John Brummett looks in on the state of the Republican Party of Arkansas. He takes off from a meeting of Repubs with an out-of-state consultant. All well and good. But Brummett concludes that the timeless saw you hear from virtually every Arkansas voter is still the best strategy:

The best idea I’ve heard came from an attendee at Calhoun’s gathering, one who appreciated the meeting, but didn’t so much buy the spiel.

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This attendee said Arkansas politics is less about tactics, strategies and themes than about individuals. Arkansawyers vote for the man or woman, not the party.

He said Republicans ought to spend all their time going into legislative districts that will encounter term-limited vacancies in the next election cycle. He said they ought to seek out the most popular and respected person in town. Then they ought to try to talk him or her into two things.

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The first would be to persuade that person to run for the state Legislature. That would be the far easier challenge. The second would be persuading that person to run as the Republican he or she was at heart.

Brum didn’t say it, but I’ll add: There is more to winning a seat in the Arkansas legislature than decrying abortion, gays and non-existent gun grabbers. Democrats do that, too. Day in and day out, there are other chores to be done.

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