The Tolbert Report

The Tolbert Report is teaming up with Rock City Outfitters to give away a free T-Shirt. Come on you fiscal conservatives, you know you love free stuff as much as me.

The contest is simple. Guess the number of total U.S. Senate candidate (by party) to file in Arkansas and the closest guess wins. The tie breaker question will be the total number of Congressional Candidates (by district and party.) If it is still tied (which I would doubt) the first one with the correct answer wins. Make sure you enter a real email when you register and comment so that I can contact you to tell you that you won.

1. How many candidates will end up filing for U.S. Senate? Please list this by party – Republican, Democrat, Third Party (you can exclude Independent as they file by petitions due in May.)
2.  How many candidates will end up filing for U.S. Congress? Please list this by party (same as above) and also by district.

The winner will be announced after filing closes. Good luck!

UPDATE – Filing closes at noon and so does the contest.  Since only one person guessed, you still have a good chance to win.  To make it simplier, guess the number of Senate candidates to file by party.  Closest one wins.  First one to guess it wins in the case of a tie.

Gilbert Baker is taking his campaign for U.S. Senate to the internet with targeted ad buys on sites such as the Drudge Report.  Targeted internet ads buys are a great way to reach voters especially in a primary.

Am I biased? Absolutely!  Want to target primary voters in Arkansas? Let me know if you are interested in buying some ads to appear on the Tolbert Report.  And in the meantime, click on one of the fine sponsors who already have.

This Sunday on Talk Business, Roby Brock discussed Arkansas politics with your favorite Arkansas blogger (no, not Max Brantley you jerks, me.) We looked at the Republican Senate race and discussed whether frontrunner Rep. John Boozman can avoid a runoff and if Gilbert Baker or Jim Holt has the best chance to make the runoff with him. We also discussed the craziness of the three open Congressional races and how it will shake out as well as the boring fiscal session.

Watch it. Discuss it. And of course, tell me how great I am.

I often disagree with Max Brantley but never more so than today! He cites a poll today that purports to show that Republicans are Colts fans and Democrats are Saints fans. Poppycock!

My family at least plans to join in with Who Dat Nation this Sunday in cheering on the Saints. I admit to being late to the party. My parents moved to New Orleans about three years ago and have converted me into a Saints/Cowboys fan. I actually got to go to my first Saints game this past December in which they blew it at the end to the Bucks.

Anyway, for the record on this issue, there is bipartisan Arkansas blogosphere support for the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. If you don’t believe me, come out to Lugi’s in Bryant where I will be cheering them on with my college buddy Mark Darr who is running for Lieutenant Governor.

Who Dat!

Blogging will be light the rest of the week, unless it is not.  In the meantime, check twitter for updates and post your comments below.

Lately as my blog has become a bit more popular I have begun to receive unsolicited advice from different politicos and readers. I certainly appreciate constructive feedback and will be the first to admit that I have a lot to learn about writing, about politics, and about life in general. But I want to offer one warning on some of the criticism on my editorial choice of what I write about and when I post things.

I am an accountant by trade. That is how I pay the bills. If you have a great tip, please shoot me an email or give me a call if you have my number but do not write to offer your two sense about what a lousy no good some thingy something I am for not attending your event or posting about some poll you think I should have posted on.

I am earning a living folks just like most of you. This blogging thing comes second (acutally more like fifth.) Please respect that. Thanks.

I am announcing today some new policies on my comments section.  I have always tried to keep the comments open but lately moderating them has not been enjoyable.  Because of this, I am putting the following policies in place.

1. You must register in order to comment.  This means you will be required to provide your name and email.  Once registered, you will be able to log in and comment with the user name you have chosen.
2. Comments must be on topic. Keep the discussion about the topic of the blog post.
3. No personal attacks or threats.  I will be a bit more permitting with criticism of actual candidates or elected officials who put themselves in the public light but if your comment is something I would be uncomfortable writing in the main post, then I will not allow it in the comments.
4. No foul language.  This should go without saying but this is a G rated blog. Don’t use language you would not want my five year old son to read on the internet.
5. In addition, I reserve the right at my sole discretion to allow or delete anyone’s comment.  I will try to keep it fair but if I feel like you are being rude, I will now delete your comment.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln just released her public schedule for next week where she will be traveling Arkansas to talk with constituents. I wonder if health care reform will come up.

Full schedule on the jump but I could not help but notice the Gillett Coon Supper on Friday, January 8. This is an Arkansas tradition that I have yet to experience. Last year my own State Sen. Shane Broadway promised to take me to Gillett for the full experience. I have a message over to him to see if his offer is still on for next week. If so, get ready for a full Tolbert Report on the ritual.

UPDATE - Still working out the details but it looks like it is on for me to make the pilgrimage to Gillett.  Sen. Broadway says the offer is still good.  I can’t wait to taste my first coon.

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If you having been paying attention to the Senate health care debate over the passed few days, you will get why this video is both relevant and funny.

h/t liberal blog Daily Kos whom I disagree with but must concede they have a point.

John Brummett has gotten jiggy with the blogging lately with an interesting post yesterday on the lack of pork Sen. Blanche Lincoln brought home in the health care bill. He looks at whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indirectly threw Lincoln under the bus with his compliments to the skills of Sen. Mary Landrieu and Sen. Ben Nelson to negotiate some pork for their home states while saying if swing vote Senators did not get these deals, “it does not speak well for them.” But Brummett really focuses more about the hypocritical Republican response to the lack of pork asking, “How can the Republicans criticize the deal-making on one hand and then trash a senator who didn’t make a deal on the other?”

I actually agree with Brummett on this one. I obviously am no fan of the health care bill but a few million dollars for Arkansas would not have changed my mind. I am certainly not thrilled about my taxes going up to pay for the pork Sen. Nelson brought home for Nebraska.

But even more interesting though is the epilogue to Brummett’s post where Sen. Reid himself called Brummett to clarify what an important role Lincoln has played in the health care debate and how she put the interest of the country first instead of just Arkansans. She also looked out for Wal-Mart, Reid tells Brummett.

It seems to me that if an incumbent Senator up for reelection next year hurriedly implores the Majority Leader to call an columnist back home about a blog post he has written, then that Senator is highly concerned on her reelection campaign.

Brummett follows up his blog post with a column today on what a genius Lincoln is for the way she played the health care debate down the middle. As I said in my column on Sunday for the Arkansas News Bureau, this looks a bit more like professional wrestling to me.

UPDATE - No sooner did I hit post, then I get an press release from the National Republican Senatorial Committee on this very subject.

“With all due respect, let’s get this straight: After providing her critical 60th vote to move Harry Reid’s bill forward, Blanche Lincoln announces she is planning to vote on final passage in favor of a costly and contentious bill that provides unequal special favors to people living in other states – special favors that will be paid for by families and seniors in Arkansas,”  said NRSC Press Secretary Amber Wilkerson Marchand. “Then, when concerns are raised, she calls in and seeks protection from the very party leader who is responsible for cutting these backroom deals at Arkansas’ expense in the first place. That is remarkable.”