It appears that Arizona’s Republican Governor, Jan Brewer, is going to take as much time as possible to decide on whether she will sign SB1062 into law or veto it. The bill, which has already passed both chambers of the state’s Congress, will essentially make it legal for businesses to openly discriminate against gays and lesbians due to ‘religious freedom.’ Brewer has until this weekend to make a decision. However, she can also decide to do absolutely nothing and the bill will become law without her signature.
Brewer was interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash on Monday night. She made sure to be very, very vague about her intentions. Earlier that day, she said she would ‘do the right thing’ in regards to this bill.
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“I have a history of deliberating and having an open dialogue on bills that are controversial, to listen to both sides of those issues, and I welcome the input and information that they can provide to me. And certainly I am pro-business, and that is what’s turning our economy around, so I appreciate their input, as I appreciate the other side.”
If anything, the business community may very well be what makes Brewer’s decision for her. Just like in Kansas, it isn’t necessarily about doing what’s right for the gay community and not openly discriminating against them. Instead, it is about the impact on the bottom line for many businesses. They realize that embracing a far-right, Jim Crow-style law will not only impact profits and business on a local level due to offended and impacted parties, but that larger companies will not want to operate subsidiaries, affiliates or franchises in states that have those laws on the books.
However, on the flip side, Brewer does love cozying up to the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party. After expanding Medicaid in the state, she may want to solidify her right-wing cred by signing this bill into law. While it will have a hugely negative impact on her state, both socially and financially, it will make her a hero to the extremists that helped get her into office in the first place. Considering that she championed SB1070 (the state’s anti-immigration and racial profiling law) prior to and after signing it into law, there seems to be precedent for her throwing caution to the wind and siding with the crazies.
What will Brewer decide? Will she make the logical choice for her state and veto this bill? Or will she jump on the atomic bomb and ride it all the way down to the ground?
Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).
