Arkansas Blog: McDaniel pledges to fight

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is quoted as saying his office will mount a vigorous defense if legal challenges are raised to initiatives for a state lottery and to ban adoptions and foster parents in homes with unmarried couples.

McDaniel draws suspicion because of expressed opposition to the adoption limitation measure and questions about fallout from a lottery (the very real prospect of video lottery terminals and other types of gambling should this be approved.)

There will be a challenge to the adoption limitation proposal. And here's a related question for Secretary of State Charlie Daniels: How in the heck did you wind up with the state's go-to accounting firm for Republican politicians -- JPMS Cox -- to outsource your petition reviews? The initiative is just another one of those Republican red meat issues to drive presidential vote turnout (remember the gay marriage amendment?)

The use of the Republican accounting firm won't turn out to be altogether a bad thing. When the suit is filed over the adoption petitions, opponents, generally Democrats, can then beat up on the contract workers and not Democrat Daniels himself, for counting signatures that monitors contend appear to have multiple signatures in the same hand; on petitions gathered outside the 30-day "cure" period; on petitions notarized days after signatures were putatively gathered; etc. But there's also this: This week, backers turned in 30,000 new signatures supposedly gathered in 30 days, after months and months of effort fell thousands short initially. Hmmm. They bear close inspection. It should be interesting to watch the ensuing challenge, should Daniels certify the initiative. Constitutional questions also will be raised, important ones with far-reaching implications.

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"My office worked very hard on approving the language of this amendment and making sure it was defensible and regardless of how I feel about it, if anyone files a lawsuit I'm confident we will successfully defend it and keep it on the ballot so the people have a right to vote on it," McDaniel said.

McDaniel later said he feels confident his office could also defend the foster care and adoption measure, which he's said he personally opposes.

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What's wrong with that? He's just doing his job.

Posted by: eark | August 22, 2008 01:36 PM

". . . This week, backers turned in 30,000 new signatures supposedly gathered in 30 days, after months and months of effort fell thousands short initially. Hmmm. . . ."

Sounds like Rove's little " 'rep'rechan'" poll workers are on the loose again, generating petitioners where there aren't any and ensure actual voters with the slightest of developed discrepancies are "caged."

Do these people normally work on developing the Homeland Security and TSA terrorist watchlist?

For those of you who are historians, with the Repub party ever get over the Presidential election of 1960? It really seems that all this dates back to Nixon's opinion of what happened in Cook County.

Click for a blast from the past

Posted by: docholliday | August 22, 2008 02:04 PM

eark, there is a difference in reporting facts (what someone said) and reporting the "story."
Max is reporting the story, you are hanging on to facts which in journalism is limiting and often
deceptive.

Great blast from the past doc. Thanks, I think. The entire nightmare had the nation paralyzed for many months. If there were more vertebrates in Congress Cheney would join Agnew on the jailed V-P list.
.

Posted by: eLwood | August 22, 2008 04:35 PM

Arkansas behind the curve again!

Oops, Zogby poll lovers!

Zogby today released a poll showing 65% of voters would support an honestly gay Presidential candidate.

Posted by: NormaBates | August 22, 2008 04:38 PM

Well now, Norma. Those gay people can be doctors or lawyers or God-forbid even become President. However, even if he or she became President, he or she shouldn't be allowed to adopt or foster a child! God said! (Well, sorta, maybe, not really but Jerry Cox is close enough to God to know!)

Arky

Posted by: Arky | August 22, 2008 08:28 PM

norma keep on dreaming. I never saw someone who is so queer as you are.
The majority of people are not homos so a homo will never be president no matter how honest he is!
You are so relentless in advertising and promoting homos but it will never amount to anything.
Be careful you don't get AIDS from some one you love.

Posted by: chasv | August 22, 2008 09:14 PM

Arkansas Blog

McDaniel pledges to fight

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