For a moment, lets look at the positive statistics based on education lottery in Georgia.
According to their website www.galottery.com/education it says, "Since inception, more than $5 billion in lottery proceeds has been appropriated and distributed to more than 1.2 million HOPE Scholarship recipients."
Do we understand fully the impact it could have on the number of people going to college? Furthermore, they also have a state funded pre-K program which is solely funded using lottery money.
The Lottery scholarship is good for many reasons:
1. It keeps students in-state by only giving them the funds if they choose to go to a private or public university in the state.
2. It promotes good study habits and a hard work ethic by saying that only students with a 3.0 gpa in high school maybe eligible for the scholarship
3. It boosts our morale because more people are becoming more educated due to the fact they have funds to pursue higher edcuation
4. Our state is finally taking some initiative to improve our education system instead of constantly cutting funds and reducing teacher units.
Furthermore, the lottery and legalizing gambling could work hand in hand. The regulations and taxes from casinos and bingo halls could be allocated to the education fund, not all of the money but a portion of it. This could help teachers to buy extra supplies for their classrooms, or provide school supplies to children at little to no cost. Why not implement these things and keep the money in Alabama? For example, I bought a lottery ticket in Florida a couple of weeks ago while I was at the beach. If Alabama had the lottery, I would buy a ticket here and the money would stay in our state instead of going to Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee!
No matter who becomes governor, I hope they begin to take an initiative on education because we have sat back for too long twiddling our thumbs and watching us continually sit at the bottom statistically in education for years! We have some of the brightest people in the nation and that is evident through the space program, Mercedes, and numerous other plants and facilities.
I know what one might say, "Ron Sparks wants to do all this." Yes, he does but that is the only thing he is campaigning on. I also want to know about what he wants to do to create jobs and boost our economy. What does he want to do about infrastructure and creating main industrial highways that connect Memphis to Atlanta through Alabama? I want to know these things, but he simply wants to campaign solely on lottery and thats an issue that I don't think he can win on (i.e. Sigelman 1999).
It is time for us to begin to move forward in Alabama instead of taking a back seat in this country. We did not even participate in the "Race to the Top" program which was an education initiative. Instead we watched as Tennessee was awarded $500,000 to use in their education departments. We need someone who is going to be a progressive thinker and not continue to set Alabama back!
Yes, we need an Education Lottery. Yes, We need legalized gambling. Yes, we need a progressive thinker!
Its time for our voice to be heard!!
Get to the polls on June 1st!
I am tired of backwards thinking, lets progress Alabama into the Future!!
(A little evening snark... - promoted by herding old cats)
Alabama is facing a natural disaster that jeopardizes the livelihood of the state, threatening to tear the very fabric of the heart of Dixie.But the governor’s election isn’t for a few more months, so it might be good to talk about the oil spill in the Gulf instead.
There is a giant blob of oil floating in the Gulf of Mexico south of Mobile.It was created, I think, when the entire cast of Jersey Shore went swimming in the Gulf.In any case, it’s interfering with the fishing boats, and if there’s one thing that will get under the skin of an Alabamian, it’s messing with our shrimp.
The politicians in D.C. are wringing their hands about the whole situation and doing what politicians do, which is fly around in helicopters and print lots and lots of money to throw down at the muddy people.
The Obama Administration has pledged to do more than just print money.They are determined to fix the mess.One of the methods, and I am not making this up, is using human hair stuffed inside pantyhose to mop up the surface of the water.To recap, there is a Democrat in the White House.
Say what you will about the man, but Bush wouldn’t have stood for this kind of mincing goofiness.He would have dropped a nuclear bomb in the ocean and literally boiled the oily water into the atmosphere.Then he would have swung around and invaded Cuba or something.
Alabama politicians are deeply divided about how to address the oil spill.The candidates for governor are weighing in with different solutions:Ron Sparks thinks we should be able to gamble on the oil spill.Artur Davis is speaking very softly, and no one really understands what he’s saying.
Roy Moore proposes lining the beaches of Gulf Shores with Ten Commandments monuments, in hopes of deflecting the oil eastward towards Florida.Tim James wants us to know that he is a businessman.Then he wants to know if the oil speaks English.It makes sense to him.Robert Bentley is a doctor.He wants us to know that Bradley Byrne is pro-oil spill.Bradley Byrne, meanwhile, wants us to know that he is conservative.Dr. Bentley says that he won’t take a salary until the oil is cleaned up.Tim James thinks the oil was caused by sex offenders.Bradley Byrne is now anti-oil spill, but still very, very conservative.
