No anti-AIRC special session for now, but don't relax yet

OK.  The situation is a little fluid, so everything I'm about to write could change in a minute, but here goes -

As of right now, there probably won't be a special session of the legislature on Tuesday, and it is looking less likely that there will one at all. 

As recently as Monday morning, the Arizona Capitol Tmes was reporting that Republican Governor Jan Brewer would call a special session for Tuesday to remove the members of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission for not producing district maps that are lopsided enough in favor of the Republicans.

However, by Monday evening, the Cap Times had posted a story saying that there definitely will NOT be a special session Tuesday.  (Subscription required for both stories)

On the other hand, Steve Muratore at The Arizona Eagletarian is reporting (from KPNX's Brahm Resnick) that GOP senators have been advised to be at the Capitol for a closed caucus meeting at 12:30 p.m.

In other words, keep an eye on this.  It is very possible that the GOPers are planning to try a sneak attack to remove the Commissioners on no real notice (note:  the legislature long ago exempted itself from open meeting requirements including a notice period for meetings) so that there isn't enough time for opposition to organize at the Capitol.

There may yet be a "Day of the Long Knives", wielded by the Governor and lege and targeting the AIRC.

Stay tuned...

AZ Republicans taking the "3 Bs"* approach to redistricting

* = "Bluster, Bully, and Bullshit"

Arizona's Republicans, led by their officeholders, are crying "foul" over the independent redistricting process.

They've whined about all sorts of alleged misdeeds and wrongdoing on the part of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC), but mostly they're upset over the fact that, unlike the last incarnation of the AIRC, this Commission is actually living up to the "Independent" part of their name.

They started their attacks with "bluster", ranging from busing scads of "grass roots" Republicans to AIRC hearings and meetings all over the state, many of whom read, with voices filled with self-righteous indignation, from a script of fabricated talking points (seriously, many of them walked up to the microphone script in hand and read the same text over and over) to press releases denouncing the AIRC as partisan and not in keeping with the wishes of Arizona's voters.

They then added "bully" to their repertoire, first with threats from people like Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, a scam artist of long renown, ginning up an "investigation" of the Commission to the current kangaroo court conducted by the members of the Republican majority in the legislature where people like Republican state senator Andy Biggs has bullied and ridiculed members of the public who don't drink the Kool-Aid and follow the script of "independent redistricting really bad, Republican officeholders really good" (check out the video archive here; as of this writing, there are archives of four of the meetings of the Joint Legislative Committee on Redistricting.  Each of them contains many examples of this behavior.  Also, Steve at Arizona Eagletarian has reporting here and here).

Note:  While I was writing this post, word came down that Horne has been disqualified from investigating the AIRC.

Also, Jan Brewer, Arizona's Republican governor is threatening to call a special session of the Arizona Senate in order to remove the commissioners for what she calls "gross misconduct" and I call "living up to the 'Independent' in 'Independent Redistricting Commission'."

As for the "bullshit" part of the "3 Bs", well, that's been an integral part of the game plan all along.

Whether it was the assertion that renowned Constitutional scholar Paul Bender was unqualified to even be nominated to the AIRC and suing to have him removed from the list of nominees, the claims that Colleen Mathis, selected as the independent chair of the Independent Redistricting Commission was actually a Democrat, the assertions that the AIRC has been too secretive in its operations and deliberations crafting the draft maps that have the Republicans so upset, or more, the Rs have been flinging bullshit against the AIRC's wall for months hoping that some of it sticks.

So far, their efforts have only left the Rs with stinky hands, but that hasn't made them less determined to undermine the AIRC and the will of the voters, who created the AIRC specifically to remove elected officials from the redistricting process.

A few facts:

The AIRC has held dozens of public meetings and hearings and accepted *hundreds* of hours of public input on the maps and the factors that should be considered when laying out the new legislative and Congressional districts.

Colleen Mathis *is* an Independent.  The issue of her husband's support for a Democratic candidate in one election ignores the fact that her husband has also supported Republican candidates, attending a Bush inauguration ball with her.

Professor Paul Bender, a true Independent (more liberal than the Rs or Ds) is so qualified that the members of  Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, most of whom are accomplished in their fields, enthusiastically supported his nomination when screening the applicants for the AIRC (except for Doug Cole, Chuck Coughlin's plant on the commission,  Cole was like Mikey of Life Cereal fame - he hates everything...that doesn't result in increased power and profits for him, Coughlin, and their clients at HighGround).

Another thing area that has sparked Republican complaints is that the draft maps have resulted in incumbents such as Congressmen David Schweikert and Ben Quayle facing off in a primary.

What they don't mention in their complaints is that both Schweikert and Quayle have freely chosen to run in a district that they don't live in (Schweikert lives in draft CD4, Quayle in draft CD9, but both would rather run in north Scottsdale, which is in draft CD6).  Something that is allowed under the US Constitution, but it is rather cynical for them to make that choice and then complain about the unfairness of the AIRC.

Note:  The draft CD9 is competitive, leaning slightly R, while both the draft CD4 and draft CD6 are overwhelmingly R.  Draft CD4 has a strong rural component though, and Schweikert is most definitely not an "honorary judge of cow milking contests at 4-H fairs" kind of guy.

