Posted on 07/15/2007 5:00:11 AM PDT by radar101
Mesa lawmaker Russell Pearce has said he’s considering a run against Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake in next year’s Republican primary election.
Pearce, who has built a national reputation fighting for tougher measures against illegal immigrants, accused the four-term congressman of being soft on illegal immigration.
He said voters want tighter border security and stricter laws against workers found living here illegally and accused Flake of failing to push that agenda.
Specifically, he assailed Flake’s immigration proposal, labeling it “amnesty” for the estimated 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants living in the country.
“People are mad and they have the right to be,” Pearce said Friday. “I’ve received a lot of phone calls from people and groups wanting me to run. I’m open to the idea, and I’m thinking about starting up an exploratory committee.”
He would not say when he would make a firm decision, but this is not the first time Pearce has toyed with the idea of running for Congress. In 2004 he said he gave it some serious thought but decided he’d rather stay at the state Legislature.
Should he run this time, he’ll be matched against an incumbent who has already raised a mountain of cash.
Flake has about $581,000 in his campaign coffers, according to the latest federal campaign finance reports.
Republican political consultant Nathan Sproul, who has worked for Flake in the past, said that should keep most candidates from running. Flake did not immediately return phone calls.
Still, some Republican party consultants believe Pearce has a good shot at unseating Flake, even if he doesn’t match the congressman dollar for dollar. Political consultant Stan Barnes, who ran unsuccessfully against Flake in the 2004 Republican primary, said the Mesa lawmaker needs to raise about $250,000 to have a chance.
In addition, he said Pearce is well known throughout the state and his district, especially when it comes to immigration reform.
“Love him or hate him, he’s one of the most influential people in Arizona,” Barnes said. “And immigration is the number one domestic issue of our time.”
This year, Pearce successfully pushed through a measure cracking down on companies that knowingly and intentionally hire illegal workers. The measure, which can potentially shut a business down, is being called one of the toughest immigration laws in the country. Pearce also is part of an effort to take a similar measure to the ballot in 2008.
Members of the local business community announced Friday they are planning to fight the recently passed measure in court.
He won’t get the illegal alien/La Raza vote in AZ.
Illegals can not vote in Arizona.
To vote, you must have two items of ID, one of which indicates citizenship.
(Prop 200—challenged by the Illegals and our Governor, and found to be constitutional)
The campaign themes write themselves:
“Do you want some Flake who isn’t going to defend the borders of the United States, or do you want a new Congressman who takes national security SERIOUSLY?”
Oh yeah, I can see it now.
Jeff Flake is one of the strongest conservatives in Congress. It’ll be a pity if we lose him.
It seems to me that if he is a conservative, then he would not be for trashing our schools, healthcare system and generally destroying communities with third world pouchers. But, that is only me talking. Perhaps Flake has a good reason for doing it. He like tacos? He likes TB?
Flake is Arizona's Ron Paul: great libertarian positions all the way through, except for one big issue.
Flake is my representative and he’s the biggest porkbuster in Congress. He is completely wrong on illegal immigration, but he certainly isn’t some liberal.
LOL
If the illegals obeyed the law there would be no illegals and there would be no one selling fake Id's,etc.
You cannot be a conservative and say you want to control spending while at the same time supporting spending trillions on amnesty. The bum need to take a walk.
Can someone tell us more about Pearce?
But you both get my point - whether or not you agree with him on this issue, he’s one of the most solid conservatives we have in the House, and throwing him under the bus is NOT a productive move.
Except that Flake is in favor of eliminating much of the welfare state, and therefore does not support “spending trillions on amnesty”. The approach of conservatives such as Flake - get rid of the welfare state, and you’ll be left only with the people who are there to do honest work, is a far more feasible method of controlling illegal immigration then “enforcing existing laws” and “building a fence” (some favorites among the seal-the-border crowd).
What good is being a Conservative if you are willing to give the country away to someone who will make it a third-World craphole?
