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Mike Pence is a RINO
August 11, 2008 by Sam Adams 31 Comments
The statement is absurd on the face of it but we could not resist the dare issued by RedArizona. Almost as absurd as the statement above is the endorsement of Tony Bouie by Pence. Why is a congressman from Indiana endorsing a legislative candidate from Arizona? Has Mike Pence ever met Bouie? Who next? Will Nancy Reagan endorse Bouie on Wednesday? How about Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday? Tony Bouie should run on his own merits as should the rest of the candidates. Any more dares, RedArizona?
Filed Under: Blogs, Campaigns & Elections, Endorsements
GlendaleGOP says
Wow, I guess Shadegg is All In on Bouie, eh? If Shadegg can't deliver the district for Bouie, that's going to look really bad for him.
DSW says
I think its hillarious but I did do a double-take when the press release came out.
Pricinct Committeeman says
Bouie gets my vote!
As soon as I change my registration to Democrat.
This was a Club for Growth thing, nothing more. Which makes sense given the Club's open-borders stance.
Kerrie R. says
If you go to Bouie's website, there's a picture of him with Pence. I guess he has met him.
That was a wierd endorsement. Pence signed onto a statement that actually reads ""Tony has proven, through his commitment to his education, and athletics that he will be a strong leader the constituents of Legislative District 6 can count on" ?
His commitment to his athletics makes him worthy of endorsement? How about Heath Shuler, a Democrat who played pro football and is now a Democrat Congressman. Did Pence feel that his commitment to his athletics made him worthy of endorsement? I mean, endorse one Democrat athlete, why not endorse them all?
Mike "Spaz Attack" Stoops says
Check out the post on Liberty's Apothecary about Bouie being endorsed by the losing head football coach for the University of Arizona, Mike "Spaz Attack" Stoops. There's a real winning endorsement! http://libertysapothecary.com/?p=440
Bruce Ash says
Mike Pence is NOT a RINO unlike many of our affected GOP'ers who fail to remember that when you slam a fellow Republican in a primary the way it is happening today it oftentimes comes back to bite us on the a** in the general election.
Mike Pence stands for all of the things Republicans SHOULD aspire to. Check it out before you attempt to smear one of the bravest Republican members in Congress. Can the folks at Red Arizona just get over themselves? Why do they think they have the corner on all Republican goodness and wisdom?
For the record Mike Pence was in Arizona recently ( he often comes to Arizona and he doesn't come here to play golf ).Mr Pence has endorsed Tony , I'm sure , because he believes Mr Bouie represents his views on a variety of issues.
I wonder how many sitting or retired conservative members of Congress any of the other candidates have in their pockets? Let me answer that–NONE.
This self flagelation must stop.
REPUBLICAN MEN AND WOMEN…….IT IS TIME TO UNIFY !!!!!!!!
Onward to victory.
Bruce Ash
National Committeeman
http://www.AshForArizona.com
az gnat says
Bruce, of course Pence is not a R***. We admitted to that. This post was a spoof of RedArizona and their over the top attitude and really had nothing to do with Pence or Bouie. You are right, RedArizona should get over themselves.
Big Sister says
Mr. Ash,
How do you justify, or do you, the endorsement by the Maricopa County GOP of candidates in a contested primary? Or the actions of the AZ GOP in CD1?
The followers are only reflecting the leadership of their county and state chairman.
Bruce take a chill pill. This was a lighthearted jab at another blog for what could politely be described as an amusing endorsement. If you want to lecture someone about party unity then call Nathan Sproul.
Let's see here. Former head of Republican Study Committee and one of the leading conservatives in Congress – and you mock him.
Looks like a goose and gander situation.
Red Arizona is right, some people can endorse even in the face of hypocrisy while others cannot or risk the name calling from Haneyites and or Pachy's. Divisiveness personified.
How else can you explain the endorsement for ACC? Changing party registration expeditiously and strongly pro-choice, oh I forgot…these folks are so much wiser, have served tirelessly, and have been appointed as the protectors of all things conservative. PHOOEY!
Dear Big……
Happy to try an answer……
I am disappointed the Maricopa EGC made an endorsement in the primary for any contested race. I believe this ultimately hurts us.
Having said this……. in the spirit of full disclosure:
I endorsed John McCain within my RNC membership. I do not regret it especially in view of the fact we knew he would win the Arizona Preference Primary , he is a "favorite son" and when he won I was committed to him as a delegate anyway. I had supported hi from the beginning. Everyone who knew me also knew that .
As for CD1…..I signed a Rule 11 letter allowing the NRCC to assist Sydney Hay with fund raising as they / we / I all believe she is the most likely to emerge from the primary at this point in time. The Rule 11 letter is not necessarily an endorsement and I will support and give an endorsement to the winner of the primary. A Rule 11 letter is very different , however , from the endorsements given by the EGC.
