Think hard of a national figure less likely to sway an Arkansas vote on tobacco than Dick Armey. How about Grover Norquist. He’ll be beating the drums for tobacco companies this week. (See jump.) (Armey’s group is also buying ads opposing the tobacco tax.)

Health care vs. tobacco. A med school versus taxing smokers. They’ll have a hard time turning public sentiment around on this one.

Advertisement

Norquist reared his ugly head earlier today with a news release excorating Gov. Mike Beebe for not declaring Feb. 6 Ronald Reagan Day in Arkanasas. (In addition to tax cutting, Norquist toils in behalf of a movement to deify Reagan.) As his news release put it, Beebe “has put pusillanimous petty partisanship above patriotism” by refusing to honor Reagan. I asked the governor’s office for a response. Matt DeCample obliged:

Mr. Norquist’s alliterative skills are impressive, his transparent bid to pick a fight is not.  Outside of the ones required under federal law, we have not issued a proclamation for any president, regardless of party.

Advertisement

UPDATE: A news watcher with better memory than mine recalls a couple of salient facts: Ronald Reagan doubled the federal excise tax from 8 to 16 cents a pack when he was president in 1983. And as even Mike Huckabee has pointed out in defense of his own actions, Reagan increased California taxes by a BILLION dollars in his first term in office. Where was Grover then?

 

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article And here comes the pitch …. Next article Bombing update