EYE Am Back! Let's Roll!

By Spider Martin

Before EYE type another world let me acknowledge a milestone and thank those of you who read this blog even when EYE am on hiatus.  EYE composed my first post on RedEyes Front Page on January 17, 2010, after being booted from the pages of Left in Alabama on Friday the 13th, 2009.  Since then EYE  have been banned from more blogs, forums, public meetings, organizations, etc. so EYE must be doing something right (pun intended).  EYE have been called a Keyboard Warrior and although it was meant as slam EYE take it as a compliment.  So here we are ten years, 1911 posts, 3921 comments, and 710745 pages view later still plugging along.

I don't have any illusions as to my "influence" or importance in the world, but I love my country, and in my own way I hope to make a difference because I want to make this world we live in a better place for everyone.

Let's Recap:

The Civil War for control of the Alabama Democratic Party Plantation is headed to mediation.  EYE tried to tell them this divisive #DoOver was going to divide and conquer the Alabama Democratic Party forever but did they listen?  Nope.  So much has been said and done, EYE don't see mediation as a solution and maybe it's time for the Alabama Democratic Majority to start our own damn party and force Republicans and Democrats to compete for our votes. 

Ironically one of the alleged complaints about Nancy Worley is that she didn't support Democratic candidates in the last election, but those same malcontents aren't saying a mumbling word about Alabama Senator Doug Jones voting with the Republicans and sending mixed messages about his upcoming impeachment vote.

The challenge for Mr. Jones is whether voters see him as reasonable and unbiased, as he hopes, or as an appeaser of the other side. His appeals risk alienating not only the Trump-supporting Alabamians he has to answer to when he faces re-election in November, but also liberal Democrats — his base — some of whom he says have wanted to remove the president since “the minute he took his hand off the Bible when he was sworn in.”

Um No, Mr. New York Times Columnist Jeremy W. Peters  Doug Jones doesn't have to answer to the Trump-supporting Alabamians.  As a matter of fact, listening to advice like this is why his re-election is in jeopardy.

History to the contrary, too many white Democrats refuse to learn that Blacks can win elections. Less than a week after Black voters were hailed for having “saved America” through a record turnout in Alabama to defeat Roy Moore’s bid for the U.S. Senate in December, pundits were advising the Democratic Party that it should reward its Black supporters by shoving them to the back of the political bus yet again. Bill Scher’s Dec. 20 article in POLITICO was typical of this bad advice. He suggested that in 2018, Democrats should run candidates like Doug Jones, who won a narrow victory over Roy Moore but polled lower than Moore among white voters.

And how are Alabama's African American voters being rewarded?  By being thrown to the back of the bus.

Worley and attorney Benjamin Maxymuk appeared before the Credentials Committee today. Worley argued, in part, that the election last year was challenged only because she won. She characterized the DNC’s demands on the state party to change its bylaws as an effort to take from black party members the ability to elect blacks to the State Democratic Executive Committee.

“So just get your boots on because you’re going to need a whole lot of water sprayed on you,” Worley said. “Not from those water hoses that we saw in Alabama back in the 60s. But it’s because you’re going to be burning in hell for taking away people’s voting rights.”

This is what punishing the base to spite your face in Sweet Home Alabama looks like. 

“We not go let folk kick us around and dog us around and keep putting them back in office,” he charged from the podium. “We are not going to do that.”
Reed didn’t mention folk’s name. Didn’t have to.

And that's unfortunate since Alabama is key to Democrats gaining control of the Senate.  

But here is the Political Play of the Decade: For Democrats to have any realistic hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate from Republicans they need to hold on to Jones seat. So control of the U.S. Senate is in the control of Alabama's Black block vote and we are damned if we vote for Doug Jones and damned if we don't.

Ain't that a dip?

This is what #PunishingTheBaseToSpiteYourFace looks like on the #DemocraticPartyPlantation in #SweetHomeAlabama

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, left, and state Rep. Chris England talk to the media after a faction of the State Democratic Executive Committee elected England as Alabama Democratic Party Chair on Nov. 2. Nancy Worley disputed the validity of the meeting and said she remained chair. But it was England who certified the party's candidates for the March 3 primary this week. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

Regardless of the fact, there is a pending lawsuit over the leadership of the Alabama Democratic Party because the minority wants to rule the majority, the minority faction decided for the majority who will be on the ballot for the March primary.