As for the whining that the AIRC has sacrificed "communities of interest" to bolster "competitiveness" -

The AIRC's competitiveness analysis of the draft maps are here (legislative) and here (Congressional).

Based on the voter registration numbers, only one of the 30 legislative districts is truly competitive and maybe four others have a realistic chance of breaking that way.  Otherwise, 18 LDs will be solidly R and seven will be solidly D.  Even if all five of the competitive and quasi-competitive districts go Democratic (possible, but not likely), that would result in 18-12 and 36-24 splits (favoring the Rs) in the AZ Senate and House respectively.  Not exactly leading to a positive change in AZ there.

Also based on the registration numbers, the Congressional districts wouldn't be much better.  Two of the nine Congressional districts would be competitive, while four would be solidly R and three would be solidly D (one of the D districts would be poachable by the Rs, but it would be an uphill battle).

Based on the numbers, about the only real "community of interest" whose interests have been sacrificed  is the community called "Arizona", which stands to gain the most from having districts competitive enough to force candidates and officeholders to actually represent their constituents, not just their friends at country club cocktail parties and tea party "Kool-Aid" drinking sessions.

Of course, the draft maps *do*protect the "community of interest" that least needs protection -

Republican officeholders.

And that fact won't change no matter how much they whine about things in an attempt to intimidate the AIRC into making the maps even less competitive than they are already.

The second round of hearings is winding down, but there is still time to add your voice in support of an increased number of truly competitive districts.

The AIRC will travel to places like Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Marana, Casa Grande and Cottonwood in the next week.  Make plans to be at one or more (if possible) hearings.  If that isn't feasible, the AIRC accepts public input via phone, email, or through their website.

...In a related matter, some pics from the AIRC hearing held in Mesa on Wednesday evening (note - the overall turnout was light, but out of two dozen speakers, only one or two came out against competitive districts):

Commissioner Scott Freeman, the commissioner in attendance Wednesday

Korinne Kubena Belock of Strategic Telemetry giving a overview of the redistricting process

Tempe Democratic activist  Lauren Kuby speaking in support of competitive districts

State Rep. Lynne Pancrazi, advocating for keeping Yuma and La Paz counties together, and out of a Maricopa County-dominated LD

Jay Schlum, mayor of Fountain Hills, testifying in favor of changing the maps to put FH together with other northeast valley communities like Rio Verde.  Other local elected officials there, from places like Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Gilbert, Chandler, and more similarly spoke on behalf of issue relevent to their particular communities.

Brewer turns the revolving door between lobbying firms and her staff into an open door

The Washington Post published a story this past week detailing a study that documents the revolving door between Capitol Hill staff rosters and lobbying firm staff rosters.  According to the study, nearly 5400 Congressional staffers have moved to lobbying firms in the last decade.

I thought about commenting about the study, and perhaps I'm getting a little too jaded after doing this for more than five years, but I figured this was basically just adding numbers to something most observers already knew.

D.C.'s political subculture can be somewhat insular, even incestuous, with the denizens of that subculture often not leaving the city when political winds change (as they did in 2006 and 2010).  They just change job titles.

Turns out that the same thing is true in Arizona, as a couple of press releases from Jan Brewer this week illustrate.

First, she appointed one Jay Heiler to the Arizona Board of Regents.

From the press release (emphasis mine) -

Mr. Heiler has been a high-profile leader in Arizona public policy for more than two decades. He served in a series of leadership roles, including Chief of Staff, under former Governor Fife Symington. Earlier, Mr.Heiler was Assistant Attorney General under Arizona Attorney General Bob Corbin. Since leaving public service in 1997, Mr. Heiler has worked as a political consultant in public affairs and strategic communications. His clients have included corporate, government and non-profit interests.

Heiler is known for his radical homophobia and bigoted spoutings, but this post isn't about that (I'll leave that to folks who can write more eloquently on those topics than me).

Nope.  It's about Heiler being an active lobbyist.

From the AZ Secretary of State's website -

Brewer followed up the appointment of one lobbyist with an announcement of changes in her senior staff.

From that press release -

Scott Smith, Director of the Arizona Department of Administration, has been named Deputy Chief of Staff. The announcement marks a return to the Governor‟s Office for Mr. Smith, who previously served Governor Brewer as Director of Legislative Affairs and Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs. In his new role, Mr. Smith – along with Chief of Staff Eileen Klein – will oversee day-to-day operations of the Governor‟s Office and executive agencies. He will maintain his current duties managing ADOA.


Page Gonzales has been named Director of Policy for the Governor‟s Office. Ms. Gonzales, who currently serves as Deputy Policy Director, will take the place of Richard Bark. Mr. Bark, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, has announced his resignation after nearly three years of loyal service to Governor Brewer. Mr. Bark will be joining Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold as Director of Government Relations and Environmental Counsel. His resignation is effective October 3, 2011.

Also departing the Governor‟s Office is Brian McNeil, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. Mr. McNeil has been a trusted advisor to Governor Brewer since she took office, and played a critical role in building the administration. He will be joining Public Policy Partners. Mr. McNeil‟s resignation is effective September 27, 2011.

For those who aren't political geeks, a job title like "Director of Government Relations" is actually a euphemism for "Chief Lobbyist."
 
Public Policy Partners is one of the most active lobbying firms in Arizona.
 
