SALON

Thursday, Jun 6, 2013 3:41 PM UTC

The Tea Party hates Jan Brewer now

"She is George Bush in a skirt!" a top Arizona Republican angrily declares. How it all went downhill so suddenly

By

Topics: Jan Brewer, Tea Party, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Conservative, Arizona, Editor's Picks, George W. Bush,

The Tea Party hates Jan Brewer nowArizona Governor Jan Brewer(Credit: Reuters/Darryl Webb)

In Arizona this week, black is white, up is down, left is right and Gov. Jan Brewer is getting praised by gay Democrats and slammed by Tea Party conservatives.

The governor made a name for herself on Fox News and at national gatherings of conservatives like CPAC as a kind of uber-Tea Partyer, who eats scorpions for breakfast, wags her finger in the president’s face at lunchtime, signs strict anti-immigration bills into law in the afternoon, and gives the Tea Party flag the same legal protections as the Star-Spangled Banner by bedtime.

But this conservative edifice has come crashing down since she announced in her State of the State address this year, to the shock of everyone, that Arizona would accept Obamacare and expand its Medicaid coverage whether her Republican allies in the state liked it or not. Needless to say, they did not like it. But Brewer’s newfound love of Obamacare was so strong that she vowed to veto every single bill the Legislature sent to her office until they caved on Obamacare.

Soon, this one-time darling of the right was getting eviscerated in National Review editorials, yelled at — to her face — by conservative talk radio hosts, and being called “Judas” from the chambers of the state House of Representatives.

But Brewer stood firm. After weeks of standoff and a string of promised vetoes, House Republican leaders threw in the towel Wednesday: Jan Brewer, Tea Party hero, had successfully crammed Obamacare down Arizona Republicans’ throats.

“This is what we get, because we let her get away with this and we never outed her from the beginning. The chickens have come home to roost,” Frank Antenori, who battled Brewer for years when he was the Republican whip in the state Senate, told Salon. Antenori and another former state senator are now working on getting the 86,000 signatures they need to delay implementation of Obamacare and put the Medicaid expansion on the ballot for voters to decide on.

When we reached Antenori yesterday, his frustration was obvious about the national perception of Brewer as some kind of conservative hero, which he blamed on Fox News, launching into a 15-minute tirade about the “so-called Republican.” “She’s a big spending, big government, tax-raising Republican. She is George Bush in a skirt. She loves to spend money,” he said.

While Brewer was carefully crafting a facade as a hardcore Tea Partyer for a national audience, conservatives in Arizona say she was quietly fighting the right flank of her own party on everything from the SB-1070 immigration law to budget issues. But with Obamacare, conservatives feel especially betrayed.

Conservative blogs in the state have started calling it “Obrewercare” and activists rally against the governor whenever she appears publicly. “The image of a strong, finger-waving-at-the-President leader gives way to a portrait of a puppet politician surrendering her state and turning her back on the wishes of her own people,” one popular blogger wrote. Many of the county-level Republican Parties in the state have passed resolutions opposing the governor’s move on healthcare.

“She’s never been a conservative Republican,” Maricopa County Republican Party Chairman A.J. LaFaro told Salon. “We’re really disappointed here. I think she has caused irreparable harm to the Republican Party here in Arizona. There has always been a chasm in the party … but she’s made it worse.”

LaFaro was in the state House chamber when Brewer announced her support for Obamacare in January and said “everyone’s jaws dropped. All the Republicans’ jaws dropped in disbelief and all of the Democrats’ jaws dropped in joy.”

One of the pieces of legislation Brewer vetoed in making good on her promise to stop anything until the Legislature caved was a “religious freedom” bill favored by the Christian right in the state.

“I’m an old friend, and I’ve campaigned with you, so this is not in anger, but in sorrow. I can’t believe you vetoed SB1178, which would have protected the free exercise of religion. What’s going on?” talk radio host Hugh Hewitt asked Brewer Tuesday night, exasperated. Brewer tried to explain herself, but Hewitt wasn’t having it. “I’m just shocked,” he said.

Alex Seitz-Wald

Alex Seitz-Wald is Salon's political reporter. Email him at aseitz-wald@salon.com, and follow him on Twitter @aseitzwald. More Alex Seitz-Wald.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 69 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows