FARK.com: (6730056) How a group of surly citizens took down the most powerful Republican in Arizona

		How a group of surly citizens took down the most powerful Republican in Arizona (salon.com)		94
		More: Interesting, Arizona Senate, late arrivals, private prison, side streets, open borders, John McCain, secretary of states

• • •

6226 clicks; posted to Politics » on 13 Nov 2011 at 8:48 PM | Favorite | share:

more» |

Get this fabulous T-Shirt and impress the methane out of your friends!

shirt it!

Share this link:

URL:

http://fk.cm/go/6730056

Bookmark:

Article Comments close

94 Comments (+0 »)

First | « | 1 | 2 | » | Last | Show all

TheOther

2011-11-13 02:57:55 PM

BOOM! Head shot!!

/too soon?

LIGAFF

2011-11-13 03:04:48 PM

I don't see anything about Sheriff Joe in that story.

vygramul

2011-11-13 03:10:48 PM

jehovahs witness protection

2011-11-13 03:10:51 PM

Not giving salon any clicks.

GAT_00

2011-11-13 03:20:39 PM

LIGAFF: I don't see anything about Sheriff Joe in that story.

He's in the last sentence.

And Pearce was worse. Joe couldn't write the laws, Pearce wrote SB 1070. Voting him out is the very least that should have happened to him.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 03:23:42 PM

GAT_00: LIGAFF: I don't see anything about Sheriff Joe in that story.

He's in the last sentence.

And Pearce was worse. Joe couldn't write the laws, Pearce wrote SB 1070. Voting him out is the very least that should have happened to him.

so how did Pearce take his loss? bow out gracefully or did he scorched earth his way out of the district?

violentsalvation

2011-11-13 03:32:14 PM

Weaver95: GAT_00: LIGAFF: I don't see anything about Sheriff Joe in that story.

He's in the last sentence.

And Pearce was worse. Joe couldn't write the laws, Pearce wrote SB 1070. Voting him out is the very least that should have happened to him.

so how did Pearce take his loss? bow out gracefully or did he scorched earth his way out of the district?

48 second statement video on the right hand side. I think he was kinda shocked. (new window)

R.A.Danny

2011-11-13 03:33:17 PM

They could have gotten off their asses and voted against him in the first place.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 03:36:04 PM

violentsalvation: 48 second statement video on the right hand side. I think he was kinda shocked. (new window)

if nothing else, the recent election cycle puts me in a somewhat hopeful mood for 2012. A lot of key elections did not go the way the GOP expected. that *should* be enough of an indication to the GOP insiders that extremism isn't going to do them any favors against Obama...but logical analysis isn't exactly a strong point among the GOP leadership these days, so who knows how they'll react.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 03:37:07 PM

R.A.Danny: They could have gotten off their asses and voted against him in the first place.

that's what they did - they kicked Pearce outta office for being a jackass.

coco ebert

2011-11-13 03:38:30 PM

R.A.Danny: They could have gotten off their asses and voted against him in the first place.

This is what I don't get. Why don't people vote, particularly in local elections? In many ways those elections are more important than the larger ones. I went to vote last week and along with another couple my age, we were the only "young" people there. Everyone else was middle-aged or elderly. I'm not trying to be self-righteous, I'm sure I've missed local elections before, but it's kind of dire circumstances we're living in now. These elections are really important.

R.A.Danny

2011-11-13 03:47:18 PM

Weaver95: R.A.Danny: They could have gotten off their asses and voted against him in the first place.

that's what they did - they kicked Pearce outta office for being a jackass.

Perhaps you aren't familiar with the term "In the first place"

Weaver95

2011-11-13 03:47:45 PM

coco ebert: These elections are really important.

if I had to guess, I'd say the usual mix of reasons. Most younger folks I know tend to fall into one of two loosely defined groups:

1. they don't vote because they don't think it matters. somewhere between paying bills, dealing with starting a new family, working a crappy job while trying to climb out of debt and still having any kind of life is more than enough to fill their days. they feel that voting is largely pointless because elections are decided ahead of time by paid corporate interests. showing up to actually vote is a pointless formality.

2. they don't vote because 'politics is hard'. seriously. blogs and commentators, news articles, databases of facts and lies, people shouting at one another all the time...sorting out fact from fiction and identifying bias is a LOT of hard work. so why bother with it all? it doesn't 'really' affect them on a daily basis so voting isn't worth the time.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 03:49:10 PM

R.A.Danny: Weaver95: R.A.Danny: They could have gotten off their asses and voted against him in the first place.

that's what they did - they kicked Pearce outta office for being a jackass.

