...though to listen to the whining among the Republicans, you'd think they were Al-Quaeda and Pearce was a suicide bomber...
As soon as it became clear that Russell Pearce had lost his November recall, the whispers started. And when it became clear that Pearce didn't just lose but was thoroughly thumped, the whispers became shouts (whiny, wheedling shouts, but shouts nonetheless).
Tuesday, the Republican blog/press release site Sonoran Alliance posted a long and rather revisionist paean to Pearce that effectively sums up what most of the Rs have been saying.
Their main spin has been to claim that Pearce was the subject of a recall because of his anti-immigrant policies, positions and speeches and particularly because of his SB1070.
Now, I cannot deny the fact that Pearce's bigotry makes him much easier to dislike. However, if the recall effort was based on that, why has only one other supporter of SB1070 faced a recall effort? And that effort actually pre-dated SB1070 and was pushed by Republicans who fell the legislator in question (Sen. Rich Crandall, R-Mesa) isn't conservative enough.
Another R talking point is to claim that the recall process was abused and was never intended to an unpopular legislator.
Ummm...the recall law was followed to the letter, and it's been used once in a century.
Pearce wasn't just unpopular. He misused and abused his office.
...He ordered the arrest of people who criticized him when those critics peacefully entered the Senate building for a scheduled appointment...
...He proclaimed that legislators could ignore the laws barring possession of weapons in public buildings...
...When the other legislators caught up in the Fiesta Bowl gift scandal shut up and paid up, Pearce refused to repay the Fiesta Bowl and still denies wrongdoing...
...When his friend and close political ally Sen. Scott Bundgaard was involved in a "domestic violence incident" (i.e. - he assaulted his girlfriend by the side of a Phoenix freeway), Pearce declared that Bundgaard was the victim...
It should be pointed out here that the GOP's whiners and spinners are expressing criticism only of the fact that Pearce was held accountable for his bad conduct in office, but have said nothing about the conduct itself.
Apparently, they believe if someone is stridently nativist, they should be forgiven "minor" foibles like corruption in office, abuse of power, and si\nple unbridled arrogance (not a crime in itself, but the attitude that he and the rest of his caucus were and are above the laws that govern the rest of society was the root of his downfall).
Bottom line: the recall was legal, proper, and most importantly, deserved.
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