Yesterday, in comments in nyceve's diary about using reconciliation as a strategy to get around needing 60 votes for health care reform, I asked, rhetorically:
What I'd like to know is where is the threat to primary Blanche Lincoln?
Is there not a single Democratic politician in Arkansas who is willing
and able to threaten her with a primary challenge if she refuses to
vote for a public option? If there is not, then what possible leverage
does the progressive community have over her?
It turns out that there is a serious potential challenger to Lincoln, and I thought I would find out more about him. Here's some of what I discovered.
(non-disclaimer: I knew nothing about this person, not even the fact that he existed, until yesterday, nor did I nor do I have any association with him...)
Bill Halter is the current Lieutenant Governor of Arkanas. He worked in the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton Administration, then went to the Social Security Administration, and was eventually named its acting head in 1999.
Halter won the Lieutenant Governor's race in 2006 by a margin of 14%, 57% - 43%, so he was, and apparently continues to be, quite popular in the state, if not with its political elite. (According to a Huffington Post article, "The political class despises him... It's visceral. It's chemical. It's undeniable... That didn't stop him from winning the statewide race for lieutenant governor, however.".)
According to Wikipedia, Halter is a
vocal supporter of gay rights... He has been described as a "classic, populist Democrat"
As the positions of an elected politician in Arkanas, those are pretty interesting.
According to David Sanders, a columnist for the Arkansas News:
"Halter, the state's No. 2 Democrat, has demonstrated a particular penchant for getting things done."
Bill Halter has been in the news lately because he was instrumental in making the latest 'Free Clinic' happen in Arkanas. These are events organized by the National Association of Free Clinics, providing free medical attention to those without insurance or the means to pay, which have been taking place all over the country.
According to John Brummett of the Arkansas News
((Halter)) walked into his little second-floor Capitol office one day
and told his over-large staff that he thought they ought to seize this
opportunity to help Olbermann get his free clinic in Little Rock.
Halter's folks called the hospitals and the clinics and helped round
up more than 1,200 volunteers. And they checked the availability of
the convention center. Then they delivered their work to Olbermann and
the NAFC, which ran with it.
Halter's actions got him interviews on national television, where he pointedly did not reject the possibility that he would run for Lincoln's Senate seat.
Could he win? Again from John Brummet:
As you may know, she ((Lincoln)) polls poorly right now with
conservatives who think she's liberal and with liberals who know good
and well that she isn't.
Ultimately, it would likely depend on what Lincoln does with respect
to the health care bill. If Lincoln votes it down, Arkansas democrats
will be furious and Halter could capitalize on that anger easily. According
to Huffington Post,
Among Arkansas Democrats, support for the public option is intense.
More than 8 in ten Democrats told pollsters they supported a public
option. Among independents, support was 57 percent and among all
voters it was at 56.
If, on the other hand, Lincoln is ultimately seen to support health
care reform, there is little chance he would run.
This seems like a good opportunity for the progressive community to
put some pressure on Lincoln to vote for health care reform, or at
least not to block it. By making it clear that Halter, a
populist, would have serious financial and other support from
progressives nationwide should he choose to run, and by doing everything
we can do to keep the notion of such a challenge in the news, perhaps
Lincoln will 'see the light'. After all, you don't see Arlen Specter
making noises about voting against health care reform the way you see
Lincoln and Lieberman spouting off.
And if not, having Halter as a Senator instead of Lincoln from 2011 on
seems like a major accomplishment in its own right.