Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"And I firmly believe that God has placed me in this powerful position of Arizona's governor to help guide our state through the difficulties that we are currently facing." – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer EJMontini – God elected Gov. Brewer?

FAIR Trust, as we learned from Steve Muratore yesterday, is essentially the Arizona Republican Caucus, comprised mainly of incumbent Republican office holders. AIRC Update: 'Independent' redistricting is the opposite of incumbent protection:

Senator Jon Kyl, Senator John McCain, Congressman Trent Franks, Congressman Jeff Flake, Congressman Paul Gosar, Congressman Ben Quayle, Congressman David Schweikert, Congressman John Shadegg, Senate President Russell Pearce, Speaker of the House, Andy Tobin, 44th Vice President Dan Quayle are all unified in backing the FAIR Trust which is a group of Arizona voters who are committed to ensuring a fair redistricting process.

Governor Jan "selected by God" Brewer is almost certainly a member of FAIR Trust.

As I said yesterday, "[I]ndependent" redistricting is the opposite of incumbent protection. That is what Arizonans voted for in 2000. Prima donna politicians with a perverse sense of divine entitlement to their office hate this.

Which is why FAIR Trust turned to Governor Jan "selected by God" Brewer to be its point person to attack the AIRC congressional "draft map" on Wednesday.

Today's headlines:

East Valley Tribune Brewer says draft redistricting map favors Democrats

Arizona Daily Star Brewer, other GOP officials critical of redistricting map

The Arizona Republic Republicans rip Arizona congressional map

Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) Republican leaders blast IRC over congressional maps

This is the mainstream media simply providing the echo chamber for the right-wing noise machine which put out the GOP talking points for FAIR Trust on Tuesday.

Wednesday's headlines:

Washington Post Redistricting draft map in Arizona favors Democrats

POLITICO.com Dems poised for gains in Ariz. remap

National Journal House Democrats Gain With New Arizona Map – Hotline On Call

See how this works? All that soft money that FAIR Trust has been raising from corporations and wealthy donors they are not required to disclose to pay for high priced lawyer-lobbyists and media PR is being put to use. As the Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) described it, Republican leaders blast IRC over congressional maps:

A slate of prominent Arizona Republicans including Gov. Jan Brewer, U.S. Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, nearly the entire GOP congressional delegation and state House Speaker Andy Tobin [i.e. FAIR Trust] took aim at the state’s redistricting commission today, blasting the panel for a congressional map that they say is gerrymandered to give an edge to Democrats.

The Republican day of rage included simultaneous press releases Wednesday afternoon, on top of scores of articles and columns in local and national media, accusing the Independent Redistricting Commission of drawing a partisan map that intentionally undermines Republicans.

Howard Fischer from Capitol Media Services mocked this faux Republican "day of rage" in his report. Brewer says draft redistricting map favors Democrats – East Valley Tribune:

"It's like thievery," Brewer told Capitol Media Services.

* * *

The governor did not dispute that the analysis of voting patterns and party registration suggests that four of the districts are likely to be Republican strongholds.

Two other districts – one running from midtown Tucson to Yuma and the other in southwest Phoenix – are considered strongly Democrat. Both also are considered "majority-minority" districts, with sufficient numbers of Hispanics to ensure that a Latino can get elected.

That leaves three competitive districts, where the margin of difference between voters is close enough so that a candidate from either party could win.

Brewer, however, was undeterred by those numbers.

"It's obvious how it's favoring the Democrats," she said without providing specifics. "It's absolutely blatant."

The current makeup of the state's congressional delegation is five Republicans and three Democrats. Two years ago, after the election of Barack Obama, there was a 5-3 split the other way.

And the latest figures from the Secretary of State's Office show 35.5 percent of registered voters are Republicans, with 31.1 percent Democrats and the balance independents or affiliated with other minor parties.

Brewer, however, said the IRC map ignores what she sees as the political reality.

"Arizona is a red state," she said.

In other words, a permanent Republican majority is God's will. It is not for mortal man to question.

The American Revolution was a rejection of the centuries old concept of the "divine right of kings" to rule their sovereigns. The revolutionary American concept was that the authority of government is derived from the consent of the governed. "We the People" designed a democratic Republic "of the people, by the people and for the people," rejecting any dvine entitlement to govern.

