The Alabama State Democratic Party is politically, morally, and financially bankrupt. Blame "Joe Reed and his bunch"

 

Once again we have a one sided news article about goings on within the Alabama Democratic Party, basically blaming Vice Chairman Joe Reed because  The Alabama Democratic Party is almost bankrupt, facing a looming debt of nearly a half-million dollars and having less than $20,000 of total cash in hand.

Shortly after becoming chairman, Kennedy was able to convince one of the three banks owed most of the money -- $276,000 -- to put the loan into forbearance. A second bank agreed that the party could make payments on the interest owed, not the principal and a third bank, owed only about $18,000, is being repaid."Those agreements gave us breathing room," said Kennedy.                                                     
But Kennedy's efforts to financially stabilize the party have been dealt a major blow by a majority on the party's Executive Board. The board in meetings in February and March voted to order Kennedy to undo the agreements he had worked out with the banks, an order that would, Kennedy said, effectively bankrupt the party in a short amount of time.  The board acted at the urging of Democratic Party Vice Chairman Joe Reed, who for years has been one of the party's major players.

Kennedy's efforts to financially stabilize the party weren't dealt a major blow by a majority on the party's Executive Board, they were dealt a blow when the Red Republican Super majority passed legislation that banned PAC-to-PAC transfers, and in so doing effectively financially crippled the Democrats but not the GOP. But here is the kicker, the Red Republican Super Majority was  enabled by some (not to confused with all)  cough cough  democrats.

A review of party financial records shows it owes three banks almost $489,000 stemming from loans given over the years that have allowed the party to stay afloat. The loans, along with dollars given to the party from political action committee transfers, particularly the Alabama Education Association, have been the life blood of the party, said state Chairman Mark Kennedy.
But a newly elected Republican Party super majority in late 2010 passed legislation that banned PAC-to-PAC transfers and in so doing effectively dried up new dollars coming into the party, said Kennedy. For decades the ability of PAC's to transfer dollars between themselves made it difficult to determine where political contributions originated and ended. It was a practice supporters of both political parties used and it was a practice long seen as a corrupting influence on state politics because it often allowed the source of dollars into political campaigns to stay hidden.
"The reforms the Republicans passed in 2010, whether you think they were good or not, what they did was effectively cut off our dollars from PAC's," said Kennedy.

So, how does that ethics reform and pac to pac transfer ban thingy working out for you now?  The Black wing of the Alabama Democratic Party (ADC), under the leadership of Joe Reed challenged the pac-to pac transfer ban.

MONTGOMERY — A black political organization has filed a lawsuit challenging a new state law that bans the transfer of campaign contributions between political action committees, even though blacks in the House and Senate voted for the legislation.
The lawsuit by the Alabama Democratic Conference, the black wing of the state Democratic Party, was filed earlier this month in federal court in Birmingham. It says the ban on PAC-to-PAC transfers violates the ADC’s free speech rights and hurts its efforts to get black voters to the polls. ADC chairman Joe Reed says the ban restricts the Democratic Party’s ability to transfer money to the ADC’s efforts to get out the vote in black communities.
“It has the effect of undermining the black vote. It’s directly tied to the role the Democratic Conference has played in the political process,” Reed said.

Can you hear him now? Note, the Alabama Democratic Conference not the Alabama Democratic Party filed the suit which a federal judge overturned part of.

a federal judge late Wednesday ruled that the Alabama Democratic Conference can continue to accept money from outside political groups for get-out-the-vote campaigns and other voter education programs despite last year's ban by the state Legislature on PAC-to-PAC money transfers.

So here we (The Alabama Democratic Party) are, on the verge of bankruptcy politically, morally and financially.

"Unlike the Republicans, we just as a party have not developed the kind of broad donor base a modern political party needs and the Republicans have," said Kennedy. "Since becoming chairman in 2011 one of my primary goals has been to begin to bring financial stability back to the party and begin the kind of outreach to potential donors that will allow us to not only be stable financially but to grow the party in communities across this state."

It's unfortunate, but potential donors will not donate as long as Joe Reed and his bunch have a seat at the table.

Kennedy has my support as long as he's opposed to Reed. Reed is the problem and as long as he's there, white Democrats in Alabama will continue to be on the endangered list. What Reed doesn't realize is that the money that used to come to the party is drying up and there is no budget for useless staffers any more.  yellerdog

And so what are the lessons here?

African-Americans are vital to the election process of this great nation. This vibrant and resilient community has suffered disenfranchisement on numerous levels throughout the 400 years since our ancestors first arrived on the shores of the new world. For too long our story has been written with a dialogue that is entrenched in the language of doubt and struggle. But we are now writing a new story.
The Alabama Primary showed that we are voters who count. We are not simply concerned, but we are aware. And we will not suffer fools or foes, regardless of race, not even our own. Artur Davis’ loss proves that ignoring African-American voters is the best way to lose an election.

Democrats don't want us and republicans won't have us.  What to do and where to go?  

 Efforts to reach Reed for comment were not successful.