Moderated by
Lance Turner Find a good job. Get a better one. Get better at the job you have. Stay informed. Network. And after 5 o'clock, get a life. Work hard. Play hard. Climb The Ladder. Please email story ideas or tips here
The New York Times Magazine previews on The New York Times Web site a long story on former President Bill Clinton's new life, one in which the world no longer revolves around him. If you don't have time this week to read it, it's worth a look over the weekend.
A taste: "His left hand trembled a little bit during dinner, as it tends to do late in the day. It worried him enough at one point that he had himself tested for Parkinson’s disease, but the results came back negative; his doctor says he has just signed too many autographs over the years."
Lots being made about this year being the year that the youth vote gets out and really matters in a presidential election. And of course the conventional wisdom is that the youth vote will benefit Democrat Barack Obama.
"Today's THV" is doing a segment on the youth vote tonight at 5 p.m., based on today's panel discussion at the Clinton School of Public Service, featuring five Clinton School students discuss their perspectives on the 2008 race. You can read more about the THV piece here. It appears to focus on what's driving the youth vote this year.
I'm wondering to what extent the youth vote will show up this year. A Gallup Poll survey on Friday reported -- surprise -- little evidence of a surge in the youth vote:
Gallup polling in October finds little evidence of a surge in young voter turnout beyond what it was in 2004. While young voter registration may be up slightly over 2004, the reported level of interest in the election and intention to vote among those under 30 are no higher than they were that year.
What's more, 18- to 29-year-olds continue to lag behind Americans aged 30 and older on these important turnout indicators.
As a result, 18- to 29-year-olds now constitute 12% of Gallup's traditional likely voter sample, basically the same as the estimate in the final 2004 pre-election poll (13%). Gallup's expanded likely voter model, which defines likely voters differently (on the basis of current voting intentions only), estimates a slightly higher proportion of young voters in the electorate (14%). However, even if the share of the youth vote were adjusted upward, doing so has little or no impact on the overall Obama-McCain horse-race numbers using either likely voter model.
The story notes that it's still possible that "the 18- to 29-year-old share of the likely voter electorate will grow in the final days of the election." The so-called "ground game" currently taking place in many of the toss-up states (our neighbor to the north, Missouri, among them), might be a big driver in that regard. We simply won't until the votes are counted.
As of 4 p.m. Saturday, 7,379 people had voted early in Boone County, representing some 34 percent of all registered voters and shattering the record of 5,726 who voted early in 2004. And early voting continues through today.
Of those votes, 1,042, or 14 percent, have been cast by voters in the age range of 18 to 35.
For comparison, in Baxter County where about 8,700 early votes had been recorded Saturday afternoon, only 663, or about 8 percent, were cast by voters in the 18 to 35 age range.
In Pulaski County, some 22 percent of about 67,000 early voters by Saturday afternoon were in that same age group.
Maybe the kids are alright after all.
More
Be sure to watch Jeff Hankins and I Tuesday night, as ArkansasBusiness.com joins with Today's THV for live coverage of the presidential race.
Jeff Hankins and I are joining Today's THV Tuesday for live local election coverage on THV's broadcast channel at 7 p.m., and for three hourslive on THV2.com and Comcast Ch. 233.
You can also catch three hours or nonstop local coverage from 7-10 p.m. online at THV2.com and on THV2 digital cable channels on Comcast (Ch. 233) in Little Rock, Conway Corp.(Ch. 170) in Conway, and Wehco (Ch. 247) in Pine Bluff and Hot Springs.
And of course, we'll have breaking election news headlines all night on ArkansasBusiness.com.
Also: Send us you comments and tips viaTwitter. I'll be updating my Twitter feed with news and analysis all night here. Today's THV's feed is here.
Just in time for the elections, Google Labs rolls out a neat little tool called In Quotes, which allows readers to search for the U.S. presidential candidates quotes, as compiled by news sources, by various topics.
So, you wanna know what John McCain and Barack Obama have to say about health care? Just plug that term into the search window here, and Google does the rest, fetching a variety of one-liners from the candidates on that topic.
