October 19, 2016
Ole Bill Baxley has been in the news a lot this year. He was the lead defense counsel for former Speaker Mike Hubbard’s ethics conviction trial over in Opelika. Baxley practices law in Birmingham and is one of the state’s premier and most expensive criminal defense lawyers. Like a good many of the top defense attorneys, Baxley was first a prosecutor and a doggone good one.
Baxley was born and raised in Dothan, the heart of the Wiregrass. His family was one of the original settling families in Houston County. His daddy Keener Baxley was the Circuit Judge in Houston and Henry counties. Mr. Keener had been the District Attorney prior to going on the bench. Bill grew up in his daddy’s courtroom. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be a lawyer.
Baxley was a child protégé. He also had a meteoric rise in Alabama politics. He finished Dothan High School at 16, the University of Alabama at 20 and Law School at 22. He became the District Attorney in Houston and Henry Counties at the age of 24. He was elected Attorney General of Alabama at the ripe old age of 28 and served eight years as the state’s top prosecutor. Unlike many of the recent attorney generals, who actually know nothing about criminal prosecution, Baxley though young was well qualified and an effective prosecutor. Baxley was elected lieutenant governor in 1982 and ran second for governor twice, once in 1978 and again in 1986.
Bill Baxley like most politicians had his favorite stories and jokes. His best that he told repeatedly throughout the years took place in October over 50 years ago. It was during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Most of us thought our world was coming to an end. The story was about an ole guy named Squatlow. I am not sure whether this story is true or not but it could very well be true.
Squatlow got his nickname because he would squat down low to the ground whenever he talked with folks. Ole Squatlow would hunker down with a chew of tobacco in his mouth and gossip and swap stories all day.
Baxley was a young District Attorney for Houston and Henry Counties. Dothan and Houston County has about 90 percent of the people in the Circuit with Henry County being the home to about 10 percent. Baxley was a youthful 25-year-old district attorney and would travel to Court on occasion in Henry County to prosecute the few criminals they had in Henry County.
Baxley like most politicians would stop at a country store and drink a coke with the rural folks in the area. Henry County is a very sparsely populated rural county in the Wiregrass with two small towns, Abbeville and Headland. Abbeville happens to be the county seat.
Squatlow had a mechanic shop/gas station/grocery store in the obscure community of Tumbleton in Henry County. His whole world was no bigger than that county. The biggest places he had ever been were Abbeville and Headland with a population of about 1,000 people each.
Well, they may have been back in the woods, but they knew about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the standoff between the United States and Russia. It was a scary situation. I think most people were afraid that a nuclear war was imminent. The whole world was on edge.
During the week of this crisis, Baxley while traveling to court in Henry County, stopped by Squatlow’s store in Tumbleton. Squatlow and all the folks in the little community were scared. This was obviously the topic of conversation that day.
Ole Squatlow sauntered down in his lowest squatting position and just shook his head. “You know, I’ve been thinking about it all night, and I just know those damn Russians are going to bomb Abbeville. Yeah, they gonna drop one of them atom bombs right on Abbeville” said old Squatlow.
Baxley looked at Squatlow and said, “Squatlow, why in the world would the Russians drop a bomb on Abbeville, Alabama?” Squatlow looked at Baxley like he was the most stupid person he had ever seen. He shook his head at how ignorant this young, 25-year-old lawyer was. He looked at Baxley and said, “Boy, don’t you know nothing? Don’t you know that Abbeville is the County Seat of Henry County?”
See you next week.
October 12, 2016
Our junior U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions has risen to national prominence in this pivotal presidential year. His arch conservative senate voting record and impeccable pedigree as one of the most rock solid Republicans in the U.S. Senate has made him a marquee persona among right wing Fox News conservatives throughout the country.
During the GOP Primary debates earlier this year, the aspirants would refer to him and insinuate that Sessions was in their corner. However, the ultimate victor, Donald Trump, won the early support of Sessions primarily due to their common opinion on immigration.
It is no secret that Trump reveres and trusts Sessions. In fact, Sessions has evolved into Trump’s foremost confidant both politically and philosophically. Without question, Sessions is closer to Trump than any member of the Senate. If Trump were to be elected, Trump could appoint Sessions to the Supreme Court.
