Points By Drew Pritt

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.

****

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://www.loislaw.com/ogpc/login.htp?WSRet=12&dockey=18860019@ARAGOP&OLDURL=/gpc/index.htp&OLDREFURL=http%3A//news.google.com/archivesearch%3Fum%3D1%26cf%3Dall%26ned%3Dus%26hl%3Den%26q%3D%2522Drew%2BPritt%2522

http://thecabin.net/stories/071608/loc_0716080009.shtml

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5214378/Lottery-not-a-winner-Editorial.html

Why, with all the slander online, the discredit by some psuedo-journalist bloggers, and with the fact that I am not rich, or even elected to office yet, should someone vote for me?

In the words of the late Admiral James Stockdale, “WHO AM I? WHY AM I HERE?”

It must seem either courageous or stupid for someone who has not finished their Bachelor’s Degree yet to run for office. Yes, I have sought public office a couple of times. I ran for Warren City Council. I ran for Bradley County Judge. I ran for Lt. Governor, before withdrawing on the day of the deadline, because quite honestly I was tapped out, in terms of funding. I mulled races for Mayor, U.S. Senator, and then ran for Little Rock School Board, where I got beat. Thrashed would be the word and I got only 8 votes.

Also, it seems to be the topic du’ jour anymore to remind voters in any written piece about me about my sins and shortcomings. There is a small clique of people who literally hate me and spend their short time on this earth hating on me. But I have moved beyond them and say to them as the song says, “Hate On Me, Haters.” You know, at least you know with me you are getting someone who admits his faults, does what he can to be accountable for my wrongs, and tries to move beyond. I wonder how anyone else would feel if all you ever did was to hold their face to what they did wrong while ignoring a lot of what they did right. How would you feel? And it dehumanizes the whole thing to say….well thats how it is for politicians. Why? Who made that rule because its not in the Constitution and up until the days of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove, it wasn’t part of politics. The Revolution of 1994, as the Republicans call it, unleashed many demons on the political process that have not bettered the lives of who they were elected to represent. And Democrats are just as guilty. It’s a cancer on the soul of democracy.

So the smart people say….sit back, wait awhile, go for a lower office, etc.

Maybe that is the smart money. But I don’t want to be Justice of the Peace. I don’t want to serve right now in the State House of Representatives or State Senator, as I like both who are there. I want to be Lt. Governor because this is an office that excels and provides the means for me to do what I do best….advocate.

I don’t like to sit back and wait. I have faced death before. When you are diagnosed with cancer, the first time, before you are 30, it makes you think and makes you want to live life to the fullest. Ever since I have been a little kid, all I really wanted to be was a politician. And not so I can better myself but so I can really live the American Ideal of serving others in elective office. Some may think thats homey, quaint, and a bit idealistic. For me, it’s the truth.

So I am running for Lt. Governor. I can’t buy my way there, but I can try to work my way there, and along the way hopefully enough of you will get to know me and see I am just a guy….someone who really wants the chance to serve. I am no Bill Clinton or Mike Beebe….never claimed to be….just me, a regular guy, wanting to do an super-regular task. That is to be elected and serve in office by the people, representing and speaking for the people, and be accountable of the people and their interest.

With me as Lt. Governor, I will spend every waking day, making the people’s business, my business.

http://www.PrittForArkansas.com/

I guess its too much to ask the media to cover a campaign fairly. After all, they are the Fourth Estate and have become in some cases so bloated with their own sense of self-importance, that there are some in the media….blog world that is, who care nothing for reporting the news. Rather they like to report what they WISH the news was, though that doesn’t make it reality.

One who meets this is Jason Tolbert of the Tolbert Report. He’s a legend in his own mind. Below is an exchange we had this evening after he wrote that no one is paying attention to me.

Check out Ryan Saylor at Arkansas Tonight after tomorrow to see a good reporter who is fair.