Bill Johnson wants us to know that Bob Riley caused the oil spill.For his part, Governor Riley is very concerned about the spill, but only because he thought he saw a bingo machine floating in the water.
The solution, of course, is Nick Saban.He will be airlifted by the Alabama National Guard to the Gulf and suspended directly over the oil slick, which he will then fix using The Process, whatever that is.The NCAA will then step in and add another bowl game, the BP Oil Bowl, to be played on an abandoned oil rig somewhere out at sea.Tennessee and Georgia will probably get bids to play in that one, because who really wants to go see them play anyway.
I want some true volunteers to get me on the ballot. Go do it. I will not centrally organize or attempt to control it. If I am not on the ballot come election time, you didn't want me on it. If I have to sign some papers I will do that.
My Republican stripes are gone. I held on as long as I did was for a spurious hope that the party could be turned. Nope. I am looking for Republicans who want to support my candidacy, and Democrats, Socialists, Libertarians, Conservatives (real ones), Liberals (real ones), Tree huggers, Developers, and any citizen who want someone who will try to do right.
Someone who will talk straight. The health care bill should not be passed. We need a single payer, modeled on Medicare, with more preventive care added, and the establishment of eight or more medical schools without tuition (good grades, character, and talent; four years in government service, military or civilian to pay for your medical training.). I repeat for the last time: I am on Medicare, government, and I have a Medicare Supplement, private insure; they work well together. In fact, as any on Medicare with a Supplement will say, it is unfair to the rest of the citizens who cannot buy into the healthcare arrangement that I have. Back to local matters.
We have to get rid of the sales tax on food, especially local and domestic, non luxury food. it hurts poor folk and the middle class. The middle class will have more money to spend on other items which are taxed, so I doubt that we will have less revenue. The poor folk will need fewer subsidies, thereby lessening the pressure on government.
We have to urge local farmers to produce healthy food, food without hormones and the artifice of manufactured fertilizers. Farm the way your great grands did. Sell your produce locally, reduce the transport costs. I grew up when schools were segregated, but fresh produce was cooked and served in the lunchroom when we had one.
There are two ways to improve our environment: emphasize information technology, space, and aviation for one, and two, move to organic farming. We also must MUST plan our water use.
Notice that the world climate is changing? We had almost a month of lows in the teens. Hell, Florida had lows in the teens. We have to move to use our science and technologies to figure out better low technology approaches to farming.
I sit on the what goes for a porch of my house in summer and I and my guests are not bothered by pesky bugs. I don't destroy spider webs and wasp nests; they take out the pesky bugs, the ones that may carry disease. I want non poisonous snakes in my yard, they eat mice and insects without poisoning dogs and cats. Actually I wouldn't mind poisonous snakes, but my neighbors would. I have lived for forty years in the City and a lot bicycle touring and camping in the country. I get along with snakes poisonous or not because I know them, know how to avoid their protective attacks. I don't threaten them consciously or inadvertently.
You don't go into the woods and sit on a log or rock without knowledge of what's beneath it. I don't want poisonous snakes eradicated, or other dangerous wild animals. They weed out the stupid and careless, the folk who live above the rest of nature. When I was ten and plus I went into the woods with my dog, the best sitter for a child, and was safer than a child today is with a nanny or sitter.
I want folk to have less lawn and more flowering plants in their yards. We are losing bees and other pollen gatherers. Yards should be two thirds or more flowering plants. There would be less to mow. We should sell push mowers and other manual lawn tools untaxed. Tax the hell out of gas mowers, less tax burden on electric ones. Sell seeds for food crops untaxed to home owners. Sell organic ways of controlling pests untaxed.
We, folk my age, will be dead when the soil is poison and no potable ground water, but out children and grand children will be alive. We have to stop the poisoning now. Stop the use of poisons to control pests; they kill bees, bumblebees, and wasps too. If you see a snake, poisonous or non poisonous, do not kill it. Children? Children should always be watched and supervised; that applies to playing in the yard and on computers. No computers in bed rooms. Their computers in the same room as yours.