Perhaps you aren't familiar with the term "In the first place"

i'm not sure what's got you upset....the system worked as intended. Pearce got kicked out of office fair and square, nice and legal.

R.A.Danny

2011-11-13 03:54:13 PM

Weaver95: R.A.Danny: Weaver95: R.A.Danny: They could have gotten off their asses and voted against him in the first place.

that's what they did - they kicked Pearce outta office for being a jackass.

Perhaps you aren't familiar with the term "In the first place"

i'm not sure what's got you upset....the system worked as intended. Pearce got kicked out of office fair and square, nice and legal.

I'm not upset at all. What I meant was that Pearce could have been prevented from ever getting into office if people got off their asses and voted. Before he could mess things up.
Yeah, it does kinda piss me off when people don't vote, or pay attention.

GAT_00

2011-11-13 04:02:52 PM

Weaver95: i'm not sure what's got you upset....the system worked as intended. Pearce got kicked out of office fair and square, nice and legal.

A fascist like that shouldn't get elected in the first place, much less be one of the most powerful Republicans in the state.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 04:04:38 PM

GAT_00: Weaver95: i'm not sure what's got you upset....the system worked as intended. Pearce got kicked out of office fair and square, nice and legal.

A fascist like that shouldn't get elected in the first place, much less be one of the most powerful Republicans in the state.

sometimes people don't pay attention until AFTER the election. And sometimes you don't know how a politican is going to act until after they're in office for a while. sure, it'd be nice if people showed up at the original election(s) and voted...but we don't live in a perfect world.

GAT_00

2011-11-13 04:08:53 PM

Weaver95: sometimes people don't pay attention until AFTER the election.

People shouldn't be voting for Republicans, period, in the first place. If there's anything to be learned from Walker and Kasich, neither of who campaigned on their 'fark the people' law, that's it. Republicans are simply not to be trusted in power under any circumstances.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 04:10:27 PM

GAT_00: Weaver95: sometimes people don't pay attention until AFTER the election.

People shouldn't be voting for Republicans, period, in the first place. If there's anything to be learned from Walker and Kasich, neither of who campaigned on their 'fark the people' law, that's it. Republicans are simply not to be trusted in power under any circumstances.

not the current crop of idiots running the GOP that's for sure. But people don't always vote with their heads. Hell, most people barely understand 'the issues'. they vote what the TV tells them to vote.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 04:22:27 PM

I will say one thing tho - the results of the most recent election cycle should scare the piss outta the GOP. people all over the country came out and rejected the extreme platform/policy decisions that the leadership was expecting to carry the party through 2012 and against Obama.

Peter von Nostrand

2011-11-13 06:49:43 PM

This is bad news for... xenophobes

quickdraw

2011-11-13 07:23:10 PM

Yay! I haz a happy!

serpent_sky

2011-11-13 07:58:51 PM

coco ebert: This is what I don't get. Why don't people vote, particularly in local elections? In many ways those elections are more important than the larger ones. I went to vote last week and along with another couple my age, we were the only "young" people there. Everyone else was middle-aged or elderly.

I was the only young person there and man, was I getting the stink eye from some of the elderly people. Looking at me, you can pretty much guess I am not remotely socially conservative. But I like to think it matters, so I do my part. One of my friends said, "You voted? I didn't know New York had any elections today, I thought it was other states." I was speechless -- even if you're not really into politics, you'd think all the lawn signs, and "vote here today" signs at various polling places would be a clue....

I guess it's better that people like that don't vote, though. :/

coco ebert

2011-11-13 08:02:59 PM

serpent_sky: I guess it's better that people like that don't vote, though. :/

Lol, I always forget about that aspect.

serpent_sky

2011-11-13 08:10:07 PM

coco ebert: serpent_sky: I guess it's better that people like that don't vote, though. :/

Lol, I always forget about that aspect.

It doesn't make me any less sad. I admit when I was in my early 20s, I didn't think politics mattered. As I got older, I became increasingly interested. George Bush's Presidency made me acutely aware that I had to pay attention and speak my voice and do what I can. And voting is the bare minimum.

My friends are all in their 30s, some in their 40s. (Sad that is what counts as "young" at the polls). There is no reason to be willfully ignorant of politics at this age -- I really don't want to be working into my 80s, eating cat food because I don't make a living wage due to being freaking 80-something, and have virtually no rights as a woman. Scary thing is that scenario isn't that out of line the way things are going.

LeFort III

2011-11-13 08:10:48 PM

I lived in Tucson for five years and my parents still live there. I can tell you all with no hesitation that Arizona politics is about as screwed up as politics can possibly get. It started in earnest after the governor was recalled in '88. He was a legitimate moron, but the net effect was to embolden any and every fringe group to try and ouster their elected opponents.

