Alabama and the search for a New South Governor

Riley was a pretender.... (0.00 / 0)

When he initially advocated Amendment One, he looked like he just might be a pretty good New South governor.  Now it has become clear from conversations with political insiders and his later behavior that his support for the bill was largely because he knew it would not pass.  He also knew that it would earn him a lot of goodwill from the AEA that would help him get re-elected.  Republicans would call "no harm no foul" since the bill never went into effect and the alternative was Roy Moore.  Riley has appropriated certain reformist goals, like ethics and educational reform, but always reshaping them to achieve little of their actual intent and maximize partisan political advantage.  His personal crusade against legal gambling in Alabama has been a major source of embarrassment to our state and has made a mockery of what little effective law there is in the Alabama constitution.  Riley's hand was forced by Democrats in the legislature to raise the income tax threshold and even then we ended up with a lower threshold than what the state Democrats wanted.

You are also totally incorrect about the two year college system in this state.  There have been some problems in administration but that does not render the whole system "redundant."  I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to four year college, but my brother, my mother, and every other member of my extended family who got a college degree attended an excellent two year college because that was the only option that was both affordable, did not require them to move away from their kids or commute an hour and a half each day, and allowed them to work full time while going to school.  The excellent vocational programs at Alabama's two year colleges have been a big part of why the state has been able to attract so many major corporate investments (including Mercedes) in the past few years.  Your comment on that issue carried a note of elitism that has no place in the Democratic party.

I think you're dead wrong if you believe that Bob Riley was a more progressive governor than Siegelman.  Did Siegelman make some mistakes? Certainly but no one who has done any research whatsoever on his situation can claim with a straight face that his procedure for selecting appointees and contractors was any different than Riley's.  I think the Lottery was a progressive proposal and he was a consistent advocate for education and labor rights.  His signature progressive proposal (the Lottery) was of course defeated which left him significantly politically weakened.  Not to mention that we never found out what he could have done with a second term because of a computer glitch in Baldwin County.

Not to mention you neglected to mention the very first of Alabama's New South governors: "Big" Jim Folsom.  Maybe he was too old to actually be New South, but I firmly believe that he paved the way that guys like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter would later follow.  He was a character, but he also prioritized fighting poverty.  People talk a lot about corruption in his administration, but the plain fact is that such corruption was a fact of life in every gubernatorial administration at the time.  Folsom used his relationships with contractors, etc to achieve progressive objectives that many folks currently take for granted.  Things like making sure that citizens in every county of the state had roads that would not disappear every time it rained; that south Alabamians did not have exponentially more representation in the state legislature than north Alabamians; that public education is... gasp improtant.  He was many things, but he was always an advocate for Alabama's poor not the landed gentry.  He was also willing to sacrifice political capital to promote racial progress.

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by: bluebearcat @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 14:51:40 PM CST

On community colleges (4.00 / 1)

Thanks for hitting on this to allow me to flesh out my comment.  I do recognize the great benefit of community colleges to our state, offering educational opportunities to many who chose to attend and preparing them to participate in the state's economy.

My comments on the system being redundant go largely to fact that the system was built as the byproduct of political patronage.  Wallace added a number of schools, but did not expand based upon a statewide plan that took account of where schools were located and where student demand might be.  Instead, they were built primarily as political payoffs or incentives.  For example, every member of the state board of education received a community college in their home town.  This allows for a system which has 3 different community colleges within 2.5 hours of each other on US 84 and others that are 30 minutes apart (such as Gadsden State and Snead State) while other parts of the state do not have one nearby.  This adds both costs for the property, operation, and administration that could have been better planned.

Now on the Siegelman and Riley thing--both have advocated for education, pushing the Alabama Reading Initiative among other things.  Both have had economic development successes, such as Hyundai for Siegelman and Thyssen Krupp for Riley.  What I give Riley credit for is that he was willing to at least bring the inequitible tax structure in the state into the conversation.  Siegelman was never willing to bring this up (and on constitutional reform Siegelman gave lip service to the effort late in his term; Riley did call for a revision committee early in his term).  And, a quick aside, you can thank Susan Pace Hammill for being one of the prophetic voices who influenced Riley's position on this early in his term--and who is worth supporting in her run for the State Legislature.

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by: csduke @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 16:21:23 PM CST

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One other thing to add on community colleges (4.00 / 1)

One thing to add is that while Wallace created them in '63, there was not a statewide system of oversight implemented at that time.  This led each community college to compete with each other in the legislature and with the State Board of Education for funding and support.  In those settings, the merits of their arguments could be thrown out for the political power of the representatives supporting each school.  And with up to 41 schools, you could imagine how this might be (largely due to a segregated system of education).  It was not until the systems merged over the next 20 years and the Department of Postsecondary Education was created in 1982 that some oversight came.

