Remember Nate Bell?
This man is the State Representative who embarrassed himself and the good people of Arkansas on the national stage by inferring that victims of the horrific and tragic Boston Marathon Bombing as cowards.
My name is Chase Busch, like you I was embarrassed by the actions of my representative and after much prayer and thought I decided to take action and run for this office. I’m running because I want to improve quality of life for the people of West-Central Arkansas by solving problems using common sense and finding common ground amongst people regardless of their political ideology.
Please share widely!
joeltpatterson says
Calling Nate Bell an “embarrassment” shows tremendous Christian forbearance on your part, sir.
There’s a lot of people in Arkansas who need better representation in the state legislature, for reasons that speak to basic human dignity, such as better medical coverage and renter’s rights. Currently Arkansas law does not even require landlords to fix simple things like leaky roofs or mold. A restaurant can’t make you pay for moldy food, but an Arkansas landlord can make you pay for a moldy home. That’s not exactly a fair market for housing.
I grew up in Arkansas in the 1980’s, when the Democrats led the State House, and there was a greater sense of progress in those times. I still visit annually, and lately the Legislature there has been making a lot less progress than it should have. I think you’re going to be part of the solution!
stomv says
Look, I get that candidates have to appeal to their local voters, and that local politics can be somewhat to the left or right of national politics. But did you read the site?
* Loads of references to God. Way over the top. For separation of church and state folks like me, huge warning bells. And it’s not that he doesn’t know about the amendments, because
* “I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment.”
* Front page brags about NRA membership.
* Never states that he is a Democrat on his web site.
* “I believe that life is a very precious, God-given blessing and I am committed to protecting life … This includes not just the unborn, but all people from all walks and stages of life.” Anti-choice.
* His values “are not influenced by a political philosophy or party, special interest group, or President Obama.”
* “As a recipient of the Arkansas Lottery Challenge Scholarship … I will fight to keep the scholarship available for students and look for ways to increase funding.”
* “Eliminate the manufacturer’s tax.”
* “Reduce the state’s income tax and put more money in people’s pockets”
There were a few things on the page that I’d generally support like increased access to high speed internet and more investment in education. Given the choice on the ballot between Mr. Busch and Rep Bell, I’d certainly fill in a bubble for Mr. Busch. But donate money to a Bible thumping, pro-NRA, anti-choice, pro-lottery, anti-tax candidate who appears to be embarrassed to be a Democrat? 100% nope.
fenway49 says
I don’t live in Arkansas
jconway says
Just as a pro-life anti-equality Republican would be dead in the water here, a pro-choice, pro-gun control Democrat would be dead in the water there. That is just the reality of politics in 2014 in America.
I am a little disappointed that he seems to be center-right on economic issues as well, Elizabeth Warren has been far more successful stumping for Grimes, Tennant, and Nunn than Obama would be (don’t think he was even invited) precisely because she speaks the language of class warfare and taking on the powerful on behalf of the people. This guy doesn’t, and in that respect, he is running like a 2006 red state Democrat rather than a 2014 one. But the social conservatism is to be expected in those parts.
stomv says
P.S. I have no idea if Senator Pryor meets all of those bullet points that Mr. Busch does, but the sentiment remains. I wouldn’t donate money to Mark Pryor’s campaign either, as his platform planks don’t align closely enough with my values.
jconway says
The choice between Reid and McConnell isn’t a great one, but it’s one we gotta make. Pryor is a vote for McConnell, as this gentleman is better than his opponent and will help Arkansas go back blue.
stomv says
Methinks you got some names confuzzled somewheres or left out words.
jconway says
Mark Pryor may not be my favorite Democrat, but he will vote to keep the Majority. Similarly, this fella who posted here may not be a typical MA Democrat, but if he can defeat a guy who called our cops, first responders, and the rest of us cowards during the lockdown and help Arkansas recover the Democratic majority that then Gov. Clinton used to reform the state, I think that’s a win.
stomv says
Does. Not. Compute.
whoaitsjoe says
If I was cowering in my bedroom, I’d rather have something like a shotgun. An AR-15 would just shoot through the walls and possibly hit another member of the household.
