Stuff From Around Arkansas, April 24

Missing the Point: Oh, look, there’s your attorney general, Dustin McDaniel, in some kind of “Just Say ‘No’ To Having Fun” PSA with a beach volleyball player, whose toned body is completely swathed in a tracksuit. That’s proof positive that whoever put this little show together doesn’t really grasp what it is that we all find so compelling about beach volleyball in the first place. (YouTube)

Tops: Report says Sen. Blanche Lincoln is the top Democratic fundraiser in the south in 2009 so far. (Southern Political Report)

Web Savvy: Blogger Jason Tolbert notes that Arkansas GOP is using same web strategies firm used by Mike Huckabee to build new online and social networking presence. (The Tolbert Report)

Seriously: Speaking of Huckabee, poll jockey Nate Silver says media should take him more seriously as a potential presidential candidate, based on recent data. (FiveThirtyEight.com)

Unkindest Cut: The jobs ax is swinging at Stephens Media-owned Morning News of Northwest Arkansas and I-540 is just a river of blood. (Arkansas Times)

Frosh Pit III: Freshman Democratic Rep. Keith Ingram is the latest target of the Capsearch video interview team. (Capsearch)

Permanent Campaign: The Under the Dome blog is rounding up early news on 2010 legislative races. (Under the Dome)

Bird Watching: So there’s an owl living at the Home Depot in Harrison, and this AP headline wants to know “Who’s There,” right? Get it? Because owls make that sound, so it’s onomatopoetic. I guess they’re cracking WISE over there at the AP, huh? You probably don’t give a HOOT for these terrible puns, huh? I guess that ole owl’s gonna have a MICE day, huh? I guess…uhhhh, let’s see….they must be watching some OWL PACINO movies over there, huh? Now that I think about it, that last one really doesn’t make a damn bit of sense. (AP)

Pressing Questions On State Lottery (Updated!)

An Arkansas Project reader e-mails:

Some of us were pondering the great question of the day: Who will be Ball-Puller-in-Chief for the Arkansas State Lottery? David Bazzel? Leslie Basham? One of the local newsreaders on the TV who qualify as a celebrity?

Nay.

There’s only one man for this job….

(answer at jump)

[Read more...]

A Pause

Don’t expect much in the way of blogging until later today, as other pressing responsibilities beckon. Do feel free to spend some time browsing through the merchandise below, or go visit some of the other fine Arkansas blogs in the blogroll at bottom right.

Stuff From Around Arkansas, April 22

The Duke: Wouldn’t you love to be failed Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, who has been sentenced to wander the countryside recounting over and over again his greatest failure, which occurred over two decades ago, for the rest of his days? (Arkansas News Bureau)

The Best: The Arkansas Times launches it’s annual “Best Of Arkansas” rankings, where you vote for your favorite things around the state in a variety of categories. They’ve included a category for “Best Blog,” so you know that means, readers: Go vote for “Brummett’s Blog.” Don’t delay! (Arkansas Times)

Do Not Adjust Your Set: Yep, that’s blogger Jason Tolbert, talking state politics on your TV box with Roby Brock on Sunday. (The Tolbert Report)

The End?: Speaking of Roby Brock, he notes on his political blog that if the state GOP doesn’t field a candidate for governor to challenge Mighty Mike Beebe in 2010, the party will more or less just fold in upon itself and cease to exist, possibly pulling the entire state down with it. Or something like that, it’s just gonna be grim. (The Political Buzz)

Purty Pitchers: Blogger Blake Rutherford launches a new “View from My State” series in which he solicits photo submissions from around the state for publication on his blog. My entry is below. Oooh, I hope he runs it! (Blake’s Think Tank)

10 Arkansans Who Should Absolutely Not Be Blogging, Under Any Circumstances, Ever

Last week, my blogging compatriot Lance Turner floated his proposed list of “10 Arkansans Who Should Be Blogging.” I took a look and promptly told Lance that it was a totally stupid list, and so he said that I was totally stupid, and then I said he had a stupid face, and then it just  kinda devolved from there into a shoving match.

Anyway, one of Lance’s points during the shoving match was something along the lines of “What, you think you can do something better?” The answer is “Yes. Yes, I can.”

