NWA editorial: Thursday's thumbs

In our post-election night fog, most of today's thumbs are, naturally, about politics, but we'll start with a different spin out of Fayetteville.

[THUMBS UP] A lot of the bike riding going on in Northwest Arkansas is recreational, i.e., people getting out in the name of physical fitness, enjoying the outdoors and being around their fellow city residents and other wheeled travelers. Increasingly, we're told, there are riders who want to use pedal-powered means as a way to get from Point A to Point Z and anywhere in between. That includes transportation for jobs, shopping and such. We find it intriguing that the city of Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas are working together in pursuit of a possible bike-sharing program that could promote more people using bicycles for those quick trips that don't necessarily require automotive travel. Technology is making the so-called "dockless" sharing system in which mechanisms self-contained on the bikes can be locked and unlocked by an application on a smartphone. GPS technology is making it easier to track where the bicycles end up. And having them readily available for rent where people are will increase the likelihood of people using them more frequently. Will it work in Fayetteville? It's hard to say for sure, but we like the drive to try it.

[THUMBS DOWN] Leslie Rutledge can't seem to get enough of herself. The Arkansas attorney general shows up on just about any national television show willing to put a microphone on her lapel as she continues trying to polish her political fortunes with national GOP figures. But on Tuesday night, as voters learned the outcome of their collective efforts, Rutledge used her campaign organization to send out press releases with such riveting headlines as "Rutledge Congratulates Governor Asa Hutchinson on Primary Win" and "Rutledge Congratulates Secretary of State Nominee John Thurston on Primary Win." Thank goodness she had the good sense not to devote the taxpayer funding PR-machine of her office to send out these meaningless comments. Who cares whether she congratulates other winners? But what should we expect from the Rutledge PR machine that produced a press release launching the "#SarahStrong" movement -- movement? -- in support of Sarah Huckabee Sanders after President Trump's press secretary took a particularly bad verbal beatdown at that awful White House Correspondents Dinner? The effort essentially drove people to a website that was no more complicated than a form asking for name, ZIP Code and email address. What it was, in reality, was an email fishing expedition to develop a list of people willing to take the bait, because that, friends, is how a candidate with no shame builds lists for fundraising. And it was all "Paid for by Leslie Rutledge for Attorney General." This from the person who is supposed to watch out for consumers to help protect them from shady schemes?

[THUMBS UP] These days, no political office-holder can take re-election for granted. Take, for example, Republican State Rep. Jana Della Rosa of Rogers, who fended off a challenge from within her own party by only three voters in Tuesday's primary (barring any late-breaking developments). So it was that Gov. Asa Hutchinson campaigned this primary season as though he had an election to win. It seemed a given that his even-handed, responsible leadership of state government would be rewarded with a favorable vote, but who can comfortably make such predictions these days? It turns out Arkansas voters weren't in a rebellious mood when it came to the leadership of the state. Republican nomination challenger Jan Morgan, the gun-promoting, tough-talking political novice from Hot Springs, got only 30 percent of the vote. But that total shows there's a portion of the Arkansas GOP electorate who can be counted on to vote for anyone touting more conservatism and disruption of "the establishment," even if they're vague on the specifics of governing. Most Arkansans want decision-makers with a conservative bent, but they also need candidates likely to pursue pragmatic solutions to the challenges facing the state. Thankfully, Arkansas Republicans gave themselves the best chance to maintain control of the governor's office by rejecting the "go rogue" challenger to the incumbent.

[THUMBS DOWN] Have mercy! That's what Arkansans will be saying by the time the Arkansas Supreme Court race between Justice Courtney Goodson and challenger David Sterling is finished. The two were the top vote-getters in a three-person race Tuesday, earning their way into a runoff. But get this: In Arkansas' nonpartisan judicial races, the runoff doesn't happen until the General Election in November. That's brutal for the candidates and, potentially, for voters who have to listen to the aggressive attack ads paid for by out-of-state influences. If the first round of the contest is any indication, it's likely to get nasty as the shadowy Judicial Crisis Network continues its effort to shade the election toward Sterling, a former GOP contender for attorney general. No runoff should force candidates or the public to wait six months to determine the winner. Had a runoff been necessary between any of the nonjudicial candidates in Tuesday's election, it would happen in four weeks. It's crazy to stretch a runoff for public office so far beyond the original election. The Legislature ought to return some sanity to the nonpartisan judicial runoff situation.

Commentary on 05/24/2018