OTHER OPINIONS Hendren gives heartburn

By Camden News

Posted: August 16, 2009 at 4:11 a.m.

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Altogether now, let's tell state Sen. Kim Hendren:

"Shuddup already."

And, "Just go away."

Much like sports fans are growing weary of once-great quarterback Brett Favre not being able to retire gracefully, folks in Arkansas should be growing weary of a potential U.S. Senate candidate whose mouth is his most formidable opponent.

Hendren, a Gravette Republican, has announced that he's going to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln for her Senate seat. Since he's announced his ambition for loftier office, Hendren has distinguished himself by making some incredibly stupid remarks.

First, there was his apology for referring to U.S. Sen. Chuck Shumer's religion, although Hendren would not admit he had referred to Shumer as "that Jew," as had been reported.

Then, Hendren said he thinks the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was a mistake. The amendment established that states' residents, not legislatures, were to elect members of the U.S. Senate.

Hendren thinks we ought to revisit that amendment because it forces candidates to pay too much attention to fundraising. If we did that, how does Mr. Hendren think he would fare in a Senate quest if the predominantly Democratic Arkansas Legislature was doing the selecting? And, how is fundraising more of a distraction for senators, whose terms are six years, than it is for members of the House, whose terms are two years?

But, Hendren wasn't satisfied to have put both feet in his mouth. His last brilliant statement referred to a federal judge who is handling a school desegregation case as "this new minority judge."

Let's hope he resigns himself to restricting his representation, and his mouth, to a state Senate district. Arkansas certainly doesn't need this embarrassment on a national scale.

And, it's not just what comes out of Mr. Hendren's mouth that is regrettable. It is that his mouth is the device that delivers what his brain is thinking.

- Camden News

Opinion, Pages 10 on 08/16/2009

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