Mark down July 8th as a day history was made in Arizona.
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.
"No one expected this or picked up on this political earthquake," said Parraz, one of the main organizers behind the extraordinary grassroots campaign, which electrified a bipartisan effort in Pearce's Mesa district. Parraz credited a "dramatic shift" over the past six months due to Pearce's often extremist leadership in state senate.
"We had people pouring into the office," Parraz said, citing the role of Republicans, Democrats and Independents in the door-to-door canvassing initiative, "and they told us: Russell Pearce is too extreme for our district and state."
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."
In truth, the Secretary of State's office confirmed that an additional one third of the necessary signatures had been properly collected and verified.
Within 15 days, Gov. Brewer must set the date for the recall election, which presumably will take place in November.
And while no single candidate has emerged to claim the frontrunner's position, one thing is clear: The Citizens for a Better Arizona has galvanized a new era in Arizona politics.
You ask the question whether or not this is a political article - my question right back is whether or not this was a political move on the part of the entire State of Arizona.
Thousands of illegals do not "magically appear" in the space of 2.5 years. People marching right now who are in college and claim to have been here since they were babies, do the math. Is it because the economy is in the tank so we suddenly advocate profiling?
JJ Stoecker is correct, there are quite a few people who stand to make money with the privatization of the Arizona penal system, and they are in the upper echelon in the system.
People have been making money off of illegals for DECADES - so why is everyone so distressed at this point in time?
COPD! I still love the West Coast weather.
Meanwhile as the predominate sense of buyers remorse continues to increasingly permeate across the country, the national media continues to ignore the more important aspect of the story: the will of the majority.
What we are seeing in Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, New Jersey, etc., is just the beginning of a growing authentic grassroots movement that, eventually, will gain enough power to transform the nation's political landscape -- something the astroturf T-Party movement will not accomplish at least not for now, hopefully not ever.
I would have eagerly signed the petition, but I'm not eligible. Citizens for a Better Arizona gathered all the valid signatures they needed, plus 33% more from district residents. Pearce has said he won't resign, so this should be fun!
Even though the people of Florida do not have the option of recall, it is encouraging that the average citizen has become more aware of the extreme political direction our country has taken.