In AR-02, Joyce Elliott announced today that former opponent House Speaker Robbie Wills will be the chair of her campaign in Faulkner County.

Kudos to Wills for being a good sport. In some ways, this takes the sting out of those mailers he used against Elliott. I doubt it helps him rehabilitate his political career-too much baggage by this point for that-but it’s good to see a former candidate being a good sport.

Contrast that with the situation in AR-01, where former candidate Tim Wooldridge still hasn’t endorsed Chad Causey and some of his former staffers have jumped ship to Crawford. It’s odd because Causey isn’t exactly a progressive champion and the only swings he took at Wooldridge in the runoff were far from over the top. Just goes to show you how these guys were already on the right anyway. Oh and you notice there isn’t as much of an attitude from folks in the Democratic party about this as there was about Halter’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for Lincoln, despite his endorsing her (and saying he’d vote for her twice now). Show me the mailer that implied Wooldridge was addicted to prescription drugs and I’ll say he’s got reason to complain, but then again we know how it works-different rules in the Arkansas Democratic Party for liberals and conservatives. Liberals have to tow the line and be good team players and never jump out of line or else risk nasty personal attacks. Conservatives can pretty much do what they want and get their every whim catered to. The establishment might well have lined up around Causey, but it wasn’t because they had such a problem with Wooldridge, else they wouldn’t have backed him against Halter in 2006.

To be fair, I’m sure Wooldridge is still a little miffed about the stuff we at Blue Arkansas did to shed light on his positions, particularly on gay issues. That was all us, and I’m not about to let Chad Causey and his team take credit for it (assuming they would even want to). Wooldridge spent that whole campaign saying how committed a Democrat he was and swearing he’d never switch parties. He seemed bewildered that anyone would dare question his commitment to the party based on his issue positions. If he does end up endorsing Crawford, it’s not going to do anything but confirm that those of us who worried about that were right all along.

So, kudos to Robbie Wills for being a good Democrat and helping his former opponent out in a big way. Still waiting for Wooldridge to get over his hurt feelings or for the Democratic party to grumble about him like they did about Bill Halter.

Sadly, the DISCLOSE Act, part of the remedy to Citizens United, has been held up by Senate Republicans.  Joe Lieberman, for some reason, had to miss the vote, though he plans to vote with the Democrats next time around, but the ball got left in Senator Olympia Snowe’s court, and she continued to prove that there is no such thing as a moderate Republican.  Basically, the DISCLOSE Act requires that companies and interests groups (with some exceptions that a few powerful interests, namely the NRA, got into the bill) to reveal their contributors, have CEOs stand by the ads their corporate PACs fund, and ban foreign money.  Somehow, apparently, requiring the people who put up ads like what we saw in the Senate race here to reveal who they are counts as silencing critics in the view of Minority Leader McConnell.

Free speech exists for the benefit of the people and for our democracy.  To put it simply, it guarantees the free flow of ideas that a free country needs to survive.  But if the Supreme Court is going to interpret the First Amendment to allow corporations to buy elections, then we should at least get to know who’s buying them.  Apparently, Republicans would rather let shadowy corporate contributors operate in secret-even foreign companies.  But hey, they are their base after all.

Disgusting. Dick Morris, he of the toe sucking with prostitutes, hit the campaign trail for Republicans today, and just couldn’t resist saying that Blanche Lincoln and Joyce Elliott are “girls who can’t say no.” Gee…what do you think the joke is?

This is the guy Republicans around the state are embracing. Those folks in the audience weren’t hooting and laughing because they think he’s right on about their voting records. They’re laughing because he basically just called Lincoln and Elliott whores. Republicans are making light of this, Tolbert even dismissed it at the “best they could find” (they being Democrats) and posted a song from “Oklahoma!” labeled jokingly as “more offensive video”. But this is something serious…and sexist. What’s more, this is a guy that Republicans in this state are embracing, as I joked about earlier.

And as far as women saying no, Dick Morris has plenty of reasons to keep his mouth shut about this one. After all, let’s not forget that this sexist ass had to pay someone to not say no.

