Mercer Accuses Grijalva of Treason in Televised Forum

Gabriela Saucedo Mercer electrified an otherwise routine debate when she pulled off the gloves and sank to red baiting her opponent, incumbent Raul Grijalva, calling him treasonous for his involvement with Code Pink where she claims he issued a letter granting members passage "behind enemy lines." The debate aired and was streamed live on Arizona Public Media channels and is available to view on demand.

About 2/3 into the debate on the issue of military and defense, Mercer suddenly accused Grijalva of wanting to "destroy our military" and of aiming at the Marine base in Yuma for closure. Grijalva did not address Yuma but mentioned diplomacy over military action on the global stage. As the discussion came back to her she derided president Obama for not ending the war, mentioned that her daughter is a U.S. Marine, and then blamed politicians for not winning "the wars."

"I find it very (disingenuous) or insincere when Mr. Grijalva talks about our brave men and women in uniform," KGUN 9's Kevin Keen reports Mercer said, "when he himself, along with three other members of Congress, gave Code Pink a congressional letter to allow them to travel behind enemy lines to bring them aid and comfort to the enemy. Excuse me. In my book, that is treason," she said to a suddenly vocal audience at the Pima Community College theater.

Grijalva responded by equating Viet Nam era militarism with Afghanistan era politics, acknowledged Mercer's right to speak, but cautioned her "about how we use such a weapon as treason," adding that her claims were "without merit." Following a mixed reaction from the crowd, in a dramatic moment, Mercer offered her most precise delivery of the night to "ask one question. What else would you call it?"

Grijalva responded again to the accusation the next morning by posting the following to his Facebook page:

"At last night's debate Mrs. Mercer accused me -- again -- of being a wild-eyed traitor. In case your conservative friends are sending you their favorite two-year-old chain e-mails, here are the facts. If someone wants to represent you in Congress, they should have more to say about issues that really matter. Just my two cents." 

He then links to this Media Matters article that corrects a previous story in which Jim Hoft "wrongly accused Barbara Boxer, Raul Grijalva, Henry Waxman and Dennis Kucinich of helping Code Pink deliver $600,000 to extremists in Fallujah."

Grijalva's online rebuttal is on the heels of his just uploaded  YouTube ad attacking Mercer as living in an "alternate political universe devoid of fact or common sense." Saucedo Mercer had previously attacked Grijalva's 2010 boycott call against AB 1070 with this ad. The two were at it only two weeks ago in debate at  Rio Rico High School.

For Mercer, Code Pink is old news. In 2010 she filed a police report against one of his staffers for "stealing" Ruth McClung campaign signs, something she discovered while attempting to confront him about Code Pink.

Calling Grijalva "un American" is nothing new for Mercer. In February this year she earned herself a spot on Thom Hartmann's "The Good the Bad the Ugly" segment for that very phrase. Back in September PAC "People for Grijalva" uploaded another video of Mercer, a sort of "greatest hits" of her making four minutes worth of accusations. In May she proclaimed to the Arizona Daily Independent that the Tuscon Unified School District was "offering classes which create hate and resentment, and more importantly Obama and Grijalva voters,” then told POLITICO that people in Nogales wanted to lynch Grijalva, a claim the alleged source of the tale, the mayor, flatly denied. And just weeks ago she told KNST that "the story [she] heard" was that Grijalva was swearing in a restaurant.

Beyond her dislike for Grijalva, Saucedo Mercer went on to say in the debate that to her it seems president Obama is guilty of "dereliction of duty" for his use of executive order, a process exercised by almost every president in history, and called the president's immigration deferment, like the Dream Act, "a political ploy." She also blamed local state and federal governments for standing in the way of a "free market", citing the Rosemont Copper Mine as an "insane" example of government regulation.

"Securing the border is not about keeping the poor illegal alien from coming here looking for a job," she said, and drew applause for her opposition to "transnational smuggling." In closing she said she understands the people of Arizona and promised if elected to work hard as a citizen legislator.

Blanca Guerra, who appeared very relaxed for the public forum, spoke of  "more blue less green" on the border, the need for less "over regulation", called for a cap on premiums charged by insurance companies under Obamacare, and of being the Libertarian "voice of the people." She passed on at least one opportunity to speak, acknowledging that she had been upstaged as Mercer and Grijalva traded barbs.

Despite the high level of political theater and overused rhetoric, Grijalva reached out to Mercer and the two shook hands following the end of the debate and, in symbolism they seemed unaware of, walked away to their respective left and right corners of the stage to continue their battle for Arizona's 3rd Congressional seat.

KVOA covered the debate in a brief report, saying that there was a police presence on the campus and at the full house event. Campus authorities stated they would "staff [the debate] properly."

The debate is available for viewing in its entirety on the Arizona Public Media website.

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