The Democratic Party dispute is between factions backing England and Nancy Worley. England was elected to replace Worley as chair at a Nov. 2 meeting of the State Democratic Executive Committee.
Worley, who was first elected chair in 2013, maintains that meeting was not valid. She and her backers tried unsuccessfully to block the meeting with a lawsuit. The case is now with the Alabama Supreme Court, which has not ruled on Worley’s assertion that she remains the chair or whether the court has jurisdiction over the matter.
The Democratic National Committee recognizes England as party chair.

That's right (pun intended) the DNC recognizes the Minority faction over the traditional, loyal, Democratic base.  

So now we know for sure. 

“We not go let folk kick us around and dog us around and keep putting them back in office,” he charged from the podium. “We are not going to do that.”
Reed didn’t mention folk’s name. Didn’t have to.
Sen. Doug Jones has openly led an effort to re-boot the state party by booting Worley and re-writing party by-laws to make party leadership—the 250-member State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC)—reflect a broader, younger swath of the state. He has been backed by the National Democratic Committee (DNC), which has withheld $10,000 a month in support funds since 2018 (“The party’s broke,” Reed says) and revoked the party leaders’ national credentials, and not yet approved the part’s delegate selection plan for the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

 No good deed goes unpunished.

Does Scher really believe that because it takes a right-of-center candidate like Doug Jones to get elected in Alabama, Democrats nationwide should shift their politics to the right and make Alabama politics the national standard? Scher may not realize it, but he is advocating that the Democratic Party reward its African-American voters by showing them that their interests, aspirations and lives don’t matter.

On a personal note, EYE would like to wish you and yours a Happy Holiday Season and EYE shall return next year.

The Alabama Democratic Minority Party vs The Alabama Democratic Majority Party Round 2

Cue in Rocky 1 theme song

Democratic Party nomination intra-party fight concept as two mountain cliffs each shaped as a donkey clash head to head damaging the party as a 3D illustration. (Photo: AdobeStock)

Let's recap

The battle for control of the soul (pun intended) of the Alabama Democratic Party begins when the SDEC Minority Caucus dared re-elect Chair Nancy Worley and foiled Senator Doug Jones coup to take over the Alabama Democratic Party so he could control the black block vote. 

In her open letter, which was released by the ADC on Facebook, Bright said, “I am so saddened, insulted and outraged at the DNC for their plan to strip voting rights from blacks elected to serve on the SDEC in order to give Doug Jones the ability to control the outcome of an election he has conspired to have in order to control the majority of blacks presently serving.” 

Speaking specifically of Jones, Bright continued, “He attempted to replace those black officers in last year’s election with an almost entirely white slate and failed because black members voted his slate down. His insistence in this effort, aided by the DNC, speaks volumes to me and echoes what many of us have long understood.” 

She then said that black Americans have historically been taken advantage of after being integral in a political movement’s success, comparing black support that aided Jones’ 2017 special election victory to the efforts to end “slavery” and “Jim Crow.”
“Although blacks have been faithful to the Democratic Party and are largely responsible for electing Doug Jones and any white seeking office in this state, once elected on the backs of blacks, the urgency to remove black leadership begins,” Bright stated.  

“In other words, as long as we’re working in the fields all is well, but when we move to positions of authority, a challenge begins,” she added. “From slavery through Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement, we are constantly being shown how little respect blacks receive for being hard working and loyal.” 

Bright went on to say the electoral challenge to Worley is “a smoke screen to make it appear that Jones and the DNC is not attacking his true target, blacks.”
“This is a huge taint on the national Party and the Senator (Jones) who depends on our vote to get re-elected,” she concluded.

The minority assisted by DNC Chair Tom Perez and the Republican-controlled Alabama Supreme Court received permission to rule the majority and start their own separate and unequal party 

Blacks got their position in the ADP largely because whites left it. We should not be penalized for our loyalty. White voters should not resent blacks on the SDEC or disparage them publicly for insisting on fairness for everyone. It is incumbent upon all Democrats to recruit new Democrats daily, through their friends, their families, and common concerns.

To be clear, this is about the Minority deciding who represents the Majority under the guise of diversity.  

The Democratic National Committee (“DNC”) Charter has two slightly different “inclusion” provisions. Article Eight, Section 2 provides that “discrimination” in the Party (including state units) “on the basis of sex, race, age (if of voting age), color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic identity or physical disability is prohibited.” There is really no comparable provision in the ASDEC Bylaws. 

 Article Eight, Section 3 provides that “to encourage participation by minority groups, blacks, Native Americans, Asian/Pacifics, Hispanics, women, and youth ... [the state parties] ... shall adopt and implement an affirmative action program which provides for representation as nearly as practicable of the aforementioned groups, as indicated by their presence in the Democratic electorate ...” This is the language the Shadoin amendment copied, which is why LGBT and disabled persons were not included. 

