Ariz. Governor Jan Brewer’s Really Bad Photo Op
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was on hand to greet President Obama when he landed at the airport in Phoenix today, then things just went badly:
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer traded words with President Obama after she greeted him at a Phoenix airport Wednesday.
Brewer and Obama “spoke intensely for a few minutes” after he landed at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, according to a White House pool report. At one point, the GOP governor shook her finger at the president.
“He was a little disturbed about my book,” Brewer told a reporter after the incident, referring to her political memoir, “Scorpions for Breakfast.” In the book, Brewer depicted Obama as “patronizing” during an earlier meeting.
“I said to him that I have all the respect in the world for the office of the president,” Brewer said. “The book is what the book is. I asked him if he read the book. He said he read the excerpt. So.”
Brewer said Obama told her “that he didn’t feel I had treated him cordially.”
“I said I was sorry he felt that way but I didn’t get my sentence finished,” Brewer said. “Anyway, we’re glad he’s here. I’ll regroup.”
(…)
During Wednesday’s encounter, Brewer handed Obama a handwritten letter asking him to sit down with her to discuss the “Arizona comeback.”
“I thought we probably would’ve talked about the things that were important to him and important to me, helping one another,” Brewer said of a potential meeting with the president. “Our country is upside down. Arizona was upside down. But we have turned it around. I know again that he loves this country and I love this country.”
More from Politico:
The pool reporter, POLITICO’s Carrie Budoff Brown, said the scene was far from the norm. Aside from the pointing, they appeared to talk over each other and he appeared to walk away from her while they were still talking.
Brewer said the president brought up the book.
“I thought we probably would’ve talked about the things that were important to him and important to me, helping one another,” she said, appearing flustered. “Our country is upside down. Arizona was upside down. But we have turned it around. I know again that he loves this country and I love this country.”
Regardless of what words the two actually exchanged, though, there’s just no way you’re going to come off looking good when the White House Pool Photographer takes a picture of you pointing your finger at the President of the United States.
Photo via Associated Press
About Doug Mataconis
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
24 
59
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
13 
35
This will do wonders boosting Brewer’s popularity with the 27%ers like Duane.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
28 
7
@Duane @ All American Blogger: “He needs a few fingers in his face. ”
I don’t know…..I’ve tried the “wagging fingers in people’s face” thing and rather than achieving my goals, it usually gets me kicked out or the police called. Strangely, when you’re an adult, other people actually expect you to act like one. Why is that? It’s so unfair….
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
55 
4
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
13 
42
Mantis’s elitism
Heh, I’m just a bug.
Hot debate. What do you think?
17 
4
I don’t know guys but I expect elected officials to act like adults at official occasions, and a Governor greeting the President upon arrival is an official, as opposed to a political, occasion. Brewer has had a short fuse with Obama from the start. Wait to see how she reacts when SCOTUS strikes her immigration law down.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
44 
9
Without knowing exactly how the original meeting went, how could we possibly judge who’s in the right here? I certainly can’t. Or should I just use the old standby and judge them by the letter after their names?
Hot debate. What do you think?
8 
17
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
12 
48
The pointed finger and the the obviously open, yelling mouth. I don’t care if Obama provoked it (which I doubt), a professional politician never does that sort of thing in front of cameras. Actually, a professional politician in high office never does that to the President. Disagree, yes. Be mad, sure. Blow your top as it looks in this picture, no way.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
41 
7
@RalfW:
That is exactly my point. Context is irrelevant. Of course, the Limbaugh/Gingrich wing of the GOP will love this crap
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
36 
8
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
6 
36
Wow. The Jan Brewer nuts swarm faster than Paulbots.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
31 
6
This will make Brewer a rock star amongst the wingnuts. That’s great for her. Look what popularity amongst the wingnuts has done for Palin and Crazy-eyes.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
28 
7
Brewer should be careful…Obama might sic Seal Team Six on her wrinkly old arse.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
10 
8
Seems to me that Duane and Andy have the best of it. Regardless of the decorum with which one believes the President should be treated (and on that totally irrelevant point I totally agree with Doug), and regardless of one’s desire to heap scorn on that oh-so-dumb Republican base, I can’t see how this can be spun as a bad photo op for Brewer. The people who will be offended by it are by-and-large the kind of folks who already hated her, the kind of folks who voted for her will love it, and insofar as there seems to be more of the latter than the former in Arizona, I’d say she’ll do pretty well from this. This plays great to the folks she’s pitching to, which seems to make it a win for her even if you think it’s stupid, she’s stupid, and her supporters are stupid.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
9 
10
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
10 
36
Imagine Duane Andy and Miscreant if Pelosi had gotten all up in Bush’s grill.
