WATCH: Gov. Brewer Offended By "Snub" On Immigration Meeting; President Wanted To Talk About Amnesty, DREAM Act

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was back speaking with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren yesterday, expressing her being "offended" with President Obama's failure to invite her to the White House as part of the meeting to discuss "the broken immigration system".

Van Susteren seemed stuck on the fact that not everyone was invited to the meeting - even though the White House news release makes it obvious that it was going to be a planning session among stakeholders who support a so-called comprehensive reform.  Brewer went along with that, though Van Susteren did say she would like to see a comprehensive solution.



We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com. Thanks.

WATCH: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer On Fox News Last Night; "Keep Us Posted"

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer sat for a 5 minute interview with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren last night, to discuss yesterday's Ninth Circuit appellate decision upholding a stay keeping most of anti-illegal immigration law SB 1070 from going into effect.

Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne are trying to decide whether to ask for the rest of the Ninth Circuit judges (not "justices", as mentioned in the interview) to review the decision, or go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Van Susteren - an attorney-turned-talk-show-host - occasionally tried to coach the governor as to what she thought the best arguments would be.  When Brewer used her tried-and-true line about SB 1070 mirroring federal law - "Are the feds going to change their laws?!?!" - Van Susteren quickly noted that the better argument is that the federal government is not fulfilling their responsibilities and that that is forcing Arizona's "constitutional gesture - an unconstitutional gesture - if the federal government did its job."

Governor Brewer also made another national television appeal for donations to the quasi-governmental legal defense fund that is presumably being used to pay private attorneys to represent the state.  The large and prestigious law firm of Snell & Wilmer (and top attorney John Bouma) represented the Governor in this appeal, and this does not fall under their pro bono policy.  According to the website, the fund has already raised more than $1.5 million.

At the end of the interview, Van Susteren thanked Governor Brewer and said she would follow the case closely.  To which the Governor replied, "Keep us posted."



(Previous reports:  Brewer/Horne news release: http://bit.ly/hdwsnx
Quickie Analysis of Ruling: http://bit.ly/edaWFC )

We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com. Thanks.

WATCH TONIGHT: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Goes To Fox News To React To 9th Circuit Ruling

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer will go back to one of her favorite shows to react to today's decision from the 9th Circuit.  At 7:00pm Arizona time, Brewer will be one of the guests on Greta Van Susteren's "On The Record" show, on Fox News Channel.

Brewer (and AG Tom Horne) have already released a joint statement expressing their disapproval of the appellate court's refusal to undo the injunction preventing most of the controversial anti-illegal immigration SB1070 law from going into effect.  The 2-1 decision was released earlier today.

Here is video from Brewer's last Fox News Channel appearance, in February.



We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com. Thanks.

WATCH: Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl On Fox News Yesterday Re: Budget, More

I only caught about a minute of this last night, and have not yet watched it this a.m.  But, here is not-quite-retiring Sen. Jon Kyl on Fox News last night (with Greta Van Susteren).  The interview lasts about 7 1/4 minutes and, in it, Kyl uses the analogy of the day for the Administration budget proposal: it "kicks the can down the road."  (Rep. Jeff Flake, in his Monday announcement of his candidacy for Kyl's Senate seat, also noted that there is no more road left.)



We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com. Thanks.

WATCH: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Interviewed On Fox News, Pleads For Funds To Pay The Attorneys

Before Egypt's President stepped down (or, stepped down again) this morning, and before one of the Fox News reporters referred to the past couple of weeks as being a "Mexican standoff", Fox News hosted Arizona Governor Jan Brewer for an interview.

The Governor ran down the basis for the counterclaim filed in the S.B. 1070 case yesterday, and then noted that Arizona taxpayers are not paying for the legal action because of the Border Security Fund that she (and the Legislature) set up last year to accept private (unlimited) donations.  She also noted that the fund has already spent $1.2 million dollars - presumably in legal fees.

This re-raises a question we mentioned yesterday during the news conference: now that the Arizona Attorney General and his office are actively involved in this case, will monies from the Governor's fund be used to reimburse the AG's office for their time spent.  Or, is the $1.5 million (according to the website) or $3.5 million (according to Brewer yesterday) raised at the KeepAZSafe site only going to be used to pay legal fees for the private, outside counsel?


We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com. Thanks.

WATCH: Arizona Sen. John McCain Is On the Air; DADT, Budget Gimmicks

I'll try to watch/listen to these over the weekend, but wanted to make sure that I posted them.

1) On Imus, apparently expressing softer stance on DADT repeal now that it has passed.


2) On Van Susteren, apparently fired up about budget gimmicks.

We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com. Thanks.

WATCH: Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords On Fox News Pitching Pay Cut For Members of Congress (BONUS: Text of Bill)

(Edited to correct record and note that Arizona now-former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) was the primary sponsor last year of a bill that would have reduced salaries for members of Congress.)

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) was on Fox News this morning, pitching her proposal to cut salaries for members of Congress by 5%.  Host Bill Hemmer attempted several times (sometimes incorrectly*) to put her (and Democrats, in general) on the defensive, prompting Giffords to acknowledge that she was a Republican and is now a Blue Dog Democrat "interested in making sure that our country maintains our prosperity".



