A polite request for Blanche Lincoln: please withdraw from the race now

You were forced into a runoff, senator. You just barely beat your opponent in the vote.

You're not going to recover your popularity now.

If you feel ANY loyalty to your party, please consider doing the right thing now and withdrawing from the race with dignity. It's the most stateswomanly thing you could do, senator.

She has the Party behind her and the WH and more money than her opponent. Probably four times more.

Edited to say I rec'd the comment just for the record. But Blanche must have some supporters here.

There's no reason to believe she'd drop out on this one.

In fact, it's pretty damned ridiculous to assume she would.

the corporate money she has. Hopefully they will.

He'll probably be a bit to the right of Lincoln, but it's the best chance of retaining the seat.

Political positions

The economy
Halter supports investment in clean energy, making broadband accessible to all Arkansans and raising the minimum wage. He opposes trade deals that send Arkansas jobs abroad and undermine American businesses by undercutting American workers by not requiring the same working conditions as American businesses have to meet.

Education
An influential supporter of the scholarship lottery, which has helped 28,000 families afford higher education without raising taxes, Halter supports making loans and grants more affordable. He has criticised Blanche Lincoln's support for the big banks that profit from student loans. Halter supports the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act which would expand federal Pell Grants and end federally-subsidized private loans, using all federal student loan funding for direct loans and cutting the deficit by $87 billion over 10 years. Halter has criticised Lincoln for opposing the act.

Health care
Halter backs President Obama's efforts to reform health care, saying that although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could have been better, he supports it because it provides 450,000 uninsured Arkansans with health care. He has criticised Blanche Lincoln for watering down the act, saying that she has "sided with the insurance companies and HMOs who gave her campaign more than $800,000."

Farming and rural communities
Halter has made agriculture one of his "top priorities", pledging to support farmers, not corporate agribusiness. He believes that too much money is given in subsidies to those who don't need it, whilst failing to provide support for family farmers.

Consumer protection & financial reform
Halter has repeatedly criticised Congress' close relationship with special interests and lobby groups. He has said that banks that take taxpayers' money should be held to account. He supports reforms that get banks lending money to Main Street and small businesses whilst preventing a repeat of the financial crisis. Halter supports the creation of an independent watchdog agency, an end to sky-high corporate compensation, and better checks and balances on financial industry practices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Halter

He is also the overwhelming choice of Labor.

:(

I DO expect the national party to stay the FUCK out of it, and let the voters of that state have their say.

Stay out of it, Mr. President. You too, Mr. Ex President.

...for her to drop out. She isn't going to kill the goose who lays golden eggs.

She ain't gonna give that up anytime soon, if she isn't voted out.

ETA: obviously, all personal info in the above email was removed/edited out

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: uncontrollably :spray:

:shrug:

Is she doing anything contrary to the rules of the Arkansas Democratic Party and its primary process?


I am not a fan of the Senator, but there is a process and a pathway for being nominated by the Party.

you're weaker than water."
--Richard Wolffe on tonight's Coundtown With Keith Olbermann

P.S. You can donate to Bill Halter's campaign even if you live out of state.
http://www.actblue.com/page/halterrunoffemail

:headbang:
rocktivity

it's not going to be what she does. About 13% of Democratic voters went for D. C. Morrison, who ran to the right of Blanche Lincoln. You could argue that some of them were "anybody but Blanche" and will vote for Halter in the runoff, but an even better argument can be made that Lincoln matches their political philosophy better than Halter, and the majority of them will vote for her.

If that happens, she's the nominee. If I were her, I'd consider that worth staying in the race for. In any case, either she or Halter will have their hands full trying to beat the Repuke. It is likely that neither can win.

for Morrison. I have no idea if that is true and I don't really understand how it would benefit them. But, I agree Blanche won't resign, and I doubt the DLCers who are backing her would allow that. They will go all out to beat Halter as they need her.

OUGHT to take place between an emissary of the Democratic Party -- Bill Clinton? Whoever? -- and Senator Lincoln.

The meeting would of course be in person and extremely private.

In it the emissary would be as clear as you have been in your post on the points. He or she would perhaps be deputized to offer Sen. Lincoln a compensatory post somewhere or other in the administration which would preserve her dignity (versus getting killed by the Republicans in November) but which would not actually place her in a position of unchecked policy-making.

Likely there are hefty business firms coast to coast who would hire her as a rainmaker, maybe even biology-based companies, her first career interest.

Halter has the stronger chance in November and Blanche could save herself a lot of grief and frustration -- and likely a public loss -- if she followed your advice.

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