BTW, I may be getting more cynical than ever, but...
 
...Last month, Jan Brewer took a closed-door meeting with a mining company that is looking to mine copper in the Florence area by pumping acid into the groundwater there.  The company, Curis Resources, is relatively small by industry standards, and is ripe for a takeover, according to some industry analysts.
 
...This month, one of her senior staffers moves to a copper mining conglomerate. 
 
Hmmm...
 
And none of this even begins to cover the influence of uber-lobbyist Chuck Coughlin on the Brewer Administration.

Brewer's Commerce Authority has barely started, but it is already wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars...

The Arizona Commerce Authority, created by Governor Jan Brewer to replace the state's Commerce Department, was touted as a "public/private partnership" dedicated to bringing economic growth back to Arizona, and with it, jobs for all Arizonans.

The Commerce Department, with its trained and experienced professionals, was deemed to be a failure because of the cratering of Arizona economy.

The Commerce Authority is made up of corporate CEOs and bigwigs.  The line of BS spouted in support of thinking behind the change was that the CEOs "spoke the same language" as their counterparts in other parts of the country and could convince them to bring operations to Arizona.

While some (like me!) were skeptical of the group's likelihood of success, it turns out that Commerce Authority has benefitted Arizonans.

Well, at least a few Arizonans, like those associated with the Commerce Authority.

From the Phoenix Business Journal, written by Mike Sunnucks -

...The Commerce Authority had its first official board meeting Tuesday and was successful in creating one high-wage job. The ACA board approved a $300,000 salary, $50,000 signing bonus and a vehicle allowance for new CEO Don Cardon.

Cardon was Brewer’s guy at the Department of Commerce before it got a private label and board. He made $183,000 as Commerce director, according to the Associated Press.

So Cardon, who was a failure as a political hack ("Brewer's guy") heading a publicly-funded government department, is now worthy of a huge pay raise as head of a publicly-funded "partnership?  Niiiice....

That story was followed by more news of how the new Commerce Authority is spending the public's money for the benefit of the public

Also from the Phoenix Business Journal, also written by Mike Sunnucks -

The Arizona Commerce Authority is moving into new private offices in downtown Phoenix and will pay $40,000 per month in rent and utilities to lease space at the Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold.

That translates into $480,000 per year.

Not that I'm saying that there is a "cause and effect" relationship here (OK, that might be something of a fib :) ), but it's a rather interesting development in light of the fact that one of the directors of the Commerce Authority is Richard Adkerson, president and CEO of, you guessed it, Freeport McMoran.

So the state that doesn't have enough money to adequately fund education...or infrastructure maintenance and improvements...or health care for Arizona's most vulnerable citizens...or anything that even hints of being part of a social safety net has plenty of money available to funnel some to political hacks and cronies?

The "Recall Brewer" effort may have flamed out, but it seems that the problem was more a matter of timing than appropriateness. 

And before somebody starts whining that "policy differences" aren't grounds for recall, this isn't about policy differences. 

It's about abuse of office and misuse of public funds.

Yup - Jan has did it. She's blaming President Obama for her inability to write.

The Republicans have blamed President Obama for everything bad (or even remotely less than positive) happening in the U.S., from Acts of Bush like the economic mess and the never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to even Acts of God like the earthquake on the east coast today.

Now Arizona's governor, Jan Brewer, is blaming him for one of her personal failures.

From the Capitol Media Services via the East Valley Tribune, written by Howard Fischer -

If Jan Brewer does not get her book done in time for a Nov. 1 planned rollout, it will be the president's fault.
The governor told Capitol Media Services Monday she essentially had completed her writing of "Scorpions For Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure the Border.'' And then, "something came up.''

"I'm working away, trying to get this all done on the weekends and late at night, trying to get it done, and all of a sudden, here we go: He starts it all up again,'' Brewer said.

{snip}

"She [co-writer Jessica Gavora] hears me and I hear her, and we write it, and I write and she give me a copy of what we've all come up with,'' the governor explained. "And then I rewrite it and re-edit it and then have got to check all the facts and make sure that everything is correct -- and colorful -- and that I don't slam anybody too hard.''

Note: If I could italicize the "Jan has did it" part of the title of this post, I would do so.  I know it's grammatically incorrect.  However, that's the Governor's speech pattern, which is why I used that construction.

Most Arizona-based readers will be aware of that, but readers from all over the globe find their ways here.

Later...

Brewer touts federal grant...

...and does it without acknowledging the feds or even the fact that it fills in a gaping hole in the budget priorities of her and the legislature...

Earlier this week, Governor Jan Brewer issued a press release touting the receipt of an $11,894,000 grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control, (CDC) money intended to buttress Arizona's ability to respond to a public health emergency.

In her press release, she glossed over the fact that the CDC is a federal agency...OK, she totally ignored that fact...and is now officially called the "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

But this post isn't meant to point out the deceptive, petty, and yes, lazy aspects of her press release.

Nope, it's meant to point out a sad fact.

