Over a year ago, I wrote this diary debunking an ugly Artur Davis email smear piece that accused him, among other things, of being gay (like that's a problem? even if it's not true.... "craving" authority, and being "jealous" of Obama.
We smacked that down a year and a half ago, but the rumors have continued underground through whisper campaigns, emails, blogs, etc. Alabama Senator Hank Sanders though, burst out of the underworld this week with a stunning anti-Davis piece that was - amazingly enough (or not amazing when you consider these previous campaign email here and here) - distributed to Ron Sparks' campaign supporters list.
According to Senator Sanders, Davis - who previously wan't black enough - is now trying to masquerade as black or pretend to be black or trade on his blackness or.... well, you be the judge.
That's a hanging offense apparently - at least, if you read Senator Sanders' article. On the flip is the original text that arrived in my email from the Sparks campaign. In italics is what I imagine was edited from the original version.
Reporters keep asking questions about the half million dollars the Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks donated to his campaign.
As Mooncated posted on Sunday, Sparks addressed the issue recently at an appearance in Huntsville, blaming the story on the Birmngham News:
I want to be the governor of Alabama to help Alabama, to help the school children, but Birmingham News will not say one good thing about Ron Sparks.
In fact, the Mobile Press Register has dug into the story more than any other traditional media outlet, and reporter George Altman has another story today about it:
The bank that lent Ron Sparks $500,000 for his gubernatorial campaign has on its board of directors a person with business ties to casino owner Milton McGregor -- a Sparks campaign donor -- and two supporters of an airport renovation that Sparks helped fund as agriculture commissioner, records show.
The Sparks campaign did not respond to requests for comment, and Sparks has declined to answer Press-Register questions about the loan from Montgomery-based River Bank & Trust.
Now, while I find this interesting, I don't think it's a smoking gun - although I still have questions about the loan.
In this lending environment, I can't imagine a small bank writing a no-collateral, signature loan for half a million dollars to someone for a political campaign. If River Bank did this without a co-signer, then I wonder about the long-term health of it as a financial institution. I thinkthat's what Altman is getting at: someone may have intervened to help push this loan through or co-signed it. If so, voters should know who it was.
Still, keep in mind that Alabama is a relatively small state and the politically involved, the "movers and shakers," and the financially well-connected move in the same circles, socialize together, etc. It's the "old boys network" on steroids.
Remember when Bill Clinton went to DC, the Washington press corps went nuts over how "everybody knew everybody" in Arkansas? Alabama's the same way.
I think it's unfortunate that the Sparks' campaign has bungled this so badly that it's remained a part of the news cycle for over a month. There's a litnay of "ifs"
IF Sparks had only filled out his financial report correctly in the first place and shown the source of the loan....
IF Sparks hadn't reported January 2010 loans and contributions on his 2009 report...
IF Sparks hadn't stonewalled and been defensive about the source of the money for weeks after the questions started....
It's a self-inflicted political wound. There's no better way to arouse a reporter's interest in a topic than for a politician to refuse to discuss it. Avoidance didn't work for Riley with his no-bid Paragon contract and stonewalling isn't working for Sparks.
This week's stunning allegation by Ron Sparks' campaign spokesman (and political playground coordinator) Taylor Bright set Alabama bloggers ablaze with curiousity - and unbridled avarice.
.... Davis pays kool-aid-drinking bloggers to misinform the rest of us, claiming that the gaming positions of Ron Sparks and Artur Davis are IDENTICAL.
"Can it be true? Could it really happen?" We asked each other... "Is there someone, somewhere, anywhere crazy enough to pay us to blog? Oh, and what flavor kool-aid?"
Unfortunately, this press release - like the previous 30 or so - was long on fiction but dreadfully short on facts. It's time for Taylor Bright to cough up his inside info. At the very least, we want to know:
Who's getting paid?
How much?
Is the kool-aid supplied by the campaign?
Most importantly - where should we send our invoices?
Since Mr. Bright is no better at returning phone calls than he is at devising original schoolyard epithets for his press releases, Mooncat decided to poll fellow Alabama bloggers:
1. Are you being paid by Davis to misinform -- or heck, even to inform -- the rest of us? If the answer is NO, you may skip directly to #5.