Jeff Sessions would unquestionably become a social conservative stalwart on the Court. If this were to occur he would be only the second Alabamian in a century to be named to the nation’s high tribunal.
The last Alabamian named to the Supreme Court was Hugo Black. If Sessions is appointed to the Supreme Court, the contrast in the two legacies of Sessions and Black would be remarkable.
Probably the most enduring legacy a president will have is an appointment to the United States Supreme Court. This lifetime powerful appointment will be lasting. The nine Justices of the Supreme Court have omnipotent everlasting power over most major decisions affecting issues and public policy in our nation.
Our new president will not only fill the one seat vacant now due to the death of Justice Scalia, but probably two more. These appointments may be their most lasting legacy.
It may come as a surprise to you since Alabama is currently considered one of the most conservative places in America but Alabamian Hugo Black was arguably one of the most liberal Supreme Court Justices in history. He was also one of the longest serving Justices. Black was the fifth longest serving Supreme Court Justice. He sat on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1937 to 1971. Nearly 35 of his 85 years on earth were spent on the Supreme Court.
Hugo Black, like most folks and heroes of that era in Alabama history, was born on a farm. He was born in rural Clay County in 1886. He was the youngest child of a large family. He worked his way through the University of Alabama Law School under the tutelage of President George Denny. He shoveled coal to stoke the furnaces at the University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
He began practicing law in Birmingham at 22 years old. He became a Jefferson County Prosecutor and then World War I broke out. He served in the War and rose to the rank of Captain. In 1926 at age 40, Black was elected to the United States Senate. He arrived in the Senate at the beginning of the Great Depression. During his entire tenure in the Senate, America was in the throes of the Depression. Folks who endured this era were marked by it.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to the White House in 1932. His New Deal was the most legendary political accomplishment in American history. Black became one of FDR’s staunchest allies. He voted for 24 out of 24 of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.
Alabama benefited mightily from FDR’s New Deal, especially, rural Alabama and the Tennessee Valley. Roosevelt rewarded Alabama’s junior senator with a coveted seat on the Supreme Court. He was one of nine justices appointed by President Roosevelt during his 13 year reign as president.
Black was a liberal New Dealer in the Senate and liberals were pleased by the Justice from Alabama’s tenure over the next 35 years. Liberals regard Black as one of the most influential Supreme Court Justices of the 20th Century. He literally hung his hat on the 14th Amendment. He was part of the court decision that declared school racial segregation illegal in the famous Brown v. Board of Education decision.
It is probably unbelievable to most Americans that Alabama’s only contribution to the Supreme Court is one of its most liberal justices in history.
Believe me, there would be quite a difference in philosophy between the ultra-liberal Hugo Black and the ultra-conservative Jeff Sessions, which illustrates the historical change in Alabama politics.
See you next week.
October 05, 2016
During this election year I have watched all the politics on television. In order to judge the coverage I have perused all the channels. Over the years political observers have bemoaned the fact that certain networks are biased. Folks, I am here to tell you they are. There is no doubt Fox is a Republican channel and MSNBC and CNN are Democratic networks.
George Wallace used to strut around the country running for president as a third party candidate rhetorically saying there ain’t a dimes worth of difference in the national Republican and Democratic parties. Well, I am here to tell you there is a huge difference. They are miles apart philosophically. They ought to rename the Democratic Party the Liberal Party because believe me they are liberal. They ought to rename the Republican Party the Conservative Party because believe me they are conservative.
The most believable accurate and unbiased political analyst in America is Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia. He has been the premier political analyst prognosticator and pollster in America for years. When Larry Sabato speaks, people listen. He is right on target. He is so respected and unbiased that both CNN and Fox use him as an analyst.
When it comes to Alabama politics the premier political investigative reporter is Bill Britt who has the Alabama Political Reporter. He and his wife, Susan, are head and shoulders above the rest of the investigative reporters in the state.
The two best mainline journalists are Mike Cason with AL.com and Brian Lyman with the Montgomery Advertiser. They are great writers and are thorough, honest and knowledgeable. They are filling a gap left by the great Phil Rawls. A young reporter with AL.com in Mobile, John Sharp, is doing an excellent job covering politics from the Port City and Gulf Coast. He is an excellent writer and gets his facts straight and tells a story when he writes. Tim Lockett with the Anniston Star does a good job of reporting on Alabama politics.