No software in existence now or the future can protect children as well as the hardwired brain of a parent or parent surrogate. Parents overall do a better job than routines or methods. Don't outsource the care of your children.
I'm just saying some of the ideas I believe, things I've learned, and what I will encourage.
Yeah, you're right an elected official should not say publicly that he or she is anti abortion, but did you hear what else I said? That entity in her body is human, that's just plain biology; although no government and no other individual or group has the right to prevent her from choosing an abortion.
What is a government decided moles were unsightly and wanted a law forcing their removal? Or retention? Abortion is a more serious decision, but it is no ones business. She may consult her husband, sister, brother, parents, or friend if she wishes. The decision is hers alone. My moral stance does not belong in public policy.
Hell, if my personal beliefs were in public policy all men would be required by law to grow beards, all errands less than twenty miles would by statute be required to be done on bicycle, and all women be required to wear long dresses and skirts.
I asked a law and order friend of mine, a state prosecutor, why he opposed the death penalty for rape and murder. He said, a rapist will surely kill his victim because the penalty is the same either way. He said murders are committed by the crazy, the temporarily overwrought, and the professional. The crazy are not deterred by the existence of the death penalty because they are crazy; the temporarily insane are situational killers and they may not kill again. A woman being beaten by her husband later sneaks in and stabs or shoots him while he sleeps. She is no danger to the society.
The professional hitters are not deterred by the death penalty.
No rational argument for the death penalty. It's immoral too. You make a mistake, you can't correct it even a little bit.
Most of the ideas I believe can only be encourage by an elected official, or have rational laws to encourage good behavior.
A baby during the first year should spend most waking time in physical contact with a parent, sibling, or parent surrogate.
No state marriage and no legal privilege or rights for marriage solves a host of problems. Any two or more persons of legal age may write or have written by lawyers, or use a state form, a civil union which would have all the rights and privileges formerly invested in marriage.
Marriages should be left to churches, synagogues, mosques, and meeting halls and invested only with social and religious rights and privileges.
For a civil union all you need is the form and witnesses. Two more heterosexual males or females may wish to form civil unions for the legal benefit. Sexuality will not be a concern.
No religious institution need marry anyone they don't like for any reason. The institution will not have legal force.
Religious institutions should be taxed unless they provide an equivalent benefit to society, or refrain totally from - as an institution - trying to affect public government policy.
Make simple laws like poison my glass of tea and I get sick and or die, you get prosecuted; similarly, you poison the river and a lot of folk get sick and or die, you get prosecuted. If you do it and know you're doing it, it is premeditated, if convicted it's life, buddy. In the case of a corporation, the CEO is indicted, prosecuted, and if convicted gets life. Even if he or she didn't know about it, but someone in the company did, the CEO is guilty. You run the company you damn well better know what is going on.
Whatever happened to ignorance of the law or crime is no defense?
One last statement about ideology. One of my wives is a painter and illustrator and during the sixties and seventies we lived in the east village. She, a follower of Ayn Rand, drew political cartoons for Rat, a left wing mag. They didn’t tell her what to draw and say; they liked her cartoons. I have throughout my voting life, 1964 to now, have voted for conservatives, liberals, libertarians, socialists, and ????s.
Make me governor. If elected I will not work for another term because I figure if I do a good enough job you’ll reelect me.
As stated I will cut the governor’s salary in half; about fifty thousand dollars is enough to keep my bicycles repaired, even buy a couple of new ones.
Good place to stop for now. I invite criticisms. I am not so in love with my ideas that a humane rational argument can’t convince me to change.
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.
In an election year, ethics reform is a topic of much conversation.The problem is that for most folks, it’s just an empty word that politicians use.Few, if any of our candidates take the time to explain exactly what real, meaningful ethics reform would look like.
What we are really talking about here is taking steps to restore trust in state government.There will never be enough legislation to make everybody completely trust their government.Just as a marriage certificate doesn’t guarantee domestic bliss, legislation can’t make people trust their government.Conversely, legislation won’t keep those hell-bent on breaking the rules and taking ethical shortcuts from doing so.
So how do we navigate our way through all the rhetoric and unrealistic expectations?I believe the answer is to take workable, substantive steps towards strengthening the relationship and restoring trust between the people and our state government.
