Republicans want party unity. They held a Unity Luncheon over the weekend. I was not present, but am told Bradley Byrne left before nominee Bentley said his piece. And Republicans have their share of kibitzers like Stan Pate.
The point is, Republicans are at least beginning to produce the trappings of unity, often the first step toward breaching the chasm opened by a primary fight. Is there a Unity Luncheon or the equivalent in the works for the Democratic side? I haven't heard of one and this statement from Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham seems to indicate they're just moving on to other issues:
"The next Governor of Alabama has to unify Alabama, not around partisanship; but around a real message of creating jobs, empowering voters by giving them the right to vote on the real issues of our day and by ending petty partisan strife."
My perception is that there is likely to be more Democratic unity around a "we must hold the Legislature" goal than around the governor's race or any other single contest. From a perspective well outside the inner circles*, the Big Tent of the Alabama Democratic Party looks to be harboring a hell of a lot of divisions, too many of whom don't currently admit they need the other ones. Alabama was a one party state for a very long time, and Reagan's 11th Commandment doesn't have a Democratic counterpart here yet.
* Disclosure: Left in Alabama is in a contractual agreement with the ADP for services that do not include messaging, fundraising or content on this blog.
That's the gospel. If you don't believe Davis, just ask Tim James who spent around $3 million and fell 267 votes short of Bentley after a recount. Or ask Bradley Byrne, widely thought to be the presumptive GOP nominee, who spent twice that much and came in 56,000 votes short in Tuesday's runoff. Robert Bentley will be hard to beat in November, in part because of the way he won his party's nomination, as Davis points out:
Davis said Bentley's win was impressive because he overcame opposition from his own party's leadership. Gov. Bob Riley and several members of Alabama's Republican congressional delegation bucked party tradition and openly endorsed Byrne.
In response, Davis said, Bentley went out and built strong support among independent voters. That should put him in a strong position as he heads into the general election, Davis said.
"November elections are decided by independent voters," Davis said. "Bentley had to reach out to independents because the establishment was supporting Bradley. It was a very effective strategy and he executed it well."
Bentley succeeded at what Davis tried to do. He ran against a big chunk of his party hierarchy and won. One key difference was that Bentley had AEA on his side in the Republican primary, whereas Davis sought to curb the influence of AEA and other special interests in the Democratic party and, as a result, they opposed him with a vengeance. Literally with a vengeance.
Another factor at work here is that independent and middle of the road voters in Alabama seem to identify more with Republicans than Democrats these days. Participation in the Democratic gubernatorial primary has declined over 50% since 1994 (2010 was the lowest yet) while participation on the Republican side has steadily increased. And we haven't done very well in general elections in that time period, either, electing only one Democratic governor since 1986. Why is it that our party is shrinking, and what can we do to stop it?
I think Artur Davis put his finger on one reason the Alabama Democratic party has declined, which is why I felt strongly that he would be our best nominee this year:
"The party is losing its way. We are losing ground in Alabama and we are losing it unnecessarily," he said. "We want to hide behind the excuse that the national party is unpopular right now but that's not what's causing it. The fact is we're seeing the complete domination of the party by a narrow group of insiders who are completely out of step with average Alabamians."
Now, it may be that the powerful insiders will transfer their interest over to the other party for awhile. That will create financial hardship for Democrats, but it will also open up some moral and ethical space and create an incentive for us to get back in touch with average Alabamians, particularly the voters who famously "vote for the man, not the party." All politics really is local and we have a chance with those folks if we honestly address their concerns and convince them to look past their perception of the party and see the good, honest people inside it.
This article mentions one more thing I want to touch on: Davis says he's hearing from some of his supporters who may vote for Bentley in the fall. I have corresponded with many former Davis supporters and an alarmingly high proportion are not in the Sparks column for November. Some have lined up behind the nominee because it's the thing to do, but a great many are openly talking about undervoting the governor's race or even voting for Bentley -- although I think Byrne would have been a much easier-to-stomach-Republican than Bentley is for most Davis supporters. I particularly want to make the point that although Ron Sparks won the nomination in June, he has some work to do to bring his base together and shouldn't take it for granted that all Democrats will automatically line up behind him in November. Sparks could have used the six weeks since he won the primary to publicly reach out to Davis Democrats and try to bring them into his fold, but I haven't heard he's done that. Time is passing and once those folks put a Bentley bumper sticker on their vehicle it will be hard to get it back off.
