December 20, 2017
Well, folks, we have had a more exciting and fun filled political year than we expected. Usually, most of the fun is reserved for even numbered years when presidential or gubernatorial elections are held.
However, it’s been a good ride. Obviously, the Special Election for the remaining three years of Jeff Sessions’ senate term monopolized the year. Although you will have to remember, that election was preceded by two events that set up the senate race.
Donald Trump selected Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General. Sessions had been our junior senator for 20 years. He was elected to his fourth 6-year term in 2014. Therefore, the seat we just voted on comes up again in 2020. Believe me there are probably a dozen viable Republican thoroughbreds who have already decided they are interested and are chomping at the bit to run. However, most of them have statewide or congressional reelection plans to get out of the way in next year’s 2018 elections.
Remember good ole Governor Robert Bentley? It may seem like a long time ago but Bentley was our governor this time last year. His romantic obsession with his personal advisor was about to drive him from his office. However, he had a golden opportunity to appoint Jeff Sessions’ replacement until an election could be held. He appointed Attorney General Luther Strange.
Well ole Bentley leaves office with two years left in his term and in steps Kay Ivey, who has been in the obscure office of Lt. Governor for six-years. She takes the reigns of state government and the first thing she does is throw Luther under the bus and change the election from 2018 to this year. If Luther had been given a year for people to forget the appointment by Bentley and been able to run when every other race was on the ballot in 2018, and spend $15 million from the Washington establishment PACs, he would have won the seat for 6-years and the rest of his life. Senator Shelby would have been happy with his new colleague and Jeff Sessions would have been pleased with his successor.
Our Ten Commandments Judge Roy Moore was poised and ready to go to the senate. The Judicial Inquiry Commission had removed him from the bench for being against gay marriage. The decision for Moore was easy. He had nothing else to do. It was like putting Brer Rabbit in the briar patch.
The first poll and the last poll revealed the book on Moore. It was written. He had a hardcore 30-percent of the vote in Alabama made up of right wing, hardcore, evangelical Alabama folks. This 30-percent would vote for him come Hell or high water; and they did. However, that same polling also revealed that there remains 70-percent that will not vote for him under any circumstance.
The reason he lost was that a good portion of that 70-percent showed up to vote. Surprisingly, the belief by many was that this 70-percent would not vote. His 30-percent was going to vote and they did. That’s why he won the primary, his 30-percent are more ardent religious and quite frankly older. They vote. On the other hand, a good many of the Roy Moore detractors are younger and darker.
African American voters, young and old, turned out in massive, inexplicably amazing unprecedented numbers and voted against Roy Moore and Donald Trump. It was a tidal wave that was enormous and it sent Roy Moore to a watery grave.
As a good many of the state’s newspapers headlines declared, “No Moore.”
This race classically underlines and illustrates the undeniable political truism that more people vote against someone than vote for someone.
Merry Christmas and see you next week.
December 13, 2017
The legendary Speaker of the U.S. House, Sam Rayburn, coined a famous phrase he used often and imparted to young congressmen when they would arrive on Capitol Hill full of vim and vigor. He would sit down with them and invite them to have a bourbon and branch water with him. The old gentleman, who had spent nearly half a century in the Congress, after hearing their ambitions of how they were going to change the world, would look them in the eye and say, “You know here in Congress there are 435 prima donnas and they all can’t be lead horses.” Then the Speaker in his Texas drawl would say, “If you want to get along, you have to go along.”
Mr. Sam Rayburn ruled as Speaker during the Franklin Delano Roosevelt post-Depression and World War II era. The Democrats dominated Congress. Mr. Sam could count on the big city Congressmen from Tammany Hall in New York and the Chicago machine politicians following the Democratic leadership because they had gotten there by going along with the Democratic bosses who controlled the wards that made up their urban districts. But the country was still rural at that time and Mr. Sam would have to invite a backsliding rural member to his Board of Education meeting in a private den in the basement of the Capitol and occasionally explain his adage again to them that in order to get along you have to go along.
One of Mr. Sam Rayburn’s young pupils was a freshly minted congressman from Alabama’s Tennessee Valley. Bob Jones from Scottsboro was elected to Congress in 1946 when John Sparkman ascended to the U.S. Senate.
