On Alabama politics


My right wing Christian buddies may be upset with me on this one. That's too bad, because I'm fairly sure I got this one right. No doubt, some friends will ask me to think Moore about it. Not too many will ask me to apply a Phillips head screwdriver.

The Alabama primary is this Tuesday. There are only two races on which I have a strong opinion.

Governor We've got incumbent Bob Riley and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy "10 Commandments" Moore. I cannot support Roy Moore. Here's why:
(1) Roy Moore is a smart man. I heard him speak a couple of years ago for our church's July 4 service. He's very knowledgeable, he knows how cases are argued, he knows his history. Conclusion: he knows what he's doing.
(2) Roy Moore's actions regarding the 10 Commandments monument in the Alabama Statehouse were performed in a fashion that suggests incompetence. He filed briefs after deadlines had passed (consult Dog, the Bounty Hunter on what happens when you miss a court date), his legal arguments were selected to guarantee that he would lose even though many similar monuments have been upheld as constitutional.
(3) Items 1 and 2 above are inconsistent. I conclude that, whatever Judge Moore's goals were during those legal wranglings, winning was not one of them.
And that means that I can't trust the man.

Ironically, the current Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Drayton Nabors, spoke to our home school graduation lately. He concluded his presentation on character with a story of Robert E. Lee who, shortly before his death, prayed for a young boy and then instructed the boy's mother to "teach him to deny himself." Those words continue to echo in my mind.

Anyway, Bob Riley, the incumbent, is my selection for Governor.

Representative We've got incumbent Mike Hubbard and challenger Jim Phillips. There's a whole lot of mud slinging going on. Jim Phillips, a former investigator for Orin Hatch, bases his entire campaign on the fact the Mike Hubbard got the radio broadcast contract from Auburn University. Ok, something seems a bit amiss there. However, that's the only issue Jim Phillips has raised. No proposals, no ideas.

He filed an ethics complaint against Rep Hubbard, but it came in after the deadline. (see above discussion of Roy Moore). His background as an investigator leads me to ask "What did Phillips know and when did he know it?" Why did he file the ethics complaint when he did? He's had to have been planning to run for Congress for some time, and so should have had this issue well in advance. On the other hand, if this is a quick decision to run just tohassle Hubbard, then he's running for dishonorable reasons. I don't know why he's running, but the sole campaign issue he has is to unseat Mike Hubbard. "Never hand someone a gun unless you know where he's going to point it." (Babylon 5). He's not informed us what his agenda will be, therefore he doesn't get my vote.

Our local newspaper observes that Hubbard has done a good job on a suite of issues. Our local newspaper is most certainly not pro-Republican, so if Hubbard gets the nod, that's testament to his service and success. Mike Hubbard is my choice for U. S. Representative.

Posted: Sun - June 4, 2006 at 03:05 PM           | |

©