Mike Ross to announce bid for Gov. in Texarkana

Former Congressman Mike Ross will announce his bid for Arkansas Governor at 9:30 am, Wednesday, April 17 at TAC Air. Everyone is invited to attend.

THANK YOU REP. PRISSY HICKERSON

As Democrats, we give credit where credit is due. THANK YOU to Rep. Prissy Hickerson, R-Texarkana for crossing the aisle once again in the Arkansas House to vote FOR the "Private Option" of the expansion of Medicaid,which provides medical insurance for hundreds of thousands of disabled, poor and children of Arkansas. Rep. Hickerson has compassion.
Her counterpart, Lane Jean, R-Magnolia, who represents all Miller County residents except those in Texarkana, all of Lafayette County and a sliver of folks in Columbia County again vote AGAINST the plan.
Yet again, Jean has shown that he is out of touch with not just Southwest Ark, but ALL of Arkansas.
When you live almost 2 hours away from Miller County and very rarely (count on one hand) visit Miller County, it's not hard to understand why he is OUT OF TOUCH.

Make Your Voice Heard!

Please call State Rep. Lane Jean to ask him to vote YEA tomorrow for the Private Option as part of the Medicaid Expansion in Arkansas. Today, he was in the minority that voted against it. Miller County deserves a representative who will stand up for its citizens! (501) 682-6211

In Memory of LuAnne Dean

Mrs. LuAnne Smith Dean, age 80, of Texarkana, Arkansas, died Friday, March 15, 2013, in a local hospital.

Mrs. Dean was born August 2, 1932, in Gretna, Louisiana, and had lived most of her life in Texarkana. She was a Homemaker and an avid politician. She was a member of the National, State, and Local Democratic Party, where she had served in many positions, including President of the local Democratic Committee. She was also a past member of the Domestic Violence Prevention where she had been President of the Board of Directors.

Mrs. Dean was on the Central Committee for more than 40 years and was instrumental in the election of many of today's elected officials. She was a colorful figure with a quick wit.

She will be missed greatly.


She was preceded in death by one granddaughter, Emily Franks.

Survivors include her husband, Sam Dean of Texarkana, Arkansas, one daughter and son-in-law, Tracey and Ben Franks of Simms, Texas, one son and daughter-in-law, E. H. and Lenny Rose Dean of Shreveport, Louisiana, three brothers, Bobby Smith of Victoria, Texas, Phil Smith and David Smith of Texarkana, Arkansas, one grandchild, two great-grandchildren, and special friend and caregiver, Kathleen Holybee.

Memorial Services and Visitation will be at 4:00 P.M. Thursday at the Texarkana Funeral Home Arkansas Chapel. Private burial will be at Rondo Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to: Domestic Violence Prevention, P. O. Box 712, Texarkana, AR/TX 75504.

President Clinton turns out to support Senator Mark Pryor

The Miller County Democratic Party turned out to support U. S. Senator Mark Pryor's bid for re-election in 2014 at a fundraising event in Little Rock highlighted by Former President Bill Clinton, Governor Mike Beebe and former Governor and Senator David Pryor.

Senator Mark Pryor understandably faces ongoing assault from the Republican party and "shell" organizations such as the conservative Club for Growth which have optimistic names cloaking hidden dangerous agendas.  Even without an announced Republican candidate, it is clear that the Republican party intends to focus much of it's energy (and money) on defeating Sen. Mark Pryor in an effort to win control of the Senate next year.

Using the charisma and common sense manner of speech that helped elect him as Arkansas Governor and propel him into two terms as President, President Clinton addressed the enthusiastic crowd at the State House Convention Center stating the following about Sen. Mark Pryor, "the reason this is a race of national sign is because it's about whether a senator who cares about his own people more than ideological purity can be financed, elected, lifted by the people he has served in the face of all these crazy currents that are taking America and tearing it to shreds".  If the million dollars raised that night and the electric current pulsing through the room are any indication, the Republican Party is going to find a formidable opponent in Senator Pryor and his voting record.

For more information on how to get involved in Senator Pryor's bid to maintain some balance for our party in the U. S. Senate contact his reelection office at 501-353-1116.

Get Involved...

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Today, more than ever, the political environment for us Democrats begs for involvement.  Feedback and brainstorming are strong factors in moving our organization and the core values that we perceive as valuable forward.  Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses in any organization leads to better achievement of our common goals.  

Each individual is vital to our party and the process is ongoing, not just limited to our election years.  The non election years can be a time of reflection and growth, allowing our party to make long range goals and strategic plans without the fury and frenzy of campaigning taking up the majority of time.  None of those items can be achieved without the involvement of Democrats on the county and state level.

In addition, there is comfort in sharing an intelligent conversation with like minded people to help combat some of the strong growing negativity we hear from the media and colleagues who do not share our same values. 

The local Miller County Democratic Committee is an EXCELLENT channel to help move our party forward.  Start local.  Email millercountydems@yahoo.com for more information on how you can become a vital part of moving the Arkansas Democratic Party forward.


And move to the State level by checking out the State Democratic Party website at the following link:  http://arkdems.org/

Legislative Update from Rep. Fonda Hawthorne

Our local organization received a much needed and valuable update from neighboring District 4 State Representative Fonda Hawthorne last night.  Rep. Hawthorne's freshman year in the Arkansas House has been particularly busy with a total of 2492 bills presented as of the close of the filing deadline.  Health Insurance Exchange, the Medicaid Expansion Plan, the Transportation Bill and Voter ID reform were among some of key issues Rep. Hawthorne highlighted for us last night.

We need your help and support focusing the attention of ALL of our State General Assembly members on these issues which  will have deep-reaching, long-term ramifications for EVERY Arkansas resident.  With the complexities involved in these key issues, expect bills to be introduced,  to go away, then be tweaked and resurface. Stay on top of our elected officials and voice your concerns and desires so that we may all have an input in these matters that will shape a broad spectrum of components in our state.  You can research the bills filed at the following link

Search Bills Filed

Of particular interest, is proposed Voter ID Reform which could severely impact the voting rights of our party members.  Be VOCAL in fighting for any reform which may infringe upon the constitutional rights of voters.  The ACLU has an article from 2012 when Voter ID Reform began to become a hot issue in various states which explains how many types of Voter ID reform could "disenfranchise millions of eligible voters without any legitimate justification"

ACLU article on Voter Suppression