WTF, Arizona? Part II

Okay, so Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the immigration law. She's facing a pretty hard primary in August (19 challengers!) from the far right of the Republican Party, which, in Arizona, is just slightly left of Pinochet, so she couldn't afford to look "soft."

She's not the only Arizona Republican under attack from the far right, though. Sen. John McCain, our favorite former maverick (that's right Jim Jackson fans!) and the man responsible for putting Sarah Palin on the national stage, is under attack on his right flank by the whackaloon former congressman J.D. Hayworth. McCain is perceived as "soft" on illegal aliens, simply because he reached out to Democrats in an earlier, failed attempt to reform immigration laws. This Hayworth character, however, is a hardcore supporter of the new immigration law. (AND he thinks the so-called "birther bill" doesn't go far enough!) So, of course, McCain, ever the maverick flip-flopper, is now in favor of harsher immigration laws. He's even saying that it's the Obama administration's fault that Arizona had to -- just HAD TO -- pass this law:

"This law is a response to the president's and the administration's failure to secure our borders," McCain said. "Our borders are broken. It's worse than I have ever seen it."

Oh yeah, and you know how Republicans are always complaining about frivolous lawsuits and the need for tort reform? Well the new immigration law says police departments can be sued if citizens don't think the law's being enforced properly. So Arizona could well see departments leery of lawsuits diverting time and resources from preventing and solving actual crimes in order to comply with this ridiculous law.

But there's at least one law enforcement official in Arizona who's willing to risk a lawsuit. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, whose jurisdiction includes Tuscon, says he doesn't intend to enforce the law, which he calls "racist," "stupid," "disgusting" and "unnecessary." Dupnik told KGUN9 (Ha! Gun!) in Tuscon: "If I tell my people to go out and look for A, B, and C, they're going to do it. They'll find some flimsy excuse like a tail light that's not working  as a basis for a stop, which is a bunch of baloney."

Bravo, Sheriff Dupnik! And bravo to the folks organizing boycotts against Arizona and its businesses:

But Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who himself called for companies not to plan conventions in the state, said in an interview Tuesday that he expected the state to see declines in business and leisure travel, the trucking industry and retail shoppers from Mexico.

"There are political, legal and economic consequences that are going to hit the state," said Grijalva, who has received death threats since speaking out against the law. "The disgust goes across state lines."

And bravo to the politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, who are denouncing the law:

I think it creates unintended consequences. (...) It's difficult for me to imagine how you're going to enforce this law. It places a significant burden on local law enforcement and you have civil liberties issues that are significant as well.

And bravo to President Obama and his administration for taking a stand against it:

A number of options are under consideration including "the possibility of a court challenge," Holder said in response to questions on the Arizona law posed during a news conference on another topic. 

Whether she likes it or not, Gov. Brewer's fate this fall is likely tied to this awful, roundly condemned piece of crap legislation. She's seen her approval among Republicans increase since she signed the bill, but Arizona Hispanics, understandably, are flocking to her likely Democratic opponent, Terry Goddard. Still, Brewer now holds a slight lead is now only three points behind in the race now after previously being down 10 points to Goddard. So, the "Existing While Brown Act of 2010" very possibly could translate to short-term electoral gain for Brewer and the extreme right wingers she's trying to appease.   

Arizona Republicans should remember, though, that Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic demographic in the country and in, uh, Arizona:

But while conservatives might pat themselves on the back for passage of this law, the long-term effects shouldn’t be so comforting. Latinos make up 29 percent of Arizona’s population. If current population trends continue, Arizona will become a majority-minority state by 2015. In 2003, more Latino babies were born than non-Hispanic white babies. And by 2007, Latino babies were 45 percent of the total, compared to 41 percent for non-Hispanic whites, and 14 percent for non-Hispanic Asians, Native Americans and African-Americans. 

Hahahaha! Take that, assholes!

UPDATE: Whoo! The "birther bill" is buried. For now. As we all know, soul-sucking creatures from beyond are hard to kill. But for the time being, a tiny drop of sanity has seeped back into Arizona lawmakers' "brains."