Napolitano playing smart politics Arizona, Governors

When someone beats you in politics, sometimes the only thing you can say is "Gosh darnit, she stole my idea." Arizona Republicans are whining about copycat politics because Governor Janet Napolitano recently appropriated some of their buzzwords to use against them.

For example she has started using "school choice" when describing her position on all day kindergarten. How it works is that Republicans can't decide for themselves what gets included in the world of "school choice" and that really pisses them off:

Napolitano fans say that her agenda has remained consistent. She has won over education groups and many business leaders by pitching herself as a common-sense politician. Much like former President Clinton, she has a knack for taking traditional Republican issues, such as protecting military bases, and making them her own. After a decade of indecision, Arizona now has a pot of money to protect its military bases from encroaching development. The governor got most of the credit.

Senate President Ken Bennett, a Prescott Republican, said Napolitano's recent moves are style over substance. He said that Napolitano is sounding Republican in "word, not deed," sending out signals that her political supporters can understand and tolerate.

I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be a Republican in deed.

Emmett O'Connell | March 7, 2005 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) Permalink: Napolitano playing smart politics Arizona, Governors

E-mail to a Friend
Your Name: Your Personal Note:	Your Email: Friends' Emails*: * Separate addresses with commas, semicolons, tabs, or line breaks.