There are effectively parallel provisions in the ASDEC Bylaws with respect to women and blacks. Article III, Section 1(d) provides that one male and one female shall be elected from each State House district, assuring gender equity in the overall membership. Gender equity is further enshrined in Article IV, Section 1, which requires that the Chair and First Vice-Chair of the SDEC be of differing genders. Article III, Section 1(a) provides the mechanism by which the black percentage of the SDEkC is the same as the black percentage of the Democratic presidential electorate.

This is necessary to prevent black under-representation, as many of the 210 “district” members are elected from heavily white Republican districts in places like Baldwin and Shelby Counties. Members elected by the Minority (black) Caucus under Section 1(a) are required to be elected in equal numbers of men and women, to preserve gender equity.

So while the Republicans are recruiting candidates and winning elections the battle continues.

The DNC ordered in February that the state party hold new elections and review bylaws to diversity(sic) the membership of the SDEC, the governing body of the Alabama Democratic Party. Since that order, the DNC and the Worley faction have clashed over how the reforms should be implemented and concerns surfaced earlier this fall that all of the squabbling could prevent Alabama delegates from attending next year’s Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.

Stay tuned. 

The Alabama Democratic Minority Party may have won the battle but the war is far from over #PunishTheBaseToSpiteYourFace

Cue in Battle Hymn of the Republic



The first shots were fired in the Alabama Democratic Party Civil War when embattled Alabama Democratic Chairwoman Nancy L. Worley filed a lawsuit to block the minority from ruling the majority. Judge Gregg Griffin granted the TRO then the Minority(enabled by the DNC) scurried across the street to their friends on the Alabama Republican-controlled Supreme Court to stay the TRO which allowed them to form their own separate and unequal Alabama Democratic Party.

B-But it's not over.......

The motion for recusal asserts that Griffin has a close relationship with Joe Reed, the chair of the Democratic Party’s black caucus and a supporter of Worley.

Let me see if EYE have this right(pun intended), how can you complain about the judge being black when you had 6 out of 9 white Republican Supreme Court Justices reverse the black judges TRO?  EYE mean, really?

The traditional, loyal, democratic base is not going to the back of the bus without a fight.

“Those who think you got blacks in your pocket you better check your pocket because there’s a hole in it. We don’t have to vote for anybody.
“We don’t have to embrace those who kick us around,” he continued with a preacher’s crescendo. “Let the word go from this time and place: You can’t cuss the party during the day and beg from us at night.”

Stay tuned. 

#PunishTheBase to Spite Your Face Life on the #DemocraticPartyPlantion in #SweetHomeAlabama

Photo Credit Shawn Alexander via FaceBook

EYE will thank Alabama's African Americans especially women for this sad, sorry, state of affairs. Wham, Bam, Thank you, Mam. No good deed goes unpunished. African Americans especially women will be the key voters in 2019. Which explains why Senator Doug Jones, enabled by DNC Chair Tom Perez wants to control the state with the highest number of registered African American female voters. 

All but 4 percent of African-Americans voted for Jones, and blacks accounted for roughly 30 percent of the Alabama electorate, according to a CNN exit poll. And 98 percent of black women (17 percent of the electorate) cast ballots for Jones. Certainly, Jones needed each vote—but astonishingly, if Moore courted just a slither of the black electorate, he would have won by a landslide.

Lets Recap:
On Friday, Six Republican Alabama Supreme Court Justices stayed Judge Greg Griffins temporary restraining order filed by embattled Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley, on the grounds the meeting was being held illegally. 

Earlier Friday a Montgomery circuit judge blocked a faction of the Alabama Democratic Party from holding a meeting and election this weekend.

Judge Greg Griffin granted a temporary restraining order filed by party chair Nancy Worley and others, which sought to stop a group of the party’s governing committee from meeting this weekend to elect new leaders.
he
The defendants - members of the reform group within the party - filed an appeal.

The lawsuit argues the Saturday meeting, where the reform group intends to elect a new chair, is unauthorized and is being held illegally.

“I can’t think of anything more damaging to the party than what’s going on right now. This is a party crying out to the court. Help us,” said Bobby Segall, who is representing Worley, during court Thursday.

Can you say #PunishingTheBase?

