Journalists’ Roundtable: 03-26-21: Covid Restrictions, Ducey vs. Pima County, State Senate vs. Maricopa County, GOP Lawmakers Restrict Debate

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This weeks journalists’ roundtable with the latest on governor Duceys lifting of covid restrictions and the states senate’s on-going elections battle with Maricopa County. This weeks guests are Laurie Roberts from The Arizona Republic and Howie Fischer of Capitol Media Services.

This week’s Journalists’ Roundtable covered:

  • Ducey lifts covid restrictions
  • Ducey vs. Pima County
  • State Senate vs. Maricopa County
  • GOP Lawmakers restrict debate

Laurie Roberts- “ I did not see it coming, I mean we knew that it was inevitable that it was going to happen things are certainly headed in the right direction but with all of the caution from all of the Public Health experts both in Arizona and around the country saying please go slow until we get enough people vaccinated. I never dreamed that he’d come out this week and just say ‘hey all bets are off and whatever you want to do is fine but I’m confident you’ll make the right decision’ of course within hours of his confidence that businesses would make the right decision I happened to be at my gym and the manager was going around plugging in every other machine that’s been idol all this time and ripping off the signs about masks and he going around and  telling every person ‘hey you don’t have to wear any mask any more the problem is over crisis is over’ So…

Howie Fischer- “ Are you suggesting that somehow people won’t just take it to heart and will just do the right thing Laurie? 

Howie Fischer- “No! no,no,no we are in charge of everything, we are the alpha we are the omega we know all the answers and never mind that FEMA was willing to come in and that FEMA reassured the state that any of the vaccines they brought in would not cut away from the state share so the governor just decided that well no,no that I don’t get the headlines I don’t get to go down to Tucson as I did to get a photo op I don’t get to go out to State Farm Stadium as I did a photo op because those are no longer the only options, this is all about politics, all about power and all about The fact that you know this is now the Biden administration’s FEMA that is offering to him. I wonder if maybe the Trumps administration FEMA might have been a different decision.”

Laurie Roberts- “ let’s add in the fact just for a little more context that last week he was down on the border chop-poring Around apparently doesn’t know what the border looks like from above the ground so he had to take a 20 minute helicopter tour with uh senator Rick Scott of um Florida presidential contender possibly depending on what Trump tries to do and Ducey had a photo op press conference on the border right in Douglas to talk about this is an emergency and a crisis and since then he has taken on off after the vice president saying she’s The worst person President Biden could have chosen to oversee his efforts in Central America to see what he can do to fix this thing add in to that the FEMA thing it’s clear to me that this is man who’s signaling to the world if anybody’s listening hey I would really like to run for president or be considered in the mix when the time comes either for the number one or number two spot. I think that it’s all setting that up along with the whole mask thing.”

 

 

Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic
Howie Fischer, Capitol Media Services

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