OTHER OPINIONS : Hendren explains himself

CAMDEN — We appreciated that state Sen.

Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, called recently and said that while he was going to be in our area of the state, he would like to stop by and visit with us at the Camden News.

So, when the senator introduced himself and sat down with the editor and reporter, we expected some reference to a previous editorial that had been, well, shall we say, not exactly enthusiastic about his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Actually, we were somewhat rude about his candidacy and bluntly said he should "just go away."

It would have been understandable for Hendren to take considerable umbrage and clearly express it.

To his credit, he referred to our earlier editorial without anger and politely set about to explain how his comments that prompted the editorial were taken out of context.

The gist of our editorial was that certain remarks Hendren had made indicated that his own mouth could be as formidable a political hurdle as any opponent.

But, he assured us, his reference to a federal judge in a desegregation case as "this new minority judge" and to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer as "that Jew" were, as we said, taken out of context.

Acknowledging that we now take from context some of Hendren's explanations to us because space prohibits transcripts of his remarks, we remain unconvinced as he himself seems to be, that there was nothing inappropriate about the racial andreligious remarks.

Concerning the reference to Schumer, for instance, Hendren said that, when he made the remark, the senator's name didn't readily come to mind, so that's why he referred to him as he did. Funny, when we have those moments when it's difficult to remember someone's name, we don't refer to the person as "that Presbyterian" or "that Baptist" or "that Methodist."

Another remark of Hendren had also given us pause.

That was his stated opinion that we ought to revisit the 17th Amendment that established the election of U.S. senators instead of appointment by legislators.

Does he still think U.S. senators should not be elected, we asked, fully expecting him to equivocate, possibly saying that statement had also been taken out of context.

Instead, he vigorously pointed out that he still thinks it needs to be looked at, explaining his reasoning as the cost it takes to run a Senate campaign. We did not grasp from his statement why political wheeling and dealing for appointments of U.S. senators could better serve the American public.

So, we appreciate Hendren's willingness to take the time to chat with a party he knows has disagreed with him and do so in an agreeable manner.

However, as cordial as the visit was, it didn't change, but rather reinforced, the notion that, as we said before, his candidacy is an implosion waiting to happen.

- Camden News