ARPAIO PARDONED

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

As predicted, and excellent!

[Hindsight was 2020]

It's really hard to in any way buy the "he aren't bigots we only hate illegals" argument about Trump supporters when Joe infamously arrested and harassed legal immigrants yet they applaud his pardon here and on other social media forums

[publicunofficial]

It's really hard to in any way buy the "he aren't bigots we only hate illegals" argument about Trump supporters when Joe infamously arrested and harassed legal immigrants yet they applaud his pardon here and on other social media forums

Never trust a Republican when they tell you the reason they believe anything unless the answer is racisim/pure greed.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper, rips the pardon in an editorial: http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2017/08/25/donald-trump-resurrects-joe-arpaio-irrelevance/604067001/

And before anyone starts yelling about the biased media: the Republic's editorial board has a long-standing Republican lean.  (They did endorse Clinton in 2016, but before that they had not endorsed a Democrat since 1890.)

[Silent Hunter]

Aropioa was a victim of a witch hunt!

Period

Yes. He was dancing around a cauldron on a full moon, singing songs in praise of Satan and thinking about a good place to buy eye of newt.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Poll: Only 21% of Arizonians favored the pardon:

Good people do what is right not what is popular.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Aropioa was a victim of a witch hunt!

Period

Yes. He was dancing around a cauldron on a full moon, singing songs in praise of Satan and thinking about a good place to buy eye of newt.

For those crying witch hunt: the judge who found Arpaio guilty of civil contempt and who referred him for criminal charges was District Judge G. Murray Snow, who was nominated to that position by President George W. Bush.

[Santander]

At this point, one has to wonder whether there was an ulterior motive to this. Trump doesn't give favors to people unless he can get something out of it. Arpaio has nothing left to give Trump, and stood to lose virtually nothing from his conviction. And obviously, there was no popularity to gain from this.

Perhaps he's sending a signal to Manafort, Flynn, etc. that he'll have their back if they're good boys and take the fall for him?

[Ban my account ffs!]

At this point, one has to wonder whether there was an ulterior motive to this. Trump doesn't give favors to people unless he can get something out of it. Arpaio has nothing left to give Trump, and stood to lose virtually nothing from his conviction. And obviously, there was no popularity to gain from this.

Perhaps he's sending a signal to Manafort, Flynn, etc. that he'll have their back if they're good boys and take the fall for him?

I think that message is clear.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

At this point, one has to wonder whether there was an ulterior motive to this. Trump doesn't give favors to people unless he can get something out of it. Arpaio has nothing left to give Trump, and stood to lose virtually nothing from his conviction. And obviously, there was no popularity to gain from this.

Perhaps he's sending a signal to Manafort, Flynn, etc. that he'll have their back if they're good boys and take the fall for him?

The real question is, are they stupid enough to trust him?

[GeorgiaModerate]

At this point, one has to wonder whether there was an ulterior motive to this. Trump doesn't give favors to people unless he can get something out of it. Arpaio has nothing left to give Trump, and stood to lose virtually nothing from his conviction. And obviously, there was no popularity to gain from this.

Perhaps he's sending a signal to Manafort, Flynn, etc. that he'll have their back if they're good boys and take the fall for him?

I think this is a very sound theory.  However, a pardon of Manafort, Flynn, etc. wouldn't be an unmixed blessing for Trump.  If someone like Flynn is pardoned, he can still be subpoenaed to testify about those activities, and he can no longer take the Fifth because of the pardon.  But the pardon wouldn't cover criminal acts after the pardon was issued, such as ignoring a subpoena.  Of course Trump could continue to issue repeated pardons for someone, but at some point that would have to be too much for even the Republicans in Congress.

[Badger]

It's nice to see our resident bootlickers going out of their way to defend a man who made immigrant women sleep in their own menstrual blood. You people make me sick.

[SteveRogers]

Aropioa was a victim of a witch hunt!

Period

So you're saying Arpaio didn't commit the offense he was convicted of? Please explain.

[publicunofficial]

Aropioa was a victim of a witch hunt!

Period

Please set up a tent in the desert and die of heat stroke.

[pbrower2a]

At this point, one has to wonder whether there was an ulterior motive to this. Trump doesn't give favors to people unless he can get something out of it. Arpaio has nothing left to give Trump, and stood to lose virtually nothing from his conviction. And obviously, there was no popularity to gain from this.

Perhaps he's sending a signal to Manafort, Flynn, etc. that he'll have their back if they're good boys and take the fall for him?

