Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the law in Phoenix, Arizona. "America's Sheriff," as some call him, built his reputation on immigration sweeps and on housing inmates under the desert sun in tents, making them wear pink underwear and serving them green bologna. Over at the hometown Arizona Republic, Laurie Roberts tracks his declining margins of victory, starting with his second term in 2000 (66 percent), then in 2004 (57 percent), followed by 2008 (55 percent). Facing an energized, outraged and growing Latino electorate, Arpaio just won a seventh term, with a margin of 50.7 percent.
Roberts' interview with Arpaio is amazing in its own right. "I can get along great with the Hispanics," he tells her. "In fact, I sure would like to meet them, even the politicians, maybe in the back room or whatever, have a couple of beers and try to explain. But they need to understand that I enforce the laws. I want to listen to them and hear their problems. I want them to tell me what their problems are. Maybe we can come up with a solution."
So there's that. Earlier this month the Tea Party News Network posted an interview with Arpaio, in which the guy with a winning margin of 50.7 percent suggested the national Republicans take their cues from him.
TPNN Reporter: After this last election, all we’re hearing right now is from the Republican Party that, you know, maybe we need to actually cater to the immigrant population, maybe we need to find a pathway to citizenship, that we don’t have an immigration problem in this country. Is that true?
Sheriff Arpaio: Well, you know it’s not true, and I’m sure they know it isn't, but you know, if they’re worried about the Hispanic vote, why don’t they use me? The president has used me as a poster boy. But let me put it this way, we have 33, 35 percent Latinos in this county. I took 'em on. I got elected again. So don’t tell me that you can't get elected without the Latino vote.
You can make your own joke about Karl Rove calling Arpaio now for advice, or maybe fiddling while Rome burns, or whatever works.
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Sheriff Arpaio is a great candidate for South Park mockery, as he has surely earned and is worthy of the infamous scorn Parker and Daniels are so capable of! -Kevo
Sheriff Joe needs to go. Not being clever, just stating a fact.
TPNN what the MF? Hahahahahahahahaha
What is this? An Onion piece?
Always fun to watch these idiots shoot themselves in the foot.
Cactus-fried idiot.
The TPNN faded out before he finished his comments. Wonder what he said at the very end.
To nitpick: he didn't have a margin of 50.7; that was his percent of the vote. His next closest competitor had 44.68%, giving Joe a margin of 6.02. A margin of 50.7% is a landslide, while a margin of 6% is "wait until next time"!
The opposition was split, with Democrat Paul Penzone getting the 44.68% - an independent tapped-off some of the difference. Still, Arpiao won and would probably win again if he was only facing one challenger this time around.
Although he's garnered fewer votes each election, "next time" is 6 years from now and Arpaio will be 86 years old in 2018. Time wounds all heels.
All well and good for y'all to have some fun at his expense (and I sincerely wish you joy) but I have to live in this SOB's jurisdiction.
With any luck at all, by the time he comes up for re-election again I'll be somewhere else. If we're really lucky, he'll be dead. And best of all, he'll be serving time.
What a despicable representative of "America"! The "American Sheriff", my hands freeze up writing that! Thanks for the bad PR Arizona! Yeah sheriff, your the role model alright....of everything we don't like! He is the Republican/Tea Party Poster Boy!
Concur.
I don't live in Phoenix so I am unable to pontificate on what kind of conditions exist in that city which have given permission for the degenerate cruelty of this man, and whom a sizable number of it's citizens voted to keep in an official position of power. Whatever those conditions are, I am glad I don't live there.
Why does anyone have any use for a Republican Poster Boy for the cultivation and perpetuation of a dog-eat-dog mentality...in today's America, this land of privilege and liberty?
We need far less of his kind, not more.
Sheriff Joe has tne bigotry of Bull Connor, and the buffoonery of Buford T. Justice.
Be realistic about it. The new republican party does not care about voters of any ilk. The very fact that they have doubled down on their rejected policy and platform is proof. Unless you are silly enough to believe what they say rather than do.
"I can get along great with them" but you don't.
Then there's his infamous apology to the victims of the hundreds of rape cases his office simply closed, without any investigation: "If there were any victims..."
But he was reelected, so the people of Maricopa County must like footing the bill for the millions of dollars this person has cost them in lawsuit settlements, misspent money, and just general waste and abuse.
I hope mr arpaio lives to be 150 yrs old and he can see that he was unlike by every one even his so called friends , maby at the time he was needed now times have changed , READ THIS joe We mexican's ae here to stay we were here long before your sorry A$$ and we will be here long after your gone , we will no longer be slient , we will be watching your every step you were elected you can be recalled just ask your disgraced ex state senator buddy .
I would like to know who are the morons that elect these people???? Can they get any dumber? Can people not see or hear this stuff.A democrat did not say this they did!! They both need to wash their hair.How much more of this stuff is going to go on? just saying............