2. If yes, how much is Davis paying?
3. Where can we sign up to get in on the cash for blog posts deal?
4. What flavor kool-aid is Davis serving up -- red or blue? Photo of tongue optional.
5. Is some other, non-Davis or anti-Davis candidate or campaign paying you to blog about the governor's race?
6. If so, what color is their kool-aid?
7. If you accepted money for blog posts, would you inform your readers of that fact?
Their answers are on the flip. And it won't surprise anyone - least of all Mooncat and me - that your average Alabama political blogger is more likely to get a kick in the pants than a fat paycheck.
Every new day brings at least one new Sparks for Governor "press release" into my email inbox. And each one is more dreadful than the last. They've taken a plunge downward: from semi-hysterical and over-caffeinated comic pieces to truly nasty, poorly-sourced mud-slinging.
I don't write that lightly and I don't like criticizing a fellow Democrat in this manner. But if Republicans were sending this stuff out, we'd be all over them. It's just hypocritical to gloss over behavior in a Democrat that we'd vilify a Republican for.
Even Ron Sparks isn't proud of them. If he were, every single one from the past 2 1/2 weeks would be on his Web site with his other press releases. But there's only one of the series posted. A March 10 piece that alleges:
If you ever wondered what $560,000 buys you, it buys a Congressman's vote and a lifelong relationship to do what you want, when you want it.
The basic allegations are that "the health care industry" and "Big Oil" have contributed so much to Davis that he dances to their tune. It's a serious charge and one that deserves serious attention - and supporting data. (See Mooncat's comments about the health care industry donations from a few days ago.)
At the Madison County Democratic Executive Committee meeting last night, Sparks repeated another serious charge: that Davis sold his vote on the 2003 energy bill (HR6) in exchange for $37,000 in oil industry contributions.
I'm sure Davis would love to similarly pick apart Sparks' votes, since the Commissioner asserts that he would never sell his vote. Oh, but wait... as Agriculture Commissioner, Sparks has never had the ability to take public votes. On anything. Which is convenient when you're running against a sitting member of Congress.
All we have are Sparks' public statements and campaign finance disclosure forms. And they aren't nearly as complete as Davis' congressional forms. That's a failure of Alabama law, not Sparks personally.
But when you compare the information available, the picture on who's buying which candidate isn't nearly as clear cut as Sparks would have us believe. Numbers - as well as some other Davis votes on energy-related legislation - are on the flip.
That's the most charitable excuse I can come up with for the campaign's latest flurry of semi-hysterical press releases. Mooncat has already discussed the "Man Without A Plan" email series, noting:
I swear, these missives make me downright nostalgic for the emails of former campaign manager Justin Saia, which were not sufficiently appreciated at the time.
These latest emails make me nostalgic for Dick and Jane readers. The grammar was better; there were pictures; and the stories were easier to follow.
In the past 24 hours, the Sparks campaign has sent three more emails with these titles:
Day 7: Still No Funding Plan
Day 8: Still No Funding Plan
Artur Gives Big Breaks to Oil, Credit Card Companies
Today's latest is a treasure trove of logical fallacies. In fact, the fallacy part is the only thing "logical" about the allegations contained in the email:
Ron Sparks has never taken money from large corporations and turned around to vote the way they wanted him to vote.(Appeal to Motive, Judgmental Language, Poisoning the Well --- and, by the way, the Agriculture Commissioner doesn't have a vote on anything.)
“I'm here to stand up for working Alabamians, not to punish them because some big company gave me money to do what they wanted me to do,”(Appeal to Emotion) Sparks said. “My vote will never be for sale like Artur Davis'. The only people I'll listen to when making decisions are the people of Alabama.”
Davis has yet to respond to the fact he sold his votes in Congress.(Fallacy of Many Questions .. aka... "loaded question" like: "When did you stop beating your wife?" ...often used rhetorically, so that the question limits direct replies to those that serve the questioner's agenda.)
And those are just the ones that jumped out at me on the first reading. Ok... so we understand that campaign literature is, at its heart, a form of propaganda. Not in a bad sense, but because the campaign is deliberately using information to try and influence the opinions of others and encourage them to reach a predetermined outcome.
However, good campaign literature - even attack pieces - provides background and context for the information presented. Just throwing around wild charges and innuendo is more of a characteristic of a bad blog post than a professional campaign communication.
This reminds me of the fall of 2008 when crazy relatives kept sending me those "Obama is a Muslim who won't salute the flag and isn't even a citizen" emails.
Truly, the latest Sparks campaign emails are so bad that it's hard to critique them seriously instead of just ridiculing them.
