Well, Turkey Day is just around the corner … which means that another presidential pardon is headed in the direction of one of our lucky feathered friends. And if you're like us, you're probably wondering where, when and why this poultry-friendly tradition started. We did some digging, and this is what we found.
Although most historians trace the tradition to President Harry S. Truman in 1947 -- due to a photo showing Truman with a turkey -- some controversy still exists over this origin. Archivists say that in the photo, Truman is actually only receiving a turkey, kicking off an annual tradition of presidents receiving turkeys from the National Turkey Federation.
Another slew of commander-in-chiefs including Eisenhower, Ford, Nixon and Carter may or may not have ever pardoned one of the big birds -- although they all posed for a photo-op.
JFK did spare a turkey on Nov. 19, 1963, however Kennedy archivist Steve Plotkin says that it "was probably offhand, purely spontaneous." The bird was given to Kennedy wearing a sign saying, "Good Eatin' Mr. President." In response, Kennedy said, "let's just keep him."
Begin drumroll here, because the first official pardoned bird took the stage in 1989 during the first White House Thanksgiving of George H.W. Bush.
"He will not end up on anyone's dinner table -- not this guy," Bush said. "He's granted a presidential pardon as of right now."
The state of Arkansas is run by a popular Democratic governor and predominantly Democratic legislature. The congressional delegation is made up of one Republican U.S. Representative, three Democratic ones and two Democratic U.S. Senators. But if you ask folks around here, most will describe their state as conservative. After all, they chose Senator John McCain over Barack Obama by 20 percent in 2008. President Obama did not make Arkansas a campaign stop last year, and everyone we interviewed on this story mentioned it. He clearly didn't need it to win, but he may need Arkansas in 2010. That's because Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln is running to keep her seat in Washington and her opponents are talking like they can already taste the sweet victory.
Doyle Webb, Chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party predicts, "This seat will change hands next year. Arkansans are ready for a change, Senator Lincoln has not been the United States Senator that they thought she was when she was elected. She's drank too much of that Potomac River water and she's forgot what it is to be an Arkansan, and become more of a Washitonian". Senator Lincoln rejects that notion. While she acknowledged in an interview with us that, "2010 is a gonna be a tough election year," Lincoln said, "it always is when you run midterm of a new administration. I did it in 1994 when our own Bill Clinton...had just won the presidency, it was midterm of his first term. And it's always difficult."
Adding to the Senator's challenge, is the debate on healthcare reform. Dr. Art English a professor with The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Political Science department says, "I actually think she'll win re-election but it may be a bit of a struggle. But right now I think with the health care debate, of course she's been right in the vortex of that because of her re-election."
Senator Lincoln says she does not support a government run, government funded option, but says the country needs to reform its health care system. In its current version, the health care reform bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, is not popular with Arkansans. This state has the second largest senior citizen population in the country (Florida is first). Concerns about potential Medicare cuts and increased taxes prompted a group called, 60plus.org to run TV ads appealing to Senator Lincoln.
She's in a tough spot: does she go with national party loyalty? Or cast a vote that reflects the constituents back home? Either way, she loses something. What Senator Lincoln does seem to get is the impatience growing around the goals of this administration. She told us, "People's expectations have been high and most of them know that we don't move at breakneck speeds in Washington. But unfortunately when expectations go up, people want to see the results, and I want to bring them results, but I want to make sure that it's positive and it's what's right for Arkansas, it's what's right for the country".
Election day 2010 is not only a year away, it's an eternity away in political time. A lot can happen, and probably will.
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