⚠️ General Flynn's "Chaos Agents" Infiltrate Arizona Republican Party, Sowing Division and Undermining Democracy
🗳️ Suspicious Ballot Counting Delays Raise Concerns About Electoral Integrity in Pima County 💰 Pima GOP Sits on $50,000 War Chest While Neglecting Struggling Candidates
Based on the 11/11-12/24 Wake Up Tucson Show on KVOI-1030AM.
🙊 Notable quotes from the show
💬 "How in the world can they have not been counted by now? That is crazy. It's absolutely insane." - Dr. JoAnn di Filippo, criticizing Pima County’s delays in counting ballots
💯 "They use very emotionally charged language. They're trying to get people angry. Part of the reason for this is that the whole Flynn network, they took over the election integrity movement in 2020, and they were trying to get us to look under the wrong rock." - Scott McMahon, on the tactics of General Flynn's network
🚨 "If they have $57,000 still in the bank and Heather Lappin loses the [Sheriff] Nanos by three to 4,000 votes, we got a big damn problem here." - Chris DeSimone, questioning the Pima GOP's spending priorities
⚠️ "They call everybody that doesn't agree with them 100% of the time, a RINO and an enemy. They call them satanic, demonic." - Scott McMahon, describing the Pima GOP's intolerance for moderate Republicans
⏮️ ICYMI: From the Last Show…
Cyclists Recount Harrowing Encounters with Machete-Wielding Homeless on Tucson Loop Trail
Based on the 10/31 - 11/1/24 Wake Up Tucson show on KVOI-1030AM.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
📢 The Pima County Republicans are in trouble! They're being accused of some shady stuff, like taking a long time to count all the votes ⏳ and keeping a lot of money 💰 in the bank instead of helping their candidates. Some people think a group led by General Flynn is trying to take over the party and make it all about fighting and drama 🎭 instead of working together to help the community. The good news is, there are some folks who want to fix things 🔧 and get the party back on track to help everyone, not just the loudest and angriest people. It's a real mess 🧹, but maybe they can clean it up and make the Pima GOP a place where people with different ideas can work together again. 🤝
🗝️ Takeaways
🚨 Pima County Republicans accused of voter suppression tactics, including delaying review of voter rolls until after the election
💰 GOP maintains large bank account despite recent electoral defeats, raising questions about spending priorities
🤯 Flynn-aligned faction sowing division, purging moderates, and using extremist rhetoric to consolidate power within the party
🤝 Grassroots organizing effort is seen as crucial to reclaiming the Pima GOP from hardline influences
📊 Election results show disconnect, with Trump winning big but his preferred candidate, Kari Lake, underperforming
🤦♀️ Independent voters turned off by Kari Lake's negative campaigning, highlighting risks of ideological purity tests
💪 Calls for pragmatic, big-tent Republicanism to counter divisive tactics of Flynn network and allies
📻 What They Discussed
The Wake Up Tucson radio show on November 11-12, 2024, featured an in-depth discussion of the 2024 election results and the turbulent state of the Republican party in Pima County, Arizona.
Hosts Chris DeSimone and Matt Neely were joined by various guests, including Danny Sawaya from Tucson Strength gym, Cowboy Dave, Martha from the Friends of Oro Valley Library, and Scott McMahon from Bigger Truth Media. They were also visited by the esteemed Dr. JoAnn di Filippo, who provided valuable insights into local politics.
🗳️ Election Reflections
The hosts and guests analyzed the surprising 2024 election outcomes, noting that while Donald Trump won Arizona decisively, his preferred candidate, Kari Lake, significantly underperformed his vote totals.
Danny Sawaya shared that he had spoken to some independent-leaning voters who supported Trump but consciously opted not to support Lake, finding her to be "too negative and divisive."
Scott McMahon attributed Lake's loss partly to the pernicious influence of General Michael Flynn's network, which he believes has been sowing division within the Republican party.
As McMahon explained, "They use very emotionally charged language. They're trying to get people angry. And part of the reason for this is that the whole Flynn network, they took over the election integrity movement in 2020 and they were trying to get us to look under the wrong rock."
♨️ Pima County GOP Dysfunction
A major focus of the discussion was the deeply dysfunctional state of the Pima County Republican Party. Matt Nealy and Scott McMahon described how the party has been overtaken by hardline factions aligned with General Flynn, leading to the exclusion of more moderate Republicans like congressional candidate Juan Ciscomani.
McMahon noted that the Pima GOP has a "crazy long lease" on its office space, with "all kinds of exclusions and stuff in it" that restricts its ability to use the facilities. Chris DeSimone revealed that the party still had over $50,000 remaining in its bank account despite recent electoral losses, raising questions about its priorities and spending.
