An ‘Arizona Greeting,’ the AZ Republic dubbed it: Gov. Jan Brewer, poking a finger in President Obama’s face and hectoring/’lecturing’ him on an AZ airport tarmac (allegedly about her claim that HE once ‘lectured’ HER).
Visiting my family in The Valley of the Sun this week, I got a true and warm ‘Arizona Greeting’ when I read from my novel with wonderful Melissa Pritchard at Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe, AZ. Arizonans are growing weary of Brewer’s antics.
A prize-worthy photo captures the meltdown moment as Brewer becomes the poster-girl for right-wing rage and disrespect against this President. Brewer, AZ’s cool New Times newspaper laments, has ‘humiliated’ Arizona ‘yet again.’
Her tarmac temper tantrum may have upped her Amazon book sales in the short term– but it has prompted widesrpead disgust as many in the media shake their collective fingers at Brewer.
Someone needs a few sessions with Miss Manners. I am embarrassed for her.
Hi Sheila– I agree! Calling Miss Manners to AZ right away. It’s ironic that Brewer’s tantrum was triggered by her sense that Obama supposedly was– in a private meeting– not polite enough to her, in her own opinion.
Glad to have a sensible voice on the blog– cheers–
Elizabeth
Boston Bruin Tim Thomas recently snubbed Barack Obama, refusing to visit the White House.
And now this from Governor Brewer.
People are so hard on Congressman Barney Frank for his perceived rudeness, but this story that I found elsewhere on Word Press is playful and relatively respectful.
The point here is that we can disagree without being disagreeable. Five minutes after Brewer met with Obama, she called the meeting productive. Then in her tell-all book, she said Obama was condescending in that meeting.
After watching Obama deal respectfully with Congressman Boehner all these years, I find that hard to believe. In a completely appropriate setting for doing so, he was probably just making a point about something about which he disagreed with her.
Below, Congressman Frank is talking about a civil right that President Bush wanted to deny him, yet he shows more respect for the office than Brewer will ever deign to show President Obama.
Years ago I stood near Senator John McCain at a groundbreaking. And I didn’t swing my finger in his face.
There are times and places for protest of policies and times and places to allow a guy to just turn over a shovelful of dirt and shut up.
That’s just what Brewer should have done: “Hope you are enjoying our warm Arizona January, Mr. President.”
Link from 2008:
http://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/congressman-barney-frank-the-gay-boyfriend-and-president-bush/
“It’s a time-worn president’s trick: walk up to a congressman chatting on the phone and send your regards to the astonished person on the other end of the line, charming the listener with your regular-guy credentials.
That’s what President Bush did Monday night at the State of the Union address, when he approached Newton Democrat Barney Frank, who was talking on his cell phone in the House Speaker’s lobby before Bush’s speech.
What Bush didn’t know was that the congressman was talking to his boyfriend.
“Tell him I said, ‘Hello,’ ” Bush said to Frank, leaning in to pat the congressman’s shoulder. As Bush continued into the House chamber, Frank told his skeptical boyfriend that it had been the conservative Republican president sending his good wishes. Frank’s boyfriend didn’t believe him, so the Massachusetts lawmaker put one of the sergeants-at-arms on the phone to back up his story.
After the speech, Frank said, he felt he had to tell Bush what he had done. After all, the president opposes gay marriage, and gay rights groups do not see the president as an ally.
Frank sought out the president, who put his hand on the back of the congressman’s head to hear him more clearly in the noisy, crowded room.
“Mr. President, by the way, the person I was talking to when you said to say hello was my boyfriend,” Frank said he told the commander-in-chief.
“Well. I hope you said how open-minded I am,” Frank said the president replied.
“I considered telling [the president] I wouldn’t marry him,” Frank said, “but then I thought, ‘Nah.’ ”
Barney Frank could have handled that differently, swinging a finger in Bush’s face and reminding him of the civil right that had been denied him by the Federal government.
But, at least in this case, even famously prickly Frank knew that you get more flies with honey than vinegar–and you make more friends with humor than vitriol. Are you listening Governor Brewer?
Hi Penny2–
Great to hear from you and great anecdotes (and antidotes to Brewer’s poisonous Scorpians for Breakfast mentality). Love the stories of your restraint in not finger-wagging McCain and of Barney F. similarly pulling back and saying ‘Nah’ as Jan B. should have done.
Despite or maybe in part because of Brewer-gate, this has been a great week for politics, I think– the GOP is stuck with Romney, it looks like and Obama is ‘back’ with a strong SOU and a new bounce in his step.
Cheers and hope Jan B. reads your sensible advice on what to say next time– if there ever is a next time– she greets a President on behalf of her state.
That zombie stare during the 2010 gubernatorial debate, those hallucinatory tales of beheaded immigrants, and now this anger management mishap.
It’s really, really, time to calibrate her meds.
Greetings Litotes–
As always, you hit the nail on the head, in this case a nutty head. Maybe in addition to the visit from Miss Manners that commenter Sheila suggested, the Gov. could use professional help in managing that anger.
And while she’s at it, help in managing a state that had a great opportunity to highlight a something positive and important. Instead the media coverage was all about Jan and her wagging ‘french-manicured’ finger. it’s really really time to elect a new Governor. But then we knew that from the 14-second 2010 ‘zombie stare’ you mention. As one letter to the AZ Republic put it, commenting on Jan’s tarmac tantrum: “Where was 14 seconds of stupid silence when we needed it?”
Cheers & really really good to have your voice on the blog–
E
This is not the first time Jan Brewer has embarrassed the state. Her anti-immigration bill a few years ago was harsh and unacceptable…but she gained votes by being tough on illegals. I have never forgiven Janet Napolitano for leaving the governor’s office for Washington knowing that her replacement would be Secretary of State, Republican Jan Brewer. I wonder if we will ever get our state back to respectable leadership. Although many in the state were appalled by her behavior on the tarmac, some applauded her for it. I love this beautiful state where we have lived for 34 years, but the politics here is very distasteful…and the title of her book, “Scorpions for Breakfast” is an example of her limited mind. It was wonderful having the President here last week, and
we gave him and his policies a very warm welcome…GO OBAMA!
Hi Barb–
Good to hear from a longtime Arizonan and yes, Jan B. has ‘been there before’– she seems to relish getting attention for outrageous behavior. I can understand that anger at Janet Napolitano, but when the President called, what could she do? Who would have predicted that after her embarrassing 14-second debate blank-out, Jan B. would be elected for a full term. Arizona really does deserve better. Cheers and thanks as always for stopping by!
Elizabeth