Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Andrew Thomas, disgraced former Maricopa County Attorney, threatens to run for governor

News broke today that disbarred former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is considering a 2014 run for governor, joining current Governor Jan Brewer in the "whatthehell are the smoking?" club.

Thomas ran amuck as Maricopa County Attorney, misusing his office to attack the county's judiciary, independent media, Latino residents, and any perceived adversaries of him and his staunch ally, Joe Arpaio.

The state bar association finally got fed up with Thomas' antics and brought him to heel, by disbarring him and one of his former assistant county attorneys and suspending another of his assistant CAs.

Since then, he has continued a rhetorical jihad against against the Arizona Bar Association, the county judiciary, and anyone else who declines to smooch his posterior.

Now, he wants voters to ignore his past misuse of office and give him a stint on the 9th Floor so that he can expand his jihad to the whole state. 

I think Thomas may be serious.

Seriously deluded.

However, we can now safely predict at least four of the names that will publicly state, or at least hint at, their interest in a 2014 gubernortorial run -

Brewer, if she can get the state supreme court to go along with her scheme to ignore the state constitution (don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen)

Thomas, if his meds don't kick in (or more likely, if he doesn't start taking them)

Joe Arpaio, the perpetually thisclosetoindicted Maricopa County Sheriff and saddle partner of Thomas (he gets coy about a run in April or May of every gubernortorial election year, but never goes through with it - such a run would require him to resign as county sheriff)

and Fife Symington.  The Fifester was AZ's governor for much of the 1990s, until his conviction in federal court on fraud charges.  The verdict was later overturned on appeal and he was then pardoned by then-President Bill Clinton before he could be retried.  However, he resigned from office upon his conviction on felony charges.  And even though his political career was thoroughly kaput (the post-conviction UFO sighting didn't help make things better), every four years, he hints at another run.

Those hints are greeted mostly by yawns, choruses of "Fife who?", and choruses of "yes!!" from wiseass bloggers.

Of the four, I'd guess that Thomas is most likely to make a real run; the other three have their own reasons to talk big, but those reasons have nothing to do with actually running in 2014.  On the other hand, Thomas has nothing better going on.  Hanging around the house, waiting 

Still, a potential R primary lineup like that is a dream...for Democrats.

OK - and wiseass bloggers, too.  :)

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