News and Views on Politics, Policy and More
If you’re in Central Arkansas and just goofy about Twitter, you do not want to miss the second Little Rock Tweet-Up this evening at 5:30 p.m. at the Capital Bar & Grill in Little Rock. You can get more details over at Mr. Lance Turner’s blog. It should be a simply madcap time for all.
UPDATE: I missed it.
Dems lining up to challenge Rep. John Boozman?
We haven’t done one of these in a couple of days…so let’s do one now!
Primary Colors: Will there be a Democratic primary in the Third District to challenge GOP Rep. John Boozman? Maybe! (Morning News of NWA)
You May Already Have Won: Will top Arkansas lottery slots paying $200K per year go to director’s South Carolina cronies? Probably! (Arkansas News Bureau)
Mayberry Watch: Will former GOP Congressional candidate Andy Mayberry make a run for Arkansas House in District 27? Very likely! (The Tolbert Report)
Dome Sweet Dome: Blogger Blake Rutherford snags super-exclusive interview with Arkansas’s one and only land commissioner, Mark Wilcox, who’s going to run for secretary of state. (Blake’s Think Tank)
Tribute: Sen. Blanche Lincoln introduces resolution honoring victims of jihadist shooter at Little Rock Army recruiting center. (Arkansas News Bureau)
DOA: Unions: Sen. Mark Pryor says your precious card check bill is dead dead dead. (Talk Business)
Indestructible?: Just how are we to evaluate Gov. Mike Beebe’s record on job creation? Columnist David Sanders throws on his green eyeshade and starts to crunch the numbers. (Arkansas News Bureau)
It is I, your valiant Arkansas Projecteer, returned from the Arkansas Tea Party down at the Riverfront Amphitheater in Little Rock. It was OK, I guess, but I’m grading this one down because, Christ, it was just so ridiculously hot. And your Arkansas Projecteer, he does not like the heat. But it was a solid three hours of rousing “take back the government” rhetoric, heavy on the fiscal responsibility and accountability talk.
The big news out of this one was that Tom Cox, a North Little Rock businessman and one of the movement organizers in Arkansas, announced he will be running for Senate as a Republican to challenge Sen. Blanche Lincoln. The Tolbert Report has a video clip, but it’s only 30 seconds long and it’s so far from the stage that I’m assuming Tolbert shot it from his back porch in Saline County, so be forewarned. (Here’s a CNN report on Cox’s announcement.)
(This AP story notes that Cox’s North Little Rock business, Aloha Pontoons, was raided a year ago by federal agents for employing illegal immigrant workers. Based on the details here, it looks as if the workers had provided false documentation to secure jobs, and it sounds as if Cox had met his responsibilities in checking said documentation. Was this in the news? Why do I have absolutely no memory of this whatsoever?)
Also in the crowd were potential Senate challenger Curtis Coleman, with whom I had a friendly chat, and Conway’s David Meeks, who’s eyeing a run against Rep. Vic Snyder in the Second District.
Among the speakers were local radio man Dave Elswick and Arkansas Project contributor Rep. Dan Greenberg. (High-octane Twitterer paxlibertas offers video of Greenberg’s remarks, in which Greenberg notes his intent to run for Senate in District 22.)
This one was a little smaller than the April 15 event at the Capitol, but that was to be expected as the earlier event was part of a larger nationwide push. Tonight’s show got off to a slow start—at kick-off time (5:30 p.m.) there were probably only a couple hundred people there. But the crowd grew steadily, and I’d guesstimate about 1,000 people altogether (maybe—tough to get an authoritative count because people were coming and going throughout the three hour event).
I’ll be writing some more on this a little later in the week with more detail and color, and adding in some additional thoughts on the future of the Tea Party movement, so be on the lookout for that. Out for now.
UPDATE: Meanwhile, I’m hearing stirrings from various quarters that a not-insignificant number of Tea Party enthusiasts are not at all happy with Cox’s announcement at last night’s event, viewing it as a “bait and switch.” That’s the position of Nick Cochran at the Nick Gripes blog, where the blogger writes
When I realized this, I left my seat and found a phone number of a friend and located him on the grounds. I went to him and told him, “we’ve been duped.” This is not what we signed up for. The good news is, we still have a coalition of Tea Party Organizations in this state that are not affiliated with this mess who will continue to be active, and hopefully be “above politics as usual.”
More on this from Mark Moore at the Arkansas Watch blog, who questions the need for a centralized state leader for the movement.
Why is she so angry?
Regular readers of this site know of my dismissive feelings for The Oxford American, a superannuated literary journal published out of the University of Central Arkansas. The “Southern Magazine of Good Writing,” whatever that means, is much-celebrated but rarely read, and for some reason that just really gets on my nerves. It probably gets on yours, too, you just won’t admit it.