The "spin" button will refresh that search, showing you even more quotations. And, you can do the same trick with Joe Biden/Sarah Palin or any other number of combinations between various U.S. political figures. Google explains:
These quotations are a valuable resource for understanding where people in the news stand on various issues. Much of the published reporting about people is based on the interpretation of a journalist. Direct quotes, on the other hand, are concrete units of information that describe how newsmakers represent themselves. Google News compiles these quotations from online news stories and sorts them into browsable groups based on who is being quoted. Similar to article selection and placement on Google News, quotes and their speakers are determined automatically by a computer program and we don't guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information you may see. The dates you see represent when the article in which the quote appears was added to Google News.
I like to see Google experimenting with stuff like this. As Nov. 4 draws nearer, more people will be looking for information on where the candidates stand on scores of issues, and this tool might not be a bad starting place.
Two central Arkansas young professionals seeking the District 38 state representative we told you about earlier this year were defeated in Tuesday's elections, according to the latest results from the Arkansas Secretary of State's office.
Republican Ed Linck lost to Kelly Eichler in the party primary. The latest totals show Eichler ahead 89 percent to 10 percent.
Democrat Jeff Dailey lost to John C. Edwards in that party primary, with totals now at 63 percent to 36 percent.
Now, Eichler and Edwards will face each other in the general election in November. But I'm betting this won't be the last we hear from Linck and Dailey.
Last week, we noted that Jeff Dailey, a Democrat who's seeking the District 38 House seat, would likely have an opponent in the primary, Little Rock attorney John Edwards. Sure enough, Edwards filed later that day.
Now we see that there will be another primary in the race, this time on the Republican side. Ed Linck, an earlier filer for the seat, will face Kelly Eichler for a shot at the seat in the general election, according to filings today.
Filings for candidates ended today at noon. You can see the complete, updated list of candidates for all races here.
State Rep. Steve Harrelson reports on his Under the Dome blog that Jeff Dailey, who's filed to run as a Democrat for the District 38 House seat, will have a primary opponent in that race.
... Little Rock attorney John Edwards will be filing tomorrow, according to sources close to his campaign. The winner of that primary will face Ed Linck in the general. The seat is being vacated by Rep. David Johnson, who is seeking the Senate seat held by term-limited Sen. Jim Argue.
We noted previously that the race was shaping up to be a good one between two Little Rock young professionals. If Edwards gets in, this obviously changes the dynamic of that race.
It's tax time. And the Money $mart Life blog has a list of common mistakes you need to make sure you're not making.
Among them:
Wrong filing status - Choose the best filing status for your circumstances. Some overlook head of household status, which is a more favorable rate of taxation. Qualified widows (ers) can file at joint rates for the two years following their spouses’ death.
Not claiming moving expense for first job. Moving expenses to get to that first job are deductible. And you get this write-off even if you don’t itemize. If you moved more than 50 miles, you can deduct the cost of getting yourself and your household goods to the new area, including 18 cents a mile (and parking fees and tolls) for driving your own car.
Not qualifying for the residential sale exclusion - If a seller fails to reside in a house two out of the last five years that fat $250,000 ($500,000 if filing jointly) exclusion could be lost. A prorated exclusion may be available. Under certain circumstances you can add-up the occupancy period of spouses and /or if the sale is due to unemployment, military deployment or other unforeseen circumstances.
A 21-year-old Marquette University student has become an unlikely power broker in the race for the Democratic nomination for president. He's a "superdelegate," and he might very well decide who the party nominates for president:
Jason Rae is a typical junior in college.
He spends several hours a day in class at Marquette University in Wisconsin where he is majoring in history and political science. He is closely following the Marquette basketball team and has the Golden Eagles' schedule memorized.
But not many 21-year-olds start their Monday with a personal breakfast with Chelsea Clinton, as Rae did this morning at the student union at the nearby University of Milwaukee.
Rae got the one-on-one treatment from the former — and possibly future — first daughter because he is a Democratic National Committee member from Wisconsin and thus a "super delegate," one of the 796 free agents who can back any candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination.
