Who is really being "divisive"?~Edit

In an April 13th speech to the Cullman Democratic Party, Madison County Democratic Chairman Clete Wetli said;

Now, more than ever before, Democrats have to unite with a common message that will resonate with the people of Alabama. In the past, we have let the Republicans dominate the message and, worse, we have allowed politicians who were "Democrats in Name Only" to invent weird mutations that barked a "Blue Dog" mess of confusing and pandering partisan rhetoric. Well folks-- a Republican in a Democrat's clothing is just another Republican, no matter what they call themselves. We will not win elections by trying to be something that is not in our political and philosophical DNA. We will win elections by energizing our base and making sure that real Democrats cast their votes for real deal Democrats.

Now those are some nice words Mr. Wetli, but it's kind of hard for Democrats to unite with a common message with the media enabled Civil War being waged between the white wing and the black wing of the Alabama Democratic Party.  It's even worse when the white wing treats the black wing like  The Help, never an equal.

 Once again we have a one sided news story about the happenings within the  Alabama Democratic Party that paints Alabama Democratic Party Vice Chairman Joe Reed as a self serving  liar "who opposed Barack Obama and who should should step down for the sake of the party before it goes bankrupt", blah, blah, blab, blab.

The same article  paints Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Judge Mark Kennedy as the victim who refuses to bow down to Reeds demands, and as "somebody who sees the future and can begin to build a modern party."

Before we go any further, let's clear up this Joe Reed opposed President Obama misconception for lack of a better word.  In 2008 Hillary Clinton reached out to Joe Reed (before Barack Obama was viewed as a serious contender in the 2008 Presidential race), to be her point man in the area.  Reed wasn't the only high profile democrat who was against Barack Obama before they were for Barack Obama.

 Most of the Alabama Democratic power structure have aligned behind Hillary Clinton. Jim Folsom, Ron Sparks, Susan Parker, Joe Turnham, Joe Reed, Patricia Todd, and many of the party’s leading lights are publicly supporting Hillary. There are many motives behind this support, most of them born out of enduring relationships with the Clintons and/or a pragmatic sense of inevitably that Clinton will be the Democratic nominee and very possibly the next president.

Reed reversed course and urged support for President Obama after he won the Alabama Democratic Primary thanks in large part to the black block vote.

DENVER - Joe Reed, who urged Alabama blacks to support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton because he believed America was not ready to elect a black president, reversed course Thursday.
Reed, leader of the group that largely makes up the black wing of the Democratic Party, told state delegates attending the Democratic National Convention to work hard for Sen. Barack Obama's election in November.
Reed acknowledged what everyone in the room knew.
"I didn't think he was going to make it," said Reed, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference. "And I don't think anybody else did, either."
That comment brought about a dozen delegates out of their seats shouting: "I did, I did, I did."
Reed at first looked a little surprised but quickly recovered.
"All right, all right, some of you had a crystal ball. But my crystal ball was dim," Reed said, smiling.
Reed urged the delegates, when they returned to Alabama, to get involved in voter registration drives that could spell the difference between victory and defeat for Democratic candidates on the ballot, including Obama.

Now that we have that cleared up, let's move on to the perception Joe Reed and his bunch are divisive.  Organizing for America Alabama  director Leanne Townsend said this back in January 2011 at a panel discussion hosted by the Over the Mountain Dems :

  The Democratic Party in Alabama is never going to be stronger until we deal with the issue of race. ... To me the greatest problem with the Democratic Party right now is that we've taken every Democrat in the state of Alabama and divided them into little categories. 

This:

 What I learned ... was that a lot of the white Democrats in North Alabama are not really Democrats at all.  They haven't been, ever.  They're Dixiecrats.  They're leftover Southern Democrats and they were just fine being Democrats until we went and elected a black president.  And now they're not.

And this:

  As a party we need to decide that we're going to get over race before we can expect voters to do that.

Panel Moderator Barry Ragdale piped in with this:

There is the perception that the Democratic Party is the party of black folks and the Republican Party is the party of white folks. 

Jefferson County Democratic Party Executive Chairman Richard Mauk had this to say about Joe Reed at the same forum:

It's going to have long term affects on both organizing and on fundraising.  I have personally been told by very heavy hitters, if you want to call them that, that as long as Dr. Reed is part of the problem, they are not going to contribute money.  We're going to have to find it elsewhere.