Here’s my exchange with Jason Tolbert who will not be receiving any awards for fair journalism lately. Maybe I will win or lose, but it doesn’t change the fact that reporting should be more fair, and Blake Rutherford I believe is correct that Jason Tolbert is “bought and paid for” by the Rethuglicans that continue to sulk over loss after loss after loss at the polls. 

Onto our “discussion” :

Before there were blogs like the Arkansas Times Blog or  Blakes Think Tank or my own, there was the Evans-Novak Political Report. This was a political sheet that started in 1967 with Rowland Evans and Robert Novak, the first year of Ronald Reagan’s 1st term as Governor of California. Mind you, Novak’s conservatism was as slanted as my progressive outlook. But it was good to read and this tip sheet got some good tips before the major media outlets.

But all that ended this week. With Robert Novak battling a strong disease he has not been able to do the job. To his credit, Novak left the blog to Tim Carney. Carney did a good, less biased job, but the absence of Evans and Novak have removed the flavor of the tip sheet.

So….Novak pulled the plug. We sure will miss this source and pray for healing mercy from God for Robert Novak….both of his current affliction and his recurrent conservatism.

We all remember Sarah Palin. She announced the creation of her own PAC for a possible 2012 race for the White House. But you remember the erstwhile Republican Governor from Alaska, who hunts moose, has children with names only John Denver could have conjured up, a husband named the “FIRST DUDE”, and who as we all know….can see Alaska from her house. The woman Tina Fey owes numerous paychecks from SNL to?

You betcha!

But one has to wonder, would history have been different, and could John McCain’s campaign have been in a better position if he selected another female running mate.

But did the McCain camp have another female Governor with some added benefits who could have benefitted McCain’s campaign?

You betcha! Continue reading →

U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey ruled without a trial in December, in a case involving a of a boy born in Shreveport, Louisiana and adopted by a gay couple from out-of-state, that the facts were so clear that none was needed. He ordered the State of Louisiana’s Office of Vital Records to put the names of both Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith on the amended birth certificate that is standard for adoptions. Now the state Attorney General, Buddy Cardwell….A DEMOCRAT….has asked Judge Zainey to reconsider.

Continue reading →

I hope all my readers will welcome, former Governor Doug Wilder of Virginia, to the blogosphere. He has entered with his own blog called Wilder Visions. Wilder was the first African-American to be elected Governor and of Virginia, the former lead state of the Confederate States of America, in 1989. Then in 2004, Wilder was elected the first Mayor of Richmond, the former Capitol City of the C.S.A. The grandson of slaves, he was named after abolitionist-orator Frederick Douglass.

Governor Wilder has always been a visonary and a fighter for the constitutional liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. But Wilder has worked within the existing power structures to bring about change. He has accomplished more than most. Most of all, he’s been a good example of what a good citizen is and should be. He has been an inspiration for many young people and is a statesman, not a politician. Continue reading →

I just love this mix and this video. While we enjoy the music, lets remember our troops overseas, and pray for their safe return soon.

In an age when negative campaigns are the norm, one icon who consistently won against strong opponents, and yet never went negative, has passed away. Former U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. His death is the death of more than just a great legislator, but it’s the death of a dying breed of statesman and an icon. In 1960, Pell was seen as a wealthy dandy with an old New England Yankee family name. However, he was not seen as a likely successor when the patriarchal U.S. Senator Theodore Francis Green (D-R.I.), decided to retire. No one, that is, except Claiborne Pell himself. So while the statehouse pros snickered, and while his opponents—former Governor Dennis Roberts and former U.S. Attorney General J. Howard McGrath—sniped at each other, the pipe-smoking Princetonian Pell put together a campaign that produced fantastic results. Rhode Island’s immigrant minorities French, Italian or Portuguese, combined to form a significant voting bloc and Pell campaigned amongst them and spoke each of those languages fluently. In a state that is 58% Roman Catholic, the Episcopalian Pell carried the primary with a walloping 61% to Roberts’ 33% and McGrath’s abysmal 6%. Continue reading →