Lynch Pen | Research the stance of political office candidates

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

— We are another week closer to May 18 (the date of the preferential party primary election) and the Democratic Party candidates seem to be the only ones with very deep financial pockets. In the chase for the U. S. Senate seat in the Democrat Party, both incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln and opponent Lt. Governor Bill Halter are flooding Cox Cable with ads. Not all are being paid for by the candidates themselves, according to the fine print at the bottom of the screen. The Political Action Committees (PACs) let you know the faults of a candidate - voting record, loss of jobs, etc. - without specifically endorsing the other candidate. Between those ads and the ones specific to the individual candidates, there is a great deal of money being spent to represent the Democratic Party in November.

Conspicuous by his absence is the third candidate D.C.

Morrison of Little Rock. With all the commercial time being used by Sen. Lincoln and opponent Halter there may not be much time available - or Mr. Morrison may not have the money to compete with the very serious players in the game.

There has been an absence of heavy campaign spending on television by the Republicans in the contest to oppose the winner of the Democraticrace. However, it just might be a part of the campaign strategy to hold off until the last few days and then try to make the best use of money available at that time. One thing I am sure of, the state-wide campaigning is no place for the faint of heart - and those poorly financed.

When I watch the ads fly back and forth between the Democrats, it is difficult to determine if a “good” business decision is a political advantage or actually a political liability, I can’t help wondering what we will learn about the Republican candidates as the campaign nears the May 18 date and the campaign heats up.

My focus has been primarily on the Republican Primary for the position of 3rd District Congressman for the United States. The reasoning being all Congressional District positions are being contested since they come up every two years. If we are going to see a major change in our government it seems more likely to be possible in the House of Representatives rather than the Senate where only onethird of the seats are contested every two years since they are elected for six-year terms.

If enough new people arrive in Washington due to the frustration of the voters, we might see some serious change in process and outcome. The inability, or unwillingness, of our elected officials to listen to the people may bring about a major overhaul, not just in the political party in power, but more importantly in how the individuals react to their constituents.

My role in this, if I have one, is to try to get people to look at the possibilities we have for change NOW and study the candidates for themselves.

This is the time to go for the individual who seems capable of implementing change as an established leader. I have not attended a Tea Party meeting but the little information I have gleaned from their activities makes them sound very good in principle and we can see who they support if we are in doubt of our choices. They imply they will support persons of either political party and that is important in my view. Certainly the House leadership - which happens to be Democratic - needs to be made accountable. The Healthcare Reform legislation does not seem to reflect the “will of the people” and that appears to be atodds with the purpose of the electoral process. Maybe the way of doing business in Mrs.

Pelosi’s California district conforms to her manner of leadership in Washington but that is why I feel we need elected officials who are above political bribery.

The decision to not seek re-election by Congressman Stupak (D-MI) either shows a certain amount of character or is an example of the pressure applied to his small group of pro-life advocates. He got all of the attention from the press, so I assume he was their leader or spokesperson and they (all six or whatever the number) voted in favor of the reform legislation. It apparently was a political trade-off for a piece of paper promising something to soothe their anxiety. The only thing I’m sure of is it is a heck of a way to pass legislation in a nation expected to provide an example to the world.

Hopefully Arkansas’s District 3 choice for the U. S.

House will be of a stronger character than Congressman Stupak and his followers.

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Leo Lynch, a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at prtnews@ nwanews.com.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 04/14/2010