Sparks filed the appropriate paperwork with the Alabama Secretary of State that very day. At the time, we all wondered if he had only just raised (or spent) $25,000 or if Sparks had just forgotten about that filing requirement. Now that the financial reports have been released, we can see that Sparks indeed passed the $25,000 mark no later than June 12, 2009 when Mack Cooper contributed $25,000. By rights, he should have filed the statement establishing a principal campaign committee within 5 days of passing that milestone ... say June 17th. Instead, he filed the form on July 29th, the day of Danny's reminder.
Here's my reminder to the folks at Ron Sparks 2010: You still have another financial report to file. Alabama's Fair Campaign Practices Act requires
(b) Each principal campaign committee, political action committee, and elected state and local official covered under the provisions of this chapter, shall annually file with the Secretary of State or judge of probate, as designated in Section 17-5-9, reports of contributions and expenditures made during that year. The annual reports required under this subsection shall be made on or before January 31 of the succeeding year.
Now, Sparks has filed a 2009 annual report (it even includes 11 days of 2010) for his gubernatorial committee (SPARKS, RON (GOV)) but as of this morning, the Secretary of State's website does not list a 2009 annual report for his other committee -- (SPARKS, RON) -- that he's used for Ag. Commissioner runs. That committee also has not been terminated, per the SoS website. It doesn't seem to matter whether it was active or not, but we know there was in fact activity because Ron Sparks transferred $107,702.02 from there to his gubernatorial account.
The penalty for not filing these reports is stiff ...
A certificate of election or nomination shall not be issued to any person elected or nominated to state or local office who shall fail to file any statement or report required by this chapter. A certificate of election or nomination already issued to any person elected or nominated to state or local office who fails to file any statement or report required by this chapter shall be revoked.
... and I'd hate to see the Sparks candidacy get in trouble over this. More selfishly, I'd also really like to see the information -- so consider this a friendly reminder to please file the damned report.
BTW, Treasurer Kay Ivey and Rep. Robert Bentley, also running for governor, are in the same situation with a gubernatorial committee and one for their current offices. Both have already filed disclosures for both their committees.
Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks spoke to the Morgan County Democrats last night and, in light of the really heated and ugly races coming to an end yesterday, it seemed an appropriate time to ask what Sparks thinks of innuendo and whisper campaigns bent on character assassination, such as the one we saw last weekend against Patrick Cooper in the Birmingham mayoral race.
In that case, as you may recall, this letter from Frank Matthews was widely circulated via email. Under the guise of "giving you the facts about Patrick Cooper," it "informed" readers that Cooper standing next to Howard Bayless -- who is openly gay -- is "an abomination" and "unpleasing" in the eyes of God. The letter was closely followed by a Powerpoint presentation that dropped the gloves altogether and just asked "Is Patrick Cooper Gay?" It was 10 pages of hints about divorce, contributions from Cooper's ex-wife, endorsements and how terrible it would be if Birmingham ended up like Atlanta. Pure character assassination, not an issue in the whole mess.
I've also seen Frank Matthews at Sparks events, doing official looking stuff. It turns out he isn't paid directly by Sparks2010, but by their consultant, Matrix, LLC. Nevertheless, with that kind of ugliness being openly distributed, I wanted to find out if we should expect similar, under-the-radar smears in the gubernatorial primary. I spoke to Commissioner Sparks after the meeting; Countrycat has video of Sparks' stump speech in Decatur, but she kindly uploaded my questions first.
Video and transcript (sorry for the noisy environment) below the fold.
The Ron Sparks campaign did not have a good holiday, by any stretch of the imagination. The considering it, declining it, never even considered it story regarding his interest in running for Congress in AL-05 has not played well for Sparks.
After Sparks' press conference, there was considerable discussion here about whether the indecisive label would stick. Would this play in the media as just Ron Sparks reassuring everyone that he wants to be Alabama's next governor or would the rest of the story -- that Sparks talked to the AP and tweeted about the AL-05 decision and that Sparks had previously expressed interest in running for Lt. Gov. -- be included? Well, the latter version is getting far more play than Team Sparks must have hoped.
It was bad enough that Sparks flirted so openly with this race, only to turn around and decline the opportunity. It's so much worse to spin yarns about how he never considered leaving the gubernatorial race at all.
I don't know what Ron Sparks thinks he's accomplishing here, but he's succeeded in making himself look like a damned fool.
