Negative ads easy to see through

I’m sitting at the desk in the office looking at our collection of political mailers. They come in two sizes: small (6 inches by 11 inches) and large (8.5 by 11). They are colorful and glossy and come in two flavors: negative or positive.

The negative ads are directed toward one candidate, State Sen. Bryan King. These ads are paid for by Freedom Forward Alliance and Arkansas First. The interesting thing about these ads is that they are not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. They are, however, condoned by our governor and Bryan’s opponent, Bobby Ballinger. I know this because one of the ads features a smiling Gov. Sanders and Bobby Ballinger, touting traditional conservative values on one side, while the other side shows Bryan King between Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, attacking those same values. I cannot say for sure, but I think it is unlikely that Bryan has ever met Gavin or Kamala in person.

Here’s my tally so far of negative ads against Bryan King: four large ads, four small ads, and two with one side specifically attacking him. We’re talking some serious money to send out this many mailers across the district, which makes me wonder how much money these big companies backing the proposed prison in Franklin County stand to profit from Arkansas taxpayers. If these negative ads are any indication of the push for “yes” votes for the prison, it suggests they think we, the voters, are too naive to see through their efforts.

I don’t know if I would agree with every single vote Bryan has cast in Little Rock, but I do know that he keeps a close watch on how the legislature spends our tax dollars. If he sees something foolish, he speaks up. This is what I want in our State Senator.

— Barry Doss Berryville