Then he has to turn the governor's office over to Mike Huckabee, whom he dislikes personally and who is a member of the political party that did Tucker in. It doesn't get much worse than this. Make a tape of the Jim Guy Tucker story, show the thing to enough people, and nobody'll run for public office again. Even voting may be considered unsafe. For a good part of what was a long trial, Tucker seemed bound for acquittal.
Appearances can be misleading, obviously, and jurors' appearances especially.
Maybe they understood the charges better than people expected, or not as well. Obviously they were not overwhelmed by President Clinton's videotaped testimony for the defense, but no native expected they would be. Arkansans vote for Clinton most of the time, but they're not overwhelmed by him. Maybe the jurors were unfavorably impressed by Tucker's not taking the stand to testify in his own behalf, a decision surely made by his lawyers and in which he acquiesced, as good defendants should. It is not Tucker's way to sit quietly when he has a chance to talk back to his detractors.