Beebe and Willett
This whole Mike Beebe-Jason Willett thing is decidedly odd. We are led to believe that Beebe was offended weeks ago upon learning from a press inquiry that Willett, his Democratic chairman, had registered as a lobbyist for other clients. But we are led to believe Beebe did not take any action at the time because, as we were told, Willett had already decided to leave some months hence anyway. So, Beebe didn't object very much, did he? I mean, he was letting Willett stay as Democratic chairman during the legislative session when the very conflicts that supposedly worried him were most relevant. So now House Speaker Benny Petrus has a mild and worthy ethics reform bill. And now Willett sends an e-mail saying that he, and presumably the party of which Beebe is the titular head, oppose the Democratic House speaker's ethics reform bill because Democrats can't compete unless rich contributors can continue to give them "stacked" money under several different corporate entities. And Beebe says calmly that that is Willett's business, though he, Beebe, supports Petrus' bill. I've sent the governor's office a lot of questions about this. Such as: Are you really for Petrus' bill, or not? And: Did you really object to Willett's dual role, or not? And: If your lame-duck party chairman blindsided you this way, what in tarnation do you intend to do about it? So far, governing has been easy for Beebe, cutting taxes and increasing spending. I'm wondering if we're not entering a new stage. Where is this governor -- really -- on ethics reform, considering that his best friends are out in the halls representing payday lenders and their 300 percent interest rates on poor people? And what'll he do on the gay foster care thing? Will he give us that campaign song-and-dance about how he knows from his fatherless childhood about the hardships on children from unconventional homes?