Read LaFaro’s letter to members of AZ GOP Executive Committee
A resolution to close the Republican Primary will take center stage at the upcoming Arizona Republican Party Committee meeting, Saturday, April 18, 2015 at the state GOP headquarters.
The rift over this issue centers on McCain-aligned state chairman Robert Graham wanting to allow registered Independents to continue to vote in Republican primary elections and the grassroots conservative base of the party who view this intrusion through the prism of teams allowing their adversaries to choose their players preceding the opening season.
As reported in the Arizona Republic, John McCain was quoted as saying, “I don’t agree with it [closing the primary] because I think we’re a big-tent party.” McCain added, “We want more people. That’s what Ronald Reagan was all about” Of course McCain got that wrong. This is what Reagan actually said:
“A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency, or simply to swell its numbers.” *
Arizona Libertarians were successful in their lawsuit to retain the right to close their primary to registered Independents.
McCain’s support of allowing liberal elements to infect the GOP election process makes perfect sense, since he needs covert votes to blunt the impact of conservatives who will surely vote against him. McCain was the object of an embarrassing censure at the Statutory Republican meeting of statewide elected state committeemen in January 2014. This past January, McCain was booed and met with turned backs as he attempted to address them. His payback was to employ operatives to oust longtime conservative precinct committeemen from the party ranks and replace them with compliant McCain supporters.
Additionally, Graham is taking the unusual step of closing the Saturday meeting.
This letter to the members of the AZ GOP executive committee sent by immediate past Maricopa County Republican Chairman A.J. LaFaro lays out the case in detail.
Second to last paragraph
March 1, 1975, 2nd Annual CPAC Convention
Seeing Red AZ 
Good background on this issue. Thanks.
How rich that liberal McCain would pull Ronald Regan out to quote and get it wrong! Reagan was principled, a trait McCain is sorely lacking. I read the entire speech, and it made me miss Ronald Reagan all the more. McCain isn’t qualified to quote him even if he were to get it right. The fact that he misquoted him speaks to McCain’s lack of integrity. He will make up things to make his shady points. Please, people, don’t vote for this old liar again. We deserve better.
Chairman Graham is straddling a knife edge. On one side the party grass roots voluntarily knock on doors and man the call centers. They are his boots-on-the-ground, they are conservative and they want a government that obeys the Constitution and protects our liberty. They donate their time and shoe leather but they don’t donate enough money to fund party operations.
On the other side are (some) politicians and most business interests. They can donate plenty of money but they are largely indifferent to Conservative ideology. Politicians seek power for obvious reasons. Business interests want a government they can manipulate to their own benefit, whether it’s to raise barriers to the entry of competitors or provide low cost immigrant labor or some other cause that’s important to this quarter’s earnings. If a regulation they seek to have government impose limits liberty generally, it’s seen as a trivial offset to the benefit they seek. It’s called “progressive” and after a hundred years of it we’ve “progressed” a long way back to serfdom.
Open primaries were enthusiastically promoted by Jon Kyl and John McCain. Regardless of what they may have said then or say now, they want open primaries solely to allow them to mute the the conservative voice of the Republican Party grass roots. The past three party chairmen were grass roots chairmen and they were judged to be uncooperative by Business and the Party Establishment and fund raising suffered. Chairman Graham can’t direct the party to spearhead a closed primary effort and continue his fundraising success. Let’s hope the Executive Committee reads AJ LaFaro’s letter and their vote forces the Chairman to do it.
Excellent points, though I would clarify one thought. The business interests (Chambers of Commerce) and establishment politicans (most, not “some”) are not “largely indifferent to Conservative ideology.” They are openly hostile. Even the ones who give us lip service work against us behind the scenes.
except graham is not “straddling a knife edge” he is firmly on the side of McCain and the lobbyist and against the voters and the nation, he is one of the many who has sold us out for lobbyist cash
the party has long since abandoned the people in favor of lobbyist dollars and they view us with contempt, its well past the time for us to do the same to the party.
…and then go where and do what? Don’t let the door hit your fanny on the way out. The rest of us will keep up the fight.
you are not fighting when you succumb to lesser of two evils strategy that has put us into a clone of the democrat party owned by lobbyist as we are today.
you are simply contributing to your own and the nations destruction
I guess I wasn’t clear enough for you Gary. The fight is to recover the conservative soul of the Republican Party. We are not succumbing to anything, least of all your self-fulfilling negativism. It took several decades of apathy to give our country to the statists. It will take the time, persistence and determination of a growing body of truly educated citizens with sound character to get it back. We are growing and we will get it back. Your attitude is part of the problem, not part of the solution and it has no place in our ranks. If that is all you have, please troll elsewhere.
