Democratic power brokers bet the future of the Alabama Democratic Party on a blog lost it last night. I was prepared for a big loss but am stunned by just how many Democrats voted for Bentley because they couldn't stand the fact Artur Davis was not the republican, I mean democratic nominee.
Based on everything I have seen and heard, here's how the thinking went among those who run the Democratic Party, starting a few months after the 2008 election:
1. Wow! Obama really motivated black voters. Imagine the possibilities if black voters turned out like that for state elections in 2010.
Translation: Black voters are stoopid. They came out and voted for Obama because he was black. Let's try and trick them by placing an acceptable (one that doesn't evoke a negative fear among whites) black candidate for state elections in 2010.
2. But a black candidate at or near the top of the ticket will alienate rural white voters -- true or not, the power brokers are convinced their rural white voters are closet racists, frightened of black candidates -- and that will be the end of rural Dems in the Legislature.
Translation: Rural white voters are not closet racist, they are out in the open racist. But all candidates have to is run as a nod, nod, wink, wink, conservative democrat to get the black vote then govern as a republican.
3. Artur Davis is not white and not rural. He must be defeated at all costs or he'll sink the white Democrats in the Legislature.
Translation: Artur Davis is not white and rural but he appeals to white, rural voters because he panders the right at the expense of the *ahem* traditional democratic base.
4. Must find a rural white guy for the top of the ticket to preserve those rural Democratic seats in the Legislature. [Jim Folsom was too smart to go along with this scheme in what he thought would be a very tough cycle. Sue Bell Cobb was too decent to get involved with the inevitable race baiting.] Ron Sparks was already running, he's rural and he's white so the power brokers hitched their wagon to his star.
Translation: Don't field a candidate based on the content of his character and his platform let's just race bait out in the open. Jim Folsom and Sue Bell Cobb were too decent to play along.
5. OK, Sparks is the guy to save rural Democratic seats in the Legislature, but what to do about the statewide candidates and rural/urban districts? The black vote has to be ratcheted up to 2008 Obama levels to boost those candidates. Here the power brokers settled on a two-pronged solution: Bingo and Joe Reed.
Translation; Now we get down to the real nitty gritty. This is about legislating morality and putting that uppity Joe Reed in his place once and for all.
6. Bingo. Create a pro-Bingo ticket from top to bottom because the power brokers know black voters love Bingo as much they do about Obama. And the people who want Bingo have a lot of money and are willing to invest it in political schemes. Special bonus, Bingo might even bring Democratic wins in the Wiregrass because those folks love nothing more than Country Crossing and the Bingo without which it cannot operate.
Translation: There you go again, misunderestimating the intelligence of black folks. Psst! It wasn't about BINGO the game, it was about BINGO the J-O-Bs.
6. Joe Reed. By late summer, polls were still looking puny for Democrats across the board, so the party leadership conveniently moved elections from January (post-bloodbath) to August so the architects of this disaster could be re-elected to another four year term, pre-bloodbath. First, remembering what Reed and ADC did to John Tyson in 2006, they changed the rules to allow Joe Reed (possibly with input from Hank Sanders) to add a big chunk of hand-picked members to the State Democratic Executive Committee. In return (but no quid pro quo, naturally) Reed (possibly with help from Sanders) was supposed to use his influence to deliver Obama-like turnout from black voters across the state ... in case Bingo wasn't quite enough. Because the power brokers know black voters love Joe Reed (and possibly Hank Sanders) as much as they do Barack Obama
Translation: Black voters admire Joe Reed and Hank Sanders as much as they admire Barack Obama. White voters hate Joe Reed and Hank Sanders as much as they love Artur Davis. First remember that Artur Davis voted against the health care reform bill and the hate crimes bill to appease white, rural voters and said out loud what white, rural voters said behind closed doors.
Brilliant, huh? It was a hare-brained, power-drunk, batshit-crazy strategy from start to finish, incredibly callous, patronizing, racist and insulting to the intelligence, tolerance and decency of Alabama's real democratic voters of all races -- and those voters did not fall for the okey doke. Sure didn't.