Wall Street Reform has passed the Senate and will be signed into law by the President.  Some of the highlights:

Derivatives Exchanges and Clearing: Forces almost all derivatives trading onto exchanges and through clearinghouses, with narrow exemptions for non-financial end users.

Derivatives Spin-Off: Forces banks to spin-off some derivatives trading activity (commodities, energy, metals, agriculture, equities and below-investment-grade credit default swaps) but keep trading related to interest rate swaps, foreign exchange swaps, credit, gold and silver, investment-grade credit default swaps and “any transaction used to hedge risk.”

Volcker Rule: Implements a stronger ban proposed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), but with an exemption sought by Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) that allows banks to invest up to three percent of their Tier 1 capital in risky hedge funds and private equity firms.

Consumer Protection Agency: A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, housed within the Federal Reserve, with an independent director and rule-writing authority. It could be overruled by a majority vote of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which is composed of bank regulators..

Auto Dealer Exemption: Exempts auto dealers from oversight by the new consumer regulator.

Resolution Fund: Includes resolution authority funded by an after-the-fact assessment on large financial institutions. Any extra money needed to unwind a firm can be fronted by the Treasury Department.

In addition to seeing the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression pass its last big hurdle, granting another legislative victory to Democrats and President Obama, some (tentatively) good news on the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.  The oil has, finally, stopped flowing.  Of course, we’re all waiting with baited breath to see how things come out with the building of the relief wells, because otherwise this is only a temporary fix.  Still, this is the best news we’ve had in awhile on this front.

No doubt about it.  Today was a pretty good day.

First off, Martha Shoffner should know better then to step in fresh manure…especially after Dustin McDaniel already stepped in it.  More interesting to me though is this little comment referring to Doyle Webb, chair of the Arkansas Republicans:

Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb has accused the state’s constitutional officers of violating the constitution, which bars them from receiving state income beyond their salaries. Webb said Tuesday the party was considering filing a lawsuit if the officers didn’t take steps to reimburse the state for the personal use.

Republicans love to demagogue on the issue of ethics in this state.  They have for years.  But they’re not serious about it, know how I know?  Because if they were they’d have tried to put it on the ballot a long time ago.  But if it’d pass, that’d take their little pet issue away wouldn’t it?  And besides that, if might highlight that many of the Republicans in the state legislature are just as corrupt as some of the Democrats in this state.  Don’t get me wrong, ethics reform is something we really need passed, and Democrats should run with it (or at least one enterprising Democrat should put it on the ballot).  Seriously, if Republicans are serious about this, don’t just threaten a lawsuit that may or may not get anywhere.  Put it on the ballot.  Put your money where your mouth is and start collecting signatures at the first opportunity.

The DPA rules committee last night offered up new rules that will govern county committees, opening up the doors to activists across the state who want to be a part of the Democratic party but have until now been shut out by local party bosses. Take a look for yourself.

RULE 29. COMPOSITION OF COUNTY COMMITTEES.

(a) The County Committee shall be composed of members from the several townships in the county, and from the several wards or precincts in the cities of the first and second class, or from other political subdivision established by the County Committee prior to the filing period of nomination to county, township, municipal and district office, on the basis of population or on the basis of the number of votes cast for the Democratic nominee for Governor in the last preceding general election held in said county, provided each such township, ward, precinct, or political subdivision as established, shall have at least one such member. Each Committee shall have at least twenty (20) members. In addition, the County Committee may have At-Large Membership if needed and desired by the County Committee. At-Large members shall have the right to vote.

(b) County Committee members shall be residents of the political subdivision they represent and shall be elected by the Democratic voters in such subdivisions.

(c) There shall be no limit to the number of representatives from any ward, precinct, or any other political subdivision of a first or second class city. In no case shall any candidate for a county committee be placed on the primary ballot in opposition to another candidate for the county committee.

