The Arkansas Project

Rumor Mongering: Next Arkansas Dem Chair?

By David Kinkade - November 25, 2008 7:58 am

Gov. Mike Beebe: Who's his pick?

I’ve talked with a couple of The Arkansas Project’s Democratic-leaning friends in the last week or so who resent all the attention given on this blog to the race for the next Arkansas Republican chair. So in the interest of fairness, let’s ramp up some speculation as to who might be in line to lead our Democratic brethren forward into this next election cycle.

Granted, the choice will be Gov. Mike Beebe’s, so we’re at a bit of a disadvantage here—it’s all just rampant speculation. However, I’ve collected a few names that are being floated in state Democratic circles, with varying degrees of reliability:

Mike Hathorn (former state rep and 2006 candidate for lieutenant governor)

Vince Insalaco (Democratic consultant and campaign guru, filmmaker)

Chris Massingill (former state director for Rep. Mike Ross and Beebe campaign manager, now state economic development honcho)

Steve Ronnel (Little Rock businessman and Democratic money guy)

Jason Willett (former staffer to Rep. Marion Berry, 2005-06 party chair and candidate for Jonesboro mayor in ‘08)

More than one of these names strike me as implausible or even absurd (not because the individual couldn’t do the job, but because it’s unlikely he’d want it). But hey, let’s throw ‘em out there and have some fun.

Another savvy watcher says to consider former legislators who may have served with Beebe in the Senate.

Others?

Where Will Lincoln Go On Union Ballot Vote?

By David Kinkade - November 25, 2008 7:57 am

Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln

Washington D.C. pub Politico notes that Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas will be one Democrat to watch in the coming debate on the absurdly monikered “Employee Free Choice Act,” a labor-backed bill to make union organizing easier by eliminating the secret ballot. Lincoln’s not been clear on where she stands on the issue.

That fact that has not gone unnoticed by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial board, which has no use for the mealy-mouthed hedging on the issue coming from Lincoln and fellow Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor:

If and when our two U. S. senators make up their mind on this issue—perhaps they have and just don’t dare tell the rest of us—it would be nice to get a straight answer out of them.

Should they decide that Americans should be denied a secret ballot at their workplace, their votes would not be without irony.

Having just participated in the Democratic caucus in the Senate, which allows senators to cast their ballots in secret for their leaders, they would have tried to deny the same right to American workers.

The Arkansas Project has touched on this issue in recent days, along with other members of the Arkansas blogging posse Jason Tolbert at The Tolbert Report and Tim Griffin at The Griffin Room.

Gwatney Killing Investigation ‘Inconclusive’

By David Kinkade - November 20, 2008 11:13 am

Bill Gwatney

A police investigation into the August 2008 murder of Arkansas Democratic Party chairman Bill Gwatney in Little Rock was closed today, the AP’s Andrew Demillo reports, with no conclusion as to the killer’s motive:

“I wish there was a conclusion, but there wasn’t,” said Lt. Terry Hastings, a spokesman for the Little Rock Police Department.

Authorities discovered a note with a telephone number and the word “Gwatney” on it in Johnson’s home, but the report found that it was a telephone number for Gwatney Towing Company in Jacksonville, which is no longer in business. The note also listed other numbers for local towing companies, the report said.

The FBI also reviewed the history on Johnson’s computer, and found that he visited Wikipedia, Yahoo and news sites the day before the shooting. Johnson also visited the Web site of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that day, the report said.

The killer, Timothy Dale Johnson, was shot and killed by police following a car chase ending in Grant County.

Dobbins Skips Rehearing Request

By David Kinkade - October 30, 2008 5:44 pm

Former Democratic Rep. Dwayne Dobbins will not request a rehearing from the state Supreme Court to get his name listed on the ballot, the Arkansas News Bureau’s Rob Moritz reports.

And thus it appears that we are finally coming to the end of the long saga of Dwayne Dobbins, which began with his resignation in 2005 as part of a plea bargain to avoid a felony prosecution for fondling a 17-year-old girl.

