AZ Legislature Republicans criticize their own leadership for pettiness and "gotcha" politics
We've known for some time that the Republican leadership in the Arizona State Legislature is dysfunctional. They have made it a point of sending junk legislation to the Governor time and again - some of which has been simply political posturing for the elections and some of which has been downright unconstitutional.
The result has been Governor Napolitano's breaking the state record in vetoes of bad bills. Some Republicans have tried to make hay out of that, in complete denial about what a damning thing it says about their own inability to legislate well for our state.
Indeed, the dysfunction is so bad among the Republicans in our State Legislature that they have just finished 158 days in session, when they should have finished two months ago. And they STILL have not finalized a state budget to send to the Governor! It's outrageous!
The gross incompetence among the Republicans is now so bad that members of their own party are coming out publicly and castigating them for their ineptitude.
As this article notes:
The result has been Governor Napolitano's breaking the state record in vetoes of bad bills. Some Republicans have tried to make hay out of that, in complete denial about what a damning thing it says about their own inability to legislate well for our state.
Indeed, the dysfunction is so bad among the Republicans in our State Legislature that they have just finished 158 days in session, when they should have finished two months ago. And they STILL have not finalized a state budget to send to the Governor! It's outrageous!
The gross incompetence among the Republicans is now so bad that members of their own party are coming out publicly and castigating them for their ineptitude.
As this article notes:
Some influential Republican lawmakers blasted their party’s leadership this week, saying their failure to rise above petty politics has forced the legislative session to last twice as long as predicted.If the Republicans can't even resolve their OWN internal bickering and pettiness and do their jobs, then probably they should step aside and let someone else do it. Holding Arizona hostage to their ineptitude, immaturity and political posturing is not what they were elected to do.
Sen. Carolyn Allen, a moderate Republican from Scottsdale, said she and many of her colleagues feel they are being held “hostage” by the party’s political posturing during an election year.
“They are dedicated to playing gotcha politics and trying to make (Gov. Janet Napolitano) look bad,” she said. “The feeling is that we’re stuck here because leadership has been unable to deal with a divided government.”
...Sen. Jake Flake, R-Snowflake, said GOP leaders are trying to “get one up on the governor,” but added that the tension between the House and the Senate also has caused major problems.
“This is the strongest friction between the House and the Senate that I’ve ever seen,” he said. Flake has been at the Legislature since 1997 and was the House speaker before moving to the Senate two years ago.
posted by Geo at 9:12 AM
2 Comments:
I think what's at issue here is that the Republican leadership in the Legislature has become SO bad - and so damaging to the state of governance - that even prominent members of the Republicans' OWN party are calling foul on the Republican leadership.
You know it's gone way behind a little political posturing when members of your OWN party are telling you to knock it off! :)
I think it's also pretty telling that Republicans, themselves, are acknowledging that the whole veto flurry by Napolitano has been in large part due to bad Republican legislation. That pretty much destroys the Republican tactic of trying to criticize Napolitano for her vetoes, come election time in November.
*"...way beyond a little political posturing..."
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