Did Bill Halter's campaign against Blanche Lincoln change anything?

[metapunditedgy]

I think the Halter/Lincoln shook things up a bit. Since we progressives are being urged to "look to the primaries" to get progressive candidates (and 2008 was just a "Siiike!", I guess), did the Halter campaign actually have lasting effect?

[Radical Activist]

1. Blance will lose and in the long run we'll be better off.

We need to kill the idea that there's a voting constituency for corporate Democrats. When she loses it's important that progressives rub it in to make the point extremely clear to everyone. Being a corporate whore doesn't make someone more electable

[Art_from_Ark]

5. Northwest Arkansas, where John Boozman is from,

is "Teabag Central". Benton County, in the extreme northwest (and home to Boozman, as well as Tim and Asa Hutchinson, not to mention Wal-Mart), voted for both bu$h and McCain by a margin of 60:40 over their respective Democratic opponents. Both bu$h and McCain made it a point to drop by Benton County to play to adoring crowds (bu$h on several occasions). Really, you don't want Boozman in the Senate, even if it means another 6 years of Blanche.

[Bryn]

7. It's hard to tell the difference between Blanche Lincoln and John Boozman

that we in Arkansas are calling them "Johnny Blanche". I know Boozy is horrible, but so is Blanche. She doesn't seem to be "lesser of two evils" to me. Neither one of them is going to get my vote.

[Art_from_Ark]

11. I can understand that sentiment

But I'm from Boozman's home turf. I've seen Benton County go from solidly Democratic to solidly Republican in less than a decade, and I've seen first-hand the kind of Republicans that Benton County produces, and they ain't pretty. It's going to be one or the other, and frankly, the last thing we need is another Hutchinson in the Senate.

[Radical Activist]

9. Lincoln has seniority and influence in the Democratic Caucus.

That makes he more dangerous and damaging that Boozman.

[Art_from_Ark]

12. But Boozman would get at least 6 years

maybe more if the "Huckabee effect" kicks in, and during that time the chances are really good that the Rs will regain control of the Senate. I have no doubt that Boozy would be given a nice fat committee chairmanship if it came to that, seeing that national level Northwest Arkansas Republicans seem to get especially nice perks from the Republican establishment. And bear in mind that the last Republican Senator from Arkansas, Tim Hutchinson, was one of the leaders of the movement to impeach fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton over a stupid blow job.

[Radical Activist]

14. And when it comes to the most important, difficult votes

it won't make a difference anyway. Blanche isn't with us. Any Democrat who threatens the health and safety of all Americans by opposing meaningful action on climate change doesn't deserve to be elected dog catcher. She isn't worth the effort.

[Art_from_Ark]

15. Sorry, but I have to disagree strongly

I cut my political teeth in Northwest Arkansas. The first Arkansas political campaign that I remember was the 1966 gubernatorial race between Winthrop Rockefeller (R) and Orville Faubus (D). By that time, people were sick of Faubus (who had already been governor for at least 10 years), and "WinRock" won that election, and the next one 2 years later. For a Republican, "WinRock" was not that bad (after all, he was a "Rockefeller Republican"), but he still lost to his Democratic challenger, Dale Bumpers, in 1970. Bumpers was a decent governor in his own right, and he went on to defeat Arkansas icon J. William Fulbright in the Senate primary in 1974 (which kind of pissed me off, since I had become a great admirer of Fulbright by that time). At any rate, Bumpers went on to serve 24 years in the Senate as a dependably Democratic Senator, until he retired and was replaced with Blanche. I will agree that Blanche has been a sore disappointment. But I have been up close and personal with Northwest Arkansas Republicans, and I can guarantee you that a Benton County Republican in the Senate is going to be worse than Blanche. Your position is akin to Nader saying there was no difference between Gore and bu$h in 2000.

[Bryn]

18. I completely agree with you

I am not voting for her. I am voting for a FDR democrat named John Gray running as an alternative. I really like talking to him on facebook. He's so brilliant yet so down to earth. You could join his facebook and ask him anything. He always replies. He reminds me of Paul Wellstone. Bill Halter voters are pulling for him. We have 4 way race on ballot in November. A teabagger named Trevor Drown is also popular and will be sucking votes from Boozman. Gray will be sucking votes from Blanche.

[Art_from_Ark]

19. I was a Bill Halter voter

And I was pissed at the primary run-off election. But unfortunately, I am also aware of the stark realities of Arkansas politics-- unless you are a George Wallace or a Ross Perot, you're not going to get a whole lot of votes in the general election if you are a 3rd party candidate. So it's going to come down to Blanche or Boozy. Like it or not.

I believe you may be the person I met on this board who was from Hot Springs/Garland County. If so, I can really understand your sentiment with regard to Blanche. But at the same time, Northwest Arkansas Republicans are among the worst of the breed. Really, the teabagger candidate is hardly going to make a dent in Boozman's numbers, since the teabaggers already have their mainstream candidate. Northwest Arkansas is Teabag Central. You don't rise to the top of the Republican Party establishment there by being a moderate.

