Graf Receives Wide Support from National GOP

Graf for Congress Website ^ | 18 September 2006 | Graf for Congress Press Release

[Spiff]

I actually appreciate the fact that Ben is upfront about his political leanings, unlike many here on FR.If others would just admit that they were moderate rather than hijacking the conservative label, we could have much more honest and productive debates.

You have a point. There are far too many moderates, centrists and liberals by any other name here who masquerade as conservatives, hijacking the defining the term down to meaninglessness. You can be a liberal Republican, but you can't be a liberal conservative. But, the stated mission of Free Republic is not to have "honest and productive debates". The goal, as stated, is:

Free Republic is the premier online gathering place for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web. We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America.

If the debate does not serve to promote those goals and, as we've seen with the disruptors here, actually serves to be an obstacle to those goals then the debate is counterproductive to what we're trying to achieve here. There's way too much chatting and debating here and too little sleeves being rolled up to get to work to roll back decades of governmental largesse, root out political fraud and corruption, and championing of causes which further conservatism in America. We need to get to work and these pests are getting in the way, disrupting our efforts.

[NapkinUser]

"I have always been a moderate, what you and many others call a RINO."

So, are you closer to Randy Graf or Lincoln Chafee? If your state held a statewide republican primary between somebody exactly like Randy Graf and somebody exactly like Lincoln Chafee, for whom would you vote?

Are you a member of "it's my party too"? The Jim Kolbe group.

[DLfromthedesert]

So you think if you are not a moderate, that makes you an extremist?

What is Hugh Hewitt? Rush Limbaugh? Michael Medved? All right wing wackos?

Or are you just an intolerant bigot who thinks that anyone who disagrees with you is automatically a bug-eyed crazy?

I happen to be very active with the local Republican Party, as is Spiff, and have a lot of friends in every camp.

None of them is a nasty curmudgeon like you.

[Ben Ficklin]

"highjacking the conservative label"

When I call myself a moderate, that is an average.

Fiscally, I am conservative. Substantially conservative. Not an arch-conservative. Not an idealogue. For example, there are times when an increase in federal spending is justified. I also lean to federalism, except when that conflicts with the need for uniformity.

I am not a cultural conservative. But I am not liberal. My fiscal conservatism, overides cultural conservatism.

FR is dominated by cultural conservatives. For most, immigration is a cultural issue, but for me it is a fiscal issue. Consequently, there is no chance for compromise.

In fact, those cultural conservatives who annoint themselves as the "true consevative" are not fiscally conservative, and often fiscally liberal. Less conservative and more populist.

So who is the real conservative and who is highjacking the conservative label.

Cultural issues/conservatism changes thru space and time. Fiscal issues/consevatism does not.

The reality is that I am the true conservative.

I don't expect you to relinquish your psuedo-conservative crown.

So her I am, a business type, on one side of me are the dems who want to suck my blood. As bad as that may be, it is nothing compared to those on the other side of me who want to slit my throat.

It is not a problem, when you are in the center, there will always be someone to make a deal with. Unfortunately for those of you on the extremes, that is not the case.

[Ben Ficklin]

There is an elephant in the room.

[Torie]

This whole debate is a total waste of time. I don't think it has generated one additional vote for or against Graf.

Yes, I think Graf has about a 1 in 4 chance of winning. That is just my prediction. We shall see.

[Spiff]

Which all breaks down to the fact that you're not a conservative, that you consider conservatives "extremists", and that you're a nuisance. The net contribution that you make to this conservative forum is the online equivalent of a bleeding hemorrhoid.

[onyx]

Why wouldn't this good looking, articulate, former pro golfer who has the backing of GOP officeholders and the RNC not win the election?

I think he will but of course I also realize that his campaign will have to get out the vote. It's an opportunity for a real grassroots effort.

If I lived in his district, I'd volunteer.

[Spiff]

Why wouldn't this good looking, articulate, former pro golfer who has the backing of GOP officeholders and the RNC not win the election?

It drives me nuts when the liberals get away with defining Graf as only a golf pro. It is dishonest. Graf was elected to and served in the Arizona House of Representatives and was well liked by everyone in his district. He was a great representative. He was chosen by the Republican members of the House to serve as the House Majority Whip where he served until he decided not to run for State House but for the U.S. House of Representatives.

During his time in the Legislature, he served as the American Legislative Exchange Council State Chairman. Prior to his service in the state legislature, Graf was elected in 1994 to serve on the Continental School District Governing Board and in 1998 was elected as Board President. Additional service includes Government Relations Liaison to the Green Valley Chamber of Commerce.

He was also a business owner, owning a golf shop.