Those of you who are familiar with Jeff Sharlet's examination of The Family fundametalist religious cult made famous by its C Street House, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, or the New Apostolic Reformation fundamentalist cult which seeks to infiltrate politics and government, Texas Observer: Rick Perry's Army of God, know that the radical religious right Christian Reconstructionism and Dominionism movements that dominate the Republican Party base believe in "selection" and "divine right" to rule. They reject the revolutionary American concept that the authority of government is derived from the consent of the governed.

This growing sense of entitlement by "God's Own Party" to lord over us by divine selection in perpetuity threatens the very foundation of our democratic Republic. What they believe is undemocratic and un-American.

This is only one aspect of this story that the political media will never report because they are afraid to touch the subject of religion, despite the fact that it has permeated everything the modern-day Republican Party believes.

The other aspect of this story, however, that all of the media reports above entirely ignored, is the corrupting influence of FAIR Trust (the Arizona Republican Caucus) which is a GOP redistricting organization whose only purpose is to protect the incumbency of Republican politicians. FAIR Trust has engaged in threats and intimidation of the AIRC through its lawyer-lobbyists, and has now unleashed a PR media blitz in the right-wing noise machine against the AIRC in a further attempt to intimidate the AIRC.

If you read the reports above, the narrative you take away is that the AIRC has done something wrong. This is false. The real story here is that it is FAIR Trust (the Arizona Republican Caucus) that is doing something wrong. It is engaging in threats and intimidation and manipulation of the corporate media to undermine the AIRC and our democratic form of government by seeking to impose a permanent Republican majority in Arizona by any means possible.

This abuse of the AIRC and our democratic form of government by the Arizona Republican Caucus may soon reach new lows. The Arizona Republic reported, Republicans rip Arizona congressional map:

[Gov. Brewer] hinted she may use her power to initiate recall proceedings against commissioners, calling the map "a neglect of duty and gross misconduct."

She noted she has remained quiet as allegations of impropriety have swirled around the commission but said she can no longer be silent.

In other words, Governor Jan "selected by God" Brewer is threatening to call a special session, at taxpayer expense, so that the Tea-Publican super-majority of the Arizona legislature can remove the AIRC commissioners and replace them with commissioners who will "do God's will" and create districts that will ensure a permanent Republican majority. Because "God's Own Party" is entitled to lord over us by divine selection.

It may be time for a second American Revolution.

Note: Rep. Ben Quayle was quoted saying "Arizonans deserve a map developed in a fair, nonpartisan manner.” Hence the caption.

UPDATE: The Arizona Democratic Party response to "God's Own Party":

Statement on AZGOP coordinated attack
on independent redistricting commission

Andrei Cherny, Arizona Democratic Party chairman, released the following statement in response to Gov. Brewer and the AZGOP's coordinated attack today on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission:

“Arizona currently has four safe GOP districts, two safe Democratic districts and two competitive districts. Earlier this week, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission produced a draft map that features four safe GOP districts, two safe Democratic districts and three competitive districts. Based on this change, the citizen commission members are now being attacked by Governor Brewer in an over-the-top statement with overheated and ugly accusations. Several other Republican leaders, including U.S. Sens. McCain and Kyl, U.S. Rep. Quayle and state House Speaker Tobin, released similar attacks today in a blatantly coordinated assault. The truth is, districts that are close to 50/50 can give independents — fast becoming our state's biggest voting block — a voice. We should have even more competitive districts than this commission has thus far provided.

"Governor Brewer's partisan statement today cited political analyst Stuart Rothenberg and The Washington Post to say that Democrats had a chance at winning four or five seats. That means competition. Is Governor Brewer against competition? It sure looks like she is. Proposition 106 says the independent commission is charged to 'oversee the mapping of fair and competitive congressional and legislative districts.'  If Democrats 'have the chance' to win in these three toss-up districts while Republicans are assured of victory in four, that is too little competition, not too much. What this is about is a small group of political insiders who have grown accustomed to using gerrymandering to keep a stranglehold of power in a closely divided state.

"The only reason 50/50 districts are a threat to Republican electoral prospects is because of the extreme, out-of-touch agenda that Arizona Republican leaders have been pursuing. Gov. Brewer should spend less time on bullying and more on job creation, and substitute real leadership for these partisan attacks. It is beneath the dignity of the governorship and not in keeping with the best interests of the state.”

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