Silhouettes
It seems early in the election cycle for scary political ads, but the reckless rich love the smell of money in the morning — or any other time — and nobody's richer and more reckless than the members of the "Club for Growth," a special-interest PAC now filling Arkansas airwaves with spooky messages about a black president and a member of Congress alleged to have been civil to him. The ad is all silhouettes and shadows and sinister off-screen voices, reminiscent of the ads that racists ran against Winthrop Rockefeller in the '70s, documenting his attendance at NAACP meetings, and his failure to apologize for it.
To be fair, the Club for Growth, chaired by sometime Arkie Jackson T. Stephens, probably doesn't disapprove of Barack Obama because he's black — or not only because he's black — although the sleazy-looking TV ads could easily lead one to believe that. The Growthers find him distasteful also because he didn't get off his butt and inherit big pots of money, like they did. Where's his initiative? Most of all, they resent his willingness to tax rich people to help poor people. To the Growthers, this is un-American as well as un-white. Un-Christian, too. The funny name doesn't sit well with them.
The TV ads are intended to defeat Sen. Mark Pryor, who's up for re-election next year and who is, according to the advertisers, Obama's only Arkansas ally. Pryor is also the only Democrat in the Arkansas congressional delegation, and that's one too many Democrats for the Growthers. But there's scarcely a blander, less partisan, more centrist politician around than Mark Pryor. To turn him into an ogre will take a lot of the Growthers' misbegotten money. Even people like Jackson Stephens, who've never had to worry about price, may reach a flinching point.
Speaking of...
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Republicans hit Pryor on IRS union contribution
May 17, 2013Easy score. Arkansas Republican Party says U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor should return political contributions he's received from the union that represents Treasury Department employees, which include IRS workers. /more/
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Morning report: Leaks, guns and welfare kings
May 14, 2013The morning roundup: * WHEN WILL REP. TOM COTTON PRAISE OBAMA'S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT? Republican mouthpieces are howling about the news that AP reporters' phone records were gathered by the Justice Department in an apparent investigation of leaks about a Yemen-based terrorist plot to bomb an airliner. /more/
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A.M. Report: A confederacy of stooges and a money quest
May 7, 2013Some other odds and ends that floated in overnight: * JOHN BOOZMAN, STOOGE OF THE NIGHT: I can't find a clip yet, but multiple readers report that U.S. Sen. John Boozman joined Sen. Mark Pryor in David Letterman's pantheon of "stooges of the night" for his vote against broadening background checks for gun purchasers. /more/
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Who wants to be a U.S. senator?
May 4, 2013The New York Times reports this morning on the wave of retirements from the U.S. Senate and a lack of clamor from people anxious to join the filibuster-frozen body. /more/
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Dumas: The perils of accommodation for Pryor and Ross
May 2, 2013"The hardest thing about any political campaign," Adlai Stevenson said at the end of his last race, "is how to win without proving yourself unworthy of winning." /more/
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The mid-week line: Bomber sentenced, politics, George Jones
May 1, 2013The line is open. Final thoughts: * PERENNIAL CAMPAIGNER: Former state Rep. Bobby Tullis has talked about entering many a political race and even entered some since his days in the legislature. Now it's U.S. Senate. /more/
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Tom Cotton burnishes his warhawk image
April 30, 2013"Media sweetheart" is how this piece in Politico puts it and they should know, having been pumping U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Club for Growth) since forever. /more/
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Monday night line
April 29, 2013The comment line is open. Final words: * TOM COTTON STATEMENT ON OBAMA: 'MOSTLY FALSE': Politifact has reviewed U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton's overhyped statement on the House floor on terrorism during the administration of President Obama versus what he claimed were zero events under George W. Bush (not counting that little 9/11 thing). /more/
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Mark Pryor: Stooge of the Night on Letterman show
April 27, 2013As several have noted, David Letterman made Mark Pryor his stooge of the night last night for his vote with the NRA to defeat legislation to expand gun purchase background checks to gun shows. /more/
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The Extremism Edition
April 26, 2013A Republican even crazier than Nate Bell, the last vetoes of the session, the latest outrage from Tom Cotton and Bloomberg versus Pryor — all covered on this week's podcast. /more/
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Listen, UA
Any public-university trustees considering merger of their tax-supported teaching hospital with a Catholic hospital should ponder these wise words from Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
- May 16, 2013
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Semi-tough
The 2013 legislature was protective of gun-carriers and red-light runners, but it came down hard on voters. The first two groups might kill a few people, (or a lot). The third might remove from office a few Republican legislators. This was seen as the greater danger by Republican legislators. Their priorities are different from normal people's.
- May 9, 2013
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Which one?
The 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.
- May 2, 2013
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Re: Listen, UA
- on May 16, 2013
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Re: Listen, UA
It's been a long time coming.
“We have just enough religion to make us…- on May 16, 2013
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