A good primer on today's contests, how the primary system works, where candidates might pick up delegates and more. [Christian Science Monitor]
Special Super Tuesday coverage from Arkansas Business news partner Today's THV here. Watch for President and Publisher Jeff Hankins' commentary throughout the night. [Today's THV]
Looking ahead to the morning after. What Democrats might face on Wednesday morning if no clear front-runner emerges. [Wall Street Journal]
Speaking of politics, young professionals in central Arkansas have a great race shaping up for the state House of Representatives District 38 race.
Ed Linck, a Republican, and Jeff Dailey, a Democrat, have both declared for the seat, vacated by Rep. David Johnson, a Democrat who is seeking a Senate seat. Both are in their early 30s and well-known among young professionals in Arkansas.
Linck has a been a prominent member of the Arkansas Young Professionals Network, among other groups, and his now working in a client services and marketing post at LTS Logistics in Little Rock. Before that, he worked for the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce and Eagle Bank of Little Rock.
Dailey, the son of former Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey, is working in public relations for Acxiom Corp. of Little Rock. He's also been heavily involved in politics, working on the staff of former Sen. David Pryor Washington D.C.; serving at the White House and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for President Bill Clinton; and working campaigns for Al Gore, Wesley Clark and John Edwards.
No other candidates have declared for the seat, which covers parts of Little Rock, North Little Rock and areas south and northwest of Maumelle. But with Linck and Dailey in the race, the election will shape up to be an interesting one for the area's young professionals.
The Wall Street Journal, in this free feature today, notes that women's slow and steady march into public office could slow in 2008, maybe even stall:
Women will surrender two of the nine governorships they now hold and face stiff competition over a third. All three women up for re-election in the Senate can expect withering opposition, including Louisiana's Mary Landrieu, whose seat is considered the Democrats' most vulnerable.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report lists 14 women among the 75 most vulnerable House members, including eight women who won office with less than 51% of the vote in 2006. And although women hold a quarter of all seats in state legislatures, "we've hit a plateau," says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics, a public-policy institute at New Jersey's Rutgers University.
The bottom line: While women will cast about 53% of the votes in November 2008, based on the past two presidential elections, their share of elective offices seems to have leveled off at about one in six at the federal level, and one in four in the state capitals.
You gotta love those state jobs. You get every holiday off you're ever heard of, even some holidays you haven't. The pay is solid, and the hours are as good as you'll find a lot of places.
This week, the state Department of Health and Human Services has a great trio of positions open for those medical and legal professionals among us.
First, DHHS has no less thanfiveattorneypositionsopen. The positions are in the office of the department's chief legal counsel, Lisa McGee, and pay between $38,597.00 and $42,500.00 per year.
Also on the books, an opening for a speech pathologist. The job, which pays between $29,982.00 and $38,572.00 per year, requires all manner of certifications and degrees, including a license as a speech pathologist from the State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
Ah, to be a former president. Entertainment Weekly reports on Bill Clinton's night with the stars at Food Bank for New York City's annual awards dinner and auction, which raised more than $1 million for charity:
Just a few feet from our elbows sat Bill himself, along with cool, confident daughter Chelsea (sporting a "Hillary '08" button); U2 guitarist The Edge (pictured, center, with Jimmy Fallon, left, and David Bowie); Elvis Costello and Diana Krall; Iman and Bowie; and wealthy producer (and Liz Hurley babydaddy) Steve Bing. Sadly, the room was too noisy for us to overhear what appeared to be an uproarious, non-stop banter session between our lofty neighbors, though we did catch a glimpse of proud new papa Costello showing Clinton some snapshots of his and Krall's infant twins.
Bill took occasional breaks from chatting to sip his Diet Coke and enjoy speeches from chef Mario Batali, former SNL-er Fallon (one of the night's two major honorees), and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe. (For details on the all-new music that Fallon's working on, check EW.com's exclusive news story.) When he finally ascended to the podium to make his own speech, the room erupted in cheers. What followed was a fleeting taste of classic Clinton — some disarming humor, some stirring calls for social justice, and some truly impressive words of praise for the night's second major award recipient, The Edge.
