Yank the Dipstick… Sheriff Dupnik Recall Effort Begins in Pima County

by Warner Todd Huston | January 21, 2011 4:58 pm

I was wondering how long this would take, but apparently my wait is over. A recall petition to oust Clarence Dupnik, the partisan, leaky-mouthed Sherif of Pima County, Arizona, is finally underway. Dipstick… er, I mean Dupnik, is now infamous for instantly blaming Fox News, Sarah Palin, the Tea Party and all conservatives for the actions of deranged killer Jared Loughner in Tucson. Even before the first facts were known, Dipstick was speculating along his hateful, partisan line that it was the right that was responsible for the crime.

Now his big fat mouth has finally gotten him in trouble. The Pima County Tea Party is planning a Dump Dupnik rally for Jan. 28th.

This rally is to unite the citizens of Arizona against statements made by Sheriff Clarence Dupnik during a crisis for our city, state and country. The shootings that took place at the hand of a lone madman in our city are an assault against all citizens.

Dupnik should have been conducting an investigation and providing a voice of calm for our City. Instead he chose to politicize a tragedy and he needs to be held accountable for the lack of leadership.

Dupnik described the state of Arizona as a” Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” He had no evidence by has own admission on a Fox News broadcast yet he chose to continue vilifying innocent people with conservative voices

The Washington Times notes that Dipstick has been successfully elected to office eight times previously but even former supporters are getting sick and tired of him using his office for partisan political bickering instead of actual police work.

Along with the Pima Tea Party efforts, a group headed by Arizonan Dan Baltes, Americans Against Immigration Amnesty, is launching a petition drive[1] to get the 90,809 signatures necessary to recall the sheriff.

On the AAIA website, this notice appears:

We have learned through history that tragedies will bring out the best and the worst of Americans and our leaders. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik is a shining example of the latter. We received an overwhelming response to our Monday show from residents of Pima County asking that we lead an effort to recall Sheriff Clarence Dupnik for his abject failures in office. As a result of that response, we have completed our research and concluded that the recall of the Sheriff is both warranted and allowed by Arizona law. In that regard, we have prepared the petitions and will begin the work of gathering the required signatures to recall Sheriff Dupnik.

Pima County is a very deep blue part of Arizona, it is true, but maybe Sheriff Dipstick has finally put his foot in his mouth one time too many at long last? I guess we’ll see, won’t we?

Still, whether he is allowed to keep his job or not, it is a simple fact that this man lied about the causes of the Tucson shooting, then brazenly backtracked that lie and claimed it was just his “opinion” all despite the fact that there isn’t a single shred of proof to support his hateful claims. And that this man is an elected official to a position that isn’t supposed to even be an office infused with politics makes his actions unforgivable. Unfortunately, Democrats are not known for their moral character. Chances are he’ll be allowed to slide on this.

But, let’s pass the word on this recall effort. Maybe enough sensible citizens of Pima County will gather to get rid of this shining jewel of colossal ignorance?