(d) The County Committee shall place on the ballot of the primary elections the names of all persons seeking election as members of the County Committee who shall have filed a written application with the Secretary of the County Committee, and who shall have paid the ballot fee or satisfied the ballot access fee alternative requirements of a County Committee candidate. Members shall elect by a majority vote of those cast for each such membership position at the primary elections. Provided, however, that where a candidate is unopposed for County Committee member, the name of the unopposed candidate shall be omitted from the ballot in all primary elections and the candidate shall be certified as a member of the County Committee.

(e) County Committee members shall take office at the adjournment of the following biennial County Convention and serve until the convening of the next such Convention.

(f) Each County Committee shall remit $5.00 (Five Dollars) per committeeman to the State Democratic Party along with the completed forms as required immediately following each primary election or appointment to fill a vacancy.

RULE 43. COMMITTEE, AUXILIARY AND OFFICER ENDORSEMENTS PROHIBITED.

Neither the State Committee, its Auxiliaries or any County Committee and its Auxiliaries shall endorse the candidacy of any person seeking the nomination of the Party in a Primary Election. As an individual, State, Auxiliaries or County officers may support the candidacy of a person seeking the nomination of the Party in a primary election; however, a State or County officer shall not use his or her office to support the candidacy of any person seeking the nomination of the Party in a primary election. Any contributor lists compiled by the Party shall be for Party used only and shall not be released to any candidate for use during the Primaries.

RULE 53. PROHIBITION OF PARTY STAFF WORKING ON BEHALF OF CANDIDATES FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.

It is essential that all Arkansas Democrats have faith in the loyalty and integrity of their paid staff. Accordingly, the staff of the Democratic Party of Arkansas is expressly prohibited from working on behalf of any candidate seeking election for public office in a Democratic Party primary in Arkansas. This prohibition extends to both working and non-working hours.

Further, all candidates for election for public office in a Democratic Party primary in Arkansas are expressly prohibited from using the Party Headquarters and/or equipment to benefit his or her campaign. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, postage machines, telephones, folding machines, copiers, facsimile machines, and computer equipment.

These reforms hold a lot of promise to opening up the doors for broader participation by activists and for showing machine bosses the door and cleaning up some of the corruption that has dominated politics at the local level, and the reform minded people on the rules committee who have worked to fashion these changes really deserve a lot of credit and praise for doing this.

Now, we’re not out of the woods yet. It still has to be voted on by the full state convention come Saturday. The state party now has a choice-either do this now with as little pain as possible, or vote it down and drag out the inevitable through a long and painful (for them) process. The choice should be an easy one.

Update: Some changes have been recommended for rule 53-

Old Rule 53 (with new changes tracked in place):

RULE 53. PROHIBITION OF PARTY STAFF WORKING ON BEHALF OF CANDIDATES FOR PARTY OFFICE.

It is essential that all Arkansas Democrats have faith in the loyalty and integrity of their paid staff. Accordingly, the staff of the Democratic Party of Arkansas is expressly prohibited from working on behalf of any candidate seeking election as an officer of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. for public office in a Democratic Party primary in Arkansas. This prohibition extends to both working and non-working hours.

Further, all candidates for election as an officer of the Democratic Party of Arkansas for public office in a Democratic Party primary in Arkansas are expressly prohibited from using the Party Headquarters and/or equipment to benefit his or her campaign. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, postage machines, telephones, folding machines, copiers, facsimile machines, and computer equipment.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!  Remember when Mike Ross got his little award from the insurance companies for standing up for them in the health care debate?  Well, some of his constituents decided to beat Wall Street banks to the punch:

On Wednesday, July 7 citizens affiliated with Americans for Financial Reform and Arkansas Community Organizations delivered a “Wall Street Wonder Award” to Representative Mike Ross’ office at 100 E. 8^th Street in Pine Bluff at 2:30 PM in response to his vote against the House Financial Reform bill last week.  Members of the citizens’ group pointed out that Representative Ross voted for the Wall Street bailout and now has voted again in line with Wall Street lobbyists to oppose financial reform.

“Representative Ross has been consistent in his support for Wall Street from the $700 billion bailout in 2008 to his votes against Financial Reform.  Lobbyists for the big banks are spending more than $1 million per day to stop Financial Reform.  We are very disappointed that our Congressman chose Wall Street over Main Street,” said Maxine Nelson, chair of the West Side Community Organization in Pine Bluff.