The nearly $12 million that the feds just sent AZ to help it respond to and communicate about public health emergencies outstrips the money that Arizona spends on (from SB1612, this year's General Appropriations, aka "budget", bill) -

- the entire appropriation for the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs ($5.169,300)

- the appropriation for the AZ Department of Administration's appropriation for public safety communications ($542,000)

- the Department of Health Services appropriation for poison control centers ($990,000)

- the Department of Economic Security's appropriation for "community and emergency services" ($3,724,000)

- even the entire allowed "Governor's emergency funds" authorization in ARS  35-192, which is capped at $4,000,000 (not an appropriation. If she deems it to be necessary, she can expend up to that amount of unrestricted general fund monies per fiscal year.  For example, she just authorized the expenditure of $50K to aid Tombstone as a result of some flooding issues there.)

There aren't any budget line items specifically for public health emergencies or communications related to the same.


I'm sure that any Brewer administration or legislative insiders who read this will protest that money currently designated for other uses could be reappropriated in the event of an emergency, but the fact remains that they refuse to adequately prepare for emergencies.

My question is:  What does it say about the priorities of Arizona's electeds when the feds put more money toward addressing public health emergencies than the people who are supposed to be dedicated to Arizona do?

Jan Brewer: moonlighting as a corporate shill?

From the governor's public schedule for Thursday -

• 9:00 a.m. -
Governor to Speak at the BASIS Chandler Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

BASIS Chandler
1800 East Chandler Boulevard, Chandler

• 12:00 p.m. -
Governor to Speak at the BASIS Peoria Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
BASIS Peoria
25950 North Lake Pleasant Parkway, Peoria

• 4:00 p.m. -
Governor to Speak at the BASIS Flagstaff Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
BASIS Flagstaff
1700 North Gemini Drive, Flagstaff

I'm sure that BASIS will be reimbursing the state's taxpayers for the costs of schlepping the governor and her entourage around the state to shill for them...actually, I'm sure that they won't. 

Why do that, which would only reduce the corporate bottom line, when they can get the taxpayers to pick up the tab?

Brewer and legislative Republicans kiss and make up: Arizonans still screwed

From the Arizona Republic, written by Ginger Rough -

Gov. Jan Brewer spent some time last week mending fences with some key Republican lawmakers, days after her hastily called special session on extending unemployment benefits ended abruptly with no action.

The Legislature's adjournment - and the governor's comments on the impasse - had prompted speculation that relations between her executive branch and legislative Republicans had turned sour.

On Thursday, Brewer and House Speaker Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, sat down for an hour to discuss the session and pledged to work on their respective communication styles.

Given that what we saw from West Washington when they got along - pension "reform" that devastates public employees, an official state gun instead of an official state jobs bill, corporate tax cuts that push more of the state's tax burden onto middle-class homeowners - could basically be summed up as "screwjobs by acts of commission", should anybody be surprised that what we saw from West Washington when they weren't getting along could be summarized as a "screwjob by act of omission"?

Either way, Arizonans, at least those who cannot abbreviate their last names "corp", "inc", or "LLC" are seriously underrepresented at the Capitol.

Jan Brewer and Tom Horne seek to overturn November's election results

...Of course, they only want to change the part of the election results they don't like, not the part that gave them their current jobs...

From the Tucson Sentinel, by Dylan Smith -

Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne will ask a federal court to determine if Arizona's new medical marijuana law is legal, they announced Tuesday.

The two said court action is needed to determine if the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act violates federal law.

The state will seek a declaratory judgment regarding the measure, Brewer said.

It's kind of interesting that Republicans are all for "following the will of the people" - except when the "people" support something they don't approve of, like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, comprehensive immigration reform, or, as in this example, medical marijuana.

Brewer's press release is here.

BTW - Ummm...didn't we just get through a legislative session where Republicans all over the Capitol spent their days proudly thumbing their noses at the feds?  You'd think they'd be proud of something that the AZ voters did that those feds may not like...

Short Attention Span Musing

...Late this week, the state elections director announced that she made a "mistake" in the timetable for forcing a recall election of Russell Pearce in November, meaning that any such election is now delayed until March of next year.

Has anyone else noticed that Amy Bjelland, the state elections director made the "mistake" benefitting Senator Russell Pearce, the current president of the state senate, was formerly the legal counsel for the Republicans in the state senate? 

Before she went to work for her current boss, Ken Bennett, who used to be a former Senate president himself? 

That many coincidences strains credibility.

I know a lot of good people (in other words, not people who support Pearce) who truly believe Bjelland made an honest mistake.  However, and maybe this just means that I'm not a good person, or perhaps just simply too cynical, but I don't believe that.

...Now that the latest "rapture" is over, it's time to take stock.  Of the 61 legislative Republicans, most of whom trip over themselves proving their devoutness whenever the opportunity presents itself...in front of TV cameras, anyway...how many are missing?  Surely at least a dozen or so must have been scooped up, right?

...Rumor has it that Sarah Palin is moving to north Scottsdale.  I don't know if it is true, but if it is, David Schweikert, Jeff Flake, and Jan Brewer better watch their backs.  One of them will have a target on it.

...Too funny for any words that I can add to it:  Newt Gingrich, Dancing Queen.


Later...

Anybody up for a game of "Guess the ghostwriter"?

...Anybody have a list of Chuck Coughlin's interns?

From Jeremy Duda and Jim Small of the Arizona Capitol Times -

The spotlight that enveloped Gov. Jan Brewer after she signed the nation’s toughest illegal immigration law is expanding into the publishing world.


