"I am not a member of an organized party. I am a democrat."~Will Rogers

 

Truer words were never spoken, and they certainly apply to the current state of the Alabama Democratic Party and all of it's factions.

I learned today the Cats and  Critters over at Left in Alabama, the blog of record for the Alabama Democratic Majority, are mighty interested in the upcoming SDEC (State Democratic Executive Committee) meeting.  I wonder why since they picked up their marbles and stomped off to their own playground and started their own game. But I digress.

Today they are crowing about a proposed new amendment concerned with "demonstrating a unified and inclusive party".

The new amendment would expand the ADP's Executive Board to include: the President of the Alabama Democratic Conference, the President of the Alabama College Democrats, the President of the Alabama Federation of Democratic Women, the President of the Alabama Young Democrats, the President of the Alabama Democratic Hispanic Caucus, and the President of the Alabama Stonewall Democrats.

So, everyone want to be a "minority" all of a sudden.  I guess we are not supposed to notice that with the exception of the Alabama Democratic Hispanic Caucus  and the Alabama Democratic Caucus the membership of these  factions are predominately white.  Evidently this amendment is being proposed by the Alabama Stonewall (as in Stonewall Jackson?) Democrats.   Are you kidding me???  Why can't we just be democrats?  Never mind.  I know.

Left in Alabama commenter roy wanted someone to ask acting democratic party Chair Nancy Worley the following question, in addition to others, when she spoke at a recent Over the Mountain Dems (another faction) meeting in Birmingham.

3. Why do the SDEC Bylaws define "minority" for purposes of SDEC representation as ONLY black folks, but does include Hispanic or any other minority?

And therein lies the problem.  It's about race.  The "minority" representation has long been a bone of contention among some (not to confused with all) within the Alabama Democratic Party.   They are trying to dilute the ONLY black folks representation with Hispanic and "other minorities".  In other words they want blacks to be seen but not heard.

I said it then and I say it again

The party is divided, and I'm not sure the newly elected Cat Herder wants to unite the party. He has the support of the wing of the party that feels the reason democrats lost is because they are seen as the N word loving party that caters to black voters and ignores white voters.

It's obvious African Americans are tolerated but not embraced by the ADP. For that reason African Americans should vote as Independents and start supporting candidates who share our interest and not a party that takes us for granted.

From this point on I'm a #@$% Independent.

Today's Must Read (s)
Fool Me Once....

My advice to white people 

RedEye over and out....for now.

No Time for Excuses

What's wrong with this picture?

 

This is a photo of the class of 2013 at Morehouse College braving the pouring rain listening to the Father in Chief  standing high and dry under a covered podium telling them there is no time for excuses. 

 

 Excuse me? First of all,  President Obama is not their Father, and will never be their Father, so he has no moral authority to lecture any body's sons or daughters. 

These young men are the norm, not the stereotype,  They have done everything right, and on their way to contributing to society in a positive way.  And what to they get....rained on and preached too.  It's the story of our lives.

Indeed, if we objectively look at Obama’s presidency, African-Americans are in a worse position than they were before he became president. At the end of January 2009, unemployment for African-Americans was 12.7 percent. Four years later, the situation is worse, and unemployment is higher at 13.8 percent.

 

It's no excuse for Morehouse College not to have the foresight, money (?), or  common decency to implement a rain plan. 

 If there is no time for the graduates of Morehouse to make excuses.... there is no time time for the President of Morehouse to make excuses.

If the graduates of Morehouse can't use racism as an excuse..... then President Obama can't use racism by the republicans as  an excuse either.

But here’s the issue.  Telling black Americans to stop using racism as an excuse allows President Obama to create a set of excuses for his own significant, even embarrassing, lack of action to help alleviate the clearly documented, undeniable, legislatively-enforced poison of racial inequality that continues to impact our society.   As he tells the Morehouse men to take more responsibility for their own lives, the mirror of personal responsibility should also be turned on the most powerful black man in the history of the world to use his massive platform to help confront systematic racism that affects us all.  I also wonder if the president is going to follow this speech with one telling gay men that they can’t use homophobia as an excuse to complain, or that women shouldn’t be speaking out about s****l assault.   The double standard is actually borderline frightening:  The president’s skin color creates a human shield protecting the White House from being attacked for saying things that would lead to riots were Obama 100% white instead of just 50%.

I'm just saying.....

"Thug" is code for the N-word

Racism is alive and well and flourishing in the USA

 ORLANDO, Florida (AP) - George Zimmerman's defense attorneys have released photos and text messages from 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's cell phone ahead of a hearing that will determine whether they can be used at the neighborhood watch leader's trial.