“The Financial Reform bill that passed in the House is not perfect, but it provides many needed protections to consumers and safeguards for our economy.  For years many of us have fought to stop predatory lending practices.  Now we will have a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that can make rules to protect consumers in Arkansas and other states,” said Ms. Nelson.

“We call on our two senators to work hard to put Financial Reform across the finish line.  We don’t need to water down the bill.  We need to get the job done this month,” added Ms. Nelson.

The organization also handed out information about the impact of Financial Reform on small banks. 

Mike Ross is way out of touch with his constituents (not that his Republican opponent is any different mind you).  He stands up for corporate America, Wall Street, the big insurance companies, the big banks, etc. while his district is beyond the recession-it’s been in a depression for decades.  If ever there was a Democrat who needed to be run out in a primary, it’s him.

Great news out of Garland County. Democratic County Chairman George Hozendorf’s illegal attempt to become Chairman of the Election Commission has crashed and burned.

The meeting was called to order by presiding chair Virginia (Ginna) Watson . The commission (Twila Brown, Republican, Mark Alan, Democrat) elected Ginna to the position of Chair. There was no evidence of George Hozendorf being present or having an emissary present in his place.

***

I asked why Ginna was conducting the meeting and she said she was told to. After the meeting I asked again and she explained that the AEC and their attorney told her to hold the meeting pursuant to the rules of order. She had no comment on her law suit as her attorney has told her to not discuss it with anyone.

That’s right, Ginna Watson decided to stand up and fight rather than back down, as would have been easy to do. She filed a complaint with the Election Commission in Little Rock and Hozendorf was never sworn in as Election Commission Chairman. Now remember, Watson served on the Election Commission in Garland County with Charles Tapp, and if she didn’t make a peep about reducing the polling places for the runoff down to two places then she can’t escape the taint of Tapp’s voter suppression. However, what Hozendorf was trying was illegal, and the fact that he didn’t make it onto the Election Commission is a good thing for everyone involved.

So, a quick recap of the timeline on this for everyone:

-Back in the Democratic runoff the Garland County Election Commission reduced the number of polling places from roughly 40 down to exactly 2 places in a county with a large population in mountainous terrain that makes travel hard.
-Then Senate candidate Bill Halter confronted then Election Commission Chairman Charles Tapp about the issue and asked what could be done to help people vote. Tapp came up with the idea of letting people vote on Saturday.
-Voters arrived Saturday to find that the polls were closed. Tapp, confronted by angry voters, swore he had no idea after 18 years on the commission what the law regarding elections was.
-All hell broke loose on election day in Garland County with long lines, angry voters, car accidents in the parking lot, and lots of people being unable to vote. Garland County switched from Bill Halter’s column to Blanche Lincoln’s.
-Charles Tapp, with lawsuits hanging over his head, resigned in disgrace.
-Democratic Central Committee Chairman George Hozendorf anoints himself Election Commission Chairman and tries to oust Gina Watson, something he had no legal right or basis to do.
-A handful of members of the Garland County Democrats try to remove Hozendorf, only to get shouted down in committee and to see their resolution tabled.
-The election commission refused to swear Hozendorf in. Gina Watson has filed a complaint with the Arkansas Election Commission.
-First meeting of the Garland County E.C. since this mess erupted with Gina Watson as chair.

And chances are, it ain’t over yet.

Tolbert got some video this week of Joyce Elliott speaking to the Political Animals Club in Little Rock.  Now, truth be known, when I originally skimmed the account on it in the course of my busy day I thought I was going to have to write a completely different post than this, but more on that later.  When I actually watched the video though, I have to say I was wowed by what I saw:

Yeah, whatever it is that gives people that thing called charisma, Senator Elliott’s got it, and she really seems to have wowed the crowd.

