January 02, 2014
With each passing day it becomes less likely that Gov. Robert Bentley will get any serious opposition in his reelection bid. We are only five months away from the June 3, 2014 GOP primary. It would be very difficult for someone to mount a significant challenge to the popular incumbent in that time span.
It also appears that Sen. Jeff Sessions and Attorney General Luther Strange will have smooth sailing towards their reelections. Young Boozer and John McMillan also appear to be headed towards reelection to second terms as Treasurer and Agriculture Commissioner.
Under our state constitution, the aforementioned statewide incumbents are term limited after two four-year terms. However, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions has no limitations on the number of six-year terms he serves. This lack of competition portends a quiet and dull 2014 election year. This is disappointing to those of us who thrive on following political races. Therefore, political pundits will begin their speculation of who will follow Gov. Bentley as governor in 2018.Read more
December 26, 2013
As the year 2013 comes to an end, as is our custom, we will reminisce and remember some of the great names of Alabama politics that have passed away this year.
Former Supreme Court Justice, John Tyson, passed away at 86 at his Montgomery home. Tyson was a revered, Montgomerian and a real gentleman. His best friend was Bubba Trotman of Montgomery. If I had to define the term Southern gentleman, Judge Tyson and Bubba Trotman epitomize this demeanor.
Former First Lady, Jamelle Folsom, passed away in Cullman. Mrs. Jamelle was the only lady in Alabama history to be the wife of one governor and the mother of another governor. She was the wife of the legendary Big Jim Folsom and the mother of Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr. Big Jim, who was a widower and a good bit older than Jamelle, was campaigning in North Alabama and making one of his legendary “suds bucket” speeches, when he looked out over the crowd and spotted Jamelle who was not even 20 years old. In his uninhibited manner he stared at Jamelle and said that’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, I’m going to marry her, and he did. She was a wonderful lady who loved Alabama politics.Read more
December 19, 2013
When I went to the legislature in 1982 as a 30-year-old freshman, there were two powerful organizations. The Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) and the Alabama Education Association (AEA) were omnipotent. The Farmers Federation had prevailed as the King of Goat Hill for decades and probably going back to when Alabama became a state in 1901.
You chose early which side you were on, either ALFA or AEA. It was almost like football in our state where you have to side either with Auburn or Alabama. My choice was easy. Being from a rural county and being a business person, I cast my allegiance with ALFA.
Most of us who were pro business chose ALFA. We became known as the conservatives. It may surprise some of you young folks to know that there were essentially no Republicans. We all ran under a Democratic banner even though we were really Republicans. Therefore, we were labeled as conservatives or liberals rather than Republicans or Democrats. The ALFA team and I quickly bonded because even though I was young, I was extremely conservative.Read more
December 12, 2013
The year 2013 could be called the year of the quitter in Alabama politics. We have seen some high profile and significant political resignations during the year.
The parade of departures began with 1st District Congressman Jo Bonner. He served 10 years as the coastal Mobile/Baldwin Counties’ representative in Washington. He left Congress and doubled his congressional pay to take a position with the University of Alabama system.
Next comes Secretary of State Beth Chapman. She resigned her post with 17 months remaining on her term. Her reason for leaving was to make more money being a political consultant to the Alabama Farmers Federation.Read more
December 05, 2013
Believe it or not we are approaching the fourth year of this legislative quadrennium. The legislature will meet early next year because it is an election year. All 140 seats in the House and Senate are up for election in 2014.
These legislators were elected in 2010. Most of them are Republicans. The GOP owns a two to one super majority in both the House and Senate. These folks are not just Republicans in name only, sometimes referred to as “RINOs.” They are real Republicans.
They are conservative to say the least. They have placed in indelible conservative stamp on state government and public policy on both social and economic fronts. They have addressed abortion, immigration, gun rights, tort reform and a litany of other hot item topics and placed a reactionary result to all of these hallmark philosophical issues.Read more
November 28, 2013
The political spotlight has been focused on Mobile for most of this year. They had a historical and sensational mayor’s race that ended in early fall. It resulted in a new mayor, Sandy Stimpson. Incumbent mayor Sam Jones lost to Stimpson after eight years in office.
Although mayors do not run under partisan labels, it was a classic Republican versus Democrat race. Stimpson is a wealthy white businessman. Mayor Jones is the classic African American Democratic politician. Both men are in their 60’s and have been successful in their careers. Stimpson will approach running the port city in an open and businesslike fashion. He defeated Jones with a plan that always works in politics. He outspent him and, more importantly, he outworked him.Read more
November 21, 2013
By all accounts Alabama is a very religious and pro-family state. We are considered the Heart of the Bible Belt. However, Alabama flourished as a divorce mill for about 25 years from 1945-1970. Yes folks, good old conservative Alabama was known as the haven for quickie divorces. Famous people flocked here to get unhitched.
