I was sad to see the defeat of Russell Pearce in his bid to get back into the Arizona State Senate, losing his primary election to Republican businessman Bob Worsley, 56% to 44%.
Some very good people voted against him. I heard that one of them had the perception that Pearce was rude. I reflected on that a lot. Rudeness vs politeness – that’s not even on my list of characteristics on which I base my voting decisions.
I imagine, though, that politeness in a political candidate is important to a lot of my fellow Mormons, and that may be at the heart of the frustration I feel from so many LDS people and their political views. They want someone who will reach across the aisle, get along with others, and, yes, be polite. Our leaders should be polite, of course. My fellow Mormons do have a point. Maybe it should be more important to me.
My view, however, is that we’re in an ideological war. I wrote in an earlier post about the Captain Moroni conservative – the kind of conservative who wants to take it directly to the enemy, resist, stand up and fight, tear off his coat, write on it, and wave it on a pole. Captain Moroni was a hero. He was blunt and forceful. I don’t spend much time thinking about whether or not he was polite.
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I normally assume anybody who says that Russell Pearce is rude has been programmed to believe that by the news. A “perception of rudeness” tells me they haven’t met the guy. I don’t know whether Russell Pearce is rude or not. My default assumption is that he is likely no more rude or polite than any other elected official.
Comment by David Hall:
Yes, the media despised him and had targeted him. That’s why I think it’s such a shame so many people gave in to that – it only emboldens those forces.
Did you consider any of the other reasons that “we” didn’t vote for Pearce? Yeah, rude isn’t maybe a reason to consider. How about the fact the he is a bully? How about his response to the reporter…….”I don’t have to show you anything” when she asked him about the cancelled checks he promised to show us? I used to be one of his most rabid supporters until I started doing a bit of research on him. Pearce is not the kind of man I want speaking for me. He is rude, arrogant, self absorbed and like the dinosaur, his time has come. He came to my house, doing his door to door thing. I was shocked at what a little man he really is. Both in stature and principle.
Response by David Hall
If your perception is “bully,” that is the same as rude. And I’ll bet your research was what the media says about him. My research is in personal interaction with him.
I do think he may have been rude to reporters. While they were undoubtedly rude to him, a good politician will be polite back. That was a mistake on his part.
“Little” however, is a gross mischaracterization of the man, and that is precisely why the Left came after him – his big ideas, his courage to stand on principle, and his effectiveness in getting things done. They absolutely despised that. And self-absorbed? Really? You don’t know him.
I met him on election day handing out cards to let people know the conservative precinct committee people he would endorse. That’s typical Russell Pearce – fighting for what he believes in. That’s what absorbs him.
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I know Pearce. It isn’t that Pearce is rude. He is self-obsessed, devious, always figuring out what he can get out of something, quid pro quo politics, and entirely disingenuous. His judgment is not sound and he lives in an echo chamber. He incites passion by playing on ignorant people’s fears and prejudices. Anyone old enough out there that can remember other leaders that used the same ploy. He changes his tone according to the group he is talking to (fierce and threatening against illegals at an Eagle Forum and soft and cuddly at neighborhood meetings) and it is the same old tired lines, jokes, soundbites. If you try to have a conversation with him, he doesn’t listen. He goes off on his catechism, a litany of patriotic talk that if you ask him a direct question, he cannot answer. He constantly sidetracks to the safety of his platitudes. Thank you Mesa for changing the face of this town.
Response by David Hall:
Marnie,
It’s difficult for me to post your comment, but I will. I don’t know what has poisoned you. I can only guess. But I have been around for long enough to know that the same person doing the same thing can be perceived in opposite ways by two different people.
I have never found Russell Pearce to be personally rude, but I do see where he can be abrasive and blunt. (I actually find that refreshing in a politician.) And whether or not a person is considered devious or clever can depend on whether or not you like the goals they are pursuing. But the idea that he is self-absorbed or even selfish is ridiculous. This is the part that is difficult for me – to post something so defamatory about a man who has put his own reputation on the public chopping block for the sake of a cause that he believes in. He has sacrificed a lot and his family has suffered a lot.
Your comment reflects a basic ignorance about what is going on in this country – the attempts being made to destroy it. I say that not in an unkind way. It may be that you just haven’t learned enough yet about the tactics and motivations of the Left. They are trying to erase the restraints on government power imposed by the Constitution. And a key item of their agenda is to dilute the electorate with newcomers who have crossed our border and are not required to learn anything about our founding principles before being allowed to vote. Russell Pearce has been a noble warrior in the defense of our founding principles and has been extremely effective. His idea of using state law to make up the difference where a corrupt national government refuses to enforce laws legitimately enacted by Congress, this idea was brilliant and has caught on around the country. And while his idea was squashed for now, the way that battle played out has helped open a lot of eyes as to the motivations of his opposition. And being effective, they of course had to take him out. And you have been sucked in by all of the vile defamation. I know how that works – I used to be sucked in also, when I was younger, before I realized about the corruption of the news media.