Aug
6
Written by:
Exurban Jon
8/6/2010 11:51 AM
 |
| Mayor Vernon Parker. |
Arizona's third congressional district is sporting a very crowded field. As 10 Republican candidates seek to differentiate themselves, you can expect a few sharp elbows. But as conservatives, we should hold our would-be leaders to higher standards.
I've only met two of the candidates and liked them both. Sadly, one has recently dropped in my estimation.
Apparently, Vernon Parker's campaign recently left a phone message on the phones of likely voters which stated "Vernon Parker is the only candidate who opposes amnesty." No, really. The only other candidate I've met, Pamela Gorman, was a co-sponsor of anti-illegal immigration SB 1070 for crying out loud. And I highly doubt that many (if any) of the other GOP candidates endorse a pro-amnesty position. This is shrill and obviously false demagoguery.
And today, Mayor Parker has stooped to knee-jerk, divisive race-baiting in a press release hitting candidate Ben Quayle:
The real topper was in a statement released last night, when Quayle referred to Parker as “boy” a known derogatory term for African Americans. In the statement Quayle says… “become a national poster boy” when the proper term that most would use is “national poster child.”
Oh. Come. On.
After a depressing summer featuring a veritable 52 Pickup of spurious race cards flung at Republicans, we're now throwing them at each other. Do conservatives really want to emulate the hyper-sensitive thinskins of the grievance class? To divide ourselves by melanin and PC shibboleths?
When running a campaign, branding is important. And if you market yourself as as a bridge-building religious conservative, making false, divisive claims about your fellow Republicans severely undermines that brand. As with Parker's earlier unfounded claim of being "endorsed by the state's largest Tea Party," a disturbing pattern has taken shape.
As I said earlier, from my brief encounters with Mayor Parker I like him. He seems like a genuinely nice man, with smarts and savvy. But power is seductive. If a politician is willing to lie to get elected, what will he do once he arrives in Washington?
The voters of District 3 are better than this. The candidates should be as well.
Tags:
15 comment(s) so far...
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
Speaking for myself (and the voices inside my head), I like Vernon himself. Quite a lot. Not in a man-crush sort of way, (ok, not much), but quite a lot. His life story is unbelievably compelling and his future with the GOP is bright and hopeful.
But the people managing his campaign have done a HORRIBLE job.
By ExurbanKevin on
8/6/2010 12:58 PM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
Parker's campaign signs tell you all you need to know: "Endorsed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio."
No, thanks.
By Monkey RobbL on
8/6/2010 1:34 PM
|
Subversive Bloggers??
I agree that Mayor Parker is a good guy, but the wheels are coming off the campaign if this is the best his staff can come up with. Quayle's a blank slate target who could easily be painted into a corner as a "country club" Republican without resorting to race baiting.
Are you guys the Subversive Bloggers referenced in this blog posting FAIL at tinyurl.com/3xqx8v6 the Phoenix TEA Party site?
By CapiatlistPig on
8/6/2010 3:24 PM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
Vernon Parker's story is compelling. But because he has lied and lied and lied and lied ... his entire adult life ... and he READ his "life story" from note cards at public forum after forum after forum ... and he has a creative PR firm working with him ... I honestly don't think any self-respecting, well-read human being can reasonably ASSUME that Vernon's "life story" is even true.
And I can say that of all the candidates running, Vernon Parker is NOT the only one who grew up living on food stamps. I know that for a FACT. He's just the only one who somehow believes that's a story that makes him worthy of being in Congress.
The other candidate running who got by on food stamps, from a broken family? That candidate doesn't consider it a qualification for Congress. Just part of life ....
By brian fojtik on
8/6/2010 3:33 PM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
Parker scares the heck out of me. Just the fact that he has Taser International running his campaign is strange. The Small Business administration went after him. The Coalition of Minority Employees at the USDA came out and ripped him a new one and couldn't say enough bad things about him. You can read what they said:
www.meetup.com/camerafraud/messages/boards/thread/9408084
By Stacey on
8/6/2010 9:25 PM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
We're not subversive bloggers. We're rather overt bloggers, I think...