Now, Republicans are going to take just one thing away from that whole moment. This:

They’re already crowing about it. That’s why I was afraid I was going to have to write a post on how Senator Elliott might need to get better as messaging…mercifully I was wrong. No matter what Senator Elliott says or does, Republicans are going to take it out of context.  Right after she said that Senator Elliott explained that saying Washington is broken is “like saying rain is wet”, and yeah, any pinhead can say that because it’s true and a common realization.  However, the distinction Elliott drew was that it took a real public servant to get things done, and it went over well with the crowd.  Through the whole thing she sounded incredibly optimistic and inspiring, and gave a nice account of who she was and what makes her tick.  And I loved the line about the fire fighter!  The whole “I’m not a politician” line always bugged me.  If you run for office, you’re a politician, that’s how it works, and Elliott made a long overdue distinction that we needed someone who was a “good politician” in the sense that they make good promises, deliver on them, and never forget about the people they represent.  It was a good speech, and Republicans are learning fast that the only way they’ll be able to draw blood is by cutting her with quotes taken out of context.  That’s where we come in by setting the record straight.

After the speech came the Q&A session:

Again, there are a lot of Republicans that are clutching the pearls over her response about American exceptionalism.  You know, because she didn’t say that America was the best place ever ordained for glory by Jesus Christ himself with no flaws worth mentioning whatsoever.  But again, she didn’t say anything all that bad.  In fact, she gave a pretty good response, saying America is different because of the ideas the country was born from while stressing that it could be taken to extremes.  (By the way, for those that don’t know, chauvinism is defined as- excessive or blind patriotism or  undue partiality or attachment to a group or place to which one belongs or has belonged as well as : an attitude of superiority toward members of the opposite sex by Webster’s dictionary.)  They’re also fretting over her defense of beneficial earmarks, but again, her response makes sense.  It’s one thing when you’re funding a needed highway or a hospital in a district that can’t get funding some other way.  It’s another thing when you’re building the “Bridge to Nowhere”.

All in all, Joyce Elliott gave a good account of herself, and she even got a good swing in at Tim Griffin’s horrible economic philosophy.  I’m glad Senator Elliott made it clear that she will swing a punch when she has to.  In her interview with Politico for instance, she nailed his attachment to Karl Rove, and that’s not the only unsavory connection Griffin has to hit.  Tim Griffin has Joe Barton and BP, along with any half truth or lie the Republicans can up with.  Joyce Elliott has us.  The Republicans are counting on us backing down to them and not calling them to the mat, but Senator Elliott isn’t backing down and neither are we.  So show Senator Elliott that you’ve got her back.  Make a contribution to her on our ActBlue page.

Yesterday, Wall Street Reform made it out of conference.  Think Progress has a nice little chart illustrating how the differences between the House and Senate bill were ironed out.  Blanche Lincoln got her derivatives legislation passed through mostly unchanged with only some minor tweaking on the edge.  Scott Brown got his loophole for the Volker rule pushed through, but as a trade off it looks like Levin and Merkley got an even stronger version of the rule affecting propriety trading.  The Consumer Protection Area passed through safely, but ended up being housed in the Federal Reserve, unfortuneatly.  It would have been better to see it as a strong, independent agency, but having one is better than nothing.  The auto dealers however were able to buy an exemption from the agency’s oversite.  So, overall, far from perfect and with a handfull of loopholes, but still better than nothing and worth passing I think.

I’m still looking for confirmation on whether or not Lincoln’s push to get the Walton’s bank exempted from regulation made it into law or not.  So far, no confirmation is, to me, confirmation that it failed.  However, if I’m wrong, then team Lincoln is going to have more reason not to like me than they already do.  Although, just trying to get that passed was bad enough, and frankly just plain stupid.  It did nothing but increase the distrust and loathing on Lincoln’s left flank that she’s made no active effort to patch up.  But anyway, I’m getting off topic.