On November 1, Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, will release “Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America’s Border” The 208-page book is already available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

Lest you think the title of this post is a shot a Jan Brewer, an implication that she couldn't possibly write this on her own because of a lack of intelligence - it isn't.  The simple fact is that most public figures, political or not, don't have the time or skill necessary to write a book, even one as short as Brewer's.

Nope, the title of this post is a shot at the absolute clunkiness of the title of her book.  My guess is that a professional writer wasn't brought in, because no pro, or even a good amateur, would have come up with a title that long and awkward.

Personally, I'd have gone with "'Headless Bodies and Brain Freezes -  Profiles In Terrorizing Voters', By Governor Jan 'We Has Did' Brewer".

Of course, I'm just a wiseass Democrat.  :)

2014 speculation already starting...

Hot on the heels of Jan Brewer's floating of the "term limits don't apply to me" trial balloon, announcing her interest in a third term as governor, Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal put out a 2014 speculation piece.

As should probably should have been expected, it was mostly filler of the  "I'm a political reporter and the legislature is out of session, so I have to come up with *something* to keep my editor happy" variety.

Well, if a trained, experienced, professional journalist gets to do that, so can a lowly amateur blogger (that's my way of saying that it's time for a little filler here :) ).

In his article, Sunnucks mentioned a few names.  Here's my take on those names, plus a few more added for good measure -

Jan Brewer - she may want it, but she is unlikely to get it.  Those pesky term limits will get in the way.

Ken Bennett - as Secretary of State, he's the heir apparent on the R side.  Formed an "exploratory" committee this past week, so should have a large campaign warchest by the time 2014 rolls around.  The presumptive frontrunner in the general election, with the caveat:  it's three years out.

Tom Horne - current AG and has had his eye on the 9th floor for years.  Best shot may be if a D wins in 2014 and he can challenge as the R frontrunner in 2018.  May be too old after that.

Paul Babeu - current Pinal County Sheriff.  I think this one is just pure filler on Sunnucks' part, but given the state of R politics anything could happen.  Still, seems more likely to pursue a Congressional run rather than a statewide run to take advantage of fame/notoriety in a single area of the state.

John Shadegg - former Congressman and current lobbyist "fellow" at the Goldwater Institute.  Could happen, but why would he want the instant and permanent migraine known as the Arizona Legislature?

Scott Smith - current mayor of Mesa.  I don't know enough about him to comment.

Hugh Hallman and Jim Lane - the mayors of Tempe and Scottsdale, respectively.  Both are up for reelection next year and neither is a lock (though Lane is in better shape).  Either one would have to win reelection and then raise his statewide profile.  Hallman has ambitions but probably needs to solidify his wavering base of support in Tempe before even *thinking* of a statewide run.  If Lane runs, the marionette strings will run right back to the Goldwater Institute and Lamar Whitmer.

My adds -

Russell Pearce - current president of the state senate (at least until the recall petitions are certified) and would love to be publicly considered the "top dog," but a move to the ninth floor would be a step up in paycheck size but a step down in practical political power.  And Pearce is all about power.  If he does go for it, however, he could get through an R primary, but may be too polarizing for the general election.

Fife Symington - former governor and pardoned convicted felon.  Makes noises about running again every four years.  Fellow Republicans want nothing to do with him, but Democrats pray that he runs and wins the nomination.  May be why he never follows through on his threats to run again.

Brenda Burns - current member of the Arizona Corporation Commission.  Big Fan of Big Business, and Big Business is a Big Fan of hers.  ACC isn't exactly the highest profile perch from which to launch a high profile campaign, but if the chips fall the right way, could trade in her ACC reelection campaign for a campaign for governor.

Joe Arpaio - currently the rather infamous sheriff in Maricopa County.  Like Symington, makes noises every four years.  Unlike Symington, has more than a snowball's chance in Phoenix of pulling it off on the R side.  Still, even if he avoids federal indictment, come 2014 he'll be, like, 900 years old (actually, 82).  For a lot of reasons, not gonna happen.

Jan Brewer starting to think that the AZ Constitution doesn't apply to her

Bill Bertolino of the Arizona Guardian has a couple of interesting stories up. (Because the pieces are behind a subscriber firewall, I'm linking to the general website only)

In the first, he writes of Governor Jan Brewer's consideration of possibly challenging the state's term limits so that she can run for a third term.

From the article -

Only five months into what is widely viewed as her final term in office, Gov. Jan Brewer is already weighing a decision on whether to challenge the Constitution so she can run for a third term.


"At this point, this is something she is looking into but she hasn't made any decision one way or the other," said Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson. "Certainly it's something we've been aware of – that there's been some ambiguity in the Constitution on this."

Bertolino followed up the Brewer piece with a talk with Grant Woods, a Republican and former Arizona Attorney General.

From that piece -

The state's former top lawman and ardent supporter of Gov. Jan Brewer doubts she's eligible for a third term.



Former Attorney General Grant Woods says he believes the Constitution prohibits governors from serving more than two consecutive terms, even if they inherited a partial term like Brewer did.