Taxpayers who were unable to e-file their Arkansas Individual Income tax returns Tuesday using Intuit Inc. software products have until midnight on Thursday, April 19, to file their returns, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration announced Wednesday. Last-minute tax filers were affected by Intuit, Inc. company server problems on Tuesday evening, and they or their accountants may have been unable to electronically file returns. Intuit confirmed Wednesday that those problems had been resolved, and it was successfully accepting e-file returns on Wednesday. This is the same extension granted by the Internal Revenue Service.
Don't look at me. I used TaxCut this year. And filed in February.
Here's one for the sure-to-expand file of "Politicians Awkwardly Grappling With the Internets In a Bid to Look Hip and Cool":
Someone on Presidential hopeful John McCain's staff is going to be in trouble today. They used a well known template to create his Myspace page. The template was designed by Newsvine Founder and CEO Mike Davidson ... Davidson gave the template code away to anyone who wanted to use it, but asked that he be given credit when it was used, and told users to host their own image files.
McCain's staff used his template, but didn't give Davidson credit. Worse, he says, they use images that are on his server, meaning he has to pay for the bandwidth used from page views on McCain's site.
So what did Davidson do? Call the Senator's campaign? Write a strongly-worded letter?
Nah.
Actually, he tinkered with one of the images on his site that they were accessing, and replaced the "contact information" box with this statement:
"Today I announce that I have reversed my position and come out in full support of gay marriage...particularly marriage between two passionate females."
Nice.
More on the hack here, plus the spelling gaffe that occurred when McCain's staff tried to fix the hack.
Awkward name aside ("Explore Huckabee"? Really?), Mike Huckabee's Web site for his exploratory committee is coming along nicely, now stepping up to the blogging plate with a virtual soapbox of his own, the "Campaign Blog." Given what happened last time (er, "Explore Huckabee"), it's probably a good thing they didn't get too creative and kept the blog title generic.
At any rate, the blog promises regular updates penned by the man himself, which shouldn't be difficult for someone who, despite being governor and taking regular hunting trips, still had time to churn out five (!) books on everything from weight loss to kids with guns to America's greatness. The blog also includes a list of "bloggers for Huckabee," or what we in the biz call "a blogroll."
Now that Huckabee's site has a blog (and video), we wonder how he'll fare in the eyes of TechPresident, a new site that tracks how presidential candidates are using the Web and all that comes with it (video, blogs, MySpace, text messages, SecondLife, etc.) in their respective bids for the Oval Office.
In one metric among Republicans, for example, Huckabee's unofficial MySpace HQ is one of the top friend-adders for the week, seeing an 18 percent rise in online pals to 563. That increase is second only to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who saw an 18.5 percent rise.
In terms of sheer numbers of friends, one candidate you probably haven't heard of has them all beat: Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) boasts 3,388 friends, up 14.7 percent, according to the site.
Of course, Republican MySpacers pale in comparison to Democratic candidates by number of friends. Barack Obama has 56,688 of them to lead the pack. His rival, Hillary Clinton, is second, with 26,914.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee today announced that he's filing papers Monday to form an exploratory committee to run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Click here to see video of the show. You can also get the video podcast on iTunes.
A Reuters story looks at the Hillary Clinton campaign and notes that in 2008, the Web will play an even bigger role in politics than it has in the past. The explosion of video and blogs and the ease with which one can target and control information online will make the Internet a dominant force for presidential contenders.
In fact, you'll be able to hear from Clinton live tonight, the night of President Bush's State of the Union Address:
"These campaigns are not going to be about who has the best television commercials or who has the greatest direct mail or who can make the most phone calls," said political strategist Hank Sheinkopf.
"You're going to see greater use of the Net than ever before," he said. "You get your news out when you want to."
Clinton said on Sunday that she planned to take full advantage of the newest in communication.
"Obviously we have all kinds of new media now, even more than when I first ran back in 2000 and certainly in my previous election, to reach millions of people throughout our country all at the same time in the same way," she said.