The photos released Thursday show Martin blowing smoke and extending his middle finger to the camera. The photos also show a gun and what appears to be a potted marijuana plant.


Ason Asaka- George Zimmerman’s attorneys want to inflame prejudice. They are attempting to pollute the jury pool with smelly, slimy racist fecal matter. Since they have no legitimate defense or arguments, they are trying to niggerize the brother Trayvon Martin. In essence, they seek to justify the lynching of Trayvon Martin by depicting him as a worthless, marijuana smoking, gun toting, middle finger pointing, thug nigger. Basically, they want the public to believe that Trayvon Martin got what he deserved.

rikyrah
I keep on writing this because I don’t think it can be said enough.
Trayvon Martin was
stalked
hunted
murdered

for the crime of WALKING WHILE BLACK

HE HAD NOTHING BUT SKITTLES AND ICED TEA.

HE WAS MINDING HIS OWN DAMN BUSINESS.

ON THAT NIGHT…IN THAT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT..

TRAYVON WAS A VICTIM PREYED UPON BY A CRIMINAL VIGILANTE THUG WHO DECIDED TO BE JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER FOR TRAYVON.

JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON!!!

If Trayvon Martin was a thug what is this kid?

"Trayvon belongs to all of America. And until you see him as your child too, we all remain in bondage."

Why I can't support the Alabama Democratic Majority

I've received more emails from Judge Mark Kennedy and the Alabama Democratic Majority than I ever did when he was Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.   It appears Kennedy and Company looted the Alabama Democratic Party's email list because I never gave them my email address or my name.  As far as I'm concerned they raided the Alabama Democratic Party of its valuable resources to start their own separate but equal party.  Much like the Segregation Academies that sprung up in the south like mushrooms after the Brown v. Board decision.

The Alabama Democratic Majority was formed because the Alabama Democratic Party was seen as the party of black citizens (like that's a bad thing) and it drove white men out in droves.  I remember being at a local Democratic County Meeting where the topic was how to get white men to come back to the democratic party.  I said then, and I say now, the only way to get white men to come back is for the Alabama Democratic Party to turn it's back on its core principals and beliefs.  In other words, turn into the Alabama Republican Party.

 If white democrats want white males to rejoin the democratic party they should start by working on their friends, relatives neighbors, and co-workers who put party over people.  Tell them to quit voting against their own interests.  

SaintSatinStain said: Some things like rational gun regulation are neither left nor right; some things like we feed, clothe, shelter, and insure all neither left nor right; some things like the Constitution protects all individual citizens, right, middle, and left is neither right or left. Just saying. Say the obvious because some of you have forgotten if you ever knew and felt. 

It seems to me the Alabama Democratic Majority may have forgotten what the Alabama Democratic Party has always stood for, and decided to pander to those who might vote for the right (pun intended) democrat. 

 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politics? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a stand that's neither safe nor politics nor popular but he must take the stand because it's right."

It's no secret that I didn't support Judge Mark Kennedy as Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party because, to be honest,  I was concerned about his lack of experience, and his close ties to former Congressman Artur Davis (DINO).  Say what you want about Joe Reed and Nancy Worley but the fact remains they delivered more tangible benefits to the Alabama Democratic Party than Mark Kennedy ever has. This is one reason why I support the ADP.  So while the ADM wants to make this an "old versus new" argument and demonize the "old guard", when you consider what Reed and Company have accomplished in this state that in itself should make some of you question the motives of the ADM...that is If you are a Democrat.

 The Democratic Party has been infiltrated by progressives, there in lies the dilemma, there is a  difference between Democrats and Progressives and the two will never be one in the same. 

I have to take issue with Joe Reed's assertion the chair of the Democratic Party should be a white man or women, that's reverse affirmative action in my view.  The next chair should be elected based on the content of their character not the color of their skin.  IF whites don't want to be affiliated with a party where the person welding power is a person of color they can join the Alabama Democratic Majority or the Alabama Republican Party.

The former staff of the ADP have resigned en masse, effective at noon yesterday and most of them will be working for the new organization.  Former ADP Executive Director Bradley Davidson will be the Director of the ADM.  Coincidentally, the ADM's Birmingham office will be located in what was the ADP's field office in that city, the very office the ADP's Executive Board recently directed Kennedy to close.  Kennedy also said the ADM will have an office in Montgomery.  He very pointedly said that the ADM is not a political party and "does not stand in opposition to our state Democratic Party", but rather intends to augment and improve it.

Yeah right.  Pun intended.