Robert Bentley is a scary right-winger, he will be tough to beat, and Ron Sparks shouldn't leave any Democrats on the table in November.
An alert LIA reader noticed this Facebook ad over the weekend and grabbed a screenshot. It's from Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert Bentley:
Democrats, if you don't want another Bob Riley, then vote for me in the runoff July 13th. You can vote in the Republican primary runoff.
Well, yes, that last part is correct. Democrats CAN vote in the Republican runoff, but why would they when the Democratic runoff has important races in AL-07, Attorney General, legislative and local races?
Robert Bentley may want your votes, but Bradley Byrne most emphatically does not - or at least he can't think of a single thing to offer.
So Bentley wants Democratic votes, but what does he offer - other than NOT being Bradley Byrne? Some of his positions remember, are pretty unbelievable:
Sponsored a set of anti-abortion bills designed to challenge Roe v Wade (which he says is a priority) by making "participating in an abortion" (everyone involved!) a "Class B" felony.
Supported Troy King's plan to challenge health care reform.
Sponsored a constitutional amendment to prohibit anyone from being required to have health insurance.
"As a Party, we are winning the battle against the onslaught of liberal mandates: socialized medicine, cap-and-tax, amnesty for illegal aliens, and abortion on demand."
And he wants Democratic votes? Only in Alabama.
I'm voting in the Democratic runoff next week. How about you?
That is a question we should all ask more often, like every time we see a candidate for office. At the WVNN candidate mixer last week I posed that very question to gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne. Based on his reaction -- "If you're a liberal Democrat, I can't think of any reason you'd want to vote for me" -- it was apparently the first time anyone had asked him. He looked completely taken aback. Eventually he got around to talking about his ethics reform plan (which isn't nearly strong enough) but it was obvious he doesn't meet many admitted liberals on the campaign trail.
After that reaction I was sorry I hadn't asked the two Democrats in attendance (Steve Raby and Jeff Enfinger) the same question. Hopefully the response would have been better, but I'll bet they don't hear it often enough, either.
We're liberals (or progressives, if that's where you fall) and we vote! Tell us why we should vote for YOU.
Looking for an interesting way to spend your Thursday evening? Meet some candidates at Mason's Pub in downtown Huntsville. WVNN is having yet another candidate get-together from 5:00 to 8 pm. This one has an interesting line-up:
Candidate for Governor Bradley Byrne (R) Candidate for Governor Robert Bentley (R) Candidate for Congress AL-05 Mo Brooks (R) Candidate for Congress AL-05 Steve Raby (D)
The rest of the confirmed list is at the link above, but that's about where my interest stops. I think I'll go and see how these guys handle a conservative crowd.
This must be incredibly frustrating to Tim James who is paying for the recount -- which added a net 17 votes to Robert Bentley's lead yesterday.
ames began Tuesday just 167 votes behind Bentley, a Tuscaloosa physician and state legislator. He ended the day with a net loss of 17 votes, still a razorthin margin.
Razorthin, but definitely heading in the wrong direction for James.
Danny has info on the procedure over at the Political Parlor. The special software supplied by ES&S (they do the software for all vote-counting in Alabama) only counts votes for the governor's race -- I guess no one wants to risk changing totals for other races -- and it kicks out ballots that don't have a scanable vote in that race. Volunteers then examine the undervoted ballots to see if there are any marks to indicate an intended vote. The volunteers are also separating the Republican ballots from the Democratic ones, by hand, before they feed them into the counter. This is an awful lot of handling and I assume the campaigns involved are carefully observing the process, just to be sure nothing gets lost.