State government, local government, even neighborhood government; it has all devolved into a huge pile of doo doo. The pattern is that within a month of someone getting elected, somebody will begin a recall petition on them. They stand outside grocery stores and in malls trying to get signatures. Often the recalls go to votes, too. So party A has their elected official recalled and replaced by party B. Then party A starts a recall petition on official B.

I still can't believe the joy in my dad's voice as he told me once that they recalled somebody on their homeowner's association board.

You have a population of retirees who lean strongly Republican and a large group of environmentalists that lean Democratic. There are almost no moderates there.

I have never seen a more chaotic way to run politics.

GAT_00

2011-11-13 08:17:14 PM

LeFort III: I have never seen a more chaotic way to run politics.

Therefore, recalling a fascist was bad.

hubiestubert

2011-11-13 08:28:52 PM

This is going to be an important election cycle.

It can make or break the GOP. Redefine the GOP. For good or ill. The questions that the leadership should have asked itself when Obama won, were tabled. A serious loss of seats, would force them to re-evaluate the Wing Nut Brigade and the naked greed. The polarization has to end, because it leads to going further and further out on a limb, and the Wing Nuts are sawing away at the branch...

serpent_sky

2011-11-13 08:37:50 PM

hubiestubert: The questions that the leadership should have asked itself when Obama won, were tabled. A serious loss of seats, would force them to re-evaluate the Wing Nut Brigade and the naked greed.

Honest question: who, exactly, is the leadership in that party? If you look at Senate/The House I'd say the Wing Nut Bridgade, as you said, are the leadership right now. Maybe it will lead to someone stepping up and taking the reigns from them.

snuff3r

2011-11-13 08:46:22 PM

Two words: Mandatory elections.

America would be a completely different country with it in place, i bet.

Weaver95

2011-11-13 08:46:29 PM

serpent_sky: hubiestubert: The questions that the leadership should have asked itself when Obama won, were tabled. A serious loss of seats, would force them to re-evaluate the Wing Nut Brigade and the naked greed.

Honest question: who, exactly, is the leadership in that party? If you look at Senate/The House I'd say the Wing Nut Bridgade, as you said, are the leadership right now. Maybe it will lead to someone stepping up and taking the reigns from them.

the problem with a power struggle within the GOP is that the wingnuts really, honestly believe that GOD is on their side. they can't fail, they can't compromise, and they can't back down because this is GOD'S work. people like that won't go easy, and they'll do a lot of damage on the way out the door.

Mentat

2011-11-13 08:54:18 PM

GAT_00: LIGAFF: I don't see anything about Sheriff Joe in that story.

He's in the last sentence.

And Pearce was worse. Joe couldn't write the laws, Pearce wrote SB 1070. Voting him out is the very least that should have happened to him.

Pearce wanted to privatize the University of Arizona.

serpent_sky

2011-11-13 08:56:44 PM

snuff3r: Two words: Mandatory elections.

Do you mean mandatory voting?

That would probably take decades to actually have an educated electorate voting. In the interim, it would be somewhat nightmarish.

Smackledorfer

2011-11-13 08:57:45 PM

Weaver95: violentsalvation: 48 second statement video on the right hand side. I think he was kinda shocked. (new window)

if nothing else, the recent election cycle puts me in a somewhat hopeful mood for 2012. A lot of key elections did not go the way the GOP expected. that *should* be enough of an indication to the GOP insiders that extremism isn't going to do them any favors against Obama...but logical analysis isn't exactly a strong point among the GOP leadership these days, so who knows how they'll react.

As they said on NPR today we, Americans on both sides of the aisle, need to stop viewing elections as mandates. Republicans have massively overreached of late, and the large middle fought back.

Now we cross our fingers that big lies don't succeed in folks splitting the difference ...

Britney Spear's Speculum

2011-11-13 09:02:19 PM

How a group of surly citizens took down the most powerful Republican in Arizona...and replaced him with another republican.

hubiestubert

2011-11-13 09:02:25 PM

serpent_sky: hubiestubert: The questions that the leadership should have asked itself when Obama won, were tabled. A serious loss of seats, would force them to re-evaluate the Wing Nut Brigade and the naked greed.

Honest question: who, exactly, is the leadership in that party? If you look at Senate/The House I'd say the Wing Nut Bridgade, as you said, are the leadership right now. Maybe it will lead to someone stepping up and taking the reigns from them.

The true leadership are the folks giving the cash. Who are putting policies in their hands. The folks who own these idiots. The folks who expect results have some misgivings given the performance thus far. Of the results that their useful idiots have delivered. When they were on script, it was good. The problem is that the Idiot Brigade believes that they're in charge.

