There is some serious revisionist history being passed off as fact about Governor Brewer and her political fortunes. It is time to bust the myth.
The truth is that Brewer’s leadership is what sent her to victory. It was her leadership that helped Prop 100 pass with over 64% of the vote. It was her leadership that helped Arizona stand against Obamacare. It was her leadership on budget reductions that started to clean up the mess that Napolitano left behind.
The secret that her opponents forget to tell you is that Brewer was winning the race before she ever signed SB1070. See for yourself.
The Early April survey was before the Governor signed SB1070 and she had already taken the lead. Why? Because Brewer had passed the budget in record time and took a definitive position Proposition 100, the temporary sales tax measure – Goddard did not. The Late April polling showed a bump from the signing of SB1070, but her approval was even higher in May following the passage of Prop 100.
The Governor, in short, was governing and that is why she won. If the Governor were going to thank someone for the victory, here are a few people we think would be more appropriate:
President Obama: First, he takes Napolitano to Washington to let her escape the house of cards she created giving Brewer the Governor’s office. Then, he pushes Obamacare which is wildly unpopular in Arizona, giving Brewer an extremely popular rallying point. Finally, he turns around and picks a fight by suing Arizona and making jokes about it. At every turn, the President gave Brewer the opportunity to contrast her positions with his and show that she wasn’t afraid to lead.
The Republican Slate: The Republican slate for statewide office was a rock solid group of people who could work together. The Democratic slate, on the other hand, sounded like the beginning to an old joke, “Four lawyers and a community activist walk into a bar…” Besides Rotellini, there was very little excitement about who the Democrats had put up. The Republicans stood together – supported one another and campaigned together. The Dems could never muster the same support.
Senator McCain: Despite the fact that McCain opposed Proposition 100 (though there was no real reason for him to weigh in on it), Arizona’s senior Senator was a huge cheerleader for Brewer. In the primary and in the general, McCain and Brewer travelled the state together and he gave her amazing introductions wherever they went.
Pamela Gorman & Friends: If she had actually taken the original budget deal hailed by the Wall Street Journal for cutting taxes in exchange for temporary revenue, the budget would have been resolved much more quickly. Gorman could have actually touted getting something done at the legislature in her Congressional race, and the Republicans that eventually lined up to oppose Brewer would have never materialized.
Buz Mills: The millionaire had the money, but not the ability to keep his foot out of his mouth. He railed against the budget and taxes but never offered a solution of his own beyond the “magic wand.” Because of Mills, Brewer was able to draw the differentiation between herself and her opponents because she actually offered up a plan. Has anyone noticed that Buz’s bank in Prescott went into receivership last week? Glad we didn’t go down that road.
Terry Goddard: Democratic retread Terry Goddard was not in touch with the Arizona electorate. He failed to pull the trigger in supporting Prop 100 until two days before the election. He did nothing to help his cause during the Primary Election when he had a free ride, and then he flip-flopped several times on if he would or would not enforce immigration laws. Combine that with boycotters and union ties, he was already in serious trouble by May when Prop 100 passed with 65% of the vote.
We are old enough to understand that the folks who say that Russell Pearce is the “de facto Governor” have their own agendas, but please, if you are around us, save us the time, and give our ears a break.
We hear enough BS every day and the old rhetoric that “Jan Brewer wouldn’t be Governor without SB 1070,” is some of the worst. The facts just don’t add up. It may work for a daily columnist in need of copy but it doesn’t pan out with people who know the facts.