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The Anniston Star gets a gold star for a great pair of editorials last week on Alabama's do-little legislature:
Decisions of our Senators: "The Alabama Senate does not have (or will not take) the time to pass legislation that will improve the lives of our citizens, but it has the time (or takes the time) to pass a resolution denouncing a movement that does not exist and a highway that no one plans to build. ... Reason cannot win."
Little leadership: "Alabamians desiring a better state government are like the proverbial Dickens character so starved for nutrition that he begs for more from a pot of unfulfilling gruel. Too many state residents — it's sad to report — are used to having our bowls filled with this awful concoction, consisting of undemocratic foundations mixed with arrogance and incompetence."
The Tuscaloosa News took the Alabama Senate to task over failure to take action to remove the state sales tax on groceries: "Their refusal to allow that is one of the more disturbing aspects of the decision Thursday. So is the fact that the lawmakers rejected the plan in full knowledge of the fact that continuing the grocery tax perpetuates an unfair and regressive measure that falls hardest on the state's poorest residents."
Apparently inspired by the Star, the Mobile Press-Register got in some Senate-bashing regarding the North American Union and the John Birch Society the next day: "This is the ridiculous stuff that black helicopters and the Flat Earth Society are made of. Most other governments from Texas to the White House and independent investigators such as the Web site snopes.com, which specializes in debunking urban legends, deny the conspiracy. But their denials apparently were not sufficient for the Alabama Senate."
Before we embark on a mad rush to require valid government issued photo-id in order to cast a vote, consider some of the people who had problems meeting that requirement in Indiana -- veterans and a group of nuns. Is there any evidence of large scale voter fraud that the voter-id law would fix? The solution looks worse than the problem, to me.
Facing South is still covering the Women's Voices Women Vote robo-call fiasco in North Carolina and elsewhere. They also posted a very good comment by Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend: "If silence on this for "the good of the party" is more important than investigating a illegal practice affecting an individual's right to vote (on purpose or repeatedly by mistake), it's a sad state of affairs. Just because the Republicans do it more, or have a more systematic interest in doing it doesn't change the fact that this was wrong on so many levels -- and airing dirty laundry is the least of the issues in my mind. Apologies are meaningful, but given the spotty history of WVWV robo-calls, there is a stench still in the air, and that's why the investigation is moving forward."
Captain Plaid on John McCain's bearings: "... losing his way, getting off track, not aware of what his position, etc."
Jefferson County needs a loan to come up with the money to pay the loan that they don't have the money to pay off.
Over at Doc's Political Parlor Danny has an interesting post about the Alabama GOP's effort to "fertilize the grassroots" including a BCA move to enlist local Chambers of Commerce as part of the GOP grassroots:
The BCA effort - initiated by BCA head Bill Canary - can “use the Chamber to communicate with the community and with legislators.”
Don’t they meet some resistance to use the Chambers of Commerce toward this end, I ask? There are a lot of Democrats in these communities and in the Chambers.
“They are not going to be 100% successful in every county, and they are being very sophisticated about it. They are not saying, ‘This is what we are going to use to kick Paul Hubbert’s ass.’ No. It’s an opportunity to participate in BCA, the brotherhood. It’s about jobs. Preserve and protect the brotherhood. You want a local mailing list, a database? Then you want the Chamber. You got contacts. You got troops. Troops to rally.”
Last year the Madison County Democratic Women joined the local Chamber of Commerce. I'm sure they'll be real interested in what the BCA and the "brotherhood" is up to in terms of grassroots activity for the GOP.
Today is the fiftieth day after Easter, the day traditionally celebrated as Pentecost Sunday in the Roman Church. It commemorates the decent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. But before the gospel account of of their reception of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul opined about the machinations of the early Christians communities as they worked together—often with competing opinions, interests, and traditions. The point is well-taken for us as Christians but it is a lesson, also, that Democrats need to keep in mind as we appear to be nearing the end of a contentious and protracted nomination fight.
In our house, at any moment, if I can answer a question with the phrase of a song, to my husband's chagrin, I do. The kids do, too. And Queen comes up quite frequently, with the "Mama, Ooooo-oooo-eeee-oooo" when they're talking to me.
The House Republicans have taken leave of their senses -- and I mean totally lost it. From Dana Milbank in the Washington Post:
It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.
"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.
It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.
Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far. House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."
By voting against it?
And how did Alabama's "family values" Republican Congressmen vote? NO. Every single one of them -- Robert Aderholt, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers -- voted "NO." Humbug on Mother's Day, from the GOP to you.
Let's be absolutely clear, they all initially voted in favor of the Motherhood resolution, but immediately turned around and voted to undo the original vote. That manuever is known as a "flip-flop" when a Democrat does it. It is usually completely ignored when Republicans do it. Partisan feeling is high in Congress these days but something is seriously wrong with Republican priorities when they play political games with a resolution commending mothers and Mother's Day. Will it be baseball and apple pie next?
Happy Mother's Day and many thanks to all the mothers and grandmothers out there from the folks at Left in Alabama and from Congressmen Bud Cramer and Artur Davis who are apparently the only members of Alabama's Congressional delegation with the good sense to appreciate Motherhood.
A Samford University security officer reported an armed black man held a gun to his head. This prompted administrators to put the campus in lockdown mode for a couple of hours Friday morning.
This put my coworker, a devoted Southern Baptist, into a tizzy because of all her friends and fellow worshippers affiliated with the school. I told her my suspicions about the incident namely because no surveillance video had been released and the story sounds as plausible as "the black man kidnapped my white baby" scenario. My own journalistic instincts smelled something rotten in Homewood.
AL.COM reports this morning on the security guard's confession:
"he faked the report because he was tired of riding in a golf cart and not being allowed to carry a gun, Homewood police said.
The false report initiated a daylong frenzy, with warnings about the gunman going out to staff, students and parents.
The officer, whose name was withheld by Samford and Homewood authorities, has worked at the campus for years, said Homewood Police Chief Phil Dodd."
I hope this schmuck is charged with some terrorism related offense because it's exactly what he did. He wanted to carry a gun. So, he concocted a tale of a scary black man at Whitey U., had his race-baiting message of terror broadcasted throughout the Birmingham-Metro area, effectively terrorized students, faculty, and the community as he preyed on fears of school shootings, and aimed for the end result for him to carry a gun.
The Senate Ethics Committee has decided to take no action with regard to Sen. David Vitter's admitted ties to the late DC Madam. Because he was not yet a senator at the time of his diaper wearing, spank fest, and because his bizarre activities did not involve his official position (wonder what position it did involve) the committee chose to take no action. Let's see, when was the last time diapers and politics became an issue. I recall Mark Twain's having said that "Politicians and diapers need to be changed often; and for the same reason".
The wronged wife made a statement to the gathered press, saying she forgave him years ago, adding, "To forgive is not always the easy choice, but it was and is the right choice for me." So his wife forgives, the lady whith whom he enjoyed his assignations presumably had nothing to forgive (once the check cleared). I wonder about everyone else he was scr**ing, the voters of Louisiana? Will they forgive him?
Pretty much everybody knows Congressman Artur Davis has aspirations to run for governor of Alabama in 2010, but what if he had an opportunity to be Attorney General in 2009? Matt Stoller at Open Left has floated the idea that Davis' qualifications and close relationship with Barack Obama could easily put him on the short list for AG.
You know all that old-style Washington politics preventing real change? As hard as it might be to handle, in a lot of ways he means that those of us who believe in partisan hard edged combat are part of an outmoded system. It doesn't actually divide cleanly; old hand Tom Daschle is a key figure and likely to be Obama's chief of staff, and Artur Davis is likely to be his Attorney General. These are old school Democrats, and Obama's machine is full of the Congressional wing of the party that lost out in 1992 to Clinton and his people.
I have mixed feelings about this, mostly because I'm hoping the next President will appoint John Edwards as AG, a man who has the honesty, integrity and tenacity to clean up the mess BushCo has made in the Justice Department. But if John can't be AG, I could be happy with Artur Davis. He's pretty damned tenacious, too as we've seen in some of the recent House Judiciary Committee hearings as he skewered hapless Bush appointees.
Another plus for this idea is it deals with Alabama's abundance of top tier Democrats in a useful way. Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom will probably run for governor in 2010. So might Ag. Commissioner Ron Sparks. Add in Davis and you can see that 2 top tier Democrats would walk away from the 2010 Alabama election without a job. What a waste that would be.
Do you think Rep. Davis would take the Attorney General job if Obama offered it to him? Would you want him to take it?
