Pullen for the Party

AZGOP: PELOSI, DEMOCRATS WRONG ON BORDER POLICY

PHOENIX, AZ – “It is unfortunate that Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believes that unprotected, open borders which allow the free-flow of drugs into Arizona schools and risk the passage of gangs and terrorists across our border is better policy than protecting our communities,” said Arizona Republican Party Communications Director Brett Mecum. “Her refusal to endorse and support common sense steps to gain operational control of our southern border is very disturbing and makes America less safe from outside threats.”

Mecum’s comments come after Pelosi called building the border fence a “terrible idea” at the Rio Grande Valley for the annual Hispanic Engineering, Science & Technology Week conference held at the University of Texas-Pan American. Pelosi went on to say that, "I have been against the fence, I thought it's a bad idea even when it was just a matter of discussion…" [link]

“It’s no wonder why Congress has the lowest approval ratings in history when the liberal Speaker of the House chooses to do her utmost to derail a project that is aimed at helping keep America safe and secure. The Democrat controlled Congress with Pelosi at the helm cares little for border security and the rule of law and they care very little about legislating and doing their job. It seems the only thing they do care about is the preservation of their own political power,” concluded Mecum.

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Mackinac Wrap-Up

This past weekend, I had the honor to attend the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference held at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island at the tip of northern Michigan. It was the largest conference they have had in thirty years with over 1,500 diehard Republicans in attendance to hear from our Republican presidential candidates.

The conference is an opportunity for the party faithful to get together and listen to speeches, attend workshops, and share ideas. While the press is in attendance at this conference, their access to candidates, receptions and what they can report is limited. This gives our candidates the opportunity to speak more candidly and off the cuff.

Conference attendees were able to see and hear from Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Ron Paul and Fred Thompson. Also, Newt Gingrich gave a one hour workshop on American Solutions.

All of the presidential candidates gave great and passionate speeches. Mayor Giuliani was first to speak on Friday night and focused on Islamic terrorism as well as comparing and contrasting Republican ideas with those of the Democrats ideas. He spoke of his success in turning New York City around, balancing the budget, cutting taxes and making it the safest large city in the county. He also spoke confidently of his assessment that he was the best candidate and the only one who could be competitive in all 50 states with the Democrats.

The final speaker of the conference on Saturday night was Senator McCain. He definitely received the loudest applause as he dealt exclusively with the Islamic terrorists and the war in Iraq. He spoke from the heart with passion and brought the crowd to its feet when he admonished Columbia University for inviting Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.

In between, we heard Governor Romney speak about how we need to be Republicans for change. His messaged focused on how Republicans solve problems by being creative, open to new ideas and taking risks. We can secure our borders and solve the healthcare crisis without creating a new government bureaucracy.

Senator Thompson’s message was focused on his background and experienced and why he was qualified and ready to lead the country. He also talked extensively about why the GOP is far better than the Democrats.

Overall, it was a very positive experience and the overwhelming consensus was that Republican ideas are still the best ideas for America, but as Governor Romney said, “when Republicans act like Democrats, America loses.”

RANDY

“WILL THE REAL GABRIELLE GIFFORDS PLEASE STAND UP?”

PHOENIX, AZ – “Why won’t Gabrielle Giffords do the right thing? Why won’t she represent the needs of her constituents instead of the needs of liberal special interest groups? Why won’t Miss Giffords vote in private how she votes when the cameras are on?” questioned Arizona Republican Party Communications Director Brett Mecum.

“It looks like Giffords has the John Kerry playbook down pat. She voted to protect MoveOn.org before she voted against them,” continued Mecum.

Mecum referenced Gabrielle Giffords’ vote on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to try and stop the Pence amendment, which brought the motion condemning MoveOn.org to the floor of the House of Representatives. Just five minutes later, Giffords voted in the entire U.S. House of Representatives against MoveOn.org’s hate-filled personal attacks against the leader of our military in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

“Arizona voters want to know which Gabrielle Giffords they are going to get. They want to know if they have a representative who condones the hateful actions of MoveOn.org. They want to know if their representative in Congress tried to kill a measure condemning the organization behind closed doors and why she refuses to give back or donate the $5,000 in campaign contributions she received from this sick organization. They want to know if Miss Giffords is bought and paid for with MoveOn.org blood money.”

“Will the real Gabrielle Giffords please stand-up?” asked Mecum.

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AZGOP ON MITCHELL AND GIFFORDS: EARMARKS ANTICS AT THE EXPENSE OF KIDS

Phoenix, AZ – “When will Democrats like Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords start to tell the truth about their earmark antics in Congress?” questioned Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. “Giffords and Mitchell had the opportunity to make government more transparent and they voted ‘no’. They had the ability to change the tone in Washington and they choose not to. And they had the ability to pass legislation for America’s neediest children and they choose to play politics and add secret pork. Do they really believe that no one is watching?”

Pullen’s comments are in response to the Democrats in Congress refusal to sign and approve a discharge petition allowing for immediate debate on legislation that would allow for transparency and accountability in the earmark process and prevent secret earmarks from being slipped into pending legislation.

