The Barretts, Craig and Barbara: Power couple

David Safier

by David Safier Muckety, a website whose mission, in its own words, is "Mapping the paths of power and influence," has posted a power map of Craig Barrett and his wife, Barbara. Advertisement Craig currently heads Brewer's A-Wreck (AREC: Arizona Ready Education Council). He's a big player in the conservative Choice/Education Reform movement here in … Read more

Can Howard Fischer fire himself from Capitol Media Services?

AZ BlueMeanie

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Can Howard Fischer fire himself from Capitol Media Services? His PR work for Governor Jan Brewer and her fictional biography "Scorpions for Breakfast" is an utter embarrassment to someone who is often referred to as the Dean of the Arizona press corps. What a way to tarnish a career.

We have been over this territory before. The wrong way and right way to report the abuse of power by Governor Brewer and her Star Chamber:

Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services provides news content to many of Arizona's news outlets, including our sad small-town newspaper the Arizona Daily Star.

Fischer has been publishing what would appear to be nothing more than publisher PR press releases for Jan Brewer's new book "Scorpions for Breakfast" for several months now, including this most recent release on Tuesday, the date of release of her book. Brewer book tells different story of Arizona governor's meeting with Obama.

Color me skeptical of Fischer's ability to be objective in his reporting. He frequently inserts his own editorial opinion into what is purported to be objective factual reporting. Because his reporting is used by so many news outlets in Arizona, Fischer enjoys an outsized influence over public opinion through his reporting not enjoyed by any other political reporter in Arizona, and that is a problem.

Fischer was back hawking Governor Brewer's book this week with her staged political theater greeting the President. Brewer, Obama exchange tense greeting at Mesa airport – East Valley Tribune:

Three months after she published her unflattering description of him, it appears President Obama is still miffed with Gov. Jan Brewer.

[Several paragraphs promoting Brewer's fictional biography]

During the short encounter at the airport, Brewer pointed at the president, with that moment captured in a photograph. But the governor said that, whatever the picture looks like, she was not acting in anger.

"I've always been kind of animated,'' she said.

"We could have been talking about a lot of different things,'' Brewer continued, saying she respects the office of the president. "And I would never be disrespectful in that manner.''

But Brewer said that, the president's complaints Wednesday afternoon about the book aside, she and Obama clearly were not communicating much at all.

"He wants to talk about amnesty and I want to talk about securing our border,'' she said. "We're just not ever going to agree on that.'' [This was never part of their conversation from multiple media accounts]

That, she said, was underscored by how the conversation at the airport ended.

"I was in the middle of a sentence and he walked away,'' Brewer said.

Only that's not accurate. How do I know? Because Republican Mayor of Mesa Scott Smith and Democratic Mayor of Phoenix Greg Stanton were standing next to the governor.

Rep. Eddie Farnsworth Kowtows to Irrational Anti-Vaccination Crowd

Michael Bryan

Posted by Michael Bryan Looks like the black helicopter crowd has joined forces with the vaccination conspiracy theorists. Eddie Farnsworth is backing a bill to restrict Arizona's colleges and universities from requiring vaccinations. Perhaps this is really a problem that is keeping Arizonans from getting post-secondary education, but I sincerely doubt it. Farnsworth claims "the … Read more

Rep. Gowan Climbs Down From Unnecessary Legislative Communications Secrecy Bill

Michael Bryan

Posted by Michael Bryan Looks like Rep. David Gowan (R-LD30) may be backing off the bill he dropped to cloak legislative commications in secrecy. As I pointed out in a previous post, exempting consistituent communications from public records requests is excessive and unnecessary. Apparently, Gowan decided to actually find out whether his bill is necessary: … Read more

Presented almost without comment

David Safier

by David Safier From the Phoenix New Times: Barack Obama T-Shirt (Apparently) Blasted by Arizona Kids, from Cop Facebook Page Here's a screen shot of the Facebook page, which has since been changed. If you can't see the picture well, 7 guys, many with guns, stand around a T shirt with Obama's picture on it … Read more

Stegeman: Yes, the Board “approved” 3 MAS texts, but it was “meaningless”

David Safier

by David Safier A few days ago, I posted about a constituent letter Mark Stegeman sent, and I mentioned three of the books banned/removed from classrooms of former MAS teachers had previously been approved by the board (h/t to Three Sonorans for posting the document). Stegeman responded in the comments section of the post. You … Read more

Jan Brewer behaving badly

AZ BlueMeanie

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Brewer-obama-231x300Quiz: Who said "I'm not going to let this freaking governor push me around"?

Answer: No, not this guy (pictured right). It was Sen. "Don't make me angry" Frank Antenori, when Gov. Brewer would not call a Special Session for his bill to repeal the AIRC.

President Obama was far more calm in dealing with our Governor. I mean look at this photo — you can see the hint of an amused smile forming on his lips as Brewer throws a hissy fit wagging her boney finger at him.

Yes, Jan Brewer behaving badly, again (sigh). Stay classy, Jan.

Brewer wanted to engage in political theater to upstage the visit by the President of the United States to let him know that she is the Queen of Arizona. Brewer came prepared with prop in hand, allegedly a hand-written letter inviting the President to Arizona to meet with her to discuss border issues and to visit the border with her (a recurrent theme in Brewer's 2010 campaign). You can bet she will use this photo in the future: "Jan Brewer is standing up to the big bad Feds. Contribute now."

This would be the same president who has had more deportations in his administration than previous administrations. This would be the same president who has put more border agents and other federal law enforcement personnel on the border than previous administrations. This would be the same president who has seen a dramatic decline in the number of border crossings, detentions and related crime during his administration. He has done everything our pretentious Governor has demanded of him except one: participate in her political theater by meeting with her in Arizona and visiting the border with her, and thus play a subservient role to the Queen of Arizona. Ain't gonna happen.

President Obama knew that he had been set-up for political theater by our Governor. When she greeted him with her prop letter in hand asking him for a meeting and to visit the border with her, President Obama responded, in words to the effect, "you mean like the last meeting we had that you lied about in your fictional biography that you didn't even write?" Bwah! Bwah! Jan Brewer freaked out and threw her hissy fit finger-waving for the cameras. "Did you boys get the photo?" Golden! Brewer, Obama exchange tense words over book, immigration at airport:

"He was a little disturbed about my book, 'Scorpions for Breakfast,' " Brewer told a pool reporter who is a member of the traveling White House press corps shortly after her encounter with Obama. "I said to him that I have all the respect in the world for the office of the president. The book is what the book is. I asked him if he read the book. He said he read the excerpt."

Asked what aspect of the book disturbed him, Brewer said: "That he didn't feel that I had treated him cordially. I said I was sorry he felt that way, but I didn't get my sentence finished. Anyway, we're glad he's here."

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