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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

It is time to get off the fence and support Pamela Gorman

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  August 18th, 2010 at 09:06 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

There are so many candidates running in AZ-03 to replace John Shadegg that fundraising is tough unless your last name is Quayle. Pamela Gorman has up what might amount to a closing argument after a great grassroots campaign.

This reflects exactly why I’m supporting Pamela Gorman. Unlike every single other candidate in that race, Pamela Gorman has bled for cause. She stood up to Democrats. She stood up to Republicans. The fights cost her friends and power, but she held the course.

Pamela Gorman has been tested and done well. She will not waver, falter, tire, or go astray. We need Pamela Gorman in Congress.

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COMMENTS

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  • MOlsen6

    I live in this district. Pamela Gorman was my state senator, because I live in the Anthem area of North Phoenix (She stepped down to run for this office). For those that don?t know, Anthem is a ?planned community? built by a housing developer that now is a small city of about 35,000 north of Phoenix, and it is a significant portion of AZ3. It has a nice high school, parks, community center, and walking trails. Pretty nice. Mostly middle class, but some wealthier folks live here too. She has done a reasonable job, but went through a well known and rather messy divorce, which has really hurt badly among social conservatives and seniors. That basically is why she isn?t a particularly good fundraiser, and unfortunately that is part of the job. She is also trying to get the support of the ?Tea Party? folks. The ?Tea Party? movement around here primarily consists of border vigilante types and JD Hayworth ?Birthers? (yes, JD is a ?birther? in addition to being a nut-case, and those of us who live here know it!). While we definitely need ANY border security we can get (few people argue with that), there is also a certain odor about most of these folks that could be exploited by the MSM in support of a Democratic candidate. As a resident in AZ3, I?d rather not get that same odor on me. I will say in her defense that she is my second choice, but that doesn?t help much on election day. I just don?t think she is electable because of the social issue in a Republican primary.

    As for the other folks, Sam Crump is a former State Representative, and is from the local St. Rose Catholic Church, which has been recently embroiled in a cell phone tower scandal. Briefly, a deacon of St. Rose is a key leader in the Anthem Community Council, and he tried to slip St. Rose an exemption to the cell phone tower ban on the sly and got caught. I thought it was a reasonable idea, but many of the residents were really upset, and proper rules and protocol were NOT followed. He has also sided with some local “Birthers”, and in my view is tainted at this point. The Quayle kid is a carpet-bagger, and nobody I know is interested in voting for him. Consider him a stimulus for the local advertizing agencies.

    My pick is Vernon Parker. He has done a good job as Paradise Valley mayor, and has a very compelling life story. He is black, articulate, competent, and a reasonably good fund raiser. He has the support of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, which actually matters around here, but I think it would be much more difficult to tag him with the “racism” label than the other folks. He is local and has managed a city here, and knows our problems. I’d like to give him a shot, and if he doesn’t work out, he will get primaried. Bottom line, he is more electable than Pam Gorman.

  • rdelbov

    things about Vernon Parker.

    Sheriff Joe supports him and frankly how many black conservatives have a chance at a congressional seat.

  • crosley

    I’m also supporting Vernon Parker in this race, I see him being an excellent spokesman for conservatives, and I agree he has a great life story.

    Parker is also unquestionably conservative, he cut spending substantially as Mayor, he never raised a single tax, and he is a border hawk that has been endorsed by Sheriff Arpaio.

  • http://www.erickerickson.org Erick Erickson

    I know lots of Vernon’s constituents and they all say his conservatism is newly found except on immigration.

  • usadying

    http://seeingredaz.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/pv-mayor-vernon-parker-accused-by-feds-of-false-filing/

    A Paradise Valley resident on family vacation in New Zealand applied for SBA certification for his “DISADVANTAGED” business? Come on….

  • mbecker908

    great conservative Republican. He did it to call off the investigative dogs that were sniffing at his heels at that time. (He’s had plenty since and is in the middle of a new one now.)