It wasn't about Bingo and Joe Reed. White pseudo dems tried to use Artur Davis to to induce Obama-like voter excitement among black voters. It didn't work. Get over it. Ron Sparks and Bingo did not bring home rural white voters because Ron Sparks was seen as a friend to black voters. Last time I looked, Macon County -- home of Victoryland turnout with 42% of registered voters casting a ballot yesterday is pretty good for a midterm. Last time I looked Macon County was majority black, so it must be true rural white voters didn't vote. And the Bingo related corruption scandal that anyone with half an eye could see coming 6 months ago ended up playing right into the republicans hands. I hope you are happy now.
White privilege and power have been setting the Democratic agenda and electoral strategy for far too long in this state. They drank their own Kool-Aid in the run-up to this election. It poisoned their thinking as it has poisoned our party. They chose to rely on manipulation, race baiting, short-sighted election year gimmicks and smearing real liberals and democrats in favor the rightwing/dixiecrats/moderates/conservatives and enabling and appeasing the right wing instead of using their time in power to promote responsible public policies. Although many of those voted down last night had little to do with this fiasco, the people at the top of the Democratic party got the result they richly deserved. Unfortunately it's the little people at the bottom who will suffer the consequences. You know, the people without jobs, homes, access to quality affordable health care. Poor single mothers and their children. Elderly citizens who have to decide between buying food or buying medicine. You know, the least of these.
You helped light the match that essentially burned our party to the ground yesterday. And now you ask "How do we rebuild the Alabama Democratic Party"?
Clean house from top to bottom. Get rid of the posers and the infiltrators. You're either with the democratic party or you're against the democratic party, that includes black/brown folks, women, our LBGT sisters and brothers, labor and public educators. You're either for all parts of the democratic agenda or you're for none of it. We elect leaders who don't think black voters are stoopid and who try and take advantage of them. We elect leaders who are not afraid to stand up to the right wing bully's. We elect leaders who don't take a blog, I mean butter knife to a gun fight. We elect leaders who will bring us together not divide us. That's how we get OUR party back on track Missy.
Based on everything I have seen and heard, here's how the thinking went among those who run the Democratic Party, starting a few months after the 2008 election:
1. Wow! Obama really motivated black voters. Imagine the possibilities if black voters turned out like that for state elections in 2010.
Translation: Black voters are stoopid. They came out and voted for Obama because he was black. Let's try and trick them by placing an acceptable (one that doesn't evoke a negative fear among whites) black candidate for state elections in 2010.
2. But a black candidate at or near the top of the ticket will alienate rural white voters -- true or not, the power brokers are convinced their rural white voters are closet racists, frightened of black candidates -- and that will be the end of rural Dems in the Legislature.
Translation: Rural white voters are not closet racist, they are out in the open racist. But all candidates have to is run as a nod, nod, wink, wink, conservative democrat to get the black vote then govern as a republican.
3. Artur Davis is not white and not rural. He must be defeated at all costs or he'll sink the white Democrats in the Legislature.
Translation: Artur Davis is not white and rural but he appeals to white, rural voters because he panders the right at the expense of the *ahem* traditional democratic base.
4. Must find a rural white guy for the top of the ticket to preserve those rural Democratic seats in the Legislature. [Jim Folsom was too smart to go along with this scheme in what he thought would be a very tough cycle. Sue Bell Cobb was too decent to get involved with the inevitable race baiting.] Ron Sparks was already running, he's rural and he's white so the power brokers hitched their wagon to his star.
Translation: Don't field a candidate based on the content of his character and his platform let's just race bait out in the open. Jim Folsom and Sue Bell Cobb were too decent to play along.
5. OK, Sparks is the guy to save rural Democratic seats in the Legislature, but what to do about the statewide candidates and rural/urban districts? The black vote has to be ratcheted up to 2008 Obama levels to boost those candidates. Here the power brokers settled on a two-pronged solution: Bingo and Joe Reed.
Translation; Now we get down to the real nitty gritty. This is about legislating morality and putting that uppity Joe Reed in his place once and for all.
6. Bingo. Create a pro-Bingo ticket from top to bottom because the power brokers know black voters love Bingo as much they do about Obama. And the people who want Bingo have a lot of money and are willing to invest it in political schemes. Special bonus, Bingo might even bring Democratic wins in the Wiregrass because those folks love nothing more than Country Crossing and the Bingo without which it cannot operate.
Translation: There you go again, misunderestimating the intelligence of black folks. Psst! It wasn't about BINGO the game, it was about BINGO the J-O-Bs.
