# Blanche Lincoln won in Arkansas **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 9, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512 "2010-06-09T05:28:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/41 "2010-06-10T12:31:15Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > Aside from her recent failure to win 50% of the vote and much more recent win in the runoff, she’s been in the news most for sponsoring a very harsh amendement to the Wall street reform bill. If included in the bill after it comes out of conference, banks will be barred from trading almost all types of financial derivatives, costing them billions in revenue. This is probably not **lurking guest’s** preferred example of how Lincoln caters to the richest 1%. Funny how she took that stand only AFTER finding herself in a competitive primary race. Hell, the game was that the Dems were going to pull her amendment as soon as she won the primary, so she’d win both ways: be able to run as an anti-corporate populist, and still manage to please her corporate ‘base’. Having to go to a runoff bollixed the timing, though. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/42 "2010-06-10T14:26:20Z")
Obama and Bill Clinton both endorsed Lincoln, this probably had a bit of influence on some of the voters there. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/43 "2010-06-10T15:32:45Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > We’ll call it the Drizzle of Terror. Not the Trickle-Down of Terror? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/44 "2010-06-10T16:25:12Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Not the Trickle-Down of Terror? How about the Golden Shower of Terror? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/45 "2010-06-10T17:57:05Z")
The OP confuses me: > [@](#): > > Have some freakin’ sense of moderation, won’t you? Blanche Lincoln is a moderate Democrat. She beat a left-wing Democrat heavily supported by special interest money. In your world, how is her victory a blow against moderation, exactly? > [@](#): > > A pox on ALL of the 'Houses" of those who want to demonize one side or the other. You mean like the SEIU’s constant class warfare rhetoric? If their favored candidate won, that would help build tolerance and end demonization? Have you ever HEARD an SEIU rally? > [@](#): > > Christ Almighty, folks. > > There is SO MUCH to agree upon. > > FUCK ‘Tribalism’ and ‘Political Association.’ YEAH! For example, you could vote for moderate candidates who have a history of putting aside partisanship and working across the aisle. You know, like Blanche Lincoln. > [@](#): > > Maybe it’s time the “bottom 95%” start to stick together. Does your ‘bottom 95%’ include conservatives? Republicans? Libertarians? Small business owners? Investors? Or is it exclusively limited to pro-labor liberals? Because if it is, I’ve got news for you: That’s more like 20-30% of the population. And if you’re against big money controlling elections, you should be ecstatic about this result. Big Labor is the #1 funder of elections in America. It dominates federal lobbying and PAC money. They spent $10 million dollars trying to crush a politician who wouldn’t toe their line, and lost. This is a victory for ‘the little guy’ against special interests, not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/46 "2010-06-10T20:02:10Z")
Why do rants like the OP’s depend so heavily on an absence of paragraphs? > [@lurking\_guest](#): > > Does becoming a multi-millionaire matter so much that coal mine explosions and oil companies killing of shorelines and Wall Street’s theft of multiple trillions of dollars of taxpayers money and wars in foreign countries killing thousands of folks (along with multiple thousands of our very own citizens) get a ‘buy’ because “YOU TOO MAY ONE DAY BENEFIT FROM THE SHENNANIGANS WE ARE PUTTING IN PLACE FOR YOU!!!” ??? Works for me. You only go around once. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/47 "2010-06-10T21:32:22Z")
I see that Blanche Lincoln was one of a half-dozen Senators to vote to strip EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. I’m sure she was doing that out of ‘moderation’ rather than being in hock to genuine ‘special interests’ - interests composed disproportionately of money rather than people. I think the idea of calling a group of citizens who are more organized than others a ‘special interest,’ as **Sam** does, is bullshit. They’re _people_. If the unions or the NRA or the Christian Coalition or whoever have more political influence than their numbers would reflect, it’s largely because they’re more organized and passionate about their issues. And as a small-d democrat, I say, good for them. That’s how politics _should_ work. People - flesh-and-blood human beings, that is - who are involved and active ought to be able to move things a bit more their way than if their only participation was at the voting booth. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/48 "2010-06-10T21:40:02Z")
I should have added that that vote was earlier today. Now that she’s won the primary, she doesn’t have to pretend to be on the side of the little guy anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/49 "2010-06-10T22:08:28Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I see that Blanche Lincoln was one of a half-dozen Senators to vote to strip EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. One of a half-dozen nominally Democratic senators who voted to strip EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The [Republicans would all like to gut the agency if they could.](http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVU8ULQODPZNH-GdjvWAGrX672RAD9G8LU600) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/50 "2010-06-10T23:38:46Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > One of a half-dozen nominally Democratic senators who voted to strip EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. I don’t know what’s up with that. You write her letters, like any other Senator she writes back explaining how she is smarter than you and needs campaign money. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/51 "2010-06-10T23:47:27Z")
_Mensheviks!_ “Business friendly” Clintonistas! Wishy-washy “centrists”! The Wall awaits. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/52 "2010-06-10T23:53:32Z")
Yeah, but Clinton wasn’t that Centrist. Hell, that’s not centrist, it’s Republican! I heard this afternoon on NPR that it died. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/53 "2010-06-10T23:59:34Z")