The coalition’s effort follows the upset victory last December by Doug Jones in the Alabama Senate race. Black women, who led get-out-the-vote efforts, are credited with helping Jones become the first Democrat in 25 years to win a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. He was favored by 98 percent of black women voters.
Black women's groups also rallied behind Stacey Abrams, who won the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Georgia in May. If Abrams wins on Nov. 6, she will become the nation’s first African American woman governor.
“We show up for everybody,” Brown said. “We’re showing up, but who is showing up for us?"
The groups have long worked to boost the number of black women running for elected offices and black voter participation, but said they wanted to band together for the upcoming midterm and local elections.
The coalition includes Black Voters Matter, the Black Women’s Roundtable and the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative.

DNC Chair Tom Perez and the DNC leadership have long backed Doug Jones who voted with Republicans 53% of the time and the so-called “Reform Caucus” of the ADP over the tradition, loyal, democratic base. 

Worley and her supporters maintain that the valid bylaws were those adopted at an Oct. 12 meeting. The Nov. 16 election date for chair and vice chair was also scheduled that day.
Ben Maxymuk, an attorney representing Worley’s side in the dispute, said in an affidavit (see below) that the DNC has no authority over the state party’s bylaws. Maxymuk said any effort by the DNC to stop Alabama delegates from voting at next year’s national convention would result in litigation.
The bylaws adopted at the Oct. 5 meeting would add new minority caucuses to the SDEC for youth (35 and under) Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and people who identify as LGBTQ.
The agenda for Saturday’s meeting calls for elections to those new caucuses before the elections for chair and vice chair. Maxymuk said in his affidavit that the youth caucus would have 50 or more members. The SDEC has approximately 250 members now.

B-But it's not racial.......nod nod wink wink

Stay tuned because it's not over.

With qualifying deadlines for primaries on Nov. 8, the state party will have to resolve its internal dispute, which threatens the state's presence at next year's Democratic National Convention. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) in February ordered the state party to hold new elections and revise bylaws to diversify the membership of the SDEC, the governing body of the Alabama Democratic Party.

B-But maybe that's the plan....... 

“Let the word go from this time and place: You can’t cuss the party during the day and beg from us at night.”

Cue in The Gambler

Alabama Dem leader Joe Reed on Doug Jones' failed power move: "George Wallace tried it, too"

So while Alabama Republicans are fielding candidates running on defending our way of life and our values (sic) Alabama Democrats, and EYE use that term loosely, are forming a circular firing squad.  YeeHaw!

“This was not necessary,” Reed says. “We lost a whole year fighting among ourselves when we should have spent the whole year working the highways and byways of Alabama to help Doug Jones. But he spent all his time fighting us.”

Let's recap.

England and a faction of the State Democratic Executive Committee that supports new leadership and new party bylaws scheduled a meeting for Nov. 2 to hold the elections. The Democratic National Committee, which ordered new elections and bylaws, recognizes that as the official date.
Worley and her supporters on the SDEC scheduled a Nov. 16 meeting.
Worley has said the dispute is probably headed for court.

In the latest DNC enabled escalation of the ADP infighting Rep. Chris England and former Rep. Patricia Todd have entered the fray to lead the new Alabama Democratic Party. 

B-But Tabitha Isner 

B-But Will Boyd.......

B-But Myron Penn..... 

B-But Vivian Figures.....

This divisive DNC enabled #DoOver is threatening Doug Jones's re-election.

The feud began last August when Jones made known he wanted Worley to step aside. But Worley ran for another term — beating back the entire slate Jones supported.
“He went after Nancy’s seat. He lost,” said Joe Reed, a civil rights veteran who heads the Alabama Democratic Conference, the state’s principal African American Democratic club, and Worley’s most powerful ally. “Doug’s slate lost. He came back. He got with Perez. They then came up with a scheme to challenge Nancy’s election.”

But maybe that's the plan... 

Jones faces a strongly contested re-election effort in November of 2019. For Democrats to have any realistic hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate from Republicans they need to hold on to Jones’s seat.

EYE report. 

You decide. 

The DNC Credentials Committee Overturned the ADP Election because of alleged "voting irregularities"

Fighting Voter Suppression

Let that sink in.

The Alabama Democratic Party has 90 days to hold an election for its chairman and vice chairman positions.
That’s according to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which has vacated the state party’s 2018 officer elections following a vote by the credentials committee on Thursday afternoon.
Current Party Chair Nancy Worley and her Vice Chair Randy Kelley will also be allowed to continue serving in their respective roles until the election, which will be overseen by the DNC, takes places.
The DNC’s decisions follows an evidentiary hearing held Monday regarding two complaints lodged against the 2018 officer elections.
“With (Worley) and (Kelley) presiding over the meeting,” one complaint read. “The elections were conducted in a sloppy and haphazard manner that was easily susceptible to manipulation. The elections were deliberately manipulated in order to favor Worley, Kelley and all other incumbent SDEC officers.”
Worley had won re-election in August by a narrow margin of 101-89 against a challenger who was backed by U.S. Sen. Doug Jones. According to the AP, one challenge alleges that, while these 190 votes were recorded only 142 state committee members signed in to the meeting.

