January 28, 2009
As the 2009 Regular Legislative Session approaches, hopefully it will not be a three-peat. The last two years have been horrendous. The partisan acrimony in the State Senate is so pronounced that they do not even speak to each other, much less pass any legislation. They have basically done nothing for two years. However, they did manage to put their partisanship aside long enough to pas a 62% pay increase for themselves even though they failed to pass the education budget last year.
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January 21, 2009
During my time in the Legislature, we were always wrestling with the money eating monster that is Medicaid. We were constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul and using stopgap band aid solutions to fund this burgeoning agency. It is still growing like kudzu and causing horrific nightmares for the Ways and Means and Finance Committees of the House and Senate.
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January 14, 2009
Last week’s discussion about the looming 2010 Governor’s race spurred interest in the other statewide races next year.
The Lt. Governor’s race hinges on which major players answer the bell in the Governor’s race. The scenario, as it sits right now, is that Bob Riley cannot run again. Therefore the office is wide open. There are probably six serious GOP aspirants who enter the race and give their all to win. Whoever emerges from this family brawl will be broke and beaten up.
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January 07, 2009
Last year’s presidential contest was one of the most interesting, exciting, and historic in years. It was a dream year for a political columnist and commentator. It made columns and speeches easy. Last year, in talks with groups around the state, I discussed the presidential race and the open congressional seats. At the end of each talk, I opened the floor to questions. Invariably, the first question asked was not about the presidential race, but was “who is running for Governor in 2010.” Alabamians simply love the Governor’s race.
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December 31, 2008
As 2008 comes to an end and we begin a new year in Alabama politics let us look back at what happened politically in Alabama in 2008.
Presidential politics took front and center stage. Barack Obama won the presidency in an impressive margin nationwide, but not in Alabama. Republican John McCain won Alabama overwhelmingly. The fact that the Republican nominee carried our state is no surprise. Since 1964 the GOP candidate has won ten times and the Democrat only once. That solo victory by Jimmy Carter in 1976 was 32 years ago, which makes the Republican streak eight straight. Therefore, it was no surprise that McCain won in the Heart of Dixie. However, the margin was larger than usual. The 60% to 39% shellacking McCain administered to Democrat Barack Obama was huge.
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December 24, 2008
It was 1971 and a 35 year old educator named Paul Hubbert took on the Goliath of Alabama politics, George Wallace, in the heyday of his political power and beat him. It was a remarkable David vs. Goliath victory that propelled Dr. Paul Hubbert to stardom and power in Alabama politics. Hubbert became the King of Goat Hill after that momentous conquest and, after 36 years on the throne, has never relinquished his crown.
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December 17, 2008
Many of you have asked the question why Paul Hubbert is such a power in state government. In addition, people are curious as to whether his power is perceived or overrated by the media or whether it is real. The answer to the second question is yes, it is real.
Hubbert is unquestionably the most powerful person in state government when it comes to education dollars, which now account for two-thirds of our state tax dollars. Hubbert has total control over these funds and all the inherent power surrounding these public dollars. The Governor’s input is essentially swept aside.
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December 10, 2008
As we approach the end of the year, we have had a month to let the dust settle on the historic 2008 election and can now analyze the results that have crystallized.
On the national level the election of Barack Obama is indeed an historical event. African Americans have rejoiced and reveled in this landmark election. Bill Clinton referred to himself as the first “Black President,” but Obama is the real thing.
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December 03, 2008
Alabamians have established definite trends in our voting patterns. We have made a clear delineation between national and local races. We prefer Republicans for national office and Democrats locally. The state races are somewhere in between.
It is apparent that we are a very red state when it comes to presidential politics. Since 1964 we have voted for the GOP candidate for president ten out of twelve times. We only deviated in 1968 for our native son and Governor George Wallace as a third party candidate and only once for a Democrat when Georgia neighbor Jimmy Carter won the state narrowly in 1976. We voted overwhelmingly for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and we have not looked back. We have voted for the Republican nominee eight straight times, including this November’s landslide vote for John McCain over Barack Obama.
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November 26, 2008
A good many of you were intrigued by last week’s column on Jim Martin, the father of the modern Republican Party in Alabama, especially young readers who were not around in 1962 when Martin made his famous race for the U.S. Senate against Lister Hill.
As mentioned last week, the entire South was Democratic, more out of tradition and protocol than philosophy. Both the Democratic and Republican Parties took the South for granted in national elections because we were automatically in the barn, although philosophically we were more aligned with the Republican Party and our members of Congress voted similarly to the Republicans.
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