The Arizona Republic’s Robert Robb chides Gov. Jan Brewer and AG Tom Horne:

Inaugural addresses are expected to sound political themes. But they are also supposed to be unifying democratic celebrations. So, there needs to be a bit of grace and art in the way political opponents or predecessors are treated.

Gov. Jan Brewer and freshly inaugurated Attorney General Tom Horne sounded a discordant note today in that regard.

In her inaugural address, Brewer said: “When I took the oath of office two years ago, I took the helm of a marvelous state that had been poorly commanded — badly navigated — and was dead in the water.”

Brewer certainly inherited a state in tough straits. But the extent to which that was the fault of her predecessor, Janet Napolitano, is highly debatable. Napolitano didn’t cause the housing bubble and burst, which was the largest cause of the state’s woes.

In a campaign, blame-games are part of the competition. Inaugural speeches, at their best, point in a common direction beyond them.

Read the rest—including Robb’s slap at Horne—here.

This article appears in Dec 30, 2010 – Jan 5, 2011.

Getting hassled by The Man Mild-mannered reporter

2 replies on “Robb: How Brewer and Horne Blew Their Inaugurals”

  1. Picky, picky! She’s a politician and yes, it was a mess when she took over. She didn’t specify each problem individually, nor should she. Same with Horne. Give them a break, will you?

  2. The AZ far-right wing never really wanted to accept Napolitano in the first place but she was re-elected by a landslide with the help of many Republicans, so the foaming-at-the-mouth far right just had to live with it. Then she took the job in Washington and the knives came out, as did the revisionist history trying to blame her for any and all woes in the state, including the real estate morass, which any reasonable person knows she had nothing to do with. Somehow developers, lenders and realtors (don’t forget to capitalize it and put their little circle-R after the title!) escaped blame. I think Brewer’s address was plainly a swipe at Napolitano. She doesn’t have a lot else to really say, other than that she signed 1070; other than that she’s a one-trick pony that capitalized on one issue and doesn’t have a lot else to say.

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