Is Gov. Doug Ducey mansplaining to Kamala Harris about the border?
Gov. Doug Ducey has, at long last, discovered the answer to the nations crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Apparently, all it takes is a vice presidential visit to the border and poof! Problem solved. Ducey on Tuesday lambasted Vice President Kamala Harris for traveling to Guatemala and Mexico in her search for a solution but not dropping by the southern border for that all-important photo-op. And worse, she offered up an awkward laugh when pressed about it during a Tuesday interview with NBCs Lester Holt. Oh, the horror. Ive got news for the Vice President, Ducey tweeted. This is no laughing matter. This is a serious situation, and people's lives are being impacted.  Harris said 'Do not come.' That's rather clear  While Im sure this former prosecutor, senator and now vice president of the United States appreciates the mansplaining, Im fairly certain Harris knows that this is no laughing matter. She was made Bidens point person on illegal immigration after a wholesale rush to the border by Central American migrants this spring. Since Bidens election, illegal border crossings have skyrocketed, with more immigrants now showing up to seek asylum than at any time in the last 20 years. Instead of making the well-worn trek to the border to pose for pictures, however, Harris traveled to Guatemala and Mexico to at least begin to address the root causes of illegal immigration: Corruption, violence, poverty. That, and to discourage migrants from making the trip north. The goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home, Harris said in a press conference with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. At the same time, I want to be clear to folks in the region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. While you might think the "do not come" message would be applauded by a border governor, Ducey is term limited and dreams of moving up the Republican food chain. So instead, he was horrified by Harris responses to Holt. Do you have any plans to visit the border? Holt asked. At some point, you know, we are going to the border, she said. Weve been to the border. So this whole thing about the border. Weve been to the border. Weve been to the border.  You havent been to the border, Harris replied. And I havent been to Europe! Harris said, with a quick laugh. And I mean  I dont understand the point that youre making. Im not discounting the importance of the border.  To Ducey, however, the exchange is apparently all the proof he needs that Harris is incompetent. President Biden should immediately replace her, and put someone in charge of the border crisis who knows what they are doing, Ducey tweeted. Not to mention ... A few more interviews as bad as this, & she could do the President a favor  and step down.  So says Ducey, Mr. Silence on the Audit  Step ...down. So says the governor whose inept handling of COVID-19 gave Arizona one of the highest per-capita death rates in the country, with 17,713 dead. The governor who stands silently by as our state becomes a coast-to-coast embarrassment with the Senate Republicans laughably-bad election audit. The governor, by the way, who couldnt muster the votes this week to cut taxes. In a Republican-dominated Legislature. He is, however, exceedingly good at posing at the border ... and elsewhere. Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts. Support local journalism:Subscribe to azcentral.com today.