Recently I attended a meeting of the Fountain Hills Republican Club where several primary candidates for office spoke. Among them were John Kavanagh, Joseph Chaplik and Jay Lawrence.
Kavanagh has a solid record as a conservative and champion of Arizona’s citizenry. He’ll get my vote. Joseph Chaplik is a newcomer to the scene. He’s very successful, self-made, has energy to spare and then some, is a constitutional conservative and not one to take a back seat. When he says that he intends to go after something, I have full faith and confidence that he will do just that. Chaplik also gets my vote.
I can’t say the same thing for Jay Lawrence, who delivered a pretty weak speech in my opinion. He seems like a very nice guy, but this is business. He voted in favor of raising our taxes with the Vehicle Registration Tax. Depending on the details, I could maybe accept that. What I cannot accept in a Republican is his sponsoring of the National Popular Vote here in Arizona. The Electoral College constructed by our founders is so essential to the fabric and core of our American republic that, to sweep it aside and go with the popular vote only, ensures that unless you live in L.A., Chicago or New York City, your vote won’t count for anything. It will be mob rule, Seattle across the nation.
There was also an incident as the meeting ended, where Lawrence supporters shouted down Chaplik as he sought to clarify and correct a point. Not only was Chaplik denied the opportunity to be heard in answer to this question, but none of the rest of the room was able to hear it either. It was a shameful outburst unworthy of the people who attended the meeting.
