Anybody had any interaction with this guy? He's a senator from Arizona. I just caught an interview with him. His vocabulary just screams Mormon. In addition I notice he speaks in "presithood" mode. Sing songy and all.

I wonder.

When was he given the calling to serve in office?

And was he released (He's not seeking re-election.) from his calling in politics because the church is trying to protect its image? Flake does not come across as a standard Mormon sleaz ball like Hatch or Ed Smart but he just radiates TBM.

His last name says it all...

ditto

Wikipedia says mission to Zimbabwe and BYU grad.

He sounds just plain icky. That is my professional opinion.

I'm gonna hazard a guess that he'll be the new stake president in whatever place he lives within 6 months of leaving the senate.

He is indeed LDS. His home town, Snowflake, Arizona, was founded in part by his ancestors along with some Snow people. Hence the name.

Jeff Flake, Mitt R, and Evan McMullin are three high profile Mormon politicians that have unambiguously declared the present US administration unacceptable. Even Utah Rep Mia Love is somewhat nervously looking like she would like to join them, but doesn't quite know if she can.

Orrin, OTOH, raised sycophancy to comic levels last week. It was embarrassing, though apparently not to Orrin. It's odd, because The Donald can't do a damn thing to Orrin, so there was no need for such over-the-top sucking up.

Yes, Flake has that unctuous GA speech pattern that is like nails on a chalkboard to me. (For those of you under 50, a chalkboard is ... Oh, never mind). I do give him points for having the courage to call his political tribe to task. That's not easy, and it is giving him an unplanned career change.

As Arizona trends more purple (that choking sound you hear is azsteve :) Mr Flake may be back in a few years. I think he was just a little ahead of his time. He's still young.

A speech coach may help with his speech pattern! We can only hope.

Brother Of Jerry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jeff Flake, Mitt R, and Evan McMullin are three
> high profile Mormon politicians that have
> unambiguously declared the present US
> administration unacceptable. Even Utah Rep Mia
> Love is somewhat nervously looking like she would
> like to join them, but doesn't quite know if she
> can.
>
_______________________________________________________

The word your missing for these 'people' are 'establishment Republicans' or 'Republicans in Name Only'. These are the people 'many conservatives' in the Republican party are trying to get rid of!!!! There was a 'takeover' with Trump ---- to some extent.

Flake has to leave, he has shown he is one of the above and shifted too far 'left' and would not be electable! Unfortunately, if Mitt runs he will probably win even if an 'establishment R' but it will be interesting how he votes on things and R's will be watching.

McMullin ---- just a pawn for the elites to try to take the R vote from Trump!

Good insight, Spiritist. Trump is at odds with Establishment Replublicans as well as Democrats. Bannon-affiliated "Movement Republicans" may primary some of the "Establishment" types. The Alabama Senate race blew up in their (Bannonites) faces. We'll see if they can recoup.

So much for the politics. I draw attention to your use of the word "Establishment." Cults tend to straddle the fence of "establishment" and "mainstream" identity, religiously, socially, culturally, and in this case, politically. On the one hand, they want to be unique, as they claim special revelation and mission in the world. This is demonstrated in spiritual elitism, a sense of persecution ("that Devil-infested world is out to get us!"), and separatism ("we don't eat, drink, do, 'those' things like the others").

On the other hand, they want to be accepted and fit in, which is psychologically and sociologically normal ("hey--we aren't freaks, you know!"). Thus, Christian Scientists, who used to identify Republican, now tend to be Democrat and liberal, and Mormons, who used to proudly eschew crosses and the term "Christian" want to think of themselves as "just another Protestant denomination."

So, getting back to Flake: He's definitely Mormon (different) but also allied with the Establishment Republicans (conforming). Liberals will praise him, and say he's "grown;" Bannon-conservatives will decry him as just another Washington "swamp creature."

Methinks we can expect a similar trajectory with Romney.

spiritist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Brother Of Jerry Wrote:
>
> McMullin ---- just a pawn for the elites to try to
> take the R vote from Trump!

I'm almost to the point of not caring who takes to R vote from Trump as long as it is taken. Whatever mess is created by that can be straightened out later.

BoJ,
You nailed my take on these guys exactly.

Your writing in that post was eloquent and entertaining, BTW.

Governor Evan Meacham got into the same cook pot in Arizona Back in 1978 when after a year in office he was forced to resign

Meacham's problem wasn't that he was a RINO. His problem was that he was a criminal.

Less guilty, probably, than the president. The thing that got Meacham was his election financing, etc. as well as things like trying to do away with Martin Luther King Day - claiming King was a commie or close to it.

