The “shadow governor” – Sen. Russell Pearce

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I flagged a comment Jim Nintzel reported in his election night coverage at the Tucson Weekly.

Sen. Al Melvin (LD 26) said, "We have a historic thing happening where we're going to have a veto-proof Arizona Senate with over 20 out of 30 Republicans, and we think a veto-proof Arizona House with over 40 of the 60 Arizona Representatives as Republicans – Good things are happening."

"Veto-proof" majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. Big red flag. He means a veto override by a radical Republican Legislature riding roughshod over a figurehead Republican Governor.

For those of you not paying attention over the past two years, there was little love or respect from Republican leadership for Jan Brewer who proved to be an ineffectual leader and who did not negotiate well with leadership. Jan Brewer was considered a lame-duck on her way out the door until she put her John Hancock on SB 1070 and booked herself onto Fox News as the "states rights" governor opposing the big bad federal guvmint.

The reality is that Jan Brewer has already been marginalized by the radical Republicans in the Arizona Legislature into a figurehead Governor even before all the votes have been counted. Meet the "shadow governor" of Arizona, Sen. Russell Pearce. Pearce chosen as next Arizona Senate president

Senate Republicans elected Russell Pearce Wednesday to run the chamber for the next two years on his promise of tax cuts and smaller state budgets.

But the Mesa Republican said his new position doesn't mean he's giving up his perennial fight to pass new state laws to curb illegal immigration.

Pearce said one of the big changes is that the 30-member Senate, where Republicans increased their margin from 18 to 21, will take up a package of tax cuts and incentives.

The House approved such a plan earlier this year crafted by Speaker Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, to slash individual and corporate income taxes and business property taxes, with an eventual price tag of $950 million.

Senate President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, refused to let it be considered. Burns said at the time he could not support the proposed massive reduction in state revenues while the state was still digging its way out of a multimillion-dollar hole.

The deficit still exists and now could be approaching $900 million after voters rejected two ballot propositions which would have give lawmakers access to some special funds.

Pearce said that, unlike Burns, he's not deterred.

"It's time to roll things back,'' he said.

"That's what the Tea Party movement's about: Less government, more freedom,'' Pearce continued. He said the key to fixing Arizona's economy is getting government out of the way.

"Government consumes wealth, private industry is what produces wealth,'' he said. "And we're going to focus on private jobs.''

* * *

Even if Pearce is now on the same page as Adams, just reelected speaker on Wednesday, that doesn't mean clear sailing. Gov. Jan Brewer also has said she isn't interested in a package of across-the-board tax cuts until the state's fiscal situation improves.

I refer you back to the comment by Sen. Al Melvin. If the radical Republican super-majorities in both the House and Senate stick together, they can override any veto by the figurehead governor Jan Brewer. She is as powerless as the Democratic minority in the Legislature. She has already been marginalized by her fellow Republicans.

Rep. Michele Reagan, R-Scottsdale, newly elected to the Senate, said the choice of Pearce by the 21-member caucus should be no surprise.

"I think voters made it pretty clear what they want to see us working on, on jobs and on the economy,'' she said. "If Russell does what he has pleged to do, which is allow those of us that are interested in job growth and job attraction to be working on that, and he's supportive of it, then I'm fine.''

Got that? If Jan Brewer vetoes House Speaker Kirk Adams' corporate welfare tax giveaway plan that will only worsen Arizona's structural revenue deficit, she will be steamrolled by the radical Republican super-majorities in the House and Senate by overriding her veto. Brewer's veto pen is powerless to stop the super-majorities.

According to the Arizona Guardian (subscription required), "Pearce reportedly promised wary senators that he would not introduce any immigration bills until the 2012 session, the next election year." The focus will be on corporate tax cuts and budget cuts in 2011, followed by wedge issue anti-immigrant and culture war legislation in 2012 to make voters forget all about their reckless incompetence and fiscally irresponsible mismanagement of the state, and to set the table for conservative voter turnout in the 2012 election.

It's going to be a very dark ride.

1 thought on “The “shadow governor” – Sen. Russell Pearce”

  1. “Pearce reportedly promised wary senators that he would not introduce any immigration bills.”

    Well, if Pearce is the great leader that senators believe he is, why would they be wary and why didn’t he win the first vote? Could it be his neo-Nazi buddies?

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