Posted on 12/23/2009 4:16:59 PM PST by SandRat
Tucson Water insists it hasn't been adding anything to the water.
But Tucson, long known as a solid blue island in a largely red state, has all of a sudden birthed a number of anti-establishment, rabble-rousing groups, often leaning right of center.
Just this month, the Arizona Policy Institute, a Southern Arizona version of the Goldwater Institute, was launched. While it won't have the research function of the Phoenix-based conservative think tank, it does intend to follow Goldwater's model of suing government when it determines regulations have excessively curtailed personal freedoms and private-property rights. It has determined the city of Tucson will likely be its first target.
The Tucson First campaign is bent on forcing leadership change at the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, trying to oust 32-year leader Jack Camper.
And the Tea Party is arguably more active south of the Gila than in any other part of the state.
After the last election, when school funding was shot down and Republicans took a council seat while narrowly missing another in a city that has a 2-1 Democratic voter registration, political blogs up north were asking, "What's going on in Tucson?"
Some are convinced it's a signal of a larger political demographic shift.
"Tucson is indeed moving to the right, but the move is not unique to Tucson," said Greg Patterson, a former Republican state lawmaker who writes the political blog Espresso Pundit. "The entire country is experiencing a massive shift to the right."
Patterson said Democratic moves on health care, debt and cap-and-trade policies are wildly unpopular with voters and are likely to threaten the Democratic congressional delegation at the polls next year.
A Rasmussen Reports poll released Friday shows that 66 percent of U.S. voters say they prefer a smaller government with fewer services and lower taxes over a more active government with more services and higher taxes. The only time that number was higher this year? In August, at the height of the congressional town hall fracases.
Trent Humphries, an organizer of the local Tea Party, said his take is that existing residents who before felt disenfranchised have hit on two important keys: a reason to rally and a way to be effective.
Tea Party attendees, he said, "really believe if they don't fix things now, they'll never get it back. If we don't do something about spending and out-of-control government regulations now, we may not be able to put the pieces back together."
Most involved in the effort, though, are brand new to activism. "They learned it's possible to have an effect," he said. "People come to an event, get fired up and then go try to change areas they believe need to be fixed."
Technology is assisting those efforts, Humphries said. "The Internet, blogs, Facebook — these are tools that we didn't have in the past or that weren't being used effectively. Now, people feel they can get in touch with others who have similar beliefs."
The Arizona Policy Institute dubs itself a nonprofit dedicated to preventing the erosion of private-property rights, individual liberty and good government. Although it downplays any partisan leanings, it says it's borrowing the tactics that have been used to great effect by groups such as environmental and neighborhood activists.
"Whatever success the left has enjoyed through state court activism, the odds are great that the freedom movement could enjoy even greater success were it to engage systematically in state-constitutional litigation," its Web site reads.
Executive Director Tanner Bell, a former University of Arizona football player who is now a financial adviser, said the board will meet after Christmas to determine which test cases it will take, although he believes the first efforts will focus on ways the city of Tucson "has prevented or hindered businesses from prospering."
Bell has his own take on why there's more fomenting activity going on around town these days. "It's a lot more evident that people are hurting now. In the good times, it's good for everyone. In the bad times, you feel it more."
Political science professor Tom Volgy remembers a similar groundswell happening in the recession in the 1980s, when he was mayor.
"It all stemmed from just enormous frustration with what was going on and the inability to have some control of your own destiny. And it ultimately turned into an anti-establishment effort," he recalled, saying this period has the same feeling of intensity.
The city at that time took some action to focus on local business first to try to defuse some of that frustration. This time around, he said, "I haven't seen that concerted effort and it really needs to be there." Having the council spend an entire session talking about when it can meet again, instead of responding to the hundreds who turned out to protest potential layoffs, for example, won't calm emotions.
Bell agreed, saying those in power who don't take the disaffected seriously, do so at their own peril. But Jeff Rogers, the head of the local Democratic Party, said the clout of such groups has yet to be determined. "He who yells the loudest doesn't necessarily win an election."
And it's true there is limited separation between the groups so it's hard to get a grasp of how large the efforts really are. Some members who supported the Tea Parties, for example, are involved in the would-be Tucson First coup — although there are no formal ties between the two efforts. Some who are supporting the coup are also actively involved in the litigation effort — although again, the two groups aren't partners. But the power of such groups might be magnified, Rogers acknowledged, if Democrats don't step up in 2010. "If you add that kind of disaffection that we're seeing, to a sort of malaise among Democratic voters — if the Democrats lose excitement and stay home — then that, together with this vocal minority, might be enough to make a difference."
Contact reporter Rhonda Bodfield at 573-4243 or rbodfield@azstarnet.com.
Why more republicans don't get that is a mystery.
Global Drifting?
Another inconvenient truth, hopefully.
I don’t like the title. “Drifting” is hardly something one does when they begin to gain a sense of principle. In fact gaining philosophical integrity sets a person on very solid ground.
Nothing personal, I just couldn’t help pointing out the author’s bias.
Merry Christmas!
LOL
The Tucson Police and Fire Depts will be taking cuts, both in pay and in number of employees. The Arts, no cuts so far.
Pretty soon the hippies are going to find themselves outnumbered.
It got so liberal I left in the early 70s. The place is a zoo now. Fun to visit, but no place where you would want to live....
The author is biased but amazing that a change is coming and was recognized.
It’s those who are becoming informed that are doing the recognizing but I get your point, it’s about time these ‘followers’ do a bit of the lifting but I’ll never give them credit for all the work done in spit of them.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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