Speaker Rayburn saw a lot of promise in freshman congressman Jones. The ole Texan invited Jones to visit his Board of Education meeting early in his first year. He calmly advised Jones to sit on the right side of the House chamber in what Mr. Sam called his pews. He admonished the young congressman to sit quietly for at least four years and not say a word or make a speech and to always vote with the Speaker. In other words if you go along you will get along.
Bob Jones followed the sage advice of Speaker Rayburn and he got along very well. Congressman Bob Jones served close to 30 years in the Congress from Scottsboro and the Tennessee Valley. He and John Sparkman were instrumental in transforming the Tennessee Valley into Alabama’s most dynamic, progressive and prosperous region of the State. They spearheaded the location and development of Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal. Bob Jones was one of Alabama’s greatest congressmen.
At the time of Bob Jones’ arrival in Congress in 1946 we had nine congressional seats. By the time, he left in the 1960’s we had dropped to eight. We now have seven. Folks, I hate to inform you of this but population growth estimates reveal that we are going to lose a seat after the next census in 2020.
Our current seven-person delegation consists of six Republicans and one Democrat. This sole Democratic seat is reserved for an African American. The Justice Department and Courts will not allow you to abolish that seat. Reapportionment will dictate that you begin with that premise.
The growth and geographic location of the Mobile/Baldwin district of Bradley Byrne cannot be altered, nor can the urban Tennessee Valley 5th District, nor the Jefferson/Shelby 6th District. They are unalterable and will also reveal growth in population. Our senior and most powerful Congressman, Robert Aderholt’s 4th District has normal growth and you do not want to disrupt his tenure path. Therefore, the odd man out may be a woman. It is conjectured that Martha Roby’s 2nd District is the one on the chopping block. Her second and Mike Rogers’ 3rd District will be combined into a new 2nd district.
However, Roby may exit before she is carved out. She made a colossal blunder in 2016 by denouncing and publicly stating that she was not going to vote her party’s GOP nominee, Donald Trump. The fallout was devastating. She has become a pariah in her southeast Alabama district. It is one of the most conservative and pro-Republican districts in the state.
She may survive 2018, because any serious challenger who has their own money to buy the seat may be wise enough to realize that District will not be here in four more years. It will be over in Georgia around Atlanta.
See you next week.
December 6, 2017
The final vote for the remaining three years of Jeff Sessions six-year term in the U.S. Senate will be next Tuesday. The race is between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore.
Jeff Sessions is probably sorry he left his safe Senate seat of 20-years to be at the Justice Department in a tentative position with constant ridicule from an irrational, egomaniac as president.
It would be highly unlikely that a Democrat could beat a Republican for a U.S. Senate Seat in the Heart of Dixie. We are one of the most reliably Republican states in America, especially when it comes to federal offices.
However, this is a special election and not a normal election. That means you have to really want to go vote for either Jones or Moore in the middle of Christmas Season. Most folks particularly 25-45 year olds could not care less who is our Junior U.S. Senator. That group of folks is more interested in how they are going to make their mortgage payment, what they are going to have for supper, and whether their kid got to their soccer game.
Therefore, the question is who has the most ardent, fervent, and dedicated followers. Without question, that is Roy Moore the “Ten Commandments Judge.” Polls have consistently shown that 30-percent of Alabamians will vote for Roy Moore come hell or high water and 70-percent will not vote for him under any circumstances.
A poll is a picture of the entire electorate. The final poll and the only one that counts is the one where they count the votes of the folks that showed up to vote on Election Day. That poll favors Roy Moore. His followers will show up to vote. They are dedicated to Moore and they are dedicated to voting. They are also older and older people vote with more propensity than younger voters. In addition, white voters vote at a higher percentage than black voters. Our state is essentially divided by racial lines. Most Democratic voters are black and most Republican voters are white. It’s that simple.
Politics and political races are about numbers. As a boy, I would spend time with my old veteran Probate Judge. He had been Probate Judge of my county for 30-years, a State Senator, and Sheriff prior to his becoming King of the County. He would give me the very boring task of studying voting returns of boxes in the county. He would say the first lesson of politics is to learn how to count.
In the first Republican primary there were 425,000 votes cast in the Senate race. On the other hand, there were 165,000 Democratic votes cast. Moore got over 200,000 votes in the GOP runoff against Luther Strange.