[Bryn]

20. Yes I am the same person you met here from Garland County

I can understand what you're saying. You've seen what goes on in your area. Likewise I have in my area. It was ugly. I was horrified to learn that 42 voting polls had been reduced to just ONE in the city of Hot Springs and another one 35 minutes away in Hot Springs Village, both of Garland County. I knew then even before voting in the runoff started that Halter would lose! The Big Ole' Boyz fixed the system where Blanche is unpopular. When I went to vote I found it odd that they were using voting machines. Before that it was paper votes here in the village. I was so disappointed that Halter lost, but in my heart he didn't really lose.

You vote your conscience. I will vote mine. Blue Arkansas Blog which is firmly democratic admitted that there is sound of votes sucking from Blanche to Gray so we shall see. We've been working hard for Gray. When there were debates between Blanche and Boozman we went there to protest along with Trevor Drown and Gray for excluding them from the debate. Gray was on Mike Malloy show. Several local TVs picked up on Gray.

[Art_from_Ark]

21. Between you and me and the gatepost

I would rather vote for an FDR Democrat over a DLC Democrat. For that matter, I'd rather vote for a Dale Bumpers Democrat. But Blanche got the nomination, she gets the D by her name, and that's all that a lot of voters are going to be looking for. Personally, I would have rather had Halter. But I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Blanche (and believe me, I will literally be holding it) because it's either her or a teabagger from Benton County. But I will be looking at Gray with interest.

[metapunditedgy]

22. Thanks for the detailed discussion of Arkansas politics. Very interesting. n/t

[Art_from_Ark]

24. My pleasure

I've been an Arkansas political junkie since 1966-- always glad to share my knowledge and impressions of The Natural State :hi:

[Bryn]

23. Arkansas Times Blog today

not so good! :( Some people who commented got frightened of this big bad NOozman, gone back to "holding noses" to vote for Blanche.


Boozman's aim on Social Security

Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 10:29 AM

The Arkansas Republican Party is trumpeting the news that the respected Politifact news service has found only "barely true" Sen. Blanche Lincoln's claim that opponent John Boozman wants to privatize Social Security.

Barely true is not false. It is true.

A reading of the Politifact research on the ad shows quite clearly the many ways in which John Boozman has indicated he believes Social Security is unsustainable and needs to be changed by opening the door to to privatization measures. Allowing such individual investment decisions would be the doom of the system as we know it and those who favor the approach know it full well. Imagine if G.W. Bush had succeeded in the Republican plan to privatize the system before the market collapse. Imagine.

<snip>

It is also wholly true that Boozman is a co-sponsor of legislation to impose a 30 percent national sales tax. Imagine.

read more: http://www.arktimes.com/gyrobase/blogs/Post?oid=1285944&show=comments&display=&sort=asc be sure to read the comments.

[Art_from_Ark]

25. I've been saying

Those NW Arkansas Republicans are a breed unto themselves. They're even wackier than sheriff-turned-congressman Tommy Robinson after he switched from D to R. There is a reason why bu$h gave a cushy job to NW Arkansas (3rd District) Congressman Asa Hutchinson during the middle of Asa's term-- He knew that the district would just elect another deep-end Republican to replace Asa-- which they did.

[Warpy]

2. Blanche had to be rigged in by closing voting places

in Halter strongholds. There is no way Halter voters are going to vote for someone who stooped that low to hang onto an office, whether she did the dirty work or the GOP did it for/to her.

It made it more likely the GOP candidate will win. Halter would have been very hard to defeat, IMO.

[PBS Poll-435]

3. Millions in November money instead went to an Arkansas primary.

Not the best choice.

[metapunditedgy]

4. But I thought the primaries were where progressives should be focusing their energy?

Right?

[Luminous Animal]

6. Apparently, once you've won a seat, your constituents have no right to challenge you.

You get to be a congresscritter for ever.

[rucky]

8. Yes. The Unions are out 10 mil they could've used for November.

[Radical Activist]

10. At least they won't have to waste any more money in Arkansas this year.

[Selatius]

13. The Unions would still be hard pressed to support certain Democrats who are anti-Labor.

The money spent is strictly the business of labor and no party's. If the goal of the labor unions is to elect more pro-labor Democrats, then launching a primary against corporate Democrats would fall in line with that. Politics is a multi-front war. You must not only elect Democrats and even Independents (like Bernie Sanders) who are friendly to your interests but also attack Democrats and others who are attacking you.

[metapunditedgy]

16. And I think the unions did get something for their money. I'm not sure what, but

I do think they made their point.

[Hawkowl]

17. Halter will defeat Lincoln in the end

It's just that he won't win the Senate seat. IF the Whitehouse is paying attention, they should be able to extrapolate what may happen to Obama if he keeps alienating his base; i.e; the people who get other people to turn out and vote!