So here, this is it. This is something better. This is my list, in no particular order, of “10 Arkansans Who Should Absolutely Not Be Blogging, Under Any Circumstances, Ever”:

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Catch Greenberg’s Tea Party Speech on AETN, Thursday

Think back on the great speeches of our era: John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address….Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech….Ronald Reagan at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate….

…and know that those are all dog food compared to Rep. Dan Greenberg’s stemwinder at the Arkansas Tax Day Tea Party demonstration on April 15. What? It was just a week ago? Why, it seems another time.

You can relive those halcyon days Thursday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. when Greenberg’s speech, or a portion thereof, will reportedly be broadcast on AETN’s “You, Me and Wall Street,” which sounds like a children’s program, but what do I know.

Can’t wait that long? KTHV/Channel 11 has a short video clip over here.

Excerpt from Greenberg’s remarks below at the jump.

[Read more...]

Liberal Groups’ Ad Targets Berry Housing Vote

We noted a few weeks back the news that liberal advocacy organizations would be targeting Arkansas Democratic Rep. Marion Berry for his vote against the housing bill in ads featuring First District residents who’d lost their homes to foreclosure.

Ta da, here’s the ad!:

The ad includes a visual of some Bible passages when she talks about relying on her faith. Are they the least bit relevant to the content of the ad? Maybe we should ask someone who knows more about biblical stuff than I do (i.e., almost anybody). Bill from Sheridan, call your office!

Lefty blogger Chris Bowers has the full rundown of this project for “progressive accountability” for conservative and moderate Dems, and he says the ad will run 250 times in the Jonesboro market over the next three weeks. (Hey, media buyers: Is that a lot? A little? I find your “points” and other dark arts to be kind of mysterious and obscure.)

Last week, the Arkansas Project broke the news that Jonesboro broadcaster and businessman Rick Crawford was weighing a GOP challenge to Berry in 2010. Crawford has formed an exploratory committee and will decide on the run later this year.

Stuff From Around Arkansas, April 21

End of the World As We Know It: Columnist David Sanders thankfully chronicles the dying days of the ineffectual and unlamented ARGOCOGLOWARM. Now let us never speak of it again. (Arkansas News Bureau)

Bullseye?: Capitol Hill pub notes that national Republicans are targeting Arkansas Rep. Vic Snyder with robocalls and advertising. (The Hill)

Frosh Pit II: More Capsearch video goodness as they interview freshman Rep. Linda Tyler (D) of Conway. (Capsearch)

Pistol Whipped: Blogger John Anderson at the ARCCA blog considers the potential 2010 Senate candidates and their bona fides on guns. (ARCCA Blog)

Unbeatable: Meanwhile, blogger Blake Rutherford doubles down on his brash prediction that Sen. Blanche Lincoln is “unbeatable” in 2010. (Blake’s Think Tank)

Big Winner: The Arkansas Project scores a free one-year subscription to Arkansas Business on Twitter, so take that, suckers. But now I have to follow publisher Jeff Hankins from now on. Does that still count as a win? (Arkansas Business)

Acid Test: Arkansas school has to close down due to a chemical concern, which incidentally is the exact same reason I had to stop seeing your mom. (Arkansas News Bureau)

Senate 2010: The Money Race

Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Sen. Kim HendrenI noted below that Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas’ senior senator, has $2.3 million on hand for her 2010 reelection campaign, which is a hell of a healthy start.

State Sen. Kim Hendren, her only announced opposition at this time, tells the AP’s Andrew Demillo that he’s prepared to put “a substantial amount” of his personal fortune into the race, though he declines to offer specific figures. (An Arkansas Project source claims that Hendren has set aside $1 million of his own money to pour into the race.)

Another point I should have made: If nothing else, all this talk of Lincoln’s “vulnerability,” coupled with the presence of potential GOP challengers, surely has to be doing wonders for Lincoln’s current fundraising efforts, since it’s easier to rally supporters when a perceived threat is at hand. She reported $1.7 million raised in the first quarter of ’09; I’d expect more big numbers when the next FEC report is filed in July.

Some people accuse me of fixating too much on campaign money matters, and maybe they’re right, but it’s something I was conditioned to do by working on the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, where Mike Beebe outraised my boss, Asa Hutchinson, by a 2-to-1 margin.

And let me tell you, you would fixate on campaign money, too, if you’d endured the pain of being on the losing end of a 2-to-1 cash advantage in the last months of a political campaign. You can’t imagine what that’s like. In fact, here’s what we’ll do: I’ll just come over there and kick you in the balls every day for the next three months. That’ll give you a good idea of what it feels like.

