Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ governor election campaign relies on buzzwords, the Huckabee name and her ties to the Trump administration. Some of my many issues with Huckabee are with the way she chooses to campaign.
Sanders ran a political ad on her Twitter page on March 9 portraying one of her children telling on their sibling for watching CNN. Sanders replies, “Oh absolutely not!” The problem with this ad and her other methods of campaigning is they leave me with so many questions. This part of the ad didn’t tell me any of her plans for Arkansas, just her disdain for a news outlet. What does Sarah Huckabee Sanders even stand for locally?
Her current mantra of “Biden bad. Cancel culture bad. Radical leftists bad.” seems to do enough to convince most Arkansans that she is ready to lead the state. But regardless of her long political resume, what does any of this mean for the people of Arkansas? This makes me worried about the direction of our state.
I searched for her stances on local policies but I found few and far between. (Don’t worry, her official campaign website doesn’t list her policies or beliefs either. Just a lot of merchandise.) I was able to hunt down a Twitter thread from over a year ago on her main goals for Arkansas.
“I will champion good schools and good teachers, but also offer more choices to parents of kids in failing schools. Every child must have an opportunity of quality education.” Sanders loves to stand up for education, something I too am passionate about. Arkansas is ranked 41 out of 50 states in education and has underperformed in standardized testing, especially when it comes to math. Arkansas needs improvement in education, including higher ed.
The way I interpret this tweet is: you can move your kid to a school you think is better. Sure, let parents pick their children out of “failing schools” instead of helping the schools. What happens to the students that are not privileged enough to just leave their school or commute to a better school? Do they not matter? Aren’t they also worthy of quality education? How are we going to get failing schools back on their feet?
Sanders also tweeted on March 11 that she will ensure Arkansas will become a law-and-order state. As of last year, Arkansas is ranked 5 out of 50 states for mass incarceration. Arkansas has an incarceration rate of 942 per 100,000 people. I think that Arkansas should let go of their non-violent drug offenders and focus on some prison reform.
Speaking of prisons, Arkansas received a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to coronavirus in prisons. Sanders opposes vaccination or masking mandates. Arkansas as of March 15 has lost 10,971 Arkansans due to COVID-19 deaths.
“I took on the media, the radical left and their canceled culture, and I won.” Sanders said. “As governor, I will be your voice and never let them silence you.”
But if I recall, Sanders stepped down as White House Press Secretary for the Trump administration. Towards the end of that job, Sanders went over 90 days without any routine and formal press briefings. I’m not sure I would consider this winning against “cancel culture”.
I dont think Sanders is dumb by any means. I think she knows exactly what words to use to make sure to hoover up as many votes as she can, like the clear fear-mongering in “Everything we love about America is at stake,” the overuse of the phrase “radical leftists” and even simply the Huckabee name. Sanders knows she will win and won’t have to take a stance on real issues taking place in the state of Arkansas.
Arkansas’ general election for governor is on Nov. 8. The primary is scheduled for May 24, with the runoff scheduled for June 21. I encourage you to ask yourself what you want to see in Arkansas. Where are changes needed in our state? Make your decision on someone who actually has a localized plan, and go vote.
Categories: Opinion
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