“1. Brewer had nothing to do with SB1070.”

I disagree with that. You define “something” as writing the legislation and so if she didn’t have anything to do with its production than she did “nothing”? Hardly. Her signing it, embracing it and defending it is a great deal more than “nothing” and is proper in terms of her role before govenor and now. Govenors don’t write laws. They do however sign them and defend them. Something she has done with enthusiasm.

It is true she had nothing to do with its being established as a law. But she would not have had anything to do with that process. So at least your #1 point isn’t quite accurate.

She has taken SB1070 and moved forward blazing a trail for other states. She is to be commended, not criticized or mis-characterized.

mbecker908-

Here’s a response to your point-by-point from Sunday, May 30th at 11:41AM EDT:

1. Brewer had nothing to do with SB1070. It was the child of one of our state senators and he’s been working on it for several years. In point of fact, nobody knew where Brewer stood on the bill when it hit her desk and she stood around with one finger in the air and one avoiding Arizona sunshine for a week while she figured out whether to sign it.

Wrong. See my response from earlier and the response posted by jsmiddleton4 Sunday, May 30th at 12:01PM EDT. Either way, you must be joking. I like to refer to the McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill as the George W. Bush Campaign Finance Reform Act. It takes a lot to sign a bill or to VETO it like Bush should have with McCain/Feingold. When he signed it, Bush took ownership of the campaign law & hoping that the Supreme Court would just overturn it was not sufficient excuse to punt on the issue. It’s the same with Brewer. She could have easily punted, but she did not. You act as though she is invisible & her signature isn’t even on the bill. And seriously, Dean Martin is the only one who has whined about how long it took her to sign the bill – not Russell Pearce who wrote it or any of the other sponsors. They were all just happy to have her support.

2. Before SB1070, Brewer was polling somewhere other than first in her primary – against three contenders – and was losing to Terry Goddard in the general. Her total lack of leadership on the budget was the reason for that.

Wrong. The polling was up for debate. You know that any polling so early in a campaign is completely unreliable and can change quickly. Are you going to argue that Obama should definitely be reelected just because the day after he took office he was leading any potential Republican challengers? Let’s just abolish elections completely while we’re at it & use the earliest polls in their places. Polls change. Don’t be so sad that Dean Martin’s chances are hurt because Brewer did the right thing signed the bill. That’s what leadership is even though you don’t seem to recognize it. Remember also that Brewer is the one who defended and enforced the voting provisions in Prop. 200 way back in 2004.

Just like Brewer made for an excellent AZ Secretary of State, Dean Martin is perfectly fine as a State Treasurer. Of course, I didn’t agree with the Governor on the budget or even some of the tactics that she used during budget negotiations. But I also can’t blame her for the situation. The Arizona press was in love in Napolitano & was doing anything to make Brewer look bad. She was just moments away from being accused of unplugging incubators. Brewer came in during an extremely difficult financial situation that was thrust on her by her horrible predecessor & an extremely weak economy.

3. In Arizona, there is only one issue that matters now and for the next ten years. The budget and state spending.

I’ll agree with you mostly on that. But there are many reasons for the budget problems & spending more than $1.3 billion a year on illegal aliens is one of them. A magic wand won’t make the problems go away. I have to ask if you actually work for the campaign of one of Brewer’s primary opponents with the way you attack her.

4. Prop 100 was shill that Brewer supported to kick the budget can down the road three years. The problems that 100 addressed will be significantly worse in three years. Dean Martin knows that and has talked about it, but Props like 100 are almost impossible to defeat, given the support of gutless politicians – Brewer and the legislative leadership – and the state unions.

I figured with Prop. 100 that the Governor probably wanted it both ways in some kind of Machiavellian plot. I’m guessing that she really didn’t even want Prop. 100 to pass, but used it as a maneuver to say that she did everything she could to save the jobs of teachers & firefighters. What she didn’t want to face was a November electorate that blamed her for not doing anything to save the jobs of teachers. If Prop. 100 didn’t pass, she & the legislature would have been forced by the voters to make some very tough decisions. Since it did by pass with 65% of the vote, Brewer can now say that it was just the will of the voters. If it had failed, she could have just as easily said that voters wanted even deeper cuts & here comes the hatchet. Some very conservative people voted for Prop. 100. In fact, while I openly opposed 100 & voted against it, my teacher wife (also a conservative) voted for it.

5. None of the bills that Nappy vetoed that Brewer signed mean a whit. They are the equivalent of a resolution applauding motherhood and apple pie. Especially given her pathetic performnace on the budget.

