Sunday I wrote a diary about the depths to which Arizona Senator Russell Pearce's team will go in order to win the planned November 8 recall election. I say "planned" because Pearce's legal beagles are still fighting the recall in court, arguing that Citizens for a Better Arizona (CBA), the group behind the signature drive, did not use appropriate forms and procedures. They also said CBA had no reason to recall the Senator!
One judge has already denied their request, pointing out that CBA operated by the book. As for the preposterous "no reason" claim, legally it could be anything. Recall organizers could say they don't like his poopy pants if they want to. After being slapped down so quickly and so unambiguously by Judge Hegyi, you'd think Pearce's team would drop this dead-end expedition in the courts and focus on the November race. Not so, they've appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Pearce has every right to be nervous, although he puts on a good show of tough-guy bravado. The controversial author of SB 1070 and a shitload of other anti-Mexican and homophobic policies, he barely won a seat as a District 18 GOP Committeeman. Often referred to as "the most powerful politician in the state" when he was named Senate President at the start of the 2011 session, he's seen his popularity and influence wane considerably since then.
This past session, with Pearce presiding over a 2:1 GOP-majority Senate, members of his own party helped shoot down a handful of his most vicious immigration bills. Watching the vote live online that night, I thought his big red head would explode. I'm sure he popped a collar button. Soon, even Arizona's conservative media started to shine a light on the way the old buffoon's policies are undermining education, destroying the State's once-admired healthcare system, and blasting a hole through the economy's gut. Hell, in March dozens of Arizona CEOs -- not exactly a lot of progressives on that list -- sent Pearce a letter begging him to quit acting like a bigoted shitheel (well, those are my words), because the national spotlight of shame shining on Arizona wasn't helping their businesses. Then Pearce, like a number of other legislators, got caught up in the Fiesta Bowl controversy.
The recall did not focus on Pearce's authorship of SB 1070; Citizens for a Better Arizona didn't really mention the "papers please" law in their materials. Instead, they highlighted Pearce's bullying tactics, the economic and social damage his laws are causing, and the fact he's embarrassed the shit out of many Arizonans, including Republicans and Mormons not guided by hate. When the recall got underway in January, started by dozens and then hundreds of volunteers (more than a few Republicans), Pearce laughed about it, expressing extreme confidence. But surprise! More than 18,000 people in Mesa's District 18 signed the petition, and of that total more than 10,000 were verified -- far more than the number needed to trigger a recall.
Pearce and his toadies, including wingnut websites, dropped their original dismissive posturing and came out swingin' like trapped wolverines: whining that CBA was led by "outside anarchists" (it wasn't), claiming that the high number of signatures was due to "voter registration fraud" (it wasn't), and then taking the whole shebang to court, arguing that the petitions and the entire process were illegal. So far one judge has told Pearce's legal team to take a hike; we'll see what the Arizona Supreme Court says, if anything.
My Sunday diary mentioned many deceptive, vindictive, and downright illegal tactics Pearce has used, and no doubt will enlist for this campaign. One early piece of lying garbage is the campaign sign his team put up in and around Mesa. Today the City said the signs are illegal and told Pearce to take them down.
"The signs are definitely illegal," Christine Zielonka, Mesa's development and sustainability director, told City Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh in an e-mail Tuesday. She sent the note after city staffers met to discuss the issue in the wake of citizen complaints. Arizona Republic
In very conservative Mesa, a Republican has gotta be pretty dickheaded to get citizens and City officials riled up over a campaign sign, but it's what Pearce has always done: lie, obscure, monger a lot of fear. And say what you're against, not what you stand for. Of the three people who've said they'll challenge Pearce, Republican Jerry Lewis is the key opponent. A respected charter school official and leader in the Mormon church, Lewis has few shortcomings for the Senator's people to exploit. Even Pearce recognizes his "outside anarchist" tune won't play anymore.
That's why you don't see Jerry Lewis's name or photo on the Senator's campaign sign. As I wrote the other day, instead of challenging Lewis the sign says:
Randy Parraz and his Recall Candidates:
• Oppose the Rule of Law
• Support Open Borders
• Supported by Labor Unions who Boycotted Arizona
Parraz, whose picture also appears on the sign, is one of the co-directors of Citizens for a Better Arizona. He's the CBA official who, conveniently for Pearce, has a Hispanic name (the sign doesn't mention Chad Snow, the other co-director). Pearce's deception is shamefully obvious: He can't run against the very white, very Republican, very Mormon, very homegrown, and very professional Lewis. Nor can he run on his own dismal record. Instead, he's running against a Hispanic anarchist because, you know, they're the only people who want Pearce defeated.
As soon as the signs appeared, Chad Snow, who is a lawyer, sent the Pearce campaign a letter, demanding that the lying trash be taken down. Parraz told the Mesa Republic that every single one of the bullet points on the sign is a barefaced lie. Parraz's dad was a deputy sheriff; to say he "opposes the rule of law" is ridiculous. He has never supported open borders, and he did not encourage the boycotts protesting SB 1070. In addition to these fabricated turdball accusations against a guy who's not even running, there's no contact information for the candidate who sponsored the sign, which is against Arizona elections law.
Chad Snow said today he has not heard back from the Pearce camp after sending his letter, but Pearce is going to hear from the City of Mesa:
[C]ode-enforcement staffers will tell the group that erected the signs that they have 24 hours to remove them ...
The Pearce campaign might hear from more than one local official, since the signs are appearing throughout the East Valley. A former City Councilman in nearby Gilbert also filed a complaint:
"I believe the signs are posted illegally in the town of Gilbert. I have personally seen the signs, and I find them offensive."
"Offensive" -- that's as good a word as any to describe what this blockhead has done to our state.
HELP DEFEAT PEARCE: Citizens for a Better Arizona is hosting a fundraiser on Thursday in Phoenix. New Times has the details. If you'd prefer not to visit Phoenix and take advantage of our 115-degree August weather, please visit this website and leave some coin if you can. The hundreds of volunteers at CBA, from children to seniors, conservatives to progressives, have accomplished something unimaginable just a couple months ago.
NOTE: To clarify, I'm not "celebrating" the infringement of First Amendment rights, although Parraz might have a libel claim. Anyone who lives here has heard Pearce scream many times, "What part of illegal don't you understand?" Oh, the irony -- and hypocrisy.
