Arkansas politics Question

[Mr. Sparkle]

Although former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, easily carried his home state of Arkansas in 1992 and again in 1996, the state was largely considered a safe state for John McCain. Early polls gave McCain a double-digit lead among possible voters on Election Day. Although the state remains strongly Democratic at the state and local levels, on Election Day, Arkansas showcased its reliability as a Republican stronghold in presidential elections by voting for McCain by a margin of approximately 20%.

During the same election, however, freshman Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Pryor faced no Republican opposition, and was reelected in a landslide victory over Rebekah Kennedy of the Green Party. The four members of the state's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives (three Democrats and one Republican) were also reelected with no major-party opposition.

I never thought that Arkansas was a very Democratic state, but given these stats ..

Governor Mike Beebe (D)
Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter (D)
U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln (D)
Mark Pryor (D)
U.S. House delegation 3 Democrats, 1 Republican

wow. I nearly fell off my seat after I read that. How did the Democrats win some many seats and yet get there ass kicked in the Presidential election? Is this just a blip after the last 8 years of Bush or has Arkansas been slowly turning Democrat since Bill Clinton's Presidency.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Take another look. Out of the 3 House Dems, 2 are 'blue dogs' and both Senators voted more with

the GOP than with the Democrats in the last few years. Pryor was a part of the 'Gang of 14' to avoid the 'nuclear option' in the Senate. Most DUers would refer to Arkansas Democrats as DINOs. They're only slightly better than the GOP.

[Mr. Sparkle]

2. Ah ! point taken.

For a red state, they are remarkably organized.

The alternative is that if those Democrats were not elected, it would give the republicans a few more votes in congress, which is not a bad trade off.

[DIKB]

3. They get the votes.

I'm still pissed at Pryor for his support of the Military Commissions Act. I'm just hoping that these DINOs will at the very least NEVER support a republican filibuster.

If all they are good for is a filibuster breaker, than that's good enough for me.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

4. If someone votes for the Repukes, then...

U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln (R)
Mark Pryor (R)

[WhiteTara]

5. I'm thinking that many of them are GOP plants

or just took the term Democrat.