“The Democrats have now misled the American people,” continued Pullen. They certified that the SCHIP bill, a bill that provides health insurance to America’s children most in need, was earmark free, now we find out about the secret earmarks. They pledged to bring transparency and accountability to the legislative process and earmark process, but we find that things have become far worse than when they initially took over. And they pledged to run the most ethical Congress in history, yet we see vote stealing, we see secret earmarks, and we see refusals to return money from groups that engage in hate-mongering. There is clearly outrage in America over the Democrats’ duplicity.”

For more information, please contact Brett Mecum at 602.957.7770 or at bmecum@azgop.org.

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AZGOP CRITICAL OF GRIJALVA VOTE

Pullen calls on Mitchell and Giffords to condemn

Phoenix, AZ – “Raul Grijalva’s vote today against a resolution condemning MoveOn.org’s libelous attacks on General Petraeus is an unconscionable action and simply in bad taste,” said Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party.

Pullen’s comments came after the United States House voted 341 to 79 to approve House Joint Resolution 52, a resolution that “condemns in the strongest possible terms the personal attacks made by the advocacy group MoveOn.org impugning the integrity and professionalism of General David H. Petraeus.” Grijalva was the lone member of the Arizona congressional delegation to vote against the measure.

“Grijalva’s Democrat colleagues such as Gabrielle Giffords and Harry Mitchell should publicly condemn Grijalva’s bad vote and stress to him, in the strongest possible terms, that voting in support of hateful groups like MoveOn.org, that regularly lie and have defamed a decorated war hero will no longer be tolerated by Arizonans or Americans,” said Pullen. “I am deeply disturbed by this whole incident and sincerely hope that Giffords and Mitchell will do the right thing and hope that Raul Grijalva will one day come to his senses. I’ll also remind Gabrielle Giffords that she ought to return the $5,000 in campaign funds that MoveOn.org had donated to her campaign last year. Keeping that kind of money seems immoral.”

For more information, please contact Brett Mecum at 602.957.7770 or at bmecum@azgop.org.

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Gov’s budget fixes would put state in a fix

By Sen. Thayer Verschoor and Sen. Bob Burns

Like the rest of the nation, the people of Arizona are trying to come to terms with the fact that recent years of economic expansion are being challenged by a downturn in the housing and financial markets. How long that downturn will last and the impact it will have on Arizona households and various business sectors is being debated by economists.

We were glad to see Gov. Janet Napolitano acknowledge Wednesday that current economic conditions are creating a projected budget shortfall of at least $600 million. We were also glad to see her put forward a proposal and begin a dialogue with the Legislature on how best to address this problem.

How the state responds to this shortfall is crucial. If our response creates a fiscally unsustainable budget, taxpayers will be in jeopardy. We want to be perfectly clear that, whatever we do, we cannot increase the burdens on taxpayers who are already struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments and other household expenses.

Being a good steward of the state’s fiscal system means recognizing problems associated with overburdening the revenue producers as well as needs of government. We will only worsen the economic situation by increasing taxes.

Recognizing the impact of skyrocketing property values and local government property tax increases, the Legislature enacted a $235 million property tax reduction that expires, by the governor’s insistence, in the tax year of 2009. The Democrats have opposed efforts to make that rate reduction permanent, meaning it will reappear on your property tax bills.

We are concerned that Napolitano’s proposed response to the budget shortfall could put the state’s finances in a precarious and unsustainable position. Most worrisome is her continued advocacy for the state budget to become addicted to a series of long-term, interest-bearing, debt obligations to finance costs for school construction we will face each and every year for decades into the future. At some point, the debt service payments for that accumulated debt will exceed the annual amount of cash needed. This is like taking out multiple mortgages to pay for utilities.

The governor also proposes using the state’s “rainy day fund,” a onetime cash source, to keep ongoing programs afloat. She apparently is counting on some yet-to-be determined revenue increase to occur at some yet-to-be determined time in the future. This is like taking out a payday loan to cover spending based on the hope that your boss will suddenly decide to double your salary.

These responses to a financial problem do not, in our view, represent wise fiscal management. We suspect that most families and businesses understand the dangers of going into debt for ongoing spending demands. That is why we were glad to see the governor include recognition that some degree of belt-tightening should be part of the solution.

The current revenue situation requires decisive action to examine the state’s financial management and look for areas where we might be able to improve. Much of our budgeted expenditures are driven by statutory formulas that basically run on automatic.

Budget shortfalls provide a good opportunity to retain, eliminate or modify government programs and the formulas that drive their funding. The executive and legislative branches and the people of Arizona are all in this together. We have a better chance of responding appropriately if we work cooperatively, as we have in the past.

Sen. Thayer Verschoor is the Arizona Senate majority leader from District 22 in Gilbert.
Sen. Bob Burns is the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and represents District 9 in Peoria.

