This was posted earlier and garnered a little discussion, but I'd like to bring it back for the Sunday afternoon crowd. Basically, the proprietor of Politics Alabama (a blogger of Libertarian bent) and I are doing a few one minute each, pro/con discussions on topical issues and calling the series Counterpunch. The first is related to constitutional reform; look for a new episode tomorrow on the health care system.
Counterpunch, episode 1: Constitutional convention, yes or no?
Alabama's 1901 Constitution was written to lock in the power structure of that time, to concentrate power in Montgomery and guard against innovation and progress. It's succeeded. Year after year the Legislature fails to act on important statewide issues -- ethics reforms, budgetary reform and even economic development issues. The 1901 Constitution gives them a convenient excuse for inaction at the same time it ties the hands of local governments -- 70% of amendments deal with a single city or county.
Article by Article revision isn't working. In 109 years only one article has been revised -- we can't afford to take a thousand years getting to the 21st century. The Legislature will never willingly give up their power and lobbyist perks. Alabama needs a new constitution and a convention is the best way to craft it, with delegates elected by the people and the final document approved by the people.
That's the view from the left.
After we'd agreed on the question, I regretted not insisting that we begin at the beginning with "Does Alabama need a new constitution?" so I tried to address that as well. We're going to do better with health care.
I'd appreciate feedback on effective ways to appeal to people who don't already agree with us -- liberals and progressives need to engage these folks in discussions. I'm convinced we're on the right side of issues more often than not, but all too often we leave the facts to speak for themselves ... and no one hears them.
The higher any DK entry highlighting LIA gets, the higher the profile of this website. To that end, I want to subscribe to fellow LIA-DKers, so come say howdy!
Here's a new video about the late return of paranoid politics. The song is by the defunct band "idiot" on their CD it's all a lie, which was pressed before the movie Idiocracy was a glimmer in the eye.
After months of playing it coy, Senator Hinton Mitchem (D-Union Grove) is telling his close friends that he's not going to seek re-election. And how does he plan to thank the Democrats for their support over the years? He's going to endorse one of the Republicans in the race for his seat - and it won't be his long-time accountant Tony Cochran. Realtor Don Spurlin will get the official nod, according to those close to the senator, much to the chagrin of Joey Masters, Marshall County Revenue Commissioner, who thought he was Hinton's "Chosen One" until losing grace with the senator when Joey switched to the Republican party a few years ago.
Meanwhile, the extremely popular legislator and good Democrat Jeff McLaughlin (Dist. 27) is getting pressure to step up and run for Hinton's Senate seat rather than seek re-election to his house seat. This scenario will leave Dems in Marshall County, who still haven't fielded a candidate to run for the retiring representative Frank McDaniel (Dist. 26), scrambling for another state house candidate.
Sounds like a game of musical chairs is about to begin.
CNN's Dana Bash interviews our senior Senator, Richard Shelby, gawd-help-us.
BASH: I spoke with Geoff Morrell over at the Pentagon and just asked him what the impact is of not having these three people in place — one of whom, as you know, is the number two at the Air Force. He said, “Without these people, we’re not firing on all cylinders.” And he also said, “It does adversely affect the organization.”
Are you worried about that? This is a time of war –
SHELBY: The Pentagon is a big place. I don’t think one or two will affect anything except on the margins.
BASH: Do you think that the nominees you have holds on are qualified?
SHELBY: Oh, I don’t have any idea. I looked at them closely and we’ll see. Sometimes that’s not the issue.
Shelby says he's seen no backlash in Alabama.
And qualifications are not the issue to fill top positions in the nation's military.
Why does this guy get a pass at home? Are we really that greedy for federal dollars that we will stick at nothing to get them ... by hook or by crook?
"The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House's attention on two issues that are critical to our national security -- the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI's Terrorist Device Analytical Center," the spokesman said.
"With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition until the new Request for Proposal is issued," he added.
...
Shelby retains a hold on the following officials, the aide said: Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force; Frank Kendall, principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics; and Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the Air Force.
This is a damned stupid way to lobby the incoming Air Force and Defense officials who will have a significant amount of influence on what contracts do and do not come to Alabama. I mean, Shelby is poking these guys in the eye with a sharp stick. Are they supposed to view his state favorably after they're in office? Which could (and should) come as soon as Congress recesses?
