The D-G, in following up today on A$a’s strike on gubernatorial candidate Mike Beebe on payday lending, referenced the Arkansas Business article we’d linked earlier on contributions from the payday lending industry to the Democratic Party and Beebe. The D-G article said contributors to Beebe weren’t listed.
Actually, the article did specifically note a $2,000 contribution to Beebe last year from his old buddy, lobbyist Don Tilton, through Tilton’s Capitol Group lobbying firm. Tilton also gave state Dems $2,100 and $1,000 to the Arkansas Republican Party. Tilton lobbies for many interests, of course, but payday lending is a big one. Angel Srygley of Monticello, whose husband operates a chain of 50 payday lending shops in Arkansas, also gave $2,000 to Beebe.
This remains a guilt-by-association ploy by A$a, given Beebe’s vote against the permissive payday lending bill, the legislation’s sponsorship the leadership of the effort to beat or repeal the permissive legislation by Beebe aide and backer Cliff Hoofman; and Attorney General Beebe’s recent lawsuits against some payday lenders. Nonetheless, it’s an industry so predatory and so outrageous in its usurious practices and methods to avoid court judgments that the wise candidate bends over backward to avoid any association. And promises to work to repeal the legislation.