"It is totally absurd to presume that a recount administered by untrained volunteers would make the recount any more accurate than the original count administered by qualified election professionals sworn to uphold the Constitution of Alabama and of the United States," said Bryan Sanders, recently named by Bentley as his new campaign manger.
Here's my dream scenario for the recount-palooza:
Tim James' volunteer recount tomorrow shows him leading Bentley by say 20 votes.
For almost a month James pounds the message that he should be in the runoff, not Bentley.
On July 13, Bentley defeats Byrne in a runoff.
On July 14, Tim James files a challenge, pointing out that his 20 vote advantage over Bentley on June 1 entitles him to a runoff with Byrne.
July 23, Troy King and Beth Chapman side with James and set a date for a James/Byrne runoff.
Late August, Byrne defeats Tim James in the second runoff.
Robert Bentley files an election challenge because he's obviously the most electable nominee, dammit!
Tim James demands a recount because it's just not right that he didn't do at least as well as Bentley.
Along about Labor Day, Mike Hubbard locks himself in a room with Troy King and Beth Chapman (wash your mind out with soap!) to resolve this nominee thing once and for all. They throw out the results of all previous elections on a technicality (any technicality, just pick one) and appoint Roy Moore as the GOP nominee.
Bingo Boy Troy has spoken. Yes, Tim James can have a recount.No, it won't stop the runoff between Bentley and Byrne. If the recount shows James was the REAL second place finisher, they'll just have to have another runoff, this time between Byrne and James. How many times will Bradley Byrne have to stand for election this summer?
The Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party says Troy's opinion is "crazy." Bob Riley inflicted this egomaniac on the good people of Alabama roughly 6 years ago and the GOP is just now noticing the crazy?
* Countrycat came up with the title and wanted to write the post, but had to go to services instead. So go read what Kristopher said for all the ins and outs.
Of the six weeks between the primary and the runoff, one has already been eaten up with counting of provisional ballots and certifying results, a recount might take another week.
Who benefits by stretching out the process? Byrne, who is definitely in a runoff and spending his time campaigning? Or James/Bentley by keeping the pot stirred?
I spent my Memorial Day weekend in Baldwin County. My intention was to have a leisurely trip to visit some old friends, but from almost the instant I got onto AL-59, a new topic reared its ugly head. I did have time to relax, but I ended up working for most of the weekend.
Almost immediately, I noticed that there are no signs anywhere for Democratic candidates in statewide or local races. I wasn’t sure what to think of it-- possibly some irreverent Republican canvassed the county, pulling them up and replacing them with signs from their own party.
Yesterday when I read this in an email from Ron Sparks I just about choked:
A Vote for Sparks is a Vote for Change ... Your one vote could make the difference in a close election, the difference between Alabama realizing its great potential or more of the same control by the special interests.
What unbridled BS! It couldn't be clearer that a vote for Ron Sparks is a vote for business as usual in Montgomery.
That little bit of SparksSpeak inspired me to finally finish this chart illustrating who, exactly, is taking the big bucks from Political Action Committees (PACs) in the governor's race: Ron Sparks! No surprise if you've been paying attention the last few months.
Ron Sparks is leading the PACk in special interest money. His campaign would have been dead in the water last January had he not been bailed out by PAC money, and they've been fueling his operation ever since. Over 60% of Sparks money comes through PACs and 70% of the money in his most recent report is PAC money, not contributions from individuals or businesses. A great deal of that money comes from the sort of PACs that exist to launder contributions by disguising the identity of the money source.
It's a system that facilitates influence peddling in Alabama government and Ron Sparks is clearly the biggest beneficiary of it this year -- maybe ever. Do you think Sparks will reform the PAC to PAC transfer rules if elected? Not on your life! Mouthing "change" in an email to supporters is just a cheap attempt to rebrand his status quo campaign -- all eyewash, no substance.
Republican Bradley Byrne is also taking a disturbing amount from PACs with special interest money totalling almost 40% of his haul so far this cycle. Byrne actually leads in absolute PAC dollars with $1,918,959 from PACs in the $4.8 million he's raked in thus far in the 2010 election cycle.
