Monday, December 12, 2005

Whisper Campaign False: Holt to Stay in GOP



Another false whisper campaign about Senator Jim Holt is making the rounds. This time he answers back....

Click "comments" below for article.

39 Comments:

Blogger Debbie Pelley said...

Debbie Pelley said...
Whisper Campaign False: Holt Not Bolting From GOP

In case you didn’t know him, State Senator Jim Holt has been a Republican Candidate in six election campaigns in the last six years. He won five of those races, losing only to incumbent U. S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, who was able to outspend him an incredible 40-1. Even in that race he shocked the pundits with his vote totals- receiving more votes than Governor Mike Huckabee, did in his winning efforts. Prior to and during this period, Holt worked in numerous Republican campaigns, including those of Fay Boozman, Cecile Bledsoe, George W. Bush, Jim Bob Duggar, John Boozman, Tim Hutchinson, Vernon Humphries, and Marvin Parks.

He has supported numerous county committees and attended over a hundred Lincoln Day Dinners and fundraisers. In addition, he worked tirelessly to get the GOP-backed marriage amendment on the ballot. He could fairly be described as a rising star in the party. After all that, you might think his Republican credentials are beyond question. In Holt’s mind they are; which is why he has found amusing a whisper campaign floating the rumor that he is bolting from the Republican Party to the upstart Constitution Party.

“The rumors are laughable. First the whisper campaign was I wasn’t running for Lieutenant Governor, even though I made my intentions known right after the 2004 elections and announced on March 12th, 2005. I have no intention whatsoever of leaving the Republican Party.” Holt said, “What makes me a Republican is our conservative values and those values must be the center of all that we do. My Republican roots, and loyalties, run very deep.” While acknowledging he has friends and supporters in other parties, Holt respectfully disagrees with them about the best way to advance conservative ideals, “I have some friends and supporters who are conservative Democrats who think they can best advance conservative ideals in the Democratic Party. I respectfully disagree. I have some friends and supporters in the Constitution Party who think that it is the best vehicle to advance conservative ideals. I respectfully disagree. It is clear to me that I am in the right place to do that in the Republican Party.”

So, the rumors of Holt switching are false, but what about the fact that his Campaign Director in that U.S. Senate race, Jason Sheppard, is now the chairman of the state Constitution Party? “Jason Sheppard worked fulltime for a most of a year without pay.” Holt said, “Jason is a very capable man. He has an engineering degree and could have made $50,000 that year instead of working to serve a Republican candidate for free. And he did a terrific job. Should I have refused his offer of help because he was a member of another party? Would the Republican Party have been better off if Jason Sheppard decided to devote a eight months fulltime to advancing another party instead of helping a Republican candidate? I say no. That is narrow thinking. Let’s use wisdom. If we get into this mindset that we should only accept help from those that are in the Republican Party then we are going to lose. I have people that are members of the Democrat and Libertarian parties working for our campaign as well. If we reach out we can win.”

Sheppard’s account backs up Holt. “One of the few things Jim and I disagreed on was which tactic was the best way to reform our government. He believes it's within the Republican Party, and I believe reform would ultimately come faster in bypassing intra-party opposition." So why would Sheppard work in a Republican campaign? He explains that "I didn't view it so much as Their-party-versus-Our-party. We really are principle above politics, and here was a sound candidate who needed the help. And he is such a great human being." Sheppard feels that, in hindsight, it was a good decision. "I think that the conservative cause was furthered, no matter what party labels were involved." he said.

Holt’s current campaign director, Mark Moore, is also from the Constitution Party. Moore claims he is not trying to recruit Holt to switch. “Frankly, a CP candidate, if they could even get on the ballot, would lose a statewide race. Jim Holt is a friend of mine. So is Bobye Holt. I love their children. I am not going to do anything to hurt him. For me this transcends political parties. It is about friendship. And it is about the country. Jim is one of those rare ones who can resist institutional pressure. It does not matter what label he has. He will do the right thing regardless. “

Moore also noted that other Republicans had reached out to members of other parties. “Governor Huckabee has endorsed and given to Democrats. Jim is not giving help to people in another party; he is getting help from them. It’s not a sign of betrayal to help someone else, and especially not to get help from someone else. I think both men are loyal to their party.” Moore surmised.

