Whether you like or hate Rachel Maddow is irrelevant. Jan Brewer seems to be having a real hard time answering questions that the people of Arizona want answers to. Rachel is right. Your instinct it to turn away, not to watch Brewer choke. It is painful.
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What would be so difficult for Brewer to just say she misspoke? There have been no beheadings in Arizona. There are problems right across the border that are serious and should not be taken lightly. Why doesn’t Brewer deal with the truth? The truth is very real and very scary. But..it doesn’t get votes. Brewer wants very much to be reelected.
It seems strange that someone who makes up things for political gain could continue to get the numbers she is getting. What are the people of Arizona thinking? I would like to see a break down of some of the various polls by towns/cities. I think it would be very telling.
Brewer meanwhile counts on poking a stick in the eye of the federal government to keep her in the governor’s mansion. It might work for her this time. The question then becomes, can she and others sustain?
So, everyone has to meet the Maddow standards for debating capabilities or have the Maddow imprimatur withdrawn? I’ll be the first to admit that Brewer is not exactly Winston Churchill on the stump. Give me the facts and figures on the work she has done as governor, not a grade on her speaking abilities before the television cameras. Yes, she should openly back off of the headless body comment (a major gaffe to be sure), and I think she has done that before at some point. Typical of opponents and the press to hit you again and again on something like that. Also typical of any politician to at some point stop being baited into answering the same question over and over again. As for Goddard and his claim that Brewer is scaring off business from Arizona by discussing the dangers on the border, perhaps he should take that up with the feds who have placed all those signs in national parks and at national monuments in the border area telling tourists not to venture there because of the possible danger to life and limb.
I don’t recall Brewer ever correcting that gaffe. Perhaps she did but I haven’t seen or heard it.
Actually Maddow isn’t the first person to comment on this behavior…the choking. My issue would be that she still hasn’t retracted her statement about beheadings.
Actually, after the hideous thrashing conservatives give just about anyone they don’t deem fit, from the prez on down, Rachel Maddow is a fairly gentle being. She is know for being polite, but not allowing people to weasel out. I prefer her style over the commentatiors that simply shout over those they don’t like.
Can you only imagine if Brewer were with someone like O’Reilly or Megyn Kelly? Brewer pauses, perhaps to collect her thoughts and the hounds of hell would be upon her. I realize it was not a direct interview, but I did think about it.
About those signs, do you think the feds should ignore the fact that there might be danger? There are other ways to come in harms way other than beheadings. I find AZ to be frustrating. There are horrible problems with drug smuggling and people smuggling by criminals who have little regard for anything but money. Brewer needs to work with the feds about the real dangers rather than getting in to a pissing contest over some laws that aren’t going to really address the danger problem. I feel her efforts are disingenuous because they don’t address the real issue. Her efforts appear to be simply for election purposes.
Just my opinion.
Here is the wording on the signage:
The following commentary was provided:
(from KGUN9 in Tucson)
Question: What is sb 1070 supposed to do about the above? I don’t see where it would touch it.
AZ and the feds need to work together on the smuggling of humans and drugs, with military intervention if necessary. I can’t imagine why Brewer would criticize the signage.
Way old news. Brewer’s enemies weren’t able to squeeze much of anything out of this. Why not? Because Brewer walks the walk. She takes a stand against the abject failure that we call a federal government. If she can hang in there, the rest of the country will eventually catch up with her and her state.
It is said that the Indians learned about scalping from European settlers. I wonder where conservatives learned how to mindlessly bash liberals?
Beats me but they sure are ugly when they do it.
No answer for the question so we question the timeliness of thread…I get it. Deflection 101.
No one has yet to explain to me how sb 1070 is going to take care of the horrible smuggling of humans and drugs by violent criminals. That’s because it won’t. It is all smoke and mirrors to elect a governor.
I don’t think the country is going to catch up to AZ and Brewer. We aren’t on a total downward spiral. AZ is a gorgeous state. I wouldn’t say it was the last bastion of enlightenment, however. At least McDonnell uses correct grammar.
What do you expect from a state that refuses to observe day light saving time. The Navajo Nation is on a different time zone even. We won’t even bring up MLK Day observance.
@Moon-howler
You seem to want someone to explain the obvious? That shouldn’t be necessary.
I was just pointing out that the mainstream media has already tried to milk Brewer’s “deer in the headlights” thing, and it didn’t work. It’s a typical liberal view that “it failed for them, but we’ll succeed with it”, hence the current swing toward European Socialism. I wasn’t really attacking the timing, just making a simple observation. But I understand, if I were trying to use it to make a pro-illegal immigration point, and someone questioned the effectiveness, I’d be put off by it too.
Wow, I’m way wrong here. I flipped over to Fox News, and there’s the story! Sometimes it takes a couple of days for a story to get traction, but this one is NOT dead. Jan Brewer’s refusal to do any more debates….doesn’t look good. I’m wrong, I’m wrong, I’m wrong on this. Got no problem saying it when it’s true.
Moon, I personally have no problems with those signs. In this case the feds are doing the right thing. Just glad I do not own property in southern Arizona. Oops, wait a minute. I do. Those national parks and monuments belong to all of us.
As for Brewer herself — politicians do what politicians do, especially in election years. In the end, they usually live or die by their own decisions and tactics. An irritant often to be sure. But, suppose they stopped doing that. Imagine how dull the pundits and blogs would become.
Jan Brewer MADE up the decapitation story. She finally admitted that there were no cases of decapitation in the Arizona desert.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012805245_arizona04.html
I would LOVE some dullness, propoganda is no way to run government or solve problems.
The people of Arizona must be desperate for leadership if they elect this senile old hag. Her lies about beheadings and Arizona being a dangerous place are causing great economic harm to her state. If they decide to elect her, it would be a testament to their stupidity and ignorance.
