July 14, 2004
Bob Riley became Governor last January by being elected by the narrowest margin in Alabama gubernatorial history. Basically, it was a dead-even race between Riley the Republican and Don Siegleman the Democrat. This 2002 split decision in Alabama almost mirrored the 2000 national split decision between Bush and Gore. The Presidential Election this Fall may very well be that close again. It shows that the partisan breakdown nationally and statewide is just about as even as one can get and both sides seem to really and truly dislike each other.
July 07, 2004
The most colorful Senator from Alabama may have been "Cotton Tom" Heflin who represented Alabama in the Senate in the 1920's. Fifty years later his nephew, Howell Heflin, took that same seat in the Senate. Howell Heflin served 18 years with distinction. Unlike his uncle who was a renowned racist, Howell Heflin was considered a moderate in Washington and even a progressive by Alabama standards. Senator Howell Heflin's 18 year Senate career and record mirror our two greatest U.S. Senators, Lister Hill and John Sparkman. I would rank Howell Heflin as our third greatest U.S. Senator only behind Hill and Sparkman. These two giants served in the Senate twice as long as Heflin. They both served more than 30 years as U.S. Senators. Heflin got to the Senate later in life as he practiced law in Tuscumbia until he was 50 years old and then ran for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He served one six-year term as Chief Justice. He won statewide voter approval for a constitutional revamping of the Alabama Judiciary known as the Judicial Article. After finishing his one term as Chief Justice in 1976, he turned his attention to the U.S. Senate. He won the open seat of the retiring John Sparkman in 1978. Sparkman and Heflin were cut from the same cloth. Sparkman urged Heflin to run for his seat and endorsed him. They were both progressives from North Alabama who worked hard to give Alabama a good image and also bring home the bacon.
June 30, 2004
Today marks the midway point of the year 2004. In four months we will know the outcome of the Presidential race. A close election is forecast nationally. On the state level and on the national level, Republicans and Democrats remain mired in partisan bickering.
June 23, 2004
An interesting twist in Alabama political history has occurred in only recent years. That is the transformation of our Port City of Mobile from a political wilderness to a political oasis. Historically and throughout most of my lifetime, being a resident of Mobile was the kiss of death politically. Our second largest city had never had a Governor or Senator or even a major statewide office holder. Mobile was thought of by the rest of the state as an island which it basically is. It also is like another state or country. Being a port city it had a distinct New Orleans flavor with it’s Mardi Gras balls, New Orleans architecture, and lack of concern for or disdain for partaking of alcohol. It seemed like a loose party town and the rest of the state felt like it was a little odd and not really part of the rest of Alabama. This didn’t keep politicians from working the island feverishly for votes. Wallace and Folsom captured large pluralities in Mobile which carried them in good stead as they entered the rest of the state. Big Jim loved the social life of Mobile.
June 16, 2004
Now that the dust has settled on the June 1 primaries we will know who will be coming to the dance in November. Our primaries are too late to have an effect on the Presidential race. The race was over by the time it got to us in June. Therefore it was no surprise that Bush and Kerry got more than 90 percent of the balloting. The only real choice was who was to be elected as delegates to nominate Bush and Kerry in New York and Boston later this summer. There was little doubt that the incumbent congressmen from both parties would win. The size of their victories is startling. It shows the difficulty a challenger has in unseating an incumbent congressman. Incumbent Democratic Congressman, Arthur Davis, won an impressive victory over challenger Albert Turner, Jr. Davis' 88-to-12 margin showed strong support from blacks and whites in his 7th District. It is Alabama's only majority minority district. Likewise, 6th District Congressman, Spencer Bachus, trounced Roy Moore's attorney, Philip Jaurequi, by a similar 87-to-13 landslide in the suburban, overwhelmingly Republican, Birmingham-based district. Bud Cramer annihilated his democratic opponent 90-to-10 in the 5th District Democratic Primary. There is a runoff in the Republican Primary to challenge Cramer in November. Davis and Bachus are unopposed.
June 09, 2004
The recent indictment of former Governor Don Siegleman is a tremendous plus for one potential 2006 gubernatorial candidate, Lucy Baxley. Lucy's biggest obstacle was getting out of the Democratic Primary against Siegleman. If she escapes the trap of the Democratic Primary, she is an easy winner. The Democratic Primary was a trap for Lucy or any other Democrat running against Siegleman. Siegleman still has tremendous loyalty among African-American voters who make up the majority of the participants in a Democratic Primary. Lucy would have a real battle to wrestle the nomination from Siegleman, but polls show it is easy sailing for her in a General Election. She transcends ideology and party. She appeals to Independents and even Republicans. Siegleman did not enjoy this bipartisan appeal. He might have taken the Primary because of his fierce loyalty among stalwart Democrats, but he would have been very vulnerable to a Republican in November. Siegleman may very well avoid conviction but it will be a long drawn out battle and he will be weakened if not convicted.
June 02, 2004
The 2004 Regular Session of the Legislature adjourned sine die on May 17 and both state budgets have been put to bed for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2004.
As suggested in a previous column, the Legislature should base the state's budgets on the past or current year's actual revenue rather than projected revenues. By using projected revenues the Legislature can use optimistic revenue projections. This practice of basing budgets on rosy, optimistic figures has forced Alabama into proration and economic crisis time and time again. Without prior year budgeting the State will continue to live from crisis to crisis.
May 26, 2004
The Education Budget passed by the Legislature in the just completed Regular Session was the largest in the state's history, 4.5 billion dollars. It fully funds teachers' benefits including the absorption of the gigantic 70 million increased cost of health insurance for teachers and support personnel. It restores funding for libraries, fully funds textbooks, and expands the state's reading program which Governor Riley champions. State School Superintendent, Joe Morton, called the fully funding of the Reading Initiative as "the crowning achievement of the budget and the session." The Alabama Reading Initiative has proven to be very successful in improving statewide reading levels. It got 12 million this year. Governor Riley provided for and got an increase to 40 million which should allow the state to expand the program to every K-3 school within two years.
May 19, 2004
In Alabama political history the Lt. Governor's office has not been a good stepping stone to Governor. Attorney General has been the better springboard, but the best lauching pad especially in recent years has been to come out of nowhere.
May 12, 2004
Governors "Big Jim" Folsom and George Wallace were both renowned for calling the Legislature into Special Session. During their era the Legislature met in biannual sessions on every other year. Therefore, it might be necessary to call the Legislature into an Extraordinary Special Session.