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Empty tanks for Obama? Wednesday, Jun 11, 2008 By David Sanders By all appearances it was a moment of rare candor. U.S. Rep. Marion Berry responded to a reporter's question last Wednesday when asked if he would support Barack Obama's candidacy with "enthusiasm." Berry, a longtime Clintonite and 1st District congressman, indicated Obama might be a strong candidate in some places. The inference: he wouldn't be strong in Arkansas. He added he'd support the Democratic nominee, but at the same time admitted his enthusiasm had been "drained to the bottom of the tank." Those sentiments are shared by many Arkansas Democrats, although most aren't poised to make such open expressions. The 2008 election was supposed to be so much more, not only for Sen. Hillary Clinton, but for the state she once called home. There were numerous factors propelling her candidacy in Arkansas. Some viewed it as a mechanism to give her husband a third term and less about electing her to her first. But for those who enjoyed the accoutrements that came with having an Arkansan in the White House during the 1990s, they had looked forward to Jan. 20, 2009, with great anticipation. Yet there were others, who, bolstered by their party's historical gains here two years ago, spoke openly about how a Democratic ticket led by Sen. Clinton could help write the final chapter for Arkansas Republicanism, which only 10 years earlier had been poised to unseat the Democratic Party as the state's majority party. A Hillary general election candidacy would have rendered the state a battleground that she would have been favored to win, in part because of her husband. Last spring, The New York Times reported that Bill Clinton had made it his personal mission to deliver Arkansas' six electoral votes to his wife. For all his egregious missteps during the campaign, he would have been useful, having won here in 1992 and then four years later by capturing 53 percent of the vote. Kerry and Gore, of course, lost here, and Dukakis, Mondale and President Carter all fell to their Republican opponents. Beyond the nostalgia for some, or potential direct benefits for others, Hillary excited Arkansas Democrats because of what she wouldn't do in a general election - lose to a Republican. In recent years, state party leaders have encouraged candidates to adopt a more conciliatory tone on cultural and social issues. They've come far. It is now acceptable for Democrats to highlight pro-life-like positions on abortion while also toting their shotguns, hugging their preachers and reading their Bibles in campaign commercials - not at the same time, of course. It's not that Sen. Clinton is now the standard bearer for the Moral Majority, but had she become the nominee, her personal familiarity and long-standing associations with the state would have been the primary motivating factor for garnering votes. Despite being pervasive, her liberalism, if not forgiven altogether, would have been casually excused ? alarmingly so - out of deference for her enduring Arkansas ties. Such is not the case with Obama, who is unmistakably a cultural and social liberal. In fact, some fear, win or lose the presidency, he could help turn back the clock on Democrats making the party susceptible to the very cultural attacks they had worked so hard to insulate themselves against. So, instead of burying Republicans in the 2008 contest, candidate Obama could help breathe life into the local party of Lincoln, which has struggled to rebuild. Over the weekend, the entire slate of major Democratic officeholders, both state and federal, including Berry, followed Sen. Clinton's lead in backing Obama. I suspect their enthusiasm will soon be put to the test. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
