Real Purpose of Dust-up With Gov Brewer

[JG55]

[h=1]In Airport Run-In, Democrats See Help for Obama Among Hispanics[/h] [h=6]By HELENE COOPER[/h] [h=6]Published: January 26, 2012[/h]

AURORA, Colo. — Democrats see the chance that President Obama’s heated exchange with Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona on the airport tarmac in Phoenix could help him with the Hispanic voters he came West to court this week.

The run-in, captured in a photograph of the governor wagging a finger at the president as they discussed her book, “Scorpions for Breakfast,†lit up Hispanic radio stations and blogs all over the state. While it is difficult to judge whether the moment will have any lasting impact, Hispanic leaders said that what is being dubbed by some as the “dustup in the desert†could play in the president’s favor given the unfavorable view many Hispanics have of the governor for her advocacy of tough immigration measures.

“For that incident alone,†Robert Meza, a Democratic state senator from Phoenix, said Thursday, “85 percent more Latin people will gravitate toward the president.â€

Republicans saw the incident in another light. Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, told the show “Imus in the Morning†on Fox Business Network that Ms. Brewer had “very legitimate†concerns about the state’s border and that her tarmac exchange with Mr. Obama was another display of the president’s “prickly personality.â€

Appearing on Fox News on Thursday, Ms. Brewer said Mr. Obama had walked off while she was still talking. “You know me, when I talk, I am animated and I talk with my hands,†she said, explaining her finger-wagging. “I suppose that the picture was probably shot when I was moving my hands around.â€

In an interview with ABC News that was broadcast Thursday, Mr. Obama said the conflict was being blown out of proportion.

“I’m usually accused of not being intense enough, right?†he said, laughing. “Too relaxed.â€

The book, in which Ms. Brewer takes the federal government to task for what she calls lax enforcement of immigration laws, is, like Ms. Brewer herself, unpopular among Latinos, particularly in Arizona, a state Mr. Obama is hoping to put in play this election year.

The president, for his part, was doing all he could to build his standing among voters in this potentially crucial bloc. While his five-state tour is ostensibly meant to roll out the tax, manufacturing, energy, education and jobs proposals he unveiled in his State of the Union address this week, the White House made sure that three of the states on the high-profile itinerary were swing states where the Hispanic vote will be crucial.

Besides Arizona, the president traveled to Nevada, visiting a UPS plant on Thursday to talk about energy proposals, before heading to Colorado to give another speech. He took along with him Luis Miranda, his director of Hispanic media.

And he gave interviews to two Spanish-language television networks on the trip, one to Telemundo on Thursday in Las Vegas and one on Wednesday to Univision, which has increasingly been influencing the view of national politics among Hispanics.

During Mr. Obama’s Univision interview, the anchor Maria Elena Salinas pressed the president on one of the few potential sore spots that could hurt his chances of winning large numbers of Hispanic voters: the record numbers of deportations since he took office.

“Over 1.2 million people have been deported under your administration,†Ms. Salinas said. “More families separated under your administration than any other president. You couldn’t do anything administratively for this?â€

Mr. Obama sought to turn the question around to reflect his other efforts on behalf of immigrants, particularly those with no criminal background.

“That’s the law that’s on the books right now,†he said, quickly adding: “What we have systematically done, is to use our administrative authority to prioritize and say, Let’s not focus on Dream Act kids. Let’s not focus on a law-abiding family that is out there trying to, you know, make their way. Let’s focus on folks who are engaged in criminal activity.â€

While Mr. Obama acknowledged during the Univision interview that his Spanish is not very good, he still managed to delight the crowd during his speech in Chandler, Ariz. One man yelled, “Barack es mi hermano!†which means “Barack is my brother.†Mr. Obama shouted back: “Mi hermano, mucho gusto,†for “My brother, good to meet you.â€

As the Republican presidential candidates battle it out in Florida for Latino voters, Mr. Obama’s Spanish-language outreach has been under way in other critical states, where his backers have been running Spanish-language advertisements. Seeking an edge in the Florida presidential primary, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have broadcast Spanish-language commercials in that state, and both men also gave interviews to Univision this week.

Publicly, the White House treated the confrontation with Ms. Brewer with a scripted, and bland, retelling. “Political theater,†the White House spokesman, Jay Carney, told reporters aboard Air Force One to Denver.

But privately, one administration official, when asked on Thursday about the Wednesday confrontation, offered: “Let’s just say I don’t think yesterday was a bad day.â€

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/us/politics/in-airport-run-in-democrats-see-help-for-obama-among-hispanics.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[daddyo]

OK, so "Hispanic leaders", whoever they are, are in favor of breaking US immigration laws. Got it.

[leroy]

Thanks for posting this article. There is no doubt that it is being spun by the demorats as a battle between "kindness and reasonability toward latinos" vs the "mean spirited imperialistic anglos" in arizona. Arizona has some interesting problems that we simply dont see here, and i believe Jan Brewer is doing a great job with them against some pretty serious opposition from the federal gubment. I'm with her, i think there ought to be lots more straight talk and finger pointing; it tends to clear the air a bit. I say, keep up the good work Jan!

leroy

[mcurrier]

Mr & Mrs Cranky Pants

An article about Obama and his bitter half -

Mr. and Mrs. Cranky Pants (OneNewsNow.com)

[mikegideon]

Either that, or she badmouthed Obama in her book, and it pissed him off. Either way, we probably won't get the real story.

[Raoul]

Her finger will benefit Obmama. Like her or not, she's a bit of a loose cannon.