When asked what he was going to do next, Dobbins said he intended to spend more time with his family, and that he might go catch a movie, maybe an afternoon matinee of “High School Musical 3.” Hmmm. I’m not sure if I like where this is headed.

Arkansas Legislative Races: A Few Things

By David Kinkade - October 29, 2008 8:32 am

Just rounding up a few things that have come across The Arkansas Project threshold the last few days:

Republican Kelly Eichler and Democrat John Edwards are fighting it out for the open seat in Little Rock’s District 38, in a race that’s been dubbed “too competitive to call” over at Under the Dome. A correspondent sends along a sample mail piece, one of several, that Eichler has sent out to voters in the district, reproduced here:

I would say “Click images for larger view,” but the larger versions aren’t displaying. I’ll fiddle with them a bit more, but if I don’t fix them, they’re about education. She’s for it.

Also happening in Pulaski County: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette endorses Republican challenger Phil Wyrick over longtime incumbent Buddy Villines in the closely watched race for Pulaski County Judge. (Subscription required to read the whole thing.) Yes, I know this isn’t a “legislative” race, but I’m sticking it here nonetheless. Quoth the editorialist:

Phil Wyrick sounds like just what Pulaski County has needed for some time-someone you could trust to balance budgets, hire competent help, keep the lights on, and finally, finally, finally provide the law-abiding public in Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County with the kind of well-run jail that’s long been needed. At last, a local official who might put public safety first instead of concentrating on tourist attractions, study committees, multiple excuses and other diversions from the basic business of local government.

In other races: In District 87, GOP Rep. Mark Martin is in a tight race with Earl Hunton, son of Washington County Judge Jerry Hunton, to hold his seat. Scott F. Davis at the Northwest Arkansas Times, my journalistic alma mater, sizes up the race here.

But wait, there’s more from Northwest Arkansas: Davis also has a look at the District 89 race between incumbent Democrat Jim House and GOP challenge Gene Long.

And in District 50 over in White County (open seat), Republican Kyle Reeves has to run not only against Democrat Monty Betts, but also the Searcy Daily Citizen newspaper. Reeves better up that radio ad buy.

We’ll have another legislative poll later today.

Pryor: Dems Need to Reach Out to GOP

By David Kinkade - October 28, 2008 8:45 am

David Pryor: Can't we all just get along?

Arkansas Democratic Party chair David Pryor says that, when Democrats are in the majority in Washington in a few months, as expected, they’ll need to eschew the “arrogance” and reach out to work with Republicans, Doug Thompson reports in the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas.

Pryor and his son Sen. Mark Pryor were in Fayetteville with C-list celebrities Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen to rally support for Barack Obama. (GOP chair Dennis Milligan pointlessly took umbrage at their presence in the Natural State here.) Despite all the star power, Obama trails John McCain by double digits in Arkansas in all recent polls.

You can read all about the various rallies that these jokers will be holding around the state over at the Democratic Party website. So if you’re sitting around the house in Hazen and wondering why nothing ever happens in your town and why your life is so miserable, hey, things are getting ready to look up.

I was going to try one last time to talk Arkansas Project Girlfriend (APG) into attending one of these rallies and reporting back for the blog, but I decided I better not try my luck. We’re kind of on the outs right now and she’s not talking to me, but it’s totally unjustified. Look, if you’re gonna buy a giant bag of Halloween candy and just leave it sitting on the damn kitchen counter and think I’m not going to eat it all inside of 36 hours, you deserve what you get.

How Will Presidential Race Affect Arkansas Races?

By David Kinkade - October 26, 2008 3:07 pm

Is this an association Democratic candidates in Arkansas want?

Over at Blake’s Think Tank, my Democratic leaning counterpart Blake Rutherford picks up on a discussion we had last week on “Unconventional Wisdom” (I’ll quit mentioning that now) about the potential for GOP pick-ups in the state legislature. Rob Moritz at the Arkansas News Bureau explores the same question in a story today.