I think this is a very sound theory.  However, a pardon of Manafort, Flynn, etc. wouldn't be an unmixed blessing for Trump.  If someone like Flynn is pardoned, he can still be subpoenaed to testify about those activities, and he can no longer take the Fifth because of the pardon.  But the pardon wouldn't cover criminal acts after the pardon was issued, such as ignoring a subpoena.  Of course Trump could continue to issue repeated pardons for someone, but at some point that would have to be too much for even the Republicans in Congress.

Arpaio illustrates the lack of value that the President places on human rights, and for that the President gives a clear defense. The Rule of Law no longer matters with the President, and anyone who might be a legal pariah for quasi-fascist behavior will get a defense from the federal government. States are expected to follow the the Great and Infallible Leader as a model.

This President has narrow focuses in life: his ego, his gain, and his indulgence.

[Gass3268]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Arpaio better get his lawyer ready.

[Devout Centrist]

This has been received very badly in Arizona. It was a horrendous decision.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Is anyone keeping track of which politicians have public supported or denounced the pardon?

[krazen1211]

I think we should amend the Constitution to give Congress the power to overrule a pardon, even if it's like a 90% threshold or something (and also to limit how many people he can pardon, even if it's in the thousands). There has to be a check on this power. In theory he could pardon everybody in the federal criminal justice system.

Our wise framers thankfully rejected that choice.

When George Washington marched to quell the Whiskey Rebellion, he wisely offered pardons to the rebels. It would have been difficult to convene the Congress for approval.

Of course by your standard Democratic President James Carter might not have been able to pardon the Vietnam draft Dodgers.

[Fuzzy Bear]

It reeks of favoritism.  As Sheriff Joe was only guilty of a misdemeanor, it's not like, say, letting Marc Rich off the hook.  But Arpaio never showed mercy to anyone.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7)  Somehow, Joe Arpaio doesn't come to mind when I think of this.

[Cactus Jack]

It reeks of favoritism.  As Sheriff Joe was only guilty of a misdemeanor, it's not like, say, letting Marc Rich off the hook.  But Arpaio never showed mercy to anyone.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7)  Somehow, Joe Arpaio doesn't come to mind when I think of this.

One of the best Republican takes I've seen in this thread.

[KingSweden]

It reeks of favoritism.  As Sheriff Joe was only guilty of a misdemeanor, it's not like, say, letting Marc Rich off the hook.  But Arpaio never showed mercy to anyone.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7)  Somehow, Joe Arpaio doesn't come to mind when I think of this.

What's sad is I had a very devout coworker who once referred to Arpaio as a "hero" of his for the specific reason that he humiliated his inmates, many of whom *were not convicted of anything*. It always disgusted me, that level of hypocrisy.

I wish more saw things the way you do. Arpaio deserves no mercy from the state after his horrific abuses of the law, and I hope he gets sued out the kazoo in court.

[Silent Hunter]

Poll: Only 21% of Arizonians favored the pardon:

Good people do what is right not what is popular.

This was neither.

[Fuzzy Bear]

It reeks of favoritism.  As Sheriff Joe was only guilty of a misdemeanor, it's not like, say, letting Marc Rich off the hook.  But Arpaio never showed mercy to anyone.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7)  Somehow, Joe Arpaio doesn't come to mind when I think of this.

What's sad is I had a very devout coworker who once referred to Arpaio as a "hero" of his for the specific reason that he humiliated his inmates, many of whom *were not convicted of anything*. It always disgusted me, that level of hypocrisy.

I wish more saw things the way you do. Arpaio deserves no mercy from the state after his horrific abuses of the law, and I hope he gets sued out the kazoo in court.

I should also mention that I consider Arpaio to be a disgrace to the profession of corrections and criminal justice for the manner in which he administered the Maricopa County Jail.

People who are sentenced to incarceration are not sent to jail or prison "to be punished".  BEING CONFINED IN JAIL OR PRISON IS THE PUNISHMENT, IN AND OF ITSELF.  I don't type in all caps a lot, but this point is a core principle of corrections.  Most of the abuses that stem from misconduct on the part of correctional officers and correctional staff stem from violations of that principle.  

Housing folks in tents in Maricopa County, AZ, just to save money and "make an example out of criminals" is indefensible.  "Making an example" out of a criminal defendant is contrary to justice; the punishment of confinement ought to be deterrence enough without tent cities, pink jumpsuits on male inmates with the words "Clean and Sober" on them, no air conditioning, etc.; these are, IMO cruel and inhuman punishments.  I don't have problems with a Sheriff taking a proactive approach to law enforcement, and I don't have a problem with a Sheriff running a tight ship in his/her county jail, but I do have a problem with someone in that position who deliberately comes off as a self-righteous sadist.  That's my personal opinion of Joe Arpaio.  Men like him give serious Sheriffs an undeserved bad name.

[Lord Admirale]

Arizona chances of going Democratic in 2020 just got 10 feet taller.