I would love to have your endorsement for the State House campaign (re-election). (an endorsement for the District 18 legislative team would be great Karen Johnson, Mark Anderson and myself)
Today, Arizona, like America, has become a huge, bloated welfare state - teetering at present on the brink of bankruptcy. We have over spent, we have over regulated and we have trampled on the doctrine of personal responsibility and the Principles of Freedom. We have FAILED to put the citizens of this state and the taxpayers FIRST.
The character of its people measures the greatness of our nation. We live in a Constitutional Republic based on moral law, freedom and personal responsibility, and this includes limited government. The best thing we can do for our families is to reduce the burden of government.
"In 1776 we began as a small, weak republic. But we survived. Our example inspired others, imperfectly at times, but it inspired them nevertheless. These constitutional republics, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, prospered and grew strong." Ronald Reagan
I am a voice for family values, freedom, constitutional and limited government. I received the 2nd highest award in the legislature from the Goldwater Institute and the Arizona Tax Payers Association on voting to keep spending down. I was one of only 17 elected officials nationwide (the only Arizona elected official) to receive "The Hero of the Tax Payer Award" by the American Tax Reform Association. I am a proponent of immigration enforcement and national leader on the immigration enforcement, securing our borders, immigration reform and in protecting the Arizona (American) citizens and tax payer from fraud and abuse.
I have a tradition of service, hard work and commitment to my community, the youth, the elderly and our Constitutional freedoms.
I bring 30 years of progressive law enforcement and transportation experience as Chief Deputy of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Justice of the Peace, Director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, and Director of the Motor Vehicle Division and currently a serving as the Appropriations Chairman in the House of Representatives and Senior Advisor to Protect Arizona NOW.
"What I Stand For"
Smaller and more efficient government
Eliminating the government's abuse of eminent domain
Securing our borders with Mexico to stop the flow of terrorists, drug smugglers, and illegal aliens
Full support for the Second Amendment
Supporting private property rights
Improving education and restoring discipline
Supporting the Boy Scouts in their moral leadership goals
Supporting traditional family values
Promoting pro-life views
Supporting the "Tax Payer's Bill of Rights"
Controlling judicial activism
Improving transportation, including freeways Promoting parental rights.
I also just recently was given the "Friend of the Family" award. I am involved in protecting traditional family values, parental rights, and traditional marriage.
At about the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in the year 1787, Alexander Tyler (a Scottish history professor at The University of Edinborough) had this to say about "The Fall of The Athenian Republic" some 2,000 years prior: "A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From Bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage
'You cannot help men permanently by doing what they could and should do for themselves.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence" --Abraham Lincoln
Comment:
America was originally designed under the U.S. Constitution to be a limited government with strong individual freedoms and states rights. We have continually witnessed the erosion of this concept along with the dilution of traditional America in many ways including massive legal and illegal immigration. Our present huge government is mostly oblivious to these matters including the foreign invasion and in fact, promotes it in many ways.
Could the reason for this be that neither our government nor those promoting ignoring the Constitution, massive entry and open border policies wish to be bound by the proper limits that protect our nation and rights, but would pursue their own greedy interests above national and societal well-being. If our highways had no speed limits, chaos and danger would prevail. If there were no serious enforcement, many more would ignore them. If 50 persons were graciously and generously invited to a party and 250 uninvited people showed up (just looking for a better life), disorder and busted budgets would be the result. This is the sorry situation in California and many other States.
These are some of the issues where Congress and state legislatures have lost their way and we need leadership; it could serve as the basis for a new CONTRACT with ARIZONA (AMERICA) :
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: America is a nation of immigrants. People from all parts of the world dream of coming to America for freedom, opportunity and the chance to be the best they can be. We should encourage legal immigration and always discourage illegal immigration, yet Republicans and Democrats in DC are terrified to oppose illegal immigration out of fear that they will be labeled racist. This assertion is ridiculous. There is nothing racist about upholding the law. We need representatives who are willing to speak clearly for legal immigration and speak clearly against illegal immigration.
EDUCATION/SCHOOL CHOICE: We have state departments of education that are closer to the people. So that each state will have more resources that are going to the classroom, not Washington DC , we should pursue a more efficient path and eliminate the Department of Education, besides there is not Constitutional provision for the federal government to be involved in education, it is a local issue. In addition, all parents should have a choice of where to send their children to school, not just the wealthy (like those in Congress who send their kids to private/parochial schools but oppose school choice for those who are not wealthy). School choice needs to be there for all parents.
