Arizona headed down the rabbit hole

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

A great Letter To The Editor in the East Valley Tribune by Lauren Kuby of Tempe picking up the Alice in Wonderland theme:

Whole state headed down the rabbit hole

The actions of Governor Brewer, the State Senate, and the Republican Congressional delegation in the last week turn my reveries to my favorite childhood story, Alice in Wonderland.

Imagine if you will…

The adventuring Alice is represented by the Colleen Mathis, chair of the Independent Redistricting Commission. The Queen of Hearts is no other than Jan Brewer, who bellows “Sentence first, verdict afterwards!” and “Off with her head!” as she summarily fires the independent chair.

The Mad Hatter? No other than the Senate Republicans, whose rush to judgment oh-so-hastily overtook the will of the voters.

And who is the Cheshire Cat in this drama of democracy overthrown? It must be “FAIR Trust,” a shadowy Super PAC funded by incumbent Congressmen Schweikert, Quayle, and Franks. In Wonderland, all that’s seen is the cat’s cynical grin; his corporeal body is invisible, Similarly, this shady group has been interfering with the Commission, yet hides from public view.

Curiouser and Curiouser, with only one thing certain in this tale of woe: Arizona is down the rabbit hole.

Lauren Kuby
Tempe

On Friday, Commission attorney Mary O'Grady said in pleadings, Governor cuts off legal funding for ousted Arizona redistricting panel's chair – East Valley Tribune:

[T]there is no conceivable way that any of Mathis' actions fit either definition.

"This strange logic is applicable only in the world through the looking glass,'' O'Grady wrote, quoting from "Alice in Wonderland'': " 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.' ''

And as I posted previously, I think what we are seeing in Arizona more accurately resembles Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton adaptation). Remember when Jan Brewer went nuts because someone "stole her tarts." Brewer says draft redistricting map favors Democrats – East Valley Tribune:

Gov. Jan Brewer blasted a draft redistricting map that virtually guarantees at least four of the state's nine congressional districts to Republicans like her and makes three others competitive.

"It's like thievery," Brewer told Capitol Media Services. "It's certainly very political. It's absolutely egregious as far as I'm concerned in reference to how they adopted these maps."

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

Brewer said the IRC map ignores what she sees as the political reality. "Arizona is a red state," she said.

And the Red Queen ordered "off with her head!" for stealing her tarts.