securetheborder.org
Governor Jan Brewer is increasingly under fire for signing Arizona’s draconian immigration law, so she’s called in some high-profile help. This weekend, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin stumped for Brewer’s re-election campaign–and for the state’s controversial immigration crackdown. Think Progress rounds up her choice comments on the trail:
- “I think for most American people the reaction to that would be, ‘Why aren’t [police] already doing that?” Recalling a line from her former presidential running mate, Palin added, “We’re all Arizonans now“:
- “It’s time for Americans across this great country to stand up and say, ‘We’re all Arizonans now,’” Palin said. “And in clear unity we say, ‘Mr. President, do your job. Secure our borders.’ “
- Palin also said Arizona was an example for the rest of the nation to follow.
Brewer and Palin also announced a new joint web campaign, Securetheborder.org, which encourages supporters to sign a petition defending the law and rejecting the growing number of boycotts against the state. Cancelled hotel and convention business has already cost the state an estimated $6 – $10 million, with city councils from major hubs like Los Angeles now joining in.
In recent days, Brewer has admitted that Arizona has developed a serious PR problem because of its immigration policy. She’s backing a $250,000 effort by the state’s tourism and convention industry to rehabilitate the state’s image. “The end goal is to reassert that we are a safe, inviting, diverse and culturally aware community,” Steve Moore, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, said last week. Bringing an inherently divisive figure like Palin seems like an odd way to ractchet down the tension.