Wrong. Every life matters. So every bill that Brewer signed promoting life matters. While you might be upset that Gov. Brewer signed anit-abortion bills that Napolitano would have vetoed, those are major steps in the right direction. Brewer signed a number of bills that promoted the sanctity of life. And she showed her support for protecting 2nd Amendment rights too, among other good bills that she signed. No politician is perfect & I would have wanted much further budget cuts, but it’s amazing to me that you refuse to even acknowledge the positive things that she has done, act as if she didn’t do them or pretend that they were just accidents. I still haven’t chosen my horse for September’s Primary, but I am impressed by the bills that Gov. Brewer has signed. And one thing is for sure, if your attacks against her are the best her September & November opponents have, then she has a very good shot of being reelected to Governor in her own right.

6. On Brewer’s defense of 1070, yeah she’s defended it. I’d like to know who wrote the defense. It also doesn’t matter. This whole argument is a tempest in a teapot. The law takes effect on July 29. You will see at least a dozen lawsuits filed in both state and federal court within minutes. I doubt it will take a week for a federal judge (probably in Tucson) to issue a restraining order. Sometime in 2011 the law will be overturned in federal court and the state will appeal to the ninth circus where, sometime in 2012, the AZ decision will be upheld and the case will be appealed to SCOTUS.

Why does it matter who wrote her defense of the bill? But you’re right, if there is even a slight chance that a bill will be held up in Court, we should just throw up our arms & give up! In fact, since libs pretty much challenge every single piece of conservative legislation in Court, we should just give up and join them. Give me a break!

7. You can take your “chauvinistic liberals” line and stuff it right up there with Jan’s non-sun tanned finger. Like it or not, the woman is in way over her head, she doesn’t have the vision, the leadership or the guts to cut state spending and restructure the state’s fiscal situation, ala Chris Christie. And while Palin has done a pretty good job of throwing gasoline on Obama and raising money for candidates, she was a pathetic governor in Alaska. None of her budgets were in the least “conservative” and by the end of this year all of her signature initiatives will have been abandoned.

How old are you? Insults about me shoving things in certain places should be beneath you. You’re not DailyKos. Are you?

8. Nobody’s made any personal attacks against Brewer. They’ve all been on policy and the fact that she was thrust into an office that she is not prepared for, has no relevant experience, and is painfully over her head. I’ve said many times, she was a perfectly fine SoS. The job requirements are different. Kinda like being a good backbench Senator v. being President.

I’m assuming that you actually believe the things that you write especially after your #7 point. You also said: “Brewer who is in so far over her empty head as Governor she will probably make Evan Mecham look good.” Of course, implying that a person does not even have a brain or has a vast void between his or her ears isn’t a personal insult. If I said that about you or about someone in your family or your political hero, you’d probably feel pretty insulted. But it’s ok for some people to live by double standards. Isn’t it?

9. Mecham was a jerk. “Maybe he wasn’t the best politician…” just what the hell do think his job WAS?

Another ad hominem attack, no response needed.

10. Beating Goddard should now be a walk in the park. Because of SB1070. And any Republican will beat him badly, even Brewer. Especially if she can avoid debating him.

We’ll agree on this last point except for the part about the debates. I believe that conservative ideas will always win out when debated. I hope that Goddard’s vision for Arizona isn’t as convincing to you as the vision of our last Governor was for you. Remember that you previously said that: “Brewer is going to be the worst Governor in the history of Arizona. And that includes Evan Mecham and Nappy.” Your nostalgia for all things Napolitano betrays your political beliefs.

Sheriff Joe gave serious thought to running for Governor. Then Brewer signing took the winds out of the Shierff Joe for Governor call. Brewer then replaced Sheriff Joe as the favorite conservative of AZ.

Sheriff Joe gave serious thought to running for Governor. Then Brewer signing took the winds out of the Shierff Joe for Governor call. Brewer then replaced Sheriff Joe as the favorite conservative of AZ.

Talk about a lapse in judgment. I can’t see where she did him any favors after taking office (aside from NOT trying too hard to run him out of office). Guess all bets are off now.

“As Governor, Jan Brewer is the offspring of Charlie Crist and Arnie.”

You are wrong.

Gotta get to work now.

Now, pay attention the the response. I was responding to the post by JX12 Saturday, May 29th at 11:09PM EDT. You weren’t the one who called Brewer a “flaming RINO.”

But so far, you’ve said much worse things about her. “Brewer is going to be the worst Governor in the history of Arizona.” In a State with the colorful history & past that Arizona has, that’s a pretty bold statement.

I knew that the real thing that you were trying to do was praise your political hero – Janet Napolitano. If you can even say that Napalitano was better than Brewer on any issue, then you have proven your true colors. Have fun pulling that lever for Terry Goddard in September & November.

…and I stand by it.

No true conservative Republican is going to dig his/her heels in (this is the flaming part) to bring about a tax increase. That’s the kind of thing Democrats do (this is the RINO part).

I don’t dislike Jan Brewer, and I’m certainly happy she signed SB1070 – but she is what she is. Nevertheless, given the alternative (Terry Goddard), I’ll take her. Any port in a storm.