TAX REFORM: The graduated income tax punishes self-sufficiency, rewards dependence on Washington , divides Americans, encourages envy and creates a permanent underclass of poor Americans dependent on the federal government. The current federal income tax system is broken. Patching up the existing code is pointless. It's time for a fresh approach - a fair approach. What can be done to reduce the gap between rich and poor, improve the quality of life for all Americans, eliminate the permanent underclass of low income Americans and unite today for a better tomorrow? The best answer is to change the way we fund the government. We will stop punishing productivity by eliminating the income tax.
LOCAL AND FEDERAL SPENDING: There is less spending restraint now than there was during the Clinton Administration. According to the Heritage Foundation, the years 2000 to 2003 marked the biggest spending spree in the history of the United States , except for WWII. Total spending has gone up nearly 14 percent in discretionary spending has gone up nearly 20 percent. Non-defense spending has gone up by almost the same amount as defense spending, and defense spending constitutes barely a fifth of the total increase in spending.
Individuals and couples in America have to reduce their overall spending when less revenue comes in (due to job loss or pay reduction, etc.). Why shouldn't Washington be required to do the same thing? This is not a conservative or liberal principle; this is a reasonable expectation that the American people should have of its government. Most politicians are unwilling to say no to any program. We need representatives who will say no to out-of-control spending and yes to spending restraint, even if a program is "popular."
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM: If something is not done to reform the Social Security system, taxes and/or the eligibility age will have to be raised. This excerpt from a column by Timothy J. Penny, a former Democratic Congressman from Minnesota (see http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0923/p09s02-coop.html): "Personal accounts may not be a perfect solution to government's lack of discipline in managing Social Security money for the future. But when it comes to saving, which is crucial if Social Security is to survive the retirement of the baby boomers, the nonpartisan CBO found that personal accounts are the best alternative available. Unfortunately, a little-read government report isn't going to lead this debate forward. For that, we need candidates who are willing to help the public understand that when it comes to Social Security's future, doing nothing is no longer an option." Most politicians are afraid to point out the problem with continuing with the status quo on Social Security. We need representatives who will push for social security reform. Those that don't pay in or are illegally in this country should not be permitted to benefit from Social Security.
TORT REFORM: Founded in 1986, the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is a broad based, bipartisan coalition of more than 300 businesses, corporations, municipalities, associations, and professional firms who support civil justice reform. A Nat'l poll by ATRA (see http://www.atra.org/show/7525) found that 83% of Americans think there are too many lawsuits filed in the US and that greedy personal injury lawyers are to blame. The survey of 800 likely voters was conducted by Mercury Public Affairs from February 15-17, 2003 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.46 percent. In spite of these statistics, Congress has been unwilling or unable to pass meaningful legislation that will result in Tort Reform. We need representatives who will push for Tort Reform.
FEDERAL MARRIAGE AMENDMENT: We must preserve marriage (by federal law if the courts make it necessary) as a union between a man and a woman. Marriage, as of one man and one woman, has been the bedrock of civilization from the beginning of recorded history. We should not allow intolerance by the few to pre-empt the settled moral judgment of civilization. In addition if there is to be gay marriage, that should be up to the legislature or a vote of the people, not unelected judges. Judges should not be legislating from the bench.
ENGLISH AS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Ninety-two percent of the world's countries (178 of 193) have at least one official language. Roughly one quarter of the world's population is already fluent or competent in English and this number grows by the day. English is the global language of business, communications, higher education, diplomacy, aviation, the Internet, science, popular music, entertainment and international travel. Americans can speak whatever language they choose, but anyone who doesn't speak English loses out in the America. HR 997: Language Unity Act of 2003 (Title: To declare English as the official language of the United States ) has over 80 House sponsors. We need representatives to push for this resolution.
REAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM: This question for all other supporters of Campaign Finance Reform. If you are willing to put limits on what individuals can contribute to candidates (i.e. $2,000 federal, $280 state office), are you willing to put that same limit on what you can spend of your own money on your campaign? This is the hypocrisy of Campaign Finance Reform, including the Clean Elections Commission in Arizona . Supporters are quick to put limits on what individuals can contribute, but when it comes to putting limits on what they can donate from their own funds, that's different. Look at Senator Corzine in NJ. He spent over $60 million of his own cash, while advocating limits on individual contributions. Is this not hypocrisy? Look at Arizona. Janet Napolotano spent $1 million more than her opponent while running on tax payer dollars. Personally I don't think there should be any limits on individual contributions, except for these: Contributions must be from individuals with the right to vote in America , and there must be full disclosure of contributions over $1,000. In this way the voters can determine whether or not a candidate's platforms benefit only the big money contributors or the voters as a whole. One thing is for sure, it is unfair for Incumbents to impose limits on individual contributions while imposing no limit on what they can spend on themselves. This type of "reform" freezes out anyone who is not rich, well-known or well-connected. We have enough doctors and lawyers in Office. We need to get average citizens involved, more teachers, construction workers, cab drivers, etc. We need representatives to push for an end to Incumbent Protection and for real campaign finance reform.
FEDERAL JUDGES: In California , Proposition 187, a 1994 measure designed to curb illegal immigration by prohibiting illegal aliens from receiving taxpayer benefits, was backed by 60 percent of voters. Then, it was overturned by federal Judge Mariana Pfaelzer after the ACLU took the measure to court. The 9th Circuit upheld Pfaelzer's ruling. There was also the English only initiative here in Arizona passed by voters only to be overturned by the Court. This is a couple of examples, and there are others that have cost the tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars. Much of the liberal agenda that has been forced on the American people hasn't come through legislation; it has come from judges. Is it any wonder that Democrats are desperate to prevent President Bush's nominees from reaching the bench? That qualified judicial nominees have been left in limbo and have not been approved is to the detriment of the American people. At present the GOP seems unable to overcome labels thrown at Bush's nominees by Senate Democrats (i.e. "These nominees are far to the right and out of touch with mainstream America. "). We need representatives in the Congress who will make an effective case for constructionist judges who uphold the Constitution and against those judges who have not upheld it.
Arizona House of Representatives
1700 West Washington ! Phoenix, Arizona 85007-2844
Phone: (602) 926-5760 ! FAX: (602) 417-3118
rpearce@azleg.state.az.us ! www.azhousetv.
Even though I can't vote for either man I'd have to give mine if I could to Pearce no matter how conservative Flake may or may seem to be according to some. If he supported Bush's pro-illegal alien Amnesty then that would be enough for me as that legislation had/has such devastating and far reaching negative impact that if a candidate for office doesn't come out four-square against any kind of immigration reform before the borders are completely secured with real fences and/or walls don't deserve one whit of support from any real conservative and real American.
This is a time for real Americans to stand and be counted. We need real leaders who have not been bought off by the big business or LaRaza OBL types. - Real conservatives must support America first and foremost!
“What good is being a Conservative if you are willing to give the country away to someone who will make it a third-World craphole?”
Correct! Illegal immigration will destroy this country. No conservative is for illegal immigration, PERIOD!!
“This is a time for real Americans to stand and be counted. We need real leaders who have not been bought off by the big business or LaRaza OBL types. - Real conservatives must support America first and foremost!”
B U M P
*Bump* for Pearce. Sorry, Flake, but you don’t support secure borders, everything else is irrelevent.
“Illegals can not vote in Arizona.
To vote, you must have two items of ID, one of which indicates citizenship.
(Prop 200—challenged by the Illegals and our Governor, and found to be constitutional)”
RRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAALLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY ???
I’d forgotten about that Prop 200...and it wasnt thrown out by the courts?
I was thinking every good law (like Prop 187 in CA ) was tossed out...
There is hope for We the People, the American citizens, yet...the illegal alien/Attilla the Hun invaders dont get to dictate US policy and write our laws all the time...
A wittle weeeee bit of sunshine is coming through a crack in their abusive deception somewhere...
If we can just find it and make it into the broad daylight of the COTUS...we will have our country back..
Please excuse my need to wax poetically, but I am not living in the lawful country I entered, legally, in 1971...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.