    Parker is a schnook. He’s got exactly one thing going for him and it’s not “conservatism”.

  • mbecker908

    See below about Joe’s “support”.

  • mbecker908

    Pam Gorman is the only conservative in the race.

  • Richard Mullins

    and it look like this about-face Conservatism isn’t going to help. I don’t what some see in people like this, they really are charlatans. It also looks like Vernon Parker knows how to use the “Race Card”(that is void right now).

  • eburke

    (which means I still follow the guy), I read that that’s who he was endorsing. That led me to his website where it said that Russell Pearce, author of the illegal immigration bill that explosded multiple liberal heads also endorsed him.

    I’m not on the ground (obviously…which is why I’m asking this) but those are 2 individuals w/pretty hefty conservative creds. Am just wondering why the lack of buzz around him.

  • Richard Mullins

    The alarm bells of an appointed mayor is not good to me. Most of the mayors that I’ve known about end up more left-of-center when it comes time to vote for them and when they seek higher office, they move to the right. I know this post might be directed to ‘Becker, so I guess stop talking for now.

  • eburke

    I’m not an ‘endorsements only’ guy, (i.e. I try to learn as much as I can about the candidate’s bona fides and am not usually swayed by most endorsements) But when there seems to be multiple candidates who all sound or have records that are pretty good, there are a few people whose endorsements catch my attention, Jim Demint and Fred Thompson being two of those people.

    So anybody who get FDT’s endorsement and Russell Pearce’s endorsement perks up my ears. Hadn’t heard much about Crump, respect many of the people who are endorsing Gorman, so I’m just trying to get a handle on where Crump stands in all this.

  • crosley

    Erick,

    As a voter who hasn’t completely made up his mind in CD-3, I’d like to know when Vernon wasn’t a conservative.

    He worked for Lee Atwater in the 1988 campaign , and worked for two Republican Presidents. He cut spending in the town of Paradise Valley by over 25%, has never raised a single tax, and is a hawk on the border. I’m actually a knuckle-dragging Arpaio fan, and he has wholeheartedly endorsed Parker.

    I actually started out not liking him, but I’ve definitely come around, and although not perfect, I think he would be an important voice for the Republican Party.

    I just don’t believe Pam Gorman is the only conservative in this race. I’d actually say every single candidate running in this primary is a conservative, with the exception of Paulina Vasquez-Morris.

  • Richard Mullins

    and I stand by my statement. There is something that smells with Mr Parker and I don’t know if endorsements will do well. I repsect Fred Thompson a lot, but I need sort people out first. The question marks from Becker make me wondering about this guy. A good 40-45% voting against but then again, our primaries have over since March 2. Oh well, so people need to get vetted although, if it is him against Ben “rent a family” Qualye, it might be better to vote parker than Qualye.

  • eburke
  • Richard Mullins

    and Parker couldn’t buy endorsements. I far too suspect in that race and maybe we need to see what Shadegg thinks is good.

  • positiveenerg

    A “social issue” HaHaHa … that’s laughable. And the same sinister nonsense being spread by certain “elements” in the community. Vernon’s team are the king of the rumor-mongers and liars. Vernon Parker is not only NOT endorsed by any TEA PARTY, he’s the kind of slick, deceitful politician that Tea Parties were created to shut down.

    Obviously, I support Pamela Gorman in this race. I think Democrats are chomping at the bit with the chance to take on Vernon Parker, Ben Quayle or to a slightly lesser extent (because people don’t know him yet) Steve Moak.

    Vernon Parker is a disaster as a candidate and a person. I’m sorry to say it but of all 10 candidates in the race, Vernon Parker has the lowest ethical standards and has demonstrated not just “trouble” with the truth, he has built absolute total lies into his campaign plan.

    Because the MSM (main stream media) doesn’t cover this race or the backgrounds of the candidates, Vernon’s advisors have determined that they are better of telling self-serving lies and repeating them time and time again … because they can lie faster than they can be found out.