Undoubtedly, Moore is a very polarizing figure. Like George Wallace, either you like him or you do not. More sophisticated, urbane voters in the state detest Moore and they will not vote for him. About the time of the Strange vs. Moore runoff contest, a friend of mine hosted a book signing party for me in his Mountain Brook home. There were about 50 upscale Jefferson County people at the event. Almost every one of them came up to me and told me that they were Republicans, but if Roy Moore is the GOP nominee, they will vote for Doug Jones.
Indeed, you can drive through upscale neighborhoods of Jefferson County, especially Mountain Brook, Vestavia and Homewood and you will see Doug Jones signs in practically every yard. You can see this same scenario in upscale enclaves of Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery. However, be reminded that George Wallace never carried Mountain Brook. The folks in the barbershops and beauty parlors in Opp, Oxford, and Rainbow City elect our governors and senators.
Doug Jones is running an excellent campaign. He is a good candidate. However, he is very much out of the mainstream of the majority of Alabama voters, especially on social issues when it comes to guns, abortion, immigration, gay marriage, and transgenders in a weakened military. He is a real national Democrat and he does not shy away from his liberal positions. There is no difference between Doug Jones and Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi. He is proud of his stance. He could run for Senator of California and be in the mainstream and probably be elected. However, not in the Heart of Dixie.
Doug Jones may get close, but close only counts in horseshoes. My guess is that the white voter who attends an evangelical mega church in Gardendale is more likely to vote on Tuesday than a black voter in North Birmingham.
We will see. Turnout is the key.
See you next week.
November 29, 2017
Jim Martin passed away recently in Gadsden at 99 years old. His beloved wife of 70 years, Pat, was by his side. He was a true Christian gentleman. Jim was one of the Fathers of the modern Republican Party in the South.
In 1962, John Kennedy was President. Camelot was in full bloom. The Congress was controlled by Democrats only because the South was solidly Democratic. The southern bloc of senators and congressmen were all Democrats. Because of their enormous seniority, they controlled both houses of Congress.
The issue of Civil Rights was a tempest set to blow off the Capitol dome. Kennedy was under intense pressure to pass major Civil Rights legislation. However, he was up against a stonewall to get it passed the powerful bloc of southern senators.
Race was the only issue in the South, especially in Alabama. George Wallace was riding the race issue to the Governor’s office for his first term. The white southern voter was determined to stand firm against integration and was poised to cast their vote for the most ardent segregationists on the ballot.
Our Congressional delegation was Democratic, all eight Congressmen and both Senators. Our tandem of John Sparkman and Lister Hill had a combined 40-years of service.
Lister Hill had gone to the U.S. Senate in 1938. He had served four six-year terms and had become a national celebrity in his 24 years in the Senate. He was up for election to his fifth six-year term. It was expected to be a coronation. He was reserved, aristocratic, and almost felt as if he was above campaigning. Hill was also soft on the race issue. He was a progressive who refused race-bait.
Out of nowhere a handsome, articulate, young Gadsden businessman, Jim Martin, appeared on the scene. Martin was 42, a decorated World War II officer who fought with Patton’s 3rd Army in Europe. He entered as a private and became an integral part of Patton’s team, rising to the rank of Major. After the war he went to work for Amoco Oil and married a Miss Alabama - Pat McDaniel from Clanton. They then settled in Gadsden and he bought an oil distributorship and became successful in business. He was a business Republican and became active in the State Chamber of Commerce. When the State Chamber Board went to Washington to visit the Congressional delegation, they were treated rudely by our Democratic delegates who were still voting their progressive New Deal, pro union philosophy.
Martin left Washington and decided that Alabama at least needed a two party system and that he would be the sacrificial lamb to take on the venerable Lister Hill as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate. Martin got the nomination in a convention and the David vs. Goliath race was on. By late summer the Big City newspapers could feel that Martin had some momentum. He was being perceived as the conservative and Hill as the liberal.
Every Alabama courthouse was Democratic, all sheriffs, Probate Judges, and statewide elected officials. It was hard to imagine that the tradition of voting Democratic would change, but the winds of segregation were strong. When the votes were counted in November of 1962, Martin had pulled off the biggest upset in the nation. NBC’s team of Huntley and Brinkley reported the phenomenon on the nightly news. Republican President, Eisenhower, called Martin to congratulate him. However, things were happening in rural North Alabama. Martin had won by 6,000 votes but three days later, mysterious boxes appeared with just enough votes to give Hill the belated victory. The entire country and most Alabamians knew that Jim Martin had been counted out.