Senate 2010: Blanche Lincoln Vs. ??????????

From left: Bill Halter, Tim Griffin, Kim Hendren, Blanche Lincoln, French Hill, Gilbert Baker and Kurtis Blow, because I don't have a photo of Curtis Coleman.

With all the recent developments in the 2010 Senate race, here’s a handy chart for you to use to keep track of who’s who.

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a two-term Democratic incumbent, announced in March that she would run for a third term, and oh, by the way, she just happened to have $2.3 million sitting around that would be just perfect for the purpose.

(If you’re reading this outside Arkansas, that may not sound like a lot of dough, but it is, because the state has relatively few media markets. In the last big statewide race in 2006, Mike Beebe raised $6.5 million total in a race that cost a total $10 million—the most expensive in state history at the time. Lincoln has a third of Beebe’s total on hand with a year and a half to go.)

Still, there’s a perception that Lincoln is “vulnerable” or “in trouble,” a meme that we’ve chronicled here in recent weeks. Last month, a telephone survey from Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling in North Carolina reported back some soft numbers for Lincoln, feeding in to the perception of vulnerability.

At this early point, several Republicans have indicated that they’re considering getting into the race:

Kim Hendren, state senator from Bella Vista

Hendren announced his intention to challenge Lincoln on April 18. Hendren is a businessman and longtime state legislator with deep pockets. He also has family ties to the Hutchinson clan (brother-in-law to Tim and Asa). Sources close to Hendren say he’ll run a “populist campaign” with a strong focus on federal fiscal responsibility. He pledges to serve only one term if elected.

Max Brantley at the Arkansas Times has more here, noting Hendren’s conservative but sometimes unorthodox stances on issues.

Reporter Doug Thompson declines to predict Hendren’s chances, but he thinks Hendren’s addition to the mix will make for some dandy fireworks.

Blake Rutherford of Blake’s Think Tank, who chest-thumpingly declared Lincoln “unbeatable” last month, is unimpressed: “Bleh.”

Gilbert Baker, state senator from Conway and former chair of the Arkansas GOP

Baker, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, is a solid conservative who is the subject of a “Draft Gilbert” campaign spearheaded by blogger Rett Hatcher.

Brantley and a Twittering David Sanders both forecast that with Hendren in, Baker will announce soon that he’s out, but Baker tells blogger Jason Tolbert, “Don’t rush me!”

Tim Griffin, attorney, political consultant and former U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Arkansas

After announcing he was thinking about running on Twitter, Griffin’s been making the rounds the last several months, energetically hitting every room in the state where more than five Republicans may happen to be gathered at any time.

Arkansas Project commenter Hunter and a Twittering Elizabeth Aymond of the Arkansas Young Republicans suggest that, if Griffin’s activity and demeanor at this weekend’s College Republicans conference was any indication, he’s likely to be jumping in soon. Griffin has said he’ll announce his intent by June 1.

Three others:

French Hill, CEO of Delta Bank and former Treasury official in the first Bush administration

Hill’s name has been floated for some time and he’s said to have visited Washington D.C. to talk to party honchos about a potential run, but if he’s making any preparations to run, it’s all behind the scenes.

Scott Ford, former Alltel CEO

This is another name that’s been mentioned but again, if he’s considering it, it’s thus far been behind the scenes.

Curtis Coleman, a Little Rock businessman and compatriot of former Gov. Mike Huckabee

Brantley keeps floating his name, so I include him here. Also, I don’t know what he looks like or have a photo of him, so we’re using that photo of ’80s superstar rapper Kurtis Blow as a placeholder.

**********

Who’s handicapping the race? Roby Brock at Talk Business, that’s who. Go over here to read an assessment (link is now fixed) of each GOP hopeful’s strengths and weaknesses.

Also, let’s not forget Lincoln’s recent announcement that she will not support union-backed card check legislation in the Senate. That move breathed new life into rumors that she might face a labor-backed primary challenge from the left (a scenario I find highly unlikely). And the name that’s frequently invoked as a possible primary challenger is Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. Tolbert’s been keeping a close eye on this one, though Halter continues to say he has no such intentions. (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Kane Webb asked Halter point blank, but he feigned exasperation and didn’t answer the question—see end of interview.)