BREWER BEATS BACK BIRTHERS…. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) is a favorite of the far-right, which made her veto last night of a ridiculous “birther” bill a pleasant surprise.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a controversial ‘birther’ bill on Monday night that would have required presidential candidates to submit a long-form birth certificate in order to be on the ballot.
Approved in the state legislature last Thursday, the bill called for candidates to produce two or more qualifying documents in the absence of a long-form birth certificate, which include a “hospital birth record, early baptismal certificate, circumcision certificate, early census record or postpartum medical record signed by whoever delivered the child,” the Arizona Republic reported. […]
Brewer, notorious for being a hard-line conservative, shot down the bill on Monday as going “too far” even for the red state.
“I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for President of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their ‘early baptismal or circumcision certificates,’” Brewer explained in a written statement. “This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona.”
The proposal appeared to be crafted with one individual, President Obama, in mind. Republican state lawmakers intended to create a standard that exceeded any legal requirements anywhere else — it would even have made Americans born in Arizona after 1966 ineligible — for the express purpose of trying to keep an incumbent president off the state ballot.
As conservative as Brewer is, she wisely recognized this as “a bridge too far.” Credit where credit is due — even far-right Republican governors are occasionally capable of rejecting needless and pointless extremism.
The next question is whether the veto will stick. Both chambers of Arizona’s legislature have large Republican majorities, with GOP members outnumbering Democrats by a two-to-one margin, and with very few moderates. If unhinged Republican lawmakers are determined enough, they could override the veto of their own party’s governor.
As of last night, that appeared unlikely, and Brewer’s rejection of the conspiracy-theory-inspired bill ends the debate in Arizona. Still, it’s one more thing to keep an eye on.