That's right (pun intended) the party that Booed Representative Maxine Waters and mocked members of the House of Representatives who were trying to tell them there were voting irregularities not once but twice, overturned an election over alleged voting irregularities. 

“Is there one United States senator who will join me in this letter of objection?” Waters said to boos from Republicans. None did.
As Waters began to speak, House Speaker Paul Ryan was seen seated behind Biden laughing at the overture.
After the vote, Biden told some of the House Democrats who tried to object why he had cut them off.
“Basically, it was the rules and we understand that,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who led the effort to object to Trump’s election.
Trump received 304 electoral votes, compared with the 227 won by his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton, according to the official vote tally.

Although the white male dominated media claims the DNC (Democratic National Committee) overturned the ADP it was the DNC Credentials Committee who did the dirty deed.  There is just one problem...EYE can't find where the DNC Credential Committee has the authority to overturn and supervise a state party election.

Credentials Committee:
The Credentials Committee is responsible for resolving any questions regarding the seating of delegates and alternates to the Convention. This committee is expected to meet sometime prior to the Convention.
Responsibilities:
Assumes jurisdiction over any credentials challenges not resolved by the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee 57 days before the Convention, or challenges filed after that date.
Recommends final resolution of any outstanding challenge or dispute related to the seating of delegates and alternates.
Issues a report that is considered as the first item of business at the National Convention.

The DNC Credentials Committee made a recommendation but the DNC has the final say so it's not over. 

HOW IS BUSINESS BROUGHT BEFORE THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE?

DNC members often make proposals on national issues, Party policies, and procedures. Before a matter is considered by the full membership, it is reviewed by one of the DNC’s standing committees. Each of the DNC’s standing committees have about 30 members who represent a cross-section of the membership of the full committee. These committees report their recommendations on the matters before them to the full DNC, which in turn debates and votes on the recommendations.

The Credentials Committee is responsible for hearing disputes about the credentials of National Committee members, and making a recommendation about whom the DNC should seat. 

So time will tell if the DNC is going to overthrow the election of Nancy Worley and Randy Kelly and supervise a new election.  And if they do vote to overturn the election, who is going to supervise the DNC Credentials Committee?   If the recommendation to overturn the election due to alleged voting irregularities is upheld by the DNC it will set the ADP on a course of no return.

And what do you have if you get rid of Reed and his bunch of people?

The Dixiecrats were a political party organized in the summer of 1948 by conservative white southern Democrats committed to states' rights and the maintenance of segregation and opposed to federal intervention into race, and to a lesser degree, labor relations. The Dixiecrats, formally known as the States' Rights Democratic Party, were disturbed by their region's declining influence within the national Democratic Party. The Dixiecrats held their one and only convention in Birmingham.

Be careful what you ask for. 

A DNC #ValentinesDayMassacre in #SweetHomeAlabama

EYE know it's been a while but I felt compelled to get back in the saddle in light of the recent attempt to overthrow Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley and replace her with a white male after a coup engineered by Alabama Senator Doug (DINO) Jones failed.

Longtime incumbent Nancy Worley defeated Montgomery attorney Peck Fox as chair of the Alabama Democratic Party after Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) nominated and backed the challenger during the intraparty elections.
Minutes before the meeting, Jones shocked Alabama’s political world by announcing his backing of the leadership coup. Alabama’s junior senator signaled that he wanted change and lamented that the state’s Democratic Party had not helped him enough during his victory over Judge Roy Moore in 2017.

So after the latest "hostile takeover" failed the Sore Losers went whining to the DNC (Democratic National Committee). 

Two challenges were filed saying multiple rules were broken to "stack the deck" in favor of Worley and Vice Chairman Randy Kelley. One challenge notes that 190 votes were cast when only 142 state committee members signed in at the meeting.

What part of the candidate with the most votes wins don't they understand?  But let's be clear, this isn't about broken rules, it's about a segment of whites within the Alabama Democratic Party who don't want to share power with blacks.  They want to dilute what little power African Americans have by diluting the minority caucus.

