The Arkansas Project

Arkansas Project Management Notes

By David Kinkade - November 24, 2008 5:00 pm

Arkansas Project employee monitors blog operations, fixes stuff.

I’ve heard from a couple of folks recently who were having trouble with the e-mail submission form on the “Contact” page, which was not functioning properly. You might think that you guys would take the hint that I don’t want to hear from you, but I guess you didn’t. Really, your neediness is one of your least appealing characteristics. I tell you this as a friend.

Anyway, for some reason the old contact form was freezing up in some browsers and not transmitting your communiqués. I think that it might have had something to with an error in the Javascript, or getting some Ajax in the PHP, or some other such mumbo-jumbo in which I simply throw out technical terms even though I haven’t the slightest idea of what they mean.

This is all a long way of saying that the e-mail form on the “Contact” page should now be fixed, for those of you who want to send me news tips. Or love notes. Or death threats. The last of which I know is most likely.

Wal-Mart Lobbyist Nabbed in Abramoff Scandal

By David Kinkade - November 22, 2008 4:48 pm

Here’s an Arkansas touch in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal (Good Lord, that’s still going on? How long has it been?): Jim Hirni, a former Wal-Mart lobbyist and former legislative director to Sen. Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas, who’s apparently facing a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice for his role in providing World Series tix to a Congressional aide. He’s the latest to go down in the long-running corruption investigation.

Thanks to an Arkansas Project reader Clark Haruspex for the keen eye.

Where’s The Arkansas Project?

By David Kinkade - November 19, 2008 6:38 pm

I guess you were probably missing me today. Blogging had to go on the back burner while I focused on some actual paid work. According to Arkansas Project Girlfriend (APG), it’s time I “start contributing a little more around here than just rearranging the movies in the Netflix queue and teaching the cat to fetch paper wads.” Whatever. If she’s got a better plan to get those paper wads off the floor, I for one would love to hear it.

More soon.

Blogging Abhors a Vaccuum…

By David Kinkade - November 13, 2008 9:11 am

Arkansas Project staff, hard at work.

I’m beginning to think that post-election/holiday season news vacuum is starting to descend upon us, because I’ve scanned the headlines this morning and, man, do things look dull out there.

And I’d place the odds of my actually sitting down and reading Gov. Mike Beebe’s budget proposal somewhere in the neighborhood of zero, so don’t be anxiously awaiting any coherent comments on that from this quarter.

If it keeps up like this, I’m going to have to start laying off some of the blogging support staff (pictured at left) here at Arkansas Project World Headquarters. The boys down in the boiler room aren’t going to be happy to hear that, especially right before Christmas.

In the meantime, this has absolutely nothing to do with Arkansas but I found it delightful: It’s the New York Times report on a guy who created a blog listing himself as a “senior advisor” to the John McCain presidential campaign. He then used the platform to spread all kinds of nutty rumors, many of which were picked up and propagated by our more liberal blogging brethren; some even made it into the mainstream media. That whole “Sarah Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent” story? He made it up. Here’s his blog. My hat goes off to this guy. How come you never do anything clever like that? God, you suck so much.

King May Run for GOP Chair

By David Kinkade - November 12, 2008 8:06 am

King: Weighing run for GOP chair

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Mike Wickline reports that Rep. Bryan King says he’ll decide by next week if he’ll join the race for Arkansas GOP chair. (Arkansas Project commenters were floating this rumor last evening.)

King, of Carroll County, would join former state Sen. Doyle Webb and current GOP treasurer Joseph Wood among the announced candidates. Former Rep. Jake Files is also rumored to be looking at the post, The Arkansas Project noted yesterday.

Current chair Dennis Milligan, who announced last weekend he would not seek re-election to the post, says he’s backing Wood.

ADG on the Unbearable Lightness of Beebe

By David Kinkade - November 10, 2008 7:48 pm

"Have you seen me?"

This is a couple of days old, but the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette unleashed a masterful editorial blast at Gov. Mike Beebe on Saturday for what I’ve termed “The Unbearable Lightness of Beebe” — to wit, the governor’s ridiculous inability/unwillingness to stake out clear positions on any given issue, lest he should have to sacrifice a fraction of a point of his high approval ratings.

