Thursday, November 20, 2008

Napolitano

If you aren't local, you are about to hear that name a lot, but not if I have my way about it. Janet Napolitano (yes, the one spoofed on SNL last weekend) is the Arizona governor and she was just offered the position of secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

She is the governor of our reddish state and I like her a lot. A lot.

She is hugely controversial, mainly because she is a Democrat in a red state. Seriously, go here and here, and check out the reader comments. Eventually you will run in to comments about her being ineffective, a dyke, or some other irrelevant observation. This two-term governor kicks ass and I love it. In 2002, before the economy suffered a coronary she was able to create a surplus (attention Repubs: without raising taxes) and then used some of that to put into public programs, like education. You know, that pesky area of seemingly little concern nowadays, that Bush put federal mandates on and not only didn't give funds to support it, but cut the money for... She gave teachers a one-time bonus, provided funding for all day kindegarten, and created literacy programs too.

So here is the thing: she was just offered the secretary position with the Obama administration. I'm totally not okay with this for a variety of reasons. First of all, I don't want to lose my governor, who will be replaced by Jan Brewer--who I refuse to say anything about at this time because the only thing I know about her is that she is a Republican. Not fair to judge. Mainly, I think Homeland Security is a bunk job. Okokokok, I know it is important, but I don't think it necessarily highlights her abilities, no matter what those articles I referenced say. Here is a little something from Montini from The Arizona Republic, who I believe sums my feelings up quite well.
That would be tough to pass up, even if she is offered the WORST job,
which is Homeland Security.

The head of Homeland Security only
gets in the news when something really bad is happening. If things don't go
well, the Homeland Security secretary will take ALL the heat. If things do go
well, the president will get all the credit.

Then again, as the
Secretary of Homeland Security she'll probably have a lot more to say about
border issues than she did as governor.

She'd be a dummy to not leave, really. If she goes, she is able to avoid some major budget issues and come out relatively unscathed after we all lose our pants and (maybe, fingers crossed) enough so to run for a Senate seat.

She will be missed...

6 comments:

Jeff Westover (Go Ducks!) said...

Your argument is flawed. Why do you assume that positions under Obama will be the same as they were under GWB? We elected Obama to change more than the people in government - we elected him to change the way government works. I think your governor is an excellent step in that direction. I like the fact that she has experience as a border state and seems (from the outside) to be a clear thinking person capable of crossing party lines. Let's hope she can rewrite her job description creating a department that is proactive and actually works to provide security.

Also, did I not hear that she was subject to term limits as governor? So...you would have lost her anyway. Count me among the many that Obama resisted the temptation to appoint McCain to something - doddering old fool.

My biggest problem with your governor is her name...makes me crave ice cream and I am already phat enuff!

Jeff Westover (Go Ducks!) said...

I meant she has experience as a border state LEADER, not a border state. Or did I ????????

Jillsywillsy said...

In 2006 when I was my reddest of red, I still voted to re-elect her for many of the reasons you posted.

Shhhhhh. Don't tell my parents. :)

I did find it kind of exciting that no matter who won the general election, it was going to shake things up for us in AZ.

Valerie said...

I positively hate losing Janet, especially to Jan Brewer. And although we would have lost her in two years anyway, a heck of a lot of damage can be done and progress erased between now and then.

That said, I choose to be optimistic that Mz. Janet will improve the lot of Homeland Security, work to reinstate some of our stolen rights, and slip important words to our Secretary of Education, the post I wish she had been given!

witticism here said...

Sooo true. One of the many positives of McCain not being elected is not having the crazy nut Lisa Graham Keegan as Sec of Ed.

Koberna said...

I am going sit and see what happens. I really do not know anything bout here, but since she is now part of Obama’s team I am hearing stories about her, granted they are slanted but I have questions now. Thoughts and questions that I have:

She looks great on paper, but how does she really look?

I do not like Arpio, but he seems to be the only person in AZ doing something about illegal immigration. She took funding away from him, does that mean she supports Phoenix being a sanctuary city?

She has said that illegal immigration is a national problem and funding needs to come from the national level. Well she is now going to be at the national level, will something be done now? Unfortunately she is also under Obama and I do not think he is going to do much for the border, but I can be wrong. If he isn’t then she probably will be ineffective about doing about the border anyways.