71 House Democrats when Obama took office and the Senate was even more Democratic. An amazing collapse of the Arkansas Democratic party.
It was moderate-to-conservative Democratic party, which held power on legislative level in Arkansas up to middle-2000th. Which had little common with Obama, Hillary or national Democratic party. Now, as one writer on DKE counted, only 3 Democratic state Senators and 5 state Representatives of this sort (pragmatic conservatives) remain in Arkansas legislature. People of the state simply say: "we respect OUR Democrats of the past, but we don't want to have anything in common with present day national Democratic party and it's program. We care about agriculture, transportation, education, but not abortions, gay marriage and bathrooms". Essentially, the same what happened in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi - only later. And, because there are fewer blacks in Arkansas - may stay for longer time..
P.S. By 2007-08 Democratic caucus in Arkansas legislature was, probably, more conservative then in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Again - because of considerably smaller number of blacks, including - black legislators, who moved Democratic caucuses in these states left...