Writes the editorialist:

By the time Mike Beebe takes a stand, an issue isn’t much of an issue any more. He tends to give direction much the way a weathervane does, indicating which way the wind is blowing rather than trying to direct it. Safe, all right. But ineffectual. Sure, the Guv may retain his popularity that way, i. e., by just playing it safe, but to what end other than re-election? Is he aiming to be the state’s next David/Mark Pryor, whose major accomplishment is being well-liked?

I believe the word you were looking for was “Ouch.” Do read the whole thing.

After 2008: Whither the GOP?

By David Kinkade - November 9, 2008 1:49 pm

Have you seen me?

Post-Election ‘08, there’s plenty of talk about the hard times for Republicans nationally as Democrats have now gained the White House and expanded their Congressional majorities.

I’m of the “swinging pendulum” school of thought that holds that it’s foolish to assume that, because one party’s up and one party’s down, that dynamic will extend indefinitely into the future. It wasn’t so long ago (2004, to be exact), that lots of people were wondering if the Democrats could ever recover their mojo….

I’m joined in my sanguinity by columnist David Sanders, who claims in a piece today that, while the GOP is down, they’re not out—and he sees some promising signs on the home front in Arkansas to cheer Republicans a bit in a tough year:

Closer to home, the state GOP stopped the bleeding by picking up legislative seats after losing numbers for two consecutive election cycles. In fact, of the four major races in which Gov. Mike Beebe openly campaigned for Democratic candidates, the Republican won. Greenwood’s Republican Terry Rice defeated Democrat Bill Walters for Walters’ wife’s old House seat. In Russellville, after being outspent by her Beebe-backed Democratic opponent, Andrea Lea won her House race, and North Little Rock Republican Jane English won despite the governor openly appearing in her opponent’s political advertisements. And, in the state’s highest profile political race, Conway’s incumbent Republican state Sen. Gilbert Baker was re-elected despite Beebe’s aggressive campaign for his Democratic opponent.

More on this topic from Blake Rutherford over at the Think Tank, rounding up responses from some national observers, including wise words from Rich Lowry of the National Review: “One of the wisest baseball cliches is: ‘You’re never as good as you seem when you’re winning and never as bad as you seem when you’re losing.’”

Arkansas Says No to Internet Prostitution

By David Kinkade - November 7, 2008 1:44 pm

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal

A consortium of 40 state attorneys general announced that they’ve reached an agreement with online classified ads service Craiglist to crack down on prostitution ads, AP reports. Arkansas is one of the states involved, thanks for nothing Dustin McDaniel:

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement, said his office contacted Craigslist after receiving several complaints from users late in 2007 about photographs depicting nudity on the site. He said Craigslist cooperated fully and there was never a need to threaten legal action against the company.

“The dark side of the Internet must be stopped from eclipsing its immense potential for good,” Blumenthal said.

Man, isn’t that just like a bunch of Democrats to crack down on America’s hardworking small business owners? Based on the photo of this Blumenthal fellow up there, I’m surprised a guy looks like that would want to limit the availability of people who are willing to have sex for money. He looks like he could use all the help he can get.

Arkansas Project Management Notes

By David Kinkade - November 5, 2008 4:13 pm

By the way, I’ve added a new feature in the “Comments” section that will allow you to edit your comments after they’re published, for a limited time (five minutes, to be exact).

So if you’ve ever had that unfortunate experience of posting a really, really clever comment, only to realize to your horror immediately after hitting “Submit” that your comment had a glaring typo, then this one’s for you. You’ll have five minutes after you post the comment to click “Edit” and go back and salvage what remains of your reputation.

Overheard at the Watch Party….

By David Kinkade - November 5, 2008 8:54 am

Dan Greenberg: Needs a hobby to fill his days

I spent a few hours Tuesday evening with a small gathering of friends watching election results. It was all GOP types, so that should give you a sense of how cheery a gathering it was. I’ve attended funerals with more positive energy.

Also in attendance was Arkansas Project contributor and state Representative Dan Greenberg, who was accompanied by his wife. As you may know, Greenberg was a vocal opponent of the ballot measure to allow annual sessions of the state legislature, which he criticized as the road to big state government. His efforts were for naught, as the annual sessions measure passed easily.

Which made this exchange all the more entertaining:

Guy at party: Man, I can’t believe that annual sessions proposal is going to pass.

Mrs. Greenberg: I voted for it.

