The American Spectator : The Mayor of Paradise

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The Mayor of Paradise

By Robert Stacy McCain on 4.7.10 @ 6:08AM

Vernon Parker plans to make a difference.

Vernon Parker was chatting with friends at a party last week when his wife called him aside for a quick huddle. This wine-and-cheese reception at the couple's home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, was a $50-per-ticket fundraising event, but Lisa Parker had just learned that some of their guests had the potential to "max out" -- donating the maximum $2,400 individual contribution allowed under federal law -- and it was important that the congressional candidate make sure to get a little extra face-time with these major Republican donors.

Careful observance of such fine points of campaign etiquette can make a big difference in a hard-fought election, and eight candidates are seeking the GOP nomination to replace retiring Rep. John Shadegg in Arizona's 3rd District. The couple's strategic tête-à-tête at the fundraising reception was accomplished with unobtrusive grace and, though Lisa Parker later averred that she is "just a lawyer," she clearly has top-notch skills as a political wife. Her husband's skills aren't too shabby, either. Vernon Parker was trained by one of the most legendary campaign strategists in American history.

"The first time I met him, he said, 'Hey, you got a job?' -- with that South Carolina accent -- I said, 'No, not yet.' He said, 'Well, come on over here and let me introduce ya to some folks.'"

The man with the Carolina drawl was none other than the late Lee Atwater, who ran the campaign that elected George H.W. Bush president in 1988 and who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee before his death in 1991.

"He gave me my first start in politics," said Parker, a Texas native who is 50 but looks much younger. Nearly 25 years after beginning his political career, he still speaks of the lessons he learned from his first mentor. "It is a fight… It is a war. And I will take all the tools that my friend Lee Atwater taught me and we'll deploy with my team and fight to take this country back."

Team Parker is doing well so far. In the first quarter of this year, which ended last week, his congressional campaign raised more than $230,000 from some 700 donors -- an impressive total, considering that Shadegg's retirement wasn't announced until mid-January. Parker had been planning to run for governor, but switched to the congressional race without breaking stride, saying that he'd received more than 200 e-mails from supporters urging him to seek Shadegg's seat.

In a strongly Republican district in what is shaping up as a high-tide year for the GOP, a lot of other Republicans had the same idea. The field in AZ-3 includes Ed Winkler, one of Parker's predecessors as mayor, as well as former state senators Jim Waring and Pamela Gorman, and Ben Quayle, the 33-year-old son of former Vice President Dan Quayle.

That famous name drew the attention of the New York Times to the district, but the resulting front-page feature article actually shined a brighter light on Parker, relating his up-from-poverty life story and noting that he "would be the only black Republican congressman if elected" -- a fact that isn't necessarily true.

Scarcely noticed amid the incessant media clamor over accusations of Tea Party racism, the GOP has actually attracted more black congressional candidates this year than at any time in recent memory. If Parker prevails in Arizona, he could be joined in the 112th Congress by a number of other black Republicans, including Allen West from Florida's 22nd District, Les Phillip from Alabama's 5th District, Princella Smith from Arkansas' 1st District and Angela McGlowan from Mississippi's 1st District. Pundits may ponder the historic significance of such a national trend, but in Arizona, Parker is ready for an all-out battle all the way to the Aug. 24 primary in the 3rd District -- a battle he expects to win by sheer hard work, which has brought him a long way already.

Parker is now mayor of Arizona's wealthiest town -- the median household income in Paradise Valley was more than $150,000, according to the 2000 Census -- but he was raised in California by his grandmother, who worked as a maid. "I grew up in an apartment that probably was about 500 square feet," he said last week, standing beneath the palm trees in the backyard of his home, while donors mingled nearby.

He excelled in high school and was the first in his family to attend college, beginning at Long Beach Community College ("because it was free"), then majoring in finance at Cal State Long Beach. He was working as an analyst at Rockwell International when he was accepted at Georgetown Law School -- but with no scholarship offer.

"I owned a house. I sold it.… My grandmother of 75 stated cleaning houses again, and my mother started cleaning houses. My brother gave me everything that he had," Parker recalls. "I bought a one-way ticket… and I'll never forget going to the airport that evening, and seeing about 20 people there with me… and the tears that were flowing down their faces. When I turned down that jet walkway and turned and looked at them, I realized that me going to law school was not as an individual, but as something for my family, something for my community."

That's the American dream he wants to preserve for future generations. "I had made a commitment that, if I got out of the environment that I grew up in, what I would do is to work to get others out, because there are a lot more Vernon Parkers out there," he says. "I always wanted to make a change, make a difference, and the way that I figured we could do that was through the law."

At Georgetown, he found himself competing against alumni of prestigious Ivy League schools. "You know that's how I met my wife, actually," he says. "She was from Arizona State, and they wouldn't let state school people into their study groups, so we formed our own and did a lot better than the Ivy Leaguers did."

