Things did not go as I’d hoped this evening. It’s time to acknowledge the obvious.

Congratulations to Ron Barber, my new Congressman-to-be. I can attest, from personal experience, that Ron Barber is an earnest public servant.

In 2007, I was the southern Arizona coordinator for “Vets For Freedom,” an ad-hoc coalition of veterans and others who resisted calls to “cut and run” (those are my words) from Iraq.

We all know that Congresswoman Giffords opposed President Bush on the Iraq War. Nevertheless, she and her staff listened politely and fully to our views. Ron Barber, as her district office chair, was very easy to work with and very friendly. Even though we failed to change Congresswoman Giffords’ mind, Arizona Vets For Freedom was grateful for the courteousness and professionalism she, and Ron Barber, showed us.

Based on that experience, I feel confident that Ron Barber will serve CD8 faithfully and earnestly.

Having said that, I fully expect to try and unseat Ron Barber this coming November. I remain convinced that the Democratic Party has the wrong vision for America’s future.

No man is an island, especially in the House of Representatives. A Congressman makes up a very small piece of the House, and an only-slightly-bigger piece of his party’s contingent. I don’t see how any one Democrat can redirect the trainwreck that is the Nancy Pelosi-led House Democratic contingent. If southeastern Arizona really wants to be heard in Washington, we need a Republican voice up there to speak for us.

I also tip my hat to Baja Democrats for a well-fought campaign. You threw plenty of sharp elbows, but no real low blows. You are an able competitor, and your side has won the field today.

For now, Fort Buckley’s garrison will go on summer vacation. There are zeppolis to eat, sandcastles to build, fresh corn to grill and much beer and wine to drink. Labor Day, and the homestretch of the political season, will come soon enough.

Until then, slainte’

Tucson has a reputation as a kooky, liberal, often-silly town that’s not friendly to business, especially larger companies. That needs to change.

Electing Jesse Kelly to Congress on Tuesday will send an important message: Not all Tucsonans view the free market and bigger business with disinterest, if not outright disdain. Tucson can, indeed be a place where businesses can grow and flourish.

When businesses and entrepreneurs look at Tucson nowadays, what do they see?

• “Baja Arizona.
• “Rio Nuevo,” a new synonym for mismanagement and squandering money.
• A city council dominated by Democrats, focused on the downtown (and that blasted streetcar) and seemingly indifferent to the suburbs where most Tucsonans live and where most new businesses of any decent size will lay down roots.
• A preference for smaller, “boutique” businesses, like trendy cafes and antique shops, over larger firms. (It’s those larger firms, however, that can pay good benefits to large numbers of employees and serve as economic engines that make a town healthy.)
• Public schools that teach students to chain themselves to furniture at public meetings and stalk out of class in protest against (fill in the blank) at the drop of a hat.
• The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental activist group that will sue anyone, anywhere who does anything that might disturb any kind of plant or animal.  Tucson is the CBD’s home!  If you were a businessman, looking for a city where you can expand your business, would YOU want to move to the town that is the HOME BASE for America’s most litigious Luddites?
• Our horrible roads.  You don’t have to drive on them; you can see how bad they are from outer space.

Tucson has two Congressmen.  One is Raul Grijalva.  Chairman of the House Progressive Caucus. Famous for (among other things) calling for an economic boycott of HIS OWN HOME STATE and asking for UN observers to monitor elections in the United States.

On Tuesday, we have a chance to show the nation that Tucson can elect a different kind of Congressman.

Ron Barber says that he wants the rich and the corporations to “pay their fair share.”  That means that, SOMEONE has to decide (a) who is “rich” and (b) what constitutes a “fair share.” 

Ummm…who’s going to decide what’s fair?  The Democrats answer that question by looking in their mirrors. And, they seem very comfortable with assuming that role for themselves.

That’s chilling. Would you want to live in a world where SOMEONE ELSE decides what’s fair and what isn’t? Think about that as you vote on Tuesday.

Let’s say you’re a business owner in California.  You’ve had it with the state’s out-of-control taxes.  You’re ready to pack up and move to a place that’s friendly to business.

What would make you want to stop in Tucson? Would you want to set up shop in a community whose elected leaders seem to tolerate business as a necessary evil? Who prefer an economy shaped and driven by their own partisan hands, instead of Adam Smith’s invisible one?  Who think that they, and not the free market, should decide what’s fair? Who think that it’s OK for businesses to operate and try to be profitable…as long as they do it in that teeny-tiny box of opportunity that government is willing to let them have?

I’m CERTAINLY not saying that Jesse Kelly’s election, in and of itself, would turn Tucson into an economic boomtown. It wouldn’t. What it WOULD do is send a message that many Tucsonans want to be friendly to business, and see our local economy grow and diversify. That many of us DON’T see businesses as a cash cow to be milked, then abused.

Lots of businesses are leaving states that punish success with high taxes, excessive regulation and bloated bureaucracies. (Look no further than California). They’re looking for new homes in communities that want to partner with business, not squeeze it. Most of them are heading for Texas—-which, as a result, is flourishing.

