LETTER
FROM
THE
EDITOR
1mfrom Arkansas 1
By Paige Beavers Markman
On a warm October afternoon, I sat down on the plaza steps in front of the Arkansas Bar Center and watched as Bill Clinton, Governor of Arkansas announced that he was going to run for President of the United States, and I've got to admit, I didn't think he had a chance. Why? ot because I didn't know that the man had the intelligence, the ambition and the vision. Everyone in Arkansas knows that he is a consummate politician. I'm ashamed to admit that as much as I love the state of Arkansas, as much as this small state has given me, I didn't believe the American people would believe in any man or woman from Arkansas enough to elect them to run the entire country. Yes, the old self-imposed inferiority complex that plagues so many Arkansans had a tight grip on me. I sat in my hotel room in Minneapolis in the early morning in January and watched both the news and USA Today proclaiming that the Gennifer Flowers scandal would be the end of Clinton's campaign for the White House. I was at a meeting of Legal Editors and that morning as we introduced ourselves and our publications, I stood up and said "I'm Paige Markman from Arkansas, and no, I have not been having an affair with Bill Clinton for 12 years." The group broke into laughter and afterward, I got my first taste of what being from Arkansas this year meant. From that moment on, I found that not only would I be asked questions about my state and its leader, I was expected to give clear, intelligent answers about Clinton's policies, his record and my perception of how he had run our government. So I read and I listened. And as I traveled around the country a few times after that, I answered questions. I developed a new sense of pride in Arkansas as the election went on and Clinton continued to beat the odds and the press. And even though I just wanted to tell people what they desperately wanted to hear, I think I told the truth to the best of my knowledge - Bill Clinton is not perfect, but he has helped the state of Arkansas, and I believe he can help the country. I refused to discuss what little I knew about his personal life. After a particularly irritating flight to New York (6 months pregnant), I snapped at a hotel clerk who asked me about Clinton's supposed affair with Flowers - "If Bill Clinton can get this country out of the mess its in, I don't really care if he does the wild thing with Madonna in the middle of Texas Stadium and ne.ither should you!" Carmine, the hotel clerk, gave me my key and said goodbye. As the results started to come in on election night my husband and I prepared to go to a watch party. By 7:10, Peter Jennings was projecting several states for Clinton and none for Bush. My husband looked at me and said "It's over already, why are we even going to a watch party?" I was as shocked as he was. I had thought Clinton would win, but I didn't think it would be that fast! And that night, as I watched the political announcers give the Presidency to the Governor of Arkansas and the people swarm over downtown Little Rock, I remembered my skepticism at the beginning, and I was ashamed. But this time, there was no shame in being from this wonderful small state, only the feeling that I had let myself and my state down by not believing in us. I supported Bill Clinton in this election, but I admit I haven't supported him in the past. So now, as everyone tries to jump on the Clinton bandwagon and head for Washington D. C. - I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the scenery. Now I believe, as does the entire country, that Arkansas is happening - and more importantly to me - it's home. 4
ARKANSAS LAWYER
JANUARY 1993