Remember when Conservative was more than talk radio buffoons?
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
25 
7
Hey, who let all these kids in here?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
14 
1
@Simon: It will help her locally in Arizona. But coming off the heels of the SOTU last night and the tenor of GOP debates, she’s playing into the national frame that the GOP is rather rabid, the Prez is calm and collected.
Maybe I’m being too meta. Maybe not that many people will hear about this. It does seem that if Gov. Jennifer Granholm had managed this photo-op with President Bush in Michigan in, say 2006, the 27%-ers would’ve going ape-$#!t.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
24 
3
Miscreant….
“…lashing out at Supreme Court justices at a previous SOTU…”
Actually he correctly predicted the result of Citizens United…which we are seeing today in the Republican Primaries. Maybe you should look up “lashing”…you don’t seem to understand the correct usage.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
24 
5
@Hey Norm: I was too busy laughing at Miscreant’s list of petty grievances to bother responding. Besides, Miscreant seems to be under the impression that Doug is some kind of faux-moderate.
Libertarianism is the new fake moderation, I guess?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
11 
5
I always wonder why Republicans get off on being such insufferable @$$#oles. This picture elaborates on this phenomenon.
Why should Obama met with her privately when she lied about it the first time? And then when he brings this up she puts his finger in his face? If my 7 year old nephew did that I would reprimand him. She’s a grown woman. Really?
I guess the fact that she was rude to the President means she’s a great patriot tho. Thomas Jefferson would be proud, I suppose.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
30 
10
More of Obama’s political equals treating him like he is a king, right James and Doug?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
8 
11
@Hey Norm:
“Maybe you should look up “lashing”…you don’t seem to understand the correct usage.”
Nice try.
Going off on SCOTUS justices for supposedly getting the case wrong- which even the NY Times had to admit Obama was factually mistaken in parts, in doing so- at a forum in which those accused had no opportunity to defend themselves is indeed “lashing out”. And extremely unpresidential.
Hot debate. What do you think?
10 
23
@Miscreant: Nice misdirection you got there, Mis.
Obama was right and that’s why Alito and Scalia couldn’t find their way to the Capitol yesterday evening. Or perhaps Roberts told them — like children — if they couldn’t behave, don’t come.
Either way, the three of them, Alito, Scalia and Thomas, look like kids that can’t control themselves.
Which gets us back to Brewer. She couldn’t act like an adult either.
They all think they are better than the president. James thinks differently. As does Doug. These people don’t see the president as their equal. They see themselves as better than him.
Just like you do Mis.
Hot debate. What do you think?
26 
12
Ralf, that’s kind of my point. ;) You say that “[i]t will help her locally in Arizona”–well, she’s the governor of Arizona. If she runs for anything again, she’s either going to seek reelection to that position, or to another statewide office in Arizona, or perhaps Congress, so if this photo helps her in Arizona, it’s hard to see how it can be called a bad photo op. If a photo op plays well to the people whose opinions matter in her ball game, it’s a good photo op no matter how much it makes me and Doug roll our eyes from a thousand miles, and no matter how much it entrenches the left’s view of her as a bad person.
If your point’s that it reflects on the party at large, well, if moderate independents don’t agree that Obama deserves this kind of public spanking, we’ve already lost. The GOP wins this year if moderates are sick of Obama and we nominate a candidate who doesn’t scare the hell out of them. The first part’s not under our control, so we’d better hope that moderate independents look at this kind of picture and disagree with Doug’s (quite correct) sense of decorum.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
9 
1
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
11 
37
@Michelle:
Actually, Scalia hasn’t gone to one in 10 or 11 years. So you can’t really lump him with the others in your reasoning in that comment. Pretty sure his reasons for not attending are purely his own.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
1
You Republicans are so mean spirited and disrespectful. Go to Hell!
Hot debate. What do you think?