    Vernon went on national TV and lied about being endorsed by the “largest tea party in Arizona”. Actually, he was endorsed by no tea parties. Weeks later when confronted at an ACTUAL tea party, Vernon said it was a “mistake” but he still is promoting the “mistake” on his YouTube. He was asked at that tea party if he would do a retraction. He said “I’ve got no money to run any ads retracting it. Do you want to pay for it?” But he kept the video out.

    In an autodialer throughout the district, Vernon Parker lied about almost ALL of his opponents … deliberately and knowingly. His autodialer included the claim that Vernon Parker was the only candidate to oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants. Absurd. Total lie. A fabrication. And Vernon didn’t care.

    Those repeated lies to Arizona voters are the tip of the iceberg. Vernon’s biggest lie came when allegedly attempting to acquire $1.25 million taxpayer dollars for his own pockets through favored treatment in a government contract. He’s got a black cloud over him because of his alleged misdeeds. That as much as anything is why Democrats are praying for a miracle and a Vernon Parker victory. Vernon is a disaster. It’s becoming increasingly clear throughout the district.

  • positiveenerg

    He is black. This much is true. Democrats in this district are hoping and praying that Vernon Parker miraculously rises from the ashes like a Phoenix and saves his floundering campaign and wins the primary.

    The man claims to be opposed to affirmative action. But his record demonstrates that he is an affirmative action addict who will do or say anything to gain advantage for one person – you guessed it, Vernon Parker.

    Of the ten candidates in the race, there are some significant differences. But only ONE candidate in the race has a lengthy pattern of lying BEFORE he ever ran and a demonstrated record of lying since the campaign began.

    Vernon apologized to the North Valley Tea Party for his “mistake” in “accidentally” claiming to be endorsed by Arizona’s largest Tea Party when no tea party had endorsed him. But he lies every day he leaves that video up on YouTube and promotes his original lie.

    There is no person more wrong for Congress in this race … that VERNON PARKER. He is a lying, dishonest, person.

  • positiveenerg

    Crump is MUCH more conservative than Vernon Parker and has a much better record than Parker.

    Crump’s major problem is the fact that he didn’t just support a major tax increase, but he was the hired head of the organization pushing for the tax increase in California. He moved to Arizona after losing in California to find a place to run for Congress. He supported the local State Rep in order to gain favor.

    Unfortunately, the state rep he supported was also a tax hiker. And a dealmaker. Gorman was a conservative acivist stay-at-home mom and had been recruited to run against this guy – Clancy Jayne – the incumbent RINO.

    Gorman kicked his butt. Eventually she made peace with Sam, learned of his conservative leanings and helped get him elected to the House (when she beat another RINO for the State Senate).

    Well, Sam moved to Arizona to run for Congress. He was running for Attorney General less than a year ago. Then he dropped that race and was running for reelection to State House (when others were interested in running), then he dropped that and ran for Congress.

    Crump is conservative. No doubt. He is a far superior candidate to Vernon Parker. But those are his challenges.

  • mbecker908

    will be our next Critter.

    1. I like Pam Gorman. I’ve found her to be consistently conservative and willing to fight when it matters. If she wins, she “owes” nobody and she’ll do a good job of representing a conservative position for AZ03.

    2. Quayle. Nice kid. I guess. No real accomplishments other than his family name. Probably should be a presidential candidate. Frankly I don’t trust him. He’s putting out interesting commercials, but at the end of the day who really knows what he believes, he’s got no real mileage. He’s also bought and paid for by the beltway guys his dad called for cash.

    3. Parker. Lots of negatives, I agree with them. He’s also decided to wage one-on-one war with Quayle. Nasty guy. Endorsed by Arpaio which, for me, is a perfect reason to discount him. Joe Arpaio is a political genius and arguably the worst Sheriff in the US, not to mention that he endorsed Janet Napolitano in her first run for Gov against a great conservative, Matt Salmon. She won by less than a point with less than 50% of the vote.