(Y'all look at your sample ballot and consider printing out a few to distribute to your friends/family/neighbors so they can ruminate on it before they get to the polls. - promoted by mooncat)
Sample ballots for the June 3 primary are available for all Alabama counties at www.aladems.org
Sorry this isn't long enough for a diary, but I didn't know where to post. Anybody know anything about the judicial races?
For the advertised poll see below. If you would like to elelaborate on your answer post away.
Cheryl Sabel's campaign just announced that she has received endorsements from the Alabama New South Coalition, the Bullock County Voters League, the Montgomery Chapter of Democracy for America and the National Organization for Women PAC. Sabel claims to be "the only real Democrat running in the District 2 primary" and these endorsements certainly indicate that she is the preferred choice for progressive Democrats in the 2nd District.
I don't know anything about the Bullock County Voters League, but New South, DFA and NOW are definitely on the progressive side of the scale, which is good. There is nothing radical about wanting government to strive to improve conditions for its citizens. That's called PROGRESS and it's in short supply after all these years of Republican rule.
"I am honored and proud to receive these endorsements," said Sabel. "These groups represent many people whose voices have long been ignored in District 2. My platform is that of the hard working people of the second district who are tired of the rhetoric of so-called 'compassionate Christian conservatives' whose intentions, actions, and policies are mean-spirited and detrimental to our country and our state. I am not a 'social conservative' -- I stand for social justice," said Sabel.
Cheryl Sabel is running for the nomination on a platform of: economic policies designed to allow people to earn a living wage and to ensure free, quality public education for all our children to include preschool through junior college or vocational training; tax policies to distribute the burden of taxation so that wealthy individuals and big corporations pay their fair share; farm policies that benefit our independent farmers; health care policies to provide quality health care for every man, woman, and child; and foreign policies to make our country more safe and more secure instead of squandering lives and money on invasions and occupations. She has pledged to hold quarterly town hall meetings in EACH of the 16 counties of District 2 to report to her constituents what is going on in Congress and to listen to the people in her district.
On the distinctly non-progressive side of the Alabama 2nd Congressional District race, Danny recently reported that candidate Harri Anne Smith was endorsed by John Giles, longtime head of the Christian Coalition of Alabama.
Jennifer Foster also reported that GOP candidate David Grimes is courting an endorsement from Mike Huckabee. Y'all remember that Huckabee finished first in the Alabama Republican primary back on super Tuesday. I wonder which, if any of the Republican hopefuls in AL-02 are seeking an endorsement from John McCain?
If you aren't close enough to knock on doors you can still help Cheryl Sabel with a contribution through her ActBlue account.
A human being's made of more than air With all that bulk, you're bound to see him there Unless that human bein' next to you Is unimpressive, undistinguished You know who... Mr.Cellophane, from Chicago
There is a dangerous misconception in this nation about John McCain, the Republican candidate for president. I confess that, like many others I actually bought into it at first myself. A large number of Americans form opinions based on general impressions, rather than facts. Many of them never change those original opinions, no matter how many new facts become available. Hence, the unbelievable percentage of Americans who still believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 attacks; the intellectual zombies who still think the weapons of mass destruction were there, but we just haven't found them yet; the potential voters still buying into the "Obama is a muslim" fable. And the incredible false impressions of John McCain.
The Senate voted 20-11 Thursday, with three abstaining, to bring the bill up for debate, but that was one vote short of the required three-fifths majority.
... Among those who voted to abstain were Sens. Tom Butler, D-Madison, and Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. "It's not over yet," Butler said, explaining that he was using his vote as a bargaining tool to get his quarry bill out of Sen. Zeb Little's committee.
Sen. Larry Dixon (R, Montgomery) is sticking with the food stamp argument against grocery tax relief: "I don't care what people say about poor people. Poor people get food stamps." Food stamps aren't particularly relevant to the tax argument, but who can doubt Dixon cares not what people say about poor people -- or about poor people at all. Dixon has no problem cutting taxes, but doesn't want to make up the lost revenue -- like Alabama has a budget surplus or something?
Dixon said he favors taking the state sales tax off groceries but didn't want to make up for the loss by raising other taxes.
It turns out Sen. Dixon prefers to travel back in time and remove the grocery sales tax one per cent each year starting in 2003. Who knew the Legislature had a time machine?
