The Arizona Republic is editorially sputtering out of control today. Jeff Flake has fallen from grace as the newspaper’s anointed amnesty advocate since declaring his candidacy for the soon to be vacant U.S. Senate seat. Editorialist Doug MacEachern calls Flake’s change of heart on legalizing millions of illegal aliens “jarring.”
As John McCain’s comprehensive immigration reform/amnesty co-author Jon Kyl bids adieu to the senate, political observers agreed that the loosey-goosey, pro-amnesty Flake would win the newspaper’s heart. Today the dejected MacEachern referred to Flake’s previous appeal, now irretrievably tarnished, as exemplifying the “patron saint of unlikely causes.”
Imagine our surprise as the Republic declares Flake to be a mere “politician” — no longer a “statesman” — for emulating John McCain’s campaign border epiphany during his last senatorial campaign.
In his failed presidential bid, McCain hired the preeminent extremist, open borders proponent Juan “Mexico First” Hernandez, as his Hispanic Outreach director and made amnesty promises to the radical racist group La Raza. Then as a panicky senatorial candidate, he backtracked to border hawk and suddenly the salty tongued McCain wanted to “complete the danged fence.”
Jeff Flake, who has made a career of his opposition to costly congressional earmarks, has never explained his bonding to the costliest of measures as he partnered with far-left liberal Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez on the STRIVE Act — granting tuition and other taxpayer funded benefits — while gifting amnesty for illegal aliens living in our country. STRIVE and the nightmarish DREAM Act were both applauded by La Raza.
Jeff Flake’s politically expedient reversal on border policy exposes him as McCain‘s astute protegé.
Seeing Red AZ 
Once again you guys get it right! Flake can’t hang loose with Luis on illegals and hope to make any headway within the tea party movement or with conservatives, all of whom are fed up with the avalanche of illegals invading the US…and all of whom he needs to cast their ballots for him. Keep exposing his finger-to-the-wind duplicity. It’s important.
Notice that the smarmy Juan Hernandez uses that same oily term ”My friend” that McCain uses. Who came up with that gagable line first? He makes no bones about the fact that he wants NO BORDERS at all and Mexicans will reclaim the American southwest. This is the guy advising McCain! And by the way, why does any candidate need an “outreach director” to any specific ethnic group? Aren’t we all Americans?
McFlake has also fallen from grace with the Family Research Council, a premier nationally respected, conservative organization. They referred to Flake’s vote to pass “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” as a “huge disappointment,” citing Flake’s “weakness” as he “broke away from the GOP” in a “stand alone vote.”
The FRC article is here:
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU10L16&f=PG07J01
Jeff Flake is a joke! As a parent, I sincerely hope Trent Franks gets in this race. If we are not given a clear choice between a conservative Republican and this opportunist, the future is lost. Whoever challenges Flake needs to cut clear distinctions and not worry about congressional friendships. I want a real choice and a conservative candidate willing to speak out about what the differences are. This is an important race that will determine Arizona’s future. If we continually cave in to the illegals, we will seal our fate. The rule of law needs to stand for something. Our border should stand as the legitimate defender of our national sovereignty.
Jeff Flake likes earmarks, but is just sneakier about how they’re handled.
Ever amnesty bill since the 2003 AgJobs bill has provided taxpayer money to pay lawyers’ fees for illegals, and of course Flakey has supported every one of them.
Immigration lawyers wholeheartedly support amnesty bills, knowing that the 25 million illegals will be coming to them to handle the paperwork needed to convert these lawbreakers to what McCain and Flakey call “good-hearted Americans.”
An earmerk is public money designed to benefit a specific group of people to the exclusion of others. Flakey’s support of amnesty legislation that will benefit his brother-in-law is an earmark, although Beefcake Flake probably won’t admit it.
Adam Driggs come to mined anyone? He voted no on all the amnesty bills in the legislature last week. He is an illegal alien attorney. McCain.Kyl/Flake/
Driggs all make money off the illegals while we pay for it.
