Tuesday, April 21st, 2009...6:08 pm
The Akond of S.W.A.T.
New rumor I’ve heard: tomorrow former Surgeon General Richard Carmona will announce his candidacy against Raúl Grijalva.
Okay, sounds like a fun rumor, but I have a bit of trouble buying it. Carmona is registered to vote in the Tanque Verde area (miles from CD 7) and registered as an independent. Neither of these are insurmountable barriers: he doesn’t have to actually live in CD 7 and has the time to move in any case, and changing his voter registration to whichever party he hopes to run in would take a couple of minutes. He’s got allies in both parties, so either one is plausible. Heck, he could actually run as an independent, I suppose.
I’m having trouble with his reported selection of opponent. How exactly does he win that race? Does he run as a Democrat and try to knock the rather safe Grijalva out in a primary or run a suicide mission against him in the general election as a Republican? If I were a man in Carmona’s position, I would find neither of these particularly appetizing.
Now, I could see him running against Gabrielle Giffords. I think the last election should have shown Republicans that Giffords is a much stronger opponent and much more popular than they give her credit for. But, the district is still marginally Republican, and I could see that Carmona could be convinced (or that he could convince himself), with his stature, resume and political moderation, that he’s the guy that could take her out. I’m not saying he would, just saying someone could make a good case to him that he could.
As I said, the rumor I heard was sketchy on the details. We’ll see tomorrow how poorly my radar is working.
8 Comments
April 21st, 2009 at 9:15 pm
One thing is very telling: Carmona has the unique distinction of being the only person in the Bush (II) administration to not be asked to return for the second term. I mean, just how incompetent does one have to be for that to happen?
April 21st, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Carmona was not brought back because he actually opposed policies of GWB, and was seen as a thorn.
As for him being a candidate, he could give Gabby a run, and would be much stronger opponent than her former classmate was. (she would still win, however)
Going against Raul?? waste of his time and $$$.
I would like to see him take on John McCain.
April 21st, 2009 at 10:05 pm
But it could be a Simcox-Gifford’s matchup. Would we get Paton as the Ref? (This goes back to Payton’s successful efforts to get “no rules” fighting to the state.
Although I make fun of it, I supported his efforts, by the way.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 am
Ted, what does “askond” mean? Google is no help.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:41 am
I don’t see Carmona as a candidate for any legislative position. He is an executive type, through and through. This would be a good year for an indie run for governor. He would have a shot if he went up against Brewer and Goddard.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:00 am
Donna-
A typo which I’ve corrected. It’s a poem by Edward Lear. The last verse goes like this:
Some one, or nobody, knows I wot
Who or which or why or what
Is the Akond of Swat?
You can find the full poem here:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-akond-of-swat/
The Akond was a religious figure that ruled the State of Swat, which is now in Pakistan and has been in the news lately. No word on whether there actually was a Sultan of Swat.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:29 am
If I were to pick between Gifford’s and Grijalva I’d say Grijalva is the most vulnerable. He has never been up against a candidate that I understand can raise 1-2 million dollars in less than a month. The voters in CD-7 have never been told about his more controversial votes and special interest earmarks. This, along with his DUI and rumored problems with John Barleycorn(which may or may not be true) make him vulnerable to an hispanic candidate in a well financed, centrist campaign in my opinion.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:30 am
Babe Ruth was the “Sultan of Swat”