Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) has spent weeks dogged by questions from reporters and even lawmakers in her own party about the suspicious use of state funds to purchase a $19,000 lectern that no one seems able to locate — and when asked about it at a news conference about a new missile factory in the state, she lost it at the press.
Her conduct was roundly mocked by Austin Bailey in an editorial for the Arkansas Times Friday.
"A new $33 million facility will create 30 new jobs to crank out missiles for Israel’s Iron Dome and a similar U.S. system, the SkyHunter® missile. The first batch won’t roll off conveyor belts until 2025, but that didn’t stop Sanders and the defense contractors from throwing a huzzah to Israel and yawping Arkansas’s hawkish swagger," wrote Bailey. "'We don’t shy away from being America’s arsenal,' Sanders said. 'We’re not bashful about building the aircraft and weapons that are necessary to keep America safe.'"
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When reporters asked her about "Lecterngate," however, she reacted angrily.
"At this point, I think you guys [the media] are at a decision point. I’m not trying to be rude, but I think you have to decide whether you want to be actual journalists or whether you want to chase tabloid gossip," said Sanders. "Right now, our focus is on actually building up industry and focusing on bringing jobs in and doing things that matter and help Arkansans while the press continues to chase down rabbit holes and go down ridiculous stories from people who are frankly just left-wing activists."
"Here, we see the classic I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I maneuver, aka 'I’m rubber, you’re glue,'" wrote Bailey. "It’s a shockingly effective method, perhaps even more so for adults than for children. Proud of the misplaced burn attempt on Arkansas media’s straight man, Sanders’ cranky comms chief, Alexa Henning, took to social media to lob a flame emoji."
Ultimately, concluded Bailey, "after her frontal assault on Arkansas’s beloved Freedom of Information Act, a move that disgusted conservatives and progressives alike, maybe she needs a few years to regain ground ... Sanders’ efforts to boost her sagging poll numbers don’t seem to be panning out."