RANT: For the on again, off again interest of state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks in running for the state's 5th District seat in Congress. Sparks, an announced Democratic candidate for governor, clearly toyed with the idea of switching to the congressional race after the Democratic incumbent switched parties. Then Sparks tried to downplay his interest after he decided not to change.
I figured Sparks had to be all-but-committed to the AL-05 race to whisper even a word about entering it. Otherwise, why would he open himself up to renewed charges of being a waffler about what race he’s entering? Turns out that is not a rhetorical question: why is he opening himself up to such charges?
This video from WAFF 48 in Huntsville led with Sparks' commitment to the governor's race, but the Davis release saying Sparks had been trying to get permission to run for Congress got significant play.
After all this unfortunate press, stay tuned for the obligatory tossing of staff under the bus. Sparks made it quite clear last week that campaign manager Justin Saia was off the reservation in his comments to Politico and said "I guess we need to talk to my campaign manager," who happened to be on vacation. Look for a shakeup soon and look for staff to take the heat for the mixed signals about interest in the AL-05 congressional race.
The Davis campaign pegs Sparks as indecisive -- on which office he wants to run for. You could see this one coming a mile away once Sparks even commented on the possibility of running for Congress.
Ron Sparks for Anything
Here's the accompanying statement from Davis spokesman Alex Goepfert, which pretty much says it all, emphasis mine:
While Artur Davis is focused on a bold new agenda for our state, Ron Sparks has spent the last week trying to get permission from his political bosses in Montgomery to see if they would let him run for Congress in a district he does not even live in. This pattern of political office shopping is nothing new for Commissioner Sparks, as his own words and actions make clear.
The clips are short, and I don't know the source of the ones where Sparks is standing, but the others are from an interview countrycat and I did with Ron Sparks in November. That passage was something Sparks just volunteered and seemed to be how he genuinely feels about running for governor. And I'm not at all surprised he's said he'd like to run for Ag. Commissioner again -- he's been saying that since 2007. What struck me about that part of our interview is that Sparks seemed to genuinely want a spot for everybody. That's fine, but I'd rather have a governor who wants to be governor because there are things he wants to accomplish in that office, not just because there needs to be a spot for everybody. The transcript and full video are here, decide for yourself if it's been taken out of context.
At first glance - my first glance at least - Ron Sparks seemed to be just what the district ordered when turncoat Parker Griffith joined the dark side decided he was really a Republican after all.
Sparks is a terrific speaker who can fire up a crowd.
He has unvarnished Democratic credentials.
He's on record supporting health care reform.
He has the loyalty of the Democratic base and can build on that to rack up substantial margins of victory.
He can raise money and is immediately seen as a creditable candidate.
Just last week, I urged him not to dither. To make a decision and start raising the big bucks NOW when Democrats all over the country are willing to open their wallets.
And we hear today that Sparks will be making a decision on the race in a day or two an announcement tomorrow- although I doubt my blog post affected his timing any! ;-)
Unfortunately, I'm now moving from the "Run, Ron, Run!" camp into the "let's wait a minute and think this through" school of thought.
I still think that Ron Sparks would be a great candidate and would be proud to call him my congressman. However, he may not be the best candidate the Democratic Party can offer to AL-05.
Word on the street is that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is excited about recruiting Sparks. Well.... the Republican National Committee was excited when Parker Griffith joined the dark side decided he was really a Republican.
That decision was lauded by the national party, but hasn't played too well among local Republican activists and even relatively non-political citizens in the district.
I can't help but wonder if the DCCC is about to make the same blunder that the RNC made: backing a candidate who looks great to the Washington DC crowd but is met with either indifference or outright hostility in the district.
Alabama Agriculture Commissioner, Ron Sparks, told the Associated Press yesterday that he's still running for governor, but "not ruling out" a run for Congress.
Sparks said he’s worried about the future of the north Alabama district now that Rep. Parker Griffith has left the majority Democratic Party to become a Republican.
Sparks said he’s gotten some calls from members of Congress discussing a possible House campaign in the district. But for now, he’s still running for governor.
Sparks and Congressman Artur Davis are both seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Sparks said he will be talking with lots of people in coming days and weeks before making a final decision.
This isn't the time to dither, Commissioner Sparks! There's a lot of high-profile interest in this race and a credible candidate - which you certainly are - could be cashing in on the outrage of Democrats in this state and all over the country.
