are once again attempting to shove this ill-conceived and costly notion down the throats of American citizens. And once again the impact and the numbers are underestimated. For the better part of a decade we have been fed a stagnate 10+ million.

Through his pre-election political posturing and executive orders, Barack Obama authorized “deferred action” for illegals up to the age of 30 — who allege they were brought here as children — allowing them to remain in the U.S. for two years, with indefinite renewals. They can also apply for work authorization, adding an estimated 2 million job-seekers to the workforce at a time of record unemployment. There is no possible way to refute their claims or enforce restrictions.

U.S.-born children of illegal aliens are not only eligible for instant citizenship, but are the key to sponsoring extended family members legally into the country once they turn 21, through the insidious practice of chain migration. As we have previously reported, a thriving industry known as birth tourism caters to pregnant women from China, the Middle East, and various other nations who want to ensure their children have U.S. citizenship.

The United States (along with Canada) is the remaining developed nation to grant automatic citizenship to children born within its borders, regardless of the parents’ status.

These nations repealed Birthright Citizenship in recent years:  Australia (2007), New Zealand (2005), Ireland (2005), France (1993), India (1987), Malta (1989), United Kingdom (1983), and Portugal (1981). Numbers USA has the complete list with notes and citations regarding birthright citizenship laws in the countries listed — along with those counties with and without these provisions.

In 2011, H.R.140, the Birthright Citizenship Bill — with 90 co-sponsors — was introduced in Congress. Its intent was to end the practice of granting automatic citizenship to all children born in the U.S., by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act, not the Constitution. 

The 14^th Amendment to the Constitution, which rightly applied to American-born children of freed African-born slaves, was enacted in 1868 after the Civil War. Many legal scholars believe it has been misinterpreted.

The exact and brief wording of H.R. 140 can be read here. Upon being referred to the sub-committee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, it appears to have died. Among the Republicans in the Arizona congressional delegation, just one name is missing: Jeff Flake.

You know the rest of the story.  He is now in the U.S. Senate, where he is part of the Gang of Eight pushing Shamnesty under the guise of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, with his new buddy John McCain.

We’ve been down this path before.  In 1986 Ronald Reagan signed what came to be known as the Simpson/Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). It promised to be a one-time arrangement to fix “a broken immigration system,” by granting 3 to 5 million illegal aliens legal status. The bill included “employer sanctions” and “border security.”

Sound familiar?

The Center for Immigration Studies has this excellent article titled “Before Considering Another Amnesty, Look at IRCA’s Lessons” by David North. We highly recommend it to you.

AZ’s new lows: Sinema, joblessness cause image to tumble

This past November we shared the news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the unemployment rate in Yuma, AZ stood at a staggering 29.8 percent — more than three-and-a-half times the national rate.

Now Washington Whispers embarrasses us further with this report detailing that Arizona has sent the first ever member of Congress who describes her religion as “none.” That member is far-left liberal and self-described bi-sexual, Kyrsten Sinema.

For Sinema, this is not simply an attention getting device. Promoting a secular, hedonistic society has earned her awards and recognition from both secular and atheist groups.

In October 2010, Sinema addressed the opening of the nontheistic Secular Coalition for Arizona. Then, in March 2011, The Center for Inquiry bestowed its Award for the Advancement of Science and Reason in Public Policy, in “recognition of her work to protect women’s rights and the separation of church and state, as well as for her support of LGBT rights, science-based sex education, and sound environmental policies.” She is also adamantly pro-abortion.

Her radical views are not confined to the areas of sex and secularism. While a member of the Arizona House of Representatives in 2007, Sinema was one of eight Democrats who introduced HB 2286, a sly bill relating to organized crime and fraud, the intent of which was  to impose a mandatory minimum jail sentence of six months for members of the civilian Minutemen,  who were trying to get a negligent U.S. government to simply enforce existing immigration laws by alerting authorities to the flow of illegal invaders crossing our southern border. She referred to these American citizens as “domestic terrorists.”

A former state legislator, Sinema lost her initial race as a Green Party candidate. She later re-created herself as a Democrat. Once elected, she unleashed her barrage of slings and arrows at values-based  Arizonans, even calling stay-at-home mothers “leeches” on their husbands or boyfriends.

She has diligently worked to ingratiate herself with Barack Obama through her cozy ties to former Arizona governor and current Homeland Security chieftain, Janet Napolitano.

Moonbattery has links to Sinema’s ties and salutations to the Communist Party.

We expect Obama — twice endorsed by the Communist Party USA as reported in the Canadian Free Press, and already mainstreaming Marxism — to promote like-thinking extremist Sinema, to assist in facilitating their vision of American destruction.

The AZ República newspaper would have us believe our prestige is lowered because of SB 1070, the much copied bill that has won national acclaim. In the first quarter of 2012 alone, 865 bills and resolutions relating to immigrants and refugees were introduced in 45 state legislatures and the District of Columbia.