 "No one can cooperate with folks who do nothing to pay off their debts but in fact add to the debt and then walk away,"

Today's Must Read
Alabama Democratic Party in Serious Trouble

Happy Memorial Day

 

The men of Company E, 4th United States Colored Infantry. Theirs was one of the detachments assigned to guard the nation's capital during the American Civil War. Photo circa 1864. (Source: United States Library of Congress. Public domain photo)

I write this post in honor and in memory of my paternal grand father who fought overseas in World War 2  then returned to the Jim Crow south to teach at what was known then as the Veterans Continuation School (pre GI Bill), a federal program designed for veterans returning home from the war to continue their education. He and my paternal grandmother taught classes at night and received a stipend. One of the classes they taught was how to pass the Literacy test. My grandparents were exempt from paying the $2.00 poll tax and allowed to vote because they were teachers at the school. So you see, even though my paternal grandfather was a WW2 veteran he didn't have the full rights and privileges he'd risked life and limb fighting for overseas.

Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May 1, 1865 in Charleston SC to honor 257 dead Union soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp.  They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give each of them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom.
 They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 black children who marched, sang and celebrated. In that spirit Happy Memorial Day (h/t) JB

What I'm working on:  Why I can't support the Alabama Democratic Majority

Edited: How did the Alabama Democratic Majority get my email address?

 

First, Alabama Democratic Majority Chairman Mark Kennedy sent me an email wishing me a Happy Mother's day asking me to donate a few dollars to the ADM.  Click. 

Then,  I get another email from ADM Executive Director Bradley Davidson announcing the first month anniversary of the Alabama Democratic Majority asking me to like them on facebook and twitter and help them out by donating a few bucks a month to the ADM.  Click

I don't know how the ADM (of which I am NOT A MEMBER) got my email address but I suspect they got it from the Alabama Democratic Party (of which I AM A MEMBER).   I never received emails asking for support or money from  Kennedy or Bradley during their tenure at the ADP, so why am I receiving them now? 

The Alabama Democratic Majority came in for heated criticism at the board meeting by not just Worley but by Joe Reed, the party's long time vice chairman and chairman of the party's black wing, the Alabama Democratic Conference.
Worley said in addition to the financial chaos there are equipment, supplies and art work missing from party headquarters. Worley charged that a quick review has shown that Kennedy and the party staff he took with him appear to have taken data including information on over 2.8 million voters and to have cut off bank drafts from donors to the party and diverted them to Kennedy's new organization.
Among the alleged missing equipment are laptops, cell phones and printing paper. Worley said she personally observed a car parked at the back rear of party headquarters over the weekend of April 20^th and saw equipment and art work and printer paper lined along the back wall.

Psst, Alabama Democratic Majority!   Remove me from your email, phone, or any other list you have with my name on it.  I am a proud member of the Alabama Democratic Party.  You know, the party that stands up for the least of these and the middle class.  The party that stands up for civil rights, equal rights, and human rights.  The party that stands up for public education and public educators.  The party that stands up for labor.  The party stands up for a woman's right to chose to have a safe legal abortion.  The party that stands up for immigrants.  The party that stands up for our LBGT sisters and brothers. Not the party who doesn't want to be seen as the party that caters to black voters at the expense of white voters.

The Alabama Democratic Party may be broke, broke, broke but WE ARE NOT BROKEN.  I know someone with the courage and the fortitude will step forward and lead the Alabama Democratic Party because if they don't, who wins in the end?  Not us "progressives" that's for sure.

"Right now, it's a hard job, a really hard job given the fact the party has no money, no staff, no office and a debt of $600,000. You'd have to be a little crazy to want to take on all that but I'm sure someone will want it but it won't be me. I'm winding down. This job will need a young person."
And it still needs a white person, said Reed.

 Uh, NO Mr. Reed, the Alabama Democratic Party needs the RIGHT person, regardless of age, race, gender, or sexual orientation.  You are beginning to sound like the republicans and those who say they won't contribute to the ADP as long as YOU are in power. 

Again:

So while the red, republican controlled Alabama State Legislature is waging a full scale war against poor women, poor children, the voting rights act,  public education and teachers, the Alabama Democratic Party continues to embarrass itself  trying to figure out who can herd the white cats and the black cats.

Enough!  It's time to move FORWARD.

"Your Tax Dollars at Work"

H/T No More Mister Nice Blog

The first screening of this pro-gun propaganda documentary starring Ted Nugent, Wayne LaPierre, and other borderline-psychopathatic talking heads will be tomorrow -- followed by theatrical and DVD releases and, apparently, distribution through PBS:

 What  Victor said...This also shows the extent to which Conservatives have bent PBS and NPR to their will, by threatening to defund them for being excessively Liberal.

