Brewer: No more debates - period

PHOENIX - Arizona voters won’t be seeing any more debates between the top gubernatorial contenders.

Incumbent Republican Jan Brewer said Thursday she has no intention of participating in any more events with Democrat Terry Goddard. She said the only reason she debated him on Wednesday is she had to to qualify for more than $1.7 million in public funds for her campaign.

“I certainly will take my message in a different venue out to the people of Arizona,” she said.

Brewer said she has been in elective office for 28 years, and Goddard has held office for nearly that long. “I think it’s pretty defined what he stands for and what I stand for.”

Anyway, Brewer said, she believes the debates help Goddard more than they benefit her.

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Brewer: No more debates - period

No MORE debates? Shoot, here in Texas we’d just like to see the Governor and his opposition in the same room. That would be a REAL happening.

“Why would I want to give Terry a chance to redefine himself?” she said.

Brewer conceded that her performance in Wednesday’s debate, and her refusal to answer a question from reporters afterward, was not well-handled. That includes an opening statement when she lost her train of thought and went silent, and walking away after the event rather than answering questions about her prior statements about headless bodies in the desert.

Ya know, I like the GUTS I have seen Jan Brewer exhibit recently. Standing against the Feds and signing AZ SB 1070 into law was a great move, and a lot of people hold her in high regard for that action. I am one of those people. So, don’t think I’m going to blast Brewer for this less than stellar debate, because I’m not. But to NOT debate in the future is just silly.

Here’s a thought for Brewer and her campaign staff to ponder, if you’re going to debate, prepare yourself for all eventualities. Past that, be ready to think, and ACT on your feet. If that’s the best Brewer has in the debate department, I don’t know how she got elected in the 1st place.

Brewer blamed part of her post-debate activities on her gaffe in her opening statement. The governor also said she presumed reporters would want to talk to her about some of the issues raised during the hour-long, televised debate.

“All you guys were doing and talking were beheadings, beheadings, beheadings,” the governor said. “That is something that has stuck with you all for so long, and I just felt we needed to move on.”

As I said, I believe Jan Brewer to be a gutsy lady, but I have to wonder about her ability to lead from the front. You don’t make a rash statement about beheadings without having some hard and irrefutable facts to back your words. How can she possibly even think that the media wouldn’t be all over her for it?

And her opponent? Why…he’d be a fool if he didn’t use it!

Goddard responded that it is actually Brewer scaring off tourists with comments about headless bodies being found in the desert, for which there is no supporting evidence.

Brewer insisted later that she has been misquoted. “I never said ‘Arizona,’ and it’s unfortunate that it was construed as ‘Arizona.’ “

No, what’s unfortunate Gov. Brewer is the fact that YOU said ‘desert’, and not MEXICAN desert. Words have consequences, and the wrong words can follow you forever. I know that for a fact.

Goddard, in a prepared statement, did not agree with Brewer’s decision to avoid future debates.

“It is our responsibility to give Arizonans clear information that will allow them to exercise their fundamental right to make an informed decision about who should lead our state into the future,” his statement said. “Arizonans deserve more than a single discussion of the issues we face.”

Avoid future debates…

At least Arizona HAD a debate. It may not have gone well, but they had a debate anyway. That’s a lot more than I can say for Texas and OUR Governor. Just sayin’… Happy Trails!