It appears to me 1776 and azgary, you are both on the same side of Conservative Republican. So, why argue???
blah blah blah.
more of the same drivel we have been hearing for decades as the party marches further leftward and deeper into the pockets of lobbyist.
we elect overwhelming numbers of republicans……
why haven’t they done anything about obamacare, illegals, spending.
we have 7 nationally elected congressmen and senators who are republican, not one of them will oppose amnesty as anything other than lipservice and say illegals need to gtfo of our country.
on the state level, we wont stop common core, we have a governor, atty general and congressmen and senators who are wholly owned and have allowed conservative p.c.’s to be purged from the ranks and will not close the primary, the head of the state senate will not allow a constitutional convention debate or bill to come to the floor, and its just getting worse.
you party apologist are doing much more harm than good and we are tired of you karl rovian, chamber of commerce lackies trying to shame us into committing suicide.
the republican party deserves to go the way of the whigs,it is diseased and the disease is incurable.
but that’s ok, you keep spewing your baloney name call and try to use alinsky tactics all you want, you cannot silence the truth.
the party is doomed and deservedly so.
As LBJ said: Do You Have the Votes? That is the only question and the answer for the hard right is No You Don’t. So you can either go down in a spiral or make a deal to get the best you can. Otherwise Arizona will se more Sinema, more Napolitano, more Giffords/Hubby! Simple as that.
so, the rinos don’t have the votes either, im not into relativism and will not surrender my principles.
that’s why we are in such a shythole, to many have and will.
Is the Democrat primary open to Independents?
I expected much more from Robert Graham. I was duped. McCain’s long tentacles reach far and wide.
Thank you, A.J. !! There are tactics being used that are debilitating to the Republican Party and OUR platform. Disgraceful.
Have to love A.J.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wish he would challenge McCain or flake!
What an election that would be A.J. would hammer them with truth and honesty along with conservative values.
A.J. would give them NIGHTMARES
This is not the first time the old fool McCain cited Ronald Reagan. He mentions the conservative icon as he tries in vain to link himself to Reagan. John McCain is not worthy of having Reagan’s name on his lips.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/john-mccain-ronald-reagan-urkraine-aid-bill-104658.html
The whole idea of closed primaries came about with a collusion of RINOs (led by Grant Woods, who began his political career as McCain’s chief of staff) and liberals led by former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, a longtime leftist. It’s intent was to gut the influence of Republican voters.
Obviously, left-of-center McCain needs crossover votes to win. That’s what bonds him to the jungle primary system. If he had to depend on Republicans to get across the primary election finish line, he loses.
He just barely limped across the finish line ahead of Obama during his abysmal presidential race. Most of the time he sounded like he was campaigning for Obama instead of against him.
Remember the big deal he made about using Obama’s middle name of Hussein as though it was derogatory to do so? Funny, Barack Obama had no difficulty using Hussein as he took his oath of office. He should have had his hand on the Koran instead of the Bible.
I read on facebook Graham still wants to be Chairman of the RNC, McCain promised to support him. I am sure many were told that about Graham, and I know for a fact we were told by Mr. Graham he wanted to close the primaries. Does anybody remember McCain telling us that Thad Cochran was smart by getting blacks to cross over? I knew immediately he was going to do that right here in Arizona, why sit back and wait till he does it? Graham lied as McCain did to get reelected and the Tea Party fell for it,,,AGAIN.
Chairman of the RNC? I hope that’s a not so funny joke. If true, then Robert McGraham will be able to screw Republicans across the entire nation the way he is sticking it to Arizona’s conservatives. Where are the voices of the all too silent AZ 5 ?
It seems only AJ LaFaro has the cajones to speak out and expose this deceit.
“Where are the voices of the all too silent AZ 5”
The az5 amnesty amigos will keep quiet and do as they are told by the lobbyists.
this is where you look at actions, not rhetoric and the az 5 fail in actions but excel at lies in their rhetoric and promises.
STOP SUPPORTING CANDIDATES and a PARTY who LIE AND BREAK PROMISES OR THEY WILL NEVER STOP!
why would they, they have their cake and eat yours too.
That John McCain would attempt to quote Ronald Reagan by attributing the wrong words to him to make his own point is disgusting, but not surprising. McCain will do or say whatever it takes to keep himself afloat. It’s time to sink his political ship. He needs to be sent packing.