How deep is the war within the Republican Party

[Arizona Freedom Alliance]

It seems to be everywhere.  Solid activist republicans in states around the country are jumping ship.  There are plenty of insiders trying to save the party by begging conservatives to stay, things will be different soon.

Our team had a long chat with Matt Schlapp during the recent National Federation of Republican Assemblies Convention about the state of the Republican party.  Not included in the discussion was any talk of leaving the party or starting a new party.  However, we were not comforted by the discussion.

Our team was discussing the sorry state of our AZGOP with Schlapp, the cheating and total disregard for anyone who has a difference with AZGOP.  We discussed the lapse in proper leadership of Robert Graham and Jonathan Lines.  We discussed the out-right fraudulent behavior of the Chairman of the Nevada Republican Party Chairman during the Presidential Primary Caucus in NV in 2016.  Stories from Idaho, Alaska and Utan claim similar fraud went down in those states.  The goal of those parties: to make sure Trump lost.  You may have read our articles from NV describing what happened to keep Trump from winning every electoral vote in NV.  It was the NV Chairman who set up the Caucuses and their locations.  It was the Chairman who pulled the trick of telling those who lived in Trump strong holds that there were no ballots "but wait an hour or so and we will get some."  A Trump supported later found there were plenty of ballots in a district chairman's car!  It was the chairman, Michael McDonald, who designed and executed the caucus for the Republican Party in NV. Read all about it here: [LINK]

This is the surprising thing about that discussion: Schlapp said he is aware of the problems with the GOP in Arizona.  It's his experience that this is common in most states.  We took that to mean Republican state chairmen across America are like McCain: self-serving, wrong-headed and outright corrupt if necessary to keep the "little people" in line.

So it was no surprise to read this article in MCRC Briefs this morning:

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12 resign from Mohave County Republican Central Committee

“They are allowing libertarians in. We’ve been trying to get the bylaws rewritten, which are so out of date, but there is a core group in the central committee who are PCs that don’t want to get this done. I don’t understand why.” Former State Senator Sue Donahue"  Read entire article here [LINK]

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Consider our recent reports on the drama going on in Navajo County.  Until recently, the libertarians had taken over the Republican party since 2013. They blind-sided Chairman Karen MacKean who lostby 4 votes in that election.  Since then, there seems to be over $20,000 missing from the district coffers.  That case has been turned over to authorities for investigation. Most recently, a brawl broke out when Senator Sylvia Allen insulted the guest speaker by calling her a Nazi and Allen's husband called her a "stupid bitch."  Rumor has it that Sen. Allen is working with AZGOP Chairman to have her new group put in place as the formal Navajo County Republican District Committee.  If true and and actually happens, that would be unprecedented.  There are other methods to take over a district committee without going to those lengths. Given the rash of violations of the Bylaws by former Chairman Robert Graham and current AZGOP Chairman Lines, anything is possible.

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In Yuma County, District Chairman Jonathan Lines refused to allow PCs to run for state committeemen, no nominations from the floor were allowed. Lines hand-selected the 17 people HE wanted to be state committee and moved to elect them all by acclamation. Many are his family members. Lines was running for state Chairman and was happy to cheat to any degree to help his campaign.  We would guess that every one of them voted for Lines for Chairman.  There were also 35-40 brand new PCs that showed up to vote for State Committeemen... and have not been seen since!

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In LD15, Robert Graham's district, on election night, hordes of unknown and previously unseen newly minted PCs to vote in an Executive Committee of people long time LD15 PCs had never laid eyes on before that night!  Graham didn't bother to hang around to hear the results of the election... he fixed it and know what the results would be!

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In the 2016 Arizona Senate election, a popular sitting Congressman from Arizona asked all candidates if they would drop out of the Senate race against McCain if he got in. It's well known that the only way to make a change in an elected seat held for years by the same person is to run only one, winnable candidate against the incumbent. This candidate has the name ID, the campaign experience and the money to win. Many people who knew about this felt that was the best thing to do in order to get rid of McCain.  Only Kelli Ward refused and lost to McCain as was expected.  The same thing is happening now in 2017.  Many have asked her to step aside for a more guaranteed winnable candidate.  She has no obligation to do that.  Except to get rid of McCain, which she couldn't do in 2016, and now Flake and then Sinema.  For us, it comes down to what matters and is best for our state and our country. Since that election, we discovered McCain has brain cancer and it may already be affecting his language and thinking skills based on recent votes and speeches.  He has said he will stay on the job.

