What did Evan Mecham ask the Pope? - the jokes that impeached a governor

Washington Monthly, May, 1988 by Alleen Pace Nilsen

The jokes that impeached a governor. What Did Evan Mecham Ask The Pope?

What was it that finally drove Evan Mecham from the Arizona governor's office? His bigoted comments? His hand-in-the-till approach to campaign finances? In the end, his most enduring enemy may have been the countless Mecham jokes that swept the state, fueled the recall drive, and helped bring down the governor. Mecham's gone, but the jokes remain. A sampling:

Why did Evan Mecham cancel Easter?

Because he heard some of the eggs were going to be colored.

What do Evan Mecham's political appointees have in common?

Parole officers.

Why does Evan Mecham have to open his mouth?

So he can change feet.

What do Mecham and an untrained puppy have in common?

They both cringe at the sight of a newspaper.

How do you spell relief?

R-E-C-A-L-L.

What would be the difference if Mecham and a skunk were run over on the highway?

There would be skid marks in front of the skunk.

Did you hear what Mecham asked the Pope?

"How's the little woman?" Arizona bumper stickers:

I'll take a urine test if Mecham will take an IQ test.

God--Leave Oral and take Evan.

Don't get mad! Get Evan.

After Mecham began defending his use of the word pickaninny to describe black children, Arizonans turned it back on him: Pickaninny: What we did for Governor.

Mecham's education adviser, supporting a bill that would have required the teaching of creationism, told the legislature that if a student "wants to say the world is flat, the teacher doesn't have the right to try to prove otherwise." Shortly afterwards, a caller to a radio station suggested a state tax to fund the purchase of flat globes for schools.

At times, it seemed that Mecham and the jokes had merged. He was saying things so outrageous that the only logical explanation could be that he was mocking himself. As when he told a Jewish audience that America was a great Christian nation. Or when he denied being a bigot by arguing that he hires blacks "because they are the best people who applied for the cotton-picking job." Or when he scolded a reporter by telling him never to ask "for a true statement again!"

Speaking last summer, Morris Udall borrowed a line from Will Rogers and said he couldn't tell any jokes because Mecham had appointed them all. Udall, of course was wrong: Mecham left a few behind. Thanks for the laughs.