When you have the opportunity to suck up to a rogue, civil rights dismissing fame-hound of a law enforcement officer who many people consider to be a racist, you have to do it, right?


In an attempt to eliminate any doubt over his conservative credentials, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is seeking the support of Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

This week, Arpaio told the Texas Tribune that he remained open to the idea, but wasn’t ready to make an endorsement. He said Perry’s past support for guest-worker proposal for Mexicans and his endorsement of a law that grants undocumented students in-state tuition would not keep him from endorsing the Texas governor.

The backing of the Arizona sheriff—known for his unsympathetic stance on illegal immigration and aggressive push for increased border security—could give Perry a boost with Republican primary voters, many of whom share Arpaio’s views on immigration.

But some Republicans believe that an endorsement from Arpaio could come back to bite the front-runner Perry in the general election, should he win the nomination, particularly among Latino voters.

“It certainly won’t help,” Alfonso Aguilar, the executive director of the Washington-based group Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, told Univision News.

This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2011.

The editor of the Tucson Weekly. I have no idea how I got here.

10 replies on “Here Comes Rick Perry’s Parade of Bad Ideas”

  1. And here I thought you professed to be moderate and middle-of-the-road. Well, to a true left winger, I guess your comments would be considered middle-of-the-road, just as rabid Nazis thought Hitler’s speeches were middle-of-the-road. Obama promised to bring us all together; instead, we have the most divided America in the 68 years that I have had any political awareness. And of course you blame it on me, and I blame it on you. Here is something for you to think about: Obama created the Tea Party. It would never have come into existence if he had not created such a terrible divide in our country. Thanks for listening.

  3. If you have 68 years of political awareness, then shame on you. It is people like you that has divided this country. Obama did nothing but be born, part-black. You didn’t even complain about the GOP Presidents like Reagan who had Alzheimers and screwed up the country more than any President of the last 50 years except “W” who is developmentally disabled and a military deserter during Vietnam. Besides that, how can you even defend that he actually won the election in 2000. During the time, I respected Gore for not filing a law suit because, “not wanting to divide the country or denigrate the office of the Presidency.” In hindsight, if he had of filed the suit, we almost assuredly would not have been in this financial mess today. If Facism is approaching the U.S., it is the teabaggers and the GOP that will promote it. Get over your racism and bigotry and support the President of the United States.

  4. If Sheriff Joe Arpaio backs Perry he is going to lose my support in AZ…. He is supposed to be THE Law & Order man in AZ and the country in general!! All of a sudden he is changing his story on “illegal immigrants” and their *rights* in the USA!!! This is BS!!

  5. @Kevinlcpc on September 13, 2011 at 11:40 PM… Kiss my you know what – as 70% of the country can’t wait to see him go… He (Odummer) is a disaster!!!

  6. The only way that President Obama can be blamed for dividing this country is that he has a black father. The tea party and those who despise the very notion that a black man can be President will make no effort to work with him nor compromise on ANY issue…i.e., if he is for it, we are agin it. Obama has reached out across all America or tried to and has made every effort to compromise with his opponents. They are the ones who are dividing this country with their inflammatory hatred and double standards. Stop abortion, applaud the killing of 234 inmates, let 30 year old men in a coma die, repeal Obama care, don’t invite a black rapper to your birthday party, invite Johnny Cash instead (listen to the lyrics in some of his cop killing songs…) my religious beliefs are being trampled on, but I am not going to tolerate yours, reduce government intervention in our lives,stop women’s choices, protection and equal rights under the law…unless your gay…the list goes on and on…NOW, who is dividing the country?

  7. Character assassination is a trait of communist propaganda. Ignore it, it will go away on its (lack of) merits.
    The author’s bias is evident, as is his lack of substance.

  8. Rick Perry is an bad idea, if he was smart he would back of the running for President, because he is just wasting his money and breath. To put it bluntly he is a Big Time Loser.

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