Brummett: Obama a problem for Arkansas Democrats
by January 16, 2012 5:32 pm 63 views
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette political columnist John Brummett was our guest on this week’s edition of Talk Business to discuss national and state politics.
Brummett contends that Obama will be beaten badly in the November election in Arkansas. However, Brummett argued Romney is the only GOP candidate that could mount a successful challenge nationally to topple the incumbent Democratic President.
“I think Barack Obama could only lose to one of these candidates and that is Mitt Romney. I find him to be the only serious political talent in the Republican field,” Brummett said.
Brummett also said that Obama’s unpopularity in Arkansas has had major repercussions for Arkansas Democrats.
“I would say it’s an understatement to say state Democrats have problems of their own with Barack Obama. I think he’s going to get 35% of the vote,” said Brummett. “what I hear is a lot of Democrats saying, I’d run for Congress in the Fourth District or I’d run against Tim Griffin except Obama’s dragging the Democrats down. … That is a real problem for state Democrats right now.”
However, Brummett noted that Republicans have an enthusiasm gap of their own. Romney is not going to inspire strong turnout in Arkansas for down-ballot races, he suggests.
“Conversely, there is not a great deal of conservative Republican support in Arkansas for Romney,” he said. “I think most of the passion is to the right of Romney.”
Link here for more Brummett thoughts on Arkansas politics, including what to expect from a partisan perspective in the upcoming fiscal legislative session.