Moore also noted that when Republican State Senator Dave Bisbee had a chance to be elected President Pro Tem of the Senate, at least half of the Republican senators struck a deal with the largest Democratic faction to vote for a Democrat. Holt was one of the few Republican Senators to stick with the Republican Bisbee. “I don’t get how anyone could question Jim’s loyalty to the GOP with a straight face.” Moore said.

But didn’t Jim Holt speak at a Constitution Party event in 2003? “Yes, and I would speak to a Democrat group as well.” Holt said, “I speak with lots of other groups that are outside that 35% traditional Republican universe. Reaching out is the right thing to do. We can’t always preach to the choir, we must take our American ideals to the people regardless of party. We have the truth and we must share that truth with every person. I am trying to serve as Lt. Governor and keep that office in Republican hands.” Holt said that his 2003 speaking engagement was just before he became a state-wide figure. “Right now, I am struggling to attend all of the Republican functions I have been invited to speak to. It was not that way in 2003.”

What about SB1112, the “equal ballot access act”, sponsored by Holt? The bill was blocked in committee. Wouldn’t that bill have made it easier for third parties to get on the ballot? “Federal courts have ruled since 1996 that our ballot access laws are unconstitutional.” Holt said. “This is a slam-dunk. When someone takes us to court on this, we are going to lose. It is wrong to have two standards for ballot access (one for independents and a much steeper one for new parties). The average citizen knows that is unfair.”

But if another party gets on the ballot, couldn’t it hurt the GOP? “Or it could help the GOP.” Holt countered, “Or it might not make much difference.” Even if the requirements for ballot access had always been where SB1112 tried to set them, only one new party would have made it to the ballot in one election since the current ballot access laws were passed in 1977. That would be Ross Perot’s Reform Party, who the courts ordered put on the ballot anyway.

Holt said, “I’m an analyst by training. A new party is not the true threat. A bigger threat is that a growing proportion of the population is losing confidence that we are a just and fair people. I don’t just mean they are losing faith in Republicans. I mean they are losing faith in everyone in government. They expect us to behave in a manner that protects our party’s own interests rather than protecting the rights of the people. I say, let’s prove they are wrong about the Republican Party of Arkansas. We are magnanimous”

“If we let go of our own narrow interests and focus on being just and fair to everyone, in the end the party will be better served too. It is as simple, and as hard, as doing what you know is right even if you can’t see how it would immediately benefit you. It is a scriptural principle, if you hold on to your life you will lose it, when you let go, that is when you truly find it.”

Jim’s campaign website is www.jimholt.us .

10:16 AM, December 12, 2005  
Blogger Mark Moore (Moderator) said...

The previous thread was getting so long it was a hassle to scroll up to the top of the article. Let's continue the discussion here. If you want to see the old comments, go back to AW and scroll down a few posts.

10:24 AM, December 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Could anyone explain this vote by Senator Jim Holt HB2653?

6:41 AM


Anonymous said...
anon 6:41am

Which bill is HB2653 and what did it do?

10:06 AM


Anonymous said...
more scholarship increases. was this the one everyone was so up in arms about

11:50 AM

11:50 AM, December 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

that was hb1525 that everyone was so up in arms about. Holt played a major role in stopping that one,

Who knows what that other bill was about....I don;t think it was from the last session even....it is "off topic" for this thread anyway.

12:04 PM, December 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It was a continuation from the other post. it was from this past session. it gave more scholarships out then there was before. I believe Matayo Voted for it.

12:22 PM, December 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about not deleting my comment? What I said was...I am sure that Holt will run as a Republican. What scares me, though, is that he will switch parties after he is elected, when it's too late for us to do anything about it.

4:02 PM, December 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why are we bickering about this petty crap when prisoners in our state get a better Christmas dinner than I do?

http://www.wfmy.com/watercooler/article.aspx?storyid=53576

I want my tax dollars back so I can buy me and my family a decent Christmas dinner...and perhaps a few decent presents! What the heck is going on these days!

It should be a law that Christmas meals be a slice of baloney and stale bread. Make the losers think twice about spending their next Christmas there.

