On this date in 2015, 2016, as well as 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented profiles of Arizona State Senator Judy Burges, who we noted in her early career, was a key defender of fellow Arizona state legislator Barbara Blewster, whose litany of racist, homophobic, and ignorant comments were dismissed by Burges who assured everyone Blewster had “impeccable moral character, integrity and honesty”. Once Barack Obama got elected president back in 2008, though, Burges went off the deep end, telling local newspapers her belief that the president was secretly a Muslim, and submitting a bill to try and force him to release his long form birth certificate from Hawaii (which he did anyway). Burgess was also a co-sponsor of Arizona’s controversial law SB 1070, which allowed law enforcement to racially profile Hispanic citizens as potential illegal immigrants, as well as sponsoring several nullification bills in the past few years. Those sorts of legislative ideas made her a chief ally of the super-racist Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, as well as the co-founder of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps militia group, Chris Simcox, who she endorsed as a challenger to Sen. John McCain in the 2010 elections (apparently unaware that Simcox was a child molester, but aware that he was a racist anti-government pyschopath). When Cliven Bundy and his militia buddies in the Oath Keepers were having an armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management, Burges was one of several Arizona state legislators to caravan up to Nevada to meet the “hero” Bundy, and she even went on to endorse Oath Keepers co-founder Richard Mack in his bid to become sheriff of Navajo County, Arizona (in spite of Mack talking about using women at the standoff as human shields). Burges has also campaigned hard against the implementation of the United Nations’ Agenda 21 Environmental Treaty, insisting that it’s a secret communist plot to set up a new world order. Rounding out her legislative priorities, she has submitted bills to require gold and silver be accepted as legal tender in Arizona, teach creationism or argue against climate change in Arizona schools, voted to drug test welfare recipients, and voted against expanding Medicaid in Arizona. Burges also supported SB 1468, a bill Arizona Republicans made in impotent rage after not being able to block Syrian refugees from being resettled in Arizona. So what does the bill do? Well, it targeted the charities that help resettle refugees, threatening to fine them $1,000 for each refugee they helped. You read that right… Judy Burges and the Republican Party, the supposed party of “Christian values” wanted to fine charities (citing a Catholic one in particular) for helping refugees. Her quote from February 2017:
“As a charitable organization, they feel it’s their responsibility. The state needs to have some say over who comes here. They’re being forced on us.’’
And lastly, we have to report on Judy Burges’ loony e-mail exchange with an 82-year old Scottsdale woman, a widow who worked on political campaigns, and was opposed to HB 2404, a bill that would have changed the pay scale for those who gather signatures for political campaigns… rather than be paid by the hour, they would only be paid by the signature. Burges responses began earnestly enough, but quickly devolved into accusing her constituent of working for Bill and Hillary Clinton, before just flat out name calling and saying she must be a “paid troll”.
Judy Burges will face term limits in 2018, and seems unlikely to be moving to any higher office at her advanced age, and general insanity. Which, will probably be a surprise to Burges, considering that during the current teacher’s strike that’s ongoing in Arizona, she’s been sending insulting messages to teachers who have contacted her, and daring them to vote her out of office in the fall. Judy, you ain’t gonna be on the ballot in the fall. We’ve established you’re nuts, but you might want to start looking for a new job now.