The legendary Montgomery lawyer and yellow dog Democratic activist Julian McPhillips has written two good books in recent years, “The People’s Lawyer” and his most recent memoir, “Civil Rights in my Bones.” It chronicles his years of being a civil rights champion and lawyer for underdog clients. He has made some money with his taking on the big mules and powerful interests. He has won some big judgments for his downtrodden clients.
McPhillips was born into privilege and Mobile established gentry. The McPhillips are old Mobile aristocracy. He could have settled into a sophisticated life of practicing law with one of the old Mobile silk stocking law firms and drinking scotch in the afternoons at the Mobile Country Club and attending Mardi gras balls.
Instead, he chose the life of a liberal civil rights lawyer and by the way he is a tee-totaling minister of a liberal progressive church on the side.
McPhillips was an all American wrestler in college at Princeton. After Princeton he graduated from Columbia Law School where he became a liberal activist.
He practiced law a short while in New York before coming home to Alabama to begin his Alabama career with Bill Baxley in the early 1970’s. Baxley was a young 29 year old progressive populist attorney general and he brought with him a host of young liberal Alabama born Ivy Leaguers. It was a legendary troupe that included Julian McPhillips, Tuskegee born Myron Thompson from Yale Law School, Vanzetta Penn McPherson from Montgomery from Columbia Law School, Decatur born Hank Caddell from Harvard Law School. Non-Ivy Leaguers in Baxley’s group of assistant attorney generals included Judge Charles Price, Gil Kendrick, Dicky Calhoun, Bill Stephens, Walter Turner and current U.S. Attorney George Beck.
They were better at law than softball. Their team lost almost every game, but they celebrated at the old Sahara anyway.
Julian McPhillips has stayed true to his progressive politics. He is a true blue Democrat and was the Democratic standard bearer for the U.S. Senate in 1996 when Jeff Sessions won the open seat.
See you next week.
September 28, 2016
Alabama’s most famous political restaurant and watering hole for 50 years was Montgomery’s Elite Restaurant. Until it closed about 1995, the Elite (pronounced “E-light”) was the place to eat and be seen. Many a political deal was struck at its back tables.
Legislators, politicians, and socialites in Montgomery frequented the famous establishment. The politicians and lobbyists not only met there during the sessions, they would meet there for political discussions, dinners and drinks all year long, and any night or day, even on Sundays. The original owner and proprietor was Pete Xides. His son, Ed Xides, a wonderful gentleman with impeccable southern manners and charm had taken over by the time I got to the legislature. I loved to eat there. The “Seafood Mélange of Trout Almandine and Shrimp Athenian combine to give the Elite’s most famous dish served with rice and lemon butter caper sauce,” quoting from the menu, is still among the best meals I have ever eaten.
During the 1940’s through 1960s, drinking alcoholic beverages was not as accepted in Alabama as it is today. Many counties were “dry”. It was especially taboo for a public official to be seen in public drinking whiskey and certainly not martinis and sophisticated scotches. Still, a good many did partake. The Elite was glad to serve their patrons the exquisite and expensive libations. Nine times out of ten, a lobbyist was picking up the bill. In fact, they kept a monthly tab at the Elite.
Beside the politicians, many of the sophisticated social elite of Montgomery frequented the Elite. A good many of the regular patrons were older ladies of Montgomery. They also liked their cocktails. To cover for its discreet customers, the Elite served its alcoholic concoctions in coffee and tea cups. Therefore, when a little old lady from the Methodist or Baptist Church asked her gin rummy buddy to go to lunch after church, they winked at each other and knew they would have a delightful Sunday afternoon sipping “tea” or “coffee” at the Elite. They would be sipping along with most of the prominent politicians in the state. Of course, it was illegal to sell or serve alcohol on Sunday in Alabama and in some places it still is.
