The Arkansas Project

7 Responses to “Hendren on Senate: “Ehhh, Maybe Not.””

1. Fourche River Rex Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 10:31 am

   The best quote out of this article, “We just don’t know a lot of things that I don’t know.”
   Kim Hendren; the Yogi Berra of Arkansas.

2. Barbara Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

   The loss of car dealerships is a much bigger deal than the quote about Chucky Shumer. Can you say “financial crisis?”

   In any event, Arkansas is likely to have a spirited R Primary for the US Senate seat. A sitting State Senator would have had (and Baker might still have) an advantage on the ballot.

   Tolbert probably doesn’t remember how Tim H. started his downhill run…. can anyone remember the “Arkansas Review???” Nothing like R’s attacking Rs.

3. David Kinkade Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

   Barbara,
   I’ll contest your suggestion that Tolbert’s blog post on Hendren (as well as the Arkansas Review’s reporting on Tim Hutchinson’s divorce all those years ago) somehow constitutes “R’s attacking R’s.” What you describe as “attacking” might also be described as “vetting” candidates for vulnerabilities (and strengths, for that matter).

   If a candidate can’t survive the scrutiny of a lightly trafficked political blog, how on earth is he to survive a primary campaign (which actually IS “R’s attacking R’s”?). How is he to survive an actual general election campaign? Would Team Lincoln or the voters of Arkansas somehow just not have noticed Hendren’s propensity for self-destructive gaffes had Tolbert not reported it?

   If Tolbert’s post was what did Hendren in, then he was a fatally flawed candidate from the beginning. But that’s not Tolbert’s fault. Let’s drop that nonsensical line of reasoning.
   D.

4. Fourche River Rex Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 3:39 pm

   Agreed, D. Hendren did himself in. Tolbert didn’t make Hendren say what he said. Whether Hendren is a racist (I don’t think he is) doesn’t matter as much as that Hendren was bound to self destruct. Tolbert just gave him a forum to do it early.

5. Jason Tolbert Says:
   May 21st, 2009 at 11:47 am

   Thanks for the defense Kinkade. You are a scholar and a gentleman.

   Hey wait a minute “lightly trafficked!” What?

6. David Kinkade Says:
   May 21st, 2009 at 11:49 am

   I intended that description to refer to all of us. Thus is the life of a niche publication….
   D.

7. Barbara Says:
   May 23rd, 2009 at 4:18 pm

   “Vetting” … That’s the ticket, “vetting.”

   PotAto, potato; tomAto, tomato … Let’s check with Sam.