THIS is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Tucson. Take advantage of the golden opportunity created by the ever-increasing number of businesses who’re fleeing the Golden State. Give them some reasons to settle here!

THIS is the kind of enthusiastic, pointed, un-caveated, non-wishy-washy, pro-business and pro-free market message that those wealth-creators want to hear from southern Arizona, as they look for a new place to set up shop:

The recent economic crisis must be a wake-up call for the US Government to end its incessant spending and regulatory vice-grip over the economy. Only free markets and the entrepreneurial spirit can save America, not the heavy hand of government. Rebuilding our economy is the moral challenge of our time, and good paying jobs lay the foundation for American greatness.

Restoring our economy begins with getting Washington out of the way and inviting businesses back to American soil. For too long, politicians in Washington implemented big-government policies that pushed businesses overseas. It’s time we bring them back with open arms. We must stop punishing success and work to reduce personal income taxes, investment taxes and business-ownership taxes. The tax and spend mentality that controls Washington will bring about the collapse of the US economy and we need to stop this Administration in the upcoming elections.

The $787 billion stimulus has failed, and unemployment in Southern Arizona has increased. The people of the United States are realizing that government cannot create jobs, as government has no resources of its own. Only the private sector can create jobs and better our standard of living through production and innovation.

Let’s give those businesses a reason to take a second look at Tucson. By electing Jesse Kelly, we can send a message that Tucson is ready to change its anti-business image and get back on track. That we, as a community, really DON’T think—like too many of our elected leaders apparently do—that’s it’s up to them to determine what’s fair and who should succeed and who shouldn’t.

Now is the time to send that message, before those entrepreneurs who’ve given up on California find new homes, and we miss out on a great chance to lure new, meaningful economic opportunities to town.

Update: Investor’s Business Daily lists some of the states that are forcing capable, competent employers and entrepreneurs to run for their lives:

Many [Wisconsin residents] were flat-out offended and angered that the far-left flooded into their state to attempt to overturn the voice of the people. These voters, like the majority of the American people, are tired of being fooled or even fooling themselves. They look at the life-destroying economic collapses in Greece, Spain, Italy, Illinois, New York and California and now know exactly the cause and who is willingly spreading the disease.

When things have gotten SO bad, that your state’s government is being compared to the economic basket-cases of western Europe, it’s time to pack the moving vans and move to another state. On Tuesday, let’s send a message that at least some Tucsonans think that California sets an example that’s to be avoided, not emulated.

Update: Apparently California won’t be the only “blue” state shedding employers and entrepreneurs in the very, very near future: From the Cadillac of conservative/libertarian blogs, “Instapundit:”

ILLINOIS TEACHERS BEWARE: Your Pension System Is A Scam. “Specifically, the Illinois Teachers Retirement Fund is one of the country’s worst funded pension funds. According to accountants — who use softer methods to measure the health of public funds than they do of private pensions — teacher pensions in Illinois are only 45 percent funded — the fund is expected to be able to pay less than half the pensions Illinois politicians and union heads have been promising for years. . . . It is, in other words, a scam. Both the politicians and the unions want to fool people. They want teachers to think they have secure pensions and they want taxpayers to think that these big pension promises won’t cost them much money. Assuming unrealistic rates of return allows them to square the circle: they can promise big pensions without raising taxes to pay for them right away.”

When that pension bill comes due, who will Illinois politicians try to soak? You guessed it—capable businesses. Businesses that are capable of packing up and moving elsewhere.

Update: Some commenters just got banned. If you come to Fort Buckley solely to be a pain, then you won’t be coming here for long.

It’s not that I think you’re losers. You’re just not my kind of winners.

As I mentioned earlier this week, the eyes of the American political world are turning from the Wisconsin Union-And-Liberal Turkey Shoot to Tucson. Today’s entry in this series of blog posts, which make the case for why Tucson should send a Republican to Congress next week, exemplifies that.

Michael Becker is one of the more prominent members of the Redstate political blog. “Redstate” is one of the most prominent conservative political blogsites in the country. Mike is an Arizonan, and I asked him to add his two cents to this week’s festivities in southeastern Arizona. I’ve added a few comments below, but what you’re about to read is Mike’s contribution to our party. (I’m referring to the election, not Second Saturday). Nevertheless, the commander, staff and garrison of Fort Buckley have approved this message.

Take it away, Mike Becker!

………………………………………………………………

An easy choice for southeastern Arizona.

Assuming, of course, those doing the choosing are capable of rational thought.

I’m talking about the special election to replace Representative Giffords. We have contest between a Giffords staffer, Ron Barber, and Jesse Kelly who Giffords narrowly defeated in 2010.

The contrast couldn’t be more stark. Jesse Kelly stands for less government, for policies that will let businesses expand and hire with confidence. Who knows what Ron Barber stands for? He certainly doesn’t seem to and Politico’s June 4th article makes that painfully clear.

The article’s title: Giffords’ potential successor runs from Obama.