After meeting Atwater and joining the 1988 Bush campaign, Parker went on to staff positions at the Office of Personnel Management and in the White House until Bush was defeated by Bill Clinton in 1992. "I thought politics was over," he says. Parker moved to Arizona and was surprised in 2002 to get a call from the next President Bush, who appointed him an assistant secretary in the Department of Agriculture. He spent more than three years commuting from Arizona to D.C. for that job and says, "I'm used to the commute already, so when I become a member of Congress, it will be very easy to commute. I know how to get to the airport on time."

He said "when" he becomes a member of Congress, not "if." Having come this far, Parker isn't planning to lose.

About the Author

Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (47) | Leave a comment

drudge ette obama| 4.7.10 @ 6:43AM

Welcome to the wild side, Mr. Parker.

Mike| 4.7.10 @ 7:17AM

The GOP does not need to start giving a leg up to affirmative action babies - especially in a state like Arizona.

1FreeMan| 4.7.10 @ 7:44AM

Mike,

If the man's qualified and stands for freedom, if he is dedicated to the people and believes what his constituants believe then there is no problem. After all, he is an AMERICAN.

It's people like you that give the rest of us a bad name. Take your bile elsewhere. You are not welcome here.

Heatpacker| 4.7.10 @ 5:34PM

Don't worry about Mike. He's probably some troll from MoveOn.org, who thought it would be fun to drop a deuce in the pool.

Sam| 4.7.10 @ 7:17PM

Good call, 1Freeman. There is no place for you here, Mike.

I liked Mr. Parker's story, but I wish the article had included his views on the issues. Ultimately, that will determine how we vote.

Melvin| 4.7.10 @ 7:47AM

Explain yourself??????

bull-gator| 4.7.10 @ 8:02AM

Mike: What is wrong with you?

merlin| 4.7.10 @ 8:27AM

Excelled in HS, college, Rockwell International, Columbia Law School on his own dime, staff positions for Bush 1, assistant sec of Ag for Bush 2, elected mayor . . .
His wife is probably better looking than yours and his kids nicer.
Jealous, Mikey?

Ted| 4.7.10 @ 4:11PM

Merlin,

That last bit was uncalled for. It was as uncalled for as Mike's remark.

alert1201| 4.7.10 @ 8:27AM

How is he being given a leg up? Sounds like he is fighting it out like the rest of the crowed.

Deborah D| 4.7.10 @ 8:47AM

Methinks ole Mikey is a Dem in Rep clothing. Just like those congressmen who said they heard the "n" word as they paraded through the Tea Party crowd. I don't know anyone who would yell the "n" word at anyone... They're trying to give everyday Americans a bad name.

Don't fall for it.

The Bishop| 4.7.10 @ 9:10AM

Mike, you're an idiot! This guy has an amazing and uplifting story. May his number increase!

Eric Cartman| 4.7.10 @ 10:09AM

Mike - the Huffington Post, MSNBC and the Democrat Party are that-a-way

JayDick| 4.7.10 @ 2:01PM

Who said anything about affirmative action? Seems to me he is fully prepared to earn whatever he gets. I think we need more like him.

Ted| 4.7.10 @ 4:10PM

Mike,

You are making assumptions that he is an affirmative action baby. There's no basis for that in the article.

Alan Brooks| 4.7.10 @ 5:43PM

Arizona has the worst skools in the nation.
Scottsdale is the best, but Phoenix is the worst city I ever saw. Fourth highest crime rate of any city.

Lets get down to brass tacks| 4.8.10 @ 1:42PM

Where were you educated Alan Brooks? You can't seem to spell school correctly.

Osamas Pajamas| 4.8.10 @ 12:42AM

I'm always suspicious of racist noises from people pretending to be Republicans. It's getting to be a national movement --- Underground Racist Democrats Pretending to be Racist Republicans.

SeattleBruce| 4.8.10 @ 9:00PM

"The GOP does not need to start giving a leg up to affirmative action babies - especially in a state like Arizona. "

Looks like Mikey decided his didn't like it. He's not been back to address our comments. Leads me to think he might be a Soros operative...sorry Mikey, we're takin' the bait!

Indiana Alex| 4.7.10 @ 8:25AM

In order to prove that the tea partys carry a racist element, i would expect to see many posts by people like "Mike" in the next few months.