***
Originally published in the East Valley Tribune, September 23, 2007

AZGOP LAUDS HOUSE REPUBLICAN EARMARK REFORM

Takes Democrats to task for stifling reform

PHOENIX, AZ – “While campaigning last year, the Democrats made unfulfilled promises to the American people about how they were going to run the cleanest, most ethical Congress in history,” said state GOP Communications Director Brett Mecum. “It seems those statements were misleading and deceitful on the part of the Democrats.

“House Republican Leader John Boehner and his Republican conference should be commended and lauded for their relentless efforts this year to reform earmarks and bring a very secretive and obscure process out of the shadows.”

Mecum’s comments come as congressional Republicans called on House Democrats to implement reform measures aimed at making the earmark process more open and subject to greater accountability.

“It’s time the Democrats practiced what they preach,” continued Mecum. “With the antics the Democrats have engaged in since taking charge, from Gabrielle Giffords keeping her earmarks secret to Harry Mitchell stealing votes on the House floor, it’s no wonder that the Democrat controlled Congress scored an embarrassing 11-percent approval rating this week. They have lost the faith, confidence, and support of the American people. They have an opportunity to do the right thing, the ethical thing and support expanded earmark reform. But sadly, they would rather hurl partisan rhetoric and insults rather than trying to clean up their own house.”

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AZGOP TO CLINTON: AMERICA NEEDS LEADERSHIP, NOT HATE

Phoenix, AZ—State Republican Party Communications Director Brett Mecum called on Democrat Presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton to clean up her campaign, after New York’s junior U.S. Senator resorted to name-calling after losing a vote in Washington and referred to Vice President Dick Cheney as “Darth Vader.”

“In our next president, America needs leadership, not hate,” Mecum said. “Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton may find it funny to engage in the politics of personal destruction, or she may be pathologically incapable of keeping her cool when she’s upset. In either case, her hateful ways of campaigning against both Democrat and Republican opponents are counterproductive to elevating the political discourse in America.

“In this campaign alone, Hillary Rodham Clinton has returned nearly one million dollars in tainted money raised for her campaign by a fugitive from justice who swindled millions from innocent Americans in investment schemes,” Mecum said. “She attacks her opponents without regard to any standard of decency, as if they were personal enemies rather than candidates for office.”

At a town hall meeting in New York, according to the Politico online news/blog site, Senator Clinton bemoaned the defeat of a Democrat attempt to restrict troop deployments in Iraq with a vitriolic personal attack on the vice president. "You can always tell when the Republicans are getting restless, because the vice president’s motorcade pulls into the Capitol, and Darth Vader emerges," she said.

“It was perhaps foolish to think that we might have the opportunity to engage in meaningful debate during this campaign on issues such as Senator Clinton’s flip-flops on Iraq, Senator Clinton’s fascination with a federal takeover of our health care system, or Senator Clinton’s determination to repeal the last six years of tax cuts which spurred years of economic growth,” said Mecum.

“But instead, we have illicit Hillary fundraising, Hillary’s gutter politics and a complete breakdown of any sort of dignity in the campaign process,” Mecum said. “Sadly, the media will likely dismiss this and report about supposed fractures in the GOP when one Republican sneezes and another neglects to say Gesundheit.”

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HOW LOW CAN THEY GO?

New poll shows Dem Congress at record low

Phoenix, AZ – “Just when you thought congressional approval ratings had hit rock bottom, the Democrats have proved otherwise and brought the U.S. Congress even lower to 11%,” said Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. “I think the question on everybody’s minds now is: ‘How low can they go?’.”

Pullen’s comments came after he learned that the newest Zogby/ Reuters poll of likely voters showed the Democrat controlled Congress achieving a mere 11% approval rating.

“Maybe the Democrats wouldn’t have such a low approval rating if Gabrielle Giffords hadn’t supported the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Or maybe the Democrats wouldn’t be so low if Harry Mitchell hadn’t voted against full funding of the border fence as mandated by Congress,” said Pullen.

Pullen continued, “Maybe their approval ratings wouldn’t be so low if Giffords hadn’t voted for the Democrat bill that tied spending for our troops with billions of dollars in Democrat pork. Maybe they would have better numbers if Mitchell didn’t vote to cut seniors’ Medicare, increase taxes on private health insurance, and open the door to taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens. Or maybe if Giffords hadn’t voted to strip American workers of their right to a secret ballot for union organizing elections and if Mitchell didn’t help “steal” a vote on the House floor, allowing benefits for illegal aliens, they might have better numbers.

“Americans want and deserve a Congress that will effectively represent the interests of American citizens. So far, the only interests that the Democrats have represented are there own,” concluded Pullen.

For more information, please contact Brett Mecum at 602.957.7770 or at bmecum@azgop.org

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AZGOP STATEMENT ON NOMINATION OF JUDGE MICHAEL MUKASEY

PHOENIX, AZ – Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen released the following statement today on President Bush’s nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to the post of United States Attorney General:

“I commend President Bush’s selection of Judge Michael Mukasey to the post of United States Attorney General. I think one would be hard pressed to find a more honorable, knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated person to serve in this vitally important position.

“It is my sincere hope that Judge Mukasey is swiftly confirmed by the Senate and allowed to take charge at the Justice Department in a timely manner.”

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