{"id":375,"date":"2017-03-13T08:46:37","date_gmt":"2017-03-13T15:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/?p=375"},"modified":"2017-12-17T12:42:30","modified_gmt":"2017-12-17T19:42:30","slug":"braveheart-in-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/braveheart-in-arizona\/","title":{"rendered":"Braveheart in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qlldpQLh1BY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" gesture=\"media\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>The text below is the transcription of the video above.<\/p>\n<h2>Background and Apology<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The speech you are about to listen to has proven to be controversial.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After I finished writing it, I was very proud. I thought it was daring. I thought it was captivating. I thought it was truthful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But when I delivered it to the audience I hoped would eat it up, it bombed hard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That audience was the good Democrats in Arizona\u2019s 24th legislative district. \u00a0I had been given 2 minutes at their monthly meeting district meeting, the first official group of Democrats I was going to try to win over. \u00a0These are meetings where a around 100 of the most motivated Democrats in the district hear from their elected representatives, and plan to take the issues to the neighbors. \u00a0Their passion for good governance, and the grassroots work they do because of that passion is incredible. \u00a0Many of them have been fighting for change in Government much longer than me. \u00a0I was excited to have the opportunity to persuade them to help me in my campaign for Governor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It did not go as planned.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, when I wrote my speech, it took 4 minutes. \u00a0But I was so proud of it, that I really couldn\u2019t figure out how to shave it down. \u00a0Having been a member of some groups where timekeeping is very rigid, I knew I didn\u2019t want to go over time if their was a very strict observance of the time table. \u00a0So I asked around about how rigid these meetings usually are, and was told that they are usually pretty casual. \u00a0I assumed that the casual atmosphere combined with my incredibly compelling speech would mean that no one would begrudge me an extra couple minutes. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once at the meeting, things seemed to progress just as I\u2019d been told. \u00a0Around 10 people spoke before me, and all but one of them went significantly over. \u00a0The section for my announcement was supposed to begin at 7:50, but it didn\u2019t actually begin until 8:10. \u00a0So I was feeling pretty good about taking an extra couple minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I began, the crowd was warm to me, and cheered for a couple of the things I said. \u00a0They were mine to lose, and I did lose them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The trouble began when I reached a passage in which I use the word rape in a figurative sense multiple times. \u00a0Some people in the room were deeply disturbed by my use of that word, and they asked me to change it. \u00a0While I did modify the speech on the fly at that point, and it seemed like many of the people were still interested in what I had to say, I had lost the leaders and some of the more vocal people in the room, and the tension was palpable. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second my 2 minutes were up, unlike all the previous speakers, they asked me to stop speaking. \u00a0I responded that every single speaker before me had gone over time, and that I intended to take advantage of the same courtesy. \u00a0I offered to sweeten the pot by making a contribution to their district fund. \u00a0Honestly, I wasn\u2019t trying to demand special treatment, or use money to make up for my bad behavior. \u00a0I was trying to demand equal treatment to all the speakers who had gone before me, and I was trying to show genuine interest in helping the district fund its initiatives. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, I absolutely understand that I had violated the rules. \u00a0Certainly none of the speakers before me had said anything that had offended anyone in the room, so they felt justified in treating me differently for that reason. \u00a0And they felt like contributing to their district was already an expectation given my candidacy for Governor. \u00a0And they felt like my challenging of the leaders in the room was incredibly disrespectful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though I tried to muscle my way through the rest of speech, the room got so loud in opposition to me continuing that it was pointless. \u00a0I was defeated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I stayed around to shake hands and with people. \u00a0To their credit, they were all friendly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I subsequently made a post, the purpose of which was to share openly that not every moment of my campaign is successful. \u00a0Though I didn\u2019t try to misrepresent what had happened, some of the people in the meeting who saw the post felt that my perception of the events didn\u2019t accurately represent what had happened.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The meeting was a few days ago, and I since then I have traded messages with the leadership team. \u00a0They have been very gracious in communicating productively with me. \u00a0I suspect that I will have to do a lot of work to win back the trust of these wonderful people, but I intend to do that work. \u00a0\u00a0I hope they will accept me back into the fold when they see my sincerity and my drive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to apologize to the leaders of LD 24 and the good Democrats who attended that evening. \u00a0First, I want to apologize for disrespecting the leadership team by trying to continue my speech after I\u2019d been asked to stop. \u00a0Bottom line: it wasn\u2019t cool, and I shouldn\u2019t have done it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I also want to apologize if it seemed like I was trying to use money to get special privileges. \u00a0I absolutely understand why it was perceived that way. \u00a0I promise, my intention was to show you that I am passionate about empowering the good work you do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most importantly, I wish to sincerely apologize for the trauma, anxiety, and other forms and levels of discomfort caused by my rhetoric. \u00a0It was not my intention to cause anyone to relive past experiences or to fixate on the prevalence of sexual assault in our society, and to the degree that my speech had that effect, I could not be more sorry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I previously agreed to release the speech in its original form, and after these opening remarks I will make good on that promise. \u00a0The speech contains the