Voting Station

Dale Bumpers

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U.S. Senator

The Resume

    (August 12, 1925-January 1, 2016)
    Born in Charleston, Arkansas
    Governor of Arkansas (1971-75)
    US Senator from Arkansas (1975-99)
    Acted as defense attorney during Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial (1999)
    Democrat

Why he might be annoying:

    He considered running for President in 1976, 1984 and 1988, only to withdraw before the start of the primaries each time.
    He was fond of folksy colloquialisms like calling an opponent’s argument ‘as thin as spit on a rock.’
    He later said that he hated every day that he was governor.
    He railed against excessive military spending, but admitted that he used his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to purchase unnecessary weapons that were built in his state: ‘I was as guilty as anybody.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He served with the Marines during World War II.
    He was married to Betty Flanagan for 66 years until his death.
    As the only attorney in Charleston, he was asked by the school board how they should respond to the Supreme Court ruling that segregated schools were unconstitutional (1954). He advised immediate compliance, and Charleston became the first city in the former Confederacy to integrate its schools.
    He never ran negative ads about his opponents
    He was regarded as one of the best orators in the Senate.
    In a 1998 poll of political scientists, he was ranked as the best governor of Arkansas during the 20th century.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 12 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 102 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 42 Votes: 57.14% Annoying