Ron Sparks Hitting the Campaign Trail

Very interesting platform. (4.00 / 2)

Sparks' ideas are very simple, and voters like that. The gist of everything hangs on allowing a lottery and gambling to fund the programs he mentions. It will be interesting to see how the church-going voters respond to this.  In Tennessee the churches launched a huge battle against a state lottery and it took years and years to finally get the votes in the state legislature.

What will he do if he is elected on this platform and the state legislature does not make the gambling law changes he wants? Is there a back-up plan?

I'm curious if the voters of Alabama will want to fund an agriculture disaster relief fund. Is there a way to differentiate between the mega-agra-business conglomerates and local farmers? And is Sparks taking campaign funds from the mega-agra-business conglomerates?

I like his policy on the PACT mess. Again, simple and the voters like that.

One more comment: Ron, take off the winter coat in the picture.  It looks stupid and out of touch when it is  the middle of the summer. Those things do matter and it is easy to change pictures on a web page.

 

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 12:34:54 PM CDT

As important as photos on a Web page (4.00 / 1)

kill the Flash, Ron!

There's absolutely no reason to have a flash-based navigation menu and a Flash homepage.

He's forgetting his rural base: people using dialup connections.  Flash loads slowly for those folks.  Worse from a Search Engine perspective: there's no $#%# text, so there's nothing to index!

I think the lottery and gambling for education is a good idea, but there will be a huge amount of push back.  He needs to study Siegelman's plan and figure out how to design and sell the program differently if he wants to succeed.

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

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by: countrycat @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 12:43:29 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I agree with you about the lottery. (4.00 / 1)

I'm concerned that if lottery/gambling is his solution for all that ails Alabama then he will lose.

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 12:53:27 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Plan B (0.00 / 0)

After the Seigleman lottery bust and Riley's Tax Fiasco, anyone running for governor ought to have a Plan B in his or her backpocket. 

Work harder and work smarter!

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by: mooncat @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 13:29:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm with Mel (4.00 / 1)

I have no objection to relief for small farmers, but darned if I want to hand money to the BigAg...they'll just special-order some more GMO crops that are designed to fail, probably :(

When in doubt tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and astound your friends.---Mark Twain

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by: julie @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 18:37:26 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Does anyone know if Sparks has a healthcare policy statement? (4.00 / 1)

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 12:40:46 PM CDT

nothing on his issues page about it specifically (4.00 / 1)

except the Medicaid part of the gambling proposal

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

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by: countrycat @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 12:45:08 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

PACT statements (4.00 / 1)

Sparks: Supports the State of Alabama fully funding the program, guaranteeing tuition to all who have bought into the program.

Davis: Supports fully funding all students who have bought into the program and are currently enrolled in college. For all others who have bought in, he said the state should “search the tax code” or “find some other way to make them whole.”

Search the tax code or find some other way to make them whole?

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by: Go Blue @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 13:11:33 PM CDT

Letting no grass grow under their feet ... (0.00 / 0)

Here's a response from the Davis campaign:

Davis spokesman Alex Goepfert issued the following statement this afternoon in response to the press conference held by Ron Sparks in Montgomery:

“It’s a good thing that Ron Sparks has signed onto Congressman Davis’ goals of funding college costs for young people who need help, of allowing local communities to make their own choices on gaming, and eliminating the regressive state tax on food and prescription drugs. But to achieve these ideas, Sparks has managed to cobble together some golden oldies from the last ten years of  failed stalemates in Montgomery. Instead of putting forward new plans to strengthen public education, instead of  proposing new ideas to recruit high paying jobs, Sparks wants to refight old political battles from the past decade. When pressed on how much money his plans would bring in, or how he would deal with existing laws on gaming, he said he did not know.  What Alabamians are hearing from Sparks is nothing but the old Alabama politics-- the same old sound bites, fuzzy math, and no bold new plans that challenge us to  move forward.”

Work harder and work smarter!

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by: mooncat @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 13:57:04 PM CDT

Good move. And Sparks should be grateful. (4.00 / 1)

This is why a good primary makes for better candidates. If Sparks was running in the general election the republicans would be giving tougher than what he is getting now from Davis.  I want Sparks to be a great candidate, but so far this is not greatness.

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 14:39:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Davis' obsession with claiming credit is ridiculous... (0.00 / 0)

Don Siegelman suggested the idea of fully funding higher education long, long, long before Artur Davis was a political player.  Vigorous primaries are good for Alabama, but Artur Davis' press releases read like those of a New Jersey pol.  He needs to take it down a couple notches.  Alabamians don't like their politicos shamelessly ambitious.

