Arkansas Blog

"He said he has a problem with putting young foster children, preschool and grade-school age, in gay households. He says that's not because of gayness, but because of "external pressures" in the current cultural climate. He likens those to the powerful external pressures he faced or merely sensed as the young son of a poor single mother who moved around a lot and had a last name different from his. He wouldn't elaborate, saying it was too personal."

I think that Beebe is right on at this point. We sometimes forget the child in our world of "political correctness"

As the kid of a single mother - well in those days - you were a kid from a divorce. You were not the "same" as the rest of the kids. Your teachers treated you differnt and your friends parents didn't like you being around theirs. It was as if you didn't have two parents, you were going end up beng a crimiinal.

The difference as a kid was always there, and I know exactly what Beebe is talking about.

We do sometimes forget or don't recognize the emotional and social pressures that we put on our children - I do say that kids need a home, even if it's not the perfect Ozzie and Harriet home.

My aunt has a loving partner of 25 years or more. Both adopted baby girls from Mexico 20 some odd years ago. Their family is one of the kindest, most intelligent, well-adjusted families I know.

You can talk about gays being somehow less adequate as parents till you're blue in the face, but really, let's look at the numbers, think about the gay adults you know who have adopted or been foster parents... and then think about the straight people that have children, foster, or adopt. Our orphanages are fillled with young victims of meth parents. Our concerns (and dialogue) should be about this problem and how to fix it, not about who the adult chooses to love.

The real question is why Beebe isn't following suit? Asa! has an agressive staff, including an interesting blog roll that even those of us on the left read. Mike may think that all of that isn't necessary when you're leading by a fairly wide margin (in the polls & in $) and/or that the 20% of Arkansasns who haunt the web are already voting for him.

I suggest that is a mistake. Coasting is never a strong strategy. Time to get in the 21st century. Hell, Asa! even has a cafepress store, FGS!

What's surprising is that the shirt's they sell aren't brown.

The Republicans do this because it works. There is no truth in them, and they don't care. The ends justify the means. Rove did the same thing for Bush in South Carolina, spreading digusting lies aboout John McCain's family. Bush pretended he didn't know about it.

Beebe thinks he's conducting a political campaign. The Republicans know it's war, it's nasty, and screw the truth, do whatever it takes to win. Beebe needs to open up a can of whup-ass. This isn't a political campaign. It's war, and only one side understands that.

Mike could blow it. This is his first election with opposition, with an opponent.

Winning is everything to Rovians. Screw the truth, screw facts, paint the ugly untraceable images which linger in the minds of poorly informed, and leave no trace.

A$a desparate? Seems that way. Big guns from New York, D.C. and one turncoat from the Neoinsanity party, Zell Miller, about to debut.

But this is the year of anti-Washington moods. So long A$a . Nice try. See you when Mark or Blanche comes up for re-election. We're not ready for a
Big Government bureaucrat to come back home and help us out.
_

The tactics Asa is using don't play well in Arkansas. I guess he's been gone so long that he's forgotten that. The more he looks the other way the more damage he's doing to himself. Almost every day I get an email from ASA with links to blogs that flat out lie as well as his own. This will bite him the ass when the campaign really begins.

This is what happens when you have immature and out-of-touch kids running things for you. Keep up the good work kids.

I am sympathetic to the criticism that the Beebe campaign should have more Internet presence.

However, you can see from Asa's experiment that it is a lot to keep up with. The candidate should be held responsible for what the campaign posts, but with all the other demands of running for office that is a tough obligation.

Besides, most bloggers are ideologues. Asa is a conservative ideologue, and has a good group of conservative flacks there to fan his flames.

Beebe is more moderate (and that is probably a kind word choice). A Beebe campaign blog would just have some campaign posts and a lot of criticisms from both extremes, in spite of the fact the plurality of Arkansans are more centrist if they have any ideology at all.

I make my living off the internet. But the internet's influence on elections is being hyped. All Asa is doing is preaching to a very small choir. Politicos read political blogs and websites. They make up much less than one percent of the voting public.

The key to using the internet is reaching those voters who are not seeking out political blogs and websites. So far, few if any candidates are doing that.

Every candidate needs to use the internet because you never know how close an election could become. But it just doesn't play the role that some thing it does.

Ya'll keep referring to how Asa is lying about Beebe but ignoring that Beebe is the one who has been caught being dishonest again and again and again. When it comes to political dishonesty and attacks, Democrats in Arkansas are a hell of a lot worse than Republicans. This blog just proves it. It is no better than the Arkansas Family blog.

Back to the subject, gay foster parents. If the State Supremes said it's unconstitutional to ban gay folks, then how can any law say otherwise? Wouldn't it also be unconstitutional?

Pollen--The Supreme Court struck down the gay foster parent ban on what is essentially a technicality--the ban went farther than the authority that state law gives to the child welfare board. The supreme court didn't rule on the equal protection/discrimination angle. So the legislature will fall all over itself next spring passing a law giving the board the authority they need, then they will pass the ban again, and then someone will have to sue again and get to the supreme court for a ruling on the constitutionality.

> 1. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary
> Clinton.
>
> 2. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's
> daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him,
> and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.
>
> 3. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but
> trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international
> harmony
>
> 4. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our
> highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.
>
> 5. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but
> multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind
> without regulation.
>
> 6. The best way to improve military morale! is to praise the troops in

> speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.
>
> 7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
>
> 8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies,

> then demand their cooperation and money
>
> 9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing
> health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance
> companies have the best interests of the public at heart.
>
> 10. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but
> creationism should be taught in schools.
>
> 11. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable
> offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which
> thousands die is solid defense policy.
>
> 12. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the
> Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the
Internet.
>
> 13. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but
> George Bush's driving record is none of our business.
>
> 14. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're
> a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our
> prayers for your recovery.
>
> 15. Supporting "Executive Privilege" for every Republican ever born,
> who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.)
>
> 16. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital! national
> interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.
>
> 17. Support for hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for
> wearing orange vests similar to those worn by the quail.
>
>
> If you don't send it to at least 10 other people, we're likely to be
> stuck with more Republicans in '06 and '08.
> *Friends don't let friends vote Republican*.