OPINION: In Arkansas, A Tale Of Two Parties & Two Political Chairs

The incoming chairmen of the state's two top political parties are set to take office in just a few weeks.

And there has seldom been a greater divide seen in those two organizations during the last half century than exists today.

Cody Hiland, of Conway, the Republican Party of Arkansas' new CEO and boss, is a former United States Attorney. He is a former prosecutor who helped on former Gov. Mike Huckabee's gubernatorial staff. He also helped Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her recent run to be governor.

Hiland has made quite a name for himself in the last several years, leading him to the state's largest and most influential party.

The Democratic Party of Arkansas, meeting last weekend in Little Rock, heard an unusual foreboding message from outgoing Executive Director Grant Tinelle of Little Rock.

The Democrats were to select a new leader, but alas, that meeting reflected much of the angst and uncertainty felt across the party, took root and delayed a new choice for CEO flagbearer in the days ahead.

Not since the early 1970s has there been a more divided class of these two major political parties in our state.

And certainly no one, even the most enthusiastic Republican or despondent Democrat, could have foretold the exact flip flop that's occurred over the last 40 years.

For example, this year the 100-member House of Representatives will contain 18 Democrats and 82 Republican members. Prior to the midterm elections, there were 22 Democrats serving alongside 78 members of the GOP.

There will be only six Democrats and 29 Republican members of the Arkansas State Senate. Prior to the midterms, there were six Democrats and one independent state Senator and 27 Republicans.

The GOP of Arkansas will pay Chairman Hiland $60,000 in salary for the next few years while leading the state party.

The Democrats, while not paying outgoing Chairman Tennile a dime – that's right no salary for 2020, 2021 and 2022 - did reimburse him for incidentals he incurred in resetting and repairing two toilets at Democratic Party headquarters.

Yes, that's correct, the past Chairman of the Democratic Party, while often working by himself on the telephones, trying to raise support money from party faithful over the last year and a half, also played janitor and maintenance man at the party headquarters in downtown Little Rock.

Tennille, to his credit and the strength of a handful of faithful Democrats, managed to get the party out of debt. But there is no provision for funding the chair or other staff positions on a week-by-week basis.

Tennille, speaking to the Democrats assembled on a recent Saturday in Little Rock, noted the meeting was being held in a union assembly hall in an out-of-the-way industrial setting in the Capital city – not in one of the previous swanky meeting halls of hotels in downtown Little Rock - because of a lack of funds.

He thought the meeting, set in a dimly lit union hall, might send a wake-up call to Democrats.

Tennille said 70 percent of the county Democratic chairs don't contribute and do not personally work or help Democratic candidates in elections.

Hiland, on the other hand, upon stepping forward to accept the new chairmanship of the GOP, gave a bold statement to the future of Republicans in Arkansas.

"We still have work to do. We are going to go down the ballot (in winning races). Anywhere we have an opportunity to move the Republican platform we are going to move it and that's going to take effort."

He then called on the GOP faithful to look forward to the future.

"And for those of you who are not excited you need to be, because when January 10th (first day of 94th General Assembly) comes and we have a conservative Republican Legislature and a conservative governor, we are going to have some success like we have never had before."

"We have a window of opportunity here like we've not had before and we are going to turn that window of opportunity into reality, I am 100 percent confident of that."

Quite a tale of two chairman, don't you think?