By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Among the biggest ongoing issues in Arkansas politics is one that some Republican legislative candidates would rather avoid discussing, particularly if they’re running against another Republican.

That’s Arkansas Works, previously known as the private option.

The program uses mostly federal dollars under the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – to purchase private health insurance for 250,000 lower-income adults. It was created in 2013 after the U.S. Supreme Court said states could choose to expand their Medicaid populations rather than be required to do so.

While most Republican-led states said no, Arkansas took a different approach under the leadership of some young Republican legislators and Democrat Gov. Mike Beebe’s administration. Instead of simply expanding Medicaid, a government program for poor and disabled people, it used that money to buy private insurance. Continue reading Arkansas Works? They’d rather not say →

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

While Arkansas’ voters will be casting their ballots in March and November this year, the state’s two U.S. senators will be looking toward future elections. For Sen. John Boozman, it’s 2022. For Sen. Tom Cotton, it’s 2024.

Cotton is up for re-election this year but doesn’t have to worry about campaigning. That’s because the Democrats’ candidate, Josh Mahony, abruptly and with little explanation quit the race hours after the filing period ended, leaving the party with no legal path toward finding a replacement.

There is a Libertarian candidate, Ricky Harrington Jr., who will need a favorable court ruling to stay on the ballot, and an independent, Daniel Whitfield, who must collect 10,000 verified signatures of registered voters.

Regardless, Cotton easily will win re-election and would have been re-elected if Mahony had stayed in the race, or against any Democrat. Maybe Mike Beebe could have made it interesting. Continue reading For Arkansas’ senators, it’s about 2022 and 2024 →

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

In presidential politics, what usually happens is not what’s destined to happen, and sometimes things can get really crazy.

So for fun, let’s consider the possibility that none of the Democratic candidates amass enough delegates in the primaries to win the nomination.

Let’s start by stipulating that pundits like me often predict this happening whenever there’s a large field, and then a nominee emerges long before the last state votes.

But this time might be different because the party’s rules have changed, because the process has been front-loaded with early big state primaries, because Democrats have several candidates who might stay in the race for a while, and because a big wild card has been tossed onto the table. Continue reading How presidential politics could get even crazier →

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

If you ever are named a head football coach – or CEO or governor or president of the United States – learn from the University of Arkansas’ Sam Pittman to see how to act in your introductory press conference.

The new head football coach won the press conference, and surely the hearts of those watching, through his authenticity and sincerity Dec. 9. Clearly, the 58-year-old first-time head coach raised in nearby eastern Oklahoma – who fought back tears at times – really, really wanted this job.

Just as important as his sincerity was his proper setting of expectations. Pointedly avoiding slogans, he promised only that his “blue collar” Razorbacks would work hard, excel in the fundamentals and try to score more points than the other team.

The press conference came two years and two days after his predecessor’s introduction, which was markedly different. Continue reading Hogs’ Pittman wins the press conference →