Rep. Giffords has 18 co-sponsors for her bill, which is short and sweet.  Here's the text:

A BILL


To provide for a 5 percent reduction in the rates of basic

pay for Members of Congress.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2

tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Congressional Pay Cut

5 Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. REDUCTION IN RATES OF BASIC PAY FOR MEMBERS

7 OF CONGRESS.

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Effective with respect to pay peri

          9 ods beginning after the date of the regularly scheduled

1 general election for Federal office held in November 2012,

2 the rate of basic pay for each Member of Congress shall

3 be reduced by 5 percent, rounded to the nearest multiple

4 of $100 (or, if midway between multiples of $100, to the

5 next higher multiple of $100).

6 (b) PREEMPTION.—The adjustment under subsection

7 (a) shall be in lieu of any adjustment which (but for this

8 Act) might otherwise take effect, in the rates of basic pay

9 for Members of Congress, with respect to the pay periods

10 referred to in subsection (a).

11 (c) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this Act, the term

12 ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means an individual serving in a

13 position under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of section

14 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2

15 U.S.C. 31).

* Hemmer seems to forget the bi-partisan Concord Coalition started by Democratic Senator Paul Tsongas and Republican Senator Warren Rudman, and the deficit reduction plan passed by Democrats in 1993-94.

We welcome your comments about this post. Or, if you have something unrelated on your mind, please e-mail to info-at-arizonaspolitics-dot-com. Thanks.

Fox News Hands Drum To Rep. Trent Franks; He Adds Signature Beat To The Tune (video)

Fox News continues to parade Arizona politicians on its programs to ask about the State Department's mention of Arizona's S.B. 1070 in its human rights Universal Periodic Review ("UPR").  It is obviously the kind of drum the network beats until the skin breaks - Obama Administration, Hillary Clinton, United Nations, immigration, border security. 

Today, Rep. Trent Franks was asked on to talk about the arrival of National Guard troops on the Arizona border today (too little, Administration does not understand the national security issues, and more).  But, the anchor did not "want to let you get away without asking about this, because I think this is going to get a lot of attention in the coming days."  She then characterized the mention as the State Dept recommending that S.B. 1070 "be evaluated" at the U.N.*
Franks professed to being "dumbfounded."  Not at the question, of course, but because: "this Administration is the most pro-abortion administration in the history of the nation.  They want abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy for no reason, for any reason, they want taxpayers to pay for it, and they want to export this experiment across the world.  Human rights issues is (sic) the last thing they should want to be talking about."

Franks did proceed to echo Gov. Brewer's criticisms of the UPR, and of the interviewer's characterization.  Finally, he reiterated his frank dumbfoundedness:  "I'm just astonished that this Administration would apologize before the United Nations for protecting our borders."

The anchor promised to keep on this story, Franks thanked her for covering it, and went to commercials.  Because this stuff DOES sell.  And, given that our Fact Check Analysis of Gov. Brewer's outraged comments concluded that it was "completely misleading", we will continue to keep on Fox's keepin' on.


* Question (and answer) enters the conversation at approximately 2:28.

State Department Explains Why It Mentioned Arizona In Report (full text and link below); Fox News Headline Misleading

[[Yesterday morning, we published our Fact Check Analysis on Gov. Brewer's "Indignant, Offended, Misleading" letter to (U.S.) Secretary of State Clinton demanding removal of the "unconstitutional" mention of Arizona's S.B. 1070 law.  In concluding that the letter was "COMPLETELY MISLEADING", we noted that it can only be seen as an effort to appeal to and motivate a segment of the electorate, to further endear herself to conservative media, and to foment misunderstanding and distrust of the federal government.  Well, Fox News was paying attention.]]

A reporter at the State Department's Daily Press Briefing stopped spokesperson Phillip Crowley just before he wrapped it up, and asked him about S.B. 1070's inclusion in the State Department's human rights Universal Periodic Review ("UPR").  (If you can identify this reporter, please let us know.)  She asked what the State Department's "motivation" was in the mention.
Mr. Crowley's response was as simple and low key as the original mention in the UPR (and was very similar to our postulation).  Here is the text (verified with the video)(text/video are at end of briefing, 35:18 in video):
 
QUESTION: Wait, P.J., can I get one question in? For Secretary Clinton’s UN report that was submitted August 20th, she talked about the Arizona immigration law. What was the motivation for putting that into the UN report?


MR. CROWLEY: Well, we had a process where teams went around the country, and during the course of the preparation of our report, the issue of the Arizona immigration law came up. And that’s the reason why it was included in the report.

We’re very proud of our human rights record. We think it’s second to none around the world. But the universal periodic review, we believe, can be a model to demonstrate to other countries – even other countries on the Human Rights Council – this is how you engage civil society. And where issues arise from a genuine discussion and debate within societies, there can be issues that are resolved under the rule of law. And the Arizona immigration law is a good example of how we are debating this as a society. There is a legal case ongoing, and this issue will be resolved under the rule of law.

QUESTION: Under federal law?

MR. CROWLEY: Under federal, yeah.



Fox News apparently gave this story heavy airplay yesterday, as well (I am guessing the reporter who asked the question of Crowley was thus a Fox reporter or producer.)  According to this article, Fox interviewed both Gov. Brewer and Republican state Sen. Frank Antenori (Fox misspelled Mr. Antenori's name; corrected here). 

Forgetting that Fox apparently did not feature a viewpoint different from Brewer's and Antenori's, the headline of Fox News' website article is that "State Department Stands By Decision to Include Arizona in U.N. Human Rights Report." (emphasis added)  That is a bit of a stretch.  Crowley was not asked to respond to Brewer's letter (or Antenori's equally-insulted remarks).  Crowley was not asked if the State Department would remove the mention from the report (as if that would keep someone else from raising the question).  He was asked to explain the back story, the motivation.  And, that is all that he did.