# Is Jan Brewer an alcoholic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 2, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431 "2010-09-02T21:22:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/1 "2010-09-02T21:22:14Z")
First of all, this is not a Brewer-bashing thread. Despite disagreeing with her on most issues, I actually don’t hate Jan Brewer. She is good for education, she personally loves my school, and some of the cost-cutting measures she has done are unfortunate, but probably necessary, and I tentatively support them as long as they are reversed when times aren’t so lean anymore. Besides that, she can be quite charming. Now, that being said, the woman just consistently looks drunk as fuck. I’m sure by now most of you have seen the [debate clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUPKKbmWMZ8) from last night. That actually isn’t the best example of her looking drunk (could have just been nerves), but it’s the easiest to find right now. I saw her speak in person last week, with 2 other people; 1 who is voting for her, me, who is not voting for her, and a 3rd who is undecided. Afterwards, all 3 of us said - independently of each other - that she came off “like a friendly old drunk lady.” I’m wondering if there is any published record of alcoholism in her past (as with W. Bush), or if any alcoholics here see familiar signs when they watch her speak. And just a funny postscript: her maiden name is **Drinkwine** and she married a **Brewer** :p:D. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/2 "2010-09-02T21:32:14Z")
With those names, I’m thinking she was doomed to it. Maybe she doesn’t drink, but her names do it for her. Dianetics in action, almost. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/3 "2010-09-02T21:36:52Z")
She’s fucking hammered in that clip. No doubt. Shitfaced. Four or five sheets to the wind. In line to drive the porcelain bus. Getting ready for a technicolor yawn. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/4 "2010-09-02T21:39:52Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > [S]he came off “like a friendly old drunk lady.” This is a good thing, yes? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/5 "2010-09-02T22:10:01Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > She’s fucking hammered in that clip. No doubt. Shitfaced. > > Four or five sheets to the wind. > > In line to drive the porcelain bus. > > Getting ready for a technicolor yawn. Or else she just really is that dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/6 "2010-09-03T00:08:31Z")
She’s definitely drinking too much. Or perhaps not enough. I was about to start a thread about her bizarre behavior in that debate. Wasn’t sure how to phrase it, but my question was going to be something like, “Is this woman really that stupid?” I don’t think I’ve ever seen a high office holder come off as badly as that. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/7 "2010-09-03T00:25:54Z")
Seemed like she suffered a couple of major-league brain farts, or was blinded by the lights. Or the green room was too well stocked. 😃 It’s hard to say. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/8 "2010-09-03T00:27:19Z")
The OP appears to me to be a cheap shot. **Cisco** , you live in Arizona. You live in the capital of Arizona. If there is any evidence that the governor of your state is an alcoholic, you - of all people - should know what it is. Your anecdotal trifecta is a bit weird, too. You went to hear her speak with two others. Each offered an independent opinion. All three of you said it at the exact same time to other people? Or what? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/9 "2010-09-03T00:34:11Z")
Why would I have privileged information just because I live in the capital, Frank? As for my “weird” trifecta: I said it to my wife, my brother said it to me, and my dad said it to my mom. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/10 "2010-09-03T00:59:02Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > > [@Cisco](#): > > > > [S]he came off “like a friendly old drunk lady.” > > This is a good thing, yes? 1st person or 3rd person perspective? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/11 "2010-09-03T01:14:50Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Why would I have privileged information just because I live in the capital, Frank? Because the information is available to you, if you wish it to be. I spent 15 years living in the capital of Colorado, and between the print, radio, TV, online, and conversational versions of political news available to me there, there were very few rumors or facts about our governors that I did not have some knowledge of. I’m skeptical that any other state capital has less available information. As far as I can tell, you’re making this up out of thin air. Brewer didn’t look good in that clip, I agree. I see no evidence that it was because she was drunk. Since you don’t have background evidence that her being drunk was a likelihood - and you are, in fact, trolling for evidence - I see no reason to give your OP any credence. Should evidence appear, I’ll rethink my position. Till then, I’ve had my say. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/12 "2010-09-03T01:18:13Z")