While I disagree with Dr. Reed on many issues, I do think he has a valid point when he notes that including women in the definition of “minority” in this section would have arguably undesirable consequences. It would put white women – who, due to the racial composition of House districts and the Bylaws, constitute a large number of SDEC seats – in the minority caucus, which was historically designed to insure racial equity. I know most of the proponents of recent Bylaw amendments, and I do not think for an instant that any of them contemplate actions that would make the SDEC unrepresentatively white. But that would be the exact effect of the Shadoin Amendment, in the form in which it was submitted.

When what sounds right is not right (pun intended) 

Just because something sounds like the right thing to do doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Voter ID laws sound like the right thing to do until you look at the motive behind them. The motive behind the so-calleddiversity amendment is to dilute the power of the Alabama Democratic Conference. Links inserted for emphasis.
The Alabama Democratic Conference, formerly known as theBlack Political Caucus of Alabama, was established in 1960. Its leaders were African Americans who wished to encourage all voters, but especially other African Americans, to vote for the democratic candidate, who at the time was John F. Kennedy with vice president Lyndon B. Johnson. The founders of this influential group include Arthur Shores, Rufus Lewis, .Dr. C.G. Gomillion, Q. D. Adams, Isom Clemon, and Beulah Johnson.All of these individuals held respectable positions in their communities and were looked up to by the people, especially by other African Americans.

Bloody Coup Accomplished! The sore losers get a do-over.

Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
EYE say if they want a party that wants blacks to be seen and not heard, let them have at it.

Psst Joe Reed, Nancy Worley, and the SDEC...This open letter is for Y-O-U

Dear Above All,
It's me, RedEye, as you know, EYE am a big supporter of you and your leadership, that's why it really pains me to write this letter.  My Daddy used to tell my siblings and me he would support us 100% if were done wrong, but he wouldn't support us if we were doing wrong.  EYE hate to tell you this, but you are doing Artur Davis wrong.  You can't allow the other traitors/infiltrators  back into the party, then stand in the party door when it comes to him.  You just can't.  

Let Artur Davis slink back in too, but let this be a lesson learned....once they leave don't let them back in.  None of them.  Apply the Radney Rule equally.    As a matter of fact, you might want to re-examine this "big tent" meme too. Stop letting any and everybody under the tent.  In case you haven't noticed the right side of the fence is fighting against the left side of the tent, making the whole damn tent fall down.

I'm glad you aren't falling for the diversity scheme, I mean, meme, but you have to be more careful about some of these democrats whose main purpose is to prevent democrats from living up to their agenda.  Am I talking about a purity test?  No.  I'm talking about a loyalty test.  You are either for the democratic agenda, all of it, or you are against the democratic agenda.  It's that simple.

If we could get the pseudo democrats out of the party we would be OK.  It's time to let the democratic wing of the democratic party take charge.  When all the fingers on the hand work together it forms a mighty fist.

Your friend,
RedEye

From the Files of Stuck on Stoopid in #AmeriBama Tuesday Edition

Fist Dap Frank Matthews

How often does a newspaper fire a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter?

 As nonsensical as it sounds, al.com/The Birmingham News pulled off the unusual feat by ushering reporter Joey Kennedy out the door recently. Veronica Kennedy, Joey's wife, broke the news on her Facebook page and said he received no severance pay, just a final paycheck and notice that his insurance would end on February 28.

Left in Alabama, the Informed. Involved. Progressive. Blog of record, has the nerve to  blame the Alabama Democratic Party, and the Alabama Education Association for the Decline and Fall of the ADP and the AEA,  they enabled. 

In 2010, many Alabama Democratic candidates forgot their base, ran from their party, and failed to run on any issues that mattered to Alabama families.

Eye tried to tell some of Y'all, A party divided will NOT stand.  But did you listen?  Noooo.  That would have been too much like right(pun intended).

What Nancy Worley said all the damn way!

Worley said in a phone interview Monday it was unfortunate that Kennedy decided to resign and “take his toys and go home,” but she feels that people will return to the Alabama Democratic Party as they see the policies of the Republican super majority in the Legislature “taking care of the rich” and how those decisions affect them.
“We’re looking at a golden opportunity in the upcoming election in 2014, because quite frankly the Republicans have so many negative situations they have created for the state that I think people are going to feel the pinch in their pocketbook and they’re going to vote Democratic, like they once did,” she said.

Psst President Obama...please read this letter in preparation for your speech in #Selma on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Dear President Obama,
This letter is in part to let you know that we are proud of you and your leadership. We are proud of the positive images you and your family provide for the nation in general and African Americans in particular.
However, we also write to share serious concerns voiced by many African Americans. We feel that an open letter will stimulate a broader dialogue.

