B-But They Looked So Happy Together....#SweetHomeAlabama #Hypocrisy

Governor Robert Bentley and First Lady Dianne Bentley watch the Inauguration Parade in Montgomery, Ala. on Monday January 19, 2015. , Mickey Welsh / Advertiser

Don't get me wrong, EYE am not gloating because a 50 year marriage is ending, EYE am gloating at the exposure of the rank hypocrisy of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, soon to be ex First Lady Dianne Bentley, and the Alabama media  who enabled them to lie to the citizens of Alabama.

According to a Facebook post by Donald Watkins, the warm, fuzzy, hand holding, and smiles in Montgomery, AL  on Jan. 19, 2015 were as phony as a three dollar bill.  EYE blame Dianne Bentley for enabling this charade too.  She should have informed the voters Bentley was a Bible thumping, cheater before the election. 

The First Lady was prepared to end the marriage last Fall after she discovered the Governor's extramarital affair. The Governor convinced her to wait until after the November general election before filing her divorce complaint. The Governor won his race by a landslide. The couple then separated in January.

The Governor spent the New Year's holidays in New Orleans with his paramour. They basked together in the warm glow of their professed love for each other. The First Lady spent her holidays in Alabama.

Let the Alabama Media Group tell it, the only clouds on an otherwise perfect day were A small group of protesters affiliated with Birthplace for Justice 

The group sang "We Shall Overcome," chanted "black lives matter," and then turned their back on Bentley as he spoke.
A person associated with the group said protesters were upset the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade was cancelled in favor of the inauguration parade.
"We protested today because in addition to it being the inauguration, it's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day," said member Michael Eric Grant in a statement. "We're fighting to keep his dream of unity and justice alive. We hope that Gov. Bentley will carry out his oath to office with a similar commitment."

So, for the past three years the republican Governor of Alabama has been having an affair with an unnamed (so far) reportedly younger paramour  right under our noses and not a peep in the press.   EYE wonder why?  Snark

Mainstream media organizations are afraid to report the details of Governor Bentley's secret love affair. Such reporting will likely cost the print media corporate advertising dollars and sponsorships, as well as revenues derived from legal notices published by the state of Alabama. It is well known that Bentley is mean-spirited, reckless, and vindictive. He is known to retaliate against individuals and entities that do not support this love affair. Additionally, they have a conflict of interest because nearly all of them endorsed Bentley's bid for reelection last November.

If Robert Bentley had been a democrat the media would have been on this like white on rice.  EYE sure do miss the good old days when the media prevented candidates and elected officials from lying to we the people, instead of enabling them. 

If Mrs. Bentley can be remembered for one thing as First Lady, she hopes that the people of Alabama will remember her stand for Christ. After all, the Bentleys feel that they have been called “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) and always strive to remain in God’s will.

Un Huh. 

When what sounds right, is not right (pun intended)

RedEye, at some point I need for you to explain to me exactly why the AL Dem Party should not adopt the NDP definition of "minority" -- including Democratic National Committee’s definition of minorities, including Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, youth and women. It sounds like the right thing to do, to me.

I received the above text message from a friend, as I started to reply I realized my response was too complicated for a text, and others might have the same question.  Before I type another word let me make it crystal clear I know beyond a shadow of a doubt the author of the above text is a good and decent human being who believes in doing what's right and good.

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-called diversity amendment is to dilute the power of the Alabama Democratic Conference.  Links inserted for emphasis.

The Alabama Democratic Conference, formerly known as the Black 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.

The late Rev. Jack Zylman offers this history of the Alabama Democratic Party as someone who witnessed the overt racism of a political party that refused to accept blacks as members. Links inserted for emphasis.