Expediency trumps principles — until the ones you are trying to convince to give you their vote realize they’re being played for fools. I suggest the Flakester parade around minus his clothes again. That might help him with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” crowd that he supports.
http://reason.com/blog/2009/10/12/rep-jeff-flake-goes-on-island
Flake may be McCain lite now. Just wait and see what he’ll morph into if we have the bad fortune for him to be elected. We’ll long for the days of Nasty, foul mouthed Johnny Mac. This guy will grin while sticking a shiv in our ribs. McCain is foul, but he no longer has the ability to con those of us with brains. The rest elected him.
Flake is trying desperately to court the Tea Party vote in Arizona. He was nearly booed out the door of the East Valley Tea Party. The only people who clapped for him were the entourage he brought with him. Save yourself from embarrassment Flake, AZ Tea Parties already have written you off.
He’s already out there claiming to be the “Tea Party Endorsed Candidate”.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/flake-picks-up-tea-party-group-endorsement-in-az-sen.php
He has snowed the newbie Congressmen from outside of our state (Toomey, Lee, Rubio) who don’t realize what a phony he is and that he is NOT endorsed by the REAL Tea Party. He has proven to be a typical lying politician who will do/say anything to get elected. I hope that he goes down in flames and that this will be the last we will have to see of him in the political arena.
Well said neo48.
FreedomWorks is a FAUX Tea Party group! They are a well-financed globalist loving, extreme free-trade, group supporting unlimited immigration, legal or illegal, (preferably illegal, to lower the wages) in order to have lower labor costs in America.
Dick Armey gets paid $750K as it’s Chairman! NOW WHO THINKS this money is coming from grassroot supporters!? This group is a Trojan Horse trying to unjustly claim a mantle of Constitutional Conservatism.
Flake has more friends among progressive Democrats than he does among Tea Party groups in Arizona.
You’re kidding, right? Other than some exasperation when he stated his belief that Obama was, indeed, born in Hawaii, Flake was very well received at the East Valley Tea Party. It was an educational night for everyone there; the Tea Party got some cold, hard facts from a member of Congress who has been fighting for conservative values for years, and Jeff Flake realized that auditing the Federal Reserve and dealing with other corruption issues is something the Tea Party is concerned about.
The EV Tea Party and Flake were very respectful of each other, and Flake stayed late answering many questions. It was a very smooth night. “Nearly booed out the door” is not even an opinion; it is a flat-out lie from someone who is trying to make it look like Flake has no Tea Party support.
Steve,
Flake has no Tea Party support, he was almost asked to leave the Tea Party Summit, he was not invited he showed up hoping to get publicity from it.
Steve Calabrese,
First, have you seen any endorsements of Flake from this group? Being polite and respectful of a sitting Congressman is NOT the same as accepting his policies. You are being deceptive in your posts, by mischaracterizing the politeness as acceptance.
The Arizona Tea Party movement is STRIDENTLY OPPOSED to amnesty and illegall immigration. Flake and his wife’s Immigration attorney brother LOVE illegal immigration and the scads of new clients who will need and would have gotten gov’t paid legal fees, if any of Amnesty Bills had passed over the last decade.
You are either a progressive who benefits from illegal immigration or you are utterly naive about the real people who love the Founding Principles of our country written in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Dick Armey and FreedomWorks (to screw over the US!), are NOT Constitutional Conservatives! I consider Dick and Matthew Kibbe to be traitors.
I just asked Rep. Flake at a precinct meeting not too long ago why he continues to be for comprehensive immigration reform. And once he “regularizes” the folks that are here illegally–by what moral authority would he have to tell the next person who comes here illegally, no you can’t stay. He went on with some long explanation that in the end did not answer my question. Do I believe him now? Of course not.
I am just waiting for the political ad that has him and Sheriff Babeu walking along the border and Rep. Flake saying the words complete the danged fence!
@AZ Conservative Guy: “finger to the wind”? really? If Representative Flake really voted like that he would have changed his stance on immigration long ago. And you really think he would get the vote of illegal immigrants? Look at the legislation. It’s a far cry from “amnesty” if you actually read it. Requiring illegals to pay all their back taxes plus a heavy fine, and go to the end of the line to come back legally. I don’t know how you define amnesty but that doesn’t sound like it to me.
