Merrill: Don't read too much into Brewer at White House event
March 1, 2013
Cronkite News Service reported that Gov. Jan Brewer's recent attendance at a White House dinner shouldn't be interpreted that she and President Barack Obama are on best-friend terms.
Bruce Merrill, senior research fellow with the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, said Brewer's attendance at this year's White House dinner is not likely to have any significant impact politically.
He said Brewer still maintains a strong standing with the Tea Party, stemming from her confrontation with the president on a Phoenix tarmac in January 2012. The picture of her pointing her finger at the president presented an image of someone with the courage to stand up Obama, Merrill said.
"Just the fact that she went to this dinner isn't going to change that," he said.
Merrill said only Brewer knows if she had change of heart or if her decision to attend this year's dinner was politically motivated.
"Without really knowing why she did it, either last year or this year, anybody can prescribe motivations to it, but nobody except her really knows," Merrill said.
Read: Dinner at White House doesn't mean change of heart