12 
10
@Michelle:
“Obama was right and that’s why…”
That’s some pretty impressive reasoning ability you have there, Michelle…
Helpful or Unhelpful:
3 
8
@OldSouth: You guys are killing me here, my eyes are watering. So finger-wagging will bring him down a notch, eh? And if that doesn’t work, I expect you’ll break out the “talk to the hand” next … that’ll really teach ‘em! LOL!
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
28 
5
I would say that Brewer embarrassed the state of Arizona today, but she does that pretty much every day.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
23 
6
@Simon: If a photo op plays well to the people whose opinions matter in her ball game, it’s a good photo op
And my point is that to the people who’s opinion matters in a national election later this year, this photo op plays well for Obama by making a visible and already divisive Republican look more so….
Helpful or Unhelpful:
8 
3
@OldSouth: Barry doesn’t brook anyone who disagrees with himself about anything, anytime, anywhere.
Any you know this because?
Hot debate. What do you think?
14 
6
Is Brewer your governor? No, then why should you care? Adults? Like those stoic Japanese politicians that get in fistfights?
This “incident” (if it even merits that term) will be forgotten in a week to be replaced by some equally meaningless “outrage.”
Helpful or Unhelpful:
5 
7
Video of the exchange:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1LLalrQcWo
Worth noting the President doesn’t appear particularly animated & he’s still smiling as he as he greets the next member of the greeting delegation.
It seems very possible that the President wasn’t at all bothered by the exchange & perhaps Gov. Brewer wasn’t either, but once that symbolic pool photo was released her team decided to exploit the situation. She spoke about it to the local press, then to Right-Wing radio stations, then to Gretta on her Fox show and I just saw her on CNN doing some sort of press avail on it. At each step of the way the story of the exchange grows in how properly she behaved and how she was really the aggrieved party.
She’s milking the whole thing like a pro.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
13 
3
@Andy:
You’re gonna hang your hat on that? You can only criticize government officials from your own state? Seriously, even you don’t believe that. Let’s look at the very next thing you wrote.
Do you live in Japan? No, then why should you care?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
14 
3
@Hey Norm: Actually he correctly predicted the result of Citizens United…which we are seeing today in the Republican Primaries.
Let’s go to the tape, shall we? Obama to the Supreme Court:
Hot debate. What do you think?
7 
17
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
9 
27
Fake news at its finest.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
3 
4
Oh boy, now the right has a new hero. Maybe they’ll run her for VP. Actually, what she’s saying in this shot is “pull my finger.”
Hot debate. What do you think?
17 
6
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
8 
26
@Kitty Wilberforce:
She’s not starbursty enough to be the VP nominee.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
11 
3
@ Jenos….
It’s been pretty well documented that the US Camber of Commerce is laundering foreign campaign contributions.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
9 
2
@Hey Norm: A few points:
1) If they were “laundering,” then the Citizens United decision had absolutely no effect on the process. Obama said CU made it legal for foreign corporations to spend on US campaigns, so there would be no need for “laundering.”
2) The US Chamber has thoroughly and utterly debunked that lie.
3) Since the Citizens United case specifically did NOT change the law regarding foreign contributions (they’re still illegal), one would expect the Obama Justice Department to thoroughly investigate the Chamber for breaking the law. Or, if they’re too busy giving guns to Mexican drug cartels, then for other people to give names of foreign corporations who are trying to influence our elections. With so many people so highly motivated to prove that it’s happening, I take the fact that no such specifics have come out as pretty compelling circumstantial evidence that it isn’t happening.
And even if it did, they’d have a ready-made defense: President Obama himself proclaimed that it was legal.
It’s not, of course, and such a defense would be legally suicidal, but it would be tremendously satisfying to hear it said.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
6 
6
@Duane @ All American Blogger: What did you get in your eye again?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
0
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
6 
29
@ Jenos…
Thank you for making my argument for me.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
6 
1
@Bob:
January 20, 2017.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
16 
2
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
27
Holy cow, good to see that OTB is as much of a joke as ever. Way to go, Doug — your constant cries for greater sensitivity will be remembered through the ages for sure!
Helpful or Unhelpful:
5 
13
Hey Norm says:
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 22:22
Brewer should be careful…Obama might sic Seal Team Six on her wrinkly old arse.