LeFort III

2011-11-13 09:03:00 PM

GAT_00: LeFort III: I have never seen a more chaotic way to run politics.

Therefore, recalling a fascist was bad.

Um, what? I didn't say anything about this dude. I'm talking about Arizona politics in general. Sure, this man did deserve to be recalled, but my point here is that there are so few truly smart and idealistic people that run for office just about anybody elected can be assumed to be a complete tool or a fool.

IMHO, public office in AZ is a giant Sarlacc that only complete lunatics jump into because they think they can live through it and make the world a better place.

Twin 40s

2011-11-13 09:07:56 PM

Mentat: GAT_00: LIGAFF: I don't see anything about Sheriff Joe in that story.

He's in the last sentence.

And Pearce was worse. Joe couldn't write the laws, Pearce wrote SB 1070. Voting him out is the very least that should have happened to him.

Pearce wanted to privatize the University of Arizona.

Worse... I hear he wanted to privatize the University of Phoenix!

BSABSVR

2011-11-13 09:09:30 PM

Britney Spear's Speculum: How a group of surly citizens took down the most powerful Republican in Arizona...and replaced him with another republican.

It's a heavily Mormon, conservative district. Nobody was going to elect a democrat there (which is how extremists like Pearce win. Sure the guy sends out emails about the filthy joo race, but what am I gonna do, vote for some feminist who wants to raise my taxes and move illegals into my house?). I think electing a guy who isn't crooked or pals with neo-nazis is still a marked improvement.

Talondel

2011-11-13 09:14:50 PM

snuff3r: Two words: Mandatory elections.

America would be a completely different country with it in place, i bet.

Yeah, just what we want is people who don't give a shiat about the outcome to be influencing the vote. What you want is a more informed electorate, not a less informed one. If you want to improve the quality of the voters, you should be decreasing the number of people who vote, not increasing it. Make sure that the people who are voting actually care about the outcome, and you'll be more likely to get an informed voters.

Stop telling people they have a civic duty to vote, and start telling them they have a civic duty to be informed, whether they vote or not.

jso2897

2011-11-13 09:14:54 PM

winterwhile: ah.. the Union goons strike again?

ops normal for dem-o-rats

It's a helpless feeling, isn't it? The majority is against you, and you'll never have the balls to actually pick up one of those guns you bought.
But that's what you get for being a self-loathing pussy.

jso2897

2011-11-13 09:16:22 PM

Talondel: snuff3r: Two words: Mandatory elections.

America would be a completely different country with it in place, i bet.

Yeah, just what we want is people who don't give a shiat about the outcome to be influencing the vote. What you want is a more informed electorate, not a less informed one. If you want to improve the quality of the voters, you should be decreasing the number of people who vote, not increasing it. Make sure that the people who are voting actually care about the outcome, and you'll be more likely to get an informed voters.

Stop telling people they have a civic duty to vote, and start telling them they have a civic duty to be ~~informed~~ infromed, whether they vote or not.
Sorry. Pet peeve.

globalwarmingpraiser

2011-11-13 09:22:25 PM

serpent_sky: coco ebert: serpent_sky: I guess it's better that people like that don't vote, though. :/

Lol, I always forget about that aspect.

It doesn't make me any less sad. I admit when I was in my early 20s, I didn't think politics mattered. As I got older, I became increasingly interested. George Bush's Presidency made me acutely aware that I had to pay attention and speak my voice and do what I can. And voting is the bare minimum.

My friends are all in their 30s, some in their 40s. (Sad that is what counts as "young" at the polls). There is no reason to be willfully ignorant of politics at this age -- I really don't want to be working into my 80s, eating cat food because I don't make a living wage due to being freaking 80-something, and have virtually no rights as a woman. Scary thing is that scenario isn't that out of line the way things are going.

By your age you should be good at making sammiches suger tits.

Sabyen91

2011-11-13 09:26:34 PM

jehovahs witness protection: Not giving salon any clicks.

Holy crap.

/I will not give BBC clicks because of the LIBS, LIBS, LIBS!

Weaver95

2011-11-13 09:26:50 PM

winterwhile: ah.. the Union goons strike again?

ops normal for dem-o-rats

And you are powerless against them. the GOP lost some key elections. Several key issues that should have been a cake walk for the Republicans ended up going pear shaped. Those were issues and election races that the GOP naional leadership was hoping to use as dry runs for 2012.

had to be disappointing for you.

pgh9fan

2011-11-13 09:32:06 PM

If she starts going after Sheriff Joe, consider me a donor.

OnlyM3

2011-11-13 09:32:10 PM