The relevant part of the Arizona Constitution -

1. Term limits on executive department and state officers; term lengths; election; residence and office at seat of government; duties


(Version amended by 1992 Proposition 107)

Section 1. A. The executive department shall consist of the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction, each of whom shall hold office for a term of four years beginning on the first Monday of January, 1971 next after the regular general election in 1970. No member of the executive department shall hold that office for more than two consecutive terms. This limitation on the number of terms of consecutive service shall apply to terms of office beginning on or after January 1, 1993. No member of the executive department after serving the maximum number of terms, which shall include any part of a term served, may serve in the same office until out of office for no less than one full term.

I'm not an attorney like Woods, but it seems pretty clear to me.

Of course, I'm not the Governor either, nor am I one of her advisors who want to keep riding the gravy train for as long as possible.

My message to her (not that I'm under any illusions that she actually reads this blog):  You can run for a third term as governor if you want to.  I'll oppose you, but you are free to do so.

In 2018.

Brewer vetoes, signs a number of bills

Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer has signed a slew of bills passed by the legislature this year, and has also vetoed a larger-than-expected number of them.

While she usually lists technical reasons for her veto of a bill, her real reasons for vetoes usually boil down to either payback for past conflicts (see the linked story regarding her veto of SB1322) or protecting the turf of the governor from legislative encroachment.

From an Arizona Republic article by Alia Beard Rau and Jim Walsh -

Gov. Jan Brewer closed out this year's legislative session with a flurry of vetoes, nearly doubling what she blocked last year.

She issued a total of 29 vetoes, 14 of them coming at nearly 8 p.m. Friday night. She signed 357 bills into law.

Among her Friday night vetoes: a bill that would have required cities to allow the sale of fireworks during certain weeks of the year, one that would have removed 11 phrases from the state's 9/11 memorial and one that would have allowed most of the state's counties to turn many of its workers into at-will employees.

The 9/11 bill is HB2230; the fireworks bill is SB1379; the "put the screws to county employees" bill is HB2650.

AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has some good insight on the enactment of SB1333 here.  It's one of Sen. Frank Antenori's "I hate Tucson, even though I represent part of it" bills.  He has the info on many changes to election law here.

Dave Safier of BfA offers his perspective on two of Brewer's vetoes here.

Some of Brewer's veto/signing letters for specific bills (not just those dealt with Friday) include -

- SB1593, veto, health insurance, interstate purchase

- SB1088, veto, interstate compact, health care.  Turf protection - it mandated something to the governor.

- SB1322, veto, privatizing city services in Phoenix and Tucson (Brewer listed some valid reasons for her veto, but the Republic's Mary Jo Pitzl points out the fact that Brewer and Phoenix City Council member Sal DiCiccio, the bill's main proponent, aren't exactly close personal friends.

- HB2707, veto, general fund revenue limit

- HB2335, enacted, making some changes to ballots for presidential and vice-presidential candidates (NOT a birther bill).  An imperfect bill, but she signed it anyway, saying that sponsor Jack Harper has promised to run a bill making corrections next session in time for the fall election.

- HB2177, veto, a birther bill.  Possibly the most surprising veto in the bunch.  Look for an "after-birther" bill next year, just in time for the presidential election.

- HB2700, veto, creating an 11th paid holiday for state employees.  Once every hundred years.

- SB1525, enacted, limiting the ability of municipalities to impose and collect development fees

- SB1186, veto, a "tax corrections" bill.  An annual bill to simply sync up state tax laws with federal tax laws, it was hijacked by Sen. Steve Yarbrough with an amendment that added language expanding the state's school tuition tax credits.

- HB2577/SB1561, veto, taking the ability to allocate certain federal funds away from the governor and giving it to the legislature.  Turf protection.  Not sure why the lege passed this one twice in one session.  Maybe they think she's dumber than they are and wouldn't notice (I may not agree on almost anything with her, and she isn't exactly the most intellectually impressive member of the Arizona political world, but she *has* been in one office or another for over two decades.  She's got to have something going for her.)

This isn't a complete list of vetoes or enactments, but one can be found here on the lege's website.  Right now, it doesn't include Friday's bill dispositions.  It should be updated on Monday, however.

In addition, any remaining bills outstanding have to be vetoed/signed no later than Monday, otherwise they become law without the governor's signature.

Later...

Is Jan Brewer a governor moonlighting as a lobbyist, or a lobbyist moonlighting as a governor?

Either way, she seems spend her days helping out Chuck Coughlin...

From the Arizona Republic, written by Ginger Rough -

Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday issued a statement in which she expressed "great disappointment and sadness" over the Fiesta Bowl scandal and pledged to convene a panel of Arizona business and athletic leaders to help the bowl repair its image.

"This panel will work in cooperation and consultation with the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors so that steps are taken to ensure that the bowl emerges from this painful process a stronger, more accountable institution," Brewer's statement said.

Coughlin's Brewer's complete statement is here.

So you ask "What's the relationship here?"

- Chuck Coughlin is the head of what is likely Arizona's most influential lobbying firm, HighGround.

- Chuck Coughlin was and is Jan Brewer's biggest political "advisor," so influential that many consider him to be less an "advisor" and more a "puppeteer."

