Rightwing Wingnut Recalled
AZ Senate President Russell Pearce has been recalled from office.
Pearce is the author of the controversial SB 1070, the anti-immigration, “papers please” law that went into effect last year but is now hung up in court.
In a swift affirmation of Arizona’s fast growing and powerful new political movement, Secretary of State Ken Bennett notified Gov. Jan Brewer that the once seemingly invincible architect of the state’s controversial SB 1070 “papers please” immigration law has officially been recalled. Bennett confirmed that the recall petitions delivered by the Citizens for a Better Arizona “exceeds the minimum signatures required by the Arizona Constitution.”
“Let’s make no mistake about it,” said Randy Parraz, co-founder of the Citizens for a Better Arizona. “Russell Pearce has been recalled.”
According to Bennett’s statement, Pearce has two options: Resign from office within five business days, or become a candidate in the recall election. Either way, Pearce becomes the first state senate president in recent memory to be recalled in the nation.
Pearce thought he was invincible, but the recall effort proved otherwise.
Beyond his self-proclaimed key role in the state’s notorious SB 1070 law, Pearce oversaw a near circus-level of extremist and reckless legislation in the Arizona senate this past spring, including draconian cuts in education and health care. Mired in various scandals, Pearce infamously accused President Obama of “waging jihad” on America. And last month Fox News Phoenix explored his widely denounced connections to neo-Nazi hate groups. In a recent interview with FOX News, Pearce dismissed the recall effort as the work of “far left anarchists.”
Take notice, reactionaries – you push too hard and step on the toes of too many people, we’re going to get you. Next up are the 6 anti-worker rethuglicans in Wisconsin. Those recall elections are taking place later this month and early next month.
Tags: Dangerous Conservatives, Immigration, Rethugs, Wingnuts
Wow. That’s pretty big news that is going under the radar. It will be interesting to watch Arizona to see if a new movement is building there.
Well done Arizona.
Racism and xenophobia are only the too of this iceberg. He had activist salvador Rena arrested multiple times once for the crime of showing up at the capital blog after being invited to meet with his state senator. Rena was guilty of nothing and pearce had ordered his arrest based on a blackball list he had created the day before.
To say Sen Pearce is a disgrace is an understatement.
The bigger picture is that brown AZ has had enough. And even white Az sees that these policies could quickly be used against them.
Tyranny is not generally a good idea in american politics and while Az led the way down a path of perversion, followed by WI I think people may be starting to see the cost and the consequences to themselves…making the point that red, brown,black,white,yellow is not important…what is important is that if the minority is threatened so r we all threatened and defending minority rights protects majority rights too.
The saying: en la union es las fuerza …in union is strength…is truer now that it ever was
Way to go AZ! Keep up the good fight…
Sorry for the typos…had off a blackberry at the beach.
Its salvador Reza. And he went to the capital building…
Indeed, it’s so under the radar that the New York Times did a story on it. Several weeks ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/us/19recall.html
seems Pearce was just dealt another blow: – no corporate monies – but Big AZ business doesn;t like him anyway:
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2011/07/russell_pearce_denied_ags_offi.php
and Anon -the fact that a recall was underway wasn’t the news, I think the fact that the recall was certified to have enough signatures to be carried was.
escept of course for Corrections Corporation of America 🙂
No, State Senator Pearce has not been “recalled from office.” According to the press release from the Arizona Secretary of State, he may resign within five business days, or he automatically becomes a candidate in the recall election. Unless he resigns, he remains in office until such time as the recall election is held, an election he very well might win.
the point is, this teabag has been dunked.
Actually, I believe that recall is basically “recalling him to election”. This is not unlike being impeached doesn’t mean removed from office, but one can lead to the other.
The Gray Davis recall was actually a 2 part ballot IIRC. The first was to remove Davis from office [yes/no] and the second was, if removed from office who do you cast your vote for?
@Ben – Stellar comment!