The first of her live video chats was set for Monday evening, with a second on Tuesday, the night of President George W. Bush's State of the Union address, and a third on Wednesday.
While using the Internet can be great for a candidate, we're somehow left thinking of that old phrase, "He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword." From John Kerry to "macaca," we've all seen what happens when candidate slip-ups end up on YouTube.
So the race is on, with Hillary Clinton jumping in it to win it over the weekend, via video on her Web site. Her announcement comes on the heels of Barack Obama's Web case announcement earlier in the week.
By the looks of everyone's campaign homepages (those who have them so far), YouTube and online video is the hot "must-have" campaign technology. And Hillary attempts to co-op social media buzz phrases by caller her campaign a "conversation."
So is everyone ready for another (looong) presidential campaign? Are we ready for another Clinton in the White House?
The Arkansas Times notes that soon-to-be-former Gov. Mike Huckabee is set for his next appearance on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" on Jan. 11. (Of course, the site they cite says Huckabee is governor of "AK," which would be Alaska, a looong way from "AR.")
For a taste of what you'll see, here's twoclips from Huckabee's appearance on Stewart's sister show, "The Colbert Report."
The German Press Agency says voter turnout among young Americans increased in this round of midterm elections:
Exit polls showed that voters between the ages of 18 and 29 cast 13 per cent of all votes, up from 11 per cent in the 2002 elections, the last non-presidential national election.
...
Young voters traditionally favour Democratic candidates and did so by a 22 point margin on Tuesday, [Rock the Vote] said, citing exit polls.
The story seems to fall in line with what Arkansasbusiness.com reported on Wednesday. Gary Moody, executive director of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, told us that Arkansas Democrats walked away with a clean sweep of state offices Tuesday due in part to ramped-up efforts targeting young voters.
Give 'em a break. Even the Web guy has to cut loose every now and again
Now that last night's Arkansas elections are (by in large) settled, the real work begins: Wednesday morning quarterback!
Here's your chance to criticize, punditize, pontificate and spin on Election 2006. Tell us what you think about the Arkansas elections, the national outcome and what it all means for the next few years.
How will Mike Beebe perform as governor? What's next for the Republican party in Arkansas? What will Democrats do now that they control the U.S. House? And who's ready for 2008?
We see little hope that we'll get anything approaching news-like content out of tonight's election watch parties. After all, everyone at these things are just watching the numbers roll in like we are and, of course, there will be drinks. (Except maybe at the Mayberrys' soiree at East End.)
But in case you feel the urge to watch-party hop tonight, here's a sample of where some of the candidates will celebrate victory or drown their sorrows – or, possibly, wait for recounts, challenge the election in court … etc., etc.
Mike Beebe, Democrat for governor: Embassy Suites in Little Rock Asa Hutchinson, Republican for governor: Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock Jim Lendall, Green Party for governor: Juanita's Party Room in Little Rock Rod Bryan, independent for governor: Vino's BrewPub in Little Rock
Bill Halter, Democrat for lieutenant governor: Peabody Hotel-Little Rock Jim Holt, Republican for lieutenant governor: Fayetteville Town Center
Dustin McDaniel for Attorney General Vic Snyder for U.S. House of Representatives Charlie McDaniel for Secretary of State Martha Shoffner for Teasurer All Democrats, at the Peabody Hotel-Little Rock
Gunner Delay, Republican for Attorney General: Somewhere in Fort Smith
Andy Mayberry, Republican for U.S. House of Representatives: East End Elementary
Mark Stodola for Little Rock Mayor: Cajun's Wharf bar in Little Rock Barbara Graves for Little Rock Mayor: Cajun's Wharf Ponchartrain Room in Little Rock Bill Walker for Little Rock Mayor: 201 W. Capitol in Little Rock Jesse Mason for Little Rock Mayor: Local Luna in Little Rock
Update: No sooner than we file this post, we get word on problems in Garland County. Sounds as if they're coping, though. Can anyone from that part of the state share some insight?