Jim Martin would have been the first Republican Senator from the South in a century. Some people speculate that he would have been the vice-presidential candidate with Nixon in 1968. Regardless, he was the John the Baptist of the Southern Republican sweep of 1964, and father of the modern Republican Party in Alabama.
That 1962 Senate race was a precursor of what was to come two years later. Jim Martin was one-of-five Republicans swept into Congress in the 1964 Goldwater landslide. He probably would have won the U.S. Senate seat of John Sparkman. However, he chose to run for governor against Lurleen Wallace.
In 1987 Martin became Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. As commissioner, Martin helped create the Forever Wild land preservation program. Jim Martin has a special place in Alabama political history.
See you next week.
November 22, 2017
The big question in the Senate race is will allegations against Roy Moore and his purported propensities forty-years ago cause him to lose. We will soon see. The election is less than three weeks away.
The book on Moore is easy to read. The polls have consistently revealed that 30 percent of voters like him and 70 percent do not like him. He is a polarizing figure and well known.
However, the real poll that counts is the one on Election Day. The reason that he won the GOP primary was that his people showed up to vote for him. His followers are more ardent, fervent, and quite frankly older. Older voters are a lot more likely to vote than younger voters. Therefore, his 30 percent becomes more accentuated and rises to 51 percent. If he wins on December 12, it will be because of turnout. His 30 percent will turn out. The Democrat, Doug Jones really has no following. It is all about Moore. The votes that Jones gets will be the Democratic base coupled with those disenchanted with Moore, who dislike him enough to go vote for a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat. As George Wallace use to say, “More people vote against someone than for someone.”
My guess is that Moore’s 30 percent is unswayed by the Washington Post revelations. They look upon it as a scurrilous last minute political attack by the Washington establishment and left wing media. Some suggest that it may have energized his base. They feel that he has been unduly attacked. They simply dismiss the allegations as untrue and fabricated and are suspicious of the timing. They ask why did these accusers came forward four weeks before the election and not years ago. The wall around the 30 percent dedicated to Roy Moore appears impregnable.
Turnout will be the key to this election the same way it was in the primary. The 75-year-old deacon of the First Baptist Church of Gadsden is going to vote. The question is does the soccer mom in Homewood go vote.
Roy Moore’s fate is not the only one to be decided in December. The fate of Business Council lobbyist, Billy Canary, may also be decided in December.
BCA’s leadership changes at their annual meeting on December 1. Perry Hand of Baldwin County will take the reins of the once powerful organization. Hand is a very well regarded gentleman in the private and public sector of Alabama. He is an engineer by profession and a principal in Volkert Engineering. He has been an outstanding businessman, road builder, state senator, and Secretary of State.
Canary has basically made the Business Council a joke among powerful legislators. He is so disliked and disrespected that he is thought of as a clown or caricature. In visiting with the majority of Republican senators, they say he has never even said “hi” to them. He walks the halls occasionally with a haughty, arrogant air and snubs not only all nine of the Democrats in the state senate as well as the 26 Republicans. I could not find one state senator who would say anything good about the New Yorker. They snicker and say that no bill will pass my committee if he is for it.
State Senator, Slade Blackwell, a respected businessman and staunch Republican from a silk stocking Jefferson County area said Canary actually does the BCA more harm than good. He said the BCA members would be better served to give campaign money directly to candidates than have it tainted by Canary. Blackwell, who also chairs the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, has only spoken to Canary one time in seven years.
Dr. Paul Bussman, who is very independent and represents Cullman and parts of Northwest Alabama as a Republican State Senator, said that Canary threatened him so abrasively over a piece of legislation in his first term that when he got home he wrote a check for $26,000, the amount the BCA had given his campaign, and sent it back to Canary with the message to not ever talk with him again.
The well liked, mild mannered, pro-business State Senator, Shay Shelnut, said Canary has never spoken to him in his entire five years in the Senate. This is the prevalent theme among most Republican members of the Senate.
The most important Senator, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, has barred Canary from his office.
See you next week.
November 15, 2017
In March of this year, the Alabama Community College System took a giant leap forward when it brought on a giant in state government and one of Alabama’s preeminent leaders, Jimmy Baker, to be Chancellor.
