Ezra is trying to egg me on with his post arguing that Janet Napolitano would be more useful staying in Arizona than as secretary of Homeland Security. But despite my admiration for Napolitano, who I believe is one of the more talented Democratic politicians on the national stage, I somewhat agree with his analysis. Arizona, which is one of the states most deeply affected by the sub-prime mortgage crisis, is facing a steep budget shortfall and an uncertain economic future. This isn't a friendly political climate for a Democratic governor working with a Republican state legislature, which is what Napolitano was left with after the November elections, despite high hopes that Arizona Dems would retake at least one legislative chamber.
In other words, it makes sense that the ambitious Napolitano would want to hightail it out of Arizona. But is this good for Arizonans or for progressive politics? The answer, particularly when it comes to the state's burgeoning Latino population, is no. Arizona Republicans call Napolitano "Governor No" because she has used her veto power more often than any executive in state history. The reason Napolitano has done that is to keep some truly venomous, nativist anti-immigrant laws from becoming law. Though Arizona's future governor, Secretary of State Jan Brewer, doesn't hail from the nativist wing of the party, she will undoubtedly, more often than not, acquiesce to the anti-immigrant movement, which has become the dominant strain in the Arizona GOP.
All that said, there are two major upsides to Napolitano at DHS. The first is her undeniable competence and intelligence, which are needed to whip that sprawling, troubled department into shape. The second is that as the national Democrat with perhaps the most centrist credibility on border security, Napolitano will be a very powerful advocate in Washington for comprehensive immigration reform. In fact, I doubt she would have accepted this particular cabinet position without some assurances from Obama that he plans on tackling the issue in a reasonable amount of time. So that's good news.
--Dana Goldstein