More threats from the lunatic h8r
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
14
Ralf,
Mantis’ comment above illustrates the problem. He’s really incensed by this incident—you know, boy, it just makes him steamed. She’s embarassing his state! But then, without even pausing for a period or semicolon, Mantis tips his hand: “but she does that pretty much every day.” Okay. So Mantis alrady disliked her. And so far as I can tell, the fokls above who approve? They already liked her and/or thought the President needed a telling off. Have you encountered anyone whose reaction to this picure didn’t line up with their previous views of Brewer and/or Obama?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
3 
1
“Since the Citizens United case specifically did NOT change the law regarding foreign contributions (they’re still illegal),”
That´s not the point. The point is about American Subsidiaries of Foreign Campaings contributing to SuperPACs. The Brazilian government can use Petrobras America Inc. to attack a candidate that they don´t like(In fact, Hugo Chavez can do the same thing using Citgo).
Helpful or Unhelpful:
9 
0
As she said..she has all the respect in the world for the “office of the president,” just not this particular President. The best way to get a persons cooperation or agreement or help is to berate them in public and wag a finger in their face while they are a guest in your state.
Boner, Brewer, Cantor, Mitch McConnell …that whole GOP bunch do not disguise in any way how they feel about this man of color as President. They want to put him in his place and President is not it…maybe gardener or bellhop or chauffeur, but not President.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
13 
4
Bandit…Isn’t there some dog poo on the ground you should be rolling around in?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
4 
1
I think it’s funny. I expect Obama thinks its funny. Maybe that’s patronizing of us. ;-)
Helpful or Unhelpful:
5 
2
Maybe she is just freaked out about all those bodies of beheaded Americans buried in the desert.
Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:
17 
1
@ John…
Obama is smiling as he walks away if you watch the video.
I can’t imagine him getting too worked up over Brewer. I imagine at this point in his life he is able to ignore bigots.
Hot debate. What do you think?
14 
6
The Republican screamer base will love stunting like this. Otherwise it’s completely disastrous for Brewer (who looks and sounds like a bit of a harridan) and for the Republican image.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
12 
7
@Bob:
Bob and co prove my point about the Republican screamer base. What else is there to say?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
10 
4
Brewer has a 68% disapproval with Hispanics. Bet you $10,000 the Obama Campaign is loving that picture a whole lot more than even the wingnuts right now.
Meep f’ing Meep.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
12 
4
@Doug Mataconis: I agree with you, I am apalled at the disrespect being shown to our President, especially from people in authority who should be giving a good example to others I dont know if the govrnor was there officially to meet the arriving presidentbut whether or not she was respect should be shown. if you dont show respect for your President then you cant have respect vfor the constitution, or the Star Spangled banner for that matter. I am truly disgusted about this episode.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
7 
3
I am disgusted at how people are disrepecting our President
Helpful or Unhelpful:
7 
2
Unless Obama was actually sexual harrassing her or taunting her about dead relatives there is absolutely no excuse to be wagging your finger in anger at the President of the US. At the absolute heated peaks of hatred towards Bush from the Iraq War, you would NEVER hear Democratic officials interupt Bush’s State of the Union shouting he lies, or wagging their fingers in his face on a tarmac. Same thing with Clinton in the 90′s during his lows. There was always a line that was understood, with a respect for the office and title of President. I’m not exactly sure what makes Obama so different to draw so much outward hatred from Repub officials he’s not a blowhard or aggressive. But whatever it is about Obama that brings out such viciousness from elected officials, it needs to stop. He won the Presidency just like Republican Presidents and deserves the respect of one.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
15 
3
@ Voltron…
Have you noticed that he is not a caucasion?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
7 
4
@All-American Voltron:
“At the absolute heated peaks of hatred towards Bush from the Iraq War, you would NEVER hear Democratic officials interupt Bush’s State of the Union… There was always a line that was understood, with a respect for the office and title of President.”
Oops!…:
“Flashback: Democrats Boo Bush At 2005 State Of The Union”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/09/10/flashback_democrats_boo_bush_at_2005_state_of_the_union.html
Helpful or Unhelpful:
3 
2
Miscreant…
Booing is different from screaming out “You Lie” as Joe Wilson did.
Nice reach though.