Arkansas Republicans look poised to pick up at least a few seats in the House. While that would not change the complexion of the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature dramatically, it would certainly be a morale-builder for state Republicans—particularly should it happen in a year when Democrats nationwide appear to have the wind at their back.

As Blake points out, John McCain’s double-digit lead in Arkansas could be helpful to Republicans. The flip side of that observation raises a question: Is it possible that Barack Obama could be a drag for Democratic candidates down the ballot in Arkansas? If you’re Democratic Rep. Steve Breedlove in District 67, do you really want your signs sitting next to Obama-Biden signs, as in the photo above?

While John Brummett points out that the state’s Congressional folks and constitutional officers are getting behind Obama, one doesn’t see a lot of Democratic House candidates rushing to throw their arms around the senator from Illinois, does one?

Annals of Democratic Triumphalism

By David Kinkade - October 25, 2008 7:48 am

Great Moments in Arkansas Project Photojournalism: A Retrospective

Bill Clinton, Dale Bumpers, David Pryor and other Arkansas Democrats continue their sales job on Barack Obama through the state today, with stops planned in Pine Bluff and Jonesboro.

Last evening, the old liberal lions pumped up a crowd in North Little Rock, with Clinton predicting an electoral “rout” for Obama and saying that he doesn’t “want Arkansas to be left behind.” Is that some kind of threat? John Lyon of the Arkansas News Bureau reports.

I tried to get Arkansas Project Girlfriend (APG) to attend the festivities, but she was less than cooperative, saying something about having “had it up to here with this stupid blog of yours.” So I don’t have any exclusive photos, and you’re just going to have to make due with the shot of the wiener dog she took at the Hillary Clinton rally in Little Rock a couple of weeks back.

This week, we learned that Arkansans are justifiably skeptical of all this nonsense when the UA’s Arkansas Poll revealed that John McCain maintains a double-digit lead in the state.

Also, the Argenta News has a splendid bit of color from the rally (hat tip to Max Brantley at the Arkansas Times for bringing this to our attention), noting that the Democratic Party of Arkansas herded local reporters at the rally into a cage of some sort to keep them from talking to people (with photo). Good. It’s imperative that the people aren’t exposed to whatever pathogens and cooties they might pick up from these filthy journalists. Who knows where they’ve been?

Beebe On Labor Unions

By David Kinkade - October 24, 2008 1:23 pm

Beebe takes Manhattan

In New York to pitch Arkansas as a great place to do business, Gov. Mike Beebe lands an interview with CNBC, where the interviewer asks him about labor unions, among other things.

Specifically, the reporter notes Barack Obama’s “pro-union” stance versus Arkansas-based Wal-Mart’s general “anti-union” stance, and asks Beebe how he squares “your loyalties to Wal-Mart and your loyalties to your party.” Beebe responds:

I’m a Democrat and I have a lot of friends and a lot of supporters that have been in the union, that were extraordinarily good to me.

However, having said that, in today’s business climate, in today’s world, with what’s going on right now, we don’t need to inhibit our business opportunities to be successful. We need to make sure that they have the jobs and they create the jobs and that they give the jobs for our workers to be able to have.

So right now is not the time, I think,  to do those things that inhibit further business activity.

Hmm. That sounds loosely “anti-union” to me. Is that how it sounds to you? If so, good for Gov. Beebe.

But does this mean that Beebe will lobby Arkansas’ five Congressional Democrats to vote against the union-backed “card check” legislation that will be a priority in the coming Democratic Congress? And which will be poised to become law if Obama ascends to the White House, as appears likely? Just asking.

Arkansas News Bureau columnist David Sanders dealt with Sen. Mark Pryor’s “ideological straddling” on the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” a few months back. Hey, did I mention I’ll be on Sanders’ AETN “Unconventional Wisdom” show tonight at 6:30 p.m.? I can’t remember if I mentioned that.

