Kay Ivey the coward

by: csduke

Fri Mar 19, 2010 at 18:26:55 PM CDT

I know that most of us are focusing on the Democratic primary for Governor, but I offer this post in response to a recent ad on the Republican side.  I'm sure many of you have seen Kay Ivey's latest ad in which she highlights her opposition to opposing taxes.

For those who haven't seen it, here is a snipet:

 "Sometimes it's good to be called a coward.  That's what the liberal Mobile newspaper (the Press-Register) called me in 2003 because I refused to support a billion dollar tax increase.  I was right then and I oppose higher taxes now."

Well, as Danny's post on this pointed out, one is a bit misguided if they think the Press-Register is a liberal paper (which is what his post deals with).

However, I'm going to expand on an anonymous comment about the editorial she cites in her ad, "Profiles in Cowardice."   It is behind a pay wall on the paper's website, but Ivey's ad does a good job in making the text of the editorial fairly clear (especially in HD).  If you read it, you realize that she was not called a coward for opposing Amendment One, but for not commenting on whether she supported or opposed the plan at all.

This piece opens with the line:

"The Register's editorial board has spent the past few months in regular cricism of opponents' arguments against Gov. Bob Riley's reform plans.  What we find inexplicable however is not that some people object to the tax and accountability package, but that numerous leaders in the state and local levels don't have the guts to say what they think."

This is hardly the lead to an editorial to attack opponents of Amendment One.  Instead, it attacks those who will not give an opinion at all. 

Take note of the date of this editorial--it ran on Sept. 8, the day before the vote on Amendment One.  Public officials had more than ample time to look over the proposed package and comment publicly on it (they had from at least mid-May, when the Governor called a special session to deal with this).  The editorial goes on to highlight those who were undecided (including Mobile City Councilmen Fred Richardson and Thomas Sullivan) or would not comment on it (including Rep. Jo Bonner, Sen. Jeff Sessions, and Gov. Don Siegelman), and those who did not respond to the Register's request for a response. Guess where Kay Ivey's name was?  Under the list for "Won't say".  

Ivey is engaged in some interesting revisionist history with this ad.  Is this the mark of a candidate who will be open and transparent with the voters, whose word is her bond?

Text of the editorial:

"The Register's editorial board has spent the past few months in regular cricism of opponents' arguments against Gov. Bob Riley's reform plans.  What we find inexplicable however is not that some people object to the tax and accountability package, but that numerous leaders in the state and local levels don't have the guts to say what they think.

Some of these folks claim they are still trying to make up their minds, even though they are well-informed and well-educated enough to have looked at the issues long before now.  Others may have an explination, but don't want Alabama citizens to know what it is.

The later group, astonishingly, includes five former governors of Alabama, who ought to know better than anyone how badly needed the Riley plan is.

 In that way, those fence-sitters have done just as much damage to the changes of readl reform in Alabama as those who have vought against it.  Although we don't have reason(?) to  shame them all, we offer special recognition to the following:

Undecided: University of Mobile Pres. Mark Foley, Mobile City Councilman Fred Richardson, Mobile City Councilman Tomas Sullivan

Won't say: U.S. Rep Jo Bonner...State Treasurer Kay Ivey...