Governor John Patterson had frequented the Elite since he was in law school at the University of Alabama and was a regular there while he was attorney general. When Patterson became governor he named Ed Azar, a straight laced teetotaling Montgomery lawyer, as head of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
One day early in Governor Patterson’s administration, he got a call from Mr. Pete Xides. Old Mr. Xides told the governor that he had a major problem and that he had to see him. He said the matter was urgent. Governor Patterson told Mr. Xides to come on up to the governor’s office. Mr. Xides wasted no time scurrying up to the Capitol. It only took a minute because the Elite was just a few blocks down the street. He first apologized for having to bother the governor and thanked him for seeing him, especially on such short notice. However, Mr. Azar and the ABC Board had raided his famous restaurant and told Mr. Xides that he would have to cease serving alcohol on Sunday, even if he did serve it in coffee or tea cups. Mr. Xides pointed out that the governor had been sipping “tea” on Sunday at the Elite for decades, including while he was the state’s top prosecutor, though Mr. Xides might have been too polite to mention that. In fact, Governor Patterson had even been sipping there the previous Sunday. Governor Patterson pondered all that and told Mr. Xides that he “would hate for such a tradition to end in Alabama.” He promised the old Greek that he would do what he could to take care of the matter.
The Governor then had a long talk with his ABC Board administrator. Azar was feisty about it, but ultimately agreed that his boss, the governor, had the final say. The Elite continued to serve coffee and tea on Sunday. It was quite a political institution in Alabama and is sorely missed.
Former Governor John Patterson celebrates his 96th birthday this week. He lives on his ancestral farm in rural Tallapoosa County where he has a pet goat named Rebecca. Happy Birthday Governor Patterson!
See you next week.
September 21, 2016
Folks, I have been observing and participating in the legislative process for over 50 years. Lest you think I am real old, I started paging in the legislature when I was 12, served in the House of Representatives close to two decades, and have been reporting on the legislative process for now close to two decades and I am here to tell you I have not seen a more up and down roller coaster ride than the recently completed special session to deal with the lottery issue.
Extraordinary special sessions of the legislature are the way to go to get something accomplished if you are governor. The legislature has to address the topic for which the governor has called the special session. It is called “the call.”
During a regular session there are 500 bills introduced, granted a good many are local bills. However, there are a great many significant bills as well as the budgets. Therefore, there are a myriad of issues that the legislature can hide behind or get lost in the shuffle.
The lottery issue has been looming for years. In fact, the Democrats in the House have been proposing it for close to a decade with the proceeds going to education, much like the Georgia lottery. Don Siegelman’s lottery would have passed in 1999 if the opponents had not created doubt at the last minute about sweetheart deals and chicanery hidden in the proposal. It has now been asleep for 16 years. In the interim, every state around us has started a lottery or full-fledged casino gambling with substantial money being reaped by our sister state’s governmental coffers.
Over the years, there has been an incremental weakening of moral opposition in the Heart of Dixie to purchasing a lottery ticket. There is still a 30% pious opposition in the state. That same percentage would also oppose drinking, dancing, and listening to secular music.
Interestingly, there was about a one third bloc of senators and representatives, almost all Republican, who refused to let their constituents vote on the issue based on their piety. Even though the majority of the folks they represent would vote for the lottery if given the opportunity. My political observation is that their vote to disallow their people the right to vote may come back to haunt them come reelection time in 2018. People are actually incensed that the legislature could not simply pass legislation to let them keep their money at home.
The lottery issue is a constitutional amendment and requires a three fifths vote in both chambers to get on the ballot. That is 21 out of 35 votes in the senate and 63 out of 105 votes in the House. Then it would go on the ballot and you would vote yes or no. Polling indicates it would pass by a two-thirds vote.
Our good ole Dr. Governor Robert Bentley decided that the money eating monster in the General Fund, Medicaid, needed feeding. Therefore, he called the special session and requested that the legislature address more funding for Medicaid. Ole Bentley really is a good man, being a doctor he believes in providing adequate medical care for Alabama’s indigent older and younger people. Sixty-six percent of nursing home residents are on Medicaid and most of the children in the state are on Medicaid.
Bentley is a good ole guy but he is not much of a politician or governor. The legislature has pretty much relegated him to being about as relevant as he was as a back bench member of the House. However, in the past year he has become not only irrelevant, but somewhat of a joke.
Bentley called the session and most of the legislators heard about it on the news. A special session can last 30 calendar days and 12 legislative days. There was an August 24 deadline to get the initiative on the November general election ballot. He should have called the special session for July 15, not August 15. That is about the only input he would have anyway.
