New Face of the Arizona GOP

First do not misunderstand, I am in total agreement politicians can change their minds and become "enlightened".  They can also espouse new positions because they want to get elected, move up the political ladder and it has nothing to do with a change of mind, but just an attempt to win votes.  Take Arizona Speaker of the House, Andy Tobin,  who presides over the most backward regressive legislative body in the United States.

The legislative assembly hasn't changed much since a few years back when they passed SB 1070, a straight out anti-Latino measure.  Last year it was the Legislature where the Republican majority fought tooth and nail against bringing Affordable Health Care Act and expansion of programs of health care for hundred of thousands of adults and children in Arizona.  The some times bitter fight pitting Republican Legislators against the Republican Governor that would bring millions of dollars of U S Government revenue to Arizona in addition to health care to thousands of citizens of Arizona.

He is the House of Representative leader presiding over voter suppression legislation.   Speaker Tobin whose Republican legislative cohorts attempted to renew segregation in Arizona with a law to declare businesses could pick and choose customers according to their own personal religious views. More Republican shame for Arizona.

On one hand legislative Republicans are coming up with ways to keep minorities from excising their right to vote.  Yet on the other hand the same Republicans seeing the light and future voting trends are not wanting to menace getting migrants votes particularly Mexican voters in Arizona where there are a huge number by taking responsibility for building road blocks to the ballot.

Republican Speaker Tobin announcement to seek election over extremely competent and popular Democrat incumbent Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick probably means her reelection by an unusually united Democratic party when judged fairly on their records.   Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick a moderate leader in the Democrat Party and House Speaker Tobin the leader of the Republicans in the Legislature.

The list of Republican candidates grows as opportunist keep jumping in the race thinking their chances are good because this is a Non-Presidential election year.   State Representative Adam Kwasman serving his first term in the State House under House Speaker Tobin is also seeking Congress.  Bang, good news for the Democrats as this has opened a legislative seat for an extremely qualified retired military officer, Hollace Lyon, to win a vacant House seat for the Democrats.

Representative Kwasman no doubt catches the bug for Congress having worked so hard in the failed congressional campaign of Jesse Kelly.  Give Kwasman credit he was a king-pin in the Kelly campaign, but that doesn't give him the experience or qualifications for higher office.  Democrats should be happy that Kwasman has a big ego and supporters thinking winning one election in that Republican Legislative District makes him ready for a much larger and more diversified Congressional District.

As far as Tobin's change of heart about our neighbors to the South and his many trips to Mexico City it won't endear him to the Latino votes in Congressional District 1 or any expertise in trade relations or political experience in relations with Mexico.  No amount of campaign photos, political talk by his campaign organization can undo the harm that he has done with the minority voters in the district or with our relations with Mexico.

There are two leaders working on correcting the misconceptions that Mexicans have about the United States.  Thankfully those relations are already on the mend through the tireless efforts of Mayor Jonathan Rothschild of Tucson and his fellow Democrat Mayor of Phoenx, Greg Stanton.

The two Democrat mayors long ago starting building solid positive relations with both Northern Mexican officials and the Federal Government in Mexico City.  Understanding leading to better working relations with our next door neighbor just acknowledges the current facts about Mexico's place in the world economy.

Twenty-five percent of U. S. Citizens living abroad are living in Mexico.  In terms of purchasing power Mexico is the world's tenth largest economy and the United States main import partner at 49.9%.
Mexico enjoys the sixth largest electronics industry in the world in terms of exports.  After China it is the second largest exporter of electronics.  Since 2009 Mexico surpassed South Korea and China as the largest manufacturer of televisions and the third largest manufacturer of computers in the world.

For several years now, one out of every four consumer applicances sold in the United States were of Mexican design.  Top that off with the growing oil production where Mexico is already the sixth largest oil producer in the world.  Mexico is a leader in free trade agreements in the world and the largest exporter in Latin America with the sum of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay combined.

Mexico suffers as does the United States with income disparity.  It is a persistent problem as wealth and poverty highlights many American views of Mexico.

All this new thinking on the part of a few Republican leaders won't undo the harm already planted in the Latino-Americans by past legislative actions such as SB 1070 and negative speach about the hordes invading the United States and headless bodies laying across the desert Southwest.

Go home Koch Brothers and special spoils political action pacs, others may be falling for your snake oil, but Arizona is already on the mend and looking to a brighter future with our "good neighbors to the South". (FDR March 4, 1933)


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