Arkansas Blog

OK, instead of the Bible Belt, maybe we should call it the Backward Belt, which at least has the advantage of alliteration.

I have done a search or two but cannot find anything definitive. Who won Missouri?

Quite surrealistic article that I ran accross that may be interesting to some bloggers.

Keep Religion Personal, Not Political -- Ann Davidow exclusively for BuzzFlash.com on Tuesday, November 11 People really have to stop referring to this country as a Christian nation. The founders took great pains to avoid incorporating religious references into the Constitution, even going so far as to state plainly that no religious test should ever be considered a prerequisite for holding office. Somewhere along the line things have gone way off track, as conservative groups assume they have a right to define the country's core values and to dictate acceptable behavior for everyone else.Tue, 11/11/2008 - 6:52am. Ann Davidow

I'm thinking maybe "Bucolic" or "Butthead" Belt.

I tend to think the southern strategy is still viable - just a little diluted by the movement of better educated people into some areas like NC and Va. However, affluent areas of the south and southwest remain solidly republican due mainly to the bible belt thing, so it isn't just better education and affluence that will do the trick.

I suspect that Republicans would have found their reception different had they had a different candidate. McCain should have appealed to many of the same voters that got Obama's vote, but he muddied the water with his hyper-military rhetoric and lost the moderate vote. He would have lost it anyway, of course because he was a sort-of-moderate from the beginning and this year people wanted the real thing. When he added Palin, he began getting the religious vote but it was too late to build much of anything there and convince many in the Christian community that he was really one of them. He did get the "token" Christian vote because of the anti-Obama feeling in evangelical circles and because of Palin.

There was a time, right after the convention, when McCain could have made this a squeaker or maybe even won the thing, assuming conservatives and moderates might have thought him the less risky choice, had the economy not tanked so publicly that even the well heeled realized finally we were in a recession. His response was so silly with the on-again, off-again campaign coupled with the 'sound fundamentals' that haven't looked sound for most of us since 2002, that he looked very old, very insulated from reality, and suddenly very risky.

I think circumstances outside the control of these candidates brought about the result, not the end of a southern bloc. All you have to do to know how the white southern voter feels is listen to them. They freely tell you they hate liberals as much today as they did in 2000 or 2004, they don't trust blacks, and they expect Obama to either be the anti-christ or grab all their money thru taxes and give it to lazy poor people - which, if they looked in the mirror, would often be themselves....., but they don't want to be confused by reality.

I really haven't looked at the demographics of the vote, but are they SURE the Democratic shift of NC and Va is due to an influx of educated and affluent voters.

There was a huge turnout this year and many first time voters. Certainly there were many area, East St. Louis, Atlanta, or Memphis where an influex of voters would not be considered a major factor.

But y'all are missing the point. We have our values!

Arkansas values. The kind some bloggers have been praising on these threads throughout the election.

Who cares if other parts of the country have education, food, healthcare, vibrant and creative groups of citizens, hope for the future.

We have our values! Arkansas values!

We stand out. We're one of the few states in the union where it's good to be an orphan!

Because here you'll be taken in by a Christian family with a Christian daddy exercising headship over a Christian mother who's in godly subordination to her head. In a heartbeat.

And you'll be taught good Christian values.

Food? Clothes? Shelter? Education? Who cares about such paltry claptrap when one has values? Arkansas values!

It's a shame that the politcal and social movement here in Arkansas is so archaic. I'm not originally from Arkansas, but my Mom and her family are. She and her sisters moved up north in their teens, settled, and raised their families there.

My Mom & her sisters have since moved back to the south for retirement. I often hear them mention that things in Arkansas are still much like they were when they left in the late 50's. That may be comforting to them (I don't know but they have elected to return & stay here), but for me being raised in the north w/diversity and progressive thinking, Arkansas drives me nuts!

From the election data showing where Obama got his support from, it is of no surprise that Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, & etc. were not among the "victorious majority". The country and the world are both moving in progressive directions at faster paces than ever before. Arkansas & the rest are being left behind & becoming vastly irrelevant. & You know it's bad when leading Republican conservatives pack-up and head to New York City to "hob-nob" with the liberal elite - i.e. "Mike Huckabee"... I don't blame him either... He knows that if he has any political future left, he's got to leave Arkansas and its backwards thinking behind.... Go Huckabee 2012! He'll get my vote for just that reason!