Earlier:
To hear Matt Drudge tell it, it's shaping up to be 2000 all over again, with ballot and voting machine snafus popping up everywhere.
Of course, no election is perfect, and some electronic voting machines are giving voters and polls workers plenty of agita here and there. But in Arkansas, things are going fairly well from what anecdotal evidence we've heard via comments, e-mails from readers and coworkers and our reporting.
The electronic voting made my voting experience this time much better. This is compared to the more than 3 hours it has taken the last 5 times that I have voted!
The wife and I voted this morning took about 30 minutes. We had the new voting machines and they were great.
In cases where precincts used good ol' fashioned paper ballots, most folks still seemed happy with the experience:
I just voted in LR at the Faith Lutheran Church on Markham, only about 3 other people there. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. They didn't have the voting machines but I trust the paper ballot.
Voted this a.m. at Hall High soon after the polls opened. There were alot of voters but the poll was well-staffed and everything went smoothly. I was out in 10 minutes.
Not that there haven't been some complaints. We've heard stories of about misspelled names and incorrect birth dates on registration forms, as well as some confusion about whether those voting on paper ballots should get voting receipts. But so far, things seem to be going well.
Many pundits and poll-watchers today predict the Democrats will pick up several seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, possibly enough to regain control of House for the first time since they were run outta town in a rail by Newt Gingrich and Co. in 1994.
The Senate is another matter. While many see Democrats picking up a few seats there, few predict a shift in power.
So what we could have next year is gridlock in Congress, with both parties not budging on anything and getting little work done.
From a business standpoint, that might not be a bad thing, according to a report on NPR today by Marketplace's Janet Babin.
Babin's story notes that a gridlocked Congress would like make investors happy, because businesses could avoid complicated legislation and regulation. Wall Street loves a known quantity, whatever it is.
We've heard the early voting stories of long lines -- one of our coworkers waited an hour Saturday to vote on one of four electronic machines in Cabot -- but what have you encountered at the polls now that balloting is in full swing?
How are the voting machines working? Long lines or no waiting? How were the poll workers today? Did the precinct seem fully staffed?
Arkansas Business Editor Gwen Moritz shares her experience in North Little Rock this morning:
I voted this morning at Central Baptist Church on Fairway Avenue in North Little Rock. There were about a dozen voters in line at 8:30 a.m., and I overheard an election judge's conversation with a woman who apparently wasn't registered to vote in that precinct. Something to do with a divorce, a move and a name change -- in other words, not something that seemed systemic. The workers seemed well trained but not in any hurry to make the process go faster. I voted on the same paper ballot read by optical scanner that I've used every time I've voted in that precinct over the past seven years.
Update: Another coworker voted at the Arkansas Arts Center at lunch and reported no lines.
Helpful volunteers, no confusion, and it was lunchtime! Best voting experience ever. I voted there last year and it was the same.
Update: Arkansas Business Business Publications Managing Editor Jan Cottingham will be closely watching the numbers as they arrive at the Secretary of State's office tonight. Meanwhile, she's out and about, voting and checking up on the independent candidate for governor, Rod Bryan:
Election workers at Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church on Woodlawn Avenue in Hillcrest, where this voter exercises her franchise, said around 1:30 p.m. that turnout had been heavy. And even though I sought to avoid the lunch-hour crunch, about 20 voters were ahead of me—anecdotally, and only anecdotally, more than I usually encounter. A couple of people seem to have gone to the wrong polling site, but the election workers quickly got these folks on the right track, and this being Hillcrest, not generally known as a hotbed of hotheads, good cheer was maintained.
While driving back to work, I stopped in at Anthro-Pop, campaign HQ for independent gubernatorial candidate Rod Bryan. I actually wanted to buy some of the wacky tchotchkes the store is known for, but the two or three young vote-for-Rod sign-holders present in front of the store said not much stock was left and that Rod would probably shut down the store after the election. I don’t know if that means Rod is thinking really positively — as in he’ll have a new job as governor — or he’s just got other ventures to pursue. I will miss Anthro-Pop, though.