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

6:31 PM, December 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

4:02- You guys are relentless, shameless, and ruthless. First the whisper campaigns that Holt was dropping out of the race, even after he repeatedly said he was not, now this. Then when he makes a clear and strong statement that he has NO INTENTION WHATSOEVER of leaving the GOP you STILL come on here and suggest he is lying. Shame on you. You will never meet a more honest man than Jim Holt.

I want honest men and women to take note of the type of people who anonoymously run down Holt- the character of his enemies testifies as to his virtue. We are not going abandon this man on account of a libelous smear campaign. The more the bad guys want him stop, the more sure we are that we need to get behind him!

Jim Holt for Lt. Governor!

8:17 PM, December 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Matayo didn't just vote for the proposal...it was Matayo's bill. Tell me SOMETHING that Holt has passed with his name on it...anything! And as far as him being a man of integrity and honesty...he of all people knows that is not true. A man of moral character wouldn't have treated Matayo the way he did. They were FRIENDS, for heaven's sake!

6:54 AM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Holt mistreat Matayo? I think you have it backwards. Jim has a well deserved reputation for running clean campaigns. Now that Matayo is in one we have months to go and it is ALREADY getting ugly. His people were on another blog running down Banks too.

This tearing down anyone who is above you in political stature is only going to lead to defeat in November. So what if he rules the ruins left by tearing down the men who have more voter support and name recognition? It still leaves ruins!

9:25 AM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Tax and spend governor.."

What about Jim's two tax votes? How do you explain that? As far as I know, Matayo's never voted for taxes. And...Holt may have a reputation among his friends for doing clean campaigns, but not among anyone who has ever run against him. Holt's going to lose this race, either in the primary or in the general, and then what is he going to do for a job?

9:35 AM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hde vote for the beer tax and the repeal of the workingmans tax credit.

a campaign of truth.

11:01 AM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jim Holt has consistently been rated by Eagle Forum as one of the top five legislators for his strong anti-tax votes. One year I think he was rated #1. The only tax he has ever voted for was a temporary beer tax that he later voted to repeal when they tried to make it permanent.

It is absurd spin to try to paint Holt has a tax-raiser.

A "campaign of truth" huh?

11:18 AM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Holt may have a reputation among his friends for doing clean campaigns, but not among anyone who has ever run against him."

Andy Lee ran against him and congratulated Jim Holt on a clean campaign- and if it had been otherwise Andy would have let us know. The general election campaign against Blanche Lincoln was done in front of the whole state and we all saw with our own eyes that it was a clean campaign.

There may be some sore losers out there, but your statement is clearly false. There is a small cabal out there who are intensely dedicated to spreading false information to try to destroy Jim Holt.

God help us if they succeed. Decent people everywhere should unite against this lie-spewing attack machine.

11:26 AM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Holt voted to repeal a $24 million tax credit for the working poor. If you don't want to believe it, look it up. It's public record.

12:07 PM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is hypothetical since no one has shown us any votes yet: Was it a "tax credit" that gave them more money back than they put in?

If so, that is not a "tax credit", it is a "welfare payment". If they get "credited" with more than they put in, then the only place they could get that money was from OTHER TAXPAYERS.

If so: That is not a vote for a tax increase, that is a vote against welfare payments falsely portrayed as a tax break.

12:40 PM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

He voted for SB776 of 2003

2:17 PM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice spin 12:40. Look it up.

2:37 PM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That vote was not a "clerical error" as you say. His vote was counted as a yes vote because he did not show up to vote yet again that day. He admitted as much to the Dem. Gaz. last week. Those are the rules of the Senate, sir. If you don't bother to show up, your vote counts as a yes in a roll-call vote. It's very simple. You would think Holt might think a tax increase that large would be important enough to vote on. But because he didn't, his vote counts as a yes permanently...the same rules apply for everyone. You don't get to change the rules just because you don't like the outcome.

7:41 PM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And futthermore, why did he even support a beer tax when he stated that he would never support a tax?

7:42 PM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I DON'T believe those are the rules of the Senate. It does not make any sense. A roll call vote, when a person is absent, should be marked as "not present".

Much more likely is that there was a VOICE VOTE and the new clerk mistakenly marked it as a ROLL CALL vote claiming that each individual had voted for it.

