Since several people were told by those who didn’t know (but wanted to sound important) -or lied to hide the real reasons- that I quit campaigning because of “the money” the truth has been festering like a boil on my butt. So to get it out of my mind and on paper here is why I quit campaigning for congress:
- It wasn’t “the money.” I still had $44,000.00 of my own money in my campaign chest. I had more of my personal savings I could have put in. I had both loving and loyal family and friends in multiple states as well as a considerable grass roots base willing to contribute. It wasn’t because I “couldn’t ask” one person for a donation. I had several appointments in the next ten days to ask some deep pocket donors to support me.
- It was what I was seeing unfolding in the political arena and ultimately within my staff that made me decide I didn’t want any part of it.
- I HATE being lied to. Not answering is the same thing as lying. When I ask someone I am paying a lot of money to (or expecting to be paid a lot of money) for answers to specific questions relating to their qualifications or what they have brought to the table I expect specific answers not glittering generalities. In one instance a “strategist” I met at the Learning Institute who claimed to have worked in a Florida gubernatorial campaign – didn’t. And most of what he said he would bring (for $5K a month) was offered free to candidates by the state GOP or he was going to subcontract out. I could have done that cheaper and locally. He was basically creating a shotgun resume’ of various enterprises (PAC, “MAGA Academy”, etc.) to see what stuck. The other staffer was experienced and connected but incredibly ignorant of the military (and life in general), financially insolvent, devoid of grammatical, interpersonal and social communication skills and – the straw that pulled the trigger on the campaign – was incredibly rude to people I admire and respect. The role inflation by both became unacceptable.
- On the other hand I met two excellent accountants that made outstanding campaign treasurers. Although I only hired one, I highly recommend both of them to any future candidates. They’ll keep you out of FEC prison (literally!)
- I said it wasn’t “the money.” It wasn’t because of MY money. I was constantly asked “How much money can you raise?” When I declared my candidacy in late May I was told I would need to raise $150,000 by October 2019. Two weeks later in D.C. I was told $250,000 and when I returned to Arizona it rose to $350,000. I was also told whichever Republican candidate won the primary, it was going to take $1.5 to 4 million dollars to beat the Democrat incumbent candidate. She is called a “carpet bagger” because she lives in Phoenix and just rented a place in Tucson to run for this office. Apparently, in Arizona, candidates don’t have to be residents of the district they run in. That’s fertile grounds for corruption.
- In D.C., the first thing the Republican National Campaign Committee representative told me when he was (apparently) impressed by my bio was “You have to to let Jim Click know!”. Imagine that. A member of the NATIONAL committee telling me I have to let a CAR DEALER in Tucson know I am a candidate. Why? Because Jim Click, apparently, has THE MONEY that drives politics in southern Arizona. The briefer also confirmed Jim Click was bringing in a LOBBYIST working in D.C. to run for the same office. I had texted and called Jim Click’s number twice and received no answer. I was also told no local car dealer in CD2 would “buck” Jim Click and donate to my campaign. Jim Click has since drafted the lobbyist (named Shay) to come from D.C. to run for House of Representatives in CD2. Jim Click promptly plops down $300,000 in Shay’s campaign chest. The best politician money can buy. This deference to a car dealer has been justified because Jim Click “does a lot of good for a lot of people.” So do drug cartels. But they expect things in return. Instead of the NRCC vetting candidates and leading the donors toward qualified candidates it is the donors who dictate candidates – or which candidate can raise the most money. This is where the mutated Golden Rule comes from: He who has the gold makes the rules.
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- It’s logical in that both politicians and car dealers are a. the two lowest in esteem of the American people; and b. they both rival AMWAY, Avon, and Universal Life Insurance as financial pyramid schemes.
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- The situation is the reverse in Phoenix / Maricopa County. The Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, decides how to disburse the Republican National Committee funds. That’s how Martha McSally, the pseudo-conservative / shadow Femi-Nazi was appointed to fill McCain’s seat. For some unknown reason, McConnell told Governor Ducey he wanted McSally in McCain’s slot – with the not-so-subtle inference that RNC funds would follow getting Ducey elected governor if he played ball and appointed her. McSally is somehow also able to get on the phone and raise a LOT of money (from whom no one seems to know or care) and that’s how she got on a committee as a freshman senator. I heard the price was $80,000 for the committee seat.