Bill K| 4.7.10 @ 9:21AM

Vernon started his business while allegedly receiving a million dollar plus GRANT (not a loan) from the federal government (from the taxpayers). He has become wealthy with his large clientele being the federal government (they get paid to teach companies how to comply with the federal bureaucracy and civil rights laws). His town is full of cameras to catch speeders. He's never been elected to office, serves in an unpaid ceremonial position. I'm glad he survived his childhood ... but he's been a bureaucrat or building wealth off the bureaucracy (taxpayers) his entire career. Who among us has gotten a million dollar GRANT from the taxpayers to start their business that feeds off and benefits from the taxpayers and government bureaucracy. This seat should have a conservative in it. Vernon is a nice guy, but we need actual conservatives in Congress that have served, voted, been tested and stood firm.

L. Banks| 4.7.10 @ 2:35PM

I would like to point out that grant writing is very difficult to do and I have been on the writing end of it for our town. Obviously this man saw a need and filled it. I think this is money well spent because he has a business and probably has employees and probably pays for other services and products and probably pays taxes on his business. This means a lot of people are benefitting from this man's personal goals and abilities. This is money well spent and that is what a grant is intended to do... Other people could do it too, but either lack the idea to start a business, the desire to manage it, the aversion to risk because it is a big risk and the necessity to be on call at all times. - the responsibility. Also, if someone becomes wealthy because of hard work, ambition and guts - good for them. Wealthy people are not the enemies. Even Jesus Christ had wealthy friends. It is the character of the man that counts and I think this Mr. Parker has a lot of character, the kind we need in congress.

Osamas Pajamas| 4.8.10 @ 12:45AM

I wish Parker well but would feel better about his Republican creds if he paid back the grant plus interest. His business IS successful, am I right? So why not?

Barbara| 4.7.10 @ 9:42AM

Do any of you know the candidate? Well I do and he is committed to American and the American people doing what's best for the country. Believes in smaller government, personal responsibility, is a fisical conservative. Was elected to office by 67% of the vote. Far and away from wealthly. Has never depended on afirmative action. He is an American his skin just happens to be darker than mine. I'm one of the 700 that is supporting him with my money and my time. I can't vote for him I'm note in his district but I believe strongly from his resume that he is the best man to replace John Shadegg.

Heatpacker| 4.7.10 @ 5:36PM

Thank you for the first-hand information. It helps to clear away the fog.

Robert Stacy McCain| 4.7.10 @ 9:49AM

"The GOP does not need to start giving a leg up to affirmative action babies - especially in a state like Arizona."
You should buy a ticket to Phoenix and say that to Vernon's face. Make it a one-way ticket.

garytzzz| 4.7.10 @ 10:21AM

I really think that Mike is a Demo plant.

Sissy Willis| 4.7.10 @ 11:37AM

Lee Atwater is smiling. Nice piece.

james wilson| 4.7.10 @ 11:41AM

It could be that Mike meant this is proof the Republican Party does not need affirmative action babies. Or not.
Does anyone doubt Michael Steele is an affirmative action appointment to head the Republican Party? And just how hard is it going to be to get rid of him now?

David| 4.7.10 @ 1:29PM

Mike, you're a jerk!

If all of the other blacks mentioned in this article are true conservatives, I hope they all win their congressional seats. That would speak volumes about conservatives and the Tea Partiers. Not that it would matter to black dems - they would just call them Uncle Toms and claim they are acting like white people.

I would love to see all of them get elected and then insist on joining the congressional black caucus. I would love for the black dems to have to publicly reject them.

Go for it all black repubs - just don't disappoint the conservatives.

Paul| 4.7.10 @ 1:32PM

This gentleman sounds great, but I have one caveat; he was a part of both Bush administrations. However, his exposure to Lee Atwater may have been enough to counter Bush progressivism.

As for Mike's comment, I also don't believe in affirmative action, but then neither do Walter Williams or Thomas Sowell. However, this is a moot point as Mr. Parker's success appears to be based on merit and hard work.

David| 4.7.10 @ 1:35PM

Bill K, sorry I didn't read your post before my comments. If what you say is true, then I have to sigh a big hmmmmm!!! Not that we should not support him if he is the best candidate, but I do have qualms about the way he started out in business. A Small Business Admin loan is one thing..................a grant is quite another.

Margie| 4.7.10 @ 1:43PM

Encouraging story, and encouraging man! It really is rather uplifting to read about conservative Republicans that are up and coming. I say more, please!
Just looking at Mr. Parker's face made me smile even before I read about him.
Godspeed, Mr. Parker. We'll be rooting for you.

Tim*| 4.7.10 @ 3:04PM

Yeah , but where are all our Illegal Alien Candidates !

Kay| 4.7.10 @ 3:15PM

What an uplifting success story of a man who understands what TRUE LIBERTY AND FREEDOM really mean under our Constitution. This is what it means to be an American, no matter WHAT YOUR COLOR! I pray he will be an inspiration to ALL Americans. It doesn't take a particular color or any government hand-out to do what you purpose to do. He understands the truth that government is inherently encroaching in its nature and that man, under our great Constitution and Declaration, is self-governed, with GOD as king!

