Talk Business - Political Buzz

THE POLITICAL BUZZ
Breaking political news from around Arkansas
Editor: Roby Brock | roby@talkbusiness.net

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 9:45:59 AM

MAKING LT. GOVERNOR MORE RELEVANT

Stephens Media columnist Steve Brawner continues his crusade to make the Lt. Governor's office more meaningful.

Brawner, who served in the office when Win Rockefeller held the post, argues for three options that would increase the relevancy of the Lt. Governor.

His suggestions:

Make it a full-time job with agency responsibilities
Have the Governor and Lt. Governor run as a team so that the Lt. Governor could handle assignments from the Governor much like the President and Vice-president work
Allow the Lt. Governor to make State Senate committee appointments versus Senate leadership

There are cons to each of these ideas, of course, so the path of least resistance would be maintaining the status quo. Granted, there are worse things than a politician having nothing to do, but that means that Arkansas' taxpayers will continue funding an office that was created in the first part of the 20th century and hasn't evolved with the times.

Which leads Brawner to a fourth option: click here to read about that suggestion and more.

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 10:15:41 PM

FILING PERIOD NOT A RECORD FOR CANDIDATES

A day after the official filing period closed for 2010 we've taken a few notes that you may find interesting.

The total number of candidates filing for office this year is not a record. In 2010, there were 338 candidates running for office - 196 were Democrats, 108 were Republicans, and 34 were non-partisan.

1998 was the record year for filings in modern times, according to the Secretary of State's office which has researched filings back to 1988. In 1998, there were 429 candidates that filed. That was a record year for Republican filings with 114 office-seekers. For Democrats, the record year for filings was 338 in 1990.

Remember, before this decade Arkansas had partisan judicial elections. That led to more Democrats and Republicans filing for office versus today's non-partisan judicial candidates.

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The State Representative seat currently held by House Majority Leader Steve Harrelson (D-Texarkana) will apparently fall into Republican hands this year. The only candidate who filed for the post is Republican Prissy Hickerson, former Gov. Mike Huckabee's first Highway Commission appointee.

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Remember that supermajority vote for a tobacco tax increase in the last legislative session? It passed with no votes to spare in the House - right at the 75-vote margin needed for approval.

At the time, Republicans, conservatives and anti-tax crusaders cried loudly that they would find challengers to several of those swing votes because of that tax hike vote. You may recall that two candidates in particular were singled out: Rep. Garry Smith (D-Camden) and Rep. Tim Summers (R-Bentonville).

Both men escaped without a Democratic or Republican challenger.

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Two prosecutor seats went without Democratic or Republican filers. District 11-East (Arkansas County) and District 18-West (Polk & Montgomery counties) will have to fill their positions through independent or write-in candidates.

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 2:46:19 PM

CAUSEY CALLS FOR DEBATES; OPPONENTS ENTHUSIASTICALLY RESPOND

First District Democratic candidate Chad Causey called for a series of three debates in the 26-county Congressional District.

Causey did not indicate great details on the structure of the potential debates other than to say that topics should include the economy, agriculture and health care.

"Now that the field is set, we need to have an open and honest discussion about the important issues facing Arkansans," Causey said in a statement. "I am campaigning for this office the same way I will work in it: as someone willing to sit down at the table, listen and engage in debate, so that we can find common-sense solutions to the problems facing the First District."

"As I have traveled throughout the 26 counties in this district, folks keep telling me they are tired of the bickering in Washington. They don't want gridlock, they want common-sense leadership that puts the First District first," said Causey. "I hope my fellow candidates will join me in a public debate to discuss the serious issues facing Arkansans."

UPDATE: Former State Senator Tim Wooldridge, who is vying for the nomination, says he'll show up.

"I'd be absolutely delighted to visit and debate and discuss issues. I think it's important to voters to look at each of us," Wooldridge said. "Anytime we can all talk about what we have to offer and our vision for moving the district and state forward, I relish the opportunity."

State Senator Steve Bryles replied by email and took a dig at Causey's ties to D.C.

"I look forward to debating the issues with the other candidates for Congress," said Bryles.

"I sense that Chad Causey believes he has an advantage in debating the issues because he's a Washington insider. The warmed over approaches that Beltway types keep recycling are obviously not working; the country is in the middle of an economic crisis, health care is broken and the Washington politicians have mortgaged our children's future," he said.

"I look forward to offering new ideas and a fresh perspective against the same old conventional wisdom," Bryles added.

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 2:42:41 PM

HALTER ISSUES ACCOUNTABILITY AGENDA; LINCOLN SAYS SHE'S AT WORK

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who is challenging Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary, outlined four provisions today that he claims will make him more accountable to constituents if he's elected to the U.S. Senate.

Halter's "accountability agenda" includes:

Opposing automatic Congressional pay raises
Holding town hall meetings in all 75 counties every year
Refusing to become a lobbyist
Making his office schedule available to the public

"To improve accountability and bolster public confidence, I'll make my schedule publicly available online so any Arkansan can know who I'm meeting with when legislation affecting middle class Arkansas families is being developed," Halter said in a statement.

UPDATE: Sen. Lincoln's campaign issued this response to Halter's press conference earlier today.

"Today Bill Halter held a press conference while Senator Lincoln worked toward Senate passage of an amendment that will hold bailed out Wall Street institutions and their executives more accountable to American taxpayers by taxing excessive bonuses," Lincoln campaign spokesman Katie Laning Niebaum said. "In addition, she has successfully inserted two tax relief amendments in the Senate jobs bill with direct benefits for Arkansas workers, businesses, seniors and the disabled."