Tim James showed little interest in PAC contributions early in the race -- perhaps figuring he could rely on his three good friends and his personal wealth -- but he's hitting the PACs almost as hard as Byrne in the latest report. James is also the beneficiary of "independent" spending by the True Republican PAC -- that's money that doesn't show up on his books but has been funding a scorched earth ad campaign against fellow Republican Bradley Byrne. No evidence that James is coordinating with TR PAC, but it's a further illustration of just exactly how whacked our campaign finance laws are in Alabama.
The one candidate who is serious about reforming campaign financing rules and eliminating the PAC to PAC money laundering is Artur Davis. You don't even have to read his ethics reform proposal to know that; just look at who the PAC purveyors are shunning. Only 12% of Davis' money comes from PACs.
The business as usual interests in Montgomery understand quite well that Davis would clip their wings right up to their backbones -- which is exactly why they're dumping huge amounts into Ron Sparks' campaign coffer. Davis would limit their contributions and make sure the public can see where the money is coming from, not just the power brokers. In a state where individuals can make unlimited campaign contributions, Davis' individual contributions average less than $1000 -- sounds like a lot, but in Alabama, that's a people powered campaign, especially since folks who contribute less than $100 aren't itemized at all.
Look at the numbers. If you want a governor who will break the special interest stranglehold in Montgomery and truly change Alabama for good, vote for Artur Davis on Tuesday. If you like the idea that special interests can give millions to candidates while hiding behind a series of PACs, then vote for one of the other guys. Doesn't matter which one, they're all business as usual insiders.
Despite his lame-duckiness, it is high time that Governor Riley did his Constitutional duty and called a Special Session of the Alabama Legislature to deal with the impending Chicken Suit Menace!
What if Bradley Byrne and Artur Davis are the nominees, and Bradley Byrne refuses to debate Davis? (which he would, if he had any sense, Artur would tear his head off and...never mind)
Would Democrats refrain from calling Byrne a chicken! Not if they had any gonadical fortitude, they wouldn't! Across the state, stalkers in chicken suits stalk Byrne's every move - think of The Birds, with velociraptor-sized pigeons!
Don't for a minute think that there aren't any such stalkers...how do you think LiA has covered this pre-primary season?
And then what would become of Riley's chosen successor? Do you think for one moment that the dove would descend from heaven to perch upon Byrne's head for the anointing if there were a bunch of crazed chickens about? Never in Life!
Byrne would hole up in a mini-storage somewhere in Shelby County, and never be seen again. Until King Cockfight ratted him out...
Daily Kos just released results of an R2K survey of the Alabama Governor's race. The poll of 600 likely voters (live telephone interview) was in the field May 17-19 and has a +/- 4% margin of error. Toplines are below. Detailed crosstabs here -- a wealth of information for those of us who enjoy this sort of thing.
Democratic Primary:
Davis 41, Sparks 33
Republican Primary:
Byrne 29, Moore, 23, James 17, Bentley 9, Johnson 3
The last independent poll of general election matchups that I remember was the PPP poll in March. Except for reiterating that any Democrat has an uphill road in November (Duh!) I don't see much in the way of similarities -- and the PPP poll definitely had some shortcomings. R2K is a reputable polling firm, but I've wondered if their voter model might lean a tiny bit far right in the South -- based on all the birthers and such-like they find. Or maybe my neighbors really do believe all that stuff.
They also polled the Alabama Senate race -- not much to report there -- and asked a bonus health care question:
QUESTION: Would you be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports and will work to improve the new health care reform law, or a candidate who will work to repeal it completely?
SUPPORTS
REPEAL
NOT SURE
ALL
31
66
3
MEN
28
69
3
WOMEN
34
63
3
DEMOCRATS
64
33
3
REPUBLICANS
4
93
3
INDEPENDENTS
26
70
4
These health care numbers are scary-bad. 2 out of 3 Alabamians would support a candidate who favors repealing the law, including 1 out of 3 Democrats and nearly 3 out of 4 Independents. The propaganda has been amazingly successful here.