Dope and Chains| 4.7.10 @ 5:29PM

You omitted mentioning another bright star among African American GOP congressional candidates: Ryan Frazier, running in the 7th District of Colorado against two-term incumbent Ed Perlmutter. RCP, CQ and Roll Call all rate this one at least "leans D," but if it's really ugly for the neo-socialist Party of Looters on Nov. 2, who knows? Stranger things have happened in elections.

Interested Conservative| 4.7.10 @ 5:55PM

So many of these folks are easy riders. You want to back an honorable longshot, a candidate the GOP needs to truly contest the left across the board?

Check out Reverend Isaac Hayes, running in the Illinois 2nd against Jesse Jr.. Not a chance to win, but doing what needs to be done.

sestamibi| 4.7.10 @ 8:02PM

I can dig it!

Radegunda| 4.7.10 @ 8:11PM

With all due respect, 500 square feet is not a small apartment in some parts of California!

Rademan| 4.7.10 @ 9:38PM

skechers shape ups skechers shape ups

philfl63| 4.7.10 @ 11:14PM

Give Mike a break. I do not want another Obama clone in office. Uplifting story or not. We do not need people in office who have spent their lives feeding at the public trough. Plus we have enough clever lawyers as politicians. Contrary to opinion, a man does not need experience as a politician to serve in public office. BTW, what kind of a man would make his 75 year old grandmother (and his mother) start working to help put him through law school?

Intervenor| 4.8.10 @ 2:51AM

So, Vernon Parker was trained in politics by the most racist political operative of modern times - Lee Atwater. And, he is being endorsed by a neo-Confederate separatist - Stacy McCain. Sure suggests Parker is a quisling.

There have three Republican members of the U.S. Congress since 1920. There have been ZERO since 2003. That is unlikely to change with the current crop of opportunists. They are relying on winning favor with the far Right by attacking the first African-American President. The strategy will not work. Most voters are in the center, and, most of them like President Obama.

leapfrog| 4.8.10 @ 2:56AM

philfl63 -

That thought crossed my mid, too - about everyone in the family donating to the cause - and no word about Parker working at part time jobs once he got to law school. That would be a balancing part of one's resume, if we are picturing a 75 year old grandma cleaning houses, scrubbing someone else's toilets so he an go to law school.. In fact, it sounds a little like Bill Clinton at Georgetown.

Being "the first to go to college" is a little hackneyed, considering that everyone in this country has that opportunity.

And speaking of hackneyed - "wants to make a difference" is a little tedious. Everyone who has ever run for office ha included tht in his ad campaign. - "I wan to make a difference." It is a meaningless phrase.

Why is the amount of money a candidate can raise the measure of the man? Don't tell me, I know. and what will Vernn Parker be doing, once he is elected? Don't tell me, I know, Working the phones, going to fund raisers so he can get elected again.

Money makes the world go around.

leapfrog| 4.8.10 @ 3:04AM

One more thing - Intervenor, above informs us, "most voters are in the center, and most like President Obama "- Maybe he/she is Interplanetary and has not read polls recently.

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Just Plain Bill| 4.10.10 @ 5:43PM

For all the doubters there is an easy solution.

Vet him. Go to his website and see what he has to say. Listen to the people in his district. If all that strikes a chord with you, kick a couple of bucks in the till. You can't win without money.

victoria_29| 4.10.10 @ 6:49PM

David-I can't address whether all the conservatives that happen to be black listed in this article are true conservatives. I can vouch for Les Phillip in AL 05 (who btw is running in primary on June 1 against Parker Griffith-the recent flip flop). Les is the true American dream story, Annapolis graduate, Naval Aviator, small business owner-& guess what he started with nothing & earned his way. In our district our largest town is Huntsville, which is home of NASA until recently I did not know that a majority of the R & D of our military is done in Huntsville & through NASA-like most I thought of moon launches. Les knew this, understood it & was able to explain how NASA & our national defense are tied together (since I live in another part of district I was not very sympathetic to NASA until then).
Les is in a very tough battle, right before Griffith flip-flopped (after internal poll that showed him losing as Democrat) the Dems-Pelosi hosted a fund raiser for him, he has about 400,000.00 of Democrat money he is using as a Republican against Les in the primary. And Just Plain Bill is right it takes money to win, no matter who you are.
Les won me over the night he was talking about his military service & why he was running for office, he was pacing the stage & since was a Tea Party there was US Flag on it. He was talking about how he swore an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign & domestic & that oath didn't have a time limit. As he said these words he reached out & touched our flag-it was obviously not a planned gesture or one he even realized he did at the time-you could tell, it was very absent minded type thing, right at that moment you could hear in his voice & see in his eyes his true love of this country & our Constitution.