From the web:

In response to Jay Barth’s Dec. 1 column, “Arkansas Democrats’ rocky road forward”:

The Arkansas Dems can lead by doing the opposite of what the national Dems did when they reelected the same leadership in charge since the equally embarrassing losses as seen in Arkansas. Electing 75-plus-year-olds is no way to embrace the youth.

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Pygface

Northwest Arkansas has been a Republican bastion forever, so I think this part of Barth’s analysis is wishful thinking. Alas. And the appeal of populism goes “way” beyond rural voters. Finally, does anyone think the boutique feminism of “Pantsuit Nation” is going to win hearts and minds in a state that has been so nasty to Hillary Clinton? I really wanted to like this piece, but I just can’t.

Jay Ball

The Arkansas Democrats are disorganized. Black Democrats distrust white leaders who failed to support Obama and who fail to support black candidates. The state party website is a mess. It appears that there are almost no activities on the calendar. Every county should have regular meetings with interesting speakers. The county organization is the fundamental component of a healthy party. The chairman and executive director should be speaking across the state on a regular basis. Democrats need to focus on the unifying and necessary issues of improved education and environment. The crime rate in Little Rock is a direct result of terrible schools. The Democrats need to worry more about fixing the schools and less about supplying jobs for inadequate administrators and teachers. Arkansas river quality is terrible, yet Beebe builds a steel mill for the Kochs and Asa puts in a paper mill for the Chinese. Connor Eldridge and Nate Steel ran good campaigns, but there was nobody out there to help them. The party chair should have ripped in to Boozman’s trips to Paris and Asa’s paper mill and $1 million renovations to the governor’s mansion. The party apparatus is a dysfunctional mess, which serves only to greet the Clintons when they happen into town. The Clintons are not that popular in Arkansas anymore. Perhaps they should be invited to give some money to some Arkansas charities to increase their standing in the state. It is disgusting when people serve as governor and then leave town. That applies to Huckabee as well.

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Populist

So let me get this straight. The Jay Barth who is writing this article about what the party should be doing is the same Jay Barth who actually thought he had a chance running as an openly gay white man in a majority African-American district and actually thought he could win? Nothing wrong with him being gay and white, but if he was naive enough to believe he could win in that Senate district, one has to question his political acumen. So why is anyone listening to him? Forget about his poor judgment in running for the senate for a minute. Just look at this article, where he writes about Pulaski and Washington counties as being the start of an activist movement in Arkansas. If you want to follow Pulaski and Washington county’s lead, then the Democratic Party is definitely screwed. Most see the Democratic Party in those counties as a social club for LGBT and liberal elites. If he thinks the “activist energy” of Pulaski and Washington counties is going to change the state, he (again) is naive and sadly mistaken. The Democratic Party in this state has totally abandoned rural Arkansas. People have abandoned the party because the party has abandoned them. Bernie understood this. I don’t agree with everything he stood for, but he was at least trying to talk to the disenfranchised. I admire some of the things these activists are doing, but again, do you have to call it “Pantsuit Nation?” It just highlights that Hillary lost and how out of touch the Democratic Party is. And before someone starts hollering about how she won the “popular vote,” I understand that. But that is simply because she won California. She failed miserably in the Rust Belt. The Democrats need to get back to what made them dominant in days of old, and that was first and foremost, looking after working families. Yes, they need to do candidate recruitment. That is a “no brainer.” But again, if he thinks the activism in Pulaski and Washington counties will translate to rural Arkansas, he is flat wrong. Keep ignoring 80% of the population and you will keep getting the same results.

Rabid

From the Dec. 4 Arkansas Blog post, “Rapert compares Bill Clinton to Orval Faubus”:

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And thus we give microphones to morons.

Silverback66

To the best of my knowledge, Bill Clinton never addressed Arkansas Boys State saying that the way to win a case in the Arkansas Supreme Court was to talk and talk and talk, until you turn black in the face. Bill Clinton never did use the office of governor to try to deny children access to public education on the basis of the color of their skin. As I remember, Orval earned $10,000 a year for about 13 years, at which time he retired into a house estimated to be worth $300,000. Oh, and Orval was never elected president of the United States. Really, Jason?

deadseasquirrel

“I don’t think honoring a serial adulterer is the image we want to project … “

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Well Rapert, you just voted for one!! You will be honoring him on January 20. 

What a load of crap!

Bass Clef

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