…as Barber seeks the seat of his onetime boss in a June 12 special election, the Democrat is loath to mention Obama’s name let alone tout any bond they formed in the dark days after the shooting spree. […]

Barber has studiously sought to distance himself from the White House as he seeks the seat Giffords resigned from to focus on her recovery. His campaign has refused to say whether he would have voted for the Obama-proposed health care bill, only explaining that he would support reforming certain parts of it if elected.

During a debate last month, Barber wouldn’t even say whether he would vote for Obama in November, though his campaign later clarified that he would.

The candidate doesn’t discuss Obama in any of his ads or news releases and, unlike some other Democratic candidates who are seeking election this year, Barber hasn’t placed an image of the commander in chief on his website.

The district is considered “Republican leaning” because there’s a 6% registration edge for Republicans so Barber is obviously taking the position that it’s better for him to just keep his constituents guessing about what he believes in and what he would actually do as their elected representative. The very idea that the Democratic House Leadership would allow him to NOT vote the party line is laughable and anybody who would buy that line has been smoking fairy dust.

Don here: Mike makes an excellent point. How far is a moderate Democrat—which Barber claims to be—going to get in the House of Representative’s Democratic party contingent nowadays? Do you think Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Debbie Wasserman Schulz will give any serious thought to really supporting moderate policy positions? Barber’s voice, or the voice of ANY moderate Democrat in Congress, is going to be ignored. If you want to make a difference in Congress, you need to have the voice of Congressional leadership. Seeing as the GOP runs the House, and will continue to run it after the November election, the best way to get southeastern Arizona’s voice heard on Capitol Hill is to send a Republican voice up there.

Speaking of smoking fairy dust, this is what Ron Barber has to say about fiscal responsibility on his campaign website:

“Getting our nation’s finances under control is critically important. We can do it—but only if we also focus on growing our economy. That is why I support a balanced approach that includes spending cuts as well as making sure that the rich and corporations pay their fair share.” – Ron Barber

The problem in Washington is not that we don’t collect enough taxes, it’s that we spend too much and the current administration and the current Democratic Leadership in the Congress refuse to address the issue in any sort of rational or realist way.

• The House has passed and sent to the Senate multiple budgets that are currently gathering dust on Harry Reid’s desk. He refuses to allow a vote on them. The Democratic chairman of the Finance Committee refuses to allow a bill to be considered for markup.
• The Congress has not passed a budget in the three plus years Barack Obama has been President.

What this administration has done is push for regulations where they couldn’t get laws passed and are working to destroy the coal industry and have shut down offshore energy exploration and exploration on public lands, in addition to stonewalling the Keystone pipeline.

These policies are directly anti-job. These sectors of the economy produce high-paying middle class jobs and would put some of the five million people who’ve dropped out of the workforce because Obama and the Democrats’ policies have strangled business expansion in the U.S.

Ron Barber’s statement on his campaign website on jobs and the economy is proof positive that he’s living in an alternative universe.

“I have worked my whole life in Southern Arizona. My wife and I ran a small business for 22 years, and now our children are raising their families here as well. That’s why making sure that our economy improves and provides good jobs is my top priority. We can’t have a thriving America without a thriving middle class.” – Ron Barber

A bunch of words with absolutely no meaning. It’s also very interesting that Mr. Barber’s website contains vanilla statements by him with a third party explanation of what his statement means. Apparently, Barber not only has a problem with thinking for himself and being truthful, he’s got a problem even speaking for himself.

What a stark contrast to Jesse Kelly who not only thinks and speaks for himself, he obviously understands what is holding back real growth in our economy and keeping people who want to work and care for their families on the shelf. From Jesse’s website:

The recent economic crisis must be a wake-up call for the US Government to end its incessant spending and regulatory vice-grip over the economy. Only free markets and the entrepreneurial spirit can save America, not the heavy hand of government. Rebuilding our economy is the moral challenge of our time, and good paying jobs lay the foundation for American greatness.

Restoring our economy begins with getting Washington out of the way and inviting businesses back to American soil. For too long, politicians in Washington implemented big-government policies that pushed businesses overseas. It’s time we bring them back with open arms. We must stop punishing success and work to reduce personal income taxes, investment taxes and business-ownership taxes. The tax and spend mentality that controls Washington will bring about the collapse of the US economy and we need to stop this Administration in the upcoming elections.

The $787 billion stimulus has failed, and unemployment in Southern Arizona has increased. The people of the United States are realizing that government cannot create jobs, as government has no resources of its own. Only the private sector can create jobs and better our standard of living through production and innovation.

“Only the private sector can create jobs… Only the private sector can create jobs and better our standard of living…”

That summarizes the approach that MUST be taken in Washington, an approach that is a complete anathema to Democrats, and is the only way our economy will start moving again.

June 12th is just one week away. Jesse Kelly is the man Tucsonans must send to Washington. He’ll work to change things for the nation, for Arizona and the Old Pueblo. If the Democratic Party has its way, the only change we’ll see is more people on food stamps, fewer people with good jobs, more power taken from the individual and the states and less individual liberty.

Vote for Jesse Kelly like the nation depended on it. It does.