Jan Brewer's 'painfully awkward' broken-teleprompter pause
The polarizing Arizona governor, notoriously flummoxed during a debate last summer, is struck by speechlessness once again

The video: Politically speaking, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is best known for advocating her state's notoriously strict immigration law. But as an orator, she is beginning to develop a reputation for clamming up at public events. At a speech in Mesa this week, Brewer was delivering a pre-written address when her teleprompter malfunctioned, leaving her silent for about seven seconds. "As we limit the growth of the public sector and restrain unnecessary regulation, stimulate the engine of free enterprise," Brewer began, before breaking off and anxiously looking around the room. She finally continued by remarking, "Well, it looks like my teleprompter broke," which drew chuckles from the crowd. (See the video below.) She was then handed a printed copy of her speech. The silence recalled Brewer's infamous performance at a gubernatorial debate last year, in which she nervously struggled to speak during her opening statement. (She won the race by 12 percentage points anyway.)
The reaction: Wow, says Justin Elliott at Salon. "Painfully awkward." Indeed, this was "yet another embarrassing moment" for the governor, says My Fox. But this time, unlike her performance last year, she "laughed it off and recovered." This incident just underscores the ridiculousness of conservatives attacking President Obama for using a teleprompter, says Hypervocal. It's "funny to see members of the right-wing echo chamber fall victim to their own attacks ." Watch Brewer's gaffe:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What does the Le Pen verdict mean for the future of French politics?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Convicted of embezzlement and slapped with a five year ban on running for public office, where does arch-conservative Marine Le Pen go from here — and will the movement she leads follow?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Discount stores were thriving. How did they stumble?
The Explainer Blame Walmart — and inflation
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defense
In the Spotlight Former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
By David Faris Published