    4. Crump. He’d be my second choice.

    5. All others. Darn near every registered R is on the ballot for this office. A pox on the lot of them.

    Right now, I’m guessing it’s going to be Quayle for one simple reason. Money. He’s on the air locally every night, multiple times. His commercials are quite good if you’re throwing red meat to the base.

    4.

  • redtillimdead

    I think thats still Ben Quayle.

  • eburke

    When I get into a situation where folks who I respect and trust endorse different candidates (in this case people like you and EE endorsing Gorman and FDT and Pearce endorsing Crump) it’s nice to get a ‘boots on the ground’ look at things.

    While not related to this race, I am *stunned* to hear that Arpaio endorsed Napalitano over Salmon. Matt was my Congressman when I was there, a down the line conservative who was articulate and actually held to his pledge to only serve 3 terms (quite the rarity). Met him on several occasions, hosted a meet and greet in my house for him…loved the guy.

    What in God’s name induced Joe to endorse a flaming liberal like Janet over Matt? I was never real keen on Joe’s media-grubbing side but loved his no-nonsense approach to running the County jails. What the hell was he thinking?

    Whatever it was, if he endorsed Janet over Matt he just fell mongo stories in my estimation.

  • aesthete

    What I’ve heard is that he’s politically eccentric and that he’s not conservative, but I haven’t bothered to look at his record.

    I do, however, know for a fact that Pam Gorman is a conservative — conservative as they come, actually. She’ll vote right, even if it rubs Republican leadership the wrong way, and she’ll probably support good conservative leadership (i.e., DeMint), which will be crucial in determining how the directionless GOP will go forward from 2010.

  • aesthete

    Pierce… eh.

    As for what Joe is thinking on a given day, you give him too much credit by assuming that he is thinking at all. As a general guideline, I have found that imagining what a liberal’s comedic caricature of a “tough on crime” guy would do is a surprisingly good predictor for what Arpaio’s going to do next.

  • mbecker908

    (a very good two bit politician) and a first order whore.

    He get’s lots of positive press for things like the Tents and his “crime sweeps”, etc. What gets consistently overlooked is that his policies have cost Maricopa County a fortune in lawsuit settlements and judgments and in defending his office from investigations by both the feds and locals.

    At the time he endorsed Janet, there was an on-going state investigation of some stuff I can’t remember the details about. What I do remember is that he endorsed Janet, she won in a squeeker and the investigation went away.

    Arpaio is a schmuck.

  • mbecker908

    See my comments below on Arpaio.

  • eburke

    Matt Salmon is/was about as solid as a conservative as you could ever hope to find and for Arpaio, a Republican, to throw him under the bus is completely and utterly indefensible.

    Realizing this is a bit of a threadjack but what ‘rationale’ did the schmuck give for endorsing the Dem?

    (ya know, you could solve a lot of problems in AZ if you just put a TV camera facing out over the edge of the Grand Canyon. McCain, Hayworth and Arpaio would fall all overthemselves trying to be the first one to get in front of it)

    Problem(s) solved!

  • mbecker908

    I do remember it was a “strange” endorsement, but it was an endorsement none-the-less.

    You’re absolutely right about the TV camera.

  • mosander

    should be elected. Anything less is fatal as power corrupts and that is what has happened t o most of Congress. You cannot continue to vote in the good old boys in the Republican Party or RINOs. If you do, nothing will change. We need serious change to reverse this heinous loss of liberty. This will probably be the last election ever if Barack is not removed. And as to the birther issue which I have studied extensively. It doesn’t matter where he was born. The US Constitution says he must be a natural (not native) born, he must have TWO American parents, which by his own admission, he does not. Dual citizenship is a disqualifier period. It is obvious from what he is doing, he hates Americans. He is funded by many communist organizations and al qaeda. If you’re not alarmed, you are not paying attention. He means to destroy us all (except the muslims).