On another note, Bentley has pretty much been a failure in the legislative process. However, he deserves credit for showing resolve and statesmanship when it comes to standing up to the Vegas/Indian casino gambling interests and not succumbing to their intimidation. His decision to follow the constitution and leave the promulgation of the local casinos in the hands of the local sheriffs is to be commended.
See you next week.
September 14, 2016
There is no truer adage in the political world than “all politics is local.” therefore, the best politics and the best governing in the state is at the local level. The mayors of cities and towns throughout Alabama are the real governors of the state.
Running a city is a full-time job. It is the where the rubber meets the road. They are the closest to the people. It is more important to the average voter whether their garbage has been picked up on time or their utility bill is too high, than if we build a wall to keep Mexicans out of Texas or that Hillary Clinton hid her emails. These mayors get blamed for the garbage not being picked up on time and especially if their water bill is too high.
There was a wholesale apple cart turnover and slaughter of iconic long-term mayors throughout the state with statewide municipal elections on August 23rd. It was devastating in the Jefferson County suburbs. The veteran mayor of Hoover, Gary Ivey, lost 35% to 52% to former Hoover Fire Chief Frank Brocato. Two-term Vestavia Mayor, Butch Zaragoza, lost 43% to 57% to former FBI agent, Ashley Curry. In Trussville, five-term Mayor, Gene Melton, lost big time. He got 25% of the vote running third to two City Councilmen, Buddy Choat (35%) and Anthony Montalto (40%), who will be in a runoff.
Legendary Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford fell to City Council President Tony Haygood, 38% to 62%.
The Selma Mayoral race was a real donnybrook. In a five person contest, the incumbent Mayor George Evans finished third with only 18% of the vote. State Representative Darrio Melton and former Mayor James Perkins are headed for an October 4th runoff with Melton leading.
In Alexander City, incumbent Mayor Charles Shaw barely got into a runoff with James Nabors, who led 47% to 20%.
In Hamilton, Mayor Wade Williams got trounced. Bob Page beat him 63% to 24%. Hamilton has not had a mayor to win a second term in 24 years.
In Demopolis, incumbent Mayor Mike Grayson was trampled by John Laney 63% to 15%. That is taking someone to the woodshed.
In one of Alabama’s fastest growing cities, Fairhope, four-term incumbent Mayor Tim Kant lost to bookstore owner Karin Wilson, who qualified the last day on a lark.
In short, a host of incumbent mayors bit the dust and they fell hard. However, some popular incumbent mayors won reelection handily on August 23rd. Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller waltzed to an impressive victory garnering 80% of the vote. In Prattville, incumbent Mayor Bill Gillespie trounced his opposition with a record 92% of the vote. Popular young Troy Mayor Jason Reeves got an impressive 73% of the vote over two opponents and reelection to his second term. Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis won a third term. He got 65% of the vote in his reelection bid. Jim Lowery, the longtime mayor of Fultondale won 58% to 42%. Enterprise Mayor Kenneth Boswell beat two opponents without a runoff.
The biggest victory of any incumbent mayor came in one of Alabama’s top three metropolitan areas. Huntsville is one of the state’s largest cities and the fastest growing. Incumbent Mayor Tommy Battle won with 82% of the vote. This will probably catapult him into the 2018 Governor’s Race.
Several popular mayors were unopposed. One was the very able Mayor of Andalusia, Earl Johnson.
All of the aforementioned mayoral incumbent victors are leading cities that are thriving and growing exponentially.
There will be some good runoffs on October 4th. Most notably in Ozark between Mike Barefield and Bob Bunting, where only 39 votes separated them.
Forty-year veteran Mayor Jimmy Ramage stepped down as Mayor of Brundidge. There will be a runoff election between Cynthia Pearson and Isabell Boyd, which will be interesting.
The Luverne runoff election between Alan Carpenter and Ed Beasley will be close with only 12 votes separating them.
It has been a very good year for local politics in the Heart of Dixie.
See you next week.
September 07, 2016
Throughout this year’s prodigious presidential selection process our junior senator, Jeff Sessions, has been at the forefront. He has become the darling of the extreme right throughout the country. He is and has been one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate for close to two decades now. Throughout his entire tenure in the Senate, he has been consistently ranked as one of the five most conservative members of this august body.
