Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Oliver blasts Hutchinson, Huckabee

Ron Oliver, chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party, had little good to say about the GOP.

Oliver, who was in the area recently, lambasted Sen. Tim Hutchinson and Gov. Mike Huckabee, but was surprisingly silent about Pres. George W. Bush.

"One of the duties of the state chairman," he said, "is to bash the Republicans."

Hutchinson was first on his list to be attacked. "I was dismayed to see Hutchinson get a free ride for his action," Oliver said.

When Hutchinson ran for office, he ran on a platform of family values. However, at the time he was having an affair with one of his aides, has since divorced his wife and remarried.

"His hypocrisy is only overshadowed by his voting record."

According to Oliver, Hutchinson has voted to abolish the school lunch program, voted against prescription drug bills for senior citizens and weekend overtime pay.

When it came Huckabee's turn, Oliver said the 2002 gubernatorial election will be about two things  perception and judgement.

"Perception is our," he said. "We've (the Democratic party) perceived him as being invincible, but the polls show this is not the case. Even some of his supporters have doubts."

The judgement, though, is Huckabee's, Oliver said.

Huckabee claimed to be proud to be a member of freerepublic.com, even played his guitar for them at a party.

This organization, Oliver said, ran a story on its website saying it wished Sen. Hillary Clinton would run over her daughter, Chelsea.

Huckabee also found Don Imus to be "spiritual," he said, and called Arkansas a "banana republic.

Huckabee also bragged how the state's new payroll and child support computer system would be a model for the rest of the nation, Oliver said.

This same system failed to pay several state employees, and caused delays in child support payments, though the funds were in the proper accounts.

The governor, he continued, also supported the bed tax for nursing homes and was proud to have two convicted murderers working at the governor's mansion.

One of these convicts killed a minister, while the other murdered an old man "just for kicks," Oliver said.

Huckabee also commuted the sentence of a man who's stepmother was on the Department of Corrections staff  Wayne Dumond.

According to Oliver, Huckabee thought Dumond was innocent and said so publicly.

"Two women are dead in Missouri because that psycho wasn't where he belonged," he said.

"No Republican can get elected in Arkansas just on GOP or Independent votes. Only if Democrats stray from the field, can they win.

"It's time to bring our people home."

Democrats, he said, need to join him during the next 16 months talking to others and letting them know what the party stands for.

"Democrats are people of faith and patriotic. The kind of people who built America. We need to tell people Democrats share their vision and values."

The party, he said, has turned the other cheek enough and hasn't been taking up for itself.

He urged Democrats across the state to band together for the upcoming election season next year and make a clean sweep on the state and federal level.

Arkansas Attorney General Mark Pryor is running against Hutchinson for a spot in the U.S. Senate, while several potential candidates are considering a run against Huckabee for the governor's office.

By sticking together, Oliver said, and voting for Democrat candidates, these people will win in November, 2002.