The NRA chapter these yokels belong to really need to get their act together!
centralmassdad says
This is quite correct
chasebuschAR says
First off, I want to say that I am a proud Arkansas Democrat. Though the cultures and views throughout our country are different, we Democrats are united in a common purpose in helping people other than ourselves for the common good of humanity and our nation, just like my great-grandmother who was raised during the Great Depression, benefited from FDR’s assistance programs, and is still is today a die-hard “Yellow Dog Democrat.” As Bill Clinton, an Arkansas Democrat once said, “we’re all in this together” is a far better philosophy than “you’re on your own.”
Like you, as our country was mourning the tragedy of the Boston bombing, myself, fellow Arkansans, and others across the nation were disgusted, appalled, and embarrassed by the actions of Rep. Nate Bell. Though our two states are different, we do not believe that anybody from Massachusetts is a coward, we believe you all are a part of our great nation that we live in.
Most importantly, I am unashamedly a Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ’s sinless life, death, and resurrection was for mine and all of our sins and wrongdoing. I also believe in Christ’s teachings about love, compassion, and caring for one another.
whoaitsjoe says
But unfortunately too much of what is “Christian” in today’s America is simply out-of-context Hebrew Moral Law from 4,000 years ago. The Torah is a beautiful piece of religious literature, but is not really relevant to Christianity aside from providing context to Jesus’ life. A goodly amount of what New England sees in middle-american Christianity is an uncomfortable amount of Jesus’ word and the book of Leviticus in the same breath.
I do want to note, that this is not really commentary directed at you or your embrace of Jesus, but rather the underlying current that causes folks around here to see the God-stuff and roll their eyes. From a Christian standpoint, we’re predominantly Catholic, which has always leaned more towards the scholastic aspects of religion rather than the emotional. Think more along the lines of quiet contemplation, almost monasticism in thought, than the raw, public display.
Once again, not that there is something that is intrinsically wrong with all that, but rather that it rubs people around here the wrong way.
jconway says
And a goodly amount of what New England sees is wrong, and is right, and a good amount of what they see here is wrong and right. I know plenty of ethical atheists, plenty of Christians who have been on the front line of Occupy and the equality movement. My fiancee’s boss, and her parents, are all mainline pastors in the Midwest->her parents in more conservative suburbs-that signed onto the Illinois equality push. Religious leaders were instrumental there and in New York state in getting it passed. Most midwest Methodists I’ve encountered in the suburban churches I’ve attended with her are politically moderate, biblically knowledgeable but open to differing interpretations, and they all make mean casseroles.
My midwest Methodist minister friend, the man I intend to marry me to my fiancee, just started attending Yale and was struck by how friendly New Englanders are since we have quite a laconic reputation. But, locals gave him directions, and he even found his beloved Sonic in CT, though I told him Friendly’s will have to be a Steak and Shake substitute for the time being.
This is a cultural exchange worth having, and I look upon my fellow Democrat as an ally in the wider fight against right wing extremism. If our grandfathers could both pull ballots for Roosevelt and Kennedy we can surely help each other out today.
fenway49 says
It’s about discomfort that many New Englanders (myself among them) feel when anyone goes out of his/her way to stress God and religion in the political sphere.
Like whoaitsjoe, I tend to consider religion a private and contemplative matter. Like stomv, I believe in the separation of church and state. We in Massachusetts have learned some hard but valuable lessons from our colonial days about that. I also believe that in-your-face professions of Christianity are insensitive to the presence of non-Christians in a multicultural society.
But I think it’s only fair to point out that Chase didn’t raise his faith here. Rather, stomv went poking around his website, which was designed for the local Arkansas electorate. I’m happy Chase didn’t forget – as so many people who would brandish their faith in our politics do – “Christ’s teachings about love, compassion, and caring for one another.” And I’d be very happy to see him defeat the likes of Nate Bell.