AZ BlueMeanie Posted by AzBlueMeanie: State Sen. "Don't make me angry" Frank(enstein) Antenori announced this morning that he is running in both the special election and November general election for the Giffords seat in CD 8. Antenori to seek Giffords' seat. Whoever is elected to the Giffords seat should have the same temperament, character and judgment as Gabrielle Giffords … Read more
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Daily Star unfortunately relies upon the AP and Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services for its news content on state government. Cheap bastards! You have the money, hire your own capitol reporter and expand the number of eyes and ears watching our state government and add another perspective to reporting. Howard Fischer should not enjoy a monopoly, I don't care that he used to work for the Star.
Leaving this aside, the Arizona Daily Star has an editorial opinion today that is spot-on. Finger-wagging Brewer cast state in a bad light:
Gov. Jan Brewer likes to cast herself in the tough-leader role – and sticking her finger in President Obama's face and jawing at him makes for a handy visual message to her political base. What the rest of the state, along with the nation, sees is boorish behavior from Arizona's top official.
* * *
On Wednesday, Brewer handed Obama a handwritten letter, which she described as discussing immigration and inviting him to visit Arizona again and join her for a border tour. By all accounts, he told the governor her book mischaracterized their last meeting. Heated words were exchanged. Reporters [i.e., Howard Fischer] nearby described the two leaders talking over each other, and then Obama walked away. [Not true according to Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa]
Brewer, as governor, represents all Arizonans and should act as an ambassador for our state. Obama was in Phoenix to visit a major economic accomplishment – a new Intel plant – and the tiff on the tarmac was graceless.
* * *
After initially contending that the letter was not a public document because it was a personal handwritten note, Brewer's office released the letter late Thursday afternoon.
It is what one would expect from a governor to a president of another party – mentioning "hard choices" and balanced budgets, while neglecting to mention, however, the high cost Arizona's citizens have paid in recent years through draconian cuts to school funding, health-care coverage for kids of the working poor and more.
Brewer's digital gesticulation got attention, and that's what any politico trying to raise her profile wants – and sales of her memoir have jumped.
But Brewer's jab comes at the expense of Arizona's national reputation and image.
Text of the snarky and delusional stage prop letter from Arizona's "savior" is below the fold.
David Fitzsimmons once again nails it!
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.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Quiz: 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."
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The other day I posed the question, Will the 'Birther Queen' replace Scott Bundgaard in the Senate? Survey says: Yes, she can! States' rights "nullifaction" teabagger and "Birther Queen" Rep. Judy Burges, Ahhh, the "Birther" Queen's bill dies in the Senate, was among the three individuals nominated by Tea-Publicans as potential replacements for Sen. … Read more