And so it begins, again

[Arizona Freedom Alliance]

The race is on as to who can be first out of the gate to file for McCain's Senate seat.  Several names are being bandied about.  But, Republicans cannot resist making the same grave mistake every election season.  Everyone with the ability to file and a fire in the belly thinks they can win a race against a man with more money than the Bank of England, more corrupt connections than the MOB and fewer principles than Obama!  If that is what it takes to win this seat along with the ability to run a seriously tight campaign, McCain would not still be in the seat!

AFA hopes good people with a desire to correct the problems of our country will sober up and realize that multiple candidates assures McCain the seat again.  The candidate who can maybe run successfully against him must have true grit, a ground game that is above extraordinary, money money money and a squeaky clean background.  They better not have even dropped a gum wrapper on the ground when they were six!

First up,  a slew of east coast operatives came to town to pick out THEIR candidate.  Of course, they know what McCain is capable of but they don't know the heart of Arizona voters.  They have not announced yet but the rumor mill is working at warp speed to promote the candidate's name that was leaked - Senator Kelli Ward.  Ward makes a first class state Senator, has all the right principles and works very well with her associates in the Legislature.  She is also garnering a lot of grassroots support among the party faithful.  But only the faithful know who she is.  Regular voters don't pay attention to anything but ads on TV and what they get in the mail the day early voting begins.  Educating those voters will be a monumental task in itself.  Look at how poorly JD Hayworth did with all the years he spent in Congress.

Second up, Alex Meluskey.  Alex is not altogether new to politics.  He's a big time fan of Fair Tax and spends his capital on that issue, put his weight behind Michele Reagan for Secretary of State.  Alex has never held elected office, Is unlikely to build the kind of support he needs both financially and in human resources.  If Ward runs, the grassroots already knows her and that is where their energy will go. Alex just became a PC for the first time this election season so he has not been building alliances with a wide range of party politicos statewide.  He will need the best campaign manager on planet earth to make a ripple.  It's not enough to have the right message, the fire, the radio show (as Clair Van Steenwyck knows how that worked out for him and he has been steeped in politics for years).

If McCain is going to be beaten, gargantuan amounts of everything will have to be mustered for ONE viable candidate with wide name ID which is the way the big money comes to camp.

Republicans have a fatal flaw.  They support the person who they believe is the most likable.  Until Republicans and Republican voters mature politically, they will keep showing up in second place.

Next.

[Pat J]

Can't always count on that.  Look at C Jones.  She never got in the weeds even to defend herself from the lies put out on her.  kept her campaign on message.  Lost.  The difference is that there was only ONE conservative in that race and as you said, they all came together.  That didn't happen in the governors race and look who we got as a result!  She was the highest vote getter among conservatives and had all conservative votes gone to the front running conservative, we would have a conservative governor now instead of the McCainite Ducey.

[Ben F]

Clair, this post is a clear indicator of why you failed so totally in your campaign.  Your rhetoric is not connected to the issue at hand nor in meeting the focus of your audience.  SSDD  AFA and Leroy are on point and you are off target - again.

[Bruce M Piepho]

Ben - your comment is not necessary.  I appreciate the insight about Michelle. And who a candidate supported in the past is germane to the subject of alternatives to McCain.

McCain has to go!!

[Sue Goodchild]

MY QUESTION IS....SHOULD WE HAVE SUPPORTED MICHELLE OVER TERRY GODDARD???  I AM AS STRONG A CONSERVATIVE AS YOU CAN BE AND I HAD TO GAG MYSELF TO VOTE FOR ALL BUT 2 OF OUR "GOP" CANDIDATES THIS PAST ELECTION....BUT THE ALTERNATIVE WAS EVEN WORSE.  I KEEP SAYING...STOP THE FIGHTING AND WORK TOGETHER AND FIND NEW CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATES TO RUN FOR OFFICES.  WE NEED TO TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY.

AS TO ALEX DONATING TO REAGANS CAMPAIGN....CHECK THE RECORDS...NOT IN THE PRIMARY ONLY IN THE GENERAL AND SHE CERTAINLY IS BETTER THAN GODDARD!  AND HE IS NEW BLOOD AND CONSERVATIVE.  DOES HE HAVE THE ABILITY TO WIN...WHO KNOWS BUT WE MUST ALL WORK TOGETHER AND STOP THE FIGHTING. KELLI IS ANOTHER BRIGHT LIGHT BUT AGAIN...SHE ENDORSED DUCEY IN THE PRIMARY!  NOT EXACTLY A TRUE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE THERE EITHER...SO LET'S STOP THE BICKERING AND WORK TOGETHER...AFTER ALL OUR GOAL IS TO REPLACE JOHN MCSHAME!  THIS IS A HUGE CHALLENGE AND WE MUST STOP THE FIGHTING AND UNITE!!!

[LeRoy Cumberledge]

It is destructive rationalizations like the above that resulted in four more years of Obama.  That makes the worst evil ever in the White House possible

My father used to tell me that some people are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.  I am now aware of what he was trying to explain to me.  Purity only resided in one person on this earth, all of the rest of us are flawed - that mean ALL of us Clair.  We have to do the best we can on this earth - the best possible, not perfection.  And that means in our elected officials.

[LeRoy Cumberledge]

I'm no fan of the Bushes, but Obama is the wrong medicine.  Your solution is like cutting off both arms because you have carpal tunnel.  There is a lesser of two evils.  It is somewhat like not paying your taxes and going to jail because the confiscation of your money is evil.  Come on, man!  You do not apply your political philosophy to the rest of your life.

[Pat J]

@Sue Holy Batman.  What fighting?  Vetting, questioning, analyzing, looking at records and backgrounds, discussing, revealing.  this is just what should be going on, not just swaying to the strains of kumbaya can't we all just get along.  We need to take this year to study the potential nominees.  THEN, we should unite and organize.  No sooner.  OK, LeRoy was a bit rough on Clair but otherwise, this is exactly what we should be doing.  And, uh, did Alex M donate to Reagan?  I didn't read that.  I read he supported her as in worked in her campaign, put up signs, dropped literature, but so what?  I like Michele Reagan but it would be nice if she was not wedded to the establishment.  I've never heard her say anything mean about anyone. Didn't vote for her in the primary tho.  Also curious, why are you screaming at everyone?  All caps is what people do when they are screaming in type.  It sounds so much like a lecture.  Anyway, how do you know Alex is conservative?  Can you present some details on that?  That would be very constructive.

[Sue Goodchild]

I HAVE A VISION PROBLEM   ~ NOT SCREAMING AT ANYONE ~ LETS ME STAY ON LINE LONGER!!!!

SORRY IF YOU THINK I AM YELLING

[Pat J]

Oh, sorry to hear that.  Thanks for the explanation and my apology is sincere.  All caps is generally seen as e-screaming.

[Sue Goodchild]

APOLOGY ACCEPTED!

[marc]

I wish whoever we pick has this guy's values and ideas.  Basically first repel the bad amendments and laws, which will enable him to fix a lot of problems.