Back in 1966, after an election in which, having won voting rights after the
1965 Selma to Montgomery March, in which I lost two dear friend, Rev JimReeb and Viola Liuzzo, blacks rushed to register to vote and to run for office, most considered themselves to be Democrats . Gov Wallace (a democrat) refused to allow them to run for office as Democrats. To combat the continuing absolute racism of the Alabama Democratic Party, some of us created another Democratic Party, the National Democratic Party of Alabama (NDPA), went through a difficult struggle, and elected the first blacks to office in Alabama as Democrats! But the ADP fought as a fully segregated party for almost 10 years as the NDPA came to hold over 100 elected offices,more than any other state!!! Then and only then did the ADP want us, and we forgivingly moved into the ADP. But of course its leadership remained fully racist and we have been struggling to change that ever since. But racists continued to run for and hold office as Democrats. It never fully changed. That makes it clear why people are still very suspicious of attitudes in the ADP.

Every ounce of "power and influence" held by the Alabama Democratic Conference is the result of blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice.  It's not something that was given willingly, nor is it something we will relinquish without a fight. I firmly believe this is about diluting the power and influence of African Americans within the ADP because there is the perception the party caters to black voters but ignores white voters.

“The goal of the amendment is to bring representation of Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Youth and others onto the State Executive Committee.  My amendment was designed to help engage all Alabamians in our party, and to ensure everyone a voice.”

Allow me to illustrate how the power and influence of African Americans will be diluted using a pot of beans as an example:

First, we have 6 kinds of beans/peas and each is assigned an equal number and a group;

Black Beans= 15 African American men/women/LBGT
Lima Beans=  15 LBGT
Navy Beans= 15 Hispanic Caucus
Red Kidney Beans= 15 Alabama Federation of Democratic Women
Great Northern Beans=  15 Young Dems
Green Peas= 15 Asian/Native Americans

When you put all the beans in the pot and mix them up what happens to the Black Beans?

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.

The election of State Representative Patrica Todd is the perfect example of the effects of diluting the black block vote. Per Attorney Jerome Gray:

In 2000, the district was drawn with a 63 percent black majority. In the years since, gentrification has shrunk that proportion, and some estimate the current black population at about 50 percent. In his letter endorsing Hendricks, [Joe] Reed warned black community leaders that if they elected a white candidate, the district could be redrawn without a black majority.
“If a district became a Republican district, Republicans would fight like the dickens to keep the district Republican,” said Jerome Gray, field Director for the ADC. “The same is true if a district is majority black. Black activists and black leaders are going to fight for the dickens to keep it majority black.”
While some have attacked the ADC’s stance as reverse racism, Gray said that white Democrats simply will not spearhead the same issues as their black counterparts. He gave the restoration of felony voting rights as an example.

I hope this explains why including the Democratic National Committee’s definition of minorities, including Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, youth and women is the wrong thing to do.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Mark Kennedy resigns as ADP chair and announces the formation of the anti "Joe Reed and his bunch group"

Oops, I mean the formation of the Democratic Majority. :)  So, Judge Mark Kennedy basically gave the same speech to the Democratic Majority he gave to the Alabama Democratic Party two years ago.  I hope he has a different result with his "new organization" , because you know what they say about doing the same thing over and over again.  Since he won't have Joe Reed and his bunch to obstruct him at every turn,  he's leaving the ADP millions of dollars in debt,  raided most of the  ADP staff and opened field office in Birmingham,  he shouldn't have a problem turning the ADP into his uncle's ADP.

You can think what you want, but If you have any doubt Kennedy took his toys and went home because of Joe Reed and his bunch look no farther than this statement by Madison County Democratic Chair Clete Wetli.

"Part of the issue is just the way Joe Reed has operated and some of the decisions he has made, especially recently, it kind of promotes a divisive sort of politics that most Democrats are not interested in," Wetli said. "What we're interested in doing is fixing the economy in Alabama, ensuring public education is where it needs to be, making sure we promote a message of real equality and real inclusion.

Now why wouldn't Joe Reed be interested in fixing the economy in Alabama, ensuring every child has access to a public education, and making sure we promote a message of real equality and real inclusion?  It's not like that's what he's fought for all his life.