It is because of Sessions staunch conservativism that he is probably the most popular major political figure in Alabama. He adroitly reflects the philosophy and values of arguably the most conservative state in America.
His support and endorsement was sought by all of the GOP presidential contenders. His hardline approach on the immigration issue put him in line early with Donald Trump. Even still during the GOP presidential debates the other candidates, especially Ted Cruz, would imply that Sessions liked him. He was identified early on as being supportive of Donald Trump. Although he never officially endorsed Trump, he appeared at Trump’s campaign rallies in Mobile and Huntsville with a Trump hat on.
Sessions showed a wise and shrewd side by knowing that Alabamians have always resented one politician endorsing or getting involved in a race other than their own. Novice politicians of recent years, like Bob Riley and Robert Bentley, would arrogantly endorse people who systematically lost because of their endorsement. They lacked the knowledge of Alabama political history that Alabamians resent this interference. George Wallace in the prime of his political popularity would occasionally endorse someone and they always lost. Wallace eventually quit doing it.
A good example would be that during this year’s Alabama Republican Primary, Sessions subtly sided with Trump and he got over 60 percent of the vote in Alabama and Bentley endorsed Ohio Governor John Kasich and he got less than 4 percent of the vote in the state.
Sessions is a consistent guest on the conservative news network, Fox. He is adored nationwide by the country’s conservative base. He epitomizes the gold standard of conservatism on social and fiscal policy. He is even more respected and trusted by the right because they can tell that his heart is in it and he does not harbor aspirations to be president.
Sessions has become Trump’s go to guy in the U.S. Senate. Sessions held a meeting early on to get Trump acquainted with his Republican Senate colleagues. Trump would probably have liked for Sessions to have been his vice presidential running mate. However, Sessions would not have brought anything to the table in the Electoral College process. The hardcore right wing is already in Trump’s corner and, like I always say, Alabama would vote for the Republican nominee if he was named Donald Duck, especially given how far left the Democratic Party has drifted under the leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III was born in Wilcox County but has called Mobile home his entire adult life. He is a true blue lifetime arch conservative Republican. He was a young Republican leader while a college student at Huntingdon College. He campaigned for Goldwater. He served as a Republican U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama for twelve years. Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in 1994. He was elected to the U.S. Senate two years later in 1996.
Therefore, Sessions has been representing us in the U.S. Senate for 20 years. He will be 70 years old on Christmas Eve. If Donald Trump were to be elected president, he would probably offer Sessions a cabinet post as either Secretary of State or Secretary of Homeland Security or maybe even a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. People who know Sessions well believe that he would leave the Senate for one of these posts. If that were to occur, his successor would be appointed by the governor. It would be a plum appointment. We will see.
See you next week.
August 31, 2016
With Labor Day approaching it signifies that the long hot summer will soon be coming to an end. It seems that the summers are getting hotter and hotter. I was born and raised in south Alabama so I was accustomed to long hot summers. I remember when there was no air conditioning in houses or cars. It was hot, but seems hotter today. I think we have gotten softer. It also seems that we do not have the spring or fall seasons anymore. All of a sudden one day in mid May it is 86 degrees and it never goes below that through mid September, or maybe even October. We have about 5 months out of the year where the temperature is mostly in the 90s.
This Monday is Labor Day. It usually does not cool off much, but we Alabamians seem to think that Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. I guess it is because it also usually marks the beginning of college football season. For those of us who are political junkies Labor Day also marks the beginning of the political season.
In past political years most campaigns for the November general election kicked off on Labor Day. This year is a biggie because 2016 is a presidential year. This year will bring to life one of the nastiest presidential races in memory. Both candidates already have unfavorable ratings of over 50 percent. That means that whoever is elected, the majority of the people in the country will hate their president.
