Ten Big Conservative Victories in 2004
Election years are iffy at best. Like court cases,
there are almost no “sure victories.” The potential upside is great; the
potential downside is scary. In Arizona, the stakes are high in 2004.
Nothing less than our future is at stake.
Will the voters turn out and champion traditional,
conservative values? Or are they disenchanted enough to stay home in
significant numbers? Four million evangelical conservatives stayed home
in 2000, sending the presidential election into a six-week overtime
period. And that was before neo-conservatives in the Bush
Administration turned off conservatives. So how many will stay home and
watch sitcoms on the first Tuesday of November? If conservatives do stay
home, which statewide candidates will suffer as a result of people’s
disenchantment with the presidential candidates?
What part will rogue courts play in usurping the
democratic process this year? How much damage will the conservative
movement suffer at the hands of judicial activists?
How will ballot initiatives affect the state’s
political landscape?
I have outlined the 10 most significant events for
conservatives in Arizona to watch this year. Our success in these areas
is vital to the well-being of our state.
- Re-districting: As we bear down on the
year 2005, the courts and the federal government have taken control of
the re-districting process – where citizens never intended it to go.
The people and the democratic process have been subverted. The Arizona
Independent Re-Districting Commission has long ago been pushed to the
side of the road in the process. Judges and the Department of Justice
are determining whether or not Arizona passes the political
correctness tests of social engineering, racial profiling, competitive
districts and communities of interest. Recently, Bob Fannin, chairman
of the Arizona Republican Party, said there is a good chance that the
current districts will stand for the 2004 election. Keeping the
current legislative boundaries provides the greatest chance of ending
up with conservative majorities in the state House and Senate,
leading to a better chance of quality legislation next year.
- Victory by Randy Graf in Congressional
District 8: If Rep. Graf, a conservative, can upset liberal
Republican incumbent Jim Kolbe, that would be an incredible upset with
Grand Canyon-sized reverberations. Kolbe supports open borders,
abortion, radical homosexual rights and is nothing more than a
Democrat in Republican clothing. Graf is a solid pro-life, traditional
values conservative, the kind that Arizona desperately needs in
Washington, D.C.
- Defeat of Sheriff Joe Arpaio: The last
several years in Maricopa County have been marked by lawsuits, deaths
and beatings in the county prisons, dog and pony shows, excessive
spending, abuses of power and Arpaio’s consistent support for liberal
Democrat political candidates. Three conservative men of character are
running against Arpaio, and the election of any of the three would
turn Maricopa County’s night into day. The defeat of Arpaio would
register 8.0 on the political Richter scale and make national news.
- The re-election of Cong. Rick Renzi:
Democrats are pouring millions into Congressional District 1 in hopes
of defeating first-term Republican Rick Renzi. In 2002, Renzi won a
narrow victory, and this year’s race again looks to be close. If Renzi
loses and Jim Kolbe wins re-election in District 8, Arizona would at
best have only four conservative representatives in its eight
districts. This state would slide farther away from a conservative
identity.
- The defeat of state Sen. Carolyn Allen:
Conservative Robert Ditchey would also push the seismograph to 8.0 if
he can knock off the RINO Allen. District 8 is in the running for RINO
capital of the state, and Ditchey will need every last conservative to
vote for him. Conservatives need a victory here in order to capture
control of the Senate.
- Defeat of state Sen. Slade Mead in District
20: State Rep. John Huppenthal and conservative newcomer Anton
Orlich both have a chance to beat Mead in the GOP primary Sept. 7.
Huppenthal has consistently been the top vote-getter in his political
career as Chandler city councilman and state legislator. Mead may well
end up a one-term liberal wonder. This race is also vital to a
conservative take-over of the Senate.
- Victory by Ron Gould in District 3: RINO
Sen. Linda Binder elected not to run against the popular Gould, who
does have opposition in the primary. A victory by Gould would be a
solid cornerstone of that Senate take-over.
- Victory by Carl Seel over Arizona Corporation
Commissioner Kris Mayes: Seel is a solid conservative, and Arizona
needs to elect him. Mayes is a questionable Republican at best; she
worked for the Arizona Republic and for Gov. Janet Napolitano.
During the 2002 gubernatorial election campaign, she heckled
conservative candidate Matt Salmon during a public speech. Mayes has
never been elected to anything; she was appointed by the governor to
the ACC when Commissioner Jim Irvin resigned.
- Defeat of the Clean Elections Act funding:
Voters will determine in November whether or not funding will be
withdrawn from the socialistic system of Clean Elections system. If
this state is going to return to traditional values, the pillars of
big government and socialism need to be chopped down, one by one.
Defeating the Clean Elections system would be a great start. Whether
it’s running our day-to-day lives or running for public office, we
must learn that government is not always our “big daddy” and that the
best state is not a nanny state.
- Getting the Protect Arizona Now initiative on
the ballot: That’s the key – getting PAN on the ballot. If that
happens, it most likely will pass and will help restore some sanity
with the severe drains on this state’s public resources by border
invaders. However, time is running short, and PAN has a long way to go
to register 122,000 valid signatures by June 30. If successful in
June and November, PAN will no doubt be subject to a legal challenge
by liberals with friends in high court places, like Tucson. If you
haven’t yet signed the petition, get your John Henry down on paper …
and soon.
Dennis Durband is publisher and editor of The Arizona Conservative,
is also a freelance writer and webmaster and a longtime journalist.
Dennis Durband's Archives:
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