When you have a conversation with Chancellor Baker, he uses words that you do not normally hear in the same sentence, like exciting and community college. He says it is an exciting time. For a myriad of reasons, across the state, community colleges and technical training have been viewed as second best when it comes to higher education options. Sit down with Chancellor Baker and you will leave convinced that Alabama’s community colleges can do more to move the state forward than any other entity in the state.
For an institution that in the past had a history of caring a lot about buildings, he is singularly focused on doing what is in the best interest of students. To him, that means an open door policy at every college across the system. Anyone looking to better themselves should be able to walk in the door and find opportunity at their local community college.
For some that opportunity looks like core academic coursework to transfer to a four-year or advanced degree at a fraction of the cost. For others that means stackable credentials and skills training to leave the classroom and step directly into a career. It could also mean general literacy and workforce skills or specific job training for a specific industry. The paths are as varied as the student population, which ranges from high school students participating in dual enrollment classes to adult learners who are seeking to advance their careers and everything in between.
The Alabama Community College System consists of 24 community and technical colleges residing in each of the state’s urban centers as well as rural locales across the state. Additionally, extensive workforce development training for Alabama business and industry through the Alabama Technology Network also resides within the system.
Baker argues that the system’s reach across the state and each college’s connection with their local community makes them the most adaptable, allowing each college to made adjustments based on the needs of their service area. Imagine if this were the case in every community: a new auto manufacturer announces 200 jobs in Anytown, Alabama and the local Anytown Community College is already working to adapt courses and training to ensure the workforce is ready.
Anyone familiar with Alabama realizes the dramatic change in the economy over the past half-century. Entire industries have disappeared, replaced with new technology based careers requiring a different knowledge base.
The System is committed to being part of the solution. Baker knows that means being honest with students about opportunities that are available and the education, skills, and training needed to secure them. The Alabama Department of Labor estimates that there are more than 14,000 industrial manufacturing and transportation job openings each year. The Alabama Community College System is addressing the issue head-on by partnering with the state to provide two certification programs that upon completion translate into a job in manufacturing or production. Alabama is the first state in the nation to roll out these certifications statewide.
The System also made headlines when it was selected as one of only six community colleges systems in the entire country by Apple, Inc. to launch a new app-development curriculum. Students who participate in the courses will learn coding and app development with Apple’s Swift programming language, preparing them for a wide variety of careers in our ever-increasing technology driven economy.
While workforce training is a key mission of the ACCS, equal to its focus is to provide Alabama students with the academic coursework they need to be successful. A great number of students come to the community college to take coursework to prepare them to transition to a four-year institution. These students are receiving the same quality of coursework and instruction as they would at other institutions but with smaller class sizes and less cost.
Over the past several years, thanks to support from the Alabama Legislature, dual enrollment has continued to expand across the state. Students can take courses and receive both high school and college credit. In many instances, scholarships or grant funds are provided so students are afforded this opportunity at no cost to them. Students who participate will not only graduate high school with college credits under their belt but they will also be more prepared for the rigors of college having already experienced a college classroom.
See you next week.
November 8, 2017
We still have the culmination of the race for the seat of Jeff Sessions set to be determined in less than five weeks on December 12. Roy Moore, as the Republican nominee, is the favorite. However, the Democrat Doug Jones could make it a closer race than first thought. He has raised some money and gained some traction and Moore has a good many detractors among Republican and independent voters.
The 2018 races are looming on the horizon. All of the horses may not be at the gate yet. However, we are only seven months before the GOP Primary. What at one time looked as though would be a titanic race for governor, may not be as good as first thought. Governor Kay Ivey is in the catbird’s seat to win a four-year term of her own. Huntsville mayor, Tommy Battle, appears at this time to be her most potent hurdle. Birmingham evangelist, Scott Dawson, is poised to be a dark horse
The Lt. Governor and Attorney General races appear to have the potential to be the most interesting races. You will also have a donnybrook contest for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court between current Justices, Lyn Stuart and Tom Parker. These two will square off in what will be a battle between the Republican establishment versus the Evangelical Tea Party Right.
Secretary of State, John Merrill, will run for reelection to his office for a second four-year term. He will be a prohibitive favorite to win reelection. He is the best retail politician in the state.
It is yet to be determined what State Treasurer Young Boozer or State Auditor, Jim Ziegler, are going to do in 2018.
