What a difference a year (and change) can make.
On Tuesday, Governor Jan Brewer welcomed President Barack Obama to Arizona with open arms and a warm smile in a coral colored jacket. But back in early 2012, in slightly pinker attire, she made headlines when photographers caught her “finger-wagging” at the president as he arrived on the tarmac.
During the first exchange, Brewer and Obama were at odds over immigration concerns and her characterization of meetings they’d had on the topic. Brewer had defended her state’s controversial and strict immigration law. Obama opposed it. She accused the president of patronizing her on the topic, while his team insisted their meetings were cordial.
Since then, Brewer has warmed up to at least one Obama-policy: health reform. She became one of the most prominent Republican supporters of Obamacare earlier this year, urging her colleagues in the state house to pass a deal on Medicaid expansion, even refusing to sign any other legislation until they did.
But while Brewer might have been friendlier on the tarmac this time, she has not forgotten their prior exchange. In fact, she’s earning money off it.
As recently as Monday, Brewer used a doctored version of original photo to criticize the president on her Facebook page, urging citizens to take him to task for coming to Arizona to talk about housing, but not to talk about border security.
Last week, she used another version of the photo to raise money for her super PAC, JAN PAC.
Morgan Whitaker