- I’m told that’s how Kelly Ward was backstabbed by the RNC as well. By getting Sheriff Joe Arpaio to run and dilute the vote. If he hadn’t run Kelly Ward would have won (and, in my opinion, should have won).
- In D.C., the first thing the Republican National Campaign Committee representative told me when he was (apparently) impressed by my bio was “You have to to let Jim Click know!”. Imagine that. A member of the NATIONAL committee telling me I have to let a CAR DEALER in Tucson know I am a candidate. Why? Because Jim Click, apparently, has THE MONEY that drives politics in southern Arizona. The briefer also confirmed Jim Click was bringing in a LOBBYIST working in D.C. to run for the same office. I had texted and called Jim Click’s number twice and received no answer. I was also told no local car dealer in CD2 would “buck” Jim Click and donate to my campaign. Jim Click has since drafted the lobbyist (named Shay) to come from D.C. to run for House of Representatives in CD2. Jim Click promptly plops down $300,000 in Shay’s campaign chest. The best politician money can buy. This deference to a car dealer has been justified because Jim Click “does a lot of good for a lot of people.” So do drug cartels. But they expect things in return. Instead of the NRCC vetting candidates and leading the donors toward qualified candidates it is the donors who dictate candidates – or which candidate can raise the most money. This is where the mutated Golden Rule comes from: He who has the gold makes the rules.
- I HATE being lied to. Not answering is the same thing as lying. When I ask someone I am paying a lot of money to (or expecting to be paid a lot of money) for answers to specific questions relating to their qualifications or what they have brought to the table I expect specific answers not glittering generalities. In one instance a “strategist” I met at the Learning Institute who claimed to have worked in a Florida gubernatorial campaign – didn’t. And most of what he said he would bring (for $5K a month) was offered free to candidates by the state GOP or he was going to subcontract out. I could have done that cheaper and locally. He was basically creating a shotgun resume’ of various enterprises (PAC, “MAGA Academy”, etc.) to see what stuck. The other staffer was experienced and connected but incredibly ignorant of the military (and life in general), financially insolvent, devoid of grammatical, interpersonal and social communication skills and – the straw that pulled the trigger on the campaign – was incredibly rude to people I admire and respect. The role inflation by both became unacceptable.
- I’m also aware that the RNC years back contributed to the Democrat candidate in CD2 because the registered Republican candidate was “too hard on the immigration issue”. As a retired immigration inspector I saw the potential for the RNC using my anti-McSally, the duplicity of the GOP in stonewalling (pardon the pun) “immigration reform”, and my firm stand on immigration blogs to withhold financial support.
4. The RNC also has a history of telling candidates they have their support and changing their minds midstream – usually after a candidate has spent their own small fortune in the primary hoping RNC money will flow only to find it doesn’t.
5. Everyone who signed my nomination sheet to get me on the ballot considers being a retired immigration inspector a big reason to be a congressman. But the RNC doesn’t look at it that way. At least they haven’t ACTED that way toward border issues. One only need listen to the thundering silence by the GOP in Congress regarding the wall and anything immigration to see that.
6. My blog site LigonClanLaw.com has received over 1,886,000 hits a month since January. I was told by “staff” I should shut down my blog site. It would only give the opposition ammunition. Obviously to the Democrats but I’ve been very “independent” in my editorials. I could see the RNC taking exception to my anti-McSally blogs . This may explain why I never received an answer from her office for a meeting. I’ve also been very “independent” in my blogging about the military which would not make the brass happy.
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- So, basically, I don’t trust the RNC to back me despite my qualifications and grass roots appeal.
7. A newly elected congressman is not usually given any seats on committees until elected to a second term. I guess that’s after he’s proven his loyalty by soliciting the mandatory $18 thousand dollars A DAY from donors during his first term (there’s a video shown at candidate training about that). With a congressional seat costing $1.4 to who-knows-how-many-millions of dollars that pays “only” $174.000 a year it’s no wonder politicians are in lobbyists pockets – and indentured servants to the RNC. That’s why incumbents are terrified of Pelosi. Same goes for McConnell.
Bottom line: I’m not going to ask good people for their hard-earned money if the potential for success isn’t within the acceptable range. And it isn’t