Boozer is term limited. He will have served his two four-year terms. He has to either run for something different or go to the house. His wife, Sally, probably prefers the latter.
Jim Ziegler can run for reelection as Auditor and that is probably what he will do. However, he may opt for the Attorney General’s contest. His name ID would bode well in that race. Speaking of name ID, former AG Troy King is head and shoulders above the crowd if he were to run for his old job. Currently, the field is made up of former U.S. Attorney, Alice Martin, Birmingham Attorney, Chess Bedsole, and Robert Bentley appointee, Steve Marshall.
College football and politics are often compared. Florida Coach Jim McElwain found out quickly that losing three in a row can be a career changer. Butch Jones at Tennessee is headed for the same fate. But while winning and losing appears to make a real difference in competitive athletics, the same rule does not seem to hold true when it comes to the head job at the Business Council of Alabama.
This past competitive legislative session, the BCA, under Billy Canary’s coaching, lost three in row, but Canary seems to be secure in his position. BCA went into the session with three legislative priorities and they went 0 for 3. Now, in competitive athletics, that will send you job hunting.
AEA appeared to be dead and buried. However, AEA beat BCA in a head-on match this past legislative session and there is every indication that AEA is building a sizable war chest for the 2018 campaigns. Right now, the AEA supporters have got to be cheering for Billy Canary and praying that the BCA will keep him on. Same holds true for the state’s Trial Lawyers. With Billy Canary calling the plays for BCA, the plaintiffs’ bar, AEA, and every other left of center group has got to be looking forward to the match up.
There is another perspective that becomes particularly important in the 2018 election year. With BCA’s record, recent controversies surrounding Canary and BCA, and Canary’s abrasive New York personality, who would want to be seen as part of the BCA team? Veteran legislators and newcomers seeking office will quickly declare themselves free agents and will reject identification with BCA.
Furthermore, why would anyone considering contributing to political candidates in 2018 and wasting their contributions by giving it through BCA? It only makes sense to make contributions directly to candidates or through other PACs not affiliated with BCA.
When a football team starts losing, it can take a long time to turn the record around but the first thing you do is fire the coach. If BCA has any hopes of scoring victories in future legislative sessions or in next year’s political season, they better send a moving van to Canary’s house soon.
See you next week.
November 1, 2017
With all the changes and uncertainty surrounding Alabama government in recent months, including political appointments, high level resignations, special elections, runoff elections and a host of new candidates tossing their names into the 2018 election circus,
Alabamians might be relieved to know one thing remains steady and solid and many may never have heard of it – Alabama’s Silver Haired Legislature is one of Alabama’s crown jewels.
This illustrious and distinguished array of Alabama’s senior leaders will convene in Montgomery next week. This elected body of 105 members will meet to discuss issues related to seniors but in some cases, they may have positive impacts on the State in general.
Alabama’s Silver Haired Legislature has met now for 24-years. They have had a significant impact on Alabama Public Policy.
The idea of a body to represent seniors has been around the nation since 1973. Most states now have a Silver Haired Legislature. The idea of a senior legislative institution was created to educate older Americans about issues of local, state, and national concern.
The purpose is to insure that all 105 legislative districts have a senior legislator to mirror and provide some liaison with our 105 regular state legislators, assist them, and keep them apprised of senior issues that affect their constituents.
The Silver legislators serve as conduits between the state’s area agencies on aging, Senior Centers, nutritional centers and generally being the eyes and ears of seniors related to finances, education, recreation, health and wellness.
Unlike the regular legislature, the Silver Hairs body is unicameral and nonpartisan. They are from all parts of the state. The age requirement is that one must be over age 60.
They pass resolutions, not bills. Their nonpartisanship makes for a much more effective and harmonious legislative session than our regular legislature.
Many of these senior legislators have historically been an extremely experienced collection of retired state employees, educators, business people, judges, former legislators, mayors, and public servants. Many have been involved with governance at all levels.
Alabama is an aging state. By 2030 those age 60 and above will represent 27 percent of Alabama’s population. It is often overlooked, but this age shift is evolving. Currently it is estimated that nearly 20 percent of Alabama’s population is over 60. The fastest growing segment of our state’s population is our folks 70-85. Projections are at the next census one of every five Alabamians will be over 65. Therefore, it is apropos that we have a senior legislature of over 60 year olds looking after their interests.