The DCCC has asked the duplicitous Griffith for its money back - as have a number of contributors. Don't wait for them to spend the refunds on other races!
I'm sure it would be hard for Sparks to give up on the governor's race. He's staked out some solid positions on some issues. I haven't agreed with a lot of them, but that's a policy disagreement, not personal. I would be eager to get behind him with my money and volunteer time in the AL-05 congressional race.
However, I could also happily support PSC Commissioner, Susan Parker, should she decide to run. The nightmare scenario here is for these two strong candidates to delay making a decision. That could keep other good candidates out of the race and every day we wait is a day lost to fundraising.
This race won't be easy, but Democrats can hold regain this seat. Ron Sparks would kick butt in a debate with either Mo Brooks or Griffith. It would be a joy to watch.
Hot on the heels of a small dollar ask from Ron Sparks comes this one from Artur Davis 2010 senior adviser Jessica Vanden Burg:
Other candidates have been reluctant to commit themselves to any policy details so far, but we've developed the toughest ethics reform plan in Alabama history, an innovative plan to reduce high school drop-outs, and a comprehensive plan to achieve savings in state government. Artur Davis is also the only candidate to support a constitutional convention for Alabama.
While these efforts have led us to excellent poll results so far, the pundits and Montgomery insiders who set expectations are going to care more about our 2009 public fundraising report.
Proposals for an education lottery and increased gambling revenue have been central to Ron Sparks' argument to become our next governor, so I felt strongly that we should try to get an accurate sense of exactly what he wants to do in those areas. The Lifestart Scholarship Lottery Sparks proposes would direct lottery proceeds to higher education.
Every high school student with a "C" or better average will be guaranteed a scholarship to a public Alabama University, two year college, or technical program of their choice. All others who graduate or earn a GED will be guaranteed a technical or trade education.
His gambling proposal would "regulate, tax and control" gambling in the state:
When I'm governor, we will establish a gaming commission that will regulate all gaming operations in the state. We will tax gambling and use the proceeds to support Medicaid, the Special Education Trust Fund, and to create a special relief fund for agriculture. And we will let the voters decide whether or not they want casinos in their county.
Sparks believes Alabama will face even more budget difficulties in 2011 and beyond, after the federal stimulus funds run out, so he is looking for ways to bring in additional revenue. Taxing and expanding gambling is the way he proposes to find that additional revenue stream. Follow below the fold to hear Commissioner Sparks talk about the lottery and gambling revenue in his own words.
On November 12, Mooncat and I were pleased to sit down with Agriculture Commissioner, Ron Sparks, and discuss his campaign for governor, the Department of Agriculture, and other state issues like education, gambling, health care and more.
Commissioner Sparks spent more than an hour with us and there's lots of video clips to come. Here's the first installment. Sparks discusses the changes he made at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and discusses the courage and leadership skills it took to modernize the agency, motivate the staff.
Just as important, he describes how he worked to turn the department from a moribund entity that reacted to events into a proactive agency with disaster preparedness plans and high tech monitoring equipment.
The video is on the flip, along with a transcript, but here's a taste.
Before Sparks, the department wasn't staffed during weather emergencies and natural disasters.
Part of Sparks' emergency plan includes a "companion animal program" because many people won't leave pets behind to go to shelters or evacuate. (Maybe he threw that tidbit in just for the LIA cats, but it's nice to know anyway!)
The department is implementing a real-time monitoring program for poutry farms, cattle farms, and food mills to help pinpoint problems during disease outbreaks with animals or food borne illnesses.
Commissioner Sparks displays real passion for this job, pride in his accomplishments, and knowledge about what remains to be done. It's an impressive narrative that he should stress more as part of his campaign.
During the past few months, when he's discussed his courage and leadership skills, it's mostly been in the context of gambling and the lottery. And sure, he's going to face opposition to that.
But at the Agriculture Department, he's recognized problems and implemented successful solutions while at the same time re-energizing the agency's staff. That is leadership that nobody can quibble with. Sparks needs to emphasize this part of his resume more during his campaign.
Birmingham's first black mayor, Richard Arrington, says he will support state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks for governor rather than U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, who is trying to become Alabama's first black governor.
Arrington is planning a news conference with Sparks in Birmingham on Wednesday to officially announce the endorsement. But he told The Birmingham News on Tuesday that he believes Sparks will be the kind of governor who will work across racial lines and move Alabama forward.