There are a few things that we need to address immediately.Every candidate in the race for Governor is in favor of banning PAC to PAC transfers.There is no question that we need more transparency when it comes to campaign funding.The source of campaign contributions shouldn’t be disguised by the current shell game allowed by state law.Additionally, we must work to remove the loopholes that allow federal office holders running for state offices the ability to transfer national campaign funds to state campaign coffers without disclosing the individual sources.
Along those same lines, I fully support legislation requiring lobbyists to report every penny they spend in their efforts to influence members of the legislature.The day lobbyists register with the state and fully report all expenditures, is the day people of Alabama will have a clear picture of the price of influence in the legislative process.But, I would go one step further.To date, those who lobby the Governor’s office have not been required to register as lobbyists in the state of Alabama.This is a gross inconsistency and I will push to rectify this immediately.As Governor, those who lobby the executive branch will register with the state or they won’t get through the front door of the Capitol.
An often overused cry for reform is an attack on the practice of “double dipping.”This is a term often used to describe an individual who receives income from their full time job and income from their service in the legislature.While the courts are currently considering the legal ramifications of this issue, I find it difficult to understand why a school teacher from a rural area or an administrator from a local high school has to sacrifice their right to public service just because they have chosen one of our country’s most noble professions.It seems unconscionable that we have standards in place that allow for this level of inconsistency and unfairness.
Many candidates and office holders support ethics initiatives that duplicate guidelines, regulations, or statutes that are already in place.Often times, we see this sort of political maneuvering around election time, as candidates look to attract attention to their candidacy.There is neither need nor place for this type of political posturing and wasteful spending in our state government.
As Governor, I would continue to do as I have done during my tenure as Commissioner of Agriculture.I’ve seen to it that my department does business above board and maintains a level of transparency and efficiency.
In my seven years as Agriculture Commissioner there has never been even a whisper of any impropriety.I don’t condone cutting corners to get around any law or regulation.My ethics philosophy is simple - do the right thing all the time.
Trust and loyalty are virtues at a premium as we work together through the most difficult financial crisis ever to face our state.As tough decisions lie ahead, we must work diligently to restore a sense of trust in government.
With elections on the horizon, I urge you to sift through the shameless showboating and brazen attempts to manipulate your emotions about ethics reform. We should all look and expect real answers to real problems from the candidates we support.
(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"
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 :).
Let me began my rant by saying I will be OK regardless of who is elected Governor of Alabama, because I am one of the fortunate few who has achieved inspite of the institutional racism that continues to plague this state. It is not going to effect my life one bit if the next governor is a democrat or a republican, black, white, man, woman, straight or gay, because I will survive.
I'm not worried about me and mine, I'm concerned about the least and the left out. Those who don't have access to a quality education. Those who don't have access to quality health care. Those who can't afford to buy groceries. Those who aren't informed. Those who are marginalized and minimized. By the grace of God goes I.
Ethics reform and constitutional reform are important issues to the haves' like us, but I bet you the average Alabama voter in Perry County isn't sitting around the kitchen table talking about ethics reform or the need for constitution reform. They are probably hoping they don't get sick from the toxic Coal Ash Dump, and if they do get sick how they are going to pay for their medical expenses.
Residents of a poor, predominantly black Alabama county say the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to dump toxic coal ash in a Perry County landfill amounts to environmental racism. The toxic substance is from December's massive coal ash spill in Tennessee.
A lottery to pay for college works great for the haves' like us, but what about the parents who are forced to send their children to failing public schools who will be doing good to graduate with a "certificate of attendence" much less go to college?
Seven schools in Huntsville and six in Madison County received failing marks from the Alabama Department of Education in its latest round of school assessments.
Constitution reform, banning PAC to PAC transfers and an education lottery are important, but eliminating the tax on food is more importantant to the least of these. There are a lot of people in Alabama who can't afford to eat.
In truth, the proposed bill would address a long-standing inequity in the state tax code. Alabama has by far the lowest property taxes in the country. It tries to compensate by charging some of the nation's highest sales taxes, which place an unfair burden on poor people. The lingering tax on groceries is part of this inequity.
