The GOP culture of corruption in Arizona, and the media who enable it

Our blog trolls get their panties in a bunch when I refer to the GOP culture of corruption in Arizona. They are either uninformed or wilfully ignorant.

Most studies on political corruption focus too narrowly on charges filed and convictions obtained. There are many forms of unethical conduct and political corruption that do not result in charges filed or convictions. A classic example of this is the Fiesta Bowl Scandal from a few years ago. Not one of the dozens of politicians implicated were ever charged with a crime or even faced an ethics investigation in the Arizona legislature. Only Fiesta Bowl personnel were prosecuted and plead guilty.

The Phoenix New Times reports on a new survey of political reporters, which uses a broader definition of political corruption, that finds Arizona’s the Most Corrupt State in America, According to Survey:

Arizona’s home to the most political corruption in America.

That’s according to a survey of reporters nationwide, done by researchers at Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.

The researchers outlined several problems with basing corruption just on convictions, like incomplete data sets and the politics involved in such prosecutions, among other things.

“An alternative to a measure based on convictions is a measure based on perceptions,” the researchers say in a written explanation of their results.

Their explanation says previous researchers have made “a compelling argument regarding why we should survey reporters rather than another group of professionals such as trial lawyers or small business owners to measure government corruption.

“Reporters have a better knowledge of state governments and spend a great deal of time observing the government officials and interacting with them,” they say.

So, these reporters were asked to gauge how common it is to see “legal corruption” or “illegal corruption” in their state’s legislative, judicial, and executive branches:

We define illegal corruption as the private gains in the form of cash or gifts by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups. It is the form of corruption that attracts a great deal of public attention. A second form of corruption, however, is becoming more and more common in the U.S.: legal corruption. We define legal corruption as the political gains in the form of campaign contributions or endorsements by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups, be it by explicit or implicit understanding.

Here’s what Arizona’s reporters had to say:

• Illegal corruption in the executive branch: very common.
• Illegal corruption in the legislative branch: very common.
• Illegal corruption in the judicial branch: slightly common.
• Legal corruption in the executive branch: moderately common.
• Legal corruption in the legislative branch: very common.
• Legal corruption in the judicial branch: slightly common.

Putting that all together, Arizona’s easily perceived as the most corrupt state.

We asked the researchers, Illinois State University associate professor Oguzhan Dincer and Colgate University professor Michael Johnston, if there’s any other research that points to Arizona being a hotbed of corruption. That’s not to say we needed any more proof, but they have some.

Dincer pointed us to previous research he and Johnston have done on the subject, by creating an index based on corruption news stories across the United States from 1977 to 2012.

“Looking at the period average, Arizona is again one of the most corrupt states (in top 10),” Dincer says.

Keep in mind that this is a survey of political reporters — reporters who know that political corruption is going on but all too often fail to report it. It has often been said that “It’s the job of the newspaper to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” The Arizona political media reject this. They defend the rich and powerful elite.

A recent example of this is Dicey Doug Ducey appointing Kirk Adams as his chief of staff. The publication by lobbyists for lobbyists, the Arizona Capitol Times, did this fluffer piece: Ducey’s choice of Adams as chief of staff met with acclaim. Geezus, get a room!

The Arizona Republic was little better, glossing over Kirk Adams’ political corruption in Ducey taps former House speaker to lead staff. Opinions editor Robert Leger could barely muster concern with only a “question: Whose interests will be best served?” in Brace yourselves: Ducey could be lawmakers’ BFF. Columnist Robert Robb’s only concern was that the politically ambitious Kirk Adams might overshadow his boss, the governor. Adams a high-risk choice for Ducey. Columnist Laurie Roberts, who has railed against “dark money” in the corporation commission and attorney general races — directed by Kirk Adams on behalf of APS — is suddenly silent on the impropriety of Ducey’s selection of Kirk Adams as his chief of staff.

Keep in mind that Kirk Adams was Speaker of the House (2009-2011) during the period of time that the state legislature was stealing money from Arizona’s school districts so that they could give corporate welfare tax giveaways. The Arizona Supreme Court found that this was theft and ordered the state legislature to pay restitution to Arizona’s school districts — a lawful court order that the legislature and Dicey Doug Ducey are currently resisting in court. The corporate welfare tax giveaways were based upon the disproved and discredited faith based supply-side “trickle down” GOP economics, which has produced a $52o million budget deficit this year, and an estimated $1 billion deficit next year.

Adams was the chief sponsor of legislation favored by the editors of The Republic for public employee pension reform. That law was struck down as unconstitutional by the Arizona Supreme Court, and eventually had to be repealed by the legislature with pensioners being reimbursed for their losses.

Adams was also a big supporter of SB 1070, Arizona’s anti-immigrant law that has mostly been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as unconstitutional.  What little remains of it is headed back to the Supreme Court, where it will finally be laid to rest. Adams solicited outside funding to defend SB 1070 in court. Bill would allow legislative leaders to join SB 1070 legal fight.

Adams worked with Dicey Doug Ducey in the anti-Prop. 204 campaign to defeat a dedicated sales tax to fund public education. His role with Americans for Responsible Leadership – a Koch brothers ‘dark money’ front group, led to “the largest contribution ever disclosed as campaign money laundering in California history.” California Fair Political Practices Commission. Americans for Responsible Leadership was fined $1 million dollars for its campaign money laundering scheme in California.

Did this deter Kirk Adams from his unethical if not illegal conduct? Not in the least. Adams founded Prosper Inc., another “Kochtopus” front group that got money from Arizona Public Service Co. and other Carbon Monopoly dark money contributors to fight net- metering and solar energy policies. I posted about this at length as well. A sampling, ‘Kochtopus’ dark money and Arizona solar energy. Adams’ front group was heavily involved in the corporation commission and attorney general races this year. Gov-Elect Doug Ducey Chooses APS Dark Money Man Kirk Adams Chief of Staff.

Directing all of this was the Dark Lord of “dark money” for the “Kochtopus” in Arizona, Sean Noble, whom The Arizona Republic again today gives access to its editorial pages to promote his brand of political corruption. Doug Ducey is a blueprint for the GOP.

Only in a state where the GOP culture of corruption is so firmly entrenched and is enabled by the GOP-friendly media could an appointment like Kirk Adams not result in an editorial outcry against his selection, and an admonishment for the governor-elect for his demonstrated lack of moral character and judgment.

When the “watchdogs of democracy” become the lapdogs of the wealthy and powerful elite, no one is watching out for your best interests.