Notice the quotation marks around the word. It was meant to suggest a mild to middlin’ sarcasm. Sorry wasn’t clear, but I loathe smilies. Overall, I think we’re singing from the same hymnal. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/54 "2010-06-11T00:05:47Z")
Given her voting to finance the war and this stuff, I think she is trying to get re-elected in a red state. I don’t know a damn thing about Halter, though, and he sure as hell didn’t say anything except “Blanche Sucks!” ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/55 "2010-06-11T00:29:56Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > While anarchy may sound like a fun way to spend the summer, eventually you’re going to need a camp counselor to stop the mob from stealling the conch and killing Piggy. Sounds like the perfect situation for a monkey with a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/56 "2010-06-11T00:41:05Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I see that Blanche Lincoln was one of a half-dozen Senators to vote to strip EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. > > I’m sure she was doing that out of ‘moderation’ rather than being in hock to genuine ‘special interests’ - interests composed disproportionately of money rather than people…People - flesh-and-blood human beings, that is - who are involved and active ought to be able to move things a bit more their way than if their only participation was at the voting booth. Speaking of “flesh-and-blood human beings”, some of those who voted for Blanche Lincoln may have done so out of the belief that her positions on energy and greenhouse gas emissions were preferable to those of her opponent. Arkansas is heavily dependent on non-renewable energy sources and [according to this source](http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/state-regs/pdf/Arkansas.pdf) gets 44% of its energy from coal. If major restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are passed on the federal level, residents of states like Arkansas will pay a lot more for electricity. While it may be regarded as selfish and unforward-thinking of them, a substantial number of Arkansas voters may regard their utility bills as a “special interest” worth keeping as low as possible. \*and yes, the link belongs to a non-profit energy research/p.r. group that appears decidedly pro-industry, which so far as I can tell does not affect the figures quoted in the linked site. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/57 "2010-06-11T01:01:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > gets 44% of its energy from coal. If major restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are passed on the federal level, residents of states like Arkansas will pay a lot more for electricity. While it may be regarded as selfish and unforward-thinking of them, a substantial number of Arkansas voters may regard their utility bills as a “special interest” worth keeping as low as possible. That sounds about right. We have several coal burning generator plants. There is argument about a permit to build another coal fired plant. We have two nuclear reactors generating electricity. Lincoln was quoted yesterday on the radio exclaiming “It is about Arkansas and what we can (get? do?) for it” which would agree with your thesis. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/58 "2010-06-11T01:16:06Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Speaking of “flesh-and-blood human beings”, some of those who voted for Blanche Lincoln may have done so out of the belief that her positions on energy and greenhouse gas emissions were preferable to those of her opponent. > > Arkansas is heavily dependent on non-renewable energy sources and [according to this source](http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/state-regs/pdf/Arkansas.pdf) gets 44% of its energy from coal. If major restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are passed on the federal level, residents of states like Arkansas will pay a lot more for electricity. While it may be regarded as selfish and unforward-thinking of them, a substantial number of Arkansas voters may regard their utility bills as a “special interest” worth keeping as low as possible. I just don’t see that as being an issue with special relevance to Arkansans. Most states depend heavily on coal for electricity generation. Virginia was 37%, Ohio a whopping 83%. And to the extent that Arkansas voters are actually well-informed about this issue, instead of being bullshitted about it, the cap-and-trade bill passed by the House would have little effect on the price of energy or just about anything else for most of this decade. So you’ve got the possibility that people may have been voting the interests of their pocketbooks in 2020. Or maybe this wasn’t a big issue in the primary, and maybe the fact that Obama recorded a pro-Lincoln commercial, and Bill Clinton went back to Arkansas and campaigned for her, was what put her over the top in the end. Apparently Lincoln won pretty much every county with a substantial African-American population, and people who aren’t political junkies often tend to use the support of people they trust as a proxy for doing their own analysis. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/59 "2010-06-11T01:19:44Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Obama recorded a pro-Lincoln commercial, and Bill Clinton went back to Arkansas and campaigned for her, was what put her over the top in the end. Apparently Lincoln won pretty much every county with a substantial African-American population, That is an interesting point, if surprising. Pulaski County, where Little Rock is would be a biggie. I’m not sure what the rural Black population is like. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512/60 "2010-06-11T01:20:52Z")
The other thing about coal is that, at least to the best of my knowledge, it’s not that hard to switch a coal-fired power plant to another fossil fuel. What all power plants do is burn _something_ to heat water to drive turbines to make electricity. It’s not like any state is tied to power generation through coal. I can understand a pro-coal bias from coal-_producing_ states, because their bread is very definitely buttered on that side. But if you don’t want to burn coal for your electricity, there are alternatives, notably natural gas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blanche-lincoln-won-in-arkansas/542512.md?page=4)