New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | May 2, 2005

It's hard for Democratic politicians to take root in the arid Red-state soil of Arizona, but Jonathan Rauch finds one hardy specimen flourishing in a hostile climate.

Comments

|5.2.05 @ 5:18PM|#

Democrats should look in her direction. They have an opportunity to move towards the middle, particularly after the GOP embarrased itself with the ugly rhetoric used by more extreme members of the party recently. One of their best opportunity to woo voters back in their direction is education, but they need to keep a lid on some members of the extreme left.

|5.2.05 @ 5:32PM|#

I'm not a fan of Democrats, but neither am I a fan of hegemony, and we desperately need some more Democrats like Napolitano to challenge the GOP.

My brother and I both thought she would be a good VP candidate in 2004. Then again, I don't think any VP candidate could have saved Kerry from himself.

|5.2.05 @ 5:35PM|#

What, no comment on the rumors that Napolitano is a lesbian? She sure fits the role, if so. I frankly hope she is.

I'd love to see Symington run again, what a clown. He's the poster boy for Republican piggishness. He once responded to complaints that the state provides lowsy education to the poor by suggesting they move to better neighborhoods.

|5.2.05 @ 5:56PM|#

"Told that it sounded mean-spirited to criticize Napolitano because she is single and childless, Bennett dryly replied, 'I apologize if it did'�in a tone that clearly indicated he knew it and didn't care."

That's disgusting. I spit on that man and his kind.

Her advice to fellow Democrats: "Don't fight on the other side's turf all the time. Quit defining 'values' as abortion and gay marriage."

That's very wise.

|5.2.05 @ 6:14PM|#

It always surprised me that the Democrats didn't work harder to hang onto power in Arizona. The state has a very strong Demo tradition, thanks to the Udall clan, and even Barry Goldwater reflected more of a libertarian than a hard-shell consvervative Republican approach to politics. Napolitano appears to be following a Udall/Babbitt-style political path, and is so far quite successful at doing so.

|5.2.05 @ 6:47PM|#

Then again, states seem to think differently about their governors than the rest of their politicians.

States with Democrat governors: Kansas, Louisiana, Tennessee.

States with Republican governors: Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland.

|5.2.05 @ 6:52PM|#

Janet has a few problems, among them being that she is a seriously unspectacular public speaker. If she has any ambitions to national office beyond the Senate I think she will have serious problems rousing the crowds in the style they wish to be roused.

My general take on her since I've lived here in Arizona for four years is that she's almost genetically an east coast politician who somehow has taken root out here. Specifically she very much reminds me of Democratic politicians from Maryland, though not the Baltimore variety, to be sure.

|5.2.05 @ 7:00PM|#

panurge-

Don't forget Wyoming. Wyoming, of all places, has a Democrat as governor.

|5.2.05 @ 7:48PM|#

So does Oklahoma

|5.2.05 @ 8:06PM|#

"Arizona is a fast-growing, predominantly suburban and rural state"

This is not really on topic, but this is a common misunderstanding that even I, as a resident, held until it was clarified for me. This is a natural assumption to make because it seems like Arizona & Nevada have miles & miles of "rural" space. The problem is... Nobody lives there. And the result is that we are very much more urban than other states. Everybody here lives in the cities.
The conservative bias here may come from rural retirees moving here from other places, but is probably also the result of a large Mormon population.

|5.2.05 @ 8:07PM|#

Don't forget that Grey Davis's five years was a break between two Republican governors. Of course, Arnold would be seen as a flaming liberal by most conservatives (pro-gay marriage, pro-choice, pro-stem cell research, etc.) The only reason they're enamored with him is because he's popular and they want some of his cool to rub off on them.

|5.2.05 @ 8:37PM|#

"Arizona's Republican Party is a three-part coalition. Libertarians, such as former Sen. Barry Goldwater."

Instead of hoping for slightly less obnoxious Democrats like Napolitano, we should be working for the ascendancy of more Goldwater types in the Republican Party.

Of course, the small group of Democrats in the house known as the "Blue Dog Democrats" has offered genuine fiscally conservative reforms and has joined with Conservative lawmakers represented by the Republican Study Committee (RSC) who have long championed the fight for spending restraint in congress. The Blue Dog type of Dem should certainly be encouraged. Also, note that both of these groups have offered plans that would restrain spending in ways that the big spending Bush administration has never advocated. On the Blue Dogs:

http://www.ntu.org/main/press_release.php?PressID=700&org_name=NTU

|5.3.05 @ 9:12AM|#

So why are they blue dogs -- the yellow dogs left them out in the cold, is that it?

|5.3.05 @ 10:18AM|#

"Janet has a few problems, among them being that she is a seriously unspectacular public speaker. If she has any ambitions to national office beyond the Senate I think she will have serious problems rousing the crowds in the style they wish to be roused."

Two words - Dick Cheney. I think the significance of rousing oratory has declined over the past couple of decades, and the ability to converse in a businesslike manner has grown in importance.

|5.3.05 @ 10:53AM|#

And the result is that we are very much more urban than other states. Everybody here lives in the cities.

Not to quibble, but... Arizona strikes me as much more suburban than urban - especially as the vast majority of its growth came after the post-war boom in automobiles and air-conditioning, so a conservative majority doesn't surprise me at all.

|5.3.05 @ 11:48AM|#

Kebko's point was right though, however you define suburban or urban. Probably 90% of the people in AZ live in either the Phoenix or Tucson metro areas. This in a state that takes about 10 hours to drive through. It's a very empty place, thank god.

|5.3.05 @ 12:23PM|#

Well, given that the question at hand was something along the lines of "Why is Arizona so conservative?", I think statements such as "very much more urban than other states" and "Everybody here lives in the cities" are a little misleading when there is a very real difference in the voting patterns between city and suburb. Just sayin', is all.

|5.3.05 @ 3:39PM|#

Metro vs. non-metro areas is not a good substitute for urban vs. suburban. Most suburbs are within metro areas, and many metro areas are mostly (in population and area) the suburbs.

|5.4.05 @ 4:51AM|#

Seeing joe praising (I think) Dick Cheney made me want to slap my head and see what was going to come out the earhole.