("Why I support __" posts are always welcome. - promoted by mooncat)
I started out last fall looking forward to Ron Sparks becoming the next governor of Alabama. Like many people in the state, I was in the minority that has rallied for and campaigned desperately for Obama, but I knew that there were some barriers that would never be crossed in Alabama. So, like most of my friends I rallied around the likely nominee of Ron Sparks, as he was hailed as the “most electable.” How wrong the pundits are, and how blind I was looking back at that time.
I first came to learn of Artur Davis by looking into what he has done on the Federal Level for his district, and what kind of action we can expect from him as our Governor. Needless to say I am impressed and very pleased by not only how he has shown repeatedly his passion for his district, but the best interests of the Alabama people.
Via Daily Kos, Gallup Daily Tracking results from 2009, showing a generally rightward trend nationwide in party identification. I think it was the visuals that caught my eye, with Alabama glowing bright red. Georgia and Mississippi show "competitive", i.e. a tossup, with Florida and Tennessee showing blue. I tend to think of GA and MS as solidly Republican, but the Gallup results show a GOP advantage of less than 5%, earning the "competitive" rank.
Remember, this is based on party identification, so on any given election day, GA, MS, TN, and probably FL will still vote GOP..... but they're just not proud of it?
Those Longhorn bloggers sure do know how to spin a yarn. Karl-Thomas Musselman is offering up "just the facts" to support his assertion that the University of Texas is virtually a sure thing to beat Alabama tomorrow evening. The "facts" as seen through orange colored glasses:
FACT: EVERY TEAM RANKED IN THE TOP 10 LOST TO A LOWER RANKING TEAM.
Well, except the ones that haven't played yet, like #1 ranked Alabama. Let's be clear: Texas isn't playing TCU or Cincinnati or even my alma mater, Georgia Tech, they're playing ALABAMA and it's probably more instructive to look at statistics for the teams who will actually be on the field tomorrow night. Performance in post season bowl games seems like a relevant statistic -- a measure of how seriously these schools take bowl games and how well they usually prepare:
The year 2000 marked the second straight decade when Republicans headed into the process better prepared and, regardless of how dirty Democrats accused the GOP of playing, ultimately got the best of their opposition. It's something Democrats are determined to not let happen again. Heading into the 2010 Census, Democrats have rebuilt their redistricting machine to match the Republican one.
"This is really the first time that both congressional and state legislative redistricting are being done under one umbrella," says Bill Burke, executive director of Foundation for the Future, a 527 formed back in 2004 to plan next year's Democratic redistricting effort. "In the past, Democrats got started late, were underfunded and most of the interest here in D.C. was with the congressional level, as opposed to what was happening in state legislatures.
Republicans have been touting redistricting as their best hope to regain a majority in Congress. If they see modest congressional gains in 2010 -- and coming off back to back Democratic wave elections, it would be surprising if Republicans don't see some modest gains -- and win back some governorships and state legislatures there's a potential to take another 25-30 seats in 2012 solely on the basis of redistricting.
I need a job, so I must run for governor. Some months there are a few days I didn't have food. I pay all my bills first and what is left over is for food.
I will do a good job because I don't want the people of Alabama to fire me. My qualifications are four ex wives, so you know that I know how to interact with people on a personal level. Perhaps the fact that my fifth is successful will fortify my claim.
I smoked pot during my youth and I inhaled; yet I soon learned to eat pot because to inhale any kind of smoke is bad. When you eat pot the effects are more profound.
I am bribe proof. I didn't like my parents telling me what to do. You think I'd listen to the hospital lobby, the legal drug lobby, or the trial lawyers?
I was kicked out of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College for publishing a little rag called The Saint. It contained too much satire, poetry, and social comment.
I will appoint people from all parties, including the socialist and libertarian, also some non party folk. I will present a state constitution modeled on the U.S. Constitution as amended, but specific to our state.
I learned during youth that lying and stealing hurt folk; folk will find you out.
I was a Republican but I recovered from it. I am not a Democrat. You catch the party virus once, recover, you have antibodies for life. I am not even an independent.
The Alabama Pact Board has voted to approve changes to the Pact program starting in fall 2010. Tuition payments would be capped leaving pact beneficiaries responsible for any shortages.
(This needs to go back to the top and (hopefully) discussed more. Ron Sparks will make his announcement tomorrow, whether or not LiA Front Page posts are at the top or not. - promoted by BenGoshi)
This may seem like Political Science 101, but the topic has come up several times in recent comment threads, so maybe it deserves some space.