Keep trying.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
6 
3
@lou91940: The disrespectful actions of her and many of her Republican colleagues display a pretty consistent and clear sentiment: You may be President, but you’re still a ******”
Helpful or Unhelpful:
3 
4
@Miscreant: are you kidding me? booing? there is a huge difference. and how often did that actually happen? Every SOTU address so far, there’s been some sort of verbal heckling. Even this past one, but no one seized on it but it was clear if you watched the entire broadcast. If a white guy is the next President and people constantly interupt him, accuse him of being a secret terrorist, wag their fingers in his face, and say he doesn’t have the “right” to be President, than you are all exempt, as this is just the newest trend. But until that day comes you’d all best keep your disagreements to the President in more traditional methods.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
5 
2
@Hey Norm:
That’s the best you can come up with? Lame.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
7
The viciousness is from years and years of Fox, Limbaugh, etc. spinning the right into a frothy hate machine. Race is a factor, but I think Obama’s main crime is the (D) after his name. That makes him the enemy.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
8 
3
@All-American Voltron:
“@Miscreant: are you kidding me? booing? there is a huge difference…”
There is a huge difference… only because you say there is a huge difference.
You set up this phony sanctimonious argument about showing respect towards a president… and then you move the goalposts when I point out that the Democrats did something that wasn’t very respectful towards a Republican president.
Who gets to determine then when that “line is crossed”? Well, you do! If a Republican does something- anything- regardless of the context (maybe Obama really was being rude with Brewer… but hey, who cares?- she’s a Republican!) then it’s all their fault. If a Democrat did the exact same thing, then he or she is automatically blameless. Why? Because you said so.
Congratulations! You’ve “won” the argument. Now go make yourself useful and rescue some abandoned babies or rape victims at #OWS…
Helpful or Unhelpful:
5 
12
Interesting that this thread produces a particularly long list of partisan shouters defending grotesquely bad behavior. Even Doug who is a partisan conservative gets it that this is over the line. What is wrong with these people? Politically at its lowest level this photo is gold for Obama both nationally and particularly in AZ which is a swing state and where this womans disapprovals among hispanics is in the stratosphere and across all voters is around 58%.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
9 
3
@ mis·cre·ant /ˈmɪskriənt/ [mis-kree-uhnt] adjective,
1. depraved, villainous, or base.
Clapping shows approval…Booing shows disapproval. They are two sides of the same coin.
Calling someone a liar is an accusation. It’s a charge of wrong-doing. It’s completely different, and in fact there is a huge difference between the two…whether you are capable of understanding basics of the English language or not.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
6 
2
Wow, that Real American Jan Brewer sure put the Kenyan Marxist Muslin [sic] Non-American Barry Soetoro in his place, just like Speaker Gingrich did to that Juan Williams.
Gingrich-Brewer 2012!
Helpful or Unhelpful:
7 
3
@Hey Norm:
“whether you are capable of understanding basics of the English language or not.”
The other commenter’s point was that Democrats were always respectful to Bush at State of the Unions I pointed out that booing was disrespectful.
You might want to look up the word “respect” in your dictionary- that is, after you wipe your drool off of it.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
3 
7
@ Miscreant…
STFU already.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
3 
4
I’m trying to remember the last time either side showed the office of the president the respect it deserved…
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
0
@Hey Norm:
“STFU already.”
I don’t think the OTB civility blogger is going to be very happy with that kind of language there, Norman.
Calm down. Take a deep breath. Remove your hands from your child’s throat, and put your belt back on. Everything’s going to be okay.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
6
And thus Miscreant moves the goal posts.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
3
I am sure he deserved it… www.ThePointingFinger.com
Helpful or Unhelpful:
1 
1
http://news.yahoo.com/low-iq-conservative-beliefs-linked-prejudice-180403506.html
Mind you J. S. Mill figured this out 150 years ago.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
1 
0
Maybe Governor Brewer was just explaining to President Obama that she did not have sexual relations with that woman.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
0 
0
@ Septimius
I see conservatives are still mad because Clinton can get women without having to give them a 500K line of credit at Tiffany’s.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
2 
2
@anjin-san: Yep. All Clinton had to do was grope them, or drop his pants and tell them to kiss it, or (if you believe Juanita Broaddrick) rape them. Yeah, Bill Clinton is a real ladies man.
Helpful or Unhelpful:
1 
2
Who has respect for the national anthem? Watched anyone perform it before an NFL game recently?
Helpful or Unhelpful:
0 
0