 "You know what, schmucks? If you hate government, and think that you guys and not the government should be responsible for protecting citizens from crime, then don't ask the damn government to spend money retransmitting your agitprop. But what do you expect from people who openly declare that they'd be delighted to overthrow the government -- and expect the government to give them the means to do so?"

Today's Must Read(s)
A report says that Alabama is a leading exporter of guns used in crimes in other states at Governor Bentley signs a sweeping gun bill into to law that allows people to carry their guns to work and  3 young people are shot  while attending a  graduation party.

“Hello, have you been in a coma?” and not noticed that Republicans were now in control of the Alabama Legislature?"

Fist Dap to Radio Boy for reminding us via The Shroud Award that we (collective) are getting the Bats#t Crazy we (didn't) vote for.

DESIGNATING THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2013 SHROUD AWARD.

WHEREAS, it is once again time for the annual Shroud Award, a unique sine die tradition in which the Deadest Bill of the 2013 legislative session is revealed. Originating in1979, this is the 35th anniversary of the award. This year, no pretense is made about what this

resolution is targeting. We will flat out say it. Our intent is to single out A.E.A. .....; proposed legislation that is AMUSING, ENTERTAINING, or ABSURD. We also have our sights on the B.C.A., the BEST COMEDY AVAILABLE. We aren't BRAGGING. We just Dare To Defend Our HYPE.

Radio Boy also cautions us to Beware of low hanging Fruit during Tornado Recovery  , which is code for please don't remind us Rep.  Mo Brooks(r. Tornado Alley, AL), I mean Sen.Tom Coburn (r.Tornado Alley, OK) demanded budget cuts in exchange for disaster relief.   All I'm going to say is Red State Republicans better be glad President Obama doesn't lead like he's been treated.

Speaking of mistreatment and off topic,  if there were any doubt new Alabama Democratic Majority is rooted in hatred (for lack of a better word) for Dr. Joe Reed and acting ADP Chairwoman Nancy Worley, you need look no further than the front page of Left in Alabama. 

Psst Alabama Democratic Majority?  You picked up your marbles and went home, remember?  You are either with the Alabama Democratic Party, or you are with the Alabama Democratic Majority.   
You can't be a member of both.

"Not Racist?"

 

 When the radical right complains they are “tired” of being called racists by the left, or they claim charges of racism are based on fabrications by the liberal media, send them the link to this page of images from their right-wing pals in the “not racist” crowd.

Democrats: Yes, the images are tough to look at. But this must be documented because conservatives are continuously denying that racism exists in the Republican party, or that the media is fabricating stories of racism in the party, or that its merely satire and not offensive. These are the kinds of people we’re up against. They are clearly racists.  Be warned – images get worse.

Welcome to my Blog roll All Things Democrat

RedEye's Week In Review

Republicans fabricated evidence on Benghazi to win a political battle with the black man in the White House

 Instead of following Rush Limbaugh’s lead and his hatred for that “negro in the White House”, Republicans should try embracing diversity, stop the obstructionism, and get back to work. President Obama is not that “Kenyan, socialist, secret Muslim, dictator” in the White House. He’s our President, elected by a majority of us Americans; one of only 6 presidents to have been elected twice with at least 51% of the popular vote. Its the will of the American people. Its time to accept it and move on. Or, you could continue down your wrong-headed path and be the best fundraisers the Democratic Party ever had. By the time you’re through, the 2014 election will look like 2006.

Over half of U.S. Households Have an Inadequate income but the media enabled, Confederacy of Dunces are focused on umbrellagate, and turning the IRS controversy into a scandal of epic proportions, instead of telling we the public what we need to know instead of what they don't want us to know.

Today's Must Read
In the South, a love a guns and a loss of life, gun violence in black and white

Between 2001 and 2010, 4,519 people were killed by guns here, more than a thousand more losses than U.S. combat troops suffered during the Iraq War. More than 75% of those victims were African-American. Haunted by the losses, members of the Black Caucus try again and again to introduce some measure of gun control legislation.
But their efforts are always thwarted while a far more powerful group of Republicans and white Democrats stokes Louisiana’s love affair with guns.

What I'm working on
With an Alabama Democratic Majority like this who needs an Alabama Republican Majority?

Stay tuned.

Legal Schnauzer: Was AG Eric Holder Mistaken, Misleading, Or Evasive In His Answers To Congress About Siegelman Case?

Legal Schnauzer: Was AG Eric Holder Mistaken, Misleading, Or Evasive In His Answers To Congress About Siegelman Case?