The bill now goes back to the House and Senate again for the final time.  Marion Berry and Mike Ross both voted against it last time around.  Can Lincoln use her new involvement with the bill to push them to vote yes this time around?  And really, does Mike Ross want to vote for Wall Street robber barons in an election year?  I know his opponent’s a joke, but seriously?  In the Senate, Lincoln’s vote is assurred, and it’s becoming more and more obvious that Pryor is just a tool, so I’m pretty confident he’s not going to vote differently from Lincoln.  And if Democrats manage to pass this, we’ll actually be at a point where we can say we’ve had a productive 111th Congress, even from a progressive standpoint.  Think about it-the Lilly Ledbetter Act, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the SCHIP expansion, the new credit card regulations, health care reform, the Matthew Shephard Act…feels like I’m forgetting something.  Anyway, add Wall Street Reform to that and we’ll have gotten a pretty good deal out of a Democratic Congress and President Obama.  Sure, it hasn’t been perfect and there’s a lot to gripe about but contrary to popular belief things are getting done.  And while it hasn’t been easy (and a lot of blame for that rests on the shoulders of conservadems like Lincoln and Ross) it was never going to be.  We’ve been left with a huge mess by George Bush and the Republicans and we’re still nowhere near digging ourselves out.  But yeah, there’s plenty of reason to be happy with what Congress and the President are doing now and plenty of reasons not to let either chamber go back to the Republicans.  If it had been up to them, Wall Street Reform would never have happened.  And if they make a comeback, then there’s plenty of awful things that will happen far worse than anything that might come out of a Democratically controlled Congress.

The New Republic has a nice little bit of polling info on the President’s health care reform passed earlier this year.  Brantley sums the findings up nicely:

 It now enjoys solid support, except among those over 65, who are WAY negative. You know. The people who don’t want government health care.

There’s a lot of reasons for the lack of support among voters over 65, ranging from the scare tactics Republicans have used about death panels and Medicare cuts to distrust of Obama (And yes, I am implying that the reason for that is what you think I’m implying.)

That said, this is shaping out much as those of us on the left who were fighting for health care reform predicted.  As time went on and people got to see that it wasn’t the bad thing it was made out to be, support would increase.  And if Democrats get on the ball with it and defend it loundly and strongly without backing down then support will only increase further.  The only sad thing here is we could have had a much better deal to support and defend if Blanche Lincoln and co. hadn’t done everything they could to kill the public option, but I have a hunch we’ll be revisiting that fight in the years to come.

So that aside, what’s this entail for Jim Keet, Rick Crawford, and all the rest of the Republicans running on the repeal line?  It means they can shove it.  Arkansas politics doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  To the extent that it seems that way, it’s because establishment Democrats have run scared and run right.  By framing the message and standing firm, they can win while defending health care reform.  Will they do that?  We’ll see.  But they need to remember that the left isn’t being so quiet or complacent this cycle and our move into the general election hasn’t changed that.

This is why we have bloggers:

I cornered Senator Mark Pryor immediately after and asked him what he was going to do as our representative to see that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never happened again. I would not let him go even though he looked a might uncomfortable with my questions. I figured it was cheaper than flying to Washington to see him so I might as well take advantage of the situation.

I explained that I had many years experience from the early ’80s through the 90’s with the oil industry working in exploration, worldwide and domestically. I told him that I went to many OTC (Offshore Technology Conference) meetings in Houston. The industry was seriously working to protect the environment and to prove that they could drill in deep water safely. Since then, the impetus for that research had dried up (as BP stated that the technology they were using was at least 20 years old).

I asked him to please instigate and put forth the legislation that would return those safeguards to the industry and even toughen them up in light of the BP fiasco. He said the first thing was to get the oil flow controlled at the well. I countered with that was a given, we needed legislation NOW to keep it from happening again. He said he would do that. I guess being put on the spot and having witnesses to his response was the cause of his look of discomfiture.

Emphasis mine. Mark Pryor made a promise to his constituents here and it was recorded for all of us to see. His job now is to keep that promise.

It’s no secret that Pryor needs to seriously shape up his representation of Arkansas. It’s bad when Blanche Lincoln has the reputation as our “good” Senator. This is a way Pryor can deliver, by cracking down on BP. If he fails, he may well find himself in the position Lincoln found herself in this year or worse.

