Arkansas Blog

Oh Trish, can I borrow your "ball gown?"

Dang, at those prices, you ought to be able to wear a wedding gown and have the preacher and a two-week honeymoon thrown in free.

Now I know I didn't run, but for my 2 cents worth, I would have rented the biggest indoor area I could find in LR and contracted with whoever is Corkey's biggest competitor and sold tickets at the door at 10 bucks a head and called it good.

I think I'd be just as honored and have a better time at a shindig like that than play head of state with a bunch of big moneyed stuffed shirts. Heck, BBG, beer, a couple of bands spread around and some of them Girls Gone Wild women and we'd have us an inaugural that we'd remember for the rest of our lives.

Though I bet he won't do it, wouldn't it be nice to see Beebe, Governor of the people instead of Beebe, Governor of the Arkansas branch of the Fortune 500 club?

It doesn't have to be some brand of Billy Carter no class hoe down, but something geared towards us little guys would sure be a big contrast to the King George and King Huck era and it would make everybody feel good, not just the chosen few.

I want to see a difference in 2007, please not more of the same!

"For $25,000, platinum
sponsors get four tickets to a
private reception with the
governor; 20 tickets to a
reserved table at the ball."

My good god.

My good god.

So the governor is planning to attend this private reception alone? These are Democrats we're supposed to be talking about, for heaven's sake. Not Republicans!

Or, would somebody pay that much just to get to pitch a proposal to the governor? Are they crazy? There's got to be a cheaper way.

My good god.

My good god.

Is this still going to pay off Jimmie Lou's debt?

"I want to see a difference in
2007, please not more of the
same!
Posted by: Deathbyinches"

He's already flying on the state police plane, D.

$25,000 for two couples to join a few other folks at an audience with the king.

$15,000 = tickets to reserved seating at the ball (not a table).

Huckabee must be sick to miss out on this kind of thing. It's not the same old same old, D. It's sounding worse.

Oh my good god.

By way of comparison: when Mike Huckabee was inaugurated to a second term in 2003, press accounts said a $125 ticket bought access to dinner and the ball. But there were bulk packages ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 that included a VIP reception and multiple tickets. Some of the proceeds paid for ball gown and accessories for the first lady.

We got a bargin with Huckabee! Downright Walmart prices. Check the receipts for Mr. Bebee carefully, AT. Perhaps slopping at the public trough is being raised to a new art form. The more things change the more they remain the same. And, why does Russelville need a bypass? Are WE paying for that? Just wonderin'.

How depressing.
Just because it is legal does not make it OK. I guess in Arkansas the pols prefer to play a certain way no matter what party they are from....

I will be celebrating on Jan 9th, just waving goodbye to the Huckabucks! And I want everyone to have a bang up time in LR too.

But for the sake of good government I would like to see the list of names of people who put in big bucks to crown Mike Beebe that night. Humans crave to feel important and fat cats spending money to feel important is fine, fat cats thinking their buying our state government is NOT fine.

With a list of known fat cats, we can watch over the next 4 years and see if any of the big spenders get sweet deals, sweeter than you or I can get out of Governor Beebe's office. I am not lying when I say I want good, clean, fair, honest, government out of our new Democratic heroes.

The Republicans in Arkansas and nationwide, especially in DC have provided us with a benchmark. From now on we can compare our government with the worst example on record. I certainly expect Governor Beebe to outdistance Huckabee in all areas, especially in personal honesty in office. We simply cannot live under the same sorry deal with a new name on the door.

If becoming Republicans is what they're talking about when they say the newly elected Democrats are more conservative, then expect one endless shit-fit from me until the day Max pulls my plug. Bad Democrats will reflect on me personally and on top of mad, I'll be sad.....and my God life is just too short for any of that.

Beebe will be crowned our new King, but for the love of Pete, I don't want him to act like one. My message to the LR Martha Stewarts planning this party is rein it in and let the sun shine in all corners!

I'll say this for Beebe:

A few years ago I sent him a contribution for his campaign. When it was all said and done, he never drew an opponent and he eventually returned my donation to me.

Did he have to do that? I don't know, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Max,
I'd go, but I can't stand any more expernses.