This practice of granting quickie divorces began in 1945 when a law was abolished that required a one-year residency before folks could divorce in Alabama. Most states had a similar requirement at that time and a good many still do today.Read more
November 14, 2013
In recent years, there has been significant emphasis on warning people about the dangers of texting and driving and rightfully so. The number of accidents caused by texting is alarming. However, the primary culprit for accidents among young people is still due to underage drinking.
Surveys reveal that 40 percent of Alabama students in grades 9-12 have had one or more drinks within the past month. By age 18 more than 17 percent of teens have taken a drink of alcohol. In Alabama 41 percent of young people ages 18-20, still illegal drinkers, say they have engaged in dangerous binge drinking. The measure for binge drinking is when they have at least five drinks on the same occasion. Among all college students, 61 percent are drinkers and 40 percent are binge drinkers. Again, most of these college students are under age 21 so they are illegal drinkers as well.
Binge drinking is especially dangerous. They are 14 times more likely to drive drunk than non-binge drinkers. The cost of underage and binge drinking is amazing. Nationwide about 5,000 people under age 21 die from alcohol related car crashes, homicides, suicides, and accidents. In one year more than 180,000 people under age 21 went to emergency rooms for alcohol related injuries. Among older college students, ages 18-24, nearly 600,000 were injured while under the influence of alcohol. More than three million students drove while under the influence of alcohol in 2009.
These staggering statistics are the reason that the Alabama Beverage Control Board administrator, Mac Gipson, is launching a new program targeting both underage and binge drinking. They are calling it, “Underage Under Arrest.”
Alabama is one of seventeen states that are control states. In other words they are the wholesaler, retailer, and regulator of all alcoholic beverages in Alabama. The ABC board is responsible for enforcing all alcohol and drug laws in the state. Mac Gipson and associate administrator, William Thigpen, are former legislators and are doing an excellent job overseeing this very important agency. They are being joined in their effort by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (“MADD”) and the Alabama Citizens Action Program (“ALCAP”).
ALCAP is an interdenominational ministry that works with the churches of Alabama. They have been an integral part of making Alabama a more moral place to live. Indeed in their Mission Statement they strive to be “Alabama’s Moral Compass.” ALCAP has a long history of working with the legislature to advocate moral issues. The organization was actually derived from the prohibition era of the 1920’s and, at that time, was called the Alabama Temperance Alliance. Its goal was to keep Alabama free from alcohol consumption. Today they still diligently adhere to fighting alcohol, tobacco, drugs and any other related addictive behavior in Alabama.
The Reverend Dan Ireland spent forty years working the halls of the State House on behalf of ALCAP. He was beloved by everyone even though they might not always agree or vote with him. He must have felt like he was in the Lion’s Den while working with the legislature over those four decades.
The Reverend Dan was an Alabama Baptist preacher for more than sixty years. Besides his heading ALCAP, he served as a pastor at churches in Birmingham, LaFayette, Hueytown, Huffman, Ft. Payne, and Huntsville. Dr. Dan retired a few years ago. Following in his footsteps has been the very able and diligent Dr. Joe Godfrey. He took over as Executive Director about six years ago. Godfrey pastored churches in Alabama for 27 years before ascending to the leadership of ALCAP. He is doing a yeoman’s effort to uphold moral issues the same way Dr. Dan did.
Hopefully, this underage binge drinking campaign will produce results and save lives in our state. Our good doctor governor, Robert Bentley, is an ally for ALCAP. During his eight-year tenure in the legislature he proved to be an advocate on all ALCAP’s issues. Dr. Bentley is a longtime deacon in his Tuscaloosa Baptist church.
See you next week.
November 07, 2013
Alabama is without a doubt one of the most heavily laden military employee states in the union. In fact, if you took the federal military employment and automobile manufacturing employment out of Alabama we would be decimated.
When the federal furloughs occurred recently it had a profound affect on Alabama. When the furloughs hit more than 20,000 Alabama workers, mostly civilians, were affected.
We have tremendously important and significant federal bases in strategic parts of the state. These military bases are the heart and soul of their regions. These bases are vitally important to Alabama.
Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal, Dothan’s Fort Rucker and Montgomery’s Maxwell Air Force Base are the most important economic engines of these areas of the state. When you throw in Mobile’s Corp of Engineers, you are talking about a lot of good paying jobs.Read more
October 31, 2013
The greatest partisan change in American political history has occurred during my lifetime. The transformation of Alabama and our sister Deep South states from an all Democratic region to an all Republican territory has been remarkable and historic.
Exactly 50 years ago today Alabama’s entire delegation in Washington was Democratic. Democrats held all seven constitutional offices. Every member of the Supreme Court ran as a Democrat. Sixty-six out of 67 sheriffs were Democrats and 138 of 140 members of the legislature were Democrats.
Fast-forward 50 years to October of 2013. You see just the opposite picture. All seven executive constitutional offices including governor are held by Republicans. Every member of the Supreme Court and all ten appellate judges are Republican. Six of our seven congressmen are Republican and both U.S. Senators are stalwart members of the GOP. Both the State House of Representatives and our State Senate are overwhelmingly Republican. That is quite a change.Read more