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"