Well, knock me over with a roadrunner's feather. I was among the many who believed Arizona Governor Jan Brewer would continue bending over for that slug Senator Russell Pearce and the state's Tea Party, and sign the Birther Bill that the legislature overwhelmingly passed on Friday and delivered to her desk. I am happy to report that I was wrong! (See Julie Gulden's earlier diary here.)
It certainly looked like Arizona was about to chalk up another inglorious first: The first state to require presidential and vice presidential candidates to produce proof of citizenship before their name would appear on the state's ballot. The Governor noted in her veto statement today:
"I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for President of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their 'early baptismal or circumcision certificates' … this is a bridge too far." Fox10.com
Way to jab, Guv! I too wondered if the circumcision certificate had to be the long-form version. How embarrassing to submit a short one.
The Birther Bill was the half-brainchild (and that's being generous) of Rep. Carl Seel. He was the clown who visited Donald Trump last week in NYC to strategize about his piece of crap legislation. Seel said he sponsored the bill because America needs to return "integrity" to the White House. So he met with buttface Trump. Now there's integrity!
After the bill landed on her desk Friday, Brewer had 3 choices: sign it, veto it, or do nothing, after which it would become law in five days. I'd have bet my last dollar (on tax filing deadline day no less) that she would've signed the darn thing or allowed it to become law without her Jan Hancock.
But news just broke within the hour that she vetoed the bill! Not only that, the Governor vetoed another bill that would've permitted guns on campus. WTF is going on here?! Did I drink too many shots of tequila tonight? Has Arizona suddenly joined the dwindling ranks of semi-sane states?
Brewer's letter today to Speaker of the House Kirk Adams said:
"As a former Secretary of State, I do not support designating one person as the gatekeeper to the ballot for a candidate, which could lead to arbitrary or politically-motivated decisions." ABC15.com
"Politically-motivate decisions" in Arizona? Gee, ya think? All along, of course, the Birther Bill's advocates said it has nothing to do with Obama ... or the fact he's black. Nah. And Jon Kyl teaches math. It's also unclear what this "one person" would examine, since some of the official eligibility documents that the bill mentions, specifically the long-form certificate, are not even issued by the state of Arizona! Duh.
Brewer also wrote in her letter, "This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona." It's a pity the Governor and the legislature didn't apply that same standard to many of the other divisive and unconstructive bills they've pushed through, beginning with SB 1070.
Now What?
This much is certain: While Jan Brewer became the darling of the Tea Party last year when she supported SB 1070 with her headless-bodies rubbish, she's sure to earn their ire now that she's kiboshed the Birther Bill and guns-on-campus legislation. When nearly a dozen Republicans abandoned Senator Russell Pearce last month and refused to support his over-reaching "SB1070 on steroids" bills, we saw how ugly the Tea Party could become, including death threats to Republicans they called traitors. Brewer will likely experience the same; in fact, we're already seeing some of that in the blog comments tonight:
i wonder what she got from obummer to do this -- i knew she was to good to be true and when she would sell out well we found out -- it was today
However, Governor Brewer's momentary spine could also be a signal that she and her advisors believe the Tea Party is not as powerful as they think they are. That's certainly borne out by tonight's blog comments supporting the Governor's veto, which far outweigh the nutjobs' ungrammatical rants, even on mainstream sites:
Well I be (inappropriate term), she's got some chops after all. Keep it up Ms. Brewer, keep it up. I always knew you had it in you, just wasn't sure we were ever going to see it again.
Sanity arrives in Arizona, if only temporarily.
Senator Pearce and his winger suck-ups have one option: they might try to override the gubernatorial veto. That's a possibility, given that Pearce is a vindictive shithead and her veto is just another slap-down of the Senator, who believes Brewer owes him her Governorship. I can't wait to see his beet-red face and collar-bursting neck on the news shows tomorrow. Feeling dissed by many of his colleagues over his failed immigration bills, he may just try an override, given the crazies' huge majorities in both chambers. After all, the Birther Bill passed 40-16-4 in the House and 20-8-2 in the Senate, meaning they are already at the 2/3rds required.
Leading up to the Governor's decision, some business leaders publicly urged her to veto the legislation, arguing that another dickwad bill will only shove Arizona's image into the cellar, permanently, and thus undermine her efforts to improve the economy. Let's hope some of the lunatic Republicans in both chambers got the message as well.
Stay tuned. But for now ... yippee!! Have another shot.