Can voters use the Legislative time machine to send some of these dinosaurs back to the stone age where they belong?
The Alabama Legislature is screwed up beyond belief, but this compromise on a bill to prohibit political action committees (PACs) from passing contributions around, effectively disguising who is giving to whom, sounds pretty good. Of course, it hasn't actually passed or anything.
Bans transfers between political action committees.
Exempts political parties, principal campaign committees, legislative caucuses and voter participation organizations from the definition of a PAC.
Defines a legislative caucus as a group of legislators affiliated with a political party and limits political parties to three caucuses in each house of the Legislature.
Allows political parties to receive PAC money and limits the political parties to giving money to only candidates or principal campaign committees.
Allows legislative caucuses to receive money from PACs but not from a legislator or another caucus, and allows the caucuses to give only to a candidate or principal campaign committee.
Requires PACs to pay a yearly fee equal to 0.5 percent of the money the PAC raised that year to fund enforcement of campaign finance laws at the secretary of state's office.
Requires PACs, political parties, legislative caucuses and voter participation organizations to file quarterly reports, in addition to those filed before elections, listing contributions and expenditures.
Rep. Jeff McLaughlin (D, Guntersville) is the original sponsor of the PAC to PAC ban and he believes the bill could still be passed on the last day of the session. The House passed McLaughlin's original tough and to the point bill early in the session but the Senate passed a very watered down bill that would limit PAC to PAC transfers but permit PAC to party and PAC to caucus transfers, effectively closing one door and opening two new ones. It looks like the committee is working to at least make those two new doors only operate in one direction. That's progress. So is the quarterly filing requirement.
It's a little disturbing that Sen. Wendell Mitchell (D, Luverne) is opposed to asking PACs to pay one half of one percent (0.005) of the money they raise to fund enforcement. That isn't very much and if the PACs don't pay it, the taxpayers will have to and that sure as heck isn't fair.
I heard about this on the radio this afternoon. It seems that Scott Bloch, the U.S. Special Counsel who had his office and home raided by the FBI on Tuesday, was raided his own self!
When federal agents searched Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch's home and offices on Tuesday, they also physically searched Bloch and seized two thumb drives, portable devices used to store data. Bloch's office oversees protection for federal whistleblowers.
To refresh your memory, this is the guy that had his work computer, and two of his deputies' computers, drive-wiped by computer servicing company (not by his agencies' IT support, wonder why?). Bloch, who is being investigated for potential abuse of power while running the Office of Special Counsel, claimed the computers were infected by viruses and the purge was to clean the hard drives. The investigators have a different view, though
Bloch has admitted to hiring the computer servicing company, Geeks on Call, to purge his computer and two of his deputies' computers in 2006. He said the computers contained a virus, which necessitated a purge. Investigators are looking into whether the purge was meant to destroy evidence related to the current investigation.
Now, it turns out that he backed up some files from the "cleaned" computers before the purge to these thumb drives, which he kept on a keychain. I wonder what those files were?
People close to Bloch now say the drives mostly contain personal documents, such as Christmas lists, finances and family photographs. But in his interview with Congress, Bloch said the drives contain, "some government files and some personal files," according to a transcript provided by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
So do lots of people.
That's the problem with perfect crimes, it just takes one little thing to screw them up.
More bad news for Republicans running for Congress. They are super worried about the MS-01 special election, they have very little money, GOP fundraising is toast, Newt Gingrich says voters are deciding "Not you" and Tom Cole admits that America "isn't an idealogically conservative nation." Wow! How long before they have to put bowls of Prozac on the table for the Republican Caucus meetings?
I apologize for the cut and paste nature of this post, but the material is just too good to rework. See it below the fold.
The Alabama Senate again failed to bring up a bill that would remove the state sales tax on groceries, this time falling just one vote short. The vote was 20 to 11, with 3 abstentions.
Pointing to the tax breaks provided to Alabama farmers, [Sen. Hank] Sanders said, "There is something wrong in Alabama when we decide we ought not to tax food for calves but we tax food for babies."
