Democrats’ “Covenant for the Future”
State Democratic leadership toured the state yesterday promoting its “Covenant for the Future.” A good political move on their part it that it pre-empts the state Republicans’ “Contract with Alabama” expected in a week or two. Neither party wants to look like it is saying “Me, too” to the other party’s agenda items. By being first out of the gate, the Democrats will leave that role to the Republicans on items both parties support.
A quick look at a couple of the items:
- Ban transfers of campaign money between political action committees that can obscure a candidate’s true source of money. Outstanding if they are committed to passing it. It has been bottled up in the Senate before, but this has become a hot issue that no one now will admit to being against. I feel the Republicans are likely to come out in favor of this also in their package. Riley has supported it for several years. The pain may come in seeing what creative obstacle can be found to block passage.
- Require lobbyists to disclose all spending on public officials. Now, lobbyists don’t have to report money spent on trips or hospitality for public officials unless spending exceeds $250 a day. Outstanding. More information is good. Alabamians deserve to know whose money is being used to influence the political process.
I would like to look at more of the proposals in the agenda including some worth questioning, but it will have to wait as jury duty beckons.
Read more about it in articles from around the state: The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times, the Press-Register, the Daily Mountain Eagle, and an AP story picked up around the state.
Maybe they’ll do as good as the Republicans did with their Contract With America that got them a majority in Congress. How did that contract go, again?
Comment by Dan — August 16, 2006 @ 9:41 pm
Yeah–uh-huh. The Dems have been in control of the Alabama Legislature for more than 100 years. Why haven’t they passed any of this stuff before now????
And guess what–they won’t pass it next year either!
Comment by Anonymous — August 16, 2006 @ 10:21 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with Anonymous. I don’t want to be cynical, but a lot of the stuff in their so-called “Covenant for the Future” was killed in committees by the liberal Democratic leadership last year without receiving a floor vote. A great example would be the package of bills proposed by Micky Hammon (R - Decatur) to deal with illegal immigration.
All I can figure is that the Dems’ internal polls told them they might just lose the State House unless they co-opt Republican issues. Sorry, I don’t trust the Dems as far as I can throw them.
Comment by The Sandman — August 16, 2006 @ 10:42 pm
Some of this has been said by others here, but this is what I wrote yesterday when I first heard of this propaganda:
The Democrats’ “Covenant for the Future”, in my eyes at least, is the pinnacle of political posturing and pandering. The Dems are trying to “out- right” and “out-religion” the Reps, and get it publicized all across the state before the Reps announce their legislative agenda. Why? Because the next session of the legislature starts several months after the November elections, and the Dems want to still be there when the session starts, AND still be in control of both houses.
This covenant could be interpreted as being an indication that the Dems are scared that may not happen.
After all, the Dems have controlled the legislature for a century, so why have these promised legislative reforms not already been passed? Simply because the few Dems that control the legislative process at the behest of the “Big Mules” with deep pockets who finance their campaigns and keep them in office term after term after term want to maintain business as usual on Goat Hill.
Wishful thinking on my part might be that another reason is that they have been getting pressured by concerned voters to give Alabamians Initiative and Referendum (I&R), and they feel that by offering us these crumbs we will stop clamoring for a seat at the table.
If anyone seriously believes these reforms will be passed and will be REAL reforms instead of just more window dressing, I have a nice piece of swamp-front property in Buck’s Pocket I’d give them a great deal on.
I might believe them if their #1 agenda item was making Alabama the 25th I&R state so that if the legislature doesn’t deliver as touted, the voters of the state will have the tool needed to initiate the necessary legislation that would by-pass both the legislature and the governor and be put on the ballot as a referendum for voters to accept or reject.
We shouldn’t expect that to happen, though. A review of http://www.doctoriq.com/report.htm and the recorded vote on the Budget Isolation Resolution (BIR) on the I&R bill (HB 325) earlier this year reveals the following about the seven legislators who toured four cities yesterday touting the “Covenant for the Future”:
[1] John Knight voted “PASS” on the BIR
[2] Betty Carol Graham didn’t vote on the BIR
[3] Frank “Skippy” White voted against the BIR
[4] Demetrious Newton, who appeared with the seven at one press conference, voted against the BIR
[5] Seth Hammett did not respond when I emailed him asking if he would support I&R
[6] Ken Guin did not respond when I emailed him asking if he would support I&R
[7] Zeb Little did not respond when I emailed him asking if he would support I&R
[8] E. B. McClain did not respond when I emailed him asking if he would support I&R
I think it’s fairly obvious that these esteemed legislators have no real desire to give us Initiative and Referendum, and I thus doubt their sincerity concerning their ballyhooed covenant.
Comment by Don — August 17, 2006 @ 12:42 pm