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Social media has been alive with calls to drop the Republican party as a lost cause.  Political parties seem to have a life of about 50-60 years, plus or minus, before they start to fail.  Donald Trump is not a Republican in the truest sense of the word from times past.  Rather, he's a pragmatist and some say nationalist with a sneer on their lips. Whatever label he prefers to use, he is the first President since the 80's to actually put America First.

The point is, how much longer will America survive elected lawmakers like McCain, Ryan, McConnell and all those who are more concerned with the money they are taking under the table than their own country?  We remember that the Founding Fathers foresaw this situation and did not want political parties to get a toehold.  However, the first political party was actually formed in 1792 by advisors to George Washington over a split between supporters of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.  The name of the party?  Democratic-Republican!  That party splintered in about 1828, the Republican party became the Whig party, which eventually gave way to the Republican Party and given the moniker of GOP and was the anti-slavery party. Still is!  Our current government was eventually set up to be a two party system which is why Independents choose a party with which to caucus.  All told, America has undergone six political systems in her history.

What all of this means is that if history repeats, which if often does, it's about time for another shake-up in party politics.

[Eric Barnes]

He certainly wouldn't be the first to have a new awareness.  Because he was an "enemy" two years ago does not have to mean he should be ignored now.  People change.  And, as for his money, who is to say now what his actions are or will be?

[Rose Sperry]

PatJ, thanks for nailing the "still liberal " Krauthammer. Perhaps we should perform an exorcism to cleanse those media outlets that purport to be conservative but continuously allow the Krauthammer’s of this nation to spout their propaganda to every household in this nation. This garbage of “ We report, You decide” is a tool used by the networks to hide the fact that it’s all about ratings and the nation be damned. Never mind the innocent young listeners that haven't yet developed the ability to know when they're being set up to believe the lies.

[john powelson]

Criminal Acts perpetrated to harm our "Democracy", in reality it is a Republic, are treasonous acts of war and should be prosecuted and punished immediately upon conviction for that crime, in the cases involving citizens and those from other countries should be tried as enemy combatants and imprisoned and deported after serving their sentences at Gitmo or whatever hole they are thrown into after conviction. It's about time we quit pussyfooting around with those we find warring against our nation wherever they are found and whatever they are caught doing to promote that war.

[Bruce M Piepho]

OFA is but one more symptom of the deep deep socialism inroads to America life and especially politics.  Fortunately I do not see much being accomplished..

[Ernest Mc Collum]

we should all jump ship go to the constitution party.

[Francine R]

Yes, we want something that is definitely run by and following of the US constitution.  I think we can do better than the 'constitution' party.  It needs to be something stronger and more solid in everything it does, thinks, acts on, and responds to.

[john powelson]

We are winning Mr. Mc Collum. No reason to jump ship while it is going our way. We should not have expected an easy battle and I for one knew it would be tough and it's just starting, less than a year into what I think will be eight to begin with. If we buckle down and think and fight effectively we can turn this country around but jumping to the Constitution Party will wreck it before we start. I watched the Republican Operatives sabotage and split the Constitution party in California a few years back just like they did, same people involved and I know and can name them, the Reform Party when Pat Bucannon ran for president back when. It was easy to confuse people and discourage them when dealing with a new party and all new people involved. Few knew the truth or the score cards for those involved.

[Gina Swoboda]

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

― George Washington

[Jaspersgoat]

Anyone know why Kelli Ward REPUBLICAN candidate for Senate is supporting the libertarians? Is this any different from McCain imitating a republican while being a democrat? Can't we do better than this?

[Nan M Nicoll PC Mohave Mesa 02]

Sue Donahue wasn't at our last meeting so perhaps she didn't know the reason the bylaws were not approved..  We did not want to approve bylaw changes without discussion. There were too many changes in the time allotted so we asked to have a meeting to go over, hash out, what we supported and if not wanted some feedback about it. By the way, no one in our organization wants to be libertarian. I will leave it up to you why Sue Donahue would sent this to you but I would like to point out the only reason she was filling in as an AZ Senator is all the proxies the pcs in Lake Havasu City brought to that meeting.  She knows we are considering cutting back dramatically on the amount of proxies each pc can have.  Maybe it is too hard to handle that pcs have to show up to vote?

[Arizona Freedom Alliance]

Nan: Sue Donohue did not send anything to us for this article or any other.  Yes, we know she was elected to - not filling in for - a vacancy and she said before she ran she did not want the job permanently.  We agree completely with you on Proxies and fully support the current effort by a PC to have statute limit the number of proxies that can be carried or swapped.

Thanks for the heads up on the link.  It is fixed now.  An errant , caused the problem. 

[Nan M Nicoll PC Mohave Mesa 02]

By the way, the link supplied to further read about the story on Mohave County does not work.