Blue Hog Report blew the whistle on Lt. Gov. Mark Darr’s misspending of campaign finance money and now he’s blowing the whistle on pitiful whining that Darr has given to his sole media source, Talk Business.

Darr, who spent campaign money on women’s and kid’s and men’s clothes, Razorback tickets, meals, personal travel and more, complained to Talk Business after his forced withdrawal from the race for 4th District Congress:

Advertisement

When you see somebody make a mistake, there’s a difference between bringing it to the public’s attention and hopefully getting it fixed, regardless of who that person is, or rejoicing in a person’s misery. I actually feel sorry for those people. I think the more things like this that happen that drive normal people away from politics, the closer Little Rock is going to get to Washington, D.C.

Unbelievable. Darr just made a little mistake. That’s the same kind of nonsense you’re hearing from the same Republicans who wanted Paul Bookout drawn and quartered for functionally identical practices. He resigned, is under a prosecutor’s investigation and no Democrat I know of defended his spending practices. As yet, no Republican Party or elected official has expressed any disapproval of Darr.

Blue Hog (Matt Campbell) comments:

Advertisement

“Things like this”? You mean people pointing out that you (or any candidate) ignored campaign-finance rules, billed your campaign and the state for various improper expenditures, and just generally acted like someone who was either too ignorant or too unconcerned with the rules to bother to see if what you were doing was legal? Those “things”? Because, I’m going to be honest with you: the type of “normal people” who would be driven away from politics because they couldn’t get away with flouting the rules and fleecing donors/taxpayers are not the kind of people that I want involved politics to begin with.

Blue Hog also had the perfect squelch for Darr’s comment about taking joy in others’ misery. He merely quoted Mark Darr from Nov. 6, after Republicans took majority control of the legislature:

We had bad news from Washington …but Democrats have had a very bad night and I promise they’re going to have a horrible four years.

Darr is a blithering hypocrite, in short. And there’s more to be dug up.

Advertisement

Every candidate, new or veteran, must attest to the veracity of their reports. Each page carries the warning below. I’d think twice before calling four family football tickets “fund-raising” or clothes for the wife and kids “supplies.”

Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas

Join the ranks of the 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts who know that the Arkansas Times is the go-to source for tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been on the front lines of the fight for truth, and with your support, we can do even more. By subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers and expand our coverage. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make a difference with your subscription or donation to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article Comfort’s cooking at K Hall and Sons Next article IRS clears married tax filing by same-sex couples; that creates state tax wrinkle