There is one gubernatorial race coming up in this country which is definitional and revelatory and that is the race between Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Chris Jones for the governorship of Arkansas. Arkansas is deep red and it is expected that she will win. That is very probable.
It is also immensely sad, because if you listen to the two candidates side by side, as you will right now, you will see that one of them, Sanders, is as negative as she can be. Candidate Jones, on the other hand, is uplifting.
The Sanders clip is from this weekend’s Trump rally in Florida. I don’t know what world Sanders is describing here or what race of people. It sounds more like she’s a character in an Outer Limits episode talking about a malevolent race of invaders who “rip up children” and “don’t [want children] to exist” than the Democratic party, but this is becoming the new normal. The GOP is so utterly lacking for a platform that the only way they can function is to level increasingly bizarre accusations at the opposition and hope that it sticks.
AR Gov candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave a riveting, incomprehensible speech of platitudes this morning. Democrats “no longer believe in the American dream,” and want to “rip up” kids “so they don’t exist.” pic.twitter.com/Qo1pOawxuc
— Ron Filipkowski ?? (@RonFilipkowski) March 19, 2022
I don’t even want to know examples of the “ripping up” process. I think it’s better to just let her rant and get it out of her system and then move on.
Now here is the candidate that Arkansas should move on to. This man is worth listening to.
My family has been in this state for 7 generations. If there's one thing that's clear: Arkansas deserves better than division and discord.
I'm running for governor to build opportunity for all of us. #weARone #FaithInAR pic.twitter.com/XR0WyLOJwx
— Chris Jones (@JonesForAR) June 15, 2021
Is that not a feel good pitch? Do you not feel enlivened and motivated and better than you did two and a half minutes ago? Pastor Chris Jones is a leader. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not. She’s a holdover from the political stone age. She’s a remnant of white privilege in the south. She has no ideas and no platform. She’s running on the family name and fear is what she has to offer.
It’s said that there are only two basic emotions in the universe, fear and love and I think it’s pretty clear which candidate represents which.
Nevertheless, the world we live in is so skewed that Pastor Jones is the underdog.
Maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.
Chris Jones represents the New South, the rising of people who have literally overcome shackles and moved on to success. If you had spent your entire life at the North Pole or somewhere far flung and never heard any political speeches and then landed in Arkansas and listened to these two, there is no question who you would vote for. You would vote for the sane person, making sense and talking about progress, not for the obviously disturbed individual making dark accusations.
It would be incredible if Jones could beat Sanders. I’m not holding my breath, but I’m certainly keeping one eye firmly planted on this race to see how it goes.
The difference is like night and day. I think I figured out what she means about ripping children apart-she’s talking about abortion. The prospect of her being elected is so depressing.