Read On. Read Often.

Re-Post countdown to my being banned from the pages of Left in Alabama in honor of my 5th Blog-O-versery

 

Regular readers know Friday, November 13, 2009 was indeed unlucky for me because it was the beginning of the end of my posting privileges at the  Informed. Involved. Progressive. democratic blog of record,  Left in Alabama,  supposedly because of the content of my comments and other posts.  EYE still think it was because of my non support of a gubernatorial candidate (which EYE ended up being right about). So from now until November 13, 2014,  EYE will re post links to the posts EYE (pun intended) believe led to my being banned from Left in Alabama and let you decide.

Blast from the Past Re-Post #1:  Cynthia Tucker Looks at the Alabama Governors Race

Artur Davis has to walk the fine line in this campaign: convince the big middle of the electorate to judge him on the issues -- he's a fairly moderate reformer with broad appeal -- without turning off voters who may have followed Joe Reed's advice in the past.  He needs to convince those voters to judge him on the issues instead of listening to Reed's advice. 
There's a generational power struggle going on in Alabama that has nothing to do with race.  It's all about whether the current gatekeepers and power brokers in the Democratic party can maintain their hold on the party -- and whether they get to exercise veto power over candidates.  Davis stands largely outside the current party structure and a win for him will signal diminished influence for the folks currently running the show. 
Gatekeepers like Reed and AEA Executive Secretary Paul Hubbert (both of whom are vice-chairs of the state party) probably don't have enough power to deny Davis the nomination outright, but they might have enough power to throw the general election to a Republican.  The November election will be that close and the rift between Davis and Reed appears deep enough that such extreme action is imaginable  -- check the examples of John Tyson or Patricia Todd if you don't believe it.  While denying Davis the governorship because he didn't come, hat in hand, to ask permissions and make deals would probably feel good for a few nanoseconds, it's squarely in the category of "cutting off your nose to spite your face."  The aftermath of such a strategy would certainly bring the Old Guard down in a wave of resentment. 

Be sure and read the comments (please excuse the typos and grammatical errors).

I respect Cynthia Tucker as a a Nobel prize winning journalist and Alabama native, but she doesn't know what she's talking about.  She is playing the old tried and true race baiting card from the bottom of the race deck of cards and saying what white folks say privately but can't say out loud.

RedEye Reports what You decide.

"There is a mean spirit on the loose" Day 12

Fist Dap jobsanger via the Los Angeles Times

"Well there's a certain mean spiritness out there, not only in Alabama but in America and that's what makes this election so important."  Senator  Hank Sanders

Remember those words by Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders in response to CNN Talking TeeVee Pundit Head Anderson Cooper's (and others) accusation of a so called "race baiting robo call" made to democratic voters during the Alabama primary?

Well, can you hear him now? Instead of  DEMOCRATS/LIBERALS/PROGRESSIVES  focusing on WHAT was being said , they joined the MEDIA ENABLED, GOP INFUSED, TEAPUBLICANS, and  focus on WHO was saying it.

"We live in a country where health care is a privilege for the wealthy " Senator Bernie Sanders (I.VT)

Need proof?  Look no further than the Lord of Loud promoting the brazen L-I-E that insurance rates are going up in Alabama, based on State Senator Phil Williams ( republican), State Senator Paul Sandford ( republican), and Representative Mike Ball (republican) whining that their insurance rates are going up, and blaming the Affordable Care Act, because they know their base  hates President Obama more than they love themselves. 

I wonder what part of the Affordable Health Care Act is for those who can't afford health insurance don't Williams, Sandford, and Ball understand?   I wonder when their base is going to wake up and realize the people who can afford, and have access to quality, affordable health care don't want them to have the same?

Thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandated voluntary participation, 22 states have opted out or are leaning close to opting out of the federal government's Medicaid expansion through the ACA. That means if you make more than 100% of the federal poverty level, you can buy your health insurance coverage through the exchange for a significant discount. If not, you're left to the tender mercies of your state's income thresholds for Medicaid eligibility.
In the Great State of Alabama, the Medicaid income threshold for a family of three is $3,221. Per year. Make more than $3,221 but fall short of the $19,530 required to qualify for Obamacare? You're just about as screwed as the folks stuck in the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole".

And what are some (not to be confused with all) Alabama democrats (and I use that term loosely) doing while the republican mean spirit  is on the lose with a vengeance?  They are fighting Joe Reed like he's  a republican, trying to dilute minority participation in the Alabama Democratic Party under the guise of diversity, because everybody wants to be a minority when it's convenient. But here is the kicker from non other than Left in Alabama's countrycat.