Max:

Arkansas elects Democrats, but they are conservative Democrats. Most of them could pass for Republicans. In fact, I think that, had it not been for Bill Clinton's presidency, most politicians in Arkansas would have changed parties over the last 20 years, and Arkansas would be just as Republican as its neighbors by now. Having a Democratic president from Arkansas kept Arkansans in the Democratic Party, however, politicians and voters alike, bucking the regional trend.

How long will it be before Senator Pryor joins hands with Republicans to oppose one or more of Obama's nominees for the cabinet or the Supreme Court?

The pair of Republican Senators from Maine (Snowe and Collins) are the most liberal Republicans in the Senate, ranked 52nd and 53rd most liberal, whereas Mark Pryor is one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, ranked 46th most liberal. Lincoln is slightly better, ranked 38th most liberal. So, there is not much difference between Arkansas's Democrats and Maine's Republicans. [Clicky or go to http://voteview.com/sen110.htm for the rankings.]

In short, Arkansas has nothing to brag about for electing Democrats that are DINOs (Democrats in Name Only).

Are you nuts? The Southern Strategy is not dead. It's a rabid dog backed into a corner. The blog line about gun sales gives you an idea. This election is a triumph of democracy, but to hardcore Palin believers this election was an act of war against them. Just as the invasion of Iraq was a supreme recruiting tool for Islamic extremists, Obama's win has driven right wing extremists into a glorious frenzy. They can feed on paranoia, racism, and manipulative patriotism to wave the confederate flag. Bin Laden is not America's most immediate threat, the Palinistas are.

I don't think the Southern strategy is dead at all, it's just that the Repukes nominated a lackluster candidate to follow the Worst President Ever - it's unlikely that any Repuke could've won given his predecessor.

It's very naive to think that one (too close, really) election signifies any political shift. People were hurting and just wanted change, and those dead-end Repukes were turned off by McSame's moderate reputation.

Here's how Arkansas's congressmen ranked (click my name for complete rankings):

Snyder (D): 169th most liberal
Berry (D): 177th most liberal
Ross(D): 209th most liberal
Boozman(R): 309th most liberal

The most liberal Republican (from Maryland) was ranked 236th. So, again, not that much difference between Arkansas's Democrats and other state's Republicans in Congress.

Even Vic Snyder, from Max's neighborhood, while the most liberal member of the Arkansas delegation, is not very liberal on the national stage. There are 168 Congressmen, from across the country, with more liberal voting records than Snyder.

"It's a shame that the politcal and social movement here in Arkansas is so archaic. I'm not originally from Arkansas . . . being raised in the north w/diversity and progressive thinking, Arkansas drives me nuts!"

Then why are you here, PM? Are you being held in bondage? Seriously, why are you (and other malcontents) here? I find your continuing presence intriguing. Really, I do. If I lived in Idaho, Connecticut, Arizona, Florida or anywhere else and decided I didn't like the place, I'd get the heck out, no matter what --- job and family reasons, included. Life is too brief and too treasured an experience to spend it in perpetual unhappiness.

Obama was right....change has come to America. The blog is now calling the Repubs the "poor and dumb." But, perhaps Obama was wrong in one regard. The "redistribution of wealth" may not come from his tax policy, but from a bailout. Will it be odd to hear the Repubs start to play the "poor and dumb" card?

I kind of sort of have an answer related to that, Durango. I was in a heated conversation the other day about the stoopid adoption ban (imagine that) when I mentioned that I was a bit embarrassed to be an Arkansan. To which someone looked at me and said, "move."

My family has some pretty deep roots here in the natural state and the easy thing to do would be to move. No doubt about it. The kids are young enough, my and mrs. rosso's jobs are flexible, it'd be nice to see some more of the country, etc...

I admit I was embarrassed to be an Arkansan the day after the election. But just that day. I think I'll stick around and give Jerry Cocks and The Family Bed all the shit I can muster. Screw 'em...

There ya go, rosso! You're my kinda guy, and I'm not kidding. Stick around and stand up for change rather than sit around and whine.