 If Siegelman has an active appeal, it has escaped my attention. And that raises this question: Is Eric Holder mistaken or did he intentionally make a misleading statement to Congress and the American people? I have sent queries to Siegelman's legal team, seeking clarification about any appeals, plus their response to Holder's statements. We will update this post as new information becomes available.

What Mollie said all the damn way!

 Is it me or does Holder appear uncomfortable discussing Seigleman? He was so fidgety in addition to his lack of knowledge of the case. I hope no political deal has been made with the DOJ regarding Seigleman. These folks scare me. Cohen was excellent.

I wish President Obama were just as outraged about the political persecutions, I mean prosecutions here in Sweet Home Alabama.

If the cries of Montgomery politicians under indictment don’t generate sympathy, certainly the lamentation of unemployed workers in the Black Belt does. One effect of the bribe-induced Riley-Canary war on bingo in Alabama is the closure of bingo operations in Greene, Macon and Houston Counties, that employed literally thousands of workers, and brought millions of dollars annually to local government treasuries. We all wish that overwhelmingly black Greene and Macon Counties had bulldozers clearing land for new automotive and electronics plants, or for high-powered biology labs or computer engineering firms, but that’s the progress of the next generation. Right now, those counties are absolutely dependent on the entertainment and gaming business for their economic survival, and Obama’s what-me-worry attitude about Canary has placed that survival in jeopardy.

Welcome to My Blog Roll!

I'm sure you're wondering what up with me and why I haven't posted anything new in a while, but I'm having one of those times when my real life collides with my blog life.  I'm still checking in, and I did manage to find time to make some additions to my blog roll, please give them a big ole RedEye look see. 

Welcome Pippa Abston's Blog

Welcome Smartypants

Welcome The Maddow Blog
 

BTW, stay tuned to a RedEye response to THIS. 

"Before jumping on any bandwagons, know who is driving the rig and which direction it's headed "

 Left in Alabama commenter maebabs made this comment in reference to Ron Sparks (D) and Artur Davis(DINO) differing positions on charter schools during the 2010 Alabama Democratic gubernatorial primary.  This comment runs parallel to my previous post regarding the New Democratic Majority.  The more I read, the more I'm convinced  the Artur Davis wing is holding the reins, and it's all about driving  Joe Reed off a cliff.

We white Democrats who grub for white votes one at a time at feed stores, convenience stores, wherever the opportunity arises, sometimes get a response which is "the (N) own the Democratic Party." It's always the "N" word and it's always summed up just that way. Now, recall a few years ago when a black Bham area legislator retired and a white woman upset black candidates and won the Democratic nomination. Joe Reed screamed it was "a black" seat, which only helped reinforce white antipathy to black democrats. Reed helped finance a challenge, and demanded futilely to be on the State Dem party committee deciding the challenge. He lost the battle, but he got even by engineering the removal of the chair of the committee from her state party post, who, ironically, is a white woman with a long history of working for black equality. That's just a little of Joe Reed. Go back to his relationship with George Wallace before he didn't have a relationship with George Wallace. Of course artur knew that Reed is lining his organization up for sparks. He could have gone in and begged for no endorsement in the primary. I like what he did. Alabama politics is better for it.

I refuse to believe the MAJORITY of Alabama DEMOCRATS are anti AEA(Alabama Education Association).

I have a child in the public school system, and it appears to me that the AEA's main purpose is protecting tenured teachers, rather than the best teachers or all students. While I haven't done in-depth research into charter schools or vouchers, the fear-mongering advertisements I heard on the radio during the primaries (funded by the AEA) infuriated me. 
I realize the AEA was created when the two pre-existing teachers' unions headed by Hubbert and Reed merged, and from what I understand they did much to make integration relatively smooth. However, that was decades ago.
Currently, the state party is dominated by the AEA. My county chairperson is an employee of the AEA. The meeting place for the county party is in the AEA headquarters building. It's rather difficult to be a part of the Democratic party in this state without supporting the AEA -- so tell me why I should.

I refuse to believe the MAJORITY of Alabama DEMOCRATS are willing to pander to the right at the expense of the most loyal democratic voting block for personal, political gain.

Congressman Davis has often admitted in his interviews his admiration for Rev. Jackson.  It is time to move past race and engage in critical, thoughtful dialogue that moves Alabama forward.  Honoring the leaders that have sacrificed and paved the way for all Americans, we need to be able to think about practical solution and ways to implement them.  More so, we need to find and support leaders that will go against the grain to push us forward.  Artur Davis is that candidate that I truly believe is able to deliver on what Alabama needs. This is also relevant to the health care reform where he obviously wants MORE for us.  This health care reform must work for Alabama and the small businesses.  Kudos to Congressman Davis for taking a stand!!!!