The debate clip just looks like she totally spaces on her prepared remarks and then doesn’t recover very well. Seems more like a senior moment then being drunk, IMHO. > [@Frank](#): > > Cisco, you live in Arizona. You live in the capital of Arizona. If there is any evidence that the governor of your state is an alcoholic, you - of all people - should know what it is. What a silly claim. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/13 "2010-09-03T01:35:02Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > > [@Frank](#): > > > > Cisco, you live in Arizona. You live in the capital of Arizona. If there is any evidence that the governor of your state is an alcoholic, you - of all people - should know what it is. > > What a silly claim. Nonsense. Any person who claims to be politically aware and who lives in the capital of their state has the best opportunity to follow and be aware of their state’s politics, and has no excuse to plead ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/14 "2010-09-03T01:35:54Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > The debate clip just looks like she totally spaces on her prepared remarks and then doesn’t recover very well. Seems more like a senior moment then being drunk, IMHO. And a drunk will be sober tomorrow, but . . . ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/15 "2010-09-03T02:37:47Z")
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUNtofsW3zE&NR=1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUNtofsW3zE&NR=1) She looks a lot better here, from a few months(?) ago. Lot more alert and engaged. But she still has some brain farts. She’s not much of a speaker. Something’s going on with the lady right now. Health issues? Pills? Not necessarily booze. Booze would be pretty easy for those interacting with her to detect wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/16 "2010-09-03T02:48:14Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > > [@Cisco](#): > > > > Why would I have privileged information just because I live in the capital, Frank? > > Because the information is available to you, if you wish it to be. I spent 15 years living in the capital of Colorado, and between the print, radio, TV, online, and conversational versions of political news available to me there, there were very few rumors or facts about our governors that I did not have some knowledge of. I’m skeptical that any other state capital has less available information. > > As far as I can tell, you’re making this up out of thin air. > > Brewer didn’t look good in that clip, I agree. I see no evidence that it was because she was drunk. Since you don’t have background evidence that her being drunk was a likelihood - and you are, in fact, trolling for evidence - I see no reason to give your OP any credence. > > Should evidence appear, I’ll rethink my position. Till then, I’ve had my say. What a ridiculous bunch of “logic”. If we all thought the way you did, no one would ever have suspicions of anything until something blew up in their face. And I concur that your thesis that somehow proximity = knowledge is ridiculous and can easily be falsified by finding any one thing that any one “knowledgeable” person doesn’t know, which is especially easy when your talking about newly unfolding events or current affairs. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/17 "2010-09-03T04:48:43Z")
I think I can with some authority as the son of mother who was the same social class and general education level as the Governor and who was a chronic alcoholic. The Governor is 66 years old and (per the video) IMO is suffering from memory lapses which could be due to mini-strokes, incipient dementia or simply age. A drunk has impaired motor skills which slightly, but noticeably, slurs their words. There was none of that. In between the epic brain farts her overall enunciation and speaking skills were not impaired in the least. There’s a physical issue of some sort, but it’s not alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/18 "2010-09-03T07:04:20Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > > [@Simplicio](#): > > > > What a silly claim. > > Nonsense. Any person who claims to be politically aware and who lives in the capital of their state has the best opportunity to follow and be aware of their state’s politics, and has no excuse to plead ignorance. Why do you assume that rumors like that would be published? Or why do you assume that most people are that politically aware follow rumors and not just reported facts? I know I personally avoid rumors in anything, because it just leads to idle speculation and worry on my part. And why do you characterize asking for evidence one way or other on a forum of other people who are politically aware (and might actually know what alcoholism looks like) as a bad thing? Bad enough to use a word like “trolling” on a board where not only is trolling against the rules, but so is accusing people of it? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/19 "2010-09-03T07:31:13Z")
It looks like Frank was using the pre-internet definition of trolling, but one has to wonder how else a person finds evidence, if not by looking for it. So maybe that word choice did mean something. And apart from that his behavior in this thread has been just bizarre, IMO. I wonder if it’s Frank Brewer or Frank Drinkwine. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431/20 "2010-09-03T10:24:54Z")
I know that, but, by choosing that particular word, he implies that what you were doing was just as bad as the Internet version. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jan-brewer-an-alcoholic/552431.md?page=2)