ADDING: You've probably heard this morning that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has blocked an effort to raise the cap on oil company damages from $75 million to $10 billion. Expenses for the ongoing disaster in the gulf are already at $450 million. This amounts to a $375 million taxpayer bailout for one of the world's richest companies. And since you can bet on BP spending two decades in court just like Exxon did, there's no doubt they will never be held accountable to those they have destroyed.
Which is why I have just finished calling her office to demand a reversal of this travesty: (202) 224-6665. I also called Sessions and Shelby -- (202) 224-4124 and (202) 224-5744 -- to remind them the letters after their names are "AL," not BP.
The "Weathervane" ad funded by the True Republican PAC is getting a lot of play (over 45,000 views so far) from liberals, mostly mocking Alabama for being so backward.
Pharyngula: "Grow up, Alabama. ... What horrible things has Byrne done, the mere statement of which is sufficient to horrify Alabamans? "Byrne supported teaching evolution....said the Bible was only partially true"."
Washington Monthly: "Just so we're clear, in the 21st century, Republican gubernatorial candidates are attacked for accepting modern biology and being only a partial Biblical literalist. It's not really surprising, but it is depressing."
Hot Air: "Reporters love to press national Republican candidates on evolution to make them squirm but I thought this sort of thing flew mostly under the radar in statewide elections — especially in a political climate like this, with fiscal issues at the forefront."
Talking Points Memo notes that the PAC behind the ad gets most of its money from AEA.
Wonkette (who gets it totally wrong): "Candidate Roy Moore is attacking fellow candidate Bradley Byrne for suggesting that evolution is something worth considering, and that the Bible is not entirely literally true. Bradley Byrne is f%$*ed." (Well, almost totally wrong.)
Only Talking Points Memo noticed that the ad is funded, not by a Republican opponent, but mostly by the Alabama Education Association, folks you don't usually think of as making Alabama looks like a bunch of ignorant bumpkins. Or that two prominent officers in AEA, Executive Secretary - Treasurer Paul Hubbert and Associate Executive Secretary Joe Reed, are also prominent officers in the Alabama Democratic Party, serving on the State Executive Committee. Hubbert is Vice Chair for Public Sector Labor and Reed is Vice Chair for Minority Affairs.
Teachers making the state look stupid and Democrats bashing liberals. Up is down and black is white. I swear, this could only happen in Alabama.
This is from the folks behind TheRealBradleyByrne.com, which is to say, mostly AEA. Who does this ad attack -- besides Bradley Byrne?
Liberals!
As a liberal, I resent being associated with the likes of Bradley Byrne and just want to say that "liberals" are not usually the ones "blowing in the wind." I wish some liberal organization had a few hundred thousand dollars to drop on ads saying something like this instead of helping tear down the "liberal" brand:
What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then ... we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal." John F. Kennedy [September 14, 1960]
I believe most of us are JFK's kind of "liberal." Bradley Byrne most emphatically is not.
Byrne Launches Patently False Attack Ad Against Frontrunner Tim James
Statement from Communications Director Brett Hall:
“In a desperate attempt to salvage his floundering campaign, trial lawyer Bradley Byrne dived headfirst into the political mud by launching a completely false attack ad against conservative frontrunner Tim James. Byrne is clearly a desperate politician who has hit the panic button.”
Consider the following facts to put things into perspective:
Byrne is definitely the Prince of PAC money in the latest reporting period -- Ron Sparks is the undisputed King and Artur Davis and Tim James are both comparative paupers in the PAC competition.
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That is a question we should all ask more often, like every time we see a candidate for office. At the WVNN candidate mixer last week I posed that very question to gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne. Based on his reaction -- "If you're a liberal Democrat, I can't think of any reason you'd want to vote for me" -- it was apparently the first time anyone had asked him. He looked completely taken aback. Eventually he got around to talking about his ethics reform plan (which isn't nearly strong enough) but it was obvious he doesn't meet many admitted liberals on the campaign trail.
Bingo Boy Troy has spoken. Yes, Tim James can have a recount. 
Ron Sparks is leading the PACk in 
