What passes for humor among AZ Republicans

by David Safier

AzBlueMeanie posted this week's Farley Report. One section spotlighted the nature of the schoolyard bullies who run the Republican Party.

During the budget talks, Republican Rep. Fillmore rose to praise Democrats for the quality of their arguments and public service. It would have been a nice gesture which cost the Republicans nothing. But, "Then he yelled out 'April Fools!' and went on to trash everything we stood for."

This isn't the way mature adults act. I won't even call it "juvenile," because most young people treat others decently. This is the way a group of bullies, safe in the knowledge of their superior numbers, trash an opponent.

The Russell Pearce Republicans don't reserve this kind of disrespect for politicians on the other side of the aisle. They display the same attitude toward children who need an education, anyone who needs assistance (the poor, the sick, the elderly) and anyone who doesn't fit their racial demographic. Just look at their budget and the rest of their legislation.

Here's the passage from the Farley Report.

We felt a small bit of hope at one point when Rep. John Fillmore (R-Apache Junction) rose to say that he actually supported an amendment by Anna Tovar (D-Tolleson) to restore transplant funding and pay for it entirely in private funds. He praised our arguments from the entire evening and our public service, and the articulate way in which we stood up for Arizonans. Our tired spirits as Democrats were lifted by the vision of a Republican actually saying nice things about us and acknowledging our hard work in opposition.

Then he yelled out "April Fools!" and went on to trash everything we stood for. The harshly partisan and mean-spirited nature of the process and majority rhetoric on the floor was revealed once again in a particularly nasty way. Needless to say, not many of us Democrats were laughing.