Democrats cannot win statewide in Alabama with just the base. Neither can Republicans. Surveys I've found don't break the state down any further than that, but it's a safe bet we also can't win any congressional district other than the 7th with just base voters. Here are some recent survey results:
Democrat 37% Republican 33% Independent 27% Other 3%
It's hard to find any survey showing Democrats over 40% party id in Alabama. Sorry, but that just isn't enough to win. You will find numbers like those in virtually every survey that includes a question on party ID and election results back it up. Virtually any Democrat (no matter how poorly funded) running against Shelby or Sessions or for a major statewide office will get 35-40% of the vote. That's the floor for a Democrat. The real trick is getting from the floor to the 50% + 1 required to win.
There is no winning here without appealing to a large chunk of independent voters or even moderate Republicans. There's also no winning without the base, which means capitulation doesn't work -- see the example of Parker Griffith if you don't believe that. He lost the Democratic base and has been forced to go whole hog and try for GOP base voters instead. Very risky course.
Democrats have to persuade voters in the middle that we can govern better than Republicans. Progressives need to be making the case for progressive policy and candidates. All too often we have dismissed the arguments of the other side as stupid, worthless , etc. or at best we say something like, "no one would believe that" and walk away leaving people to believe what they hear on talk radio or Fox news. We have to engage, we have to persuade, we have to listen to the crazy arguments and politely but firmly refute them. That's how you reach the voters in the middle. It's how you change the wind and it's what we have to do.
(Creepy, crawly Republican spiders ... - promoted by mooncat)
Governor Bob Riley's head appears on the body of a cartoon spider amid a web littered with dollar signs while a headline flashes "Breaking News: Rileys (sic) gambling hypocrisy revealed!". Welcome to the home page of Rileyswebofdeceit.com, a new website that warns of "information overload".
The site lays out the Jack Abramoff/Michael Scanlon scam on their Indian clients, follows the money trail to Bob Riley's campaign for governor, and asks you to help fill in the blanks by contacting the site, anonymously if you prefer. The site's author(s) also prefer anonymity but could be GOP members as there's much mention of their no tolerance when it comes to hijacking of the party for personal gain.
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive"
I hardly follow football at all these days, but if the President can favor Florida in the SEC championship game and a gubernatorial candidate can tweet his prediction, the rest of us might as well jump in, too.
No, it isn't the black guy -- so you "Alabama isn't ready for a black governor" folks just stay calm. This is old fashioned politics as usual in the Heart of Dixie -- on the right side of the political spectrum. The threats have been sent to former ADECA Director Bill Johnson (Republican) who also happens to be an outspoken critic of Governor Bob Riley (R). The threats (three instances were described) came through the U.S. mail and one (at least) was clumsily camouflaged as mail from the Alabama Democratic Party. Some were also sent to media outlets, again with under false return address.
WHNT-19 in Huntsville has done the best reporting I can find on this story so far, but they have not posted any video yet.
Johnson says the flyer arrived in his mailbox inside an envelope with letterhead from the Alabama Democratic Party.
"It puzzled me at first, but then I got where I felt like it was really a threat, and something to do with my campaign for governor," added Johnson.
The State's Democratic Party tells WHNT NEWS 19 it has nothing to do with the letter. They sent over a statement saying:
"The democratic party had no part in these despicable letters sent to bill johnson. We are focused on the race between our democratic gubernatorial candidates Artur Davis and Ron Sparks. We believe any attempt to silence, or intimidate candidates, or voters must be taken seriously and investigated as it is an assault on our democracy."
...
Johnson says the first one had nothing on the second one.
"That was a threat, but this last letter we got was really what I consider a death threat," added Johnson.
The latest flyer shows 12 pictures of a dog in between text that's more vulgar than what was in the first one. It also mentioned the candidate's wife.
"That was something. That was something that really scared her," added Johnson.
It jumped to another level when the U.S. Postal Service got involved. The postmaster of the Prattville Post Office intercepted the letter.
The "vulgar text" they refer to includes plentiful use of the "f" word. As for the third letter, the one that got the postmaster involved, based on the description I heard, it was a photoshop of this image from the Vietnam war era, with Bill Johnson's head added to another man's body. Three guesses as to which guy they added his head to ...
Johnson is in a rather public pissing contest with Bob Riley -- see video:
Somebody, or several somebodies, out there doesn't like what Johnson is doing, not one bit, and obviously wants him to shut up, ASAP. If you think it's the Democratic party you must be delusional. These scare tactics are despicable and damaging to the democratic process. The Alabama Democratic Party has issued a strong statement condemning these letters -- we're still waiting to hear from Bill Johnson's party.