Is this a coup for Ron Sparks?
The last time I heard Mayor Arrington's name mentioned was just a few weeks ago when the media buzz was about the losing candidates he endorsed in Birmingham's City Council race.
But of course, a city council race turns on local issues and a governor's race is, well, about the state. Any comments from anyone "on the ground" there in Birmingham or familiar with the dynamics there?
Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks fumbled a golden opportunity to define himself against his opponent, Congressman Artur Davis, yesterday. Sparks could have shored up support among progressive Democratic activists who have expressed concern about some of Davis' more conservative positions on issues like hate crimes and health care reform.
It's been easy to see where Davis stands on these issues because he's having to vote on them in Congress. This makes him more of a target. Sparks, meanwhile has remained relatively insulated as Agriculture Commissioner. He's had a lot of running room, as attention focused on Congressman Davis in Washington.
But it's time for Commissioner Sparks to tell us about his positions on more issues than the lottery and gambling.
Reaction was swift (and mushy) from Democratic candidate Artur Davis. The large group of GOP hopefuls jumped on Bentley's bandwagon so quickly you'd think they'd been standing in a road full of rattlesnakes when he came driving by.
Only one candidate remained silent on the issue, saying he needed to "study" the bills. Unfortunately, even after Commissioner Sparks issued a statement this morning, we still don't have any idea of his position on the issue.
Photo courtesy of Artur Davis 2010, used with permission.
Davis proposed reforms to increase transparency and accountability to taxpayers and fight waste in state government that he claims would produce about $664 million in annual savings.To put that in perspective, it's the equivalent of about 10% of the 2009 unearmarked state budget. Or, if you prefer a gambling yardstick, it would take $4.4 billion in taxable receipts at a 15% tax rate to bring $664 million into the state coffers.
From Davis' proposal:
“Right now, despite the sincere efforts of many committed public servants, Alabamians are often poorly served by ‘business as usual politics’ that is riddled with corruption, waste and a startling lack of accountability to the individual taxpayer. ...
Alabama’s next governor must possess the political courage to fight waste and put an end to ‘business as usual’ in Montgomery. ...
I believe that Alabama voters are ready for reform and ready for a Governor who will make these changes a reality.”
We've all heard the past promises to clean up state government, but the way business gets done in Montgomery has been slow to change. For instance, the $13 million state contract recently awarded without competetive bidding to a company with no phone, no website and no business license. And that's under a governor who sharply criticized his predecessor's use of no bid contracts, but who has not stopped the practice in his own administration.
These reforms won't be easy to implement, but more will get done under a governor who makes them a priority and who get's elected by running on them than under a governor who is willing to go along with the status quo in Montgomery. It's like Constitution Reform, even the governor who wants it may not be able to push it through the Legislature, but the governor who doesn't want it darned sure isn't going to get it done.
Davis' chief targets are:
Reducing fraud through stricter oversight and enforcement, particularly in the Medicaid program,
Savings through better contracting practices, including elimination of no-bid contracts,
Reduce outsourcing of government functions to private enterprise,
Cost savings through smarter purchasing practices,
Increased accountability for contracts and legislative spending -- yes, including the Community Services Grants,
Increased efficiency, from green buildings to consolidating IT services to limiting state vehicles,
Going the extra mile to take full advantage of federal reimbursements -- apparently a lot of federal dollars are being left on the table now.
I've included a "highlights version" of Davis' Taxpayer Protection Plan below the fold for those who just can't click through and read the whole thing. Reading the plan, I was struck by how often he cites what other states have done to save money or maximize efficiency -- clearly the Davis team has done the research on this plan and "not invented here" does not deter them from an otherwise good idea.
Putting the Community Service Grants out for public comment before approval strikes me as a great idea and a simple one to implement. The CSG horse is not quite dead so let me beat it just a little bit more. Since fellow gubernatorial candidates Ron Sparks (D) and Kay Ivey (R) are on the review board, along with Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom (running for re-election in 2010), they could easily steal a piece of Davis' plan by instituting this requirement. Unlikely yes, but if it happened, it would be a beautiful instance of a Democratic candidate using the bully pulpit of the campaign to push current policy to the left. It's the kind of thing that can happen when candidates run openly on policy, rather than on personality as has so often been the case in past elections in Alabama.
As Mooncat discussed earlier, Bradley Byrne (R anti-AEA) is running for governor, but appears to think that the Alabama Education Association is a rival for the nomination, not Tim James, Kay Ivey, Roy Moore, or any of those other guys.
