One of Jesse Kelly’s chief arguments against Ron Barber was that he would be a “rubber stamp” for whoever was the appropriate boogie-person at the time: Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and, scariest of all, Raúl Grijalva.
Well, it didn’t take long for Barber to distance himself from one of those. Barber and Grijalva took opposite sides in a bill to enable environmental rules to be relaxed on public lands near the border, ostensibly for border enforcement.
I guess this is Barber’s way of showing that he is tough on illegal immigration. That isn’t the only issue at stake here. The writers of this bill are using fears of border crime as a pretext to weaken protections for our public lands, which is why the bill was opposed by environmental groups and sportsman’s organizations. Nobody should be surprised if the next attempt to mess with our parks and forests cites this bill as precedent.
Barber has a different political tableau than Grijalva has. I’ve watching politics long enough to understand what he’s up against. I understand that he’s got to be more conservative on border issues than Grijalva is.
Still, when I read a brag like this in the press release, only the second I received from his office, it’s a bit disconcerting:
Joining Barber in voting to pass the bill were Arizona Reps. Jeff Flake, Paul Gosar, Trent Franks, Ben Quayle and David Schweikert.
It’s just one vote, but I am more than a little deflated to know that I busted my ass for the last eight weeks so he could boast about voting with Ben Frickin’ Quayle.
5 Comments
Why we need to have a Democrat from the Democratic wing of the party to run…I’m just frisking tired of never having any better than the lesser evil to vote for…
Are you channeling Abie Morales with this post, Ted? Are you happy that you are defining Ron by one vote, BruceJ? I think there is a strong chance Gabby would have voted the way Ron did. So be it. It may not be the way I would have voted, but Ron has not offered his explanation for the vote yet, as far as I know. Even if I ultimately disagree with the rationale and the vote, one vote does not a record make. There will be times that Ron, or any Democrat will for that matter, will vote in a way that chafes me, but I bet I’ll be happy with his votes the vast majority of the time. Expectations of ideological purity should be left to guys like this: http://threesonorans.com/2012/06/20/ron-barber-sells-democrats-latinos-environmentalists-just-ann-kirkpatrick-did-never-learn/
Yeah, that’s exactly how I felt in ’07 when Gabby, after campaigning on ending the war, turned around and supported the Splurge (or opposed cutting off funding for it if people want to get nitpicky). But, she gave the Speaker’s gavel to Nancy Pelosi, and that paid huge dividends. And one of the most stunning and edifying events I ever witnessed was when she appeared on the House floor to vote to increase the debt ceiling (with its attendant odious compromises), breaking a logjam in the chamber. That was the clearest example I ever saw of why we need people like her and Ron in our politics.
Bobcat-
Please, don’t compare my post with David’s “Everyone is a racist except me” rhetoric. I understand the reasons for voting for this, even if I don’t agree with them. What I don’t like is the tone of the subsequent press release which declares his pride at voting with some of the most retrograde political personalities in the state.
Point well taken, Ted. Thanks!