In spring 2006, the Alabama Legislature approved a bill that took part of the state's coal severance tax revenue and dedicated $100,000 a year to the Marion County Community Development Association Inc. and the West Alabama Development Association of Fayette County Inc. (see story here). Those two groups didn't exist until five months later, when the three lawmakers set them up as nonprofits ... So far, the two groups have received $800,000 from the tax, according to the Alabama Department of Finance.
And haven't ever been audited. And haven't qualified for federal tax-exempt status. Decisions on how to allocate the money require agreement from two of the three legislators (at least for one of these entities) and are mostly done by phone. I truly hope they have some written records because they are definitely going to be audited soon. Granted, every cent of this money may have been spent in a completely proper fashion, but the damage is in the very appearance of public money being doled out with no oversight and no transparency -- and, once again, it's damage to Democrats.
The Political Parlor has been on this story for a couple of days, with a link to the enabling legislation. The Montgomery Advertiser captures my frustration:
If Alabama's legislators put half the creativity and energy toward addressing the state's many fundamental problems as they do in financing their pet projects with pork-barrel funds, Alabama would have the best-funded schools and state agencies in the nation.
Montgomery is used to operating in open-loop, do as they damned well please, appearances be damned mode. Just get it done, ugly or not. Problem is, get it done, anyhow, anyway, can look like shady dealing and I wish the Democrats in the Legislature, at least, would wake up and realize that it's now the 21st century and The People are in a better position than ever to watch the workings of government. The less crooked it looks, the better we like it.The better we like it, the more likely we are to re-elect you and your party. It's just that simple.
The new Winthrop poll of 11 Southern states, including Alabama, finds that the economy is the number one concern here, and people favor government help to create jobs, support state governments and help homeowners. However, they don't see the stimulus plan as wildly successful -- 38% said it had no effect while 35% thought it made things better. I see this as an argument for a second stimulus package, tightly focussed on creating jobs, something that can be justified on economic grounds as well.
A few interesting results from the poll are below the fold.
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.
Know when to walk away, know when to run You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done. ~Kenny Rodgers, The Gambler
No, I these lyrics don't apply to Ron Sparks. They apply to Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Artur Davis.
"When to hold em" Davis pandered to "white moderates" at the expense of his "traditional base" in order to garner their support. "White moderates" have money, influence, power and most importantly they vote for candidates who share their self interest, or a single issue, regardless of race or gender.
"When to fold 'em" Davis knew before the vote for affordable health care reform he was going to have to vote against it. I checked his website and couldn't find where he'd scheduled any townhall health care meetings in his district except for a panel disscussion UAB (I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong). The majority of his consitutents voices were not heard regarding ealth care reform although the majority of his constitutents voted for President Obama with HOPE for CHANGE they can believe in.
You never count your money when you're sitting at the table.. According to my caluations Davis will need 30% of the African American vote to win the democratic primary. A large majority of those voters reside in the district he is currently not representing in Congress. The majority of his constitutents have no money, no influence and as of late no no jobs, and no healthcare. Is Davis gambling 30% of African American voters will vote for him because he's black?
There're be time enough for counting when the dealin's done. There are some that say there are no perfect candidates, but Davis says he didn't vote for the affordable health care bill because it wasn't perfect. To paraquote former President Bill Clinton, doing something is better than doing nothing".
So I have some questions for "white moderates", progressive/liberals and those who are leaning toward Davis because "he's the lessor of two evils" below the fold.
If you live in Chocktaw, Hale, Marengo, Dallas, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Clark, Green, Jefferson, Sumter or Wilcox counties you need to contact your Congressman ASAP. Your access to health care depends on him. All of our access to healthcare depends on him, so even though I don't live in his district I'm going to contact him too. Be nice. Lets see if we can attract some flies with honey :).
After months of playing it coy, Senator Hinton Mitchem (D-Union Grove) is telling his close friends that he's not going to seek re-election. And how does he plan to thank the Democrats for their support over the years? He's going to endorse one of the Republicans in the race for his seat - and it won't be his long-time accountant Tony Cochran. Realtor Don Spurlin will get the official nod, according to those close to the senator, much to the chagrin of Joey Masters, Marshall County Revenue Commissioner, who thought he was Hinton's "Chosen One" until losing grace with the senator when Joey switched to the Republican party a few years ago. 
I hardly follow football at all these days, but if 
