November 18, 2004
It's Alabama vs. Auburn weekend in Alabama. It is the fiercest of college football rivalries. It is the game of the year. It is a state civil war that divides friends and even families. It is bragging rights for the entire year. The loser has to live with his boasting next door neighbor for 364 days. It seems that one must choose a side no matter if you despise college football and could care less who wins. Newcomers to our state are bewildered on this Fall day each year. They cannot comprehend the madness that surrounds this epic war. It is truly that - a war. It is the game of the year!
November 11, 2004
The one clear fact derived from last Tuesday's election is that Alabama is deeply embedded as a Republican state when it comes to Presidential politics. In fact, the South is now the cornerstone of the national Republican Party in Presidential races. The "Solid South" is what the GOP builds around to start any national race. A Republican can bank on the South as they venture out to the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
November 03, 2004
Since this column is written before Tuesday's electoral outcome, I do not know the election results. Therefore, I cannot comment on the Presidential or statewide elections. However, there is one result I feel confident in predicting. It's a safe bet that our Senior Senator, Richard Shelby, won reelection to his fourth term in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
October 27, 2004
As the November national election day approaches this Tuesday, a good many of you are saying thank goodness. Politics has always been a vicious business, but this year may take the cake. It seems that the party divide and acrimony have reached a zenith peak or should we say a new low. The partisan divide is deep and bitter. The ads are slanderous to the point of being comical. The middle of the road independent swing voters are the battle ground and they have truly been bombarded.
October 20, 2004
Exactly forty years ago in 1964 Alabama became a Republican state as far as national politics are concerned. The 1964 election was the pivotal turning point when on that November day in 1964 the deep south states of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina voted for Barry Goldwater and never looked back. It was the race issue that won them over. Goldwater and the Republican party captured the race issue and never let go of it. For this reason, the South which was known as the "Solid South" for more than six decades because they were solidly Democratic are today known as the "Solid South" because they are solidly Republican. In less than two weeks on election night when the national networks show the colored map on the television, the entire South will be colored Republican. The Presidential candidates ignore us during the campaign because it is a foregone conclusion that we will vote Republican. In this same way the Presidential candidates ignored us for the first 60 years of the 20th Century because it was a foregone conclusion that we were going to vote democratic.
October 13, 2004
The November election is fast approaching. The Presidential race seems to be the center of all political attention. However, we do have some state races this year. The highlight of our state races will be for the three seats on the State Supreme Court. Currently eight-out-of-nine of our State Justices are Republican. The only Democrat on the high court, Douglas Johnstone, is retiring. Another Justice, Gorman Houston, a Republican, is retiring. Running for Houston's open seat is Republican, Mike Bolin of Jefferson County, and John Rochester, a Democrat Circuit Judge from Ashland. Seeking Johnstone's seat is Democrat Roger Monroe and Republican Patti Smith. Bolin and Smith won their Republican primary victory's with large pluralities in Jefferson and Shelby counties and lots of business money. The Business Council will be pouring even more money into their campaign coffers. It's expected that the plaintiff lawyers will support Democrats Rochester and Monroe. Tom Parker is the Roy Moore backed Republican candidate for the third seat. He defeated fellow Republican incumbent, Jean Brown, in the June 1st GOP Primary. Parker was the candidate of Moore's Christian Coalition, and the trial lawyers in June. He will be tough to beat. His Democratic opponent is Mobilian, Robert Smith. All three Republicans are favored to win. If that happens, that will make the Supreme Court all Republican - nine-out-of-nine.
October 06, 2004
A good many of you seemed to like the series of September columns on George Wallace. Several of my legislative friends have chatted with me and told me how much they enjoyed the Wallace series and how it evoked memories of the Governor. It prompted them to share their most memorable Wallace stories with me. We have swapped tales that many of us enjoy telling about Governor Wallace.
September 29, 2004
Governor Bob Riley deserves accolades for his leadership during Hurricane Ivan. When all of the property damage is finally assessed, it will more than likely be the most devastating hurricane to have ever ravaged Alabama. However, the minimal loss of life in Alabama can largely be attributed to Riley's yeoman efforts before, during, and after the storm. He displayed genuine concern, compassion, and decisiveness. The nation marveled at Alabama's preparedness and evacuation.
September 22, 2004
When George Wallace was elected Governor in 1962, he started a virtual monopoly on the Governor's office that lasted more than two decades, 1963-1987. Alabama voters elected Wallace Governor for an unprecedented four terms, 1962, 1970, 1974, and 1982. He was basically elected as defacto Governor during the administration of his wife Lurleen Burns Wallace from 1967 to 1968. During the same period he ran for President unsuccessfully four times. There was hardly an election during the 25-year span that Wallace was not on the ballot. He ran for Governor as a Democrat and nationally on different party labels. He was basically the racist candidate who also railed against federal power.
September 15, 2004
Many historians and political scientists point to a certain political race and year as a watershed or pivotal race in a state's course or history. That year in Alabama and that race was the 1970 Governor's race between George Wallace and Albert Brewer. It was an epic battle.