The sole black Republican Party district chairman in Arizona resigned from his post in the wake of Saturday's shooting, citing threats from the Tea Party faction and concerns for his family's safety.
District Chairman Anthony Miller and several others resigned.
Miller, a 43-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills resident and former campaign worker for U.S. Sen. John McCain, was re-elected to a second one-year term last month. He said constant verbal attacks after that election and Internet blog posts by some local members with Tea Party ties made him worry about his family's safety.
The first and only African-American to hold the party's precinct chairmanship, Miller said he has been called "McCain's boy," and during the campaign saw a critic form his hand in the shape of a gun and point it at him.
"I wasn't going to resign but decided to quit after what happened Saturday," Miller said. "I love the Republican Party but I don't want to take a bullet for anyone."
His resignation comes in the wake of the attempted assassination of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson), and the killing of several others, including a federal judge, at a political rally over the weekend. Although there have been no links discovered between the shooter, Jared Loughner, and the Tea Party, political opponents have blamed the movement and one of its major figures, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, for creating an atmosphere that encourages violence.
Last month, Miller was re-elected to his second term as district chairman following the November general election, which saw Democratic incumbents like U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) and state Rep. Rae Waters (D-Ahwatukee Foothills) unseated in favor of Republican candidates.
Miller said the recent party election involved infighting between Miller and his allies and a "radical" local Tea Party faction calling itself the "New Vision" slate.
"There's trouble within the Republican Party," he said. "I'm seeing this new faction, the Sarah Palin type of Republicans."
The Arizona Republic
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism.
Barry Goldwater
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
John Kenneth Galbraith
bgfrn is nothing but a race baiting snatch...he twisted the article to make it appear as if this was solely about race....
and this so called tea party faction consists of these five people:Jeff Kolb, spokesman for the Legislative District 20 GOP, and the group's secretary, Sophia Johnson, also submitted their resignations.
apparently there was tension because miller wasn't viewed as conservative enough....i smell bullshitNone of the members of the New Vision slate - consisting of Bill Baxter, Jeni White and James Troutman, who won election to party leadership positions, and former Congressional candidate Mark Spinks and Tom Morrissey
Looks like Bfgrn is doing his best Webbway imitation.
I can't speak to any possible threats but Tea Party people targeting Republicans for not being conservative enough is really no different than progressives who targeted Blue Dogs for not being liberal enough.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
John Kenneth Galbraith
How can I be webbway when I don't even know how to import a picture to create my own avatar let alone post a picture of someone in a thread?
Nice job on cutting the 'McCain's boy' quote in half trying to give it more of a racial feel. It's not like you're 18 years old I would think you would have heard many people called someone's boy. For example our ex-Mayor in San Francisco who you've probably heard of, Gavin Newsom, who is white has always been called Getty's Boy become the billionaire white Getty family has been his sugar daddy from day one.
Well played though sir in trying to make it racial.
I will say unless you are a rapper posing for an album cover putting your hands in the form of a gun and pointing it at someone is completely unacceptable.
Last edited by cawacko; 01-13-2011 at 01:00 PM.
LOL....I had to throw that in there amidst all this serious stuff as I see it almost everyday...and almost everyday am thankful that where I live it still isn't a big deal for the kids to play that way. Reminds me of the good old days.
Back to the serious side of things, I do agree with your original point. Adults, political context...pistol hand...not cool....or acceptable even.
One lone nut-job goes postal, and this guy folds like two squares of toilet tissue. Wow. Me thinks this guy has to sit down to pee.
Don't let the door kit you on the ass on your way out...There's trouble within the Republican Party," he said. "I'm seeing this new faction, the Sarah Palin type of Republicans."
Hey Yurt...do you need a translator? Is mommy out? The guy quit because he was fearful of violence..."I love the Republican Party but I don't want to take a bullet for anyone." Anthony Miller
YOU are the one focusing on his race. So that must be YOUR agenda.
It is clear that anything these tea party members do gets a pass from you...even when they do it to a Republican. THAT is having an agenda.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
John Kenneth Galbraith
what a dishonest hack...i'm focusing on race? let's see YOUR title as compared to the title of the actual article:
your title - Black GOP Official Resigns
actual title - Republicans in turmoil after leadership resigns over safety fears
you are the one who focused on his race, no one else, you altered the original title to make the focus on race.
care to apologize?
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