Thursday, June 21, 2012
Arkansas Politics Beebe: Why can't we get along?
Posted by Max Brantley on Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 10:59 AM
- wikipedia
- CAN'T WE BE CIVIL? Gov. Mike Beebe
Spoken like a Democrat who hears the Republican barbarians at the gates of the legislature with two years left on his term.
Here's the truth: The operative Republican political policy is give-no-quarter. Their dogma is black and white. Deviation is not allowed. It works for them.
Republicans counter that one-party rule has existed in Arkansas under Democrats and complaints about intractable Republicans amount only to so much whining about loss of power. They are wrong, as usual.
The legislature has never voted in lockstep with a Democratic Party ideology because there isn't one. Nor has it voted in lockstep with Democratic governors. Most of them have had to govern more conservatively than they would have if left to personal instincts.
The Democratic Party is all over the map on issues ranging from guns to taxes to abortion to unions to gay rights. There is no doubt where Republicans stand on any of those things. It is a strength or weakness in either party's case depending on your view. But it is NOT untrue to say Republican majority governance will be a one-way street.
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