TRUMP CARD: JOURNALISTIC EXPERTISE

posted by Michael Chihak

The depth and breadth of knowledge among the three journalists on today's Arizona Week panel brought home the realities of the state's culture of political and civic leadership.

Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts, tucsoncitizen.com Editor Mark Evans and Tucson Weekly writer Mari Herreras discussed those realities in understandable terms.

They spelled out that the key reality is that Republicans are in charge and call the shots. Others need not apply -- not Democrats, not Libertarians, not Greens, not independent voters.

Yet, the state's voter registration lists show a much more even division, about one-third Republican, a little less than one-third independent, and a little less than that Democratic. Libertarians and Greens bring up the rear with low single-digit percentages.

The key, Evans and Roberts said, is to switch to an open primary system that allows for nonpartisan elections. The problem, Herreras said, is that it will take state political leadership to bring about such a change. The leaders in control won't do it because it would potentially lead to their losing power.

Leaving the system in place as it is means there's one approach to solving problems -- fiscal, educational, environmental and in all other realms. Little or no odds for compromise or bipartisan solutions.

Audacious leadership training programs such as the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy featured on the program thus are fairly limited in what they can do to drive improvement in many of the state's key issues, the journalists concluded.

That's why we continue to ask for Arizona's best and brightest journalists to be on Arizona Week.