So, Dr. Joe Reed, a man who spent most of his life trying to bring people together by fighting for civil rights in this state is the problem? Wow!  I'm beginning to think this reinventing the Alabama Democratic Party is code for "It's time to take our party back."

Here it is: Whenever anyone associated with the Alabama Democratic Party says publicly that Joe Reed and his bunch are the problem and he needs to bow out gracefully, it says to me I'm the problem and you want me to bow out gracefully right along with him.  If he's no longer welcome/needed within the Alabama Democratic Party then neither am I.  If enough people, black and white, decide they're not going to continue to vote for the best of the worse, we should form a third party and say Pox on both the democratic and the republican party.

A party divided will not stand.   Bash and smear Joe Reed all you want.  You aren't hurting him, you are hurting our party.

No "Absence of Malice" in Bama instant replay

I wish Madison County Democratic chairman Clete Welti  had asked somebody ,as the young people say, before he walked into Radio Boy's  Attack Machine.  Somebody should have told him you don't take a knife to a gun fight, or, to just say NO when asked to be a guest on his show. 

Dale likes to say democrats and liberals are afraid to appear on his show, but it's not fear that keeps self respecting democrats away, it's the knowledge they are going to be treated with contempt and  malice.

Evidently Dale has his knickers in a knot because CleteWelti, also a volunteer columnist for al.com., called him out in his introductory column.  So what does Dale do?  He invites Clete to be a guest on his radio show so he can ambush him, then calls him a liar and the feckless leader of a failed party (among other things) on his blog.   2 minutes for Clete, 36 minutes for Dale, all attack all the time, unfair and unbalanced.

AL.com community editor Anthony Cook had this to say in defense of Dale's newest bullet in his resume;

  We live in a society where we can't discuss politics civilly with anyone who disagrees with us. Many of us can't even tolerate hearing an opinion that's different from our own. How pathetically weak we've become as a nation that has at its historical core the good sense to listen to and nurture ideas.

Truer words were never spoken, and if Mr. Cook wants to see an example of this type of discourse all he has to do is click on Dale's blog.  If you can't win the debate, resort to name calling, personal attacks, insults, lies, and moderate the comments.

Some readers expressed such intolerance in the comments section when Dale was announced as a new columnist with al.com, some even declaring they'd cancel their subscriptions to The Times. That would be the equivalent of canceling your cable because one channel broadcasts a show you don't like. I'd only remind you that you don't have to click on any link with Dale's name next to it.

Thanks for the reminder.

 When I look at the political landscape in this country, it's become the norm to see highly intelligent people, supposedly the best among us, acting like spoiled children, who must have their way or else. And even worse, it's not just a matter of their political opponents having a different opinion on issues, but Republicans and Democrats demonize each other, convincing constituents that the reason an opponent disagrees is because he or she is evil and wants to destroy the country. And worst of all, political opponents literally don't respect each other. They don't do lunch, they don't have conversations. Oh, they talk – plenty – but no one listens.

And therein lies the problem. 

Alabama Dems owe Black Alabama Dems an Apology

 
Artur Davis CPAC: Former Congressman Addresses Conservative Conference

 Former Rep. Artur Davis (R-Ala.) addressed the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, touting the accomplishments of the Republican party."Never lose sight of the essential difference between the left and right in this country," Davis said.

The chair of the Madison County Democratic Party wants to know can a 12 step program can fix what ails Alabama,   I want to know can a 12 step program fix what ails the Alabama Democratic Party?

Step 1. Every Democrat who supported former Rep. Artur Davis over former former Rep. Earl Hillard (D Birmingham) needs apologize to voters who live in the 7th Congressional District.

Step 2.  Every Democrat who supported former Rep. Artur Davis over Ron Sparks needs to apologize to every African American, Democrat who tried to tell them Artur Davis was really a republican.

Step 3.  Stop helping  republicans destroy the bridge that will take us safely over the water.

It's no secret Artur Davis ripped his drawers with me a long time ago, or, that I was bashed, banned and ostracized because I wouldn't go along to get along.   Will those of us who tried to tell them Artur Davis was not the second coming of President Barack Obama ever get an apology?

Time will tell the truth.

Stay tuned for steps 4-12.