The defeat of Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter by Senator Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas yesterday is disillusioning to liberals and progressives, but also an important statement about the Democratic Party nationally!
While labor unions and progressive organizations such as Moveon.org spent a lot of money trying to defeat Lincoln as too conservative, her narrow victory leads to two conclusions!
First, since Arkansas is basically more conservative than much of the nation, Lincoln has a better chance of defeating her Republican challenger for the seat, Congressman John Boozman. It will not be easy, so under the circumstances, her seniority and experience and the fact that no one considers her a liberal, should help her.
Secondly, the nomination of Lincoln demonstrates that the Democratic Party is one that has a “big tent”, and can contain within itself liberals, moderates, and even some conservatives. That is more than the Republican Party can claim, as it becomes more right wing and extremist by the day! š