I have lived in Arkansas for the better part of the last 20 years, first moving to Arkansas in 1988. After graduating high school in 1996 I moved to Nebraska, only to return to Arkansas in 2004. I have always been proud of Arkansas Democrats for embodying what it meant to be Democrat. That was until Blanche Lincoln.
Senator Lincoln was first elected to the Senate in 1998. She was a moderate. There's nothing wrong with being moderate. Bill Clinton was the epitome of moderate Democrats in the 90s. But something has changed. She has lost her way. Somewhere along the way she forgot about the people that actually elected her and started representing the special interests that were financing her election bids. That's why it was interesting to see her response to the fact that Bill Halter, Arkansas' Lieutenant Governor enter the primary against her.
"I know that I am the target of both political extremes but that’s what makes this campaign so important to all of us. This Senate seat belongs to Arkansas, not to outside groups that are angry I don’t answer to them."
For anyone that has actually followed her career in the past few years they know one thing for certain. Senator Lincoln quit answering to Arkansans a long time ago and only answers to groups outside of Arkansas. I also find it very interesting and disheartening that she puts liberals in the same boat as Tea Partiers.
She has become what some call a Conservadem. Again nothing wrong with being a Conservadem as long as you hold onto the core principles of the Democratic Party. Senator Lincoln has stopped doing that, so she is, in essence a Democrat In Name Only (DINO).
She voted against the Public Option and then was one of the Democratic senators responsible for holding up the Republicans filibuster of the bill. She has become an obstructionist to everything that is held dear to Democratic voters.
Her numbers in Arkansas have continually fallen into the abyss and it is possible she could lose the primary to Bill Halter. A poll taken by Daily Kos on December 3, 2009 (my birthday) showed just how bad her numbers were then. She ended up supporting the filibuster for a short amount of time. The interesting thing to note in the poll is that at the time 84% of Arkansas Democrats supported the public option that she voted against and claimed at the time she was doing because the people of Arkansas were against it.
At the time of her vote against the public option I wrote a letter to my local paper and stated that I would not vote for her in the general election in November even voting Independent if she was the Democratic nominee. I stand by that statement to this day which is why I am throwing all my support behind Bill Halter.
He has done good things for Arkansas in his time as Lieutenant governor the most important of which is the fight and effort he put into getting a lottery in Arkansas to pay for scholarships for Arkansas kids wanting to go to college in Arkansas.
In my humble opinion, he deserves more than anyone, to represent Arkansas in the Senate.
Side-note: It is my fear that if Lincoln does lose the primary she will pull a Lieberman and tell the voters of Arkansas that she does not care that she was not the Democratic choice and run as an independent. I understand that Lieberman being a Democrat in his head only gives us a majority but aside for the bill that he is sponsoring now (to repeal DADT) he has only been a hindrance to the party. If Lincoln goes the same route and somehow gets elected I hope the Democratic Leadership learns their lesson and removes her from her post as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
This primary will be a fun one to watch.
UPDATE: I am hoping to clear up the confusion on whether or not Senator Lincoln would be able to pull a Lieberman should she lose in May. I've tried looking it up with mixed results. I have sent an email to the Bill Halter campaign in hopes they can clear it up. I will let you know as soon as I find out.
UPDATE #2: Senator Lincoln has posted her first campaign of the season. Watch first and then I will let you know what this Arkansan thinks:
Wow! All that money and that's the best she came up with? The only thing she did with this ad is throw every single Arkansas Democrat under the bus. I don't know what she was thinking but I have an idea. Arkansas has an open primary, meaning Republicans can vote in Democratic primaries. She clearly believes she can not win the Arkansas primary at this point and is hoping that Republicans will vote for her. This ad smacks of desperation and she really should be ashamed of herself. I do not know about you but after watching that ad I came away believing that she thinks the voters are idiots.
I do not know who you think you represent Senator Lincoln but it is not me.