So, until the two democratic candidates we have start articulating some solutions to the real problems facing real Alabamians, stop with the petty mudslinging and pandering to the right to the detriment of progressives and liberals, I will remain undecided on democratic primary day and stay my Donkey at home because it really won't matter which one wins. I will vote for the democrat we have in November.
I meant to add this to countrycats' Care and feeding of candidates diary but I didn't get around to it. In light of the fact the gubernatorial candidates (except Ron Sparks) have agreed not to "play the race card" that may be a good thing because in my mind "agreeing not to play the race care" is nod nod wink wink for "we are going to ignore black folks issues and concerns, and marginalize those who try to address them". So just in case I'm right (pun intended) here are some questions for ALL the candidates (republican and democrat) from a Redeye point of view.
1. What steps would you take to establish a fair hiring program, pay structure, and promotional system for state employees? Or do you think such a program is needed?
2. If elected, how would you go about changing the attitudes of people who are opposed to African Americans playing a greater role in state government and in rendering civic service to our state?
3. Do you support earmarking a certain percentage of money from the sale of alcohol or tobacco to be used for indigent health care or maintaining substance abuse centers?
4. In terms of priority, what servcies would you like to see improved and expanded? Please be specific.
5. Give three reasons why you think black people should vote for you over your opponent.
Here is a gubernatorial candidate asking for your ideas. I believe this is a new phenomenon in Alabama. Let's encourage it. - promoted by mooncat)
It's great to be blogging with you here at Left in Alabama! I look forward to stopping by frequently over the coming weeks and months as our campaign for Governor moves forward.
One thing should be crystal clear about this campaign: We need new ideas if we're going to take control of Alabama's future and unlock our potential for the 21st Century.
It's also clear that those ideas aren't going to come from the usual political infighting and dueling special interests in Montgomery – they're going to come from people like you.
I've got some of my own plans about how to move our state forward -- on education, jobs, ethics reform, and many others -- and that's why I’m running for Governor. But beginning today, we're introducing a new feature on the ArturDavis2010 website where you and other Alabamians can submit your ideas for our state and vote on each other's suggestions.It's an exciting way that we can all collaborate to determine Alabama's future, together. I hope you'll help.
Tell me: What do you think we should do to transform Alabama and finally make it the state we've dreamed it could be?
Moore said he hasn't decided on a theme if he runs, but he said he's thinking along the lines of: "It's time to stand up for Alabama. We have serious threats from Washington, D.C. - serious threats on our rights and liberties."
If that sounds familiar, it's because Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace built his long career with the slogan "Stand Up for Alabama" and coupled it with harsh criticism of the federal government.
That's right -- let's just keep going back to the Wallace era, 'cause those were some really good times, weren't they? And what does he mean by "serious threats on our rights and liberties?" Are the NASA and Army jobs in Huntsville threatening out liberties? How about Ft. Rucker, or maybe the jobs that new Air Force contract might bring to Mobile? Federal programs and installations have provided good jobs and a social safety net in areas that formerly had very few options beyond extreme poverty. That federal investment paved the way for new commercial industries in Alabama -- like automakers, electronics, medical researchers and biotech, to name a few. More jobs, more education, more upward mobility -- hardly a vicious cycle.
And no, the feds aren't coming to take either our Bibles or our guns, no matter how many crackpots tell us the threat is imminent. They've been saying that my whole life and it hasn't happened yet -- it's just a way to scare people and manipulate votes.
Personally, I wonder if Roy Moore isn't secretly longing for the good old days when we were all free to starve to death without outside interference. The folks who ran the show had real power then.
It's 2009 in Alabama, not 1969. Can we please have twenty-first century ideas from our 2010 candidates.
The 2010 election is a long way off, but professor John A. Tures gives Artur Davis an edge in the Alabama governor's race -- by a whopping 3.6 percentage points. Granted, the analysis is extremely speculative but it is the first statistical prediction I have seen based on Davis' voting record rather than just the racial and age demographics of the electorate. In that sense it accounts for the fact that the candidate does matter in the race.
In other words, voters may care more about whether you’re a liberal or not, as opposed to skin color.