[mikegideon]

Yeah. I tend to act just like Obama did when somebody menstruates all over my clean clothes.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Either that, or she badmouthed Obama in her book, and it pissed him off. Either way, we probably won't get the real story.

That's part of what she said in an interview on Fox on Hannity or Greta. Fell

asleep with the TV on again.

[kieefer]

Her finger will benefit Obmama. Like her or not, she's a bit of a loose cannon.

Well, for now it's benefiting her and her book sales.

[mikegideon]

Well, for now it's benefiting her and her book sales.

Yep

[Links2k]

OK, so "Hispanic leaders", whoever they are, are in favor of breaking US immigration laws. Got it.

+1 I believe that the Hispanic and black leaders are the same nonexistent people. Another thing. Why don't the Asian leaders ever get blamed for anyhing? They must be really sneaky and corrupt. They never get caught or blamed for anything.

[MattCary]

+1 I believe that the Hispanic and black leaders are the same nonexistent people. Another thing. Why don't the Asian leaders ever get blamed for anyhing? They must be really sneaky and corrupt. They never get caught or blamed for anything.

Interesting... wonder what the "White Leaders" think?

Oh. Right. *That* would be racist.

[leroy]

+1 I believe that the Hispanic and black leaders are the same nonexistent people. Another thing. Why don't the Asian leaders ever get blamed for anyhing? They must be really sneaky and corrupt. They never get caught or blamed for anything.

They (...the Asian leaders...) are too busy workin, mining their business, and bein productive man!! That's why they dont cause any trouble. The job of the "black and hispanic" leaders dont work. Therefore they can devote their full energies to opening their traps to say stupid things.

leroy

[Links2k]

Who are the black and hispanic leaders? Matter of fact, who are the white and Asian leaders? None of them seem to have been doing a very good job the last twenty years. We need a refund because we are not getting a good return on our investment.

[Links2k]

They (...the Asian leaders...) are too busy workin, mining their business, and bein productive man!! That's why they dont cause any trouble. The job of the "black and hispanic" leaders dont work. Therefore they can devote their full energies to opening their traps to say stupid things.

leroy

Wow, thats a broad brush that you are using there. Sort of like the ignorant thinking that ALL whites are racist. My point is that there are no white, black, hispanic or asian leaders unless you are saying that every preacher of any color becomes a representative of that race when they get on tv giving their opinion.

[hornett22]

I'd like to see a loose cannon like her in this state. Instead of the douchebag governor we have now.

[leroy]

Wow, thats a broad brush that you are using there. Sort of like the ignorant thinking that ALL whites are racist. My point is that there are no white, black, hispanic or asian leaders unless you are saying that every preacher of any color becomes a representative of that race when they get on tv giving their opinion.

Link; i think ya need to lighten up a bit. I said none of those things and do not need to defend against them. I didnt know you wuz nominated as my official conscience. As the great seargent Hulka said in "Stripes":...."...lighten up francis!!...". There aint no "thought police" here (...yet anyway....); and youre out of line tryin to be them.

Hope this clears up any misunderstandin

leroy

[Guest ThePunisher]

Well, for now it's benefiting her and her book sales.

Well, it's finally time that Obama do something to stimulate the economy.

[Guest ThePunisher]

Her finger will benefit Obmama. Like her or not, she's a bit of a loose cannon.

She needed to stick a cannon ball up his a..

[mikegideon]

[Guest ThePunisher]

She had to write Dumbass a dumbed down letter so he would understand it. Ever hear his dumbed down speeches he gives to the State of Union, and to his dumb down audiences on the campaign stump. You still cannot get his college transcripts for public viewing. The powers that produced this Manchurian President didn't realize that he couldn't give a speech without his teleprompter or had an IQ of an idiot. But then again, maybe they knew that is all that would be needed for this dumbed down nation we've got.

Edited January 30, 2012 by ThePunisher

[Guest lostpass]

Well, for now it's benefiting her and her book sales.

Books are a weird thing. If you do a book signing or something you know every time you sign a book it is money in your pocket (been asked but never done one). This kind of press will sell a ton of books so that is a lot of dough. Way better than my biggest score: selling the stuff I wrote at a garage sale for four bucks a copy. That was a four hundred percent increase over the usual royalty.

[K191145]

I'd like to see a loose cannon like her in this state. Instead of the douchebag governor we have now.

++++1

We need more "loose cannons" or radicals. I'm sick of the BOOTLICKERS we have now, not just in this state but some conservative leaders across the nation. One's that wont give in or comprimize, which is just another word for surrender. One's that are more than willing to fillibuster for days if need be to kill socialist legislation, and one's that have the guts to shake a finger at the Presidents face and put him in his place. One's that will tell the Fienstien's, Schumer's, Boxer's, Bloomberg's, Pelosi's, and Clinton's to go have relations with themselves, no bootlicking, no comprimizing, no surrendering.

[K191145]

Jan didn't need a teleprompter to tell Hussien what she thought.

[JG55]

Here's the letter: Taken from Investor's Business Daily

Dear Mr. President,

Welcome to Arizona!

You‘ve arrived in a state at the forefront of America’s recovery — and her future. We were at the brink. We were at the bottom of the list in job creation. Today, we have a balanced budget and we’re in the top 10 for job creation.

I’m proud of that hard-won recovery — the result of many tough decisions, courage and perseverance.

My hope is while you are here you will have a chance to see our tremendous results first hand.

We both love the great country, but we fundamentally disagree on how to best make America grow and prosper once again. I‘d love an opportunity to share with you how we’ve been able to turn Arizona around with hard choices that turned out to be the right ones.

And, of course, my offer to visit the border — and buy lunch — still stands!

With respect,

Jan