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by: csduke @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 16:43:45 PM CST

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North Alabama has a much bigger population than south Alabama... (0.00 / 0)

those areas are also usually areas that are ill-served by four year colleges.  I cannot vouch for a location selection process that occurred forty years ago but I can vouch for the benefits of the current system.  I'm glad you were smart/rich enough to attend a four year college but everyone is not so lucky.  You want to talk about changing the upper level administrative structure for community colleges?  I say let's go for it, but, in my book, lots of community colleges is a good thing - especially in areas of Alabama like Gasden and Snead that have seen the industrial backbone of their economy disappear.  Community colleges are a great source of stable jobs with decent wages in communities that usually need them badly.  We need more community colleges in this state - especially in the Black Belt - not less.

On taxes, Bob Riley has achieved nothing.  Nothing.  He has fought against a repeal of the state sales tax on groceries, which is part of our inequitable tax structure.  He also did such a poor job selling Amendment One that he made any significant Constitutional changes to our tax structure politically impossible for the foreseeable future.  You cannot convince me that he fought for Amendment One because of Susan Pace Hammil's "prophetic" influence when a) he made a pisspoor effort to get the thing passed and b) every other action he has taken as governor has been to advance the GOP 2010 agenda.

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by: bluebearcat @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 00:53:32 AM CST

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Howell Raines? (0.00 / 0)

Do you mean this Howall Raines?

eGiven the corrupt state of both Congressional parties, I’m not suggesting that Southern Republicans are bad and Southern Democrats are good. They are all dependent on money from the same corporate donors, and the hatred of one political party for the other has a chemically stable toxicity that has virtually eliminated the biracial voting patterns that emerged in the South in the late ’60s and early ’70s. What I am suggesting is that the one thing the South should have learned in the past 50 years is that if we are going to hell in a handbasket, we should at least be together in a basket of common purpose.

I respectfully but forcfully disagree with this assertion:

  Wallace established a reduntant two year college system that was motivated by political patronage rather than student need

 

Without the two year college system a lot of Alabama students wouldn't have access to a college education.  Everyone can't afford to attend UA or AU.

Before the 1970s, community colleges in the United States were more commonly referred to as junior colleges, and that term is still used at some institutions. However, the term "junior college" has evolved to describe private two-year institutions, whereas the term "community college" has evolved to describe publicly funded two-year institutions. The name derives from the fact that community colleges primarily attract and accept students from the local community, and are often supported by local tax revenue.

A lot of people in my immediate family are beneficiaries of the two year college system.

Comprehensive Community Colleges

• Many schools have evolved into and adapted the term Comprehensive to describe their institutions. These schools typically offer five facets of education.
• Transfer Education – The traditional two-year student that will then transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a BS/BA degree.
• Career Education – The traditional two-year student that will graduate with an Associate Degree and directly enter the workforce.
• Developmental – Remedial education for high school graduates who are not academically ready to enroll in college-level courses.
• Continuing – Non-Credit courses offered to the community for personal development and interest.
• Industry Training – Contracted training and education wherein a local company pays the college to provide specific training or courses for their employees.
• Within the Transfer Education category, comprehensive schools typically have articulation agreements in place that provide prearranged acceptance into specific four-year institutions. At some community colleges, the partnering four-year institution teaches the third and fourth year courses at the community college location and thereby allows a student to obtain a four year degree without having to physically move to the four-year school.
• There are a number of institutions and organizations which provide community college research to inform practice and policy

In retrospect, George Wallace was economically progressive even though he was socially regressive for his own political gain (sounds like someone else I know, but I digree).  In the end it was about the GREEN.  Which helped everybody regardless of race, gender, sex or party. 

Economics and education

The principal achievement of Wallace's first term was an innovation in Alabama development several other states later adopted: he was the first Southern governor to travel to corporate headquarters in Northern and Northeastern states to offer tax abatements and other incentives to companies willing to locate plants in Alabama.

He also initiated a junior college system that is now spread throughout the state, preparing many students to complete four-year degrees at Auburn University, UAB, or the University of Alabama.

The University of South Alabama, a new state university in Mobile, was chartered in 1963 during Wallace's first year in office as governor.