And now, thanks to the OA’s redesigned website that launched today, you have an entirely new avenue through which you can not be reading it.
Or, as one of my e-mail correspondents put it this morning, “what everyone needs…a website that no one will read for a magazine that no one reads.” How mean! And also hilarious. Thank you, correspondent, for letting me know that I’m not alone in my inexplicable hatred for this completely unnecessary publication.
UPDATE: The Oxford American’s tiny legion of fans does not like my bad-mouthing of their beloved publication, no they do not. (Hm, that page apparently disappeared off Twitter for some reason. But never fear! I got a screenshot. No wonder I am so hated!): [Read more...]
(Guest post by Cory Cox)
It is not a question of knowing who offends more the Supreme Being, whether it be he who denies Him, or he who distorts Him. It is impossible to know otherwise than by revelation, if God is offended by the empty things men say of Him.- Voltaire
Arkansas News Bureau columnist John Brummett, in a column today, responds to recent criticism lobbed at President Obama over the role of religion in our government and whether or not we are a “Christian nation.” I think my evangelical bona fides are enough to allow me to reply to Brummett, and I’ll try to do so without the name-calling he prefers.
[Read more...]
Reminder that the next Arkansas Tea Party kicks off this afternoon at the Riverfront Amphitheater in Little Rock at 5:30 p.m. It’s a follow-up to the big grassroots demonstrations around the state two months ago demanding fiscal responsibility and government accountability. Check out their website for more on the festivities.
P.S. I just wrote my checks for state and federal tax payments for the second quarter, ensuring that I’ll be good and pissed off for the event this afternoon. Hooray!
Understatement: Problem: You’re a U.S. congressman who doesn’t want the folks back home to know you own a property in DC worth almost a million bucks. Solution: Misreport the property value on financial disclosure forms. You know, like Rep. Marion Berry does. (Political Buzz)
Mountain Home: Blogger Freeman Hunt is making me laugh (click through to photo). (Freeman Hunt)
He’s Taken: Sorry, gals, but if you were hoping to snag Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, you’ve missed your chance. (AP)
Smoked Out: Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor vote for FDA regulation of tobacco. Out, demon weed! The power of Congress compels you! (Arkansas News Bureau)
Political Bombshell of the Week: Martha Shoffner will seek another term as Arkansas treasurer. Oh, I know, I’m just as relieved as you are. (Arkansas Business)
Lottery boss Ernie Passail...uh...gua....uh...aie wait, wait, I can do this....
Salaryman: Is Arkansas paying too much for a lottery director? Probably! (Political Buzz)
Delta Force: Can the Delta be saved? Probably not! (Arkansas News Bureau)
Story of the Year (To Date): A Conway hotel employee sets off the fire alarm, breaks windows and floods the lobby, all at the behest of a prank caller. I mean, what the hell, wouldn’t you? (The Smoking Gun, with photos of the carnage)
Chatterbox: The Muslim jihadist who killed a soldier in Little Rock last week is talking to anyone and everyone, saying he did it but it’s not really murder because it was justified. Wouldn’t you love to be this guy’s lawyer? (AP)
Patriot: Meanwhile, the surviving soldier wounded in the attack says he loves the army and looks forward to continuing his military service. (Arkansas News Bureau)
Huckwatch: Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, in Iowa, says Republicans need to avoid the “mushy middle.” Instead, aim for the “creamy center.” (AP)
Are your teeth as white as they should be? I think you and I both know that the answer to that question is almost certainly “No.”
So good news: Here’s a guy on the “free” listings of the Little Rock Craigslist who didn’t use all the whitener in his tooth whitening package, and he wants to give the remainder to you at no charge. Keep in mind you’ll probably have to arrange for transportation and everything to go pick it up, so it’s not completely free, but other than that it sounds like a great deal. It’s first come, first serve, so you better jump on this today.
Following up on the success of the April 15 Tea Party demonstrations across Arkansas, which promoted government fiscal responsibility and accountability, organizers are launching another effort at the Riverfront Amphitheater in Little Rock on Monday, June 15, at 5:30 p.m. to coincide with the anniversary of Arkansas’ statehood.
So we’ve got another Tea Party lined up, and this one’s gonna have everything. Musical acts! A former Miss Arkansas singing the national anthem! Radio man Dave Elswick! Kids’ activities! Rep. Dan Greenberg! This guy!:
He’s mad about everything!
Check out the Arkansas Tea Party website for more info, including sponsorship opportunities for all you deep-pocketed types out there.