It's De Joe-Vu all over again.

 In reality, Davis hasn't rejected the black vote, he's rejected the black gatekeepers and gone directly to the people.  It's worth noting that Hillary Clinton also came and spoke directly to the ADC in late 2007; Barack Obama did not.  Obama went on to win the Alabama primary -- and the general election.

I HOPE the MAJORITY of Alabama DEMOCRATS don't feel this way about the traditional democratic base.

The endorsement of these groups is not about who has the best position on health care, or bingo or ethics reform, or unemployment, or jobs -- New South endorsed Earl Hilliard, Jr. over Davis in both 2000 and 2002 and they've never given him more than token support in the years since.  These endorsements are about kow-towing to the power brokers and Artur Davis has never been willing to do that.  Bottom line, history tells us Joe Reed would move heaven and earth to keep ADC from endorsing Artur Davis.  Ditto Hank Sanders and New South Coalition.  It's the status quo vs. a new way of doing business in Alabama, and the folks who wield power with the current system aren't going to give it up quietly.

Ron Sparks will happily kow-tow and they'll endorse him.  No surprise there.

 All that glitters is not gold. 

 There is the perception that the Democratic Party is the party of black folks and the Republican Party is the party of white folks.  What can we do in Alabama to address openly and honestly the issues of race that divides the Democratic Party but has no role in the Republican Party?

Well we can start by stop being afraid to talk openly and honestly about race.

We can't expect voters in Alabama to get over the race issue when the Democratic Party in Alabama can't get over the race issue.  ...  Everybody wants to pretend like it doesn't exist.  But it does.  I got phone calls that would say things like, "did you send black canvassers to white doors?"  As a party we need to decide that we're going to get over race before we can expect voters to do that.

Secondly, we must purge the party of infiltrators.  You are either with the Alabama Democratic Party and it's agenda, or, you are against the Alabama Democratic Party and it's agenda. There is no in between. The Democratic Party can't just say we are ALL on the same rig and the driver is driving the rig  in the same direction when it's convenient (aka election time).

The New Democratic Majority or, The New "Democratic" Party of Artur Davis? I Report. You Decide.

 

A Noteworthy Endorsement for Artur Davis

One of the things I like about cold, rainy weekends is I have the perfect excuse not to leave the house and I can sit at my computer all day without being distracted by my real life.  I had the perfect excuse for not working in the yard, cleaning the patio/ furniture and running errands this past weekend.  I put on a crock pot of Turkey and White Bean Chili and got the reading and begin to notice a disturbing pattern...The New Democratic Majority are most of the same people who supported Artur Davis for governor in 2010, and, they are saying some of the exact same things about Dr. Joe Reed and the ADC now that they said then.

Peggy Wallace Kennedy says she will support Artur Davis for governor according to David Persons' report for the Huntsville Times (emphasis mine):

U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, may have gotten his first celebrity endorsement for the gubernatorial campaign. Peggy Wallace Kennedy expressed unqualified support for him when I interviewed her on WEUP-AM earlier this week.

"I certainly think he has a good shot and I certainly will support him," Kennedy said. "Mark (her husband) and I both will. He is a fine man and smart. He could go down as one of the greatest governors we've had."

Regular readers know some of us tried to tell some of them Artur Davis was not the second coming of Obama, but it was never about Artur Davis, it was about replacing Joe Reed with someone who is more ahem acceptable, because there is the perception the democratic party caters to black voters at the expense of white voters.  Our rich southern heritage teaches us the greatest insults to some whites is to be seen as the party of black voters.  Ask former governor Don Siegelman and any democrat/ elected official(s) who dared defend the rights of black folks.

 Regular readers know some of us tried to tell some of them Artur Davis was not the second coming of Obama, but it was never about Artur Davis, it was about replacing Joe Reed with someone who is more ahem acceptable, because there is the perception the democratic party caters to black voters at the expense of white voters.  Our rich southern heritage teaches us the greatest insults to some whites is to be seen as the party of black voters.  Ask former governor Don Siegelman and any democrat/ elected official(s) who dared defend the rights of black folks.

