Russell Pearce, Arizona Conservative Too Extreme for Republicans

An Improbable Situation But Apparently Not An  Impossible One

The President of the Arizona State Senate will face a re-call election for of all reasons having too radical agenda for even Republicans in that Conservative state.  The New York Times reports that Russell Pearce will have to face the voters in either November or next March, because enough signatures were gathered for a petition to force a re-call election.  Among the many accomplishments (?) and attempted accomplishments of Mr. Pearce are

1. Requiring photo ID’s to vote (a reasonably sounding idea, except it is really designed to keep minorities and low income voters away from the polls.  It is generally supported by Republicans not because of voter fraud, but because those folks mostly do not vote for Republicans.)

2. Arizona’s harsh immigration law (Police can stop and demand “papers” from people who look suspicious, a successful tactic of many repressive regimes.  Why Conservatives, who supposedly adore freedom and oppose government interference with people’s live support such a position is another one of those unanswered mysteries of life).

3. To deny citizenship to persons born in the U.S. with illegal immigrant parents (Unconstitutional, but that’s a small matter to true believers.  Conservatives like Mr. Pearce are in awe of the Constitution, but only their version which apparently differs from the official one).

 

Mr. Pearce does not take criticism well.

Mr. Pearce did not respond to a request for comment last week, but in recent weeks he has criticized detractors, labeling recall supporters “far-left anarchists,” “radical, radical extremists” and a “profit-over-patriotism crowd.”

A “profit-over-patriotism” person  sounds like someone who like “Mr. Pearce also was caught up in a controversy over trips and game tickets that he and other politicians received from the Fiesta Bowl, forcing him to amend his financial disclosure reports.”

The election itself is probably not going to be successful.  It will take a mainstream Conservative to unseat Mr. Pearce, and no one is forthcoming at the moment.  As for Mr. Pearce, he

remains defiant in the face of the recall threat. “I stand for what I stand for, and I’ve never varied,” he said Thursday night on local television.

That unfortunately is the problem.