Original Article John Lennon, Grandma Moses and Sheriff Joe E.J. Montini Republic columnist Oct. 17, 2004 12:00 AM There was a Page One story Friday about Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's re-election campaign, although you might not have noticed it since nowhere in the article was the sheriff's re-election campaign mentioned. That is the genius of Sheriff Joe. The story was about abortion, supposedly. It spoke of Arpaio's determination not to transport pregnant inmates to abortion clinics unless forced to do so by court order. A lawsuit was filed some time ago by an inmate whose request for a ride was turned down. Arpaio has been using his fight against the lawsuit in his campaign mailings and has been speaking about it with reporters. And so, a few weeks before we pick a president, in the middle of a war, and during a time when several nasty campaigns are being waged over initiatives on immigration and light rail, the local sheriff again finds a way to get his name on the front page of the newspaper, and on the radio, and on TV. advertisement We don't have many geniuses in town. Joe might be the only one. I suppose some people would argue in favor of that professor who won the Nobel Prize over at ASU. But he just moved here and still spends a lot of time in the Midwest. Besides, he's an intellectual and I'm not talking about that kind of genius. I'm talking about the nave kind. Like painter Grandma Moses, who had never taken an art class. Like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who wrote Beatles songs without knowing how to read music. Like Sheriff Joe. He knows instinctively what will make news and at the same time solidify his base of political support. For instance, talking to reporters about an abortion problem that isn't really a problem. Arpaio's own assistant has admitted that fewer than three women a year have the procedure while in Joe's lockup. Doesn't matter. "It's government money and this is elective surgery," the sheriff tells me. "What are they going to ask for next, a nose job?" This is why Arpaio will be re-elected in November, and why he easily defeated a tough challenger in this year's primary, even though his opponent had many Republican heavyweights backing him, including U.S. Sen. John McCain. "And the newspapers were against me, too," Arpaio says. "Everybody but the people. The people know who I am, and that's why I win. That's why I don't go out looking for endorsements. I go right to the people. Of course, a lot of politicians want MY endorsement. They said the Republicans were against me in the primary, but I guess I don't understand politics because now they're all asking for my support." Arpaio is 72 years old. When asked by a reporter what he planned to do in retirement, he could not answer. He had no idea. Perhaps because being the sheriff of Maricopa County IS his retirement. "It's true, I guess," he says. "I retired from the DEA. I love what I'm doing. But what kind of retirement is it if you work for 12 hours a day?" For someone like Arpaio, it is the best kind. He makes speeches. He signs autographs. He wears as many stars on his collar as Gen. George Patton. He has TV stations from Australia to Germany profiling him. And he gets to poke fun at politicians who can't come close to his voter appeal no matter how many high-priced pollsters or campaign strategists they hire. Also, he can play all those gullible hacks in the media like a cheap fiddle. "You know what advice I'd give politicians?" he says. "I'd tell them to talk to you. I'd say, 'Just talk to E.J. and get him to write against you and you'll win.' " See what I mean? Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8978.