There is a Mt. Nebo in Arkansas! And inelligence too often is confused with arrogance. There is so much that we don't know and will always be challenged to know and bring into common language, I am confidant that there is room for a Eureka moment, whether it be in Helena, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs or Mt. Nebo. But it might require some assistance from the folks who played on Moses's Basball Team at Lamar Porter!

I will declare the southern strategy dead after it suffers three consecutive national defeats... not before.

But it just took a major blow and that's a damn good thing. The country needs to drag these neanderthals, kicking and speaking in tongues with Bibles in their hands, up along with the rest of us... as we have been doing since the American revolution, the civil war and the civil rights movement.

I doubt the likes of chasv or strange, L.A., MAK etc., would have plumbing, vaccines, or a keyboard if it wasn't for liberals. They sure wouldn't have a constitution or a USA. We would still be trading slaves and ruled by a monarchy... or fallen completely into some sort of fascism... which is still a very real possibility.

American politics needs to remove corporate money and religious money from the equation.

We also need to dramatically reduce government secrecy on all levels. Secrecy will kill democracy if we let it...and for now, clearly we are letting it.

And we need a way to inform each other on the real issues, which would require media reform on both a local and national level.

Finally, the party divide seems to work against all of us much of the time.. when it's the individuals who need much scrutiny. Parties seem to let anyone in for a high enough price of admission, which is fine, but they sure need to be much more clear about who they will allow into leadership and why. One example is, when did the D party start allowing, even encouraging folks like Pryor and Berry who are anti choice into party leadership? I never got that memo... until long after they took office. And that's just wrong, No matter ones position on choice or needless wars, they are big isues and it says a lot when the electorate has no real idea where these folks stand.

Hey, I LOVE Arkansas warts/all and I ain't going anywhere. Like rosso/durango, I'm sticking around and fighting for change...regardless of how many times I lose a battle. I remember when President Shit for Brains lied us into war and started tossing aside our Civil Liberties, every redneck in the country was telling critics/liberals to leave. I wasn't leaving then and I'm not leaving my beloved backwards Arkansas.

Thanks to rosso, durango, and zelda. I am tired of all those "progressive" people who like to trash talk Arkansas. My most vivid memory of blatant racism was the riots over busing in Boston, Massachusetts during the 70s. The South is not the only home to ignorance and racism.

Not bad zarathustra,

But how about "Boviation Belt" it seems so descriptive of the CCRRR's.

Click for today's importance and say thanks to one, please.

Thanks to libertas-

"Senior Democrats will hold their regular luncheon meeting on Tuesday, November 18th at 11:30 at Western Sizzlin in Springdale. Dr. Todd Shields and Dr. Pearl Ford will be guest speakers. Dr. Shields is Associate Director of the Fulbright Institute and the Director of the Diane Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society. Dr. Ford is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Arkansas. She is also affiliated with the African American Studies Program. Their topic will be "Arkansas and the Lack of Support for Obama's Historic Victory: The Continued Roll of Race"

I started to correct "Roll" to 'Role' but I realized they are making a point.

.

I'm going to have to disagree with the defenders of our state.

I, too, have deep roots here. But I'm also deeply ashamed of us these days. We are growing willfully more ignorant. My grandparents were far and away more progressive than many contemporary Arkansans--with eight-grade educations, three of them (one went away to school and got more education). Those educations were in Arkansas and Louisiana.

We have let ourselves--emphasis on "let," allowed--to be manipulated by people who haven't cared a hill of beans about us and our future, fore their own political ends. We've allowed ourselves to be dosed daily with bits of poison in our statewide media, and have done far too little to demand better.

And, God help us, we have now voted ourselves into more ignorance and more backwardness, allowing racism and homophobia to win the day.

Even if some folks stay and fight, people with new ideas, education, and creativity--all that a region needs to stay economically and socially viable in the 21st century--just don't want to move to such regions. And I can't blame them.

Correction: "fore their own political ends" = "for their ...."

"people with new ideas, education, and creativity--all that a region needs to stay economically and socially viable in the 21st century--just don't want to move to [places like Arkansas].

I don't know that anybody was acting as a "defender of the state," MuddlingThrough. In my case, I was simply saying that I'm intrigued by those who are chronic complainers but continue living here when they're free to relocate to areas they perceive to be populated by a more enlightened citizenry.