So next week, let’s call Senator Pryor’s office and demand that he keep this promise. Remind him that he made it in front of witnesses at the Clinton Library. Remind him that with the internet around and with bloggers now ascendant in Arkansas he won’t be allowed to forget that promise. And we’re going to keep that action going all through next week.

Arkansas progressives aren’t feeling too excited right now after the primary runoff, but there’s still plenty of reason to be. We got four out of five great candidates across the finish line and just fell short on the big one after a hard fought campaign that has changed the dynamic of politics in Arkansas forever. What’s more, we still have one big reason to be excited in the form of a candidate that really needs our help-State Senator Joyce Elliott.

It’s no secret that Senator Elliott is the underdog in this race against Tim Griffin. Any Democrat would have been, but a significant number of people, some within our own party, have written Elliott off because she is black. (If this were David Boling we were talking about, who’s apparently just as progressive, or someone who looked like Greg Leding, you wouldn’t be hearing the electability arguments.) What’s more, she now has the poison that is Blanche Lincoln’s candidacy dragging down the ticket, something we still have to figure out how to fix.

I believe wholeheartedly that Senator Elliott can win. She has the charm, the charisma, the political skill, and the determination to do so. She showed that much in the primary where she managed to defeat a candidate with far more money and institutional support who tried tactics that her Republican opponent is bound to repeat and perfect. Tim Griffin is practically gloating about his chances now, rolling out attention hog D.C. Morrison to make it look like he has broad support and rolling out a useless internal poll to claim a fictional massive lead. But he has his weaknesses. The marks on his resume include lessons in how to suppress the black vote and a political appointment based on nepotism, extreme partisanship, and corruption that would have made Richard Nixon blush. Hell, he’s not even from the district he’s trying to represent! He’ll have the cash though, that’s for sure, and we have to work to make up the difference.

So if you want to help make sure that Arkansas has a progressive leader sitting in Vic Snyder’s seat next year, contribute to Joyce Elliott. Just ten or twenty dollars will help her, and if you can give a little this month, and maybe a little next month, and so on, it will go a long way to helping Senator Elliott fight the money Washington Republicans are going to pour into Griffin’s coffers.

But don’t stop there. Sign up to volunteer for Senator Elliott’s campaign. This year, there are going to be progressives from across the state coming in to AR-02 to help Senator Elliott out by making phone calls and canvassing. I’ll be there, and I know plenty of others who will be joining me. Even just one day can make a difference. Surely you have a weekend free this fall where you can get off your butt and do some canvassing or phone banking. Travel unrealistic for you? Find someone and bum a ride. This one’s too important not too.

There’s a new Gallup Poll out showing that the enthusiasm between Democratic and Republican voters is now wider than ever:

An average of 59% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have said they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting this year compared with past elections, the highest average Gallup has found in a midterm election year for either party since the question was first asked in 1994.

Now I’m not one of those Democrats who always thinks the sky is falling, and I don’t ever take the position that there’s nothing that could be done. However, there’s no way to sugarcoat this. It ain’t pretty. What’s worse is that a few months back (March) there was some polling data that indicated that the enthusiasm gap was disappearing.

So what changed? It should be obvious. In March, Democrats were excited about upcoming open seats and chances to elect better Democrats in the primaries, not to mention take out a couple of bad incumbents like Arlen Specter and, of course, Blanche Lincoln. We had a national race here in Arkansas-one where the most die hard supporters of the national Democratic base all invested materially and emotionally in helping Arkansas progressive Democrats oust a bad incumbent Democrat. And then we fell just short. To be fair, there are other reasons, like the feeling that Democrats aren’t able to govern (something Blanche Lincoln has contributed significantly to), but seeing the President and the rest of the Democratic party rally behind Blanche Lincoln was really a blow to the base voters all across the country. So yeah, it looks like her win is contributing to the malaise that’s helping Republicans this year.

Midterm elections depend on the ability to get out the base. So far, Democrats across the country are failing in that task. The Republicans, on the other hand, are energized. All it took to drive out there base was to talk about that scary black man in the White House. But if Democrats want to keep the midterms from turning into a disaster, they’re going to have to start delivering and working to win back the support of the base.