To make the prediction of electoral margin of victory, I examine the American Conservative Union voting scores of three other African-Americans from the U.S. House of Representatives who sought a statewide office: US Rep. Alan Wheat of Missouri (1994), US Rep. Denise Majette of Georgia (2004), and US Rep. Harold E. Ford, Jr. of Tennessee (2006).I look at their margin of victory in both races.My results show that the more moderate an African-American candidate is, the closer the electoral margin of victory is.
Tures was working off only two data points (all you need to draw a line) so we should treat this as food for thought, to be taken with a grain of salt.
Charles Barkley's potential career in Alabama politics is not looking so promising these days. With the help of a powerful family, George W. Bush was able to put DUI behind him as a "youthful indiscretion." It's tougher to overcome that when you're just trying to break into politics, and not so youthful, either.
____________
We can't possibly be so lucky. No way Roy Moore is leading in any reputable poll.
____________
In a recent interview with Danny, Artur Davis predicted expenditures of $10 million to $17 million in the 2010 general election for governor. Lucy Baxley spent well over a million in the 2006 primary and Don Siegelman spent closer to 2 million in the 2002 primary so, considering inflation, I don't think a Democrat can be competitive in 2010 for less than $2.5 to $3 million for the primary. All this is assuming there is a serious Democratic primary contest.
Then, the winner will then need to raise at least $5 million more for the general election between June and November, preferably a great deal more than that to be truly competitive.
Jim Folsom's Farm to Market PAC took in about $57,000 last year, which is OK. The money for that PAC isn't directly for his campaign, but it is indicative of a level of support. He doesn't have a huge warchest left over from 2006 either.
Ron Sparks has upwards of $100,000 in his warchest as of the first of this year.
Artur Davis can transfer about $1.1 million from his congressional campaign account to a committee for a state race.
Looking at those numbers, and the fundraising records of those three Democrats, I think Sparks will announce a run for Lt. Governor -- the required money is much less and the odds are better for him in that race. Folsom will probably jump into the governor's race against Davis, but he will be at a disadvantage if he postpones an announcement until June. He's well known and a talented fundraiser, but we're talking about the need to raise a mountain of money and it's very important to line up the big supporters early. They can't legally give until June anyway, but they can and will begin to make commitments before then.
____________
Speaking of Artur Davis, every now and then someone suggests that Left in Alabama pays too much attention to his candidacy. I would like to gently remind everyone that we pay attention to his campaign for a couple of very good reasons:
Number one, he has a campaign. Davis is the only Democratic candidate in the race for governor at this point. He announced early and he's doing a lot of appearances and events, seeking attention and making news. We note those events and cover then when we can, such as the recent meet and greet in Huntsville at right. When other candidates begin to do the same we'll write about them too, but for now Davis pretty much has the field to himself.
Number two, his campaign is open toward citizen journalists like ourselves. Artur Davis and his staff have actively reached out to Alabama blogs, including this one. They understand new media and include us in press releases and opportunities. I am very hopeful that the once the other Democratic candidates get their campaign staffs together they will be similarly open to bloggers. We're going to have some great Democrats on the ticket in 2010 and we'd like a chance to put them all in the spotlight for the LiA community. In the meantime, any of you who have information on another candidate, please write it up and share with the rest of us. That isn't snark, I'm genuinely interested.
Artur Davis delivered a speech on the economic future of Alabama yesterday at the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Congressional Forum. The press release said about 200 people were in attendance. On Tuesday Davis spoke to Rotary Club in Huntsville and a friend who attended told me the crowd was very large, to the extent that the organizers had to call for more chairs and lunch was not served to some people until 1 pm. You can watch a video of the Birmingham speech here and, based on my friends remarks, I believe this is similar in substance to the one he delivered in Huntsville. This is from Chamber Speech - Part One, picking up at approximately 5:20. Emphasis mine.
Now that the 21st Century is here, what are we going to make of it? Just how bold are we prepared to be when we think about our state's future? I want to lay out a proposition to you. If we are serious about Alabama's future, it is time to change a lot of the tired assumptions about our economy and our school system. It's time to change them.
Let me give some examples of what I mean. It is absolutely insane for us to say to Carol Garrison and Bob Witt and Jay Gogue "Go out and build first class schools and world class colleges and attract world class faculty and we're going to cut your budget by 17%."
It is absolutely absurd when other states are fashioning a K-20 strategy, or a pre K-20 strategy in many cases, for us to split the cost of public education into a K-12 and higher education sector and pit them against each other.