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 11:39:12 AM

LINCOLN SAYS HEALTH CARE POSITION REMAINS UNCHANGED

Sen. Blanche Lincoln found her comments on a parliamentary maneuver in the health care debate interpreted widely and apparently wildly on Tuesday.

The Associated Press and other media outlets reported Lincoln as "rethinking" her position to vote against a reconciliation bill to move the health care debate forward.

Lincoln has previously said she has concerns about reconciliation, but the AP reported that Lincoln wanted to see what was in the companion bill "before deciding."

By midday, Lincoln responded quite forcefully:

"Sen. Olympia Snowe and I have proposed a bipartisan way forward on health care and I still hope that my colleagues will consider it," Lincoln said. "I have promised my constituents that I will not support income tax increases to pay for health care and I will seek bipartisan solutions. This takes budget reconciliation as an alternative means to pass health care reform off the table for me. I have fought for and ensured transparency throughout this process, and I believe we must get over this final hurdle using the regular rules of the Senate."

Lincoln said the AP reporter "mischaracterized" her remarks earlier. The AP story did not carry any quotes from Lincoln in it.

Lincoln's main Democratic primary challenger, Bill Halter, said that he continues "to support passing health care reform with a majority vote."

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 9:06:07 AM

BRUMMETT: BLANCHE BACK HOME

John Brummett with the Arkansas News Bureau explores the dilemma for Sen. Blanche Lincoln, who is straddling the Democratic center in her bid for re-election.

As Brummett notes, Lincoln has angered the liberal constituency of the Democratic Party and to some she is not conservative enough.

That old Arkansas Democratic finesse, by which people named Clinton and Pryor (and Lincoln) finely balance the liberal interests of their national party with the rural conservatism of their constituency, has blown up on Lincoln.

So as we've seen in her first TV ad, Lincoln is defining herself in this election as an independent voice for Arkansas. Says Brummett:

Perhaps most ambitiously of all amid this populist revolt, it presumes to make her the outsider, standing up for reason amid all that childish idiocy in Washington. It closes by calling her "one tough lady," since Arkies like spunk and independence.

Brummett further describes how underwhelmed a group of left-of-center Democrats have been with her "run right" strategy. I've also heard from a number of die-hard Democrats also offended by the anti-party disclaimer in her ad, but I question how large that voting bloc is in a Democratic primary that will bring hundreds of thousands of voters to the polls in May. They're influential, however, many independent/swing voters will vote on May 18th. Lincoln must be gambling that this bloc, combined with her core Democratic base, is large enough to carry her to victory this spring.

It's her strongest path to victory and it's truer to her personal political core: Lincoln is a centrist. That's how she won election in previous races and that's how she'll win or lose in 2010.

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 8:41:58 AM

FINDING D.C.

While attention is focused on the two heavyweights in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, a third unknown Democratic candidate slipped in the race last week.

D.C. Morrison - Daniel Cochran Morrison - describes himself as a conservative Democrat and claims he's in the Senate race to "stop two big government liberals in one day" on the May 18th primary.

Yesterday as filing for office closed, Morrison made himself available to a small group of reporters including myself and content partner, Jason Tolbert. Fortunately, Tolbert had his handy-dandy flip-cam and recorded the interview.

Morrison, a Little Rock-based farm loan originator, is worried about the national debt and deficit spending. He doesn't know Blanche Lincoln or Bill Halter personally, although he said he knows Blanche Lincoln's father.

While he filed on the Democratic ticket, Morrison's past voting record speaks to his conservative credentials.

He cited Ronald Reagan as his hero. He voted for Ron Paul in the last Presidential election. And, Asa Hutchinson earned his vote for Governor in 2006 although Morrison insists that Mike Beebe is "doing an excellent job."

You can watch the video of his short interview at this link.

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Monday, March 08, 2010 - 8:25:51 AM

LAST DAY OF FILING BRINGS SURE THINGS, SURPRISES (UPDATED)

The 2010 candidate filing period has officially closed. All told, 338 candidates filed for office. 196 were Democrats, 108 Republicans, and 34 non-partisan candidates filed.

Several GOP Senate hopefuls filed for office today along with a couple of surprise candidates.

Surprises: In the first Congressional District, Democratic State Sen. Steve Bryles filed for office. There are 6 Democrats and two Republicans vying for their respective nominations.

Former state legislator and failed 2006 Lt. Governor candidate Doug Matayo of Springdale entered the already-crowded 3rd District race for Congress. There are 8 Republicans and one Democrat in the field.

Mark Darr, the GOP's only announced candidate for Lt. Governor drew a primary opponent, Donnie Copeland. State Sen. Shane Broadway is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

The Land Commissioner's race doubled in size on the final day of filing, too. John Thurston filed as a Republican for the constitutional office and L.J. Bryant filed for the post on the Democratic side. State Rep. Monty Davenport and Mike Berg filed for the position as Democrats last week.

Sure things: All four Republicans who were still expected to run for the U.S. Senate filed: Randy Alexander, Conrad Reynolds, State Sen. Gilbert Baker and Jim Holt. The total number of GOP candidates is eight in the Senate race, while three Democrats have filed.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, State Treasurer Martha Shoffner and Sec. of State Charlie Daniels (who is running for State Auditor) were all unopposed for statewide office.

To view the complete candidate list of the statewide and federal races, click here.

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