Attempts to stifle dissent and open debate.  Worley took pains to lecture the assembly about "criticizing fellow Democrats."  (it's on the video) According to our new leader, we shouldn't be discussing problems with the party on Facebook or other "technology."  Instead, we should gripe to our spouses.  So I guess family harmony is less important than political lockstep.  
Worley also told the SDEC members that they should be helping to promote the party and recruit candidates because they (members) were the best cheerleaders for the party.  Ok.  She said this with a straight face at a meeting where kicking about 40% of current SDEC members off the committee was an amendment pending on the agenda.

What do you suppose those folks who lost their seats would have said about the party?

That's right, one of the persons who kicked my Ebony Donkey  off Left in Alabama because I dared criticize fellow Democrats , did not follow lockstep with them, and wrote about racism and  classicism,  has the nerve to accuse Acting Democratic Chair Nancy Worley of attempts to stifle dissent and open debate.

Long Sigh

Here we go again, It must have been "the tone and tenor" of something I said.

 

First I was banned from the AL.com forum because I opposed George W. Bush's policies, especially the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Then I was banned from Left in Alabama because I didn't support Artur Davis for Governor of Alabama.

 Next I was banned from The Attack Machine for defending the feckless leader of a failed party.  Now I've been "un" friended (yes I know that's not a word)  by a friend on face book and removed from their Yahoo group because I stood up for Dr. Joe Reed and Nancy Worley. Sigh

The funny thing is it's OK for them to attack  Reed and Worley and accuse them of corruption, racism,  bigotry and everything else under the sun, but when I defend or rebut the charges  made against them I'm attacking democrats and being divisive.

There is a lot of misinformation being spread that needs to be cleared up.  The Alabama Democratic Party isn't in debt because Joe Reed is borrowing and spending money like there is no tomorrow.  Most of the debt stemmed from elections before Kennedy’s tenure and from former Gov. Don Siegelman’s failed drive for a state lottery in 1999.

It's not true no one wants to lead the Alabama Democratic Party because they don't want to bow down to Joe Reed.

 Birmingham attorney Ed Gentle had sought the chairmanship, but Worley said Gentle decided not to take the post on a judge’s advice because of his work as a special master in a couple of cases involving politics.

It's not true  donors won't contribute to the ADP as long as Joe Reed is in control with no accountability.

“I can tell you we are broke, but today I’ll remove two of the brokes,” Worley said.
Worley said some donors stepped up "to keep the doors open for the party" and the rent is now paid through June at the party headquarters in Montgomery.
“We are working the bills down as we can get money,” Worley said.
Worley said about half of the party's $500,000 debt dates back to the 1999 lottery referendum when the party spent considerable funds on get out the vote efforts.

I could care less about being banned from the AL.com forum and The Attack Machine because I expect them to close their eyes, ears, and mind, to people who don't agree with them, and you would think I would learn by now real  friends respect each others opinions and treat them as  equals. 

 I've discovered a disturbing pattern in all of this...don't like what I'm saying, ,on't  want to heari it.........shut me out   and maybe I will go away.  If that doesn't work.....  shut you down, or worse. 

I still believe we should test the theory that all will magically be right (pun intended) and white men will flock back to the party, a new generation of leaders will emerge, candidates will run for office, and donors will dig deep into their pockets  if the Alabama Democratic Party got rid of Joe Reed and his bunch.

While the ADP is destroying it's on the Roberts Court is poised to strike down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. I'm going to say as an African American I feel like I'm under attack not only by the republicans, but the democrats too.   Republicans don't want us to vote,  and some democrats (not confused with all) don't want us to have any power.  What to do and where to go?

In any event I'm through with the ADP vs ADM psycho drama and moving on to something important.
Black leaders plan caravan in support of Voting Rights Act.

The National Coalition of Leaders to Save Section 5 announced on Tuesday that Farrakhan would join them for a June 14 caravan and pilgrimage that will stop at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, at the Shelby County courthouse in Columbiana, at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, and conclude with a 4 p.m. event at the state Capitol in Montgomery.

The caravan will start at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama  where four little girls were killed when a bomb exploded during Sunday school class, in the state where their killer died after serving 6 months in prison, and the 85 year old father of one of those girls is serving time in prison convicted of bribery and conspiracy in 2007 for his role in the Jefferson County sewer scandal.

I wouldn't want to see/hear/think about stuff like this either.

RedEye tiptoeing away from the computer to 'Comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable' one blog post at a time.

 

"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).