We'll continue to update this post with notes from readers and staffers. And be sure to share your comments below.
And a note to Ladder readers: Don't miss our special election coverage with KTHV, available here and here.
We're addicted to Google Earth. The free mapping app from Google has now added a neat a little election feature, which provides links and information on all U.S. House of Representative elections. Just click on the star icon for each state to get links on candidates and info on where and how to vote.
So the president was in town today, and we're nothing if not all over it, using the miracle of social media to present this stunning photograph of the president's motorcade snaking its way through Little Rock, complete with window reflection of some random dude.
When he's not gettin' it done for northwest Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. John Boozman is honing his handicap on the golf course. The Republican Congressman is good enough to rate Golf Digest's list of the 200 best beltway duffers.
The nation's capital has an abundance of powerful people who play golf, and some of them are pretty good. We searched the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court and the White House. We even looked into handicaps of the top lobbyists in Washington. Here are the 200 best.
Boozman checks in at No. 95 with a 12.9 handicap. Others on the list: Chris Lamond, vice president of The Federalist Group, checks in at No. 1 with 0.7; Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., at No. 35 with 7.4; Rep. Tom Delay, R-Texas, is in at three-way tie at No. 66 with 11 (Pennsylvania's GOP Senator Rick Santorum is among the, er, threesome there); and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., won't cut and run, holding at No. 150 with 19.9.
Break out the sandwich boards, posters and buttons: Today's Democratic runoff day in Arkansas!
We'll try to contain our excitement over today's big barnburners: Bill Halter and Tom Wooldridge square off over the lieutenant governor's office and all the breathtaking powers and privileges belonging thereto; while Dustin McDaniel and Paul Suskie battle for the state's AG's office and a shot to spend the next four years e-mailing consumer alerts to the press.
But before we get too misty-eyed contemplating the beauty of our political system, we offer the Ladder's legions of political junkies (there's at least three of you out there) the latest poll numbers from our news partners over at KTHV-TV, Channel 11, which show Halter and McDaniel seeing and feeling the difference over their respective challengers (although things are really pretty tight on the AG front).
Feel free to interpretate, postulate and dissect. But whatever you do, don't forget to vote. And be sure to check out KTHV at 10 p.m., where Publisher's Journal scribe Jeff Hankins will offer the best in Hankinsian political commentary for all who tune in. Then hunker down and get ready: the general election is only five months away.
Forget the stodgy, grumpy caricature that Norm MacDonald made famous on "Saturday Night Live." The real Bob Dole's a funny guy, full of wit and wisdom that's no doubt made him a hit on the lecture circuit in the 10 years (!) since he last ran for president and retired from the Senate.
"I discovered there was life after politics," Dole told conference-goers over lunch today. It's been a colorful ride, marked by three books, memorable appearances in Super Bowl ads (remember the Britney Spears "down boy" bit?) and guest spots all over late-night television. He even covered presidential politics for Jon Stewart's "Daily Show."
Today, Dole parceled out observations on the current political scene, leavened with a dose of dry, crackling humor. Among the highlights:
The War in Iraq - He noted that we were wrong on WMD's, but says he still suspects Iraq had them and moved them out of the country.
Washington Politics - He says the climate on the Hill has changed for the worse: "We used to talk to each other instead of talking at each other."
The MTV Generation - Young people today are the new "Greatest Generation," showing by their service overseas that they've been able to "step up" again and again.
North Korea's Kim Jong Il - A "lunatic."
The Times We Live In - "It's a very serious time we live in now ... I don't think we're as threatened now as we were [in World War II], but we are threatened."
Dole was introduced today by long-time colleague David Pryor, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. Senator. On Pryor, Dole noted: "I got beat, and nobody could beat David Pryor."
The Playing Field: ArkansasSports360.com Weekly Picks Contest
Our ArkansasSports360.com picks blog continues. We'll select five college football games a week (not at random, but it might seem like it) for members of the ArkansasSports360.com staff and our ... [
more ]
Please email story ideas or tips here
0 comments
post a comment
related posts
perma-link
linkback list
add to del.icio.us
the ladder
