Arrrgh! There be a Tea-Publican mutiny against the Red Queen

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Last week the smart money on the sine die pool was that the Arizona legislature would adjourn sine die by this Friday, April 20. That was then, this is now.

The Tea-Publican leadership of the Arizona legislature and the Red Queen, er, Gov. Jan Brewer, reportedly were close to a compromise agreement on the budget. But then the Tea-Publican leadership got a report from their Finance Advisory Committee that they read to be a clear message to be cautious about increased spending over the next three budget years. Report impairs Arizona budget talks Last week's report, a consensus of four economic forecasts, lowered the state's revenue growth for the 2013 fiscal year to 3.4 percent from 5 percent.

"The deal's off!" said the Tea-Publican leaders. "Oh yeah?" said the Red Queen. "Then I will veto any bill you send me until I get the budget I want!" Brewer insisting on budget deal.

The Arizona Republic reported that the real reason for the hold up is that the Tea-Publican legislature will not fund the 5% pay raise for state workers that the Red Queen wants to use as a bribe to state workers to forgo their civil service protection under her bill to destroy the civil service merit selection system and return to the halcion days of Tammany Hall and the spoils system of political patronage. Brewer insisting on budget deal. This is the Red Queen's number one legislative priority.

The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports today that the Red Queen has a Tea-Publican mutiny on her hands. Ninth Floor: Pierce, Tobin went back on agreement | Arizona Capitol Times:

Gov. Jan Brewer’s decision to not sign any new bills until she gets a budget came only after Senate President Steve Pierce and House Speaker Andy Tobin backtracked on agreements they made with the governor on a handful of spending items, according to a Brewer spokesman.

Matthew Benson said Pierce and Tobin had agreed to several of Brewer’s key spending proposals, including new funding for K-12 education, public safety and the Department of Economic Security. But the two chamber leaders informed her during an April 17 meeting that they were reverting to legislative Republicans’ earlier budget proposal that ignored many of Brewer’s spending priories.

In response, Brewer said she would veto any bill that reached her desk before an acceptable budget was passed, Benson said.

As the political gossip rag The Yellow Sheet Report (subscription required) adds Brewer facing budget mutiny? | Arizona Capitol Times:

Brewer may be facing a budget mutiny, as Senate Republicans are said to be exploring a deal with Democrats. One Republican source told our reporter that Biggs reportedly met with Schapira and Landrum Taylor yesterday for about two hours to discuss the possibility of a deal to override a potential Brewer budget veto.

Rep. Steve Farley mentioned this possibility to me. But I don't see this happening. The last time that GOP legislators joined with Democrats in a bipartisan effort like this in 2004 it resulted in right-wing extremists engaging in a purge of moderate Republicans (RINOs) in GOP primaries over the next four election cycles (2004-2010), giving us the radically extreme Tea-Publicans that we suffer under today. The threat of retribution from far-right extremists in GOP primaries is too strong and weighs against any bipartisan budget deal.

h/t graphic www.flagline.com