"We need to keep doing the things we do as Democrats and we need to keep doing them right," Goddard cheered. It was a stirring line in a speech that included the line that got me stirred up: the part when Goddard concluded that though Arizona had "never been a land of hatred and racism," in this election, really, the only way Dems could have won this election would have been to "join the immigrant bashers."
I about choked on my cookie.
That is to say, i had a hard time with Goddard's schizoid claim about AZ racism. Considering that our state is widely acknowledged to now be and to have long been so racist it used to be known as the "Mississippi of the West," so much so it led to historic civil rights action in the 1960-70s, but in the flap-up over the national MLK Day holiday our OG racism was again the target of a Public Enemy protest song in the 1990s. And that as a territory Arizona once allowed Tempe to make it a crime to be "Sonoran" back in 1872; and that the city Goddard once was mayor of was founded by a disgruntled Confederate soldier, Jack Swilling. Considering all that, i wanted to speak up to him. Unlike watching his speech on TV, when it was over i could, and actually did, walk over and asked him about it.
While Goddard acknowledged the history, he clarified he believed the current crisis is the result of people like Russell Pearce and Fox News. As he said in his speech, "Russell Pearce was not elected to be the Voice of Arizona, but you just watch, because he thinks he was."
Before i left i had to ask, "So, back before the election, i asked you a question about Prop 203 and i felt you made it seem like supporting 203 would put you out of the mainstream--"
"I know," Terry smiled, "I read the articles"
I looked up and Terry Goddard was smiling at me. So i forged on, "--and yet that's exactly where you wound up being, out of the mainstream. Marijuana got like 200,000 more votes than you did. What do you make of it?"
Goddard scratched his cheek, "I don't know what to make of it. I don't think it was the right decision, but Arizonans voted in a lot of decisions that day. Almost as many people voted for marijuana," Goddard explained, "as voted for Jan Brewer."
Quickly i quipped, "Are you saying a person would have to be stoned to vote for Jan Brewer."
"No, but I'm laughing when you say it" Goddard lol-ed. So did i.
And we left it at that.
--mikel weisser writes from the left coast of AZ.
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