(Hat tip to Roby Brock’s BizBlog. Roby also interpreted Beebe’s remarks as a warning “against unionization efforts.”)

Clinton, Democrats Rally in North Little Rock, Friday

By David Kinkade - October 24, 2008 7:30 am

Remember yesterday when I wrote that those old Arkansas Democratic Party stalwarts Bill Clinton, Dale Bumpers and David Pryor, along with their chum Gov. Mike Beebe, would be barnstorming the state on Saturday to rally support for Barack Obama? I was wrong. The first leg of the grand tour actually starts today at 5 p.m., at the Obama campaign HQ in North Little Rock at 4th and Main.

What, you expected me to be accurate? It’s not like I was actually going to attend. I’m going to be watching The Arkansas Project’s debut on AETN’s “Unconventional Wisdom” with David Sanders tonight at 6:30 p.m. (Channel 2). Don’t miss it! (How many pathetic plugs for the “Unconventional Wisdom” appearance can I squeeze in today? Wait and see!)

Pulaski Co. Attorney to Dobbins: Go Away

By David Kinkade - October 24, 2008 7:20 am

Since I’ve now (foolishly) obligated myself to cover every twist and turn of the Dwayne Dobbins Saga: Pulaski County Attorney Karla Burnett tells the Arkansas Supreme Court that there’s no way to add Dobbins’ name to the ballot without delaying the November election, the AP’s Andrew Demillo reports. Dobbins appealed to the state’s top court this week after a Pulaski Circuit Judge denied his claim last week.

Ever get the feeling that you’re just not wanted? Dobbins, a Democrat whom the Democratic Party declined to certify for the ballot in his race to reclaim the District 29 seat, will not be seated if he is elected, due to a rule passed by the Arkansas House of Representatives in August.

If you’re just tuning in to this story, you can click “more” below to find a list of links to past discussions on this topic, so that I don’t have to explain it again.

(more…)

King vs. Stoppel: District 91 House Race

By David Kinkade - October 23, 2008 7:52 pm

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette continues its examination of legislative races in Arkansas, with an in-depth look at the District 91 House race between incumbent GOP Rep. Bryan King and Democratic challenger David Stoppel.

District 91 covers faraway Carroll County. King is the incoming minority leader, and this race was in the news a few months back when Democratic Rep. Robbie Wills, incoming speaker of the house, and several other Democratic legislators hosted a fundraiser for King.

Noted: For some reason, Stoppel has a prominent link to obnoxious liberal advocacy group “Moveon.org” on the front page of his website, presumably as shorthand so all the dope-smoking hippies in Eureka Springs will know that he’s a “righteous dude.”

Voices from the Past

By David Kinkade - October 23, 2008 7:26 am

These two characters and all their madcap pals will campaign for Obama in Arkansas this weekend.

Arkansas Democrats go old school this weekend as Bill Clinton, Dale Bumpers, David Pryor and Gov. Mike Beebe barnstorm the state in support of presidential aspirant Barack Obama. Details are still a little sketchy, but they’ll be touching down in North Little Rock, Jonesboro and Pine Bluff to rally the troops and get out the vote. If I could think of another cliché phrase to shoehorn into this paragraph, I would. The Arkansas News Bureau has the poop.

Maybe we’ll see if we should give Arkansas Project Girlfriend (APG) one more chance to redeem herself by covering the North Little Rock stop, after her less than inspiring performance at the Hillary Clinton rally two weeks ago. If she does well this time, I might lift her probationary status and pick up the tab for dinner for once.

Dobbins: Again With the Ballot Access!

By David Kinkade - October 21, 2008 5:40 pm

Dwayne Dobbins: I'm running out of clever captions for this man.

I mean, seriously, this guy does not stop.

Despite the fact that early voting in Arkansas is full speed ahead as of yesterday, former Democratic legislator Dwayne Dobbins—who left office under a cloud of scandal in 2005 as part of a plea bargain he accepted after fondling a 17-year-old girl and I’ve now typed this explanation so many times that I could probably do it in my sleep, seriously why don’t I program a script to fill this in or something—asks the Arkansas Supreme Court to give him justice and put him on the ballot, the AP reports. Geez, take a hint, guy.