Byrne's claim:
"I don't think AEA stands for the best of their profession. AEA stands for the worst of it,"
drew the attention of Democratic rivals, Congressman Artur Davis and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks. Their statements about the AEA and Alabama teachers are on the flip.
Ron Sparks sent a message to supporters yesterday. Unlike recent correspondence, it was in his own name instead of one of his campaign staffers' and was a far better missive than has emerged from his campaign in quite some time, even though it began on a sad, personal note.
... And though I lost both of my grandmothers over the last two months, their memories and their values will forever be embodied in the way I live my life. Thank you for your continued kindness and support for me and my family.
Commissioner Sparks has frequently mentioned the positive influence of his grandmother who worked in a sock factory in Ft. Payne -- see Q6 near the bottom of this post. Sincere condolences to Commissioner Sparks and his family on her passing and the loss of his other grandmother as well.
Turning to the financial difficulties facing Alabama, Sparks says (emphasis mine).
Whether or not you voted for President Obama is not important. We must all recognize that if it had not been for the federal stimulus money that President Obama fought so hard to secure, our educational and Medicaid system would be in shambles today. ... We are amidst the worst economical downturn in my lifetime. Our educational system is struggling to stay afloat. People are genuinely concerned about the major Medicaid budget deficits we face in 2011.
... I refuse to raise the taxes on the working men and women of Alabama, but I will regulate taxes on the fastest growing industry in Alabama and that is gambling. ... I have never claimed that our campaign has a silver bullet to solve all of the state’s ailments during these tough economic times, but rest assured that I understand the problems facing our state and have a comprehensive plan to address the critical needs of our state.
As governor ... I will fight for our seniors. I will fight for our children and I refuse to apologize for standing up and giving a voice to the people of Alabama. We are all tired of politicians who will say anything and do anything to get elected. That is not what my campaign is about.
My campaign is about issues, problems facing this state, and working together to come up with creative solutions to address these problems. I think it is high time that we in Alabama begin to look past party politics to make sure Alabama moves forward during these tough economic times. As governor, I pledge to do just that.
This sounds a bit more like the Ron Sparks of early 2007 who has been notably absent from the gubernatorial campaign recently. A campaign focussed on the issues, on solving the problems facing Alabama and devoid of the "say anything, do anything to get elected" philosophy will make us all winners in the end.
Is expanded casino gambling Alabama's next great white hope (hat tip Rep. Lynn Jenkins) or the next bubble waiting to burst?
Gambling -- and not just the Lifestart education lottery, but expanded casino gambling -- has become the centerpiece of Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks' (D) gubernatorial campaign. He want's to "tax it, regulate it, and control it" but he also wants us to have more of it. Casinos on the banks of the Alabama River in Selma, casinos near the domed stadium (if any) in Birmingham, casinos in Montgomery and Mobile. In short, casinos just about everywhere except North Alabama.
The idea has no shortage of skeptics, such as the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
It's too early to know whether Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks is a viable candidate for governor or not. But he's running on a spectacularly bad idea for prettying up the state's grim fiscal picture: casino gambling.
[snip]
Up what progress and prosperity indexes has Mississippi rocketed since the casinos sprang up on the Gulf coast? How generously has the wealth been spread around in New Jersey since Atlantic City brought in the slots and blackjack tables? How has the money pouring into Vegas and Reno alleviated Nevada's record 12.5 percent unemployment rate?
What kinds of jobs, with what kinds of benefits, do casinos provide most of their workers, and how much do local economies reap from the gambling glitter domes that remake community landscapes?
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I don't write that lightly and I don't like criticizing a fellow Democrat in this manner. But if Republicans were sending this stuff out, we'd be all over them. It's just hypocritical to gloss over behavior in a Democrat that we'd vilify a Republican for. 
Sparks said he’s worried about the future of the north Alabama district now that Rep. Parker Griffith has left the majority Democratic Party to become a Republican.
This is the second post arising from an interview we conducted with Agriculture and Industries Commissioner 
Commissioner Sparks spent more than an hour with us and there's lots of video clips to come. Here's the first installment. Sparks discusses the changes he made at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and discusses the courage and leadership skills it took to modernize the agency, motivate the staff. 
Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks sent out a press release from his gubernatorial campaign today, promising a "major announcement" tomorrow: 
