Tyler Pearson is altogether an adult. Let's be very clear on that. But it's too bad in a way that he is only 28 years old.
Were he a bit more advanced in age, he might have thought to respond to Jason Rapert the other evening by reciting 37-year-old lyrics of the aging rock icon Bruce Springsteen.
He could have turned to the arrogant Republican state senator who had just dismissed him crudely as a "boy," and he could have said, "The dogs on Main Street howl, 'cause they understand, if I could take one moment into my hand. Mister, I ain't a boy. I'm a man. And I believe in a promised land."
Somebody in social media criticized Rapert for that reference to his Democratic opponent as a "boy," which came in a Greenbrier debate last week. Rapert replied by saying he could be Pearson's father. Rapert is 14 years older than Pearson. Only in Bigelow, where Rapert resides, someone shot back.
Speaking of music, I have referred occasionally to Rapert--a fundamentalist preacher, financial agent and picker of stringed musical instruments--as resembling an offspring of right-wing picker Ricky Skaggs and overly earnest right-wing preacher Jimmy Swaggart. So now comes life to imitate columnizing. Two nights ago, Skaggs performed in Conway to raise campaign money for Rapert.
Rapert will win re-election by 20 points on Nov. 4. If you don't believe that, just ask him. He'll preen like a peacock and tell you.
He may be right. Someone told me the other day that Conway is now "Cabot with colleges." That means white-flight and right-wing.
But a fellow by the name of Wes Craiglow, deputy director of planning for the city of Conway, tells a familiar story on Jason. So I thought I'd relate it. I also thought I'd throw in a couple of personal parenthetical observations along the way to lend perspective.
Craiglow says he was at a reception in February when Rapert came up and said he'd heard that Craiglow had some dandy development ideas for downtown Conway and that he'd like to sit down with him and see how he could help.
(Jason likes to be important. He also likes to polish a reputation as a guy who, even if you disagree with some of his stunts, works hard with and for his people, such as on downtown redevelopment.)
Craiglow says he and Rapert had lunch March 24 and talked about big ideas for redeveloping the area of Conway between downtown and Hendrix College. Public investment will be required, Craiglow recalls saying. And Craiglow says Rapert assured him that he, at the proper time, would do all he could to help, such as tapping the state General Improvement Fund for infrastructural improvements.
(Most likely Jason was simply facilitating an opportunity later, should the self-serving political need arise, to crow that he was intimately involved with, and championing, downtown redevelopment. His real and abiding political interests are demagoguery against same-sex marriage, impeaching Barack Obama and telling women what they can and can't do with their bodies.)
So Craiglow says he had no interaction with Rapert for months, until after the following incident occurred a few days ago: He took a liking to Rapert's Democratic challenger, young Pearson, and put on Twitter: "A man with a plan, Tyler Pearson." And he linked a Pearson campaign video.
Craiglow says he tweeted the word "man" intentionally, on account of that incident in Greenbrier.
So then, the next day, Craiglow got this Twitter direct message from Rapert, a social media regular: "Wes--give me a call. I had committed to helping you with your ideas--not motivated when you work against me. Come see me to talk. Thanks."
So Craiglow replied: "You never committed to helping me. You committed to helping our community."
The reply bounced back because Rapert had already "un-followed" Craiglow on Twitter.
I know the text of this private communication because, on Friday morning, Craiglow decided to post it on Facebook to let people see a side of their state senator--the thin-skinned, self-centered, huffy, petty, spiteful, vengeful and arguably bullying side.
Craiglow says Rapert subsequently called him to backtrack and say he'd been referring only to withdrawing support for some of Craiglow's "nouveau" personal planning ideas, not for general Conway downtown redevelopment.
(Remember that Rapert, while given to over-reaction, is trained as a preacher and salesman. He believes he can talk himself out of, and you into, anything. He thinks you'll walk the aisle if only we'll keep our hymnals open and sing once more that last verse of "Just As I Am." That's except for me, on whom he's given up.)
But Rapert is always good to respond when I call, and he got back with me on this matter the other evening. He made the usual trite reference to my surely having more important things to write about than this silly affair, but said I should feel free to give this "boy" his "15 minutes of fame."
Yes, he called Craiglow a boy, too.
I am 18 years older than Rapert. But I would never call him a boy.
A grandstanding blowhard and preening peacock who looks and acts like the offspring of Ricky Skaggs and Jimmy Swaggart--that should do.
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John Brummett's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at jbrummett@arkansasonline.com. Read his blog at brummett.arkansasonline.com, or his @johnbrummett Twitter feed.
Editorial on 10/23/2014