Wow, what a coincidence that I’m checking in here after a long time!

I wrote about Ev Mecham for Dialogue back in 1987. (Hi, Steve.) If you’re interested, here you go:

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V22N03_68.pdf

Im glad to see that the board is doing well! My anger level is not as high as it was when I gleefully lapped up the vitriol here day after day. I’m living a quieter, more peaceful life now. Keep it up!

Regards to all,
Karen Coates

Ev had sacrificed so much time and money on finally taking the seat that unused inaugural funds to keep his business afloat were his rightful due.

The legislature didn't agree with his logic.

Poor doofus had the AZ oligarchs by the balls but his holy hubris deluded him into overplaying his hand.

Pity the foo.

I heard he was a much beloved bishop.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2017 06:10PM by Shummy.

From what I have heard (OK, news pundits on TV) is that Flake isn't running for reelection--he knows he won't win?--and is saying a lot of things that go contrary to the party line. He can do that because he's already decided to get out. If he were seeking reelection, he'd be kissing up to the whole Republican party. And the admin.

txrancher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From what I have heard (OK, news pundits on TV) is
> that Flake isn't running for reelection--he knows
> he won't win?--and is saying a lot of things that
> go contrary to the party line. He can do that
> because he's already decided to get out. If he
> were seeking reelection, he'd be kissing up to the
> whole Republican party. And the admin.

If he is a white shinny Mormon who is following his calling. (Doing exactly as he is told.). Is it not the direction of the church to use every means to keep up appearances. How can he loose.

Here in Utah the bishop stands in front of the ward makes a suggestion and Knod wink knod the calling is confirmed and the votes come in.

Example is Mia Love. An absolutley do nothing of a representitive but the Mormon church has "lots of black friends". (Sarcasm intended.) and they needed to enforce that point. So, we got Mia Love. She can complete a sentence and she fills the bill.

That brings me back to Flake. Does he have to do anything? Why not just keep his church leaders happy and take the check?

Just re-read my post above, and I think I've figured out his political genus:* He wants to be an "Establishiment Repuiblican" (a.k.a. never-Trumper/RINO Republican), but as a Mormon he's an outlier of a different...breed.

He's a political PushMePullMe, which is a mutant. Mutants, by the way, do not reproduce.

*NOT to be confused with "genius."

RINO, Republican in Name Only, is not the proper description for traditionalists but for Trump. He was until a decade ago a Democrat; he was a good friend and major donor to the Clintons; his closest advisors--Ivanka, Jared, Cohn, Mnuchin--are Democrats. This guy is as much a Republican as Mussolini was a Socialist.

I'm not sure why people like you claim that Trump speaks for the GOP. Romney, Corker, McCain, et al., are the lifers; they are the ones who represent the party and its traditional values. The p**sy-grabbing, anti-trade, pro-deficit, xenophobic Trump is an anomaly. We'll see in a decade who the real Republicans, the enduring Republicans, are.

It won't be the juvenile malignant narcissist who now occupies, even as he derides, the White House. Nor will it be any of his acolytes. Bannon is already speaking of "Trumpism without Trump" and hinting at his desire to run for president; and the traditionalists are re-asserting themselves as well. The GOP is on the verge of collapse due to Trump and his ever shrinking bad of merry opportunists.

Words like truth and Republican aren't infinitely malleable despite what the RINO-in-chief says and does.

This is an apple.

Incidentally, mutants do reproduce.

Thank heaven for that, since all complex life is a massive accretion of mutations.

There you go, bringing up reality again.

"Reality has a well-known liberal bias."
-Stephen Colbert

Bringing up Romney's name as a possibility to run for President is so old, it is getting to be older than Romney actually is.

IMO, if he thought he could win, he would have put his hat in the ring long ago. He is just too associated with Mormonism (or, his enemies would be sure the public knew about this association and how weird Mormons are, especially with their polygamous background.

Besides, if he doesn't run for office, his wife won't have to get the R.S. women over to the house to make sandwiches for his supporters (and, anyway, her poor health wouldn't allow her to take on such a big project now-a-days).

Gotta confess a warm spot for a fellow snowflakian.

Hold yer head high Jefff

Shummy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gotta confess a warm spot for a fellow
> snowflakian.
>
> Hold yer head high Jefff


However bad Jeff flake might possibly be, that Kelli Ward person who has been called his chief rival is really scary. She's the opportunistic ambulance chaser who called on McCain to resign the week he received his diagnosis.