Nor do I believe Holt was "gone that day". No one could withstand the absurd level of scrutiny you people are spending on Holt- except maybe Holt! Your accusations against Jim Holt continue to increase in volume, shrillness, and dubiousness.

8:04 PM, December 13, 2005  
Blogger Mark Moore (Moderator) said...

I don't believe your claim that Jim Holt said he would never vote for a tax. He would not tie his hands like that. On the other hand, he has a great record of opposing tax increases.

Your claims have been shown to be false throughout this thread, but no sooner is one attack refuted than you launch another. What kind of person are you?

9:21 PM, December 13, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mark Moore Said

"Your claims have been shown to be false throughout this thread"

that is not true People showed Holt voted for SB776. So he was not their is not excuse he knows the rules If you are not there your vote counts as a yes

6:15 AM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This argument is getting no where. Some people will support Jim Holt no matter what. They will always defend him, no matter how he messes up. If they really cared about Jim Holt, they would want him to keep his job in politics. They would encourage him to stay in the state senate, or to run for an office that he could actually win. After he loses the primary, his political career is over. That is a plus for the rest of us. No one will vote for a man that has lost 2 major elections in a row.

6:45 AM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Call the Senate and ask for the rules. It's that simple. And if you don't believe he wasn't there, call him and ask him...that's what he told the Dem. Gaz. last week. Read the article. Everthing you're arguing about is easily resoloved. Maybe you just don't want to know the facts...

6:50 AM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

First of all Mr. Toast, please don't write about things you don't know about. You said I was caught in another misstatement, which is impossible because it's the first time I've ever written anything on this blog. You have no right to be such a jerk. You are the one who isn't doing what is asked of you by looking things up. It's obvious that you know nothing about what you are writing about. You just made yourself look like an idiot and that will get you nowhere. Have a nice day.

8:14 AM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you would take the time to look it up, you would realize it is the truth and that worries you. You can call it mudslinging and ficticious because you don't know any better. It is absolutely up to you to check your facts. The person that brought the facts to the table has already done their checking. You are an adult. You should always check the facts and not just go by what you hear. That's why it's public record.

And to Jason, God blesses other people too. Doug Matayo is a man of God and you cannot question that. I'm sure that Chuck Banks is also a man of God. Please quit trying to imply that God is on Jim's side. God loves Doug and Chuck just as much and I can't speak for Chuck because I don't know him, but Doug Matayo loves God with all his heart.

11:07 AM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Beer Tax and SB776 of 2003 are the two taxes he voted for

2:08 PM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

REPEALS THE FEDERAL SOCIAL SECURITY (OASDI) TAX CREDIT

That is the other vote besides the beer tax Jason Sheppard (aka Mr Toast)

2:17 PM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The article was written Sunday Dec. 3 by Michael Wickline--Dem. Gaz. It's not that hard to look it up. But I'm sure you'll claim the parts you like and discount the rest as just a left-wing media conspiracy, though.

5:40 PM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Followers, todays message is brought to you by the flavor cherry (Kool-Aid).

5:49 PM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I looked it up (Sunday, December 4th):

"[Holt] said he was incorrectly recorded as voting for the working taxpayer credit repealer, though he was out of the Senate Chamber at the time.
He said he put a letter in the Senate's journal that he should have been counted as voting against the measure."

Looks like you were wrong. Holt was there that day.

7:44 PM, December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If he was out of the Senate Chamber for the vote, then he was not there. When you're not there for a roll-call vote, your vote counts as a yes. Every senator know the rules, or should do any kind of homework, and you don't get to change the rules just because you don't like the outcome.

A tax that big was worth voting on.

4:43 AM, December 15, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just read something very interesting over on www.nwapolitics.com. Go read the artile that's called "Over at Arkfam Blog - Holt debate heats up". Then let's talk about Jim Holt and his character. I wish they would post this article on this site also.

5:59 PM, December 15, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow. I don't really know what to think about that.

9:26 PM, December 16, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Some of you must be really miserable people and have a boring life to not be able to do something more worthwhile with your time than to bash good people. Quite amazing. If this is the mentality level of many of the voters in this state, may God help us all because we are in serious trouble. Our future is in trouble, our kids are in trouble, our families and our nation is in trouble.

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