They were at the forefront and subsequently were the reason that an Elder Abuse Statue was passed in the state. They were the first to address the issue of texting and driving. Legislation came out of that resolution. They have impacted the Medicaid budgeting problems and nursing home enhancements and regulations. They were the first to bring attention to the predatory payday lending business. They brought about public transportation for senior citizens who live in rural areas and small municipalities. They have sought assistance to better fund all Department of Senior Services.
Their current leadership is stellar. The Speaker of the House is Steve Griffin of Tuscaloosa. Winston Griggs of Headland is Speaker Pro Tem. George Boswell of Wetumpka is Secretary. Sandra Harris of Alexander City is treasurer. Other leaders who serve on the board and are legislative leaders are Mary Jo Martin of Demopolis, Dean McCormack of Tuscumbia, Warner Floyd of Montgomery, Homer Homan of Brundidge, Selena Daniel of Opelika, Carol Oden of Vinemont and Ann Holman of Dothan.
While much of the focus is on the younger generation, it will be those that have helped build the state who are quietly listening to the issues and helping plan the trajectory of state programs and politics who may actually have the loudest input at the ballot box and in helping shape the legislation that insures that Alabama remembers the needs of its seniors along with all of its citizens.
See you next week.
October 25, 2017
There have been quite a few political happenings in the Heart of Dixie during October. Birmingham has elected a new mayor. 36-year-old Randall Woodfin defeated two-term mayor William Bell.
I never got to know Bell that well; however, the few times I visited with him he seemed to be an affable fellow. He surely looked like a mayor. His distinguished demeanor and exquisite diction and appearance gave an elegant impression for Birmingham. He looked like he came out of Hollywood central casting.
Woodfin beat Bell the old-fashioned way. He went door-to-door with shoe leather and diligence. He met most of Birmingham’s voters one-on-one and it paid off. He beat Bell convincingly, 58 to41. At 36 Woodfin will be the youngest Birmingham mayor in modern history.
In addition to changing mayors, Birmingham voters also ousted two longtime city council leaders, Johnathan Austin and Kim Rafferty. Austin was City Council President.
Alabama State University did a good days work when they selected State Senator Quinton Ross as their new president. Senator Ross is a gentleman of impeccable character and ability. Ross has served 15-years in the Alabama Senate with distinction. He is very well respected among his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Even though being in the Democratic minority in the Senate, he has been able to work with the Republican majority to get an immense amount of things accomplished for his Montgomery district. His legislative and governmental experience will be invaluable in unlocking fundraising doors for the university.
Quinton Ross is an educator by profession with undergraduate and graduate degrees from his beloved Alabama State. He grew up in Montgomery, went to public schools and then continued his education degrees in his hometown. He is only 48-years old. He can build quite a legacy at Alabama State. He has the proper pedigree and love for his alma mater to make his tenure special.
The legendary coach, Pat Dye, worked diligently on behalf of Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate race. It did not hurt Moore any. Coach Dye is an icon in Alabama. He is a man’s man. I love to visit with him.
Even though he grew up on a farm in Georgia, he is a true Alabamian through and through. He reminds me some of our great folksy senator, Howell Heflin. Heflin was a true Alabamian. However, his daddy was a Methodist minister. As you may know, Methodist ministers are moved often. His daddy was serving a stint in Georgia when Heflin was born. Judge Heflin was always a little embarrassed by this fact being as he was a U.S. Senator from Alabama. He would often say that his daddy was doing missionary work among the heathen.
Pat Dye grew up in Georgia and was an All American guard for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. He became a coach for Bear Bryant 45 years ago. He became Bryant’s most renowned recruiter. He was the mainstay of Bryant’s last decade. His recruiting was relentless. He learned every corner of the state. When Alabama took the field for the national championship game against Notre Dame in 1973, 24 of the 72 players were signed by Dye.
He went on to become one of Auburn’s greatest coaches. His decade at the helm was some of Auburn’s glory years.
He enjoys his life on his magnificent farm in East Alabama. He spends most of his time on his land hunting and fishing. However, he has gotten riled up about the fact that Alabama is losing an immense amount of money to our neighboring states of Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee because the powers that be will not let Alabamians vote on a lottery.
Those powers that be are the Indian/Las Vegas gambling interests that want to continue to buy control of certain political offices that will allow them to continue their monopoly.
