The New York Times unloads on Gov. Jan Brewer and the Arizona Legislature over their redistricting ploy:
Governor Brewer, anticipating a “flawed product” from the commission, used her party’s supermajority in the Senate to engineer the two-thirds vote needed for the chairwoman’s removal. An attempt also to oust the commission’s two Democrats fell short of enough votes. It is unclear what will come of the issue in court fights now brewing. But voters who opted for something better 11 years ago should score Ms. Mathis’s removal as a deliberate act of political intimidation — and a cynical attempt to end run the law.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2011.
She’s been doing that since she was voted in. Her agenda has caused an upheaval in our state from one issue to the next. We need someone that has OUR best interests at heart, not hers!! I believe she already knows that her re-election is out of the question.
Coming from a state that voted for a carpetbagger for their u.s. senate
Is chongator talking about Arizona or New York?
Sounds like a description of Obama’s way of doing business … “a deliberate act of political intimidation — and a cynical attempt to end run the law.”
Re: “New York Times on AZ Redistricting: Voters “Should Score Ms. Mathis’ Removal as a Deliberate Act of Political Intimidation””
Has anyone noticed that one of the districts runs from the Utah/Arizona border to the Arizona/Mexico border yet you can’t drive from one end to the other (more than 450 miles) within the district? In fact you can’t do it without passing through at least two (2) other districts. Has anyone noticed that, all meetings of the board were, by directive, to be open; yet Ms. Mathis aranged that meetings were held behind closed doors? Has anyone noticed that, the firm chosen by Mathis (et al) to collect information/map out the redistricting, did not have the lowest bid for the job, did not follow state aproved guidelines, and is the same company which collected information and mapped out the campaign for Obama? This redistricting was to be a nonpartisan affair, Mathis chose to ignore the requirments of the task as given. Jan Brewer noticed. The New York Times may know as much about Gerrymandering as the Boston Times, but it is evident it doesn’t know squat about Arizona, re, its views on SB 1070 and the whole set of border problems.
It’s a pure and simple case of Republicans hijacking the will of the electorate to help keep their flawed agenda in power. Her lackey Tom Horne will lap up Brewer’s drivel because he wants to be the next Governor. They should stick with issues they understand like gutting the educational system in the state or eliminating healthcare for children. That’s the direction they want to go.
Does anyone really care what New York thinks?
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, all of California, the Democratics get to rig elections year after year. The 3 Democratics(don’t tell me one was independent-what a joke) have come up with a gerrymandered map that careful dilutes conservative areas and maximizes liberal areas. This is exactly what the law was supposed to stop. Instead, like usual, Democratics have found a way to usurp the law and then cry when stopped. There was serious abuse of power and it has all come from the end-around by the 3 Democratics trying to hijack an election through district rigging.
If this is on the up and up, why not follow the appropriate procedures for challenging members. Those procedures were established when the process was set up, so how can this removal be valid? I don’t believe an acceptable reason is that you don’t think you are going to like the final result.
You really consider it newsworthy to quote a Republican-hating staff writer from New York who wants to decide for us what is right for our state? It is typical of the narcissistic Times that they feel they should dictate to the entire country. Just for fun, wouldn’t it be interesting if you would ever quote someone who is not speaking from a liberal agenda? For starters, why not review the many gushing compliments that Pres. Obama bestowed on fellow Democrat and campaign contributor Jon Corzine in 2009 before Corzine destroyed MF Global through bad gambles with investor money and fraud.
Nope, it doesn’t much matter what the New York Times reports or editorializes about Arizona. However, facts do matter.
The fact at issue here is that WHILE Brewer’s action, and concurrence by the state senate, APPEAR ON THE SURFACE to be legal, there is adequate case law to demonstrate it was NOT legal.
The amended petition for special action filed on Friday by the AIRC sets forth some of that case law.
The bottom line? Brewer acted arbitrarily and capriciously. The fact that she could not answer for herself when asked on multiple occasions subsequent to the illegal removal of Mathis from the IRC is further evidence she did not give adequate thought to the situation.
Further, Republican members of the legislature have apparently been telling people that Ben Quayle’s mommy intervened with Brewer for him, providing the Last Straw.
Brewer is well versed in subverting the will of the voters by any means. Her corporate masters have an army of lawyers who know it’s a numbers game. The damage is done long before it’s sorted out by the courts. While she uses the letter of the law to pervert the spirit, the legislature is busy doing away with any pretense of democracy. It’s what happens when the stupid and the evil are elected to public office. Soon, they won’t even bother lying to us, anymore.