Pearce telling his "scrotum" joke
During a Lincoln Day Luncheon today in Phoenix televised live by C-Span and featuring a keynote address by GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, recalled state Senator Russell Pearce regaled an audience of fellow Republicans with a weird tale about some fella's "crushed scrotum."
Talking Points Memo posted Pearce's classy move on YouTube, which you can watch above.
Spoiler alert: the punchline to this meandering joke has to do with a man's wife mixing up the words "scrotum" and "sternum," and discussing how her husband's "scrotum" was now "wired together" and in working order.
"`It looks like his scrotum is going to be OK, and he'll be able to use it again,'" said Pearce at one point, quoting this fictional lady.
Pearce scored a few laughs from the crowd -- emphasis on "few." With all eyes on Arizona for the Republican presidential debate tomorrow in Mesa, the world now has further evidence that the GOP is represented locally by yokels.
The bumbling bigot's lowbrow yarn brings to mind an incident from last year, where Pearce's challenger and the eventual victor in the recall election, now-state Senator Jerry Lewis, was attacked by an unknown assailant who beaned Lewis' groin with a padlock as Lewis and another man were out jogging.
Mesa cops never identified the culprit, though it was undoubtedly a Pearce supporter.
In any case, Pearce's failed attempt at humor came after an angry, red-faced rant about how Arizona supposedly leads the nation.
And when it comes to our homegrown crop of hate-filled hillbilly politicians, I must agree.
The disgraced Mesa pol made one other stab at levity earlier in his speech as he pulled out his glasses and offered this TMI moment:
"I'm at the age where I can do without sex, but not glasses."
Santorum spoke before Pearce. I waded through the Santorum speech, but rather than recount it at length, allow me to summarize it in two simple words: terminal boredom.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio took the stage after Pearce. My colleague Matt Hendley has summarized Arpaio's remarks in our Valley Fever blog. Arpaio seemed off his game to me. During most of his address, he spoke as if he'd just tucked in a big meal and a couple of Ambien.
Well, hey, the ol' coot is almost 80. The day's event was probably cutting into his nap time.