 

One could argue that George Wallace was the original New South Governor because he reformed our education system because it is important for our economy, he created conditions that bring in new jobs, tand he addressed the way we raise revenue for the state. I believe this is he point bluebearcat is trying to make.  

And let's not forget, prior to his death former Governor Wallace atoned for his past and asked for forgiveness for his past racism.

Change of views

Wallace announced that he was a born-again Christian in the late 1970s, and apologized to black civil rights leaders for his earlier segregationist views. He said that while he had once sought power and glory, he realized he needed to seek love and forgiveness.^{[note 3]} In 1979, as blacks began voting in large numbers in Alabama, Wallace said of his stand in the schoolhouse door: "I was wrong. Those days are over and they ought to be over."^[4]His term as Governor (1983–1987) saw a record number of black appointments to government positions.^[31] In the 1982 Alabama gubernatorial Democratic primary, Wallace's main opponents were Lieutenant Governor George McMillan and Alabama House Speaker Joe McCorquodale. In the primary, McCorquodale was eliminated, and the vote went to a runoff with Wallace holding a slight edge over McMillan. Wallace won the Democratic nomination by a margin of 51 to 49 percent.

In the general election, his opponent was Montgomery Republican mayor Emory Folmar. Polling experts said this was the best chance since Reconstruction for a Republican to be elected Alabama governor; however. it was Wallace who made the victory speech on Election Night.

George Wallace achieved four gubernatorial terms across three decades, totaling 16 years in office.

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)

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by: Redeye @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 14:53:38 PM CST

Cleaning up the typos (0.00 / 0)

Should read:  I respectfully but forcefully disagree with your assertion.

Should read: In retrospect George Wallace was economically progressive even though he was socially regressive for his own political gain (sounds like someone else I know, but I digress). 

Should read: One could argue that George Wallace was the original New South Governor because he reformed our education system because it is important for our economy, he created conditions that bring in new jobs, and he addressed the way we raise revenue for the state. I believe this is he point bluebearcat is trying to make.  

If you see any others refer them to piggieheart. :)

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)

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by: Redeye @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 15:06:24 PM CST

[ Parent ]

And it shouldn't be forgotten (0.00 / 0)

From 1971 on the Wallace administration did make it a point to hire as many qualified African-Americans in state government as they could.

 Wallace was also the first governor to raise teacher's salaries three times during one term (1963-67). Wallace certainly wasn't one in image but in action it's hard to argue that Wallace was not good for this state. Or a better way to put it, there's more good that came from him than negative. And let's not forget that Jesse Jackson came to Alabama to campaign for George Wallace in 1982.

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by: jacool @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 18:07:27 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Wallace and industrial recruitment (4.00 / 1)

Some points in response to this:

1)  Wallace was not the first Southern governor to go to the north for industrial recruitment.  Other governors had been invovled in the same activity.  In James Cobb's book Selling of the South, he states that this had been a practice since the mid-50s among Southern governors (Cobb is a prominent historian of the South currently teaching at UGA).  Some examples Cobb uses are Terry Sanford going to Ohio and Lester Maddox having a whirlwind trip to New York.  Yes, Wallace did the same in trying to bring industry to Alabama.  (In the legislature, he helped to establish bond programs for municipalities to fund this development).   Not only that, he also followed the model of incentive packages, waving taxes for a period of time for companies to put factories in Alabama. (An aside--remember that Wikipedia is not refereed.)

2)  The next comment is on the types of jobs Wallace recruited.  A number of them provided lower-wage jobs--lower than the national average.  This was part of the recruiting pitch in Alabama and Mississippi--bring workers to states where they will work hard but not cost as much as other places.  However, the problem in recruiting industry on this pitch is that other markets will open up where labor costs even less.  This is exactly what happened in the '80s, '90s, and '00s--businesses left Alabama and other Southern states for places where labor would be cheaper, forcing these areas to rethink their economic strategy and address the issue of devolved mill towns.

In contrast, other southern states such as Georgia and North Carolina were more successful in implementing a diversified economic strategy that recognized the transformation occuring in the economy and the importance of an educated work force.  Parts of Alabama have also recognized this, most notably the high tech economy of Huntsville.

In my conception of a New South Governor, they need to recognize the changes in the economy and fight for the state to compete in a global marketplace.

 

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by: csduke @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 22:58:21 PM CST

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Wait, lower wage jobs? (0.00 / 0)

Like the lower wage non-union jobs that Bob Riley and Co paid our glorious masters ThyssenKrupp  $811 million to bring to Alabama?

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by: bluebearcat @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 01:07:58 AM CST

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