My first experience with fake news

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

In about 1998, I had my first experience with “fake news.” In fact, I unwittingly helped create it.

At the time, I was a less-than-30-something communications aide for then-Gov. Mike Huckabee. Most of my duties involved writing, and there was a little press work.

One day, a couple of nice guys with a television camera stopped by the office and said they were Canadians, that there was some igloo in their country, and it was a big deal there. They were vague, but I remember taking it to be some kind of archaeological discovery. They asked if the governor could congratulate Canada on preserving its national igloo. Huckabee helpfully made a quick statement coming out of his office, and that was that. Or so I thought. Continue reading →

Has Obamacare already been repealed?

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Remember last year when congressional Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare after talking about doing so for years? It turns out they may have succeeded, fully or partly, by acting indirectly.

In December, Congress passed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, which all six members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation supported. The legislation ended Obamacare’s penalty for failing to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance. The penalty goes away at the end of this year.

To understand why that’s important, you have to look back to 2012, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – was constitutional in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. The court ruled that Congress could not compel individuals to purchase insurance. However, it said the mandate’s penalty was a “tax,” which Congress can enact. Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote that opinion. That’s how the individual mandate survived.

Now that there’s no tax, a Texas-led coalition of 20 states, including Arkansas under Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, is suing the federal government in hopes of having the entire law declared unconstitutional. The lawsuit says that without the individual mandate, the law is now “an irrational regulatory regime governing an essential market.”  Continue reading →

For GOP reps, Trump’s comments complicate things

Donald TrumpBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

For Arkansas’ congressional delegation, life was simpler when President Obama was in office. Not better, but simpler. This week was complicated.

As we all know by now, at a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump declined to take sides between his own intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in U.S. elections, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial of that interference. In response to press questions, Trump defaulted to his usual defenses: There was no collusion; the election was a great victory; Hillary’s emails. Both leaders said they had discussed the election issue privately with each other that day. Trump said U.S.-Russia relations were at their lowest point ever, and said both countries were at fault. Earlier in the day, he tweeted that the poor relationship was “thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!” – referring to the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The reaction was intense across the political spectrum. Democrats, of course, pounced, but even many Republicans were critical. Newt Gingrich, usually a Trump ally, called it “the most serious mistake of his presidency.” Ailing Sen. John McCain said, “No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant.”

The next day, Trump tried to walk back his statements, asserting that he trusted his own intelligence community and claiming that he had misspoken. His explanation: He meant to say, “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.” Not “would.” Continue reading →

In an imperfect world, should teachers be armed?

David Hopkins

David Hopkins is superintendent at Clarksville.

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Let’s start with the question that gets people interested: Should teachers be armed?

But before continuing, let’s go over some important but less controversial background information. On July 3, the 18-member Arkansas School Safety Commission appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson presented its preliminary report to him. It includes 19 recommendations, including school safety and security teams, strategies for reporting suspicious behaviors, enhanced access to student mental health services, and anti-bullying programs.

Some of the 19 could lead to legislation or regulations, while some simply recommend best practices for schools to implement.

Here’s one of the big challenges. In a country with 55 million schoolchildren, school shootings statistically don’t happen that often. But when they do, they are national tragedies that shatter parental and community trust. So what resources should be devoted to that kind of threat? Because inevitably in this imperfect world, they’ll come at the expense of other priorities, including academics.

Unless … you use the same resources for both purposes. And that’s where we get into the question of arming staff members. Continue reading →

Student Council elections for grown-ups

Alabama, blue wave, school boards, Hixson, Breanne, red tide, judicial electionsBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

For most Arkansans, their first exposure to electoral politics comes in Student Council elections. This year’s election will be a lot like those in one way. In another, quite different.

It will be like Student Council elections in that voters will mostly mark the names of their “friends” – their party’s candidates.

There was a time when many voters proudly asserted that they voted for the candidate, not the party. Today, while more people call themselves “independents,” dwindling numbers actually vote that way. We may not outwardly identifying with a party, but we do inwardly, and that’s how we vote. Continue reading →