Category Archives: Politics

Ex-legislator crossed the bright red line

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

June 25, 2019

I’ve long believed that most legislators, like most people, try to do mostly the right thing most of the time.

I still believe it, but it’s becoming harder to make that argument – particularly this week after former Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, the governor’s nephew, decided to plead guilty to federal corruption charges in Arkansas and Missouri.

Hutchinson had pleaded innocent to corruption charges over the past nine months, but he ended his fight after federal prosecutors filed a new bribery charge Monday saying he accepted $157,000 to try to change state law in order to allow orthodontists to practice dentistry. With the walls closing in, he pleaded guilty to three charges with a maximum sentence of 13 years.

Hutchinson becomes the sixth recent legislator to plead guilty or be convicted of corruption charges. In addition, a current legislator, Rep. Mickey Gates R-Hot Springs, was arrested after being accused of not paying taxes, and not filing state tax returns from 2003-17. He didn’t deny not paying taxes but said he was working through the problem, and he’s still in office. In fact, last year he was re-elected. Continue reading →

Sanders for governor? Things just got interesting

By Steve Brawner

© 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

June 18, 2018

The 2022 Arkansas governor’s race last week went from “potentially a competitive campaign” to “things just got interesting.”

The conventional wisdom was that Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin would face Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, with state Sen. Jim Hendren potentially running and then the winner of that Republican primary opposing whoever the Democrats could find. The Republican primary would be a good race, but it was still three years away, so there were plenty of other things to talk about.

Then last Thursday, we learned via presidential tweet that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, President Trump’s press secretary and Mike and Janet Huckabee’s daughter, is coming home to Arkansas. Trump fueled an already existing rumor by tweeting he hopes Sanders runs for governor.

Sanders confirmed nothing. She might decide to cash in on her celebrity while being a mom, rather than try to return to the Governor’s Mansion where she spent much of her childhood.

But if she runs for governor? That’s must see TV. Continue reading →

Disasters happen. Let’s budget for them.

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

June 4, 2019

Congress and the president are passing a $19.1 billion federal disaster package that has one glaring problem: As usual, we’re paying for it by credit card.

The bill passed the House Monday, 354-58, after passing the Senate last month, 85-8. It was headed to the president, who will sign it. It will be used to respond to recent natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods in the Midwest, and wildfires in California. It includes additional money for Puerto Ricans – American citizens, it should never be forgotten – who are still recovering from Hurricane Rita in 2017.

The package includes $3 billion for military bases and Coast Guard facilities, $3 billion for farmers, and spending that’s meant to reduce the effects of future disasters. It started out as a $7.8 billion package last year.

All six members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation voted yes, as most did. Members of Congress don’t like to vote against disaster funding because they know their state might be the next to need help. Arkansas’ turn surely is coming after this spring’s historic flooding. Continue reading →

No ‘I feel your pain’ answer from Cotton

By Steve Brawner

© 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

May 16, 2019

We don’t do politics like we used to. Exhibit A would be President Trump and his trade policies. Exhibit B would be Arkansas’ junior senator.

Trump won the presidency as a Republican despite counteracting some long-held Republican beliefs, particularly about trade.

Republican officeholders have been internationalist free-traders, even while many of their voters weren’t. In many cases, those voters stuck with Republicans, or started voting for them, because of cultural issues like guns and abortion.

But now Trump has come along and spoken to their economic anxieties as well – by initiating a trade war with China, and by making illegal immigration his primary issue.

The trade war has alarmed many Republicans and people who support Republicans. Continue reading →

Let’s talk politics – for 2022

By Steve Brawner

© 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

May 14, 2019

Next year’s politics will be dominated in Arkansas by the presidential race, despite Sen. Tom Cotton’s already contested re-election race and several interesting ballot initiatives.

It’s in 2022 that the focus will be on Arkansas races. Sen. John Boozman will be up for re-election, and the state’s most prominent statewide officials will be term-limited.

It’s early, but let’s speculate. Continue reading →