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Filing Season has begun to initiate the 2010 Elections. I will NOT be a candidate for statewide office. Between the amount of money one must raise, my health, and the fact that it’s not my time, I will not file.
However, in what some may find strange and odd, I WILL be supporting Blanche Lincoln over Bill Halter for U.S. Senate in Arkansas.
First of all, Bill Halter is suddenly the “darling of the left” as Roll Call called him. The fact is, when Bill Halter ran for Lt. Governor in 2006, it was as a centrist. He also blatantly opposed marriage equality and he opposed adoption rights for GLBT Parents. In a debate with his Republican opponent, State Senator Jim Holt, Halter was very clear that he stood in opposition to the GLBT Community. Its in the state newspapers.
Second of all, Bill Halter says “card check” is off the table in his interviews. What an insult to an unelected member of the U.S. Senate towards Senators like Tom Harkin, Al Franken, and others who have fought hard for The Employee Free Choice Act. But Halter has played into the hands of big business and nullified this measure.
Third of all, Bill Halter says he cannot guarantee Public Option for Health Care. Thats sad that Senator Roland Burris of Illinois, who was villified for his association with Rod Bladgojevich, shows more courage in threatening to filibuster if Public Option is not in the final plan, while Halter takes the progressives money and says, “Sorry can’t do it.”
The truth is I have followed Bill Halter’s career since he returned to Arkansas. I was no mere citizen, but a candidate for Arkansas Lt. Governor in 2006. I was earning votes the old fashioned way. I got out and worked hard and travelled county to county. Halter was a multi-millionaire who lived away from Arkansas for 25 years. He didn’t do anything but buy the Lt. Governor’s office. Then he used that office to try to run for higher office.
When he moved back and ran for office, 50% of his contributions were from out of state. And what about that business sense he claimed when he ran that he had? That was a myth. In addition, four out of five business ventures that Bill Halter took part in were failures, losing over half a billion dollars of investors money. His one major business success was with Akami Technologies, one whose board that Halter serves. This company is a huge server of porn and gambling sites and they purposely infiltrate into public school servers.
The sad truth is, Halter didn’t start promoting the lottery till others like myself had proposed and worked hard on the plan. The final version he touted gives a significant, over half, of the revenue to an out of state company. In short, another corporate tax break for Halter’s corporate buddies.
Bill Halter is not what you think he really makes himself out to be. He is a phony and speaking on behalf of many Arkansas Democrats, he has endangered our state’s U.S. Senate seat to the point that we will lose this seat to the Republicans.
Yes, the fact is I considered a primary challenge against Blanche Lincoln. I disagree with her on issues, but her opposition to what I strongly believe in, is genuine. And she IS a Democrat who will listen and work towards a resolution. Blanche Lincoln may not be the best Democrat in some liberal eyes, but I rather have a Senator who votes 75% of the time with our party than a Republican who will not vote with our party, or a Democrat who says one thing to get your money and votes another way in Washington, D.C.
Bill Halter represents all that is wrong with politics.
I fully expect he and some of his supporters, most likely staff, will trash and belittle my post. They will try to spin, but ask yourself, why it is that so many Arkansas Democrats do not like Bill Halter. Why is it that there are too many cases and written evidence to show where Halter says one thing and does another. Most of all, why has it been till now that Bill Halter suddenly discovered being a liberal? The answer is, Bill Halter and his “progressive views” are a myth.
I implore my fellow progressives….DON’T DRINK THE KOOL-AID.
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1.) Halter ran against who the netroots in Arkansas supported for Governor (Mike Beebe) who has created jobs. It was only when he polled bad consistently against Beebe did Halter join a race with Wooldridge, Mike Hathorn, a State Representative, Speaker of the House Jay Martin, and myself after he had raised $1 million for the Governor’s race. There was even legitimate questions raised by Hathorn about that and it lead to a serious questioning of Halter and how he financed his campaign.
(Source : http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2006/04/26/news/news14.txt)
2.) Bill Halter supported the ban and did not fight for it. The source, which is the ArkTimes blog clearly states Halter’s position. In fact what he said was : “I would support this type of legislation if, after thorough research and deliberation, it is found to be constitutional and in the best interests of Arkansas’ foster children,” Halter said :
(Source : http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2006/08/halter_supports_gay_foster_par.aspx)
3.) Today Halter repudiated both Public Option & Card Check in an interview with ROLL CALL :
“If you ask 100 Arkansans what the “public option” means they are going to give you 100 different answers. People don’t understand what that truly means,” Halter said. “I would be supportive of giving the public the option to voluntarily buy into a medical program like medicare. … People are going to understand what that means more than just the two word phrase, public option.”
As for the union organizing bill, Halter said it wouldn’t be productive to discuss the version of the legislation that caused so much tension between Lincoln and labor unions last year. “As you know, the the previous legislation that was labeled as ‘card check,’ it’s no longer on the table,” he said.
(Source : http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000003301878)
4.) Campaign Contributions and the lie there isn’t much money in Arkansas. Really now, you think we are a bunch of poor, backward hillbillies huh? This year alone, Arkansans have donated almost $14 million dollars to candidates.
(Source : http://www.followthemoney.org/database/state_overview.phtml?y=2008&s=AR)
Not to mention we are home of Dillards, Wal-Mart, Tysons, and many, many more Fortune 500 Companies.
5.) The porn site information originated with Mike Hathorn’s campaign and Mike is not right wing, but a loyal Democrat in Arkansas.
6.) Over 50% of the profit goes to the company that administrates the lottery, NOT THE STATE.
LOTTERY INFO LINKS :
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/25788816/Opinion-No
http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?s=4460521&clienttype=printable
http://chronicle.com/article/Assignment-Run-for-Office/15012/
http://thecabin.net/stories/071608/loc_0716080009.shtml
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5214378/Lottery-not-a-winner-Editorial.html
Points By Drew Pritt 