- Chuck Coughlin lists the Fiesta Bowl as a client on his website and is, in fact, hip deep in the growing scandal surrounding the Fiesta Bowl and its "gifts" and laundered campaign contributions to Arizona politicians.  From page 178 of the Fiesta Bowl's own report (emphasis mine) -

In October 2005, the Fiesta Bowl spent at least $18,453.95 on a legislative "dignitary" trip to Chicago.934 On October 28-30, 2005, Aguilar, Junker and Christine Martin traveled to Chicago with Arizona State Senators Linda Aguirre, Robert Blendu, Russell Pearce, and Linda Lopez from the Arizona House of Representatives. Accompanying these legislators were family members and guests John Aguirre, Robert Blendu, Jr., Toni Lopez, Dominic Evans, and LuAnn Pearce. General Counsel and Board member Williams was also part of this trip, as were members of Husk Partners and HighGround, including Gary and Cara Husk, Doug Cole, and Chuck Coughlin.935

Note: Doug Cole's name is highlighted because he works for Coughlin at HighGround.

Just one question:  Does Brewer fill out a time sheet?  We really shouldn't be paying her for the time she spends working on behalf of Coughlin's clients.

Brewer "vacations" in Alaska, now Palin might be moving to Scottsdale?

From Politico's Ben Smith -

Palin would base campaign in Scottsdale


The prospect of Sarah Palin running for president is, increasingly, dismissed by a political class that sees her facing weak poll numbers -- especially in key early states -- and doing nothing to correct them or to buil the infrastructure for a run.

But I'm told Palin's camp is, at least, holding preliminary talks about how a campaign would look if she decides to run. One early decision, a source says: It would be based in Scottsdale, Arizona, very near where Bristol Palin recently bought a house in Maricopa.

Hey, I suppose we should be grateful - Jan Brewer "vacationed" in Alaska, and now unemployed Republican operatives here are cackling in gleeful anticipation of getting a piece of the big money of a presidential campaign.

Now, if only Brewer would "vacation" with someone who will bring good jobs for average Arizonans...

More evidence that Jan Brewer should stay away from open microphones

...She is not having a good month when it comes to interview show appearances...

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer appeared on ABC's This Week.  She spent most of last week lobbying and schmoozing in Washington, D.C. with the other state governors.

As part of her visit, she appeared with three other governors on ABC News' This Week.

While most of her appearance was limited to spouting typical Republican talking points (Scott Walker is great, the Wisconsin 14 are despicable, etc.  - and no, she didn't use those exact words.  I'm paraphrasing), one statement caused my ears to perk up.

"I think government is a necessary evil."

Doesn't that mean, that since she is Arizona's Governor, she is 'evil-doer-in-chief'* here?  Inquiring minds want to know.  :)


* = Officially, anyway.  As Governor, she is the official "head of government" here, though in practical terms, Russell Pearce and Joe Arpaio have strong cases for being considered the practical evil-doers in chief.

Huffington Post has complete coverage here, including a video clip from the show.

12News' Sunday Square Off: Jan Brewer's "Let them eat cake" moment

Resnik - "Is it fair that businesses should get these tax breaks while universities suffer and those patients suffer?"

Brewer - "Absolutely.  Absolutely."

Earlier on Sunday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer appeared on 12 News' (KPNX) Sunday Square Off program, hosted by Brahm Resnik, to defend the hundreds of million dollars worth of corporate tax cuts she signed into law a few days ago. 

Her appearance was an exercise in regurgitation -

She regurgitated the long-refuted theories of trickle-down economics (which should be referred to as "tinkle down" economics).

I regurgitated the undigested remnants of breakfast while listening to her spout (that's just a metaphor - I hadn't eaten breakfast yet :) ).

My favorite quote is above, but there were other "profound" tidbits from the program (video clip embedded below) -

3:32

Brewer -  ...I know that the free enterprise is what really stokes the fuel of the furnace, and the furnace is business in Arizona..

Resnik -  So it *is* something of a gamble?

Brewer -  Life is a gamble.

Or how about -

4:00 (talking about the impact of the corporate tax breaks on Arizona's unemployment crisis)

Resnik - People are asking "How soon will half a billion dollars in tax breaks create a job for me?"

Brewer - Because we know businesses, particularly high paying wage businesses, are the people who create those jobs and if you stymie them and you make it impossible for them to maintain here by charging them above their competitive states that we're competing with, they won't come here, they won't stay here, they will go someplace else and if we become competitive, they will bring new jobs, we will keep the jobs that we have, and that means that it's, [not] to use the phrase "the trickle down, the bottom line is that more people will have jobs, and therefore those people with the jobs are going to go out and it's going to trickle down to the lawnmower guy, to the dry cleaner, it's just the facts.

Resnik - So if those tax cuts don't take effect for another few years, how soon would you expect to see new jobs here created by those tax breaks?

Brewer - Well, you know, we have been very creative since I have been governor, and we've been very successful at bringing new businesses here. We've been named the solar king of the nation, which we're very proud of and that's one of my number one goals in regards to what kind of jobs that we're looking for. So we have been somewhat successful, but we know that if we have the ability to move forward, and now that we have done that with the competitive package, big businesses don't just pick up and move overnight. They need to know that there's stability and predictability, and then, they come, and so, we have the very best people working on the Commerce Authority, and it's going to be a good thing for Arizona.