"If you look back, unfortunately, over the past decade of how Joe Reed has operated in Montgomery, that certainly hasn't been the message he put out there. I think Judge Kennedy did his absolute best to try to change things from within. When that became impossible, he decided to do something different."

So let's look at what things Judge Kennedy did his absolute best to try to change from within and how Joe Reed obstructed, I mean operated in Montgomery.  As John Archibald says,  It's all about the Racism. Intolerance. Prejudice.  of Joe Reed and his bunch.

And none of this would have happened if not for the blatant politics of race. It would not have been necessary – let's be real – without Nikki Still.
You remember Still? She was a candidate for a Jefferson County judgeship who finished second in her party primary. When the first place finisher was disqualified, the Alabama Democratic Executive Committee met and ...
The rest is disturbing history.
The committee – controlled in large part by Joe Reed, the powerful lightning-rod leader of the black wing of the party -- refused to appoint Still to the judgeship because she is white. Really.
They chose a black woman candidate – one who did not even run in the primary – because the first-place finisher was a black woman.
It was a powerful message of racial politics, from the party that claims to have a big umbrella.
Of course, the split wouldn't have happened without Patricia Todd, either. Todd is a white woman from Birmingham, the first openly gay member of the Alabama Legislature and a representative who has gained grudging respect from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Reed tried – and failed – to have Todd kicked out of office.
Because, as he saw it, a white woman had no business representing a majority black district. Even if it was the majority black district that elected her.

Let's debunk the Nikki Still misinformation first.

It continues to be a source of consternation to the Alabama, white power structure they keep being outsmarted by the State Democratic Executive Committee led by their arch enemy Dr. Joe L. Reed.
Just like Andrew Breitbart took a snippet of Shirley Sherrods' speech to the NAACP out of context to illustrate so called "black racism", The Big Mules, aided and abetted by some white democrats, accuse the SDEC of blatant racism because they didn't select the white women who lost the election to replace the black woman who won the election, after she was removed from the ballot.

Marshall, who is black, had her law license suspended, and that caused her to be removed as the Democratic Party nominee for a Jefferson County judgeship. That led the Alabama Democratic Executive Committee (ADEC) to replace Marshall with Elisabeth French, who is black, instead of Nicole Gordon Still, who is white and was runner up to Marshall in the primary election.

Legal Schnauzer breaks it down.

Alabama's mainstream press has tended to portray ADEC's decision as based on race. French is black and Still is white--and the nomination came open when Kenya Lavender Marshall, who is black and won the Democratic primary, had her law license suspended over allegations from the Alabama State Bar that she had misappropriated some $30,000 from a client account.
But this is not the first time recently that Alabama Democrats have rejected a candidate who seemed too cozy with the state's elites. Just a few weeks back, Artur Davis was beaten soundly in the party's primary for governor. Davis, who is black, had sought support from the Business Council of Alabama and other corporate types. Still had been appointed to the judicial seat last June by GOP Governor Bob Riley, and we suspect that helped sink her chances with the Democratic committee.

 Thanks to the folks at Left in Alabama, we can see for ourselves. Here is a video from the event, with Reed's comments starting at about the 2:10 mark. Elisabeth French speaks at about 4:50, and a clearly agitated Nichole Gordon Still speaks at about 6:08.

As for the Patrica Todd affair, her opponent, Gaynell Hendricks mother in law, Mattie Childress contested the election on these grounds:

 In a document filed on July 27, Ms. Childress accused Jefferson County election officials of “malconduct which occurred [that] was calculated to prevent a fair, free and full exercise of the elective franchise”. She claimed that Patricia received “illegal” votes and that vote totals were changed without notification to Ms. Hendricks. 

It is true Patrica Todd is a white woman represented a majority black district.  It is true Joe Reed opposed her election as he should have.  Attorney Jerome Grey explains why:

In 2000, the district was drawn with a 63 percent black majority. In the years since, gentrification has shrunk that proportion, and some estimate the current black population at about 50 percent. In his letter endorsing Hendricks, [Joe] Reed warned black community leaders that if they elected a white candidate, the district could be redrawn without a black majority.