Jeff Flake is a man of integrity. I know this not because I have read blogs saying that or even listened to friends tell me – I know it because I have looked at his record. He always votes the way he says he will. And if he changes his mind on an issue, he lets the voters know before they put him back in office. And then he follows through.
I don’t agree with every vote Rep. Flake has made. But realistically, I don’t think it’s fair to expect anyone to agree with you on every single issue. I am 100% satisfied with Jeff Flake as my representative, and I hope to have him as my senator in 2012.
Oh, and please don’t write me off as a “liberal” or “moderate”. I am extremely conservative – went to one of the first tea party rallies (ditched class to go, actually), and several tea party meetings since then. I’m against amnesty and supported SB 1070. I didn’t vote for McCain. I carry a marked copy of the Constitution in my purse and use it frequently to support my arguments when discussing politics. So name-calling won’t discredit my opinion. Sorry to disappoint you. If you look outside of your group of bloggers you might find that there is a large group of true conservatives who support Jeff Flake, not because they agree on everything but because he has proven himself to fight for them on their biggest issues.
Jeff Flake is the King of self-promotion. That comes just slightly ahead of his dedicated promotion of amnesty for illegal aliens. Regardless of whether it’s called “comprehensive immigration reform,” the more benign sounding “temporary guest worker program” or whatever is the tactical name of the moment, it’s all aimed at the same outcome. This issue is not about race. It is about lawlessness and total disregard of our nation and her citizens. We fund this criminality while Jeff Flake, and his mentors John McCain and Jon Kyl promote rewarding these invaders. There are no words to fully describe my disgust. Vote for Flake? Are you kidding? I love my family too much. I fought for my country which I also love. While I was in uniform, Jeff Flake was undermining me and mine. He’s not simply a fraud. He’s an aider and abettor of crime.
When the Arizona Republic becomes disenchanted with a left-leaning Republican, you can bet that Republican is not representative of the conservative mainstream of the party, including those in the Tea Party. For this squishy newspaper to dump on Flake sends a loud and clear message that Flake is in real trouble. No tears for him from this corner. I hope he loses big!
So a relatively liberal newspaper not liking a Republican candidate’s stance is a bad thing? I don’t get your thought process, Maggie.
amatt: Your head is so securely tucked up you-know-where, that you don’t get it that the liberal Republic was in Flake’s corner all along because he is their kind of Republican: squishy! They are aghast at his sudden political maneuvering to the right — just like his buddy McCain — for the expressed purpose of conning Republican voters in preparation for the senate race. Flake has no core values. His change of heart was based solely on his desire to win. If (God forbid!) that occurs, he will, just like McCain, return to his amnesty stance within days of the election.
This new found position will just be another “mistake” such as solemnly pledging to term limit himself and then, when the time to do it arrived, deciding not to. He called his vow a “mistake.” If I were Cheryl Flake, I’d be very wary of his vows, especially when he leaves his family for a stint on a desert island with only his camera to record his shirtless physique. What a jerk.
It is a ruse, people may think oh Flakey must be a good guy the Arizona Republic is not fond of him.
Or it means that Flake is too much of a threat to the liberal/corrupt establishment, ever think of that?
The last thing the Republic wants is another conservative who gets things done to go to the Senate. It’s a miracle they supported Schweikert. They will never support another conservative for Senate.
When did you take up day dreaming, Steve? The Republic is furious with Flake for this sharp right turn on illegal immigration. They support amnesty and so does Flake. Now he’s pulling a McCain and they are devastated.
“Or it means that Flake is too much of a threat to the liberal/corrupt establishment, ever think of that?”
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Yeah. THAT’S it. He’s a big huge threat to liberals. (cough) Guttierez (cough)
Former Congressman Matt Salmon has been quoted as saying he will support Congressman Trent Franks if he enters this race. My favorite is still JD Hayworth, but I doubt he’ll run again.
It should be interesting to see the effect of Salmon’s defection from a fellow East Valley LDS member. There must be more than a slim vial of bad blood.
