AFL-CIO Backs Halter In Arkansas, Commits $3M To Defeat Lincoln

Thank you, AFL-CIO!

Say goodnight, Blanche. The party's over.

Umm, who's the prominent national progressive that's backing Lincoln?

Holy motherfarking shiat! The moneybomb has MIRV capability! Awesome.

If she loses to a Republican, I say let it fall. When most of the rest of the country gets increased health benefits and her red state "opts out," perhaps they will realize they voted wrongly... But even then, I doubt it... It will be the "Fed'rel Govmint'," conspiring against them...

I'm torn... Torn like an old sweater....

Whether or not Halter is able to win it, there will be something for Arkansas progressives to get energized about. I think he's got a much better idea of what middle class Arkansans are going through than Lincoln does and he should be able to connect with them.

Halter has a good bio and should have decent name recognition as Lt. Gov so perhaps he does have a good chance. Oh yea, this is Arkansas. One to watch at least.

The WH position that Barak supports all incumbents hardly sounds like a ringing Blanche endorsement to me. He's trying to herd a room full of cats right now, the last thing he wants to do is piss one off.

fuck. you. blanche.

it's one thing not to vote with your party on the substance of a bill. but to vote against your party on procedure -- to filibuster -- appears to have consequences. GOOD.

take note, ben, mary, et al.

The whole Obama/WH thing is a false canard.

As noted above, it's been more than 70 years since a President backed a primary challenger (and didn't work out then, either).

Bush supported Specter in his last match-up against Toomey, too.

Anyone upset that the WH isn't backing a primary challenger is fooling themselves - absent a scandal, it isn't done because it's always a bad a idea.

What's more, AR is one of the few red/purple states where Obama has never played well... so he's pretty much irrelevant to the race anyway.

He wasn't going to do Lincoln much good prior to her getting a primary challenge, he certainly won't now.

It's a pointless and meaningless angle to this story.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go drop a sawbuck on Halter's campaign.

Where do Bill and Hillary fall in all of this; Halter served in his administration, after all, and its one state where he still has major stature.

I think the greatest value in this is the lesson it sends to other conservative Democrats that labor and the left are in fact capable of playing hardball. That there ARE things these politicians can do that will transform labor and the left into mortal enemies. They already know there's a potential cost for pissing off the right. They need to understand that there's a potential cost for pissing off labor, and this communicates that message loud and clear. Even if, as seems likely, the Arkansas seat is lost, I think this will reverberate quietly and positively in other votes by other Democratic politicians all year long.

In our ongoing discussion over whether to live with conservadems or risk losing their seats, I'm for picking fights carefully. In this case, with a viable intraparty challenger and the high likelihood the incumbent will lose anyway, this is a prime opportunity. I'm sympathetic to the argument a blue dog might be as liberal a candidate as can win a given district, but that's not a free pass. Each situation has to be taken on its own.

Well Blanche how does it feel? Your refusal to back this President over the important issues of the day have sealed your fate. You were told unions would be mounting campaigns against you all, and you didn't take it seriously. It is difficult to stand up to tea party pressures and their bully tactics, but that is why you were elected. See you in the future when you become a lobbyist for some health insurance company.