Guy at party: Really? Didn’t your husband lead the opposition to that?

Mrs. Greenberg: Yeah, but I really thought it would be a great way to get him out of the house a little more.

Election Day ‘08: Oh, The Humanity!

By David Kinkade - November 4, 2008 10:05 pm

Well, I must say, that certainly could have gone better. Quit looking so smug, Democratic Rally Wiener Dog.

P.S. The first person to start talking about the 2012 race, I’m going to drive to your house and strike you in the genitals.

Barkley: ‘Arkansas and Mississippi Aren’t Going Anywhere’

By David Kinkade - November 1, 2008 6:17 pm

An Arkansas Project reader sends along this video clip of retired NBA star Charles Barkley telling a CNN reporter that he’ll run for governor of Alabama in 2014. Sez Barkley: “I can’t screw up Alabama…We’re number 48 in everything, and Arkansas and Mississippi aren’t going anywhere.” You hear that, Gov. Mike Beebe? It’s on!

Message from the Publisher

By David Kinkade - October 29, 2008 10:07 am

Due to circumstances beyond my control, blogging will be a little sporadic today. And for the next couple of days, for that matter. (Yes, we will have another legislative poll coming shortly, for those of you who get your jollies from clicking on buttons on web pages). Try not to miss me too much.

Shooting at UCA

By David Kinkade - October 27, 2008 7:37 am

A shooting at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway last night left two dead and one injured. I really don’t have anything to say about this, as it’s one of those stories that doesn’t lend itself to The Arkansas Project’s light and glib style, and there have been way too many of those lately. Go over here for more from the AP’s Jon Gambrell.

Little Rock Reporter Pressly Dies from Injuries

By David Kinkade - October 25, 2008 8:11 pm

KATV anchor Anne Pressly

The AP is reporting that Anne Pressly, the Little Rock KATV anchor/reporter who was found brutally beaten in her home on Monday, has died from her injuries.

The KATV site has full text of the Pressly family’s statement.

Pittsburgh Hoaxster Posed as Huckabee Supporter

By David Kinkade - October 25, 2008 5:16 pm

Genius schemer gives GOP a black eye.

A couple of days ago, a friend e-mailed me to peddle this story about Ashley Todd, the College Republican McCain campaign volunteer in Pittsburgh who had allegedly been attacked on the street and had a “B” carved into her face by a Barack Obama supporter. My friend was pushing the story for this blog; this was several hours before the story had exploded nationally.

I declined the info, since it had no connection to Arkansas, and I rarely deal with national stories that don’t have a tie to the state. (You may have noticed I called the blog “The Arkansas Project.”) And at that point, my friend didn’t have any sourcing on it—it was just a rumor that was being passed along via text message and e-mail.

A little later, the story was all over The Drudge Report, and lots of bloggers picked up on it and started moving it along. Within hours, though, it was learned that there were some holes in Todd’s story, and the whole thing fell apart shortly thereafter. It was all a lie. (It should be noted that conservative blogger Michelle Malkin was one of the first to question Todd’s story, as it bore the hallmarks of fake “hate crimes” Malkin had reported on previously).

Anyway, in subsequent reportage, as we’ve learned more about Ashley Todd’s background, there is an Arkansas tie. OK, it’s the most tangential connection you can imagine, based only on yet another of this girl’s lies, but here you go.

While volunteering for Ron Paul’s campaign in Texas, she posed as a Mike Huckabee supporter in an effort to obtain information on other campaigns, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports:

In March, Ms. Todd was asked to leave a grass-roots group of Ron Paul supporters in Brazos County, Texas, group leader Dustan Costine said. He said Ms. Todd posed as a supporter of former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and called the local Republican committee seeking information about its campaign strategies.

“She would call the opposing campaign and pretend she was on their campaign to get information,” Mr. Costine said last night. “We had to remove her because of the tactics she displayed. After that we had nothing to do with her.”

About a month earlier, he said, Ms. Todd sent an e-mail to the Ron Paul group saying her tires were slashed and that campaign paraphernalia had been stolen from her car because she supported Mr. Paul.

“She’s the type of person who wants to be recognized,” Mr. Costine said.

I’ve worked with both Democrats and Republicans, and these types of people exist on both sides of the aisle, though Ashley Todd appears to be a particularly noxious representative of the type—narcissists and drama queens who are always hatching these brilliant schemes, rather than doing the hard work of actually, you know, organizing and winning votes.

