Andrei Cherny responds to the Arizona Republic on the ‘birther bill’

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I told you about the Arizona Republic's bizarre editorial taking Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Arizona Democratic Party Chair Andrei Cherny to task for not being "gracious enough" for Gov. Brewer's veto of the "birther bill," and then making a false equivalency between their impolitic statements and the nuttiness of the "Birthers, Birchers and Secessionists" in the Tea-Publican legislature. Let's not get carried away here, people.

A hat tip to Bill Astle for catching the letter to the editor today in the Arizona Republic from Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny in reply to this bizarre editorial. Let's hold leaders to higher standard:

The Arizona Republic's Editorial Board took me to task for not saying "thank you" to Gov. Jan Brewer for vetoing a bill to demand President Barack Obama's birth certificate ("Dems pick up where GOP extremists left off," Friday, Editorial). Have we truly come to expect so little of our leaders that we now should be grateful to them for not enshrining a fringe conspiracy theory into law?

I believe public officials should clear a higher bar before we rush out and buy them thank-you notes. That's why I'm working to lead mainstream Arizona Democrats toward becoming a big-tent party that works with independents and fed-up Republicans who want a stronger economy, safer streets, and better schools.

I am, despite The Republic's assertion, far from "graceless." I'd be more than happy to thank Gov. Brewer, Senate President Russell Pearce and the other Republicans who control every aspect of state government. In fact, I'd even throw in flowers. But if they believe that vetoing nutty mutterings while raising taxes on the middle class, harming small-business job creation, selling our state Capitol to Wall Street, taking cops off the beat, and racking up billions in debt means I should show gratitude, they'll have to keep waiting. I believe we should expect more from our leaders.

– Andrei Cherny, Phoenix

 Andrei Cherny's full response to The Republic's editorial is posted on the ADP web site's blog, and it's a must-read: Gratitude must be earned, governor.