Turning our attention specifically to Arkansas, we have another problem. Blanche Lincoln is going to be a drag on the ticket. Yeah, I know the argument-Mike Beebe will fly to the rescue with his super popularity and drag everyone across the finish line-and I think it’s bullshit. I don’t know how long Beebe’s coattails are, but I’m willing to bet they won’t help our congressional candidates, much less Blanche Lincoln. We have to figure out how to handle the poison on the ticket that is Blanche Lincoln’s candidacy now. How do we do that? I don’t have a clue, but for the sake of good Democrats like Joyce Elliott we’re going to have to do something.

The Democrats in the Arkansas House of Representatives have gotten their leadership team ready for next year and I’ve got to say, it looks like an interesting bunch. I’m impressed by the diversity of this group, and I can see a variety of strengths and weaknesses. I freely admit that I could get my assessment wrong with these folks and any information from folks in the know is, of course appreciated. Anyway, here’s what I gather at first glance:

Representative Robert Moore (Speaker-Designate, Arkansas City)-Representative Moore is set to be the next Speaker of the House, succeeding Robbie Wills. From what I can gather, it seems like he generally votes like a good Democrat, but time will tell. A couple of things do impress me though. He’s a Vietnam veteran for one, and he also had the good sense to vote against the guns in church bill (actually, a lot of these guys did). So here’s to hoping he turns out to be a good Speaker.

Representative Linda Tyler (Majority Leader, Conway)-Representative Tyler is considered by many to be a rising star in the Democratic Party. A self described moderate according to her facebook page, she none the less has been a solid Democratic vote and was another member of this team who had the courage to take on the NRA’s nonsense in the conservative House of Representatives.

Representative “Bubba” Powers (Majority Whip, Hope)-I’m not quite sure of what to make of Representative Powers just yet. He certainly seems rather colorful, and I personally tend to enjoy colorful people and politicians. He also has a bit of a progressive streak, being against the guns in churches bill and for the animal cruelty bill last session. Then again, he’s also a big advocate of SWEPCO’s power plant, and that’s worrisome. Interestingly enough, he’s a blogger himself.

Representative Charolette Wagner (Secretary, Manila)-Another female member of the team and another representative who had the good sense to vote against the guns in church bill. Seems like a solid Democratic vote at first glance.

Representative Barbara Nix (Treasurer, Benton)-Another member of the team that’s really peaked my interests. She strikes me as being very progressive, standing up for health care for all, against “merit pay” schemes, and against Act 1. And it’s not every member of the state legislature that puts their entire voting record online, and I do mean entire.

Representative Butch Wilkins (1st district whip, Bono)-The apparent weak link in the chain. Not only was he one of the few from this group that voted for the silly guns in churches bill but he’s also on record voting against the minimum wage increase.

Representative Fred Allen (2nd district whip, Little Rock)-Another good Democrat with a largely progressive voting record. Of all the people on this team, he’s one of the two I probably know the least about Representative Allen. But a quick study of his voting record leads me to believe he should be alright.

Representative-elect Greg Leding (3rd district whip, Fayetteville)-I was thrilled to learn that the leadership had placed Greg on the whip team. Granted, there aren’t a lot of Dems in the legislature from the third district, but of those they could have picked they made a wise decision in selecting a rising progressive star. Greg was one of our endorsed candidates in the primary, and he will be an excellent progressive voice in a body that much needs it and a real asset to the leadership team.

Representative Johnnie Roebuck (4th district whip, Arkedelphia)-Rounding out the leadership team is the other whip that I know little about. I do know that she was one of the few members of this team to vote for the guns in churches bill, but otherwise she’s been a good vote it seems.

Next year, Blue Arkansas is going to be working the legislative session, working for progressive legislation and fighting against the right wing agenda. While there’s still more to learn about the incoming House leadership, I must admit that I’m excited about our chances giving some of the dynamics of the House Democrats’ team. Again, I could always be wrong in my assessment of any of these candidates and if any readers have info on these guys, I’d love to hear it, and I hope you’re all getting ready to help us push hard for progressive legislation at the state level.