It was NEVER about Todd or her sexual orientation, it was about the district and the real possibility a the district lines would be redrawn to the exclusion of African American representation.  Yes,the same African American representation mean, evil, old Joe Reed fought and sacrificed for.

Joe Reed is known as a “fighter for fairness” for black representation. In 1975, Joe Reed led the efforts to get equitable representation for blacks on the Montgomery City Council. His efforts resulted in four (4) blacks of nine (9) being elected. He served on the Montgomery City Council for 24 years. In the Democratic Party today, Alabama’s black representation exceeds all other states in the nation. For over 40 years he has led the effort to get more blacks elected and appointed to public office, including federal marshals, federal and state judges, members of the boards of registrars, legislators, county commissioners, city councils, and school boards. Due largely to his leadership, today Alabama has more black elected officials than any state in the nation. He drafted two (2) plans that increased black representation in the Alabama House of Representatives from 13 to 27; and in the Senate from 3 to 8 in 1982, and 1992, respectively. He also drew a reapportionment plan that provided for 25% (two of eight) majority black districts on the State Board of Education. Alabama is the only state in the nation where the Legislature reflects the state’s population of blacks and whites. Dr. Reed’s congressional plan also led to Alabama’s gaining a black congressional seat.

And let me clear something else up while I'm on a roll.  Black folks aren't stupid.  We don't sit around and wait on Joe Reed to tell us what to do and when to do it. We don't sit around and wait on Joe Reed to give us advice.  We don't hate Joe Reed.  We admire Joe Reed.  We are grateful to Joe Reed for his SERVICE and his accomplishments.... because without Joe Reed there would be no Congressman Artur Davis (DINO).

No one will be able lead the Alabama Democratic Party until it becomes less about race and more about ideology.Until that happens, Alabama will never be a two-party state.~ John Archibald

Why is mooncat defending Patricia Todd?

Alabama’s first out lawmaker speaks at a re-election campaign event

You know something is rotten in the cotton when right wing  blogger  Radio Boy  is in agreement with left leaning blogger mooncat on an issue involving the democratic party, dog whistles, and race.

Let's go inside the story and see what is going on between the Committee to Develop Birmingham and Rep. Patrica Todd (D). 

First some background,  The Committee to Develop Birmingham is majority black, Rep.Patrica Todd is white, the first openly gay Alabama State Legislator, representing a district that is majority black.

How did a white, openly gay woman end up representing a majority black district?  The answer depends on who you ask, and,  who answers.

Here is a link to the documents filed in the case.

In a dispute/disagreement over a proposed take over by Alabama State Department of Education of the Birmingham City School System, Todd who supports the take over, described those who disagreed as rogue delegation members."    Well how dare they get offended by being described as "rogues"!  Snark

This is what happens when you resort to name calling, personal attacks and insults  because someone has a different point of view, and why the current  tone of our political discourse is so toxic.  Rep. Todd apologized and said she didn't mean to offend anyone, but as a member of a minority class she should know better than anyone that words matter, and some words hurt.

mooncat asks; What is the committee's game here?  Trying to stir up trouble for Pat Todd maybe?  Create an opening for a challenger of their own?

Why does it have to a game, 
What if the committee does have a challenger of their own?

I don't live in Todd's district, but I have friends and family who do, and there is the perception   she cares more about issues affecting the LBGT community, and ignores issues affecting the African American community.

Let the people who actually live/work in the district decided who best represents them.  If Todd is faced with a challenger for her seat, and a  majority of the people vote for her in a fair and free election, she will be re-elected.  But please don't say  voters don't have the right (pun intended) to challenge her just because she's Patricia Todd (D) implying she is entitled the seat.

Today's Must Reads
Terri Sewell's Online Un-Job Fair (Be sure and read the comments)

Where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character 

Updated: Blatant show of White Privilege hiding behind the skirts of the JeffCo New South Coalition