Resnik - Speaking of predictability/unpredictability, you and many Republicans have said this year, next year, and the year after that, the state is going to have trouble paying its bills. A lot of folks might be wondering how you explain these tax breaks to universities who are going to be losing millions of dollars in funding, to tens of thousands of people who are going to be losing their health care. Help us understand how you can justify tax breaks on the one hand and all these deep cuts on the other hand.

Brewer - Well, we don't...if we do not encourage business growth, that brings jobs to Arizona, it's going to get worse. So we have to look out of the box, and have not the money to continue down that path of spending. So we have cut up into this point of time over two billion dollars out of government. Government needs to get smaller. And businesses need to be able to have and appreciate and work within the free enterprise system. That's what's going to generate, that's what's going to turn us around.

Yup.  In case you didn't notice, Brahm Resnik asked a direct question and for nearly three minutes, Brewer wasn't even in the same area code as a direct answer.

The quote leading this post happened at about the 6:58 mark -

Resnik - Is it fair that businesses should get these tax breaks while universities suffer and those patients suffer?

Brewer - Absolutely. Absolutely.

Resnik - Because?

Brewer - Because it is business that drives our economy. It's business that allows people to have jobs. It's the jobs that allow people to spend the money and it's jobs that allow people to become and be self-responsible for themselves.

And finally, on her cuts to education -

Brewer - Since I have been governor, I have been, really, the leading advocate for education, all the way from the grammar schools, to the junior high schools, the middle schools, and high schools, and the universities. And I went in, and I was the one that stepped forward to try to protect education from some devastating cuts the last year when I went to the public and asked for the temporary one cent sales tax because I knew that we needed that bridge to protect that portion of our education system. And then I went to the universities and spoke with the presidents and I spoke with the Board of Regents, of which I am a member, and told them exactly what's going to take place, that we were headed for a cliff, and it's not only happening here in Arizona, it's happening across the country, and they needed to come forward and bring me a plan, that was two years ago. During those two years, there was a lot of dialogue, they started working with the community colleges, and so they were very much aware of what was going to take place. So now, I am still waiting. They have presented a few things to me in regards to what they can do. The bottom line is they're going to have to streamline just like everybody else has had to streamline. We all know how important our research and development is at our universities. We know that businesses work with them. That's why there's an incentive piece in the Commerce Authority bill to allow that to happen. The bottom line is, is if you don't have the money, then everyone is going to have to share some of that responsibility, of streamlining, and doing a better job with the revenues that they have.  

The video included here is short, approximately 10 minutes, and it is included to both show that none of these quotes were made up, or were misleadingly taken out of context (hey, I may be partisan, but I have higher journalistic standards than, say,  Fox News.)

BTW, Brewer's handlers really might want to go back to their campaign plan of keeping her away from open mikes.  Resnik didn't ambush her or treat her poorly, but she still crammed both of her feet in her mouth.

Up to her knees.

Governor gambles on cuts to AHCCCS, and is told by the feds that she won the bet...

...but the voters are standing in the way of her collecting on the bet...

On Tuesday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a response to Governor Jan Brewer's request for a waiver of federal "maintenance of effort" (MOE) standards for Arizona's Medicaid program, called AHCCCS.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary K. Reinhart -

Arizona doesn't need federal approval to eliminate 250,000 people from its Medicaid rolls in order to continue to receive federal matching dollars, health officials said Tuesday.

Lawmakers had sought to eliminate coverage for low-income Arizonans to help close a huge budget shortfall, but recently passed federal health reform mandates that states maintain their level of coverage.

In a letter to Brewer today, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the state's entire program comes up for federal reauthorization Sept. 30, and Arizona could simply choose to stop covering the childless adults who Gov. Jan Brewer and legislative Republicans are seeking to drop from the rolls.

In other words, the feds didn't grant a waiver so much as tell Brewer if she waited until the end of the federal fiscal year, she could just make changes without the need for federal action.  Brewer's almost-gleeful press release on the announcement is here.

Now Brewer faces two related problems with her effort to kick poor people off of AHCCCS -

1.  The affected population (people with an income of up to 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) isn't covered by a federal dictate or because of a decision by Arizona politicians, but because the voters *overwhelmingly* approved Proposition 204 in November 2000.  The income eligibility standard is voter-protected and cannot be overridden by Brewer or the legislature.  Historically, voters in Arizona have been loathe to overturn measures that were previously approved by the voters themselves, especially when a proposal to do so is pushed by the legislature.

2. If she convinces the legislature to refer this to the ballot, she (and they) will have to deal with the PR nightmare of explaining how the state cannot afford to help Arizona's poorest residents at the same time they're railroading through a bill to give tax gifts to corporations and the wealthy that will eventually cost Arizona taxpayers more than $500 million per year. 

Jan and her clan are going to have to some serious tapdancing on this one if they hope to cash in on the bet that they've made against the lives of Arizona's most vulnerable.

Legislative update: special session likely this week

As reported by KPHO and elsewhere, and confirmed by other sources, Governor Jan Brewer is likely to call a special session of the state legislature to pass a package of corporate tax cuts.

According to one source who has seen a preliminary version of the package, it will cost the state $500 million to $800 million and isn't paid for, so more massive budget cuts, probably to K-12 education, will be needed.

The 49th Arizona Legislature (2009-2010) had nine "special" sessions.  The 50th Arizona Legislature (2011-2012) looks to be on pace to eclipse that mark.

More details as they become available...