I was waiting for it to happen, for some rightwinger to try to rally the racist crowd to counteract the increasingly popular boycott of Arizona.

And I suppose I should have figured that Sarah Palin would be the one to fall to the occasion, but my crystal ball was a little foggy on that part.

Yet there she was, over the weekend in Phoenix, never missing an opportunity to demagogue.

On the podium with governor Jan Brewer, Palin disgracefully said: "It's time for Americans across this great country to stand up and say 'We're all Arizonans now,’ ” and urged people to visit the state.

If she were alive during the integration battles of the 1950s and 1960s, she would have said, in support of George Wallace or Orval Faubus, “We’re all Alabamans now,” or, “We’re all Arkansans now.” And the response from reputable politicians in both parties would have been audible disgust. But where are the decent leaders of the Republican Party on this one? Are there any left? It was Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, after all, who sent federal troops to enforce integration in Arkansas. But the Republican Party has no room in it for tolerance today.

And is this really what the people of Arizona want: A flood of reactionary tourists?

It’s a losing proposition, in any event. I’m betting there are more people of goodwill than ill will, and that when all is said and done, the boycott will have its desired effect.

Just this week, Seattle has joined Austin, Boulder, LA, Oakland, and San Diego in joining the boycott. Others are sure to follow.

But if Sarah Palin and Jan Brewer insist on marketing the state as a haven for racists, they might as well change the slogan of Arizona from the Grand Canyon State to the Grand Dragon State.

Matthew Rothschild is the editor of The Progressive magazine.

>