By ExurbanKevin on
8/6/2010 10:00 PM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
Pretty, pistol-packin' Pamela Gorman is the best candidate in the race. We need fearless feminist freedom-fighters like Pamela in The U. S. Congress.
By Roy Wyatt on
8/7/2010 6:20 AM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
I'm not in CD-3, so I really don't have a dog in this hunt, but I'm kinda amused at how the last two years have turned out....
After a couple of decades of being out of the Republican party (my nom-de-internet is a clue to where I was), I re-registered as a R in 2008 so that I could vote for Fred Thompson in the 2008 Presidential primary. Of course, before we got to vote, Thompson had withdrawn, so I was left with a ballot composed of McCain. And today, Thompson is shilling for a reverse mortgage company--which, if you ask me, is a completely toxic product which is stealing equity from our elderly. Thompson's act here is akin to Hayworth's peddling of that "Free Money" scam he was hammered with.
And this year, I've kept my R registration so that I could vote for Buz Mills. Lotta good that did me. You yourselves have noted how he tripped on his own feet a couple of times (although it would have been pretty tough for anyone to go up against Brewer and the mileage she's made with SB1070).
And now Parker is saying he's the only guy against amnesty and pulling the race card. Again, I can only speak to CD-3 happenings as an outsider, but it's just funny how politicians will do some goofy things sometimes.
By azlibertarian on
8/8/2010 1:36 PM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
So many bad candidates this time, I'm in Harry Mitchell's district and they are all terrible, Schweikert is a so-con, Hall is a nut, one dude got arrested for being naked in public, one guy was a doctor and a vet, but no actual experience, then we have Susan Bitter Beer Face, who runs nasty campaigns, uses 20 year old photos on her signs and, I suspect is only running this, her third time, so that she can pay off the last two with clean election funds. I don't want any of these clowns! Every politician in this town is pulling out a ruler to show how big of a johnson they have when it comes to illegals, no other subject is considered, its a joke.
And, if any candidate is endorsed by Sheriff Joe, I will NOT vote for them, ever.
By Dr. Lao on
8/9/2010 12:17 PM
|
Re: Boy, oh, boy.
"...And, if any candidate is endorsed by Sheriff Joe, I will NOT vote for them, ever."
Boy, ain't that the truth.
It's a wonder that Sheriff Joe gets any sleep at all, what with his dual roles as Toughest-Sheriff-in-America (sic) and Arizona's Kingmaker.
By azlibertarian on
8/9/2010 12:24 PM
|
|
|
|
|
fddffdgfd
cheap pandora jewelery LoverIf you are a buy cheap pandora bracelet lover, odds are you already method roomy the Attain of cheap pandora charms categories embodies. A couple of deterrent discount pandora jewelery of which are the done set of birthstone pandora bracelet sale, creature charms, concluded fifty eccentrics of embeds appeals, food for thought and snifter allied pandora charms sale, alphabet charms, holiday charms, natal day pandora jewelery sale and care charms.
The few named are fair the ones buy pandora bracelets agreement all but Normally bought by the customers. There buy pandora jewelery that cascade into two categories like the pandora silver charms natal day cake for exercise pandora silver jewelery
By pandorasell on
8/20/2010 5:31 AM
|
ugg australia
Not even as I shook womens ugg boots and trembled uncontrollably in the trenches, did I forget your ugg boots face. I would sit huddled into the wet mud, terrified, as the ugg australia hails of bullets and mortars crashed down around me. I would clutch my uggs bailey button rifle tightly to my heart, and think again of that very first day we met. I would cry out in bailey button boots fear, as the noise of war beat down around me. But, as I thought ugg boots in uk of you and saw you smiling back at me, everything ugg boots usa around me would be become silent, and I would be with you again for a few precious official ugg boots moments, far from the death and destruction. It would not be ugg classic cardy until I opened my eyes once again, that I would see and hear the carnage of the war around me.I cannot tell you ugg classic cardy boots how strong my love for you was back then, when I returned to you on leave in the September, feeling uggs classic cardy battered, bruised and fragile. We held each other so tight I thought ugg uk we would burst. YQ
By uggs on sale in uk on
9/2/2010 11:39 PM
|
|
|
|
|