The Establishment held back Bill Clinton from campaigning for Blanche Lincoln so they could keep him in reserve for the run-off. I expect the Big Dog to show up in Arkansas shortly. He has a lot of influence down there. In 2008, the Republicans were expecting Hillary to be the nominee so they didn’t even run anyone against Senator Mark Pryor. That was a major miscalculation, as McCain had major coattails downticket against Barack Obama. We can see how vulnerable Democrats are in Arkansas not only from Blanche Lincoln’s plight, but through the multiple congressional retirements that have been announced this year. But I think Clinton will be wasting his time and his breath. There is no way in hell that Lincoln can beat John Boozman in November. So, it is nothing more than stupid stubbornness for the Establishment to interfere with Bill Halter’s shot at retaining the seat. No one owes Blanche Lincoln anything. She’s a shitty Democrat who chose the wrong issues both to stray on and to stick on. Her flip-flop on the public option was particularly crippling. She made everyone angry by voting for cloture on health care and then voting against the reconciliation package. Who did she think would thank her for that display of wishy-washiness?
No, the Big Dog should stay in Chappaqua. No one has any use for his brand of Democrat anymore…in Arkansas, or anyplace else.
Clinton and Lincoln are both DLC. You would have thought that Clinton realizes the DLC isn’t exactly where you want to put your chips on these days(despite Obama winning the WH).
right. All those DLC Arkansas Dems are retiring rather than run in this environment. Pro-Business is no way to weather this storm down South, or any place else.
Clinton doesn’t have any chips. He’d be well advised to play elder statesman and keep out of intra-party skirmishing. His legacy is shaky at best as it is. He really doesn’t need fresh reminders out there about the enormous damage he did to the party and the dead end he brought the country to.
Chris Cilizza(sp?) over at the Kaplan Test Prep Post thinks The Big Dog saved Critz’s bacon
He may be useful in some places for attacking the Reps, but that’s what he needs to stick to, not getting into primaries between Dems. Especially when the Dem he’s promoting is as disliked as Lincoln.
you are very right on this, BooMan.
Nah, let the Big Dog head on down to Arkansas – I’d love to see hm repudiated in his own home. Blanche is gong down…
yeah, but I want her to go down in three weeks, not in November, and the Big Dog will actually help her a lot by blasting Halter.
“No one has any use for his brand of Democrat anymore…in Arkansas, or anyplace else. “
So you mean that no one has any use for his brand except for a majority of Democratic Primary Voters in Arkansas?
you mean the 55% that voted against Lincoln? You mean that majority?
I was pointing out that you said that voters in Arkansas did not have any use for her brand or Clinton’s brand of Dem. Yet you go on to say he has a lot of influence down there.
So which is it, do voters have no use for Clinton’s brand, or does he have a lot of influence with them?
I don’t think he’d convince too many people to vote for Blanche who weren’t already going to vote for her. The instant retort to any Clinton attack would be something to the effect of: “With all due respect to Mr. Clinton, I remember him saying the same things about Barrack Obama during the presidential primary that he’s now saying about me. He was wrong then, he’s wrong now.” That could move a not-insignificant number of Democratic primary voters away from Blanche.
Arkansas is a very unique place.
On the state and local level, and even the federal level at the moment, the Democrats completely dominate, but they’re a closed club and they all hate Halter. So, Clinton really can rally the establishment for Lincoln because this labor backlash is something they all want to nip in the bud. This is a challenge to the entire Democratic establishment down there and Clinton can articulate that very well.
Gotcha. Can their establishment control the vote an better than the PA establishment? Or would they cut off his money for the general election if he wins the runoff?
Which is why the most important thing the MoveOn/ActBlue faction can do now is to double down for Halter no matter what he says or what disappointments he produces. We can’t afford a replay of the Lamont debacle.
Ah, I see you answered my question above. Clinton has influence with the powerbrokers (not the voters).
Is he really that stupid? What’s in it for him? Either he backs a Dem incumbent who’s hated on all sides who loses the runoff anyway, or he helps her win the primary only to turn the seat over to a Republican. Either way he ends up a toothless and flea-ridden mutt whose only claim to relevance depends on his wife’s success.
It would be smart of him to realize that he needs to spend more time with his saxophone.
If he didnt have any chips, you wouldnt want him to stay home. Halter worked for Clinton. I don’t see how either candidate is not establishment.
For the most part pols do the bidding of them what brung them. The point is not Halter’s deepest opinions or even his character. It’s who he sees as the ones he has to keep on his side. He’s seen what the left of the party can do. Now it’s up to us to drive that lesson home. We need to double down on our support for the runoff.
I think Bill Clinton is an official “carpet bagger”, after living in New York for years. I cannot understand why the national Democratic Leadership continues to fight grass root candidates.
First, It was Ned Lamont, than Sestak and now Halter in Arkansas.
Great diary BooMan. I especially liked this:
“No one owes Blanche Lincoln anything. She’s a shitty Democrat who chose the wrong issues both to stray on and to stick on. Her flip-flop on the public option was particularly crippling. She made everyone angry by voting for cloture on health care and then voting against the reconciliation package. Who did she think would thank her for that display of wishy-washiness?”
Exactly correct. But the DLC has to send someone to help Blanche out and it cannot be Obama. He’s what, 0-5 in getting people elected that he has campaigned for! They will send in the Big Dog because they need Blanche’s wishi-washiness. Unfortunately, that is what the Obama administration is all about.