The Arizona Republican Party is the gift that keeps on giving.
Last week, the Maricopa County GOP picked raging aggro gay-hater A.J. LaFaro as its chairman, a choice Dems are giddy over because it leaves the local Republican Party in the complete control of wigged-out moonhowlers, further alienating anyone with a post-medieval sense of morality,
See also: -Tempe Wingnut Is the Ideal Man to Run the County GOP -- and Here's Why -A.J. LaFaro's "Crazytown" Ticket Wins County GOP Leadership
And next week, at the state GOP's January 26 meeting, assembled GOPers will vote on proposed bylaw changes that may well revive loyalty oaths, witch hunts and the bloated corpse of Joe McCarthy, preserved lo these many years in a massive vat of Jameson.
Can we burn her, she once supported a Libertarian?
If you think I exaggerate, check out the proposed new rules for precinct and state committeemen, published recently on the AZ GOP's web site:
The duties of a Precinct/State Committeeman include, at minimum,
*Representing the Republican Party, the Republican Party Platform, and Republican General Election candidates in a positive light *On request of voters in his/her precinct, assisting them to vote for Republican candidates
A Precinct/State Committeeman is deemed not to have fulfilled his/her duties if, in any public election, he/she provides material support to
*a non‐Republican opponent of a Republican candidate in a partisan election, or *a non‐Republican candidate campaigning in a nonpartisan election in active opposition to a Republican candidate for a paid office
Material support includes public endorsement, monetary donations, volunteer effort, public dissemination of the non‐Republican opponent's message without critical or refuting commentary, or public dissemination of clearly negative statements about the Republican candidate without critical or refuting commentary.
Should a Precinct/State Committeeman fail to fulfill his/her duties, he/she will, upon majority vote of the applicable State or County Executive Committee, lose his/her privileges (including voter data access, voting, assigning or carrying proxies, and holding Party offices) for the rest of his/her term.
Wow, let the pogroms begin! First off, the Ron Paul people will be in the crosshairs if they've ever supported a Libertarian, as no doubt many of them have at one point or another.
(Hint to my RP pals: Hide those copies of Atlas Shrugged, they're a dead giveaway.)
Then, if you support a "non-Republican candidate" in a nonpartisan election, like, say, a mayor's race, you're screwed.
Certainly, the greatest sanction will be for those who've ever supported a Democrat, and since there's no statute of limitations on this thing, party purists can go back as far as they want to root out anyone deemed to have ties to Ds.
Which means there can be no defections from the D ranks to the R ranks, as a former D certainly will have given "material support" to a Democrat at some point in the past.
Under the new regime, the ghost of the Gipper need not apply for membership, as Ronnie Reagan was once, eek, a Democrat. Hell, Reagan used to be a union president, for cryin' out loud. And he supported the GOP's Great Satan; i.e., FDR.
Same goes for Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, once a D, though I wouldn't count him as any great loss for the tuskers.
This is what happens to Rs who even think about supporting a dirty Democrat
Sheriff Joe might as well tear up his party card, since he once did a campaign commercial defending none other than former Governor Janet Napolitano, a Democrat.
What if you're an R, but your brother's a D, and your bro's running for something? Too bad, party comes first, way before blood, dude.
That part about, "Representing the Republican Party, the Republican Party Platform, and Republican General Election candidates in a positive light," seems tailor-made to keep anyone from criticizing the party or exersizing his or her freedom of speech.
Gee, how, um, communist.
What if an acknowledged crook is running as a GOPer in a general, with felony convictions up the wazoo?
Just keep your mouth shut, bub, and don't make waves.
But what if it's John McCain who's running, a man the wingnuts in this state hate almost more than President Obama? He is, after all, a Republican. So if he's running in a general, the crazies will just have to grit their teeth.
The punishments for disobedience? You will either be: a) cast into the outer darkness; b) burned at the stake; or c) branded for life, just like Chuck Connors in that old TV series.
Ah, the gool ol' days, when all Republicans were like Tail-Gunner Joe
Interestingly, none other than the mad Irishman himself, former Maricopa County Party chair Rob Haney, has had to defend Robert Graham, the guy he's endorsed for state party chair, as not being part of the McCain mafia.
In a letter published on his website, Haney warned of the dangers of "guilt by association," and yet, the GOPers I know tell me they believe that Haney and his fellow-travelers might be behind these proposed bylaw changes.
Ah, tuskers. Without you, what the hell would I ever write about? Liberals and Democrats are so boring by comparison. If these changes pass, it'll be fun watching you tear each other apart.
