You don’t have to look around too hard to find the real driving force behind Fred Allen’s senate campaign. Just take a look at the names on his filing reports. It’s a who’s who of the wealthy and corporations, more than half of which are from outside of Little Rock, and I’d wager a healthy chunk of those from Little Rock are from outside the senate district he’s challenging Joyce Elliott for. Allen, has Brantley points out, seems to be willing to play for pay.
This is one of the hottest and most interesting races for Senate, pitting Elliott, a committed liberal, against state Rep. Fred Allen, a reliable vote for corporate interests, in a race for a majority black district. Representatives of such districts tend to vote on the progressive end of the scale. Allen, a truly nice guy, signals his leanings by volunteering “tort reform” as one of the pressing issues facing his district. Not. The legal system already tilts heavily against plaintiffs and workers in court, but those two magic words help explain an outpouring of doctors’ contributions to Allen in the $75,000 he’s raised so far, along with an honor roll of most of the state’s corporate lobbyists. Even a tobacco company has sent Allen money, though he’s helped some non-smoking causes in the past.
Elliott, on the other hand, has raised about $70,000, with a substantial amount from non-corporate contributions from well-known liberals, heavily leaning toward women, who were the backbone of her unsuccessful race for Congress in 2010.
Nice are not, Allen has no business winning this seat if these are the folks he plans on working for.
Brantley notes that the D-G went digging and found that Elliott has a $1600 lean on her property. While Elliott should certainly get that fixed, that’s chump change compared to some of the stuff Arkansas Republicans have had going on that the D-G has ignored, but they’ve had their claws out for Elliott for years. As I recall, it started back when she had the audacity to observe that the state legislature might ought to have a more inclusive prayer because some Arkansans aren’t of a Judeo-Christian persuasion. This shocking revelation lead Paul Greenberg to clutch the pearls and order a full scale assault on Elliott as a mean spirited and godless heathen. And considering that a Stephen’s Media honcho is listed on the books of Allen’s supporters, well…draw your own conclusions about the implications. Bottom line, these folks want a reliable vote for corporations in a solidly Democratic seat, and they’ve bought Fred Allen. Joyce Elliott is a progressive voice that stands up for women, minorities, the LGBT community, public education, universal health care, jobs, the safety net, the environment, and consumers. The D-G and big business can’t stand for that.
