I'll admit that my age is leaving me with less and less pulse on the affairs of this state. Nevertheless, my sense of things is that there is healthy skepticism of the Tea Party here. Some of their pronouncements have appeal to the pioneer mentality of the state, but being a state dependent on government largesse, particularly its sizeable minority needs, folks are skeptical of much overhauling of government programs when you get right down to the meat of it.
I don't see or hear the anti-govt. rhetoric here. We aren't heavily taxed and the state must maintain a balanced budget by law. So that eliminates some of the typical grievances.
I'll be interested in the outcome, partly to see if my instincts are on base or not.
OTOH, there is growing resentment here over the destruction of the largest public school district in the state--Pulaski County. The blame is put squarely on minorities, primarily blacks. Along with that is growing anger at black culture in general and despair wondering what will it take. I'm hearing comments from the nicest people I know that are shocking.
I have black friends in Little Rock, grandparents like me, who are desparate to get their grandchildren out of the public schools. They paid up to move their daughter and two grandchildren out of a bad part of town but don't have the wherewithal to finance the private academies. On waiting lists for the church schools and charter schools. We have a black property manager in Little Rock, who with his school teacher wife, are also as frustrated as white people with what they call the 'thug culture'.
There's growing racism in this state, but it's based on disappointments and bad experiences. But as I pointed out in the preceding paragraph, the lines of it are blurred. It's a dangerous trend and people can't be shamed out of the way they feel like they once could. This is the one thing that might affect the vote, imo, although you will never see it talked about, of course. |