It took a long time for the basic pattern established in ’64 to be reflected up and down the ballot, but today white southerners are almost as loyal to the Republican Party as they once were to the Democrats. GOP presidential candidates customarily win more than 70 percent of the white vote in the South, success that in the past two decades has at last trickled down to the local and state legislative levels. This is particularly true in the Deep South, which encompasses South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Exit polling was intermittent last November, but in Mississippi Mitt Romney gobbled up 89 percent of the white vote; with Barack Obama winning 96 percent of the black vote, this translated into a 55-44 percent Romney win in the state.
In this environment, Democratic success in the Deep South is mostly limited to district-level races in majority black areas. A number of African American Democrats represent the region in the U.S. House, with districts created and protected by the Voting Rights Act. But where white voters constitute majorities, affiliation with the Democratic Party is often the kiss of death for a candidate.

In a previous post, I asked who gets to decide is something is racism or someone is a racist, but I should have asked since when does the white, male, dominated mainstream media get to decide who/what/when/where racist racism occurs?  They are quick to tell African Americans to get past race, which is really code for STFU and let us decide when we are going to treat you fairly.

It's the story of modern day southern politics.

From the end of Reconstruction through the civil rights revolution, the South was an almost uniformly Democratic region. In 1936, for example, Franklin Roosevelt won more than 98 percent of the vote in South Carolina. Race wasn’t the only reason for the South’s shift toward the GOP, but it was the biggest single driver. In 1948, northern liberals inserted a civil rights plank into the national Democratic platform, prompting a walkout of southern delegations – which then coalesced around the third party Dixiecrat candidacy of Strom Thurmond. An uneasy truce between national and southern Democrats was reached after that election, but it was untenable. When LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the modern southern GOP was born. Nationally, LBJ crushed Barry Goldwater in the fall of ’64, racking up more than 60 percent of the popular vote. But Goldwater carried five southern states – winning 59 percent in South Carolina, 69 percent in Alabama and 87 percent in Mississippi.

We can pretend the split between the ADP and the ADM isn't racial, but deep down we know it's the truth. If it weren't there never would have been a split in the first place.

How can anyone go forward when the driver is stuck in "R" or reverse?~AF2010
 
How can Alabama Democrats go forward when the driver is stuck in "R" or reverse?~RedEye 2013

As the young people say "Let's flip the script" on the NRA, gun control and the Second Amendment

The Black Panther Party, firm supporters of the right to open carry weapons as part of their fight against racist police practices, appeared in dramatic fashion at California's State Capital in Sacramento to lobby politicians against pending legislation that they saw as racially targeted against them. Though this legal demonstration did stir up a lot of attention for the party, the effect ran against the Black Panthers: the 'invasion' of the capitol by some twenty-plus organized and heavily armed men scared politicians into signing the Mulford Act, a gun control measure that, surprisingly by modern standards, had the support of the NRA

Call me cynical but I firmly believe we would have sensible gun control legislation faster than a New York minute if black folks were printing guns, arming up under the Second Amendment, and the NRA was a predominately black/brown organization.

Let me flip the script then tell me if you agree.

Flipped Script #1

Radio Host, andrenown social activist   Joe Madison, aka The Black Eagle   is hoping to get 1,000 black people to march on Washington on July 4 — armed with loaded rifles. The plan launched with a Facebook group today is to gather on the Virginia side of the Potomac, where gun laws are lax, and then march across the bridge with loaded rifles slung over their shoulders into the District, where openly carrying weapons is generally prohibited.
“This will be a non-violent event,” the Facebook group warns, “unless the government chooses to make it violent.” Already, over 200 people have said they’ll attend the march.

Flipped script #2

 The Black Panther Party couldn't have picked a friendlier place to refresh the troops. More than 70,000 people are expected to attend the three-day "Stand and Fight"-themed event, which includes a gun trade show, political rally and strategy meetings.

Flipped script #3


Gun Control:  No easy solution.... but can we at least talk about it?

 How many more innocent children and civilians will we have to bury before the gun nuts and their acolytes recognize that the tide of public opinion isn’t on their side? They can either participate in the discussion…or they may wake up to discover that the issue has been decided for them without their input.

What Bob Cesca said:

 Everyone’s afraid to appear too “extreme” when discussing gun control legislation. No one wants to offend the gun people. But extremism never stopped the NRA and the utter wackadoodles and firearm fetishists lurking in plain view — their American flag shirts and ridiculous bumper stickers flaunting their “right” to buy and keep as many guns as they can afford, and to use them in a wide variety of inexcusably psychotic ways.

Enough

Question: Are we a nation of cowards?

Who gets to determine if something is racism, or, if someone is a racist, or not...the person(s) who has been the victims.....or the person(s) who has not?  I ask this question for insight into a post I'm trying to write.

