.Outspoken Tucson sheriff faces recall bid
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has never lost an election, but that was before his remarks assigning blame for the deadly Tucson, Ariz., shooting to political "vitriol" and calling Arizona "a mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
Now it's Sheriff Dupnik who finds himself on the public-opinion hot seat. A group opposed to illegal immigration has begun an effort to recall the sheriff in a special election. Meanwhile, a Pima County tea party group is planning on holding a "Dump Dupnik" rally next week outside his office.
"I haven't been a fan of Dupnik's for a long time, but this really was the straw that broke the camel's back," said Tom Rompel, co-owner of Black Weapons Armory in Tucson. "He's law enforcement. We expect 'the facts, ma'am,' not his opinion. He leans far left, always has, and frankly, people have had enough."
Not that the sheriff should worry about turning in his badge just yet. Sheriff Dupnik has won election eight times, and he's a Democrat in a Democrat-majority county. While some constituents were appalled by his comments, others have applauded his forthright indictment of the state's political climate.
Witness the "Clarence Dupnik is my Hero" page on Facebook, which so far has 9,582 who "like this."
"He is not afraid to call the bullies out on their part in this mess. Civility without hate speech is our mission!" says the page in its description paragraph.
Sheriff Dupnik's comments came about an hour after the Jan. 8 shooting that left six dead and 13 wounded, including Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who had been greeting constituents outside a Safeway.
At the time, little was known about the suspect, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner. Since then, Mr. Loughner has emerged as a mentally unstable ex-student who became focused on Ms. Giffords after asking her a bizarre question about control of language at a constituent gathering in 2007.
Conservatives have bristled at Sheriff Dupnik's insinuation that Republicans and the tea party movement were somehow responsible for the rampage. The Pima County Tea Party Patriots plan to "indict" the sheriff at their rally for "politicizing the shootings, blaming free speech for the crime without evidence, failing to protect Giffords, failing to recuse himself from the investigation, and embarrassing the community in front of the nation," according to the Arizona Daily Star.
Sheriff Dupnik's office issued a statement Wednesday saying he would have no further comment on the shooting.
Washington Times
Now it's Sheriff Dupnik who finds himself on the public-opinion hot seat. A group opposed to illegal immigration has begun an effort to recall the sheriff in a special election. Meanwhile, a Pima County tea party group is planning on holding a "Dump Dupnik" rally next week outside his office.
"I haven't been a fan of Dupnik's for a long time, but this really was the straw that broke the camel's back," said Tom Rompel, co-owner of Black Weapons Armory in Tucson. "He's law enforcement. We expect 'the facts, ma'am,' not his opinion. He leans far left, always has, and frankly, people have had enough."
Not that the sheriff should worry about turning in his badge just yet. Sheriff Dupnik has won election eight times, and he's a Democrat in a Democrat-majority county. While some constituents were appalled by his comments, others have applauded his forthright indictment of the state's political climate.
Witness the "Clarence Dupnik is my Hero" page on Facebook, which so far has 9,582 who "like this."
"He is not afraid to call the bullies out on their part in this mess. Civility without hate speech is our mission!" says the page in its description paragraph.
Sheriff Dupnik's comments came about an hour after the Jan. 8 shooting that left six dead and 13 wounded, including Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who had been greeting constituents outside a Safeway.
At the time, little was known about the suspect, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner. Since then, Mr. Loughner has emerged as a mentally unstable ex-student who became focused on Ms. Giffords after asking her a bizarre question about control of language at a constituent gathering in 2007.
Conservatives have bristled at Sheriff Dupnik's insinuation that Republicans and the tea party movement were somehow responsible for the rampage. The Pima County Tea Party Patriots plan to "indict" the sheriff at their rally for "politicizing the shootings, blaming free speech for the crime without evidence, failing to protect Giffords, failing to recuse himself from the investigation, and embarrassing the community in front of the nation," according to the Arizona Daily Star.
Sheriff Dupnik's office issued a statement Wednesday saying he would have no further comment on the shooting.
Washington Times
posted by madtom at 11:27 PM
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