I knew we had a problem just by reading comments on social media but it really hits home when you see it in person. What follows is my opinion and my recollections of what I witnessed on Jan. 6, 2024.
As a Democrat, my wife and I attended a Green Valley Republicans get-together hosting Congressional candidate Kathleen Winn. We attended the meeting with an open mind because, as a Democrat, I was curious as to what goes on at these gatherings. My hope was it would be an intelligent discourse about current issues and ideas on how to remedy the problems we all face. Perhaps it was wishful thinking to believe the crazy rhetoric we hear in the media was not the norm.
Although there are many areas I disagree with when it comes to Republican policy, there is overlap with me when it comes to immigration. I attended to learn about the candidate and what motivates her to run for office as well as what areas she would like to influence; what committees she would like to be a part of to make a difference.
What I heard in the room was disappointing, to say the least.
I took notice of the attendees. When we entered the small conference room, there were retirees from the area who were all white. Not a huge crowd but a decent turnout of middle-class retirees. Many of them benefited from being born during that prosperous golden era when the middle class thrived at its peak.
These seniors were all beneficiaries of FDR’s Democratic policies. The irony of this was not lost on me. So, we settled into a seat and waited for the candidate to begin.
As we arrived, Winn stood out with her polished and well-dressed look. A media personality was my first impression of her appearance. We had a Christian prayer before the meeting began and then the pledge of allegiance, and then she began to speak.
She introduced herself with a quick biography and then rehashed the 2020 election. To her supporters’ delight, she was going on about how the election was not on the up and up. She spoke of 63,000 ballots being misprinted. I assume this is about a lawsuit she initiated and later dropped.
She noted the date of the gathering was Jan. 6 and made several statements about it not being an insurrection at all. She spoke of the insurrectionists as decent citizens rather than criminals assaulting the capital.
She referred to Ashli Babbitt — who was shot and killed during the insurrection — as a victim who was executed, rather than what she was. That’s a potential threat, climbing through a broken window in the House chamber with a backpack intent on ignoring an agent with a drawn weapon on her. So, after pushing election denials and minimizing an attack on the Capitol, she moved on to her primary opponent who, in her words, isn’t extreme enough.
She mentioned serial liar George Santos and stated how he should not have been expelled. She also spoke about her opponent, Juan Ciscomani, like it was just him and the Democrats who wanted to oust Santos, when it was more like 100 Republicans.
Her core issue that day was doing something about the border. This is an issue I actually agree with, but it was bookended with so much extreme crazy that I couldn’t take her seriously.
Winn mentioned the possibility of a government shutdown and how it wouldn’t be a big deal if it happened. This shows ignorance of the potential economic and financial implications that would result from a downgrade of the country’s creditworthiness, not to mention the volatile effect it has on our markets.
She rounded it all out by going on about the FBI and how corrupt it was as if it was a weapon being wielded at conservatives. She also stated that the departments of education and energy should be eliminated. She mentioned we should not be providing aid to Ukraine. This is a very ignorant stance on foreign policy and shows an inability to understand the geopolitical consequences.
If this is the norm for local Republican gatherings, we, as a nation, have a serious problem. We have a party that pushes lies and conspiracy theories and it’s being widely accepted as fact. We have candidates pushing this nonsense that they either foolishly believe or astutely and strategically use to gain support.
If the candidates are not dealing in reality and lying to their voters, why would we ever expect them to believe otherwise? We also have a party that has become more and more isolated and exclusive to white Christians as evidenced by the attendees and the heavy focus on their God and prayer during the event.
My hope is this exclusivity also makes them a minority because November is going to roll around quickly and this problem isn’t going anywhere.
- Robert Lucas, Green Valley
Tucson Homeless Crises
I read Madison Beal’s article (2022, Tucson Weekly) and it’s very on point. My name’s Daniel Butierez and I’m running for Congress, CD7. As I’ve been homeless and one of the thousands who were on drugs, the article was very accurate.
Our homeless crisis is not going to get better if we don’t change our leaders. Pima County has set $400,000 aside for our homeless and $19.4 million for migrants. With our border left open resources are being used to deal with a problem that should’ve never been.
As a man who found his way out of the streets to build a business and now is running for a public office, I have a solution. Welfare isn’t the answer as it destroys an individual’s self-esteem. Detox won’t succeed in recovery without giving back an individual’s self-esteem. So, a program that provides both is required.
I’m speaking with lawmakers but they are only Republicans. We are in such a divided country it makes it practically impossible to speak with Democrats as they have been brainwashed that Republicans are all evil. I need Democrats to also step up and help with a program. Even if all the migrants were actually asylum seekers, we were never in a position to take any. The safety and security of our nation is supposed to be our government’s first priority.
I’m one of Arizona’s wrongfully convicted. However, there was never a conviction in my case and it was destructive to my mental state. Having had Pima County and Arizona steal my family and everything I owned from me and throw me into prison, I lost hope. When I came out after five years locked away it was to a different life. It wasn’t with an exoneration either, so I had no aid as it took Arizona 30 years to admit they had done this and still no one knows.
Anyway, I turned to drugs and became homeless. I was later violated and put back in prison as I had been sentenced to 10 years over a joint and no charge, trial or conviction. This time I was put into a work program. It gave me a chance to get clean and start working. It gave me back my self-esteem. The state owns a prison in Marana where (people) could detox while providing shelter. From there, they should be provided jobs to give them a purpose in life which increases their self-esteem. Once they find a regular job they can be released from the program.
Laws will have to be created to make these programs mandatory but with a choice of jail or the program. Once they complete the program, their records are cleaned and a second chance at life is given.
- Daniel Butierez
