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Marcia Barlow: Families
Carol Turoff: Politic & Social Commentary
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NEWS & ANALYSIS
In an open letter to Arizona GOP chairman and former Congressman Matt Salmon, Rob Haney has defended his actions in recent Republican opposition to U.S. Senator John McCain. Haney is the chairman of GOP Legislative District 11 (Phoenix) and is a member of the Maricopa County GOP’s Executive Guidance Committee.
Within the past month, Haney led efforts to censure McCain in District 11 and to express dissatisfaction with the senator at the county GOP board level.
Chairman Salmon, Congressman John Shadegg and representatives of senators Jon Kyl and McCain have actively opposed the growing dissent aimed at McCain, whose leftward abandonment of Republican principles is well documented.
In Haney’s open letter to Salmon, he refuted state Republican leadership’s arguments for remaining silent on McCain. “For the record, I would like to formally address the arguments I have heard against the (District 11 censure) resolution,” Haney wrote in his letter. “Please understand I do not claim to be the representative appointed to speak for those fed up with McCain.” Furthermore, Haney wrote: “It should also be clear to you from your attendance at our (District 11) meeting that the primary support base for McCain is from the liberal side of the party. The liberals made a rare appearance to support your position in favor of McCain. The evening was brought to an embarrassing close for McCain supporters when the wife of the PC (precinct committeeman) who distributed the hit piece on me stated she was disturbed by the pro-life talk, was pro-choice and had proudly voted for (Democratic Governor Janet) Napolitano. Like McCain, party unity is not an overriding factor in their support or voting patterns.” Party leadership is complaining that grassroots Republicans are fighting amongst themselves over the McCain mutiny. Haney doesn’t buy that line. “The platform-centered conservative base would have to consider McCain as one of us to accept this argument,” Haney told Salmon. “We do not believe he is one of us any more than we believed Jim Jeffords (U.S. Senator from Vermont who turned traitor and switched from the GOP to the Independent Party in 2001 and cost the Republicans control of the Senate) was one of us. Almost every day, more reasons are added to the resolution list to oppose his run for the presidential nomination. How did you like his cameo role in the R-rated movie (Wedding Crashers) just released? Didn’t do us proud, but to his way of thinking, it probably got him more votes.” To leadership’s claim that McCain will withhold support from Senator Kyl, who is up for re-election next year: Haney responded, “If he does, it will reinforce our belief that McCain does what he does, first because it will advance his status and only secondarily because it will benefit others. It will further impress upon us that we should not have this man (McCain) foisted on us as our party’s nominee (for president).” Haney’s response that disunity will hurt Kyl’s campaign: “You have to be aware of the hostility McCain’s latest moves have caused within the party. McCain is hurting Kyl’s campaign by sewing seeds of resentment. Yet, he is getting away with it. The long-suffering platform-centered conservative base is vilified for pointing out that McCain is causing the Republican fracture by undermining leadership, ignoring the Constitution and rejecting the unifying party platform. You should be pointing that finger of disunity at McCain and not at the party base.” Leadership had asked if we going to censure others when we disagree. Haney: “We have not, nor do we plan to censure others. But neither is anyone else running from Arizona for president of the United States with such an egregiously abysmal record.” Calling out McCain is bad timing, wait till after Kyl’s election, say the GOP leaders: No way, says Haney: “This same tack was taken in 2004… no disunity, we needed McCain to elect Bush, 2002… we needed McCain to elect Salmon, 2000… we needed McCain for Bush. You are telling us there is no time to voice our opposition to McCain. The wolf cry won’t work anymore. McCain’s swath of destruction through our Constitution is all too clear for us to see. He must not be our candidate. If we waited for another 18 months to voice our opposition, you know as well as we do that we might as well not say anything. McCain’s staff would have worked on his campaign full-time, and we would have done nothing. McCain would have a huge lead, and we, with no organization to speak of, would not be seen for the dust.” The GOP brain trust says it must have 100-percent effort for Republican candidates: “This is the ‘can’t chew gum and walk at the same time’ argument,” Haney wrote. “We will support Kyl and continue to oppose McCain at the same time. The future of Arizona and the United States is too important not to do so.”
The only member of the Arizona congressional delegation with lower ratings in the last two years than McCain (73.5 average), according to the American Conservative Union, is fellow liberal Congressman Jim Kolbe (58 average). Home |News |State Briefs |Editorials|Letters |Key Legislation |Privacy Policy |Contact Us
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