By Lynn R. Mitchell
Arizona Republicans showed leadership over the weekend when they smacked down a resolution censoring U.S. Senator John McCain. As one Arizona Republican noted on Facebook, “Sanity wins again, and lunatics walked out like always as sore losers.”
It was tea party-Libertarian versus Republicans, again:
It was a tough weekend for Tyler Bowyer and his boss, AJ LaFaro.
One week after LaFaro and Bowyer disregarded their own bylaws in order to pursue the same destructive, divisive tactics that have plagued the MCRC for over a decade, order was restored at the Arizona Republican Party Mandatory meeting on Saturday.
This was a completely different meeting from last Saturday, when chaos reigned, bylaws were ignored and a “kangaroo court” removed two hard working officers from the executive committee, a blatantly illegal “non-endorsement” of Senator McCain was passed and botched processes ruled the day.
Indeed, this last weekend’s State meeting was a welcome relief and a sign that the Republican Party does indeed possess the leadership and unity to win Republican elections in Arizona.
In Arizona, it’s not the first time Libertarian tea partiers have gone after McCain — they were smacked down in the past, too. The Arizona meeting ended with cheers from the pro-McCain forces:
The meeting was not without its agitators. On Saturday, the LaFaro/Bowyer cabal pushed forward two more divisive resolutions that would have done nothing to elect more Republicans in November, including the same absurd and incomprehensible “non-endorsement” of Senator McCain. Not only were both resolutions destined for certain defeat had they come to a floor vote, they were clearly in violation of the bylaws of the State Committee. As each resolution was ruled out of order, a clear majority of attendees cheered loudly…drowning out the vocal but clearly outnumbered minority.
Arizona Republicans, under the leadership of Chairman Robert Graham, have battled against the tea party-Libertarian forces and succeeded in the last few years over a rogue committee like Maricopa County GOP, LaFaro, and Bowyer who continue to be thorns in the side of the party’s mission to elect Republicans and defeat Democrats.
