Citizens' Daily Lobby

If campaign contributions are any indication, utilities love Blanche Lincoln.  She ranks number 5th overall (among senators seeking reelection this year) since 2005 in money received from utility companies.  This may help explain why Senator Lincoln has signed on with Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski to support weakening the Clean Air Act and to keep the EPA from regulating CO2 emissions.   Lincoln’s office would have us believe that she is “accountable to Arkansas voters alone,”  according to the NYT. Maybe so.  But money has changed hands, and it’s hard to believe that Lincoln is getting, in the immortal words of Dire Straits “money for nothing.”

Now that a primary challenger has come onto the scene, Senator Lincoln may be more responsive to  Progressive voters here in Arkansas.   Now is the time to put the pressure on.   The Democratic establishment doesn’t think there is enough support in Arkansas for a more liberal candidate.  They’re laughing at Bill Halter and at those who support his primary challenge to Lincoln.  This primary will be more than a referendum on Senator Lincoln.  This will be a referendum on the hearts of Arkansas voters.   However you may feel about Bill Halter, it’s important to make yourself heard now on the issues that are important to you.  If there was ever a time for Progressives to make noise in this state, this is it.

As an alternative, you can take the pragmatic approach, accept the general platitude that you live in a conservative state and there’s nothing you can do about it. Buck up and vote for Blanche to keep the crazy Right out of the Senate.  It all comes down to how much of an ideologue you are.  I have a very hard time supporting someone whose philosophy on economics, health care, and the environment is so far removed from my own.