Scorned Jeff the Flake’s irrelevant sideshow
In the days before computers and cell phones offered every bizarre enticement, there were sideshows that accompanied state fairs and were the staples of circuses. For a quarter, you could see sword swallowers, fire breathers, unfortunates born with anomalies that rendered them otherwise unemployable and the bearded or tattooed woman (now available free of charge in the grocery store aisles). Oddities were intriguing.
Arizona has had its share over the years. There was a Phoenix record store on Central Avenue that was actually shaped like a gigantic record. Now records are a relic and the building is long gone. Tovrea Castle, a 100+ year old home resembling a wedding cake perched on a hill surrounded by cactus, still stands. Newcomers viewing it from a nearby freeway wonder what it is.
We also had Jeff Flake, a single term U.S. Senator whose home state favorability ratings plunged to a low of 18%, causing him to “retire” rather than face the embarrassment of being kicked to the curb…