6. Joe Reed. By late summer, polls were still looking puny for Democrats across the board, so the party leadership conveniently moved elections from January (post-bloodbath) to August so the architects of this disaster could be re-elected to another four year term, pre-bloodbath. First, remembering what Reed and ADC did to John Tyson in 2006, they changed the rules to allow Joe Reed (possibly with input from Hank Sanders) to add a big chunk of hand-picked members to the State Democratic Executive Committee. In return (but no quid pro quo, naturally) Reed (possibly with help from Sanders) was supposed to use his influence to deliver Obama-like turnout from black voters across the state ... in case Bingo wasn't quite enough. Because the power brokers know black voters love Joe Reed (and possibly Hank Sanders) as much as they do Barack Obama
Translation: Black voters admire Joe Reed and Hank Sanders as much as they admire Barack Obama. White voters hate Joe Reed and Hank Sanders as much as they love Artur Davis. First remember that Artur Davis voted against the health care reform bill and the hate crimes bill to appease white, rural voters and said out loud what white, rural voters said behind closed doors.
Brilliant, huh? It was a hare-brained, power-drunk, batshit-crazy strategy from start to finish, incredibly callous, patronizing, racist and insulting to the intelligence, tolerance and decency of Alabama's real democratic voters of all races -- and those voters did not fall for the okey doke. Sure didn't.
It wasn't about Bingo and Joe Reed. White pseudo dems tried to use Artur Davis to to induce Obama-like voter excitement among black voters. It didn't work. Get over it. Ron Sparks and Bingo did not bring home rural white voters because Ron Sparks was seen as a friend to black voters. Last time I looked, Macon County -- home of Victoryland turnout with 42% of registered voters casting a ballot yesterday is pretty good for a midterm. Last time I looked Macon County was majority black, so it must be true rural white voters didn't vote. And the Bingo related corruption scandal that anyone with half an eye could see coming 6 months ago ended up playing right into the republicans hands. I hope you are happy now.
White privilege and power have been setting the Democratic agenda and electoral strategy for far too long in this state. They drank their own Kool-Aid in the run-up to this election. It poisoned their thinking as it has poisoned our party. They chose to rely on manipulation, race baiting, short-sighted election year gimmicks and smearing real liberals and democrats in favor the rightwing/dixiecrats/moderates/conservatives and enabling and appeasing the right wing instead of using their time in power to promote responsible public policies. Although many of those voted down last night had little to do with this fiasco, the people at the top of the Democratic party got the result they richly deserved. Unfortunately it's the little people at the bottom who will suffer the consequences. You know, the people without jobs, homes, access to quality affordable health care. Poor single mothers and their children. Elderly citizens who have to decide between buying food or buying medicine. You know, the least of these.
You helped light the match that essentially burned our party to the ground yesterday. And now you ask "How do we rebuild the Alabama Democratic Party"?
Clean house from top to bottom. Get rid of the posers and the infiltrators. You're either with the democratic party or you're against the democratic party, that includes black/brown folks, women, our LBGT sisters and brothers, labor and public educators. You're either for all parts of the democratic agenda or you're for none of it. We elect leaders who don't think black voters are stoopid and who try and take advantage of them. We elect leaders who are not afraid to stand up to the right wing bully's. We elect leaders who don't take a blog, I mean butter knife to a gun fight. We elect leaders who will bring us together not divide us. That's how we get OUR party back on track Missy.
8 comments:
Do you ever have an original thought, or do you spend every waking minute obsessing over Left in Alabama? Seriously, get some help and move on with your life.
Seriously Anonymous,
Bite me.
I'd rather not. There are some really good medications that treat OCD and paranoia. You should look into them.
Anonymous, I'd rather you not come over to my sandbox and try and tell me what to do and who not to write about. I'm not into medications. You must have me confused with Rush Limpballs.
You're both long-winded bloviators, like to call names, and have a similar way of twisting facts to fit your narrative. If the shoe fits...
Anonymous if you have something to say about the substance of the post that's fine, but I am not going to get into a personality driven pi$$ing contest with you.
What substance? Your posts are mostly made up of links to Left in Alabama or quotes from Left in Alabama followed by whining about how you were "banned". Find your own voice.
Anonymous, if you don't like what I write about and how I write there is a little red box in the upper right hand corner of this blg with an X in it. Move your curser to the X and click.
Thats the great thing about the Internet, no one makes you read anything you don't want to read.
The End.
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