And to Bart….yeah man……I should take a chill pill…….you are right on……too much cooffee too early in the AM for my own good. will leave the phone call to Mr Sproul to others.
Missing says
Carl Seel is a total weirdo.
Hunter says
Bruce,
If you aren't going to call Nathan Sproul, then spare us your lectures on party unity. Your unwillingness to address one of the major sources of the problems destroys your credibility on this issue.
Hunter–It is not that I am un willing it there isn't more than I can do which I can discuss in this venue. But the message is out.
Disappointed says
I keep reading about these endorsement of Bouie and it makes me wonder why he is gaining so many endorsements.
I have heard him speak and he is not more impressive than Crump or Seel. I would expect Shadegg or Pence to endorse a strong conservative, which Bouie isn't.
He only became a republican five days before filing his candidancy so he doesn't have a long record of supporting and being active in republican causes, which might provoke these endorsements. I don't see any big contributions by him in the FEC records so he not a long time big money backer of the GOP. So what gives??
Sadly, the only thing I can think of is that he is black. The only reason I raise this as a potential answer is because Sean McCaffery mention it about five times during his defense of Bouie at the EGC meeting last week and was taken to task by an EGC member. I would disappointed to think that otherwise solid conservatives would sell out their principles because color of the candidates skin.
Bob in DV says
Ladies & Gentlemen:
WE HAVE A WINNER !!!!
Thank you Mr/Mrs/Miss Disappointed! You are the the first one (besides the neocowboys in Cave Creek) to call it like you mean it, like you see it and like you feel it. You have company, in the ranks of the EGC and many other "conservative" factions.
My only words for you are (for your own health): "If you have HATE in your HEART, let it out."
Thank you for allowing us a sneak peek into your heart this evening.
I too, was wondering when it was going to come out. They have danced around it for weeks now going oh so close to the water's edge without jumping in. I'm glad that Disappointed had the courage to say what the Seelites have been thinking.
Bob and Mike, your arguments are shameful. Disappointed didn't say what was in his heart, he was speculating why good conservatives were tripping over themselves to endorse a 5-day Republican with no conservative credentials. No need to rush the race card out here to defend Obama, er I mean Bouie.
Consider this: Why haven't John Shadegg and Mike Pence endorsed John Zerby or Gibbons or Court or Pierce or O'Halleran or Armer or Ash or Sposito or Collins or Gowan or Antenori or Hershberger or Melvin or Zerull or Williams? Or anyone else in fact?
There's an entire range of folks there, some of whom are more conservative than Bouie, others who are more liberal. But nothing from Shadegg or Pence! They aren't supporting people because they're conservative or because they're liberal. So its not ideological for them. The endorsement is for another reason.
Is it a reward for Bouie's lifetime of service to the Party? Okay, stop laughing, there's obviously no need to answer that. In fact, Bouie is running against two Republicans with actual track records, so having a track record in the Party is NOT a prerequisite for their endorsement. In fact, it appears to count against other candidates.
Is it geography? Maybe its just the fact that the race is in Shadegg's congressional district? Well, he doesn't always endorse in those, so that's not it. Plus, he deliberately DIDN'T endorse Crump or Seel for the second seat. Why snub a conservative incumbent like Crump?
So its not ideology, its not a track record within the party, its not "supporting a good conservative", and its not geography. What else could it be? Is it Bouie's shaved head? Come on now, I'm sure we can think of something that separates Bouie from EVERY OTHER REPUBLICAN running in a contested primary in the ENTIRE STATE!
Oh yes, and Bob and Mike assure us that it also has absolutely NOTHING to do with getting a black Republican elected, so your answer can't be that either.
Any ideas folks? This should be interesting.
Your comments show a fundamental misunderstanding of how endorsements are obtained and why elected officials often make them.
First, lets look at Shadegg. First you have geography. Shadegg has four districts, by my calculation in which he currently reprsents. Let's call it his home turf. In LD 7, there is no contested primary. In LD 11, the same thing. In LD 10 – ditto. The only contested primary in his Congressional district he has endorsed in.
Second, did it ever cross your mind that maybe Bouie asked for the endorsement? Maybe put in the work to get it? Is it possible that after meeting Bouie, maybe Shadegg liked him?
None of that is possible in your mind?
Or like "disappointed" do you just assume it's because he's black?
Believe or not, most Congressman don't spend a whole heckuva lot of time reviewing the records of, and analyzing all the primary races to make a decision. I would venture if you were to ask them, most would tell you that they make endorsements when a candidate asks and they feel comfortable about that candidate to do it.
Second, and I know the Seel people don't like to here this, did you ever think that maybe Shadegg, like all three current officeholders in LD6 may not really be comfortable with the idea of Seel as a Legislator? Or is that just incomprehensible? The one incumbent legislator in the district who would at least seem remotely inclined to support Seel would be Crump.