In bygone days, every major candidate for statewide office would be in northwest Alabama this Monday. There is an event held in the northwest corner of Alabama known as the Terry Family Reunion. It is the largest family reunion in Alabama. Serious Alabama politicians know about this annual event that has been going on for many years. Not everyone who attends this family reunion has Terry family roots, but a good many do. It has become a must do event for aspiring statewide and definitely local candidates. Every candidate for Sheriff, Probate Judge, Legislature or Constable will be at the Terry Reunion, which is held in the corner of Lawrence County. It is an event for all politicians but especially for those from the Quad Cities of Sheffield, Florence, Tuscumbia, and Muscle Shoals and also for politicians from the counties of Colbert, Lauderdale, Franklin, Lawrence, and Morgan. In the past you can be assured that every statewide candidate for Lt. Governor, Supreme Court, and every other constitutional office would be there.
The Terry Family Reunion will have everything to eat, especially good barbeque. There will be political speeches and lots of one on one campaigning. Although there will be Labor Day barbeques from one end of the state to the other, none will be as political as the Terry Family Reunion just south of Tuscumbia and just north of Moulton and Russellville.
Labor Day is also a day to salute the American worker. We salute and honor our working men and women. As we salute and honor our Alabama workers, it should be noted that Alabama has historically been one of the most unionized states in the South.
Even with the upcoming presidential election on the horizon, I do not see how the last one third of this political year could be nearly as exciting or eventful as the first two thirds of the year have been in Alabama politics. The Mike Hubbard conviction, the Roy Moore removal from the bench, and the sensational salacious Robert Bentley saga are fodder for another book.
The legislature does not appear overly interested in moving forward with impeachment proceedings against ole Bentley. It is common knowledge that the feds are interested in and investigating his affair. Therefore, their poking their nose into his business would be like getting the cart ahead of the horse. It would also amount to the pot calling the kettle black. It would be hard to explain or defend voting for a man indicted for 23 counts of felony ethics law transgressions as your leader/speaker and then voting to impeach a poor old 74-year-old retired doctor, who has not stolen a dime and does not even take a salary as governor. It would give a new meaning to the word hypocrisy.
Happy Labor Day!
August 24, 2016
In 1960 television was a new medium. Most Americans did not have televisions in the early 1950’s. However, by 1960 the majority of the country had fallen in love with Lucy and TV.
Presidential races had been run by party bosses in urban enclaves like New York and Boston. Political parties and party conventions were extremely important. The parties were controlled by longtime political pols and insiders. Powerful governors and senators would control their state delegations at the nominating conventions and would yield inordinate power at a critical point in the process.
Machine and ward politics in the major cities of New York, Boston and Chicago dictated the choice of party nominees, especially within the Democratic Party. The Republican Party was even then more based in the Midwestern and rural part of the nation. We in the South were essentially as irrelevant in presidential politics as we are today. We were entrenched as an island of Southern Democrats based on tradition and the post-Civil War Reconstruction animosity. Today, we are reliably Republicans due to race and religion.
The country was changing dramatically beginning in 1960. Folks were moving west to California and south to Florida. The northeastern center of political influence was beginning to decline. The 1960 presidential contest is considered one of the most interesting, dramatic, and closest in history. It was also a pivotal race because of the advent of television. The television set became the center and king of American presidential politics.
In one corner of the heavyweight slugfest was the GOP standard bearer, Richard Nixon. He had been vice-president for eight years under the popular General/President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower. Carrying the Democratic banner was youthful Massachusetts Senator and Boston bred John Kennedy. Most political historians submit that the presidential contest hinged on and was won on television.
The presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon was televised and Americans tuned in. Kennedy was considered the underdog but he turned the race around with his sterling television appearance. He was youthful, articulate, and handsome and took to the TV like a duck to water. Nixon, on the other hand, came off as a mean-spirited, scowling, bumbling alternative.
Kennedy knew to wear makeup and look rested. He appeared tanned and energetic. Nixon had come into politics through the traditional mediums of newspaper and radio. In fact, most people who listened to the debate on radio said Nixon won the debate. However, he lost big on television.
Nixon arrived at the television studio without proper preparation. He refused to wear makeup as he said it was not masculine to wear powder on your face. It would have helped him. Nixon had a pronounced five o’clock shadow. He had failed to shave and he looked very sinister. He also would not smile. He appeared gaunt and pale, probably due to the fact that he had a flare up with phlebitis in his leg and as he was getting out of the car he hit his leg on the door and he was in severe pain.
Kennedy won the presidency with that television debate and a new era of American politics began. Television became the king of politics and for half a century has been the dominant weapon of national politics. However, the presidential race has seen the beginning of the end to television broadcast advertising being omnipotent.
