Following an insolent public diatribe on Saturday, Arizona’s former Republican Senator Russell Pearce finds himself jobless. He was forced to resign as the Republican party’s Vice Chair as a result of remarks made on Arizona Democratic Party Executive Director, DJ Quinlan’s, radio show.
On air, Pearce made known he would be in support of requisite sterilization of female Medicaid recipients and random drug screening for everyone receiving Medicaid benefits should he be put in charge of Medicaid.
In response to a caller, Pearce stated, “You put me in charge of Medicaid, the first thing I’d do is get [female recipients] Norplant, birth-control implants, or tubal ligations. Then, we’ll test recipients for drugs and alcohol, and if you want to [reproduce] or use drugs or alcohol, then get a job.”
Shortly after the expressed comments, a press release was issued by Quinlan calling on GOP leaders to denounce Pearce’s tyrannical standpoint. Late Sunday night, the party announced Pearce’s resignation.
In a fatuous attempt at backing away from his own comments, Pearce offered, “This was a mistake. This mistake has been taken by the media and the left and used to hurt our Republican candidates.”
Given Pearce’s track record, Arizonians are fortunate he was ousted. His spearheading of extreme anti-immigration laws enabled racist law enforcement officers to mistreat detainees to the point women were sexually assaulted and rape allegations were ignored. The red flags raised by Saturday’s comments were thankfully not ignored, and Pearce will be denied an opportunity to impose totalitarian mandates on Arizona’s impoverished.