It is absolutely staggering that in an era where our competition is not West Virginia and Georgia and Mississippi, but China and India, for us to think that we can continue to devalue math and science.
And if I may be very blunt in a room full of people who understand the value of commerce, we are long past the time when we can sell Alabama on the theory that we don't tax companies and don't regulate them and don't have unions. If you think that's controversial let me tell you something.
Do you think that's Alabama's calling card in the 21st century? News Flash: China's got us beat.They're a socialized economy that doesn't tax companies at all. They don't regulate their environment at all. And they have less unions than our 10%, they have none.
The old strategy won't work when South America is our competition. The Columbians, the Guatamalans and the Brazilians. The old strategies won't work, ladies and gentlemen. When despite all of our good efforts we're losing young people at every portal. ...
The more advanced their degree the more likely they are to leave Alabama.
The old strategy of cheap labor, no regulation, no unions won't work because we're competing on a different field today. Not only is this absolutely true, but it cuts the legs out from under the expected economic argument of a Folsom campaign -- that Jim Folsom, Jr. is responsible for bringing the auto industry, with its attendant good jobs and prosperity, to Alabama. That is still true of course, but Davis' argument puts Mercedes and Hyundai squarely in the past and challenges business leaders -- he's speaking to the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary here -- to own up to that fact. And implicitly, to buy into bringing in jobs that will take advantage of Alabama's intellectual potential, not her cheap, non-union labor AND to buy into stable funding for education to develop that intellectual potential. AND keep our best and brightest from leaving the state for good jobs elsewhere.
My friend who attended the Rotary meeting in Huntsville came away impressed and said Davis's remarks were very well received by that crowd. Change. Maybe we're ready for it.
Congressman Artur Davis isn't raising money - yet - for his gubernatorial campaign, but he's setting up to put plenty of miles on the old campaign bus,* speaking to groups across Alabama. Last weekend he was in Huntsville, Montgomery, Northport and Mobile after announcing his intention to run in Birmingham. Next week alone he'll be in Athens, Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Prattville and Boligee. See the extended text for a detailed schedule.
Kyle Whitmire of Birmingham Weekly interviewed Davis last week and asked him why the early start and what a Davis campaign will look like:
This is a declaration of intent today, because I can’t formally start until June. I made the decision that voters need to see that I’m serious about this. I knew that if I were to play the coy game, at some point people will question whether you have the resolution to run the race. As a practical matter, I have to begin the work of moving around the state early. Every day of the next year and half is not going to be spent campaigning. I still have a very busy day job.
I’m going to take my case to the parts of the state that don’t know me. Starting early lets you do that. Our polling shows that I’m very well known in this part of the state, pretty well known in the Montgomery area. I’m not terribly well known in Huntsville and the north part of the state. Down in Mobile we have a ways to go. I’m going to be in Huntsville tomorrow talking to people up there and I’m in Mobile on Monday.
It's a good interview and I recommend you read the whole thing. Video, too. Artur Davis in 2010 has a luxury Barack Obama did not have in 2008 -- he only needs to reach voters in the state of Alabama instead of all fifty states. How does he do that? Go to all corners of the state, talk to the voters there and, most importantly, LISTEN TO THEM. There is time to do this and it's not an optional step for Davis or for any Democrat running statewide. Alabamians don't trust Democrats they don't know -- thus the Democratic party does well in local races here but not in federal ones. So far Davis is doing all the right things, but he has many miles to go on the road to the Governor's Mansion.
* campaign bus - Ok, it's probably something a lot smaller nowadays, what with gas prices so high.
Alabama is kind of loosey-goosey as far as letting politicians re-use funds raised for federal office in races for state office. This gives former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate a potential edge when they decide to move from the federal level to the state level, especially when they've gone through a couple of cycles with no opponents. The fact is that incumbents get contributions every cycle, whether they are running with an opponent or not. Obviously, when the officeholder has no opponent, the money accumulates.
Having said all that -
I would like to share with the community an excerpt from an e-mail I received today, over the jump -
T.H.E. Social Work Agency Adoption home studies & care management services in the North Alabama area.
Licensed, certified, caring social workers. blog advertising is good for you
Speaking of 
Congressman Artur Davis 