In fact, it appears that paid television ads are having an inverse affect. Outsider candidates like Donald Trump have thrived with little or no paid television ads, while Jeb Bush spent over $60 million on television with very little result. Another Floridian, Marco Rubio, spent over $30 million on television. Two also rans and prominent governors, Rick Perry and Scott Walker, spent most of their campaign dough on television with no effect on their polling numbers and left the race before the first primary.
This trend actually set in during the presidential race four years ago. Studies indicate that television ads had little or no effect on the Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney contest. Digital advertising is beginning to challenge television’s dominance. Most Americans under 40 get their news online. However, older voters still watch television a lot. Nielson says Americans view an average of 36 hours a week whereas those older than 50 watch 47 hours. The era of king television in American presidential politics may be fading. Those of us older than 60 still like to read our local paper.
See you next week.
August 17, 2016
Political experts and historians have consistently chronicled the fact that vice presidential choices has no significant effect on the presidential race outcome.
However, this has been a very unconventional presidential political year. My assessment is that the selection of Mike Pence by Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s choosing Tim Kaine were extremely wise and helpful decisions. If for nothing else, I believe that Pence insures Indiana for the GOP and Kaine sews up the pivotal swing state of Virginia for Hillary. They are both very popular in their home states and are capable and stable choices.
Republican standard bearer Donald Trump helped himself immensely with his pick of Pence. There is a glaring difference between the two. Trump’s bombastic, egotistical brashness is offset by Pence’s genuine rock solid Midwestern humble and conservative demeanor.
Pence’s presence reassures the GOP base that Trump is a conservative. It also helps shore up the evangelical voters, who may doubt Trump. Pence is a devout born again Christian family man. Mike Pence the 50th governor of Indiana was a splendid if not perfect choice for the brash New Yorker.
Pence built a sterling conservative record during his 12 years in Congress on both social and fiscal policy. As a congressman he was such a devout fiscal conservative that he persuaded his fellow Republicans to cut federal spending before approving money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and in 2008 he opposed the bank bailout.
As governor of Indiana he has cut spending, lowered taxes, and reduced regulations. He was on course to win reelection to a second four year term. However, he had to withdraw from the race when he accepted the vice presidential nomination. Therefore, unlike the other finalists he had a lot to lose by accepting the nomination.
Indiana has traditionally been a Republican state. However, in recent years it has on occasion voted for the Democratic nominee. Pence’s presence solidifies and ensures that the Hoosier state stays in the Republican column.
Hillary Clinton’s choice of Tim Kaine was also a homerun. She could not have scripted someone better to be her vice presidential choice. He not only is a wise and shrewd political choice, but is uniquely qualified to be president. As Virginia’s U.S. Senator, he has served on both the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees. He is one of a few men in American history who has served as mayor of an American city, Richmond, Governor of a State, Virginia, and now U.S. Senator, and he is only 58 years old.
Kaine has been a close friend of the Clinton’s over the years. He was an early supporter of Bill Clinton. The Clinton’s are very compatible and have shared common campaign political support from Wall Street and big banks.
Kaine has the ideal Democratic pedigree. He was born into a working class Catholic family. His father was a unionized ironworker. While in college, he worked as a missionary to Honduras where he learned to speak fluent Spanish and worked as a Civil Rights lawyer representing those discriminated against based on race and disabilities. He then went into politics and became mayor, lieutenant governor, governor, and now Senator Kaine.
He is known as congenial and a conciliator in the Senate. He is indeed well qualified to be president. He brings two important assets to the table. Foremost he probably brings the swing State of Virginia. Secondly, his speaking fluent Spanish will help solidify the ever growing and important Hispanic vote.
Both Trump and Clinton knocked it out of the park with their choice of running mates.
The Electoral College System of selecting our president heavily favors a Democrat capturing the White House. The demographic changes in the country and philosophical leftward tilt of our nation’s politics is trending to being like the left coast of California. This Democratic advantage is inherent enough that any Republican has to have a perfect storm to win.
Trump seems determined to ensure that happens. He is writing the perfect script on how to lose a presidential race. It is a though he is running to make sure Hillary wins.
See you next week.