I'm something of a romantic on this subject. I believe in this country's fundamental good. I believe in our ability to choose the best leaders.
... So, I like the way we run our government. I don't believe in the Tea Party/Birther argument that our government verges on being some kind of foreign occupying force. For all its faults – thinking long-term for once – to paraphrase Woody Guthrie, this government is our government.
My worry is those who try to manipulate democracy, the pressure groups and the money people who'd like all elections to come down to who can buy the most advertising on television – most of it negative advertising.
What gave me hope last night was that we saw voters don't like to be pushed around any more than I do. A lot of labor money went into the Arkansas Senate primary. It produced a lot of drama – stand-alone, who’s-side-are-you-on drama – and a real hero. Women celebrated in the pro-labor film “Norma Rae;” the irony is that the heroine, the Norma Rae, last night in Little Rock was the Democratic senator who labor tried to beat. Norma Rae's name in this picture is Blanche Lincoln.