I really don't want to even think about "Jan Brewer" and "back-door" at the same time, but that's what the Arizona Governor called President Obama's Rose Garden announcement today, which essentially enacts part of the DREAM Act.
"This was an outrageous announcement ... that intends to grant back-door amnesty," she said. "It doesn't take cynic to recognize this action for what it is, blatant political pandering." Arizona Republic
Of course, Jan Brewer has
never been accused of "blatant political pandering," especially during 2010, when she sucked up to the hateful tea party gaggle that had a stranglehold on Arizona's GOP, forcing her to kiss Senator Russell Pearce's large nativist backside if she wanted her party's nomination. And she wasn't pandering to the lunatic fringe
at all when she screeched about "headless bodies" in the Arizona desert, even though none were found.
Rather than offer hope to youth who have lived in the U.S. at least five years, Brewer said the President should focus on securing the border. My god, the administration has sent twice as many border agents to the region than Bush ever did, they're deporting Mexicans at a much swifter rate than any previous administration, and Obama has dedicated tons more money to the border. Sure, there remain problems, but the upshot of the administration's policies and America's crappy economy is that immigration and border crime are down considerably, especially in the Tucson sector, the nation's busiest.
When a white Republican named Bush occupied the Oval Office, you rarely heard Arizona's GOP rant about the President "failing to protect us," even though crossings and crime were significantly higher. But since 2009, when a black Democrat moved into the White House, immigration has become totally the fault of the President, and we've heard nothing but "protect the border" from Arizona's loonies, even as crossings and crime dwindle.
It seems Brewer is mostly pissed because the President's policy, if enacted, would throw a wrench into SB 1070. When the law was signed in the spring of 2010, it was soon diluted by a U.S. District Judge who struck down the measure's most heinous elements, including the provision that gave the bill its shorthand name: "papers please." No, immigrants don't have to carry papers at all times, and police are not required to ask for papers; to do either clearly creates a second-class citizenship for many people who are here legally.
Brewer quickly appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court, which just as quickly upheld Judge Bolton's ruling, so the Governor set her sights on the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard arguments this past April. A decision is anticipated any day, perhaps this week, and most Court watchers believe the Supremes will uphold SB 1070 in all its racist glory. But if Obama's "amnesty" becomes law, then Jan and her spiteful minions won't be able to detain and demand identification from every teenager who's walking, driving, or breathing while brown.
The Arizona Republic notes that Brewer was recently speaking in the friendly confines of California's Orange County, where she said about the President, "We don't need you. You're a failure." Images of giant black pots and kettles come to mind. Her state can always be found at the bottom of any education, health care, and jobs report. We used to say, "Thank god for Mississippi," when it came to these national rankings. Since Jan Brewer, we can't say that anymore. Thank god for 2014 and the nation's back-door man.