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by: bluebearcat @ Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 13:03:21 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I like Daryl Perkins' response to the rough roads remark (4.00 / 1)

From the Gadsden Messenger:

His answer to Sparks bad-roads-warning was a kill-him-with-kindness remark

“There is no finer Democrat, no finer commissioner, no finer man than Ron Sparks,” Perkins said, and then he walked over to shake his hand.

“Somewhere out there is another Alabama waiting to be born,” Perkins said in closing, “an Alabama that embraces urban, rural, rich and poor. An Alabama that brings it’s people together as one, with your help, the Alabama we’re going to build.”

Work harder and work smarter!

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by: mooncat @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 16:17:01 PM CDT

ooooh, that's good! (4.00 / 1)

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 16:39:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sparks is getting interesting (4.00 / 2)

Definitely left of Davis.

Davis is appeasing conservatve religious leaders with his opposition to gay rights issues. Also, black civil rights leaders who don't want gay rights piggybacking on the hard-won, historical civil rights and hate crime issues. And then having to appeal to the right-center majority of white voters by backing off progressive legislation as proposed by Obama and the Democratic Congress.

I would bet Davis is stronger in his position "politically", and Sparks will only be a traditional conservative Democrat, but that could be enough to get us an interesting primary!

Sparks sounds more like a Democrat than Davis does. I'm keeping my eye on him now. Its still a long time and a lot of room to wiggle for both of them. 

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by: yellowdog @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 20:05:14 PM CDT

Interesting yellowdog. (4.00 / 1)

Can you expand or back up the comment about Davis opposing gay rights?

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 21:05:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

His record (4.00 / 2)

http://www.ontheissues.org/hou...

Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)
Voted YES on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman. (Jul 2006) Voted YES on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Sep 2004) Rated 38% by the HRC, indicating a mixed record on gay rights. (Dec 2006)

http://rodonline.typepad.com/r...

Anti-Gay Artur Davis, Only Black Congressman to Vote Against Hate Crimes, Explains His Vote

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by: yellowdog @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 21:28:15 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Thanks for posting this. Important to know when making up my mind who to support. (4.00 / 2)

I need to get a feel for whether this is Davis' personal position or political position. We may never know which (or both), but I have a good reason to explore this issue a bit deeper.

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 22:25:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sparks on gay rights (0.00 / 0)

Has Ron Sparks articulated a position on gay marriage or other LGBT issues yet?

Work harder and work smarter!

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by: mooncat @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 21:43:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

lots of issues without answers from Sparks. He better get goin on these. (0.00 / 0)

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by: melmel @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 22:28:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sparks says (4.00 / 2)

He will try to stay away from "petty wedge issues." But says he is a progressive Democrat, so there is the room he needs to go left of Davis without actually having to say anything, or cast a vote or have a real record on "petty wedge issues."

Sparks can even agree with Davis. Gay rights will not get anyone elected in Alabama, unless it's a real close Democratic primary that hinges on the issue (highly improbable, but death in the General).  

Which makes Sparks intriguing. Without having a record, he can say "As a progressive Democrat (with conservative values), I would have an open-mind regarding the rights of any and every citizen of our Great State, and I would ask God to give me guidance." Versus Davis vote NO.

The question will be do they push each other left or do they push each other right? That will be interesting, too.

 

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by: yellowdog @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 22:33:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I think the primary is going to be really interesting. (4.00 / 1)

Not as much fun as watching the Republicans, but definitely our chance to prove we're the grownups!

I'm not short.  I'm fun size!!

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by: countrycat @ Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 07:25:50 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sparks is no liberal (4.00 / 2)

Sparks is running a populist campaign but he is not running  a liberal campaign. He said on Glenn Beck that he opposed cap and trade. I have never heard him make a pro-choice or pro-gay statement. In fact, he did not issue a statement criticizing Davis' vote on hate crimes. When a gay friend of mine asked him at an event if he supported hate crimes legislation, Sparks said he had not thought about it. I have seen news reports saying that he was against a new constitution and against tax reform. I suspect both Davis and Sparks are going to run as moderate conservatives on most national issues.

By the way, don't lotteries and gambling just amount to one more Alabama tax that hits low income people hardest? I would be more impressed if Sparks was talking about our ridiculous property tax levels or our incredibly low taxes on high income people and companies.  

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by: albecky223 @ Thu Jul 02, 2009 at 22:43:09 PM CDT