It would be an interesting point if the claim about Matt Salmon backing Frank’s was at all valid. This seems like a rumor that will be said enough that unintelligent people will think it to be fact.
The only differences between Flake and Franks are social issues. Franks wants his social issue stances to be law while Flake doesn’t want anyone’s social issue stances to be law. Franks wants his “freedom” while Flake wants true freedom.
JD even being mentioned in the Senate race is a joke. He was a worse choice than McCain. We luckily don’t have that problem this time around, better candidates for all.
All that Kool Aid is going to give you diabetes. amatt.
JD was an excellent candidate. McCain outspent him by over $25 million. Those are not odds even your Sneaky McFlake would function well under.
Your responses are beginning to sound like rote, right out of the can. Freedom? My freedom and your freedom? You remind me of my ex-wife who told me once that “your reality is not my reality.” She was a problem drinker the signs of which I was unaware until it was too late, But this is the lingo she learned at her AA meetings. Fortunately it was years ago, no children. My current life is blissfully blessed with a delightful family. It’s the words you used that brought all of this past to mind. Sorry for the ramble to get to my point.
The Salmon information is not a “claim.” It was printed in the subscription only Arizona Guardian:
This is just part of the article which I have dutifully typed verbatim:
Back when Congressman Jeff Flake first ran for office more than a decade ago, he did so with the backing of his old pal and political heavy, Matt Salmon. But now, as Flake tries to make the jump from the House to the Senate, he’ll have to do it without Salmon’s blessing. On Monday, Salmon said he’d likely endorse Congressman Trent Franks should he decide to roll the dice and run for the open Senate seat. “That’s entirely possible,” Salmon said Monday regarding an endorsement of the West Valley congressman. “I just had a long conversation with Representative Franks.” Over the years Flake has made a national name for himself as a fierce opponent of federal earmarks. But at the end of the day, it appears Flake’s trademark issue may end up costing him the endorsement of his old political ally. Salmon, who held the congressional seat now occupied by Flake from 1994-2000, said he wants someone in the Senate who will bring some federal money back to the state. Salmon says that money, which Flake criticizes as wasteful earmarks, could help create jobs and stimulate the economy.
Does that sound like an unsubstantiated “claim” to you. amatt?
Thanks for that info, PA. Matt Salmon was a popular congressman and one who kept his word on term-limits unlike the ambition driven Flake.
Salmon lost the governor’s race by a slim margin to Napolitano. He was severely hampered by the so-called “Clean” Elections funding. He ran as a traditional candidate raising his contributions from those who supported his candidacy. She received matching funds for monies that he used to RAISE funds.
I hope that system of publicly funded welfare for politicians is gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court.
If Salmon supports Franks, it will be a huge plus!! I hope he does.
Let us hope that the Seeing Red crowd also remembers the last-minute betrayal of Matt Salmon by Sheriff Joseph Arpaio, who filmed a “non-endorsement endorsement” of then-Candidate For Governor Janet Napolitano.
Matt Salmon is a good man. It would be a shame -and a surprising one at that -if he abandoned conservative principles to advocate for more Federal spending at the state level as the article above seems to indicate. Our nation is broke. We are going down the path of the USSR, spending ourselves into bankruptcy, and we need to be looking for ways to reduce the size of the Federal government, not expand it.
Just because Flake doesn’t support earmarks doesn’t mean he is a conservative. Illegal immigration costs us a lot more than earmarks.
No offense intended, but it is the stand of the LDS church. The fastest growing segment is Hispanic. That is the explanation. Hence, the bills in Utah as an example. No, I’m not Mormon bashing. I have relatives that are LDS and great friends that are LDS. They DO NOT agree with the church’s stance on illegal immigration. BTW, I’m Catholic, and I heartily disagree with the pandering that has been going on in the Catholic church to encourage “law breaking”.
[…] Congressman Trent Franks announced today that he will not be a candidate for the soon-to-be-open Arizona U.S. Senate seat due to family considerations. While this is disappointing to many looking for a viable option, it opens the field for a true conservative to run against Jeff Flake. […]