Middlebrook’s Blogging Strategy Doesn’t Pan Out

It appears that Ron Middlebrook needs some new help.  The advice he seemed to take in his latest state house run was to agree with Russell Pearce in everything he says, and try to have your name associated with Pearce whenever possible.

According to his public record, Middlebrook hired Shane Wikfors, who is CEO of Red Mountain Consulting and Development, a political consulting group, to the tune of $1500, to consult him on his campaign.

Wildfors is also behind a local conservative blog, Sonoran Alliance.  The blog didn’t mention that one of there own was consulting for Middlebrook, but it did have a decent number of pro-Middlebrook references.  But alas, the behind-the-scenes support wasn’t enough to get Middlebrook into office.

Maybe Mesa Issues or Thoughts on Mesa might care to help?

Behind the Scenes in District 18 (spoiler alert: It’s JT Ready!)

I was reading a post over at “thoughts on mesa” where the author devises conspirosy theories based on who has donated to Steve Court’s campaign.

Since “thoughts” already looked into Steve Court’s campaign, I looked into the other candidate’s donations.  And (gasp!) what do we find here…

You can see here, Ron Middlebrook is keeping with his slogan “I’ll do whatever Russell Pearce tells me to”, by associating with the infamous JT Ready (see more about Ready here).  Cecil Ash also shows Ready on his list.

In order to get clean elections campaign funding, you need over 200 five-dollar donations.  All of the people who donate have to fill out a form to be recorded with the state.

I’m sure that the canditates will try to distance themselves from Ready, but really, you have to know someone in order to get a donation from them.

Here’s the thing–I’m sure the people that are donating are worried about who their name will be associated with–so do these candidates not care who is donating to them, or do they know these shady people and have similar beliefs?  You are who you associate with, you know.

In either case, it shows a judgment issue for the candidate.

Also noteworthy is a donation from the liquor industry to Kanani Henderson, who did not seek clean elections funding.

Pearce Gets Scared, Has to Back off from Racist Supporters

Interesting article from the New Times:
Et tu, Russ? Pearce throws J.T. Ready under the bus, quietly stabs Buffalo Rick Galeener in the back.
It tells how Russell Pearce is now taking people off his list of endorsements so he doesn’t get charged with being a racist.  Some of the people on the list are pretty bad, as you can read from the article, and see on the YouTube video on the same page.

This isn’t to say that Pearce is a racist like the people that support him, but it sure doesn’t give me complete confidence that he’s not.

The Arizona Republic gets it right (for once?)

I hear a lot of bad-mouthing of the Arizona Republic on talk radio, but, since I don’t subscribe to the paper, I don’t really know for sure their views on most subjects.

But, at least for once, they got it right in the article, “Time to Dump Pearce”.

A few tidbits:

• “By bad-mouthing leading Republicans, Pearce deepens the wound he inflicts on the state’s GOP. Pearce branded Arizona’s two U.S. senators – John McCain, the presumptive nominee for the GOP presidential nomination, and Jon Kyl, a leading GOP conservative – as “traitors” for their efforts to develop practical solutions to the immigration problem. If that is what Pearce calls a fellow Arizonan who could be the next president of the United States, what must he call other legislators and citizens who do not see eye-to-eye with him?”
• “Pearce’s hard-line approach on immigration ignores legitimate concerns in the business community and vilifies those who disagree with him. OAS_AD(‘ArticleFlex_1′)“

The Republic not only makes the case for ousting Pearce, but also makes a strong case for voting for Gibbons.

A Free Pass

One of the issues I have with Russell Pearce is that he seems to be getting a free pass.  I thought more about this when reading the latest New Times article on the subject here.

Why would Pearce supporters let him slide on this one?  Being a racist is a serious issue for an elected official.  Are Pearce’s supporters racist as well, or do they just love him so much that they turn a blind eye?

Ready and Pearce

(thanks for use of the picture.  I got it from an extensive post on the subject here)

Round ‘em up

Take a look at this article:

A small town struggles after immigration raid

Could that happen here in Mesa?  Probably not to that extent, but the reality exists:  We need to find a real solution to the illegal immigration problem.  And the solution is not to just round ‘em up and throw ‘em out.  The economic impact hurts the rest of us.