I really don’t want to keep writing about this, but I’ve followed it this far and I’ll be damned if I stop now. It’s you or me, Dobbins, and only one of us will be standing when this thing’s over!

How do you solve a problem like Dwayne Dobbins? Last week, The Arkansas Project put it to a vote. The results were disturbing. You people frighten me.

Arkansas Project Weekend Political Round-Up

By David Kinkade - October 20, 2008 7:33 am

A few notes on the political news that you may have missed this weekend while you were off on a bender or at church camp, or whatever it is you do on the weekend:

The Money Race

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette takes note of the fundraising totals for Arkansas’ federal officeholders, none of whom face major party opposition this year. All six appear to have continued raising money at a health clip, and in the cases of Sen. Mark Pryor and Rep. Mike Ross, they report cash on hand balances of $2.65 million and $1.05 million at the end of September. Pryor recently told his fundraisers to lay off, he’s feeling so flush.

The Green Revolution

The ADG also continues its “Campaign Focus” series with looks at various local races, which I’ll not link here, and nods to the Green Party opposition in the Congressional races. That includes a look at the race for U.S. Senate between Democrat Mark Pryor and Green candidate Rebekah Kennedy, and the Third District race between Republican Rep. John Boozman and Green challenger Abel Tomlinson, a political science grad student at the University of Arkansas. (I also saw coverage of the Second and Fourth District races in the print editions, but they’re only available online to subscribers, so no links there.)

Arkansas Legislative Races

The Under the Dome blog has a splendid overview of the race in House District 68 between Republican Andrea Lea and Democrat Thomas Akin for the seat of term-limited Rep. Michael Lamoureux. Under the Dome also writes up the District 91 race between GOP Rep. Bryan King and Democratic challenger David Stoppel.

See below for more on the ADG’s coverage of the House District 62 race between Republican Terry Rice and Democrat Bill Walters, which is closely watched by Republicans in Arkansas, at least.

Rice vs. Walters in House District 62

By David Kinkade - October 19, 2008 6:53 am

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette picks up on the hot race between Republican Terry Rice and newly minted Democrat Bill Walters (he previously served in the Arkansas Senate as a Republican) in House District 62, which covers Scott County over to the west. Reporter Mike Wickline offers a compare-n-contrast on the two candidates.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually been to Scott County, because it seems like a terrifying “end of civilization” frontier place where crazy and sordid things are always happening, according to a close friend of mine who hails from Waldron. Like, they pull a human torso out of a catfish pond and nobody blinks an eye. Apparently that’s just like any normal Thursday in Scott County, I guess.

Poll: What To Do About Dwayne Dobbins?

By David Kinkade - October 17, 2008 11:47 am

Dobbins: An interminable case

Former Democratic Rep. Dwayne Dobbins says “never surrender” in his quest to return to the Arkansas legislature, asking a judge to restore him to the ballot so that the voters of District 39 can have the privilege of casting their votes for him in November. But sez the judge: “Ain’t gonna happen.” The AP reports.

Keep in mind this comes after Dobbins’ 2005 resignation from his seat in the legislature as part of his plea bargain after being arrested for fondling a 17-year-old girl…after Democrats tried to find a candidate to run against him following his surprise filing to run again in March…after Democrats voted not to certify him for the ballot in July….after the Arkansas House of Representatives passed the “Dobbins Rule” in August to bar him from being seated should he win re-election… and after Attorney General Dustin McDaniel this week asked the judge to reject Dobbins’ ballot request, saying he’d waited too long to register his complaint through legal channels.

And yet…he… keeps…coming…back.