Yes, there is something wrong with Alabama Senators who won't tax food for farm animals but insist on taxing food for human children. Here are the three Senators who did not have the guts to actually cast a vote on this truly family friendly legislation:
Tom Butler (D, SD2) (334) 242-7854, (256) 837-8374, 256) 837-8374, FAX (334) 353-9777 or (256) 837-4355, senbutler@aol.com
Jim Preuitt (D, SD11) (334) 242-7898, (256) 362-5253, (256) 362-6900
From Alabama Arise, emphasis mine:
The grocery tax bill, House Bill 274, failed to get the 21 votes needed to bring it up for debate. The vote was 20-11, with 3 abstentions (Butler, Orr, and Preuitt) and one absent, Charles Bishop (perhaps a favor to us?).
We will try again. It's likely to come up again by the end of the day. Sen. Smitherman promised to filibuster until this bill gets its chance for floor debate.
Our 21st vote will probably come from one of the senators who abstained. If you know anyone in the following places, ask them to call their state senator's office and urge him to vote for House Bill 274.
The people should be allowed to vote on whether they want the grocery tax reduced.
NOTE: If the senator's secretary argues back with you, saying that the taxes will just be shifted to others, tell them that you believe it's a good thing for high-income people to lose a tax break so that everyone can pay lower grocery taxes. Details are at www.alarise.org .
People who live in Decatur should call Sen. Arthur Orr, (334) 242-7891.
People who live in Athens, Madison, or the north part of Huntsville should call Sen. Tom Butler, (334) 242-7854.
People who live in Talladega, Sylacauga, Oxford or Anniston should call Sen. Jim Preuitt, (334) 242-7898.
A small group of fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats is threatening to block the emergency war spending bill over a program for veterans’ benefits not offset with tax hikes or spending cuts.
Because of that problem, and the efforts by House Republicans to stall floor action with procedural motions, the vote on the carefully crafted supplemental measure could be delayed until Friday or next week.
... Some members are willing to block the bill because “pay-as-you-go” budgetary rules — offsetting new spending with spending cuts or increased taxes — have been ignored one too many times. Others, like Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.), don’t want to oppose benefits for veterans.
“It’s a cost of the war,” Barrow said.
Because of that division, there is no formal Blue Dog position on the bill. But blocking the bill wouldn’t require all 47 Blue Dogs; it takes only 15.
Those "concerned" Blue Dogs have no problem appropriating billions to continue the war -- and that money is not pay as you go, it's deeper in debt as you go -- but they balk at including educational benefits for veterans in the cost of the Iraq war. How wrongheaded can they get? Every Blue Dog who votes to kill the New GI Bill this session ought to face a primary challenge, preferably by a returning veteran.
Maura Satchell, a Director of Veterans and Military Families for Progress and a mother of 2 Iraq War veterans said “It’s outrageous any members of Congress are not supporting this measure. Our sons, our daughters sign up to serve their country based on the promise of a GI Bill-funded college education after serving honorably, only to find it covers but a small portion of the inflated cost of a college education these days. I’m all for fiscal restraint of government but let’s start with the cash cows really draining our tax dollars such as no-bid contracts and billions of dollars lost in Iraq, not penalize those we owe such a tremendous debt of gratitude to! After all, this measure is equal to what, the cost of a week of war in Iraq?”
Note:Bud Cramer (D, AL-05) and Artur Davis (D, AL-07) are both listed as co-sponsors of the New GI Bill so presumably both will support it on the upcoming procedural vote. The rest of Alabama's Congressional Delegation, those with an "R" behind their names, will certainly vote their party's line against the New GI Bill. Way to support the troops, Goopers!
Col-bear county Alabama is under a tornado warning according to the lovely morning talking head lady on MSNBC. Whacha want to bet she gets a lot of her news from The Colbert (Col-bear) Report (Re-pour)? In North Alabama, we usually pronounce the "t" in Colbert (Col-burt) county.
Good luck to the folks in Colbert County -- stay safe up there!
What other Alabama place names give outsiders trouble?
(Can you put aside your differences and support any Democrat for President this fall? - promoted by mooncat)
"Tonight, many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided, that Senator Clinton's supporters will not support me and that my supporters would not support her. Well, I am here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it. . . ."
The Anniston Star gets a gold star for a great pair of editorials last week on Alabama's do-little legislature:
Pretty much everybody knows Congressman Artur Davis has aspirations to run for governor of Alabama in 2010, but what if he had an opportunity to be Attorney General in 2009? Matt Stoller at Open Left has 
Cheryl Sabel's
Tom Butler
Arthur Orr
Jim Preuitt
