Andrew Thomas Speech Well Received by State Republican Activists

A m e r i c a n  P o s t - G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Conservative Leader Urges Party Faithful to Fight to Elect "Real Conservative"  Thomas poised to take the conservative base in the gubernatorial primary

 

Republican precinct committeemen were buzzing that Andrew Thomas stole the show at the Arizona Republican Party Chairman's Dinner. Read his speech and see for yourself why he was interrupted with strong applause multiple times and what the buzz is about.

A Fight Worth Having

By Andrew Thomas

 

Speech to the Arizona Republican Party Chairman's Dinner

January 24, 2014

Phoenix, Arizona

 

Good evening.

I make it a practice not to begin speeches by quoting a liberal journalist. But I'm going to make an exception tonight because last week, Dan Balz of the Washington Post wrote something that I think all Republicans should heed.

"Over the past three decades," he noted, "the political leanings of many states have shifted dramatically. What once was a sizable Republican advantage in the Electoral College has become a decided Democratic advantage."

What he says is undeniably true. Structurally, over the past thirty years, Republicans have lost ground. Why?

I submit it's for the same reason that, according to polls, most Americans believe our best days are in the past. It's because Republicans are not properly standing up to the liberal bullies who are determined to destroy our country.

Lost Institutions

For decades, the political left has waged a quiet guerrilla war to capture institutions of American life that wield great power. These liberal activists have been very effective. Like the kingdoms in the The Lord of the Rings that fall one after another to Sauron, major institutions are now firmly liberal and hostile to the conservative values that built this nation.

These institutions include academia, Hollywood and the arts, the courts, the news media, even many churches. The Democratic left and their agenda have gained influence, accordingly, with the many leaders and citizens who value approval and acceptance by these elite groups.

The success of their efforts has brought us economic and social problems unthinkable only a few decades ago. Exploding government debt, broken borders, and disintegrating families are only part of the story.

These developments carry other grave consequences for the Republican Party and our state and nation. I'll focus on two areas: education and immigration.

Allan Bloom Was Right

The states that are trending blue and Democrat have one thing in common. They are increasingly the home of college graduates. This should not come as a surprise. After all, college professors overwhelmingly are liberal Democrats, academia being one of the institutions completely overrun by liberal activists. Today, college students go heavily into debt to receive degrees they frequently can't even use, and parents pay to have liberal professors indoctrinate their children politically on their dime.

Some 72 percent of college professors describe themselves as liberal. Only 15 percent call themselves conservative. A 2010 analysis by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute concluded that the more college degrees a person earns, the more liberal that person becomes.

When Americans are asked, for instance, whether they believe public-school teachers should be allowed to lead a prayer in school, 57 percent of high-school graduates say yes. That number drops to 40 percent for college graduates, 30 percent for master's degree holders, and only 17 percent for Ph.D.'s.

The late Allan Bloom and other observers warned about the damaging effects of liberal bias in higher education. But this was a thorny problem to solve, and so it was ignored. Now, three decades later, it has changed the country. As a practical political matter, it has become much harder to elect Republicans.

Back Where We Began

Then there's immigration. Ten years ago, I ran for Maricopa County Attorney on a platform of stopping illegal immigration. Liberal elites snickered that nothing could be done at the state level. Yet Arizona became a model for the nation, as we passed and enforced laws that sent illegal immigrants fleeing to other states.

The political left counterattacked by playing their trump card: calling on our liberal courts to nullify all these reforms. And so they have. Activist judges have struck down, one by one, every major crackdown on illegal immigration approved by the voters or their representatives. The main provisions of SB 1070. The human smuggling law. The day laborer law.

The result? Our gains have been erased, and we are right back where we started ten years ago. The voters of Arizona are waiting to see if the Republican Party is still serious about providing tough leadership to win this fight once and for all.

A Fight Worth Having

This election year, we will decide if our party is to succumb to the liberal trends overrunning so many other institutions, or if we will stand and fight for the principles that bind us. I say we must stand up and fight these people, and fight them hard.

These principles are right. These principles are true. Some of them are eternal. They are worth defending, without compromise.

Electing a real conservative will mean having a real fight. But that is a fight well worth having.

It's time to start taking ground again. As Governor, I promise to do just that.

Thank you and God bless you.