Usually, the brilliant scheming amounts to little more than a waste of time and resources. In this case, this genius’s desperate need for attention ended up only doing damage to the GOP cause she was ostensibly supporting. Great. Thanks.

Based on the available information, Todd seems like she’d benefit from some pyschological help. Or she might also benefit from being stuffed into a barrel and thrown off one of those Pittsburgh bridges into the Allegheny River. To be honest, I can kind of go either way on this one.

Greene on Schools: No More Taj Mahals

By David Kinkade - October 24, 2008 5:51 am

Future Fayetteville High School (artist's rendition)

University of Arkansas education reformer Jay P. Greene has a nice post at his blog looking at the discussion of a new building for Fayetteville High School. Local officials are talking about building a “21st century” high school facility to replace the current aging high school, but Greene argues that it’s not facilities the district needs to invest in:

How about if we take some of the money that we were willing to spend on a shiny new building and invest it intelligently in recruiting, retaining, and motivating the best teachers?

I couldn’t agree more: The quality of facilities has nothing to do with the students’ educational experience. For example, kids in rich schools can run into trouble with drugs and crime just as readily as kids in poor schools. At least that’s the lesson I learned from watching “21 Jump Street.”

Thoughts on the Final Debate

By David Kinkade - October 15, 2008 9:15 pm

What are you doing here? You know I usually don’t cover the presidential debates. I find them boring. Now go away. Loser.

“It was a judicial opinion. A judicial opinion to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window.”

By Dan Greenberg - October 15, 2008 12:40 pm

Chief Justice John Roberts

As a lawyer, I can assure you that legal documents aren’t always gripping reading. A law school classmate once told me that three years of law school had destroyed his ability to read for pleasure.

But sometimes you’ll find gems, like the first couple of paragraphs in this passage from the highest court in the land, namely Chief Justice John Roberts’ dissent from the denial of review of Pennsylvania v. Dunlap (PDF) yesterday:

“North Philly, May 4, 2001. Officer Sean Devlin, Narcotics Strike Force, was working the morning shift. Undercover surveillance. The neighborhood? Tough as a three­ dollar steak. Devlin knew. Five years on the beat, nine months with the Strike Force. He’d made fifteen, twenty drug busts in the neighborhood.

Devlin spotted him: a lone man on the corner. Another approached. Quick exchange of words. Cash handed over; small objects handed back. Each man then quickly on his own way. Devlin knew the guy wasn’t buying bus tokens. He radioed a description and Officer Stein picked up the buyer. Sure enough: three bags of crack in the guy’s pocket. Head downtown and book him. Just another day at the office.”

Regrettably, the rest of the opinion – which discusses a Fourth Amendment issue – isn’t quite as diverting.

It’s probably a mistake for judges to experiment with literary forms (I think it was George Rose Smith, formerly Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Arkansas for nearly four decades, who wrote an entire opinion in rhymed couplets), because it runs the risk of trivializing the law and making litigants feel that they are engaged in a frivolous procedure. But most of us who actually have to read this stuff will forgive the judge who, even for a moment, lightens our load.

Pulaski County Eyes Employee Bonuses

By Dan Greenberg - October 15, 2008 6:49 am

Good story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette today on the Pulaski County Quorum Court: Because of the county’s history of bad budgeting, it can’t afford to give raises to county employees—so instead the county will probably distribute one-time salary bonuses.

As a former member of the Quorum Court (also known as the county legislature), I keep an eye on what it does, in much the same way some people can’t stop themselves from staring as they drive past a car accident. The Pulaski County Quorum Court, like Pulaski County government generally, is notorious for its mismanagement and its self-interested decisions.

Some Quorum Court members, like Allen Kerr, balk at giving themselves bonuses. Kerr argues that county legislators are part-time employees whose prior bad decisions helped cause the county’s financial problems:  “I don’t think we should get an increase when we haven’t earned it by keeping our head above water,” Kerr said.

Others, like Pat Dicker, demand equal treatment, even if they are part-time employees: “I’m an old person. I get Social Security,” she said. In any event, Dicker is a strong advocate of issuing the bonuses. “I want this done in the worst kind of way,” she said.

Given the past performance of the Quorum Court, I am confident that she will get her wish.