“senile old hag” My, how wonderful to be witness to such a thoughtful and gentlemanly observation. Hmmm, a tad sexist and ageist, however, I would think.
Elena, you dreamer you. You are asking for a sea change of the human condition not seen since the first homo sapiens set up a board of supervisors to manage their cave development.
As a senile old hag, I would like to suggest that we stick to Jan Brewer’s behavior and policy rather than getting mean and personal.
Not all of us can still be young, wrinkle free, and under 30, regardless of how much we try to fool ourselves.
Slow, I am not sure what you are agreeing with because I have been out a lot of the day and when I havve been here nick jr has been on. 🙄
I am concerned that Brewer is using legislation that doesn’t address her real problems. Her real problems are the violence pouring across remote sections of the desert. There is human smuggling and drug smuggling going on by people who are evil and greedy.
SB 1070 just doesn’t address those problems and those are the problems that are critical.
As for her choking and refusing to answer questions, that serves no one. She sure doesn’t look like she is fit for governing when she does that.
She was never elected to that position was she? Didn’t she inherit her job from Napolitano? Who knows the real story?
@Moon-howler
Brewer was Secretary of State of Arizona. When Napolitano resigned, Brewer became Governor (per Arizona Constitution).
@starryflights
>>> The people of Arizona must be desperate for leadership if they elect this senile old hag.
She wasn’t elected Governor. But they did elect Juan McCain, so I don’t see where they want real leadership.
Ring, is that just the natural order of ascendency? She was elected Secretary of State?
Ring..ahem…war hero…JOHN McCain. Let’s hold everyone to the same standard.
I felt sorry for Brewer. That venue obviously isn’t her forte.
It is scenes like that that make me realize how sickening it all is and what kind of person really runs for office.
(per Wikipedia)
Terry Goodard has a rather impressive background. He prepped at Exeter, graduated from Harvard. Joined the Navy for active duty; got a law degree from Arizona State U.
He was Mayor of Phoenix 1983-90 and AZ Attorney General from 2002 ’til current.
(as an aside: his father was governor of AZ for a couple of years)
Brewer has a degree from Glendale, CA, Community College (radiologic technician). I’m sure she didn’t get any debating skill education. The fact that she doesn’t have a “fancy” education doesn’t mean that could not be a good governor, but it certainly is holding her back when it comes to public appearences with her opponent, and I can well understand that she and her handlers do not want any more debating before the election.
Yes, it was very painful to see her.
punchak, thanks for that update. And I think you expressed her limitations very well (and kindly). The thought occurred to me that her lesser formal education might actually work in her favor. There seems to be a backlash against anything that might be what was called preppy in my day. Exeter and Harvard would fit that bill.
Americans seem to like a leader who is ‘just like them.’ Exibit A: George W. Bush certainly appealed to the common man and his base didn’t fault him for his gaffes and limited speaking skills. In fact, it endeared him to them.
@Moon-howler
>Ring, is that just the natural order of ascendency?
Yes, according to the AZ Constitution.
>She was elected Secretary of State?
Yes. Initially elected in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006.
Ok, thanks for the info.
What does a state secretary of state do? Not trying to be dumb but we don’t have one.
@Moon-howler
> Not trying to be dumb but we don’t have one.
I’ll concede that we don’t have a Secretary of State if you concede that Virginia is not a State. 😉
Yes, I’m just picking nits. 😉
You see, officially Virginia is a Commonwealth (along with Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Kentucky), not a State, so you are correct in that we don’t have a Secretary of State. But we do have a Secretary of the Commonwealth. Her name is Janet Polarek.
http://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/SecInfo/Bio.cfm
It’s an appointed position (since 1971, I believe) and is a part of the Governor’s Cabinet. The position doesn’t seem to have all that much importance, but we do have one.
Duties and History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Virginia
Oh, really?? Pick your poison… Wonder Pets? Yo Gabba Gabba?? Perhaps a little Max and Ruby???
@ slowpoke–All of the above!!! ARRGGHHHHH! My personal favorite is Backyardigans.
@ ring –Thanks. I never knew there was a secretary of the commonwealth. I am not sure that those duties and responsibilities would prepare anyone to become a governor but neither do a lot of things.
Are there no Lt. governors in AZ? This is all so odd.
here is the diff in a commonwealth and a state:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_a_'commonwealth'_and_a_'state‘
In the last four months Jan Brewer has been caught lying, three times and counting.
The comments made on June 16, 2010, and June 27, 2010, clearly indicates that the Brewer says that immigrants are beheading people in the United States desert. She first ran away from the question and the press when confronted with the question. She finally when to FOX/ FAKE News to recant her lie.
When Brewer was confronted with the fact the two of her top Advisors (Paul Senseman, Chuck Coughlin) are lobbyist for “Private Prisons” giant CCA she first ran away from the question and the press.
In an attempt to gain sympathy, she first said her father had died in Germany fighting the Nazi in World War II (which ended 1945) but of course we find out the truth that her father was never in Germany and died in California in 1955. Do you see a trend here?
Brewer signed into law SB 1070 Bill (Did she even read it?), lied about the crime rates in AZ (even Janet Napolitano knows that all crimes rates went down), and now we find out that she is in the pockets of PRIVATE PRISONS who stand to benefit with the increase Federal jailing, and thus they will pay her back, I wonder if it has to do anything about the fact that her son was transferred to a brand new prison, he was convicted for rape and sexual assault, I guess the fruit does not fall far the tree.
“Private Prisons Lie”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMcgXxzcBeY
“AZ Crime Rates”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eb4mMk6XgQ
“Father Lie”
http://vodpod.com/watch/3771595-charles-krauthammer-rips-jan-brewer-for-lying-about-her-father-dying-in-ww2