At this point, Dobbins is looking more and more like the unstoppable killer in a horror movie. So today, in honor of Dwayne Dobbins, let’s have our first Arkansas Project Opinion Poll! The question:

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DISCLAIMER: Please note that the poll above is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute any kind of call to action. So if you happen to have, say, access to a space station, and you were planning on coaxing Dwayne Dobbins into the airlock so you could shoot him into space, The Arkansas Project simply would not condone that.

Update: As of this writing, the leading poll answer, based on Arkansas Project reader votes, is “cricket bat to the head.” What on earth is wrong with you people? That’s the messiest, most violent option in the poll. Here I am trying to keep things light and fun for you all and then you reveal this very disturbing side of yourselves.

Lesson: Arkansas Project readers are terrible human beings. You should be ashamed. I say, good day, sir.

The View from Fort Smith

By David Kinkade - October 16, 2008 4:59 pm

Things have been a little slow today, because I glanced over some of the Arkansas headlines throughout the day and just saw nothing that moved me to blogging action.

However, here’s a story out of Fort Smith focusing on a pair of key legislative races up that way that’s worth a look.

Reporter Rusty Garrett of the Southwest Times Record catches a candidates’ forum in which Terry Rice (R) and Bill Walters (R Turned Opportunistic D), who are vying for the District 62 House seat, and Stephanie Malone (R) and Mike Bock (D), who are vying for the District 64 House seat, squared off on a range of issues.

If you’re looking for striking ideological differences in the candidates, you’d best look elsewhere, as these are both races where the Democrats are attempting to run more or less as Republicans on the issues.

We’ve given ample coverage to the race between Rep. Steve Breedlove (D) and challenger John Van Gorder (R) in the nearby District 67, but have not yet examined these two races. Anyone with pertinent thoughts or intelligence, lay it out in the comment section.

The Rice-Walters showdown, incidentally, is an emotionally important one for many Republicans I’ve spoken with recently. They deeply resent Walters, who previously served in the legislature as a Republican, for his flip to the Democratic side at the last minute. They’re pulling hard for a Rice victory. (I’ll note also that Walters’ wife, Shirley, currently holds the seat as a Republican. Oddly, Bill Walters’ campaign website is found at the URL www.shirleywalters.com, so make of that what you will.)

Brummett on Baker vs. White: “Whatever”

By David Kinkade - October 16, 2008 7:02 am

Arkansas News Bureau columnist John Brummett wrote a good column last week examining the much-ballyhooed Senate race in District 30 between Sen. Gilbert Baker (R) and challenger Joe White (D), which has emerged by default as “The Big Race” in Arkansas in 2008.

Brummett, challenged by Democrats who want him to endorse White, continues to scratch his head today and finally decides that there’s less here than meets the eye.

(Apparently, Arkansas Project readers agree, as our “Debate Squad” entry earlier in the week on Baker vs. White was decidely flat.)

Brummett does suggest that, should White be elected, he would be little more than a “puppet” in the legislature for Gov. Mike Beebe. That’s something to think about while you watch this ad in which Beebe and several other elected officials endorse White, who sits there grinning like a mongoloid and doesn’t say a word the whole time. Weird:

Dobbins Comeback Hits Roadblock

By David Kinkade - October 15, 2008 1:55 pm

Dobbins: Never say die.

Things are looking grim for former Democratic Rep. Dwayne Dobbins. The erstwhile legislator, who resigned in 2005 as part of a plea bargain after he fondled a 17-year-old girl, had aimed to convince a Pulaski County judge that he should be on the ballot in 2008. (State Democrats voted in the summer not to certify Dobbins for the ballot.)

But now Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says, “No dice,” and tells Dobbins that he’s waited too long, the AP’s Andrew Demillo reports. McDaniel’s asking the judge to dismiss Dobbins’ case.

I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but to be honest, I’m starting to feel for the guy. I understand how tough it can be in this world for a misunderstood ladies’ man like Dwayne Dobbins. After all, I’m a bit of a ladies’ man myself. Of course, my attempts at seduction usually don’t end in plea bargains. Tears and apologies, sure. Restraining orders, maybe. But a plea bargain? Hardly ever.