This just in. In Mike Allen's (that smarmy guy who appears on "Morning Joe" to read his daily "Playbook" and is also the son of John Birch Society member, George Wallace speech writer, and right-wing conspiracy theorist Gary Allen*) Playbook for today, he bears news from some "Top Arkansan sources" that anticipate a loss for Blanche Lincoln in the primary runoff to held today against Lt. Governor Bill Halter.
More below the fold.
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*Note: This statement about Mike Allen's father is a fun fact and doesn't reflect on Mike Allen himself, although I still find him smarmy.
From POLITICO:
Top Arkansas sources tell us the state’s political establishment expects Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) to LOSE her primary runoff tonight by at least 5 points -- and perhaps 7 to 10, since insurgents have been outperforming their polls this year. That’ll make her the fifth incumbent member of Congress to get fired even before November. She’ll be the third senator (after Bennett of Utah and Specter of Pennsylvania), making the most primary-season defeats for senators since 1980, when four went down. (hat tip: Howard Mortman) Two House incumbents also have lost: Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) and Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.), who switched D. In another time, Lincoln’s seat on the Agriculture Committee would have served as an insurance policy with voters in the rural state. Now, anything about Washington is bad. For once, the media aren’t exaggerating: It’ll be an ugly November for insiders.
Don't let the stuff about anti-incumbency confuse you from the real reason Blanche Lincoln is poised to lose. Lincoln became hated after being the one to hold up the health care debate in the Senate until the last minute and was a pain in the ass about it since early September. Unlike her colleague, Mark Pryor, she thought trying to look like some force to be reckoned with would earn her support, but instead it pissed people off. Even as Chairman of the Ag Committee, she can't get any respect. As a known and disliked product in her state, she doesn't stand a chance against Republican John Boozman. Halter, however, does since he is an insurgent candidate with low unfavorables.
Although some little part of me feels empathetic towards her, most of me is happy. She has constantly advocated for doing away with the estate tax and other things to benefit the corporations. Finally, despite her incumbency, she has yet to prove her electability. Even with Bill Clinton at her side, she can't inspire anyone.
Anyway, if you or anyone you know is eligible to vote in Arkansas, go to this site to find your voting location and/or spread the word about the runoff today. You can also volunteer to GOTV HERE. The polls are open from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM Central Time. VOTE!