President Donald Trump's use or, in his case, overuse of superlatives seems to have rubbed off on Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
The state's chief executive proclaimed last week that this year's session of the Arkansas Legislature is "the greatest of all time."
Then he dared historians to prove him wrong.
Hutchinson's uncharacteristic bravado came across too much like Trump's tendency to overstate any achievement by him or his administration as the best ever, including some he just manufactures out of thin air.
Hutchinson hasn't done that. His accomplishments are real. The governor just went too far in judging the 2019 session's place in the long history of Arkansas government. Neither he, nor any of the rest of us (including historians), knows all that history.
The governor made his remarks last week to a state bankers' convention in Little Rock, building off a popular sports description of the best player, coach or team as the GOAT, or greatest of all time.
"I would make the claim that this last legislative session was the GOAT ... the greatest of all time," Hutchinson said.
"Now, I say that because I think we did have a very aggressive agenda and we accomplished so much."
Then he asked historians to "educate me" if they could cite a session that passed as much transformative legislation "that will impact our state for generations to come."
He might have meant it as a light-hearted challenge. But some historians have already suggested other substantive sessions for consideration. More likely will.
Among the major accomplishments of this session Hutchinson mentioned to the bankers were hiking the minimum teacher salary by $4,000 over four years; cutting the top state individual income tax rate; reducing the number of state agencies that report directly to the governor from 42 to 15; and providing significant additional funding for state highways, part of which will require voter approval in the 2020 general election.
Granted, the governor has a right to brag. He did get a lot of what he wanted from the session, but not everyone shares his perspective on just how great all of those achievements are -- or how lasting they will be.
In fact, one of the past sessions heralded by a political scientist in response to Hutchinson's challenge was the 1971 session in which then-Gov. Dale Bumpers proposed the last major reorganization of state government. He pulled the number of departments down from 60 to 13.
Obviously, the historic reorganization endured for a long while but needed to be addressed again this year.
Gov. Hutchinson's list for the bankers, which included several other significant wins for the administration, take into account the less popular legislation produced in the session, some of which the governor himself opposed, or the good bills lawmakers defeated.
Note, too, that lawmakers only managed to pass half the ethics legislation leaders promised as they opened the session. That was supposed to be a priority in the aftermath of federal charges against seven former legislators. (Five were convicted or pleaded guilty. Two others await trial.)
Lawmakers did further restrict abortions in Arkansas and provided for their future ban of abortion except to save the life of the mother, should the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade be overturned.
There were plenty more controversial measures in the mix. So, not everything this session delivered is worth heralding. Its pending adjournment certainly is.
Formal adjournment is scheduled this week with little, if anything left for lawmakers to do. They recessed April 10 after an 87-day regular session. This week's return is to clean up any errors or, possibly, to override any veto.
Gov. Hutchinson has seen no need to exercise the veto this session. He is coming away from the session a happy man, as that Trump-tinged boast suggested.
Enjoy the success, Governor. The session is perhaps your best ever.
But the greatest of all time? That may be a bit of a stretch.
Commentary on 04/24/2019