Click and read the hyperlinks and think about  it.  I would love to hear your answers if you are brave enough to share them.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Eric Holder, the country’s first African-American attorney general, called the United States “a nation of cowards” Wednesday for failing to candidly talk about matters of race.
In a speech to Justice Department employees commemorating Black History Month, Holder said average Americans remain uncomfortable with race-related issues and need to do more to confront them head on.
“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and we, I believe continue to be in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,” Holder said.

RedEye

The New President of the NRA is from Alabama YeeHaw!

 

In addition to being home to the national college football champs four years in a row, the great state of Alabama can now brag it is the home of the new President of the National Rifle Association, Jim Porter Esq.

Media Matters (not to be confused with the mainstream media) informs (not to be confused with misinforms) us about five things to know about the new face/voice of the NRA from Bama. 

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss. Don't expect Porter to be a breath of fresh air bringing with him a new way of doing things. As is traditional, Porter will come to the presidency following two years as first vice president and two years as second vice president of the organization. He has also been the head of the NRA's legal affairs committee and a trustee of the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund. Porter's father was the NRA's president from 1959 to 1961 and chaired the 1977 annual meeting  at which hardliners took over the organization and began transforming it into the no-compromise lobbying powerhouse the group remains today.

For more on Porter check out the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence's Meet The NRA project.  Here is a snippet.

Addressing the administration of President Barack Obama, Porter stated, “I get so sick and tired of all these people with this fake president that we got who wants to say, ‘Well, you know he hadn’t done anything bad for gun owners.’ I say, let me tell you something bad that he’s done. His entire administration is anti-gun, anti-freedom, anti-Second Amendment.” Porter accused U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder of being “rabidly un-American” and involved with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in “trying to kill the Second Amendment at the United Nations.” He explained, “Right in the United Nations today, they have an initiative that would make it illegal for individuals all over the world to own firearms. And that’s what they’re passing. And that’s what this administration is supporting.” In truth, the U.N. Small Arms Treaty to which Porter is referring would set only international standards for the export of conventional weapons—leaving domestic laws regulating the possession of firearms untouched.

 

Today’s NRA meeting could become a touchstone for the #newtruther movement as the GOP mainstreams more insanity.
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) May 3, 2013

Yep.

jobsanger: The Real Welfare Queens

jobsanger: The Real Welfare Queens

The No ask No Mo Brooks town hall meeting at Alabama A&M University

 

 Al.com Alabama A&M President Andrew Hugine, right, introduces U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks at a town hall meeting on the AAMU campus. Hugine also presented Brooks with an Alabama A&M football helmet to display in Washington as well as a pair of AAMU cuff links. And it shifted an auspicious start to the meeting as the audience serenaded Brooks on his 59th birthday.


 Now isn't that special? 

 Congressman Mo Brooks (r.)  argued that North Korea is "rationally crazy" while Iran is "irrationally crazy."  during  a town hall meeting a historically black Alabama A&M University.  That's not all he said, but that's what AL.com focused on because  questions about threats to national security were out of the ordinary for for Brooks' town hall meetings. 

I don't know if the questions were out of the ordinary for Brook's town hall meetings or not because this is the first and only town hall meeting Mo has held in north Huntsville.  It was also my  first, and probably last, Mo town hall meeting.  No new information.  Same old republican talking points.  Same old video presentation.  The only difference was the time, the place, and the audience.

Speaking of the time, place and audience, although the event was held at 3:00 PM on a work day and you had to be screened,  there were about 40-50 people in attendance, mostly Alabama A&M faculty and staff, very few students.  The refreshments were coffee and punch.  The Q&A session was more non answering by Mo than questions.

For example, when asked if he would do more town halls in north Huntsville, Mo said he would "if he were asked".  Now why do residents of  north Huntsville have to beg, I mean, request a town hall meeting from their Congressman?

When asked what was his position on gun control legislation, he said (para quoting) he was a strong supporter of  the right to bear arms, and because of that right the American people never have to fear their government.  What that has to do with gun control legislation I will never know, but one thing to note, in order to attend the town hall meeting of a public official, at a public University, everyone was screened at the gate, and no weapons are allowed on the campus.

When the only plan your party has is to obstruct the President, I mean, our country, what do you talk about?  The national debt of course.  Mo informed the audience their share of the national debt was $55,000 each, and his grand children's share was $275,000 each.  When asked who we owed said debt to, Mo said he didn't care who we owed the debt to, he was more concerned that we didn't create more debt.  Huh?


I left the No ask No Mo town hall meeting asking myself why I bothered.  Mo doesn't have to work with the President to create jobs.  He doesn't have to be accountable to all the voters, just the ones that voted for him.  All he has to do is bash and block the President, and falsely accuse him of running up the national debt and he has a government job, government health care, and a government pension for life.