Our interim acting Attorney General, Steve Marshall, has shown his hand. Marshall, even though totally unknown, is running for a full term. The gambling interests have put their money on him. He has done their bidding and has filed suit against the Alabama owned casinos to allow his new bosses, the Indian gambling casinos, a monopoly.
You will be able to follow the money in the AG race. You can bet your bottom dollar that Pat Dye will be against Marshall. The Indian Gambling syndicate needs to hedge their bet. Marshall will not win that race. Alabamians will know that the gambling syndicate backs this unknown charlatan and his claim to the office was that he was Robert Bentley’s appointee.
See you next week
October 18, 2017
Now that the dust has settled from the Republican Senate primary, we can focus on the much-anticipated 2018 elections.
Kay Ivey is definitely running for governor. She raised over one million dollars in a few short weeks in August with an exploratory committee. As of the last reporting period, she has raised $1.2 million followed closely by Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, who is at $1.1 million.
Ivey has been running a stealth campaign traveling the state and looking gubernatorial. On a recent day in Tuscaloosa, she visited the University of Alabama and then mid-morning, visited a pre-kindergarten class in the Druid City. Allow me to share a story surrounding Kay’s Tuscaloosa visit.
The University’s television station, WVUA, has a star, veteran, news anchor, Lynn Brooks. They have a large Tuscaloosa and West Alabama viewing audience. Lynn and her husband, who is a Tuscaloosa attorney, adopted a little 6-year old girl less than a year ago. They adopted little Emma in a magnanimous venture through the Department of Human Resources.
Little Emma had a traumatic first 5 years to say the least. However, Lynn and her husband have brought her out of her shell and given her a wonderful middle class life. She arrived without clothes or dolls. Lynn quickly got her three new dolls. Two of them were obvious Disney princesses. One was nameless. Like most 6 year olds today, they are quite precocious and computer and television savvy. Emma watches TV and names her third doll Kay Ivey. Her momma asked her why she named her doll Kay Ivey. Emma said, “Mom, don’t you know that Kay Ivey is the President of Alabama, like Donald Trump is the President of the United States.
Well guess what folks, that day the real Kay Ivey came to Emma’s school, Verner Elementary in Tuscaloosa, on Emma’s birthday. Emma told her mama casually as she was preparing for school that morning that the real Kay Ivey was coming to her school today for her birthday.
Some last thoughts on the just completed GOP Senate primary. Luther Strange garnered some powerful enemies during his 6-year tenure as Attorney General and they came back to haunt him. Bob Riley was ready to pounce on him after his boy, Mike Hubbard, was prosecuted. A second enemy evolved in the form of mega rich, plaintiff trial lawyer, Jere Beasley.
Beasley has always liked Roy Moore. He and his wife Sara are very devout religiously and are admirers of Roy and his wife, Kayla. In addition, Moore did not toe the business line on Tort Reform, which endeared him with Beasley the state’s most prominent personal injury attorney.
Beasley mostly aligns with liberal Democratic politicians like Barack Obama; however, in the race between Luther Strange and Roy Moore he raised money for his buddy Moore. Beasley had a further incentive because Luther as Attorney General had cut Beasley’s firm out of the settlement dollars from the BP oil spill.
There are multiple stories in Alabama political lore where someone loses a major race for political office and turns around to make a lot more money, and have a more prestigious and rewarding life after politics. They will all say, “Losing that race was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Jere Beasley epitomizes that story. He lost the 1978 governor’s race in a political defeat, but has gone on to glory and riches as a plaintiff attorney.
Actually, Luther and Beasley have more in common than they may realize. They both ended their political careers on the same ignominious note. It has been 40 years since Beasley’s infamous 1978 debacle race for governor. He finished a dismal and distant fifth in that race, finishing behind Sid McDonald, Albert Brewer, Bill Baxley, and the ultimate winner, Fob James. Beasley had been running fulltime for eight years and as Lt. Governor raised an immense amount of money. In fact he raised so much money that he held the record for 40 years for the most money spent per vote gotten in a statewide race.
Big Luther, who Beasley dubbed “Little” Luther broke Beasley’s record for the most money spent per vote gotten. When all is said and done, Luther and the Washington Super PAC’s will have spent over $15 million. In comparison Roy Moore spent around $1 million. That’s a record!
See you next week.