I don't disagree with anything in your most recent post, but I do pause at the assertion quoted above. Truth be known, my neighborhood is filled with brilliant physicians, scientists, and researchers who continue to come here from all over the country (and world) to take advantage of career opportunities at places like the National Center for Toxicological Research, the world renowned Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at UAMS, and at Arkansas Children's Hospital, one of the nation's largest and best pediatric centers.

On the business side, Denmark-based LM Glasfiber has recently made Little Rock a central hub for renewable energy in North America; Man Industries of India plans to build a $100 million plant in Little Rock, a city that will serve as the company's North and South American headquarters; and just last month, Polymarin Composites, a Netherlands-based manufacturer announced that it and one of its suppliers are coming to Little Rock with close to 1,000 new jobs.

Surprised? Yeah, me, too. Somewhat. Nevertheless, I join you in the hope that one day Arkansas and the rest of America will exist without the flaws of which most of us are aware.

I've heard that Hot Springs Village is an enclave of Republicans largely from the North. These evidently are fairly intelligent and well-educated people.

It would be interesting to see how votes from these precincts match up with the various items on the recent ballot.

No politician who knows what they are doing would be so stupid as to write off an area like the South.

Durango, thank you for your response. Maybe what you are noting is the validity of Gene Lyons's observation that Little Rock is an island of civility in a sea of fundamentalism.

Even so, for the state as a whole (as well as for its major urban center), our increasing alliance with that sea of fundamentalists is going to have repercussions.

Lots of studies demonstrate that new businesses and people with good educations and creative talents hesitate to move to areas that promote bigotry. Richard Florida has written extensive on this and on the refusal of members of the creative class to move to such areas.

I argue constantly with my nieces and nephews about whether Arkansas has anything to offer them, about their need to value their roots. They are inclined to wash their hands of the state. That hurts.

And yet after this, how can I blame them? We have long had a brain drain of our best and brightest young folks. This act shows me why.

Truly educated patriots (in either politics, education, religion, or whatever) are always faced with the dilemma: Do I pack up and go somewhere else where it's easier, or do I stay and fight to make things better here?

Some of us have chosen to stay and fight to make things better here. Otherwise, things would be even worse than they are.

I agree, SkyPilot.

But there are also degrees in the ability to resist. As a blogger says on another thread at this blog today, many folks in Arkansas now just want gay folks to disappear. And I think it's fair to read that statement as a statement about wanting anyone who doesn't fit in the narrow theocratic views of the group this blogger represents should disappear.

Turn up the heat on folks enough, and you can disappear them--if no one else who has more power to assist steps up to the plate and stops the oppression.

For gay citizens in places like Arkansas, it can sometimes be an experience of hanging on by the fingernails. There is no state-level protection against firing someone in this state simply because she or he is gay. There are few such protections anywhere in the employment sector in our state.

Few employers provide partner benefits. Some of us who happen to be without work but with a partner who works cannot avail ourselves of the partner's benefits even when the employer does have a non-discrimination policy (but not partner benefits).

These are real-life considerations that affect real-life Arkansas citizens. I can certainly understand why many gay citizens would think of leaving this state for areas where it's just easier to live. And I can understand why many folks seeking a better way of life (which demands an educated, tolerant, forward-thinking populace) would not dream of moving to Arkansas.

Muddling: And I agree with you. So we don't have any real argument.

I can well understand the reason(s) some choose simply to go somewhere else where it's easier.

Our professions took us to other states, but we would have been happy to have spent our entire adult lives in Arkansas had the positions been available. And it wasn't as if Arkansas didn't have positions in our fields; it's just that those who were looking didn't find us--and vice versa.

But anyway, we stayed as long as we could, came back as soon as we could, were "called away" again, then came back again as soon as we could to make whatever contribution we could to Arkansas. And it wasn't always pleasant--especially during the racial-discrimination and civil-rights years.

Two of our three are in Arkansas--one after years of military service and other obligations took her elsewhere. One sought a climate more beneficial to his health, so has not lived or worked in Arkansas since he was in college. Not certain he'd come back to Arkansas even if he had an appropriate opportunity--unless it paid even more than he's making now, which is considerably more than comparable positions pay in Arkansas.

So, kinda like the Banty hen: We've done what we could.

But I do have special respect and appreciation for those who stay and make as much contribution to our state as possible.