For $8.50, tin sponsors get to pose next to a cardboard cutout of the Governor and get the little strip of 4 black & whites PLUS a souvenir "ball", but no tickets to the actual ball.

How do you folks think we win elections?

DBI says "Though I bet he won't do it, wouldn't it be nice to see Beebe, Governor of the people instead of Beebe, Governor of the Arkansas branch of the Fortune 500 club?"

Well - even though you are great on this blog - it takes money to get the message out to the folks other than the 15 people who write on this blog everyday.

It is exactly this sort of event that the Democrats need. The power of incumbency can be fleeting and I am VERY HAPPY that Beebe is using his clout literally from day one to help the organization that put him in the governor's mansion - the Democratic Party.

As I said before the election, I was holding my nose and voting for Beebe.

frankly this is disgusting for a governor of a small state. we are not crowing a king who will be seen by only a few lobbyists who have the 25,000 to see him on that night and that will be the only ones who pay that much. with the elections over the big doners are tapped out and the big money guys are the ones who want favors. he may already have signs made to cover a few places he wants named for himself. i really am upset, i thought we were going to do better but i am afraid we are going to have a period of lobbists running the state.

Help me here SnM....what message are you talking about? The message that there is going to be an inauguration on Jan.9th....hell.....buy 2000 bucks worth of Thrift Nickel ads.

Or is there some other message that needs out of the box? If so.....what would that message be? And do you get more of it for 10,000 dollars? Is it good stock tips? Jeopardy answers?

I know this will upset some people, but in the old days people like McClelland and Fulbright got reelected forever by simply doing their jobs very very well.

No Rockefeller ever dared think of taking them on. They didn't hold their jobs by charging thousands for a private audience ala The Pope. They just did their damn job and the people of Arkansas figured out to keep on electing them.

I totally reject your money mill propaganda. Democrats didn't win November 7th because of money.....they won because the Republicans suck worse than ever before.

Democrats can stay in power forever and win it all in 2008 by doing their jobs and rejecting the greed and country club mindset that the Republicans have been displaying for the last 12 years.

If to win future elections the Democratic Party must morph into the Republican Party.....then I quit!

>>>>The power of incumbency can be fleeting and I am VERY HAPPY that Beebe is using his clout literally from day one to help the organization that put him in the governor's mansion - the Democratic Party.<<<<

Hol' on there, pardner...

The dirty secret to this past campaign is that the Democrats didn't exactly win the election as much as the Republicans flat-assed LOST it, and the Dems happened to be sitting on the other side of the ballots...

"How do you folks think we win elections?" posted by SnM

Beebe already won his race. This is just a big after party. Although, the money they're wanting people to pay to go to the thing gives a different impression. It stinks of excessiveness, arrogance and not a tar paper shack.

This doesn't say much for his Advisors. Beebe seems to be a good man. It's obvious he is just mesmerized with all the new hoopla.

Max: The price comparison with Huckabee's shindig was interesting. Boy, I hope he's not modeling his party after his predecessor. He ought to be calling Pryor, Bumpers and Clinton to find out a decent price ot charge people to go to his party.

Beebe probably did call Clinton. He must have gotten the prices of Clinton's two gubernatorial parties confused with his presidential party.

Max,
It took one phone call to confirm TICKETS TO THE EVENT ARE $100. The levels mentioned above are to underwrite the event.

...still very comfortable having written in for WR.

Beebe's high end sponsorship packages are way more than Huckabee charged in 2002. You Huckabee bashers are going to need a little rehab on the blog....or at least a little physical therapy to help with the contortions you are starting to do. For ten years now you have used the logic that if it's bad it is just because of Huckabee. Now along comes Beebe on the state plane and charging more than Mike and you don't quite know what to think. Don't get all high and mighty. Beebe needs those high end tickets to be able to invite the masses for $125 a head. And could we please put the state plane thing to rest. It is a beat up old King Air with no bathroom. It is the same plane the states uses to extradite criminals back to Arkansas. It is low budget all the way. Virginia flies it's gov in a jet and no one ever says a word. If Beebe can do a lunch event in Jonesboro and be back in the office at 2:00, why is that not a better use of his time????

Give up on the plane and accept that fact that a lot of the stuff about Huckabee that bothered the black helicopter ground will not be that much different with Beebe.