At this point in time, it would be nearly impossible to convince us that there wasn't a crystal meth smoke-a-thon at the Arizona Republic's editorial board meeting on Sunday night.
The Republic editorial board has declared that the Arpaio recall "should fail," adding, "The recall is as much of an abuse of Arizona law as anything Arpaio has done."
See also:
-Joe Arpaio's Incredibly Whiny Response to Recall Effort: "Why Do They Hate Me So Much?"
-Joe Arpaio Target of Recall by Same Community Leaders Who Ousted Russell Pearce
-Joe Arpaio Recall Paperwork Filed With Maricopa County Elections Department
The Republic is talking about something that is plainly called for under the Arizona Constitution, at any time.
Let's rephrase that for the Republic.
"The recall is as much of an abuse of Arizona law as..."
- Mishandling hundreds of sex-crime cases
- Using taxpayer money to pretend to investigate the president's birth certificate
- Harassing political opponents
- Jailing journalists
- Just about anything in the Munnell memo
- In fact, just about anything in New Times' file on Arpaio
Gee, the Republic even outlined this stuff when the editorial board endorsed Arpaio's opponent in November's election, Paul Penzone.
It mentions "The years-long reign of terror waged by Arpaio against his political enemies," "Financial mismanagement," "Tens of millions squandered in judgments for mistreatment of prisoners and violations of civil rights," and "The failure to investigate hundreds of sexual-abuse cases."
But damn those people circulating petitions for a constitutionally provided recall, apparently.
In fact, while we were writing this post, we found that Citizens for a Better Arizona president Randy Parraz -- who does, in fact, have a hand in Respect Arizona -- left the following comment for the Republic on its website, asking the same damn question we had:
I thought newspaper editors, although entitled to their opinion, had to at least get the facts straight. I encourage the AZ Republic to contact the Treasurer of Respect Arizona and ask how much money has been raised. He will tell you NOT $1.3 million. I encourage the Arizona Republic to contact the recall organizers and ask how much money has been raised and they will tell you NOT $1.3 million. It is interesting to hear such institutions like the AZ Republic accuse ordinary citizens of abusing Arizona's laws in the same sentence as Arpaio. "The recall is as much of an abuse of Arizona law as anything Arpaio has done." Let's see...worse than not investigating the rape and molestation of women and children? Worse than illegally misspending $100 million of tax payer money? Worse than using the office of Sheriff to harass, intimidate and arrest opponents of Sheriff Arpaio? Worse than over $70 million in legal payouts because of Arpaio's failed leadership? Worse than the ineffective and high profile raids that discriminate against Latinos and tear families apart? Are you serious?
A similarly worded piece from a Republic columnist can be found here.
