Considering two very different politicians
At our house we are looking forward to 2014, believing it will be a better year health-wise and otherwise. The weather has left a little to be desired so far, but we are not nearly as hampered by the snow and ice as some areas of the nation, so we count that as a blessing and promise of things to come.
This article is about politics, but perhaps a slightly different twist than usual political submissions. And, in the desire to be perfectly honest, all the observations reported here are from newspapers or television news sources. I have never met either of the two current state office holders mentioned, although both fit into the high profile category of being popularly elected politicians.
Perhaps you read the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Northwest Arkansas section on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. It included as article about a political figure I have long admired and pointed out one of his most admired qualities — he is a true public servant. No doubt you know him from that comment — our governor Mike Beebe. According to the article he will be retiring from elected public service when his current term as governor ends. No single person has represented my own ideal political leader more than Governor Beebe. At no point during what I have known of his 32 years have I seen him seek out the limelight to further his political career.
My observation of his political career may differ from yours, but certain attributes stand out in my mind. He has gone about his task of leading our state in a no-nonsense, low profile, very effective manner. I did not see him appear in the newspaper every time a new paper came out and his appearances on television were minimal, but effective. Personally I feel we have far too many politicians at all levels of government having news conferences to report that they reported a report — or “see me I’m running for something.” That is another of those attributes that affects the individual and is not political party related. Oh, by the way, did I mention that Governor Beebe ran on the Democratic Party ticket and I voted for him even though his Republican opposition was someone I knew personally? Please understand my view. Mike Beebe had proven himself a very effective leader in Arkansas State Legislature and as attorney general. He was humble enough (and more importantly to me) to not expect to leap from the attorney general s office to the United States House or a Senate seat when he knew that he could be an effective governor and serve the people of Arkansas better in that capacity than in U.S. Congress. I admire that choice and believe he has accomplished exactly what he felt best suited to do. I will miss his approach to governing and the state will miss his leadership when he retires.
In contrast to the lowprofile and effective style of leadership displayed in the governor s office, we have the current Lieutenant Governor — a Republican — who seems to be in the newspapers almost daily. It appears his problems are not news anymore and they are not reported as frequently in the television news.
It is interesting to me personally that our former governor Mike Huckabee (a Republican), was both a lieutenant governor and full-fledged governor and used that career progression to become a presidential candidate. He is now is a Fox news network analyst and formerly had his own political television show. His political career at the state-level was relatively short and included a stint as lieutenant governor but it propelled him into the national scene. His time ended in a much better light than our
current lieutenant governor. Darr will be lucky to complete his term in office and will not be missed, except by the news media, if he is removed from office before his term expires.
Unfortunately for the State of Arkansas, the lieutenant governor has not done anything to enhance the image of politicians or the Republican Party. For me personally, his only redeeming qualification has been his wisdom of hiring Ken Hatfield as a spokesman in commercials for his pizza store. His use of the Arkansas State Police as a chauffeur so he could talk on his cell phone makes about as much logic as his use of campaign contributions to buy personal items. Who can trust those decisions in a future political office?
How we select our political leaders continues to be a challenge and the person on the street is still at the mercy of the people who make big political campaign contributions. That does not bode well for the people who expect more from a candidate than just being a pawn at the mercy of big money. Our current president s popularity polls also deal with the trust/honesty factors, which are not very high right now. Our illustrious lieutenant governor probably would fit somewhere in the same percentages if we polled Arkansas.
Maybe 2014 will reveal new ethical candidates as we move into a new campaign cycle. Happy New Year!
••• Editor’s note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. He is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at prtnews@nwaonline.com.