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Oct 27, 2010

Is Horne too thin-skinned to be top cop?

Republican candidate loses frivolous lawsuit over TV ad

PHOENIX – Tom Horne is showing Arizona voters exactly what kind of attorney general he would be. First, he whined about a TV ad about him. Then, he filed a frivolous lawsuit against the ad. And today, he lost in court.

The ad highlighted Horne’s "yes" vote to allow the state Board of Education to reinstate a Queen Creek teacher who had been fired after admitting he looked at pornographic Web sites in the classroom. That's right, Horne voted "yes." [East Valley Tribune, 5/22/06]

But Horne's losing lawsuit wasn't just about suppressing free speech -- it was about suppressing facts. Arizona voters, after all, might not want to elect an attorney general who lacks a strong view of law and order and refuses to hold people accountable.

"With something like this on his record, it's no wonder Horne was desperate to stop the TV ad," said Luis Heredia, Arizona Democratic Party executive director. "But Horne went to Harvard Law -- he should've learned about the First Amendment a long time ago."

Now that his lawsuit is over, Horne owes it to voters to address the topics in the TV ad. Why is he making excuses for his support of reinstating the high school teacher? The teacher himself admitted to viewing porn in class.

Doesn't a confession count for anything, Mr. Horne? It should, for someone who wants to be Arizona’s top law enforcement officer.

*Learn more about the AZ GOP "Slippery Slate."