Liberals are intentionally ignoring his legislative and other service in order to paint him as an inexperienced golf pro.

I'm not going off on you for this, I'm just really annoyed at how often it happens and the liberals get away with it. The MSM is complicit in this distortion of Graf's record.

[onyx]

Thanks for the information. Let me bookmark this thread so I will have ammo for other threads.

I think he'll win and I hope he has lots of volunteers working for his camaping and election.

[DLfromthedesert]

Since we need to re-elect Senator Kyl, and there is a rich RAT spending his own millions in an effort to defeat him (with lying ads, of course), there is a HUGE effort in our state to GOTV. That includes our CD, of course.

[Ben Ficklin]

What is Graf's handicap?

[Spiff]

Primary School

Lessons from last week's election

By JIM NINTZEL
Tucson Weekly

Why did Randy Graf kick Steve Huffman's ass in the Congressional District 8 GOP primary?

Huffman had plenty of advantages in this race: The backing of the business community, a campaign war chest packed with more than $670,000 (we'll be really interested in seeing the final spending figures when he files his next Federal Election Commission report), six-figure support from the National Republican Congressional Committee, the endorsement of outgoing Congressman Jim Kolbe and the general perception that he was the moderate alternative to Graf. But on Election Night, he got less than 38 percent of the vote, while Graf walked away with 42 percent and the win.

How come? Huffman was an aloof candidate who thought he could buy the seat with enough advertising. As a result, he arrogantly snubbed party activists, debate organizers, the press and anybody else who wasn't giving him money. Huffman has never been all that good with political schmoozing, but in this campaign--the most important of his life--he came across as particularly socially retarded. He skipped a lot of events; even at the ones he bothered to attend, he left early instead of shaking hands and making friends. On Election Night, Huffman's party was at his own house, while Graf had a lively affair at the Doubletree, and the official GOP soiree was down the street at the Clarion.

Bottom line: Huffman confused getting checks with getting votes, while Graf worked the electorate. If Huffman ever runs for office again, maybe he'll realize it's important to campaign.

[onyx]

That includes our CD, of course.

I don't understand?

[onyx]

LOL! That's quite a pic.

"Graf worked the electoirate" which is precisely how one wins.

[BigSkyFreeper]

socially retarded

He oughta put that on his resumé.

[Torie]

Marginal district, a fair number of moderates, bad blood that Graf took on Kolbe in 2004, with Kolbe now returning the favor, and Graf wanting to teach creationism in public schools, I think about sums it up. It reminds me of the Kansas City suburban/ Lawrence university town, district that Moore (D) holds in Kansas, where there is a terminally caustic split between GOP moderates and conservatives, they don't like each other, and Moore just keeps on winning, even as Bush carries the district by 10%-12% or so. The University of Arizona is in Tuscon. The party animals go to Arizona State in Mesa.

[Spiff]

"Graf worked the electoirate" which is precisely how one wins.

Graf has wide grassroots support. Now he's going to the PACs and such for the big financing he needs to beat the Dem candidate who already has that kind of national PAC and party support. The NRCC blew $250,000 on the Huffster which could have been used RIGHT NOW to bolster Graf. Idiots. It was a miscalculation as Huffy would have had to rely upon Republicans holding their nose to vote for him while Giffords would have run a lively, positive campaign. Nobody likes Huffman and the more he appears on TV or with the voters, the more they realize what a weasel he is. He would have lost. Graf has the ability to get the electorate fired up and he's gearing up to do just that. Wait and see.

[Spiff]

Graf wanting to teach creationism in public schools,

Distortion alert. Graf does not want to teach creationism in public schools. Support the Republican candidate in this race, don't do the Democrats' smear job for them, or get the hell out of here.

[Torie]

Here are the quotes from the debate, which I actually saw, and my mouth dropped open. You may not like it, but facts are facts.

The GOP candidates split on whether creationism should be taught in science classrooms.

Antenori, who minored in biology, is against it. He dismisses the idea that the Earth is only 10,000 years old with a curt: "That's BS. I don't buy into that."

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Graf, who says creationist theory makes at least as much sense to him as evolution. "I think they can all be taught side by side and let students bring this information home and talk it over with their parents and determine how they're going to approach that," Graf says.

How old is the Earth? Graf is blunt: "I don't know, and I don't care. ... I've got my Christian faith, and I'm very comfortable with that."

Hellon, who suspects the Earth is more likely to be 4.8 billion years old, says that "creationism is a religious theory. It has no scientific basis whatsoever. I don't mind the teaching of it, but it shouldn't be taught as a scientific alternative."

Huffman is on the same page: "I don't think there's anything wrong in exposing people to different views and ideas, but I don't think it belongs in a science classroom, per se."