In what on some level can only be seen as an unexpected development, Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Arizona’s so-called Birther Bill; legislation that passed easily in both houses of the Arizona Legislature. If enacted into law, the bill would have required Presidential candidates to prove their citizenship before being cleared to appear on the State’s ballot.
The State has fielded a number of controversial issues in recent years, many having to do will Illegal Aliens. The Governor has found herself at the center of some of the more notable debates. Several months ago, she alleged that headless bodies had been found in the border region of the State. When called upon to verify this assertion, Mrs. Brewer was unable to do so. Several pols close to the situation had worried out loud that the law, if approved, would simply serve to give Arizona
Still, there was ample anticipation that the Governor would sign the legislation, if it reached her desk. That she did not reflects a dialing back of sorts. Reigning speculation revolves around whether the decision was strategic, designed to eliminate unintended consequences, such as subjecting Republican candidates to a new level of scrutiny related to their place of birth, or perhaps, having a Democrat in the Arizona Secretary of State’s position making a deciding call on whether a Republican could be on the ballot…or rather a call made based on heightened sensitivity to trending intensity of rhetoric and vitriol in political campaigns.
On January 8th of this year, Representative Gabby Giffords, who is serving her 3rd term in the U.S. Congress, from Arizona ’s 8th District, was shot and critically wounded while talking to constituents at a Safeway supermarket near Tucson
- "I do not support designating one person as the gatekeeper to the ballot for a candidate, which could lead to politically motivated decisions.”
- “In addition, 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 circumcision certificates’ among other records to the Arizona Secretary of State. This is a bridge too far.”
- “House Bill 2177 “creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for
Technically, as in most situations such as this, the Arizona House and Senate could override the Governor’s veto. However, when asked about that possibility, Speaker of the House, Kirk Adams noted that legislative researchers found that it had been 50 years since an Arizona Governor’s veto had been overridden. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Carl Seel, Republican, Phoenix
As if to prove there is never a shortage of bad ideas, just as Governor Brewer struck a blow for sensible pursuit of germane issues, Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana, opted for the “Road more traveled.” Two Republicans introduced a Birther Bill last week in the Louisiana Legislature. According to Kyle Plotkin, Governor Jindal’s Press Secretary, the Governor will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
As with the sponsors of the Arizona bill, Representative Alan Seabaugh, co-sponsor of the Louisiana
These backdoor tactics underscore the kind of Machiavellian, win at all cost design, that submits that if you can’t beat President Obama at the ballot box, which they were unable to do in 2008, see if you can prevent him from getting that far by “un-qualifying” him. It is too funny to be sad, and too bizarre to be funny; I guess I may as well call it what it is; desperate. I think about these efforts at disinformation and subterfuge, and all I can see is a vision of multiple Wizards; each standing behind a curtain, frantically (and pointlessly) operating a set of controls, hoping to erase reality, change facts, and ultimately re-write history.
It’s too late…this is not Oz! No matter what the results of the 2012 election turn out to be, 2008 is in the books; it already happened people!
So the saga continues. “Birther madness; Brewer No; Jindal, Yes, If” given a chance. As Frost so eloquently and poetically framed it, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” As is always the case when faced with forks in the road, some will choose the well-worn path, while others will take “The Road Not Taken.” For whatever it’s worth, in this instance, Governor Brewer has chosen the latter; Governor Jindal the former, if given the chance. So much for the New (Old) South; can you say oxymoronic?
I’m done; holla back!
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