Arkansas Blog

>>You may think I'm overreaching to apply a 'sanctity of human life' argument in this context, but the truth is, if we go down the road to socialized medicine, life and death decisions in many cases will be made based on a patient's age, probability of favorable outcome post-treatment, or any number of other arbitrary factors that have nothing to do with the patient's immediate need.<<
by Rick Crawford, Candidate for Repubicon Congressman.

Sad and late news for you Rick. Doctors, committees, and hospitals already make those decisions Rick. They've done it for years which means you are terribly uninformed or playing on the ignorance of the great unread.

Often, it's those who can pay the most who will be given an opportunity to live.
But, what's wrong with that to any good Republicon.

.

Same old Rush/Beck/Wildmon/Dobson talking points...

....Yawn....

Wake me up when Berry gets a Democratic challenger.

When I read about his "distaste for activist judges," I thought, here's the latest in a long line of clowns who define activist judges as "those who issue decisions I disagree with."

"Ask a Canadian or a Brit how satisfied they are with their healthcare and I'm sure you'll get the picture . . ."
Ooookaaay. Now let's transplant that Canadian or Brit and get him a fair to middlin' Arkansas job that doesn't provide health care. When he falls and breaks his arm ($25,000) or has cancer surgery ($60,000) or a heart attack (total maybe $100,000 or more), then, THEN, ask him what he thinks of our healthcare system.
My bet's on him hightailin' home before the cast is off or the stitches out, thrilled to go back to the options many among us around here don't have. Oh, yeah, we'll have gotten the care we needed -- maybe even in time to save us -- but then we have to figure out if we have to drain the retirement fund or sell the homeplace or just file bankruptcy.
Recently I read an insurance man's diatribe, that healthcare is available to all, but some of us just don't want to pay for it. To which I would say, "Uhm, not exactly. Quite a few among us have to make a choice between groceries and a doctor's visit because there's not enough money for both." But I'm sure he'd simply tell me those folks aren't good managers. So what's the use of saying anything to folks like that?

The First District has never been able to field a Republican challenger who could run a serious campaign in all the time I've been voting. First Congressional candidate I ever voted for was Warren Dupwe, I think, in spite of the fact that he had all the personality of my grandma's concrete birdbath.

Then there was Susan Myshka and her bizarre campaign. I was at a Craighead County Republican even the year she ran, and witnessed a bizarre spectacle where she giggled like a schoolgirl over some Democratic scandal or misfortune at the time (probably involving Clinton) and then the county chairman stood up to speak about how all needed to avoid exactly the sort of low blows Myshka savored in her speech. She proceeded to run ads linking Berry to organized crime, which, even though I think he's a corrupt old buffoon, was way over the top for me.

Since then we've had a string of losers, sacrificial lambs and has-beens. I actually met Stubby Stumbaugh's campaign manager and he was a community college kid in dirty jeans with acne. The whole thing is ridiculous and I'd rather the party just let Berry run unopposed if these are the only candidate we can field.

Prouster,

This is Arkansas-- where the Republicans are Republicans and so are most of the Democrats....

The Second District has had their share of marginal candidates....lemme see. Warren Carpenter a few years ago. Andy Mayberry who mopped up 78% of the primary vote but got his headed handed to him in the General no doubt due to his diverse campaign that catered to the Homeskool-Religious Right crowd. What about Phil Wyrick the ex-"Democrat" that railed against OSHA in a AD-G article. Even mainstream Republicans get crowded out in primaries.

I'm sure the closet cases and out-and-proud GOP'ers in Randolph County will flock to Ol' RC, and in other areas in First District. But most will likely choose the DINO from Gillett--once again.

Crawford is a legitimate contender, much more so than the previos GOP candidates. There will be a lot of surprised people 12 months from now.