⚖️ Questionable Pima County Ballot Counting
A particularly striking portion of the discussion centered around the analysis provided by Dr. JoAnn di Filippo, a prominent figure in the local political landscape. Di Filippo delved into the curious circumstances surrounding the Pima County election processes, raising several red flags.
She began by revealing that the county had recently received $478,448 in state funding to review the accuracy of its voter registration rolls. Although this funding had been allocated over a year ago, the county had waited until a whole week after the election to begin the review process.
As di Filippo exclaimed, "How in the world can they have not been counted by now? That is crazy. It's absolutely insane."
Digging deeper, Chris DeSimone shared details he had uncovered about the specific ballot batches that remained uncounted. According to the publicly available information, several key batches spanning the "V", "W", "X", and "Y" designations had not yet been processed, amounting to an estimated 16,000 or more uncounted votes.
"This is nuts," di Filippo responded. It's been 12 days since I voted, and they still haven't counted my vote. Yee, yikes." The lack of transparency and the delays in tallying these ballots raised serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in Pima County.
Moreover, di Filippo noted the curious fact that the Pima County Republican Party still had over $50,000 remaining in their bank account despite their recent electoral defeats.
"If they have $57,000 still in the bank and Heather Lappin loses the [Sheriff] Nanos by three to 4,000 votes, we got a big damn problem here," DeSimone remarked.
The discussion surrounding di Filippo's insights highlighted the apparent dysfunction and questionable practices within the Pima County election infrastructure. Her pointed questions and the hosts' research painted a troubling picture of a system that appeared to be failing the voters it intended to serve.
As the conversation unfolded, it became clear that the issues plaguing Pima County's electoral processes were not merely isolated incidents but potentially symptomatic of a deeper, systemic problem. The guests' analysis suggested that the integrity of the county's elections had been compromised, potentially undermining the fundamental principles of representative democracy.
The revelations from Dr. di Filippo and the hosts' own investigative work served as a sobering wake-up call for the listeners. It underscored the urgent need for comprehensive reforms, increased transparency, and a renewed commitment to ensuring the fairness and accuracy of elections in Pima County and beyond.
🤝 Rebuilding the Republican Party
Looking ahead, the guests discussed strategies for reclaiming control of the Pima County GOP from the Flynn-aligned faction. Scott McMahon suggested that a coordinated effort to elect precinct committeemen (PCs) at the next election could help restore sanity to the party. However, he warned that "they can appoint PCs" in the meantime so that a concerted organizing effort would be crucial.
Danny Sawaya and others expressed hope that more moderate Republicans could form their own clubs or organizations outside the dysfunctional county party structure.
As Sawaya noted, "If you go to those meetings, you're going to find that it's just a whole lot of drama and nonsense. And it's not productive at all."
Overall, the Wake Up Tucson discussion painted a troubling picture of the Republican party's internal divisions in Pima County, with profound implications for the future of conservatism in the region. The guests offered a range of perspectives on the challenges ahead and potential paths forward for those seeking to restore unity and pragmatism to the GOP.
👯 People Mentioned
Chris DeSimone - Host of "Wake Up Tucson" radio show
"If they have $57,000 still in the bank and Heather Lappin loses the [Sheriff] Nanos by three to 4,000 votes, we got a big damn problem here."
Matt Neely - Co-host of "Wake Up Tucson"
Danny Sawaya - Owner of Tucson Strength gym
"Three different people I've talked to and I was shocked I said guys we're voting for her vote I don't care for her."
"When you go to those meetings, you're going to find that it's just a whole lot of drama and nonsense. And it's not productive at all."
Cowboy Dave - Caller to the radio show
Martha - Representative from the Friends of Oro Valley Library
Dr. JoAnn di Filippo - Local political figure
"How in the world can they have not been counted by now? That is crazy. It's absolutely insane."
Analogy about renaming her racehorse to "Peanut's Revenge"
Scott McMahon - From Bigger Truth Media
"They use very emotionally charged language. They're trying to get people angry. Part of the reason for this is that the whole Flynn network took over the election integrity movement in 2020, and they were trying to get us to look under the wrong rock."
"They call everybody that doesn't agree with them 100% of a time, a rhino and an enemy. They call them satanic, demonic."
Kari Lake - Republican candidate for Arizona governor
Juan Ciscomani - Republican congressional candidate
Vince Leach - Republican state senate candidate
Heather Lappin - Republican candidate for Pima County Sheriff
General Michael Flynn - Former National Security Advisor with ties to extremist factions
Shelby Bush - First Vice Chair of the Pima County Republican Party
Caroline Wren - Operative with ties to Kari Lake campaign
Jeff DeWitt - Former Arizona Republican Party Chairman