Oct 28, 2011
Brewer should answer for secret strategy calls with AZGOP congressmen
News report exposes behind-the-scenes collusion to 'blow up' redistricting process
PHOENIX -- Last night, news broke that Gov. Brewer is holding secret conference calls with Arizona's Republican congressmen to strategize over how to "blow up the IRC." But is anyone surprised?
Claiming to be guardians of Arizona's Constitution, Brewer and the congressmen launched a coordinated assault earlier in October against citizen volunteers on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. But Brewer's descriptions of constitutional problems were quickly exposed as flat-out wrong by The Arizona Republic's AZ Fact Check (Zero Stars/False).
The news of Brewer's secret calls with Republican congressmen proves that their assault on the commission is not about the Constitution, it's about protecting these Republicans' grip on power. Last night, the news was published in the Yellow Sheet Report, a sister publication of the Arizona Capitol Times.
Here's an excerpt (emphasis added):
DELEGATION PLAN: DESTROY, STALL, RE-DRAW
It’s looking increasingly likely that the driving force behind the IRC removal effort was the GOP congressional delegation. In addition to whipping Senate votes for the removal of commissioners, the congressmen had a conference call with Brewer and her staff Tuesday night during which they urged the governor to initiate removal procedures. ... According to Antenori, who said he discussed at length the delegation’s plan with three congressmen who called him in recent days (he wouldn’t say which ones had called), the delegation wanted Brewer to “blow up the IRC” by removing all five members, then stall the replacement process until January. Doing so would allow Brewer to replace six of the 15 appointed members of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. ... Once Brewer made the appointments to the appellate panel, a new IRC could then be constituted and more GOP-friendly lines could then be drawn.
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Luis Heredia, Arizona Democratic Party executive director, gives this response: "Governor Brewer needs to answer for this. She needs to explain to the press and the public why she is colluding with Republican congressmen to disrupt and possibly destroy a voter-approved process. And if you throw in Tom Horne's partisan investigation, we are seeing a Republican abuse of power equal to the days of Andrew Thomas."