word rape, along with a usage of a racial slur and 2 slurs based on sexual orientation. \u00a0When these words are used by people filled with hate and bigotry to describe the good citizens of our minority communities, they are repugnant, and I condemn such usage. \u00a0That is not the way they are used here. \u00a0The purpose of the language is to draw attention to the incredibly negative effects of the policies that come from the current political climate in Arizona. \u00a0If you are the sort of person who finds the use of such words offensive for any purpose and in any context, please do not continue watching the video, and please forgive me for having penned them<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Speech<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My name is Noah Dyer. I&#8217;m an independent who&#8217;s joined with the Democratic party to campaign for Governor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you haven&#8217;t heard, I&#8217;ve made something of a name for myself by being honest. Some have even suggested I&#8217;ve been too honest. Well, I intend to honor my reputation tonight. I&#8217;ve been given a couple minutes, which doesn&#8217;t leave much time for pleasantries, so you&#8217;ll forgive the fact that I&#8217;m just gonna turn on the fire hose of truth right now, and ask you you to drink as much of it as you can.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you ever seen Braveheart? \u00a0It\u2019s a perfect metaphor for what\u2019s going on in Arizona.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doug Ducey, the king, has made alliances with selfish business and political leaders. \u00a0As part of that alliance, he has authorized his powerful allies to create policies that rape Arizona\u2019s most vulnerable communities. \u00a0Not only that, but just like the king, he has the audacity to tell the public it\u2019s a privilege to be violated by his cronies\u2019 policies. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike the movie, he doesn\u2019t call his heinous legislation Prima Nocta. \u00a0Rather, it goes by many names. When their policies rape our public school students and teachers, they calls it \u201cschool choice.\u201d \u00a0When they rape our LGBTQ community they call it \u201cdefending marriage.\u201d \u00a0When they rape our poor, he calls it \u201cjob creation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who is going to stand up for our people and fight against the disgusting consequences of these policies? \u00a0The highest leaders of the Arizona Democratic Party have made it very clear to me that they will not lead the fight for the top office in the state, unless you, the voters and community leaders, twist their arm and force them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They\u2019re treating the next election cycle like a chess game, and they seem to think their best option is a stalemate. \u00a0The party\u2019s strongest politicians are afraid to take on Doug Ducey, so they are planning to run for downballot offices where they are more confident they can win. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is it that they&#8217;re afraid of?!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He obviously doesn\u2019t care for our immigrant community, but they think he\u2019s untouchable despite the racism of his policies, I guess because they have enough sense to avoid openly calling immigrants wetbacks. \u00a0His policies are bigoted against our our LGBTQ community, and yet they still think he can\u2019t be beat because the policies avoid calling them faggots and dykes outright. \u00a0And on top of that, they\u2019re afraid of his wholesome haircut, his CEO smile, and his fat checkbook. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what does the Governor\u2019s race look like when you follow the plan of Democratic leaders who are afraid of the tyrant? \u00a0You let them call up one of their 3rd string pawns, ask that pawn to run with comparably meager clean elections funding, and let Ducey slaughter the poor sap while the party focuses its financial resources on easier targets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well you need to tell the party leaders this isn\u2019t a chess match. \u00a0This is war! \u00a0You will not wait for almost 6 years for change to come to the top office in Arizona. \u00a0In 2018 you expect a Democrat for Governor. \u00a0You expect a Democrat for Superintendent. \u00a0And you expect a full complement of Democratic legislators and lawmakers at the local, state, and national level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might recall the end of Braveheart. \u00a0Because he did not receive the support of those who should have been his leaders, the war was lost. \u00a0His balls were cut off, and he was torn to pieces by horses. \u00a0Make no mistake, if that is my fate, it will be for the same reasons. \u00a0It will be because the power structure was too slow to seize opportunity, too blind to recognize talent, and too afraid to act decisively and do what needs to be done now to remove Doug Ducey from his throne. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But that is not the fate I see for myself. \u00a0If you force them, the party leaders will see reason and take action. \u00a0If the Democrats want to win races up and down the ballot, we need independents, and I will bring independents in droves. \u00a0If we want to win, we need our Hispanic community to show up, y puesto que yo amo a nuestra comunidad hispana y hablo un Espa\u00f1ol buen\u00edsimo, motivar\u00e9 a muchos hispanos a votar. \u00a0And most importantly, if the Democrats want to win the Governor\u2019s seat, we need a warrior, not a diplomat. \u00a0My campaign isn\u2019t about getting a few extra percentage points to vote blue next November. \u00a0My campaign is about giving Doug Ducey the brutal, medieval ass-kicking we all know he deserves, and helping other Democrats do the same to anyone who is foolish enough to go into battle under Ducey\u2019s banner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m Noah Dyer. \u00a0They say I\u2019m running for Governor, but they\u2019re wrong. \u00a0I\u2019m waging war for Governor. \u00a0And I ask all of you to take up arms with me.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Like what you see? \u00a0Please:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/get-involved\/\">Volunteer<\/a> on my campaign.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/donate\/\">Donate<\/a> to my campaign.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The text below is the transcription of the video above. Background and Apology The speech you are about to listen to has proven to be controversial. After I finished writing it, I was very proud. I thought it was daring. I thought it was captivating. I thought it was truthful. But when I delivered it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1522,"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions\/1522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahdyer.com\/campaign\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}