He took a pass too.
Is there any elected official in Seel's district who has given him their endorsement?
John, what saddens me as a Republican is that if Bouie was white and Shadegg had made the endorsement then the color of Bouie's skin would not have been an issue for you or the poster you are trying to defend. You would have looked for another reason such as maybe Shadegg likes him or is impressed with him, because race would not have been an issue.
Yet because Bouie is black, you are, in your post, discounting any other reason and defaulting to skin color.
That my friend is the very definition of racism.
There is a lot of "Chamber of Commerce" money in the race. That money can buy endorsements.
I was against Bouie before I knew he is black, and I am still against him.
One reason is that I don't think we should elect 5 day Republicans over people who have been active Republicans for years. We can't afford to take chances on having someone vote with the Democrats instead of Republicans on budgets over the next two years. It was a disaster these past two years.
I also suspect that Bouie will be easily influenced by the open borders crowd to gut the current laws against illegal aliens. I don't know that for sure, but I do know that neither Carl Seel nor Sam Crump will.
That, my friend, is the very definition of voting for tried and true Republicans without race being a factor at all.
In defense of John, I have heard of some Republican leaders and elected officials discussing how nice it would be to have a black Republican in the state legislature.
For most Republicans, I think Bouie's political history (Democrat) and lack of prior Republican involvement are the issue. I think race is irrelevant to most Republicans; the political values are what count.
Sorry Tom, but I'm not intimidated by the race card, so you can play it or not, it doesn't matter. My post drew no conclusions, it only asked the question. There's nothing racist about that. In fact, it eliminated race as a consideration at the end.
You also lied when you referred to the three LD6 legislators as not supporting Seel when Sam Crump has publicly stated that Bouie was not a conservative and that "he would be voting for Seel."
You're dishonest and resort to playing racial politics. Be gone.
Here is your quote from your previous post.
No conclusions?
Pray tell what does this mean then?
Enlighten us.
As for your characterization that I "lied" about Crump. Answer me this? Has Crump endorsed Seel?
Saying you are going to "vote" for someone in lieu of an endorsement speaks volumes of how Crump feels about him.
Since you seem to know so much about Crump and Seel, answer me this – why won't Crump endorse him?
By the way, I am amused by the ad hominem attacks, IE "you lied" and "you're dishonest" that is about par for the course for the Seel people.
But I especially liked the "be gone." What are you in high school?
Bouie didn't shave his head recently. His hair fell out from the chemotherapy and has started to grow back just a little.
Nice try at a dig.
Well Bob, you were correct. The race card has now been played. Post #18 is nothing but pure racism. I am shocked that the good people here at the SA have allowed the race card to be played here?
Sorry that John tried to put a little Shazam! on you at the end of post #24. He must have been miffed or you just hit a raw nerve.
You really put together a great couple of posts regarding the "race" issue. It IS an issue for many of the local so-called Reagan Republicans. They have been crying "foul" around LD6 for weeks. Don't let anyone tell you any different.
The hornets nest has been officially opened and the local-yokels do NOT want any elected BLACK Republicans. To them, it's the beginning of the end. I heard it with my own ears last week in Cave Creek from people who try to move mountains.
The EGC of the MCRC are part of the, dare I say, creepy, politically incestuous relationships that bind the Reagan Republicans, the Constitutional Conservatives, the Angry Republicans, The Arizona Republican Assembly, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, the LD-11 Board of Directors, the Pachyderm Coalition and the "Grassroots" branches of any of the above.
It's like they are all members of one GIANT boot-licking club. They just take turns wearing the boots and puckering up. Then they congratulate each other on a job well done and start all over again.
Tony GOPrano,
It is shocking when you finally hear what you feared and knew was always there. These kinds of people will never change.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that the SA folks are allowing the posts because even they know it's how many of the people who lurk and post here really feel.
It's quite a relief to have it finally out in the open. It was a matter of time before someone slipped.
It is simple… Crump will win. Seel, on the other hand is a train wreck. All of these endorsements are by default a way of saying, SEEL IS NOT ENDORSED. It is the political equivalent of getting thumped on the forehead and someone yelling in your face…"Don't go there!" Kind of the "You could have had a V-8!" concept, but in advance.
Bouie 's past party declaration is more about his family, location of his youth, and their local politics than anything. It does not discount his life experience and record of behavior which may be more reflective of his ability to serve and true ideology than any designation determined long before a thought of political office was ever even a concept. It is not politically expedient to make a change that is true and right, timing should not be the sole indicator of his conservative bona fides.
In the evaluation of both candidates….Look at the history of the man, what has been his work ethic, his value system, his life accomplishments, and what does he stand for and why? Political expediency comes in all forms and even at $24K a year, a steady income with benefits beats nothing at all.
Frever t. says
Is there a way to become a content writer for the site?