Hooray, Arizona!

By Alex P. Vidal

“In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?”—Barack Obama

I DON’T live in Arizona, but I share the euphoria people there felt when it was projected November 14 (Monday) night that one of the most dangerous merchants of conspiracy theory and prominent promoter of former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 presidential election has been ousted in the gubernatorial race.

What a feeling.

Republican Kari Lake, who has been acting like a lady version of Adolf Hitler, was soundly defeated by Democrat Katie Hobbs, according to the projection of several US networks.

I have been observing Lake’s demeanor since during the campaign and noticed she appeared to be emotionally if not mentally problematic. In most of her pre- and post-election statements, she sounded bizarre and unhinged.

Observers thought it was big risk on the part of the Arizona voters to have such quality of candidate for governor.

Lake’s fall came after another rabid election denier, fellow Arizona Republican Blake Masters, was defeated by reelectionist Democrat Mark Kelly for senator.

Again, what a feeling.

Lake and Hobbs were two of the many purveyors of election lies, handpicked and financed by Mr. Trump, who were rejected by the American voters all over the country.

The others were (for governor): Doug Mastriano (Pennsylvania), Lee Zeldin (New York), Tudo Dixon (Michigan), Geoff Diehl (Massachusetts), Derek Schmidt (Kansas), Scott Jensen (Minnesota), Paul LePage (Maine), Heidi Ganahl (Colorado), Tim Michels (Wisconsin), Dan Cox (Maryland), Darren Bailey (Illinois), Brian Dahle (California).

Also (for senator): Adam Laxalt (Nevada), Memet Oz (Pennsylvania), Jo Rae Perkins (Oregon), Tiffany Smiley (Washington), Don Bolduc (New Hampshire), and Masters (Arizona).

Lies and extremism didn’t reach the first base.

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The Americans have spoken: they didn’t want leaders who continued to falsely advocate the monotonous and counterproductive lies about the legitimate victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race; they wanted leaders who cared and willing to prioritize the issues on inflation, women’s reproductive rights, immigration, crime, climate change, democracy.

Lake, a former news anchor at Fox 10 in Phoenix, ascended quickly to become one of the most prominent Republicans in the 2022 cycle as she and Hobbs vied to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. The outgoing governor had endorsed Lake’s primary opponent, but then backed Lake in the general election, reported Maeve Reston of CNN.

Hobbs, a former social worker who worked with victims of domestic violence before becoming a state lawmaker, ran a far more low-key and understated campaign, limiting her access to reporters and holding small, intimate events with supporters, added Reston.

She made democracy and abortion rights her central focus, Reston reported further, portraying Lake as an “extreme” and “dangerous” figure who could jeopardize the sanctity of the 2024 presidential election by refusing to certify the results.

Reston reported that Lake hewed closely to the Trump playbook on more than just the 2020 election. She promised to declare an “invasion” at the border–in what she described as an effort to amass greater power for the governor’s office to address the migrant crisis–and she called for the arrest of both of Dr. Anthony Fauci and her Democratic opponent.

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Before announcing her bid, Lake left her anchor job in 2021–stating that she didn’t like the direction that journalism was going–after becoming a household name in Phoenix. In one of her campaign videos, she said she was taking a sledgehammer to “leftist lies and propaganda,” as she destroyed television sets with the tool in stiletto boots.

She dispatched her primary opponents with her forceful denunciations of Democratic leaders’ handling of the Covid-19 pandemic–blasting restrictions like masking as unnecessary and harmful to children. She welcomed comparisons to Trump all the way through the end of the campaign–professing at one event that she was delighted when one admirer called her “Trump in a dress.”

Lake had painted Hobbs as a coward after Hobbs refused to debate her opponent this fall. Hobbs’ campaign argued that a debate with Lake “would only lead to constant interruptions, pointless distractions, and childish name-calling.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)