Exactly How Right Wing is Phoenix/Arizona? (Tucson, Tempe: house, neighborhood)

[ibarrio]

the local heroes are Joe Arpaio and Paul Babue <- at least up to the point when the skeletons came out.

Arpaio's birther investigation turns out to be media whoring for an e-book.

The political landscape is shifting a bit as more Californians move here and the old school blue hairs die off.

[PoppySead]

Originally Posted by Kimballette

"White separatist?" Oh, please. Let's keep this discussion grounded in facts and reality, please. The place for purple prose is another C-D forum called Politics and Other Controversies. I suggest you take the hyperbole there. This is a relocation forum, not a political one.

Well, to be fair there was a cross burning in Gilbert not to long ago. Maybe he lives down the street from that house? Things would seem a little different if that were the case I guess.
Not that it doesn't happen in other states. Some people are just jerks regardless of where they live.

[Ponderosa]

While I agree the white separatist comment is completely off the wall and inaccurate, I also do not go along with the characterization of Arizona as a state filled with happy go lucky libertarians who believe in live and let live. This state has changed a lot in the past 20 years. It is much more socially conservative and intolerant than it once was. The legislature is positively extreme right wing and always has been. We now have a governor who goes along with the wacky bills they pass and the results are what you are seeing in the media. We have gone off the deep end in many areas. I frequently hear and do agree that the people themselves here are not that bad and are quite tolerant. But you have to wonder about even this given that the racists and right-wingers get re-elected time after time.

Whatever the cause, this is now a state where hate speech hardly raises an eyebrow - even in the halls of the legislature, discrimination against Hispanics is accepted and encouraged, and the principles of the Christian right are increasingly being shoved down everyone's throat. The extremists have been empowered to speak and behave badly. It is a place and where you will be justifiably afraid for your safety if you put an Obama sticker on your car this fall.

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

While I agree the white separatist comment is completely off the wall and inaccurate, I also do not go along with the characterization of Arizona as a state filled with happy go lucky libertarians who believe in live and let live. This state has changed a lot in the past 20 years. It is much more socially conservative and intolerant than it once was. The legislature is positively extreme right wing and always has been. We now have a governor who goes along with the wacky bills they pass and the results are what you are seeing in the media. We have gone off the deep end in many areas. I frequently hear and do agree that the people themselves here are not that bad and are quite tolerant. But you have to wonder about even this given that the racists and right-wingers get re-elected time after time.

Whatever the cause, this is now a state where hate speech hardly raises an eyebrow - even in the halls of the legislature, discrimination against Hispanics is accepted and encouraged, and the principles of the Christian right are increasingly being shoved down everyone's throat. The extremists have been empowered to speak and behave badly. It is a place and where you will be justifiably afraid for your safety if you put an Obama sticker on your car this fall.

Good post and I agree.

[Bondurant]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

It is a place and where you will be justifiably afraid for your safety if you put an Obama sticker on your car this fall.

Sure. I see Obama (and Ron Paul) stickers daily. I'll be they're quaking in their boots.

This thread is going to get ridiculous.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

Sure. I see Obama (and Ron Paul) stickers daily. I'll be they're quaking in their boots.

This thread is going to get ridiculous.

I had an Obama sticker on my car in 08. We had people flip us off on the freeway over it. After a few weeks it was torn off and racist drivel was written in the dust on the rear window . I won't be putting one on this year (I'm going with a Dogs Against Romney sticker. Everyone likes dogs) . I feel fortunate I did not get keyed or have my windows smashed or some gun toting red neck did not shoot at us. It IS that out of hand here.

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

Sure. I see Obama (and Ron Paul) stickers daily. I'll be they're quaking in their boots.

This thread is going to get ridiculous.

you grouping Obama and Paul together? I would say Ron Paul is ok around these parts because he is part of the republican debates.

[Bondurant]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I had an Obama sticker on my car in 08. We had people flip us off on the freeway over it. After a few weeks it was torn off and racist drivel was written in the dust on the rear window . I won't be putting one on this year (I'm going with a Dogs Against Romney sticker. Everyone likes dogs) . I feel fortunate I did not get keyed or have my windows smashed or some gun toting red neck did not shoot at us. It IS that out of hand here.

Okay. The same thing was applicable to having an McCain sticker on your car in Chicago. It works both ways. It's not something exclusive to Arizona.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

Okay. The same thing was applicable to having an McCain sticker on your car in Chicago. It works both ways. It's not something exclusive to Arizona.

Fair enough. Never lived in Chicago so I would not know. But the OP asked about right wingers and we have them thick as ants at a picnic. Will she be affected personally? I doubt it. Unless one is political or Hispanic, most of the noise is just that. It has little impact on your day to day life.

[KidArizona]

Originally Posted by LuvGreenChile

My family was considering moving to the Mesa/Phoenix area, but lately all we see are stories about people in Arizona who espouse very right wing views (i.e. shooting the President's image, arresting anyone who looks Hispanic, Birtherism reborn, etc). On the boards on Yahoo! I continue to read comments by people from the Phoenix area saying women don't deserve rights, that blacks should be killed, that non-Christians should be run out of America, and so on. The state is beginning to come across as one big white supremacist, religious right playground.

I'm an independent, and would probably rate as a centrist, but all the things I read online have me wondering. Just how far right is Arizona?

unfortunately, this used to be a lot more libertarian "live and let live" type of place, but the GOP here has fallen way more in line with the national party and the religious right