Please Vote for Wes Gullett on Monday or Tuesday

Wes Gullett is just the kind of common sense urban thinker that the GOP needs to foster in order to be relevant in America's big cities. All in Phoenix who yearn for, or bemoan the lack of political moderation in today's political landscape would do well to vote for Wes Gullett. Gullett is a outsider candidate who can succeed in city government, a candidate who has intimate knowledge of how the mechanics of Phoenix City Hall works, but one that also possesses tangible small business experience. Gullett's brand of inclusive sense urban conservatism would be a refreshing change to the insider politics that has dominated Phoenix city politics for decades. Putting all transparent attacks aside, let's vote for the kind of city government that the city deserves. Phoenix, please vote for Wes Gullett !

Mitt Romney: Leading from behind on the Debt Ceiling

Mitt Romney has been conspicuously silent on the current national crisis, an exceedingly curious phenomena when one remembers that economic matters are a Romney strength. Count me disappointed when the Fox News crawl stated today that Romney was against the compromise bill just passed by the House. The crawl announced that Romney supports the Cap, Cut, and Balance bill initially passed weeks ago only to be shelved in the Senate by Harry Reid. Cap, Cut, and Balance (CCB) is the bill of choice among the Tea Party crowd, and there can be little doubt that Romney is seeking Tea Party goodwill with his recent announcement.

Trouble is, Michelle Bachmann has been for CCB for weeks, and, right or wrong, has been publicly saying for weeks that she will vote no on any compromise bill. Bachmann is obviously being guided by her ideological convictions on this matter , and there she has been, out front on top of her proverbial white charger drawing the admiration and cheers of her troops while also drawing heavy fire from Democrats and political talking heads.

The challenge for Romney is that this late to the CCB party episode plays into the chief negative narrative against candidate Romney: a lack of true convictions and an over abundance of political triangulation. For the record, I like Romney. He was a Republican governor in deep blue Massachusetts, and his economic bona fides are just what the country could use in a leader at a time like this. However, unlike 2007, when I knew immediately who I would be backing in the GOP Presidential nominating process, I am still officially uncommitted. I am waiting for someone else, or for someone in the current lineup to step it up.

Fellow Republicans: It is not good enough to be right on the debt ceiling debate

I have watched the proceedings in Washington on the debt ceiling with growing trepidation for both my party and my country. Through skillful political maneuvering and messaging, the President has been successful at assigning the GOP with "reasonable doubt" in the mind of the public on the debt ceiling issue. What I mean is that the GOP should consider this current crisis as a court case, with the American public serving as jury.

President Obama has used his bully pulpit as President as a platform to sling lightning bolts at Republicans, and Republicans lack both the stature of that office, or a communicator of Obama's stature to counter. Republicans sound off about higher tax burdens will inhibit economic growth and that entitlement spending is out of control. Most technocrats will probably agree, but on the other side you have the President calling the GOP the party of the stingy ultra rich, and evil corporations, staring down at us regular people from the windows of their corporate jets. The GOP is losing the messaging battle, and the party must figure out how to use plain talk that speaks to the basic truths most people know. Talk of trillions of dollars this or balanced budget amendment that isn't getting us anywhere right now.

Let me say this, the case Obama has made is sticking out here in the real world. Obama doesn't get off scot-free either, but a 50-50 assignment of blame is not helpful for any opposition party. Republicans need to stop talking about a Constitutional amendment that has zero chance of occurring in the next 7 days, (or before next year's elections, for that matter), and strike the best deal we can right now. We have made the Democrats come a long way on this issue, and the time has come to put pressure back on the President by placing a bill on his desk.

Obama the Insincere

Last week, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), invited the President for a meeting dealing with the "debt ceiling". The White House coldly turned the overture stating: "...the administration knows Republican positions about taxes and spending..." . Obama's press secretary added that, as far as the Administration is concerned, a possible meeting with McConnell is " ...A conversation not worth having..." Candidate Obama famously announced that he would meet with America's foreign enemies without preconditions, but evidently this offer is not equally applied to Obama's political ones.

I found it most ironic that Obama is now calling for Congress to come together and "make hard choices" on A deal over increasing the debt ceiling. Last week, he gave us Republicans the proverbial bird and now this week, he dares to lecture us on A lack of bi-partisan progress. This is a typical Obama tactic, slinging mud when no one is paying attention, then serenely preaching down on those who have his mud stains on their shirts when the cameras are on.

This is not the new politics of Hope, but the politics of dopes. Dopes are what the President must consider most of us following the news to be if he thinks we will blindly buy into his phony, insincere narrative. We must hold this man accountable n the next election.

Bipartisanship at work in Gullet Mayoral Campaign

I came across some happy news on the Internet yesterday. My choice for Phoenix mayor, Wes Gullett, is evidently very close friends with Tom Simplot, a Phoenix city councilman who happens to represent my district in City Hall. In reference to my post immediately preceding this one, I was saddened to see the GOP lose such an able member of the party. Simplot the Democrat, is campaign chairman for Gullett, a Republican. In a New Times article posted on the Internet, Simplot calls Gullett "practically my brother". This is the type of politics many of us in the public claim to want, something beyond the bitter partisanship that we witness on the national level. The fact that John Boehner lives in Ohio, Nancy Pelosi in California, and the President in DC , allows them to hurdle lightning bolts at each other with little personal investment.

Phoenix city politics is different though. If we can imagine that Phoenix is a political island, we can see why we usually play nice with each other. People tend to cooperate in Phoenix city politics because there is a good chance that people will run into each other in city chambers, city functions, and out and about the city itself. This is why the current nastiness between Mayor Gordon and Councilman DiCiccio is so controversial.

I must admit that I felt a sense of political satisfaction upon hearing about the comity between Simplot and Gullett. This is the kind of cross party networking and cooperation many of us claim to yearn for, yet the Phoenix New Times failed to celebrate yet instead took a slightly snarky tone that the Democrat Simplot shared a stage with a Republican mayoral "wannabe" ( their description of Gullett) and Sen. McCain. I for one, plan to reward this effort with my vote, for all involved.

My Letter to the Editor

For those who do not have the privilege of subscribing to the Arizona Republic:

It was disappointing to see that Dee-Dee Garcia Blase, president of Somos Republicans, has decided to leave the GOP. I felt equally disappointed when Tom Simplot left the party four-odd years ago. Republican ideals transcend race or sexual orientation, as high taxes, big government red tape, and national security issues affect all of us. Equality, or the struggle for it , is in the DNA of the GOP. The party was founded on the very principle of equality. That is why I am a Republican who happens to be a racial minority. Change in the party will not come from without but can only come from within.

*Note : Thanks to the Republic for correcting my spelling of "dissapointing"