Monday, July 30, 2012
Arkansas Politics Does Mike Beebe matter in November election?
Posted by Max Brantley on Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 5:57 AM
Will he help? Even Beebe himself sounds uncertain.
“You know, you never know,” he said. “All I can do is the best I can.”
The Republican Party of Arkansas, meanwhile, will again make the election all about President Barack Obama. Never accuse them of overestimating the Arkansas voter.
If rational decision-making was an issue, Beebe would be more important. He'll lead the state in 2013 and 2014. Barack Obama will have little influence on the Arkansas agenda or legislature. If voters really do want a working government, they'd do better to return people willing to work with Beebe, who carried every county in 2010, rather than reactionary bomb throwers intent on overturning government as we know it, based on their newly adopted platform. Not for Republican legislative candidates the cautiously moderate Beebe's approach to consensus governance.
Beebe says it will come down to the candidates.
“Arkansans will default to the R or to the D depending on what’s going on, depending on the mood of the people, if they don’t know the candidate well enough to feel like they’re going to vote for or against the candidate,” he said.
This is where fervor — and money — come in. The Republican candidates come generally from the 'bagger ranks, with well-defined rallying cries popular among a segment of motivated voters. By-the-numbers candidacies in opposition aren't likely to succeed without matching fervor. And then there's the Koch money, poised to be spent in huge sums to smear Democratic candidates with mass mailings ranging from disingenuous to dishonest, all bearing the picture of that radical Islamist from Kenya or Hawaii or wherever Hussein is from.
If the Democratic Party loses the majority in November, Mike Beebe has a long two years ahead of him.
Speaking of...
-
Martha Shoffner resigns as Arkansas state treasurer
May 21, 2013Martha Shoffner, facing federal prosecution in a kickback case, has resigned as Arkansas State treasurer. /more/
-
Chris Thyer: Informant in Shoffner case will eventually be identified
May 20, 2013David Koon reports from the news conference this afternoon by U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer of the Eastern District of Arkansas, who brought the charge against state Treasurer Martha Shoffner, and Western District U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge, who buttressed the message that the feds are looking for corruption statewide. /more/
-
Remember Jon Hubbard? He hasn't mellowed
May 18, 2013Remember Jon Hubbard, the former Republican legislator from Jonesboro whose views proved too extreme for voters in 2012, though not for the Republican Party of Arkansas? /more/
-
Monday night's Pomp and Circumstance open line
May 13, 2013Imboden high school graduation is uneventful after flap over gay speaker. /more/
-
TGIF line is open
May 3, 2013It's Friday. You're on. /more/
-
Which one?
May 2, 2013The city of Beebe or Mike Beebe? It's not an easy question. They're both from White County, both have their merits, and their advocates. The town has gained fame for its dead birds; the man as a competent and moderate governor, perhaps the last of his kind. /more/
-
How the private option flipped the Medicaid expansion debate
May 2, 2013It took a group of clever and obstinate young Republican legislators who refused to go along with Medicaid expansion but weren't ready to close the door on other ideas. They helped force a crafty veteran Democratic governor who was eager to go forward with expansion to consider alternative approaches. Throw in tireless and creative state health officials who happened to have a cozy relationship with their federal It took a group of clever and obstinate young Republican legislators who refused to go along with Medicaid expansion but weren’t ready to close the door on other ideas. They helped force a crafty veteran Democratic governor who was eager to go forward with expansion to consider alternative approaches. Throw in tireless and creative state health officials who happened to have a cozy relationship with their federal counterparts. Probably some luck. And, among everyone involved, it took a slightly crazy, seemingly unjustified optimism that somehow a solution was possible. /more/
-
There goes Barack Obama, agreeing with Mike Ross again
April 26, 2013Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross has said he would have opposed the recent legislative effort to strip funding from Planned Parenthood for sex education and other health programs (not abortion). /more/
-
Bill Clinton tweets pic from Bush Library opening
April 25, 2013Bill Clinton. Heard of him? /more/
-
Obamacare rules
April 18, 2013At press time, a Senate vote was still up in the air, but the thinking was that senators would join the House in its momentous approval Tuesday of Medicaid expansion by a 77-23 vote. /more/
- More »
Comments (11)
Showing 1-11 of 11
More by Max Brantley
-
Friday night lines
The line is open. Closing out: * EXECUTION LAW CHALLENGED: A new state law specifying drugs to be used in executions still doesn't meet constitutional muster, inmates have argued in a new federal lawsuit.
- Apr 26, 2013
-
The House takes up Medicaid expansion
The Arkansas House is now meeting as a committee of the whole to hear the pitch for taking federal Medicaid expansion money, but my moving more people into private health insurance, rather than through a government-overseen program.
- Apr 8, 2013
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: Must read: Roy Reed's obituary on Orval Faubus' sister
Roy Reed is pretty good with facts, but not so good when he tries to…
- on May 24, 2013
-
Re: Vote fraud: Myth-busting in Ohio
If it saves just one vote it is all worth it!
- on May 24, 2013
-
Re: House begins videos of state representatives
I don't care about their families or whatever. I just care how they vote on…
- on May 24, 2013
Top Commenters
Blogroll
Slideshows
-
May 16, 2013
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
