Posted by An observation: Most people with strong feelings on whether Don Siegelman’s prosecution was politically motivated, on either side, believe they are motivated by a desire for justice. Most of those people believe that those who disagree with them are motivated by partisanship over justice.
U.S. Rep. Artur Davis has been close to Bill Canary and the Business Council of Alabama. Some Republicans even thought Davis, a Democrat, was a welcome change to his predecessor, Democrat Earl Hilliard. There are those in the business community who opened doors for Davis, hosted fundraisers in their homes, introduced him to hard-to-reach corners of support, and gave him wider credibility as a potential statewide candidate.
His now very public buy-in on Siegelman’s political prosecution is pushing away these supporters who were somewhat unlikely in the first place. Improbable supporters who saw a statesman are becoming detractors who see a partisan.
Artur Davis’ considerable core support no doubt remains strong. He may have even improved his chances to win the Democratic nomination for governor, if that is his aim, but at the same time he is lopping off some of the broad support that could have aided his campaign in the general election. The Parlor is hearing that Governor Bob Riley’s hard comments in The Birmingham News today are in line with feelings people in the business community have expressed for weeks now.
The Parlor assumes Davis is acting on heartfelt conviction. Whether he should be hailed as a champion of justice or just a Pelosi partisan lies in the eye of the beholder. But the consequence for Davis is that some unlikely support that could have helped him move beyond his district’s safe seat may be committed to making sure that he stays there.
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Davis is partisan from the word go – no one should think otherwise.
Ask Redding Pitt or someone else in the US Attorney’s office how Leura Canary help Davis. She went out of her way as did Bill Canary to help him, encourage him and support him. Politics and ego bring out the worst in people.
I’m glad to see Artur taking a controversial stand on something. Considering he came from nowhere to win the Congressional seat, he had to cut a lot of deals to get there. He’s been seen by some as a puppet with a statesman-like facade. Maybe now Davis is trying to stand on his own two feet. I just hope the ones that made him won’t break him down as well.
Charles Nailen’s financial support of Artur Davis may have doomed his proposed congressional run in the 2nd district before it even began.
Danny – I found this highly interesting in a “Columbo” kind of way (a strange loose end that does not add up with what is being presented):
Have you ever been on a conference call that lasted only ELEVEN MINUTES? That argues more strongly against Ms. Simpson’s credibilty than anything I have seen so far . . .do you think that maybe that little piece of evidence does more damge than good to Siegelman . . .what do you think? Good or bad from an evidentiary standpoint?
There’s absolutely no evidence she even spoke with anyone during those 11 minutes.
Don Siegelman had strong business support in his 1998 run for governor. Look where it landed him. We all know that politics make strange bedfellows. That said, I find it very interesting that Riley would elevate this dispute (or sink to its level) by commenting on the Congressional hearing and personally attacking Artur Davis. Maybe he’s feeling the heat? Or maybe he wants to draw attention to the fact that the leading in-state crusader for Siegelman is a representative from the SEVENTH DISTRICT?
So what is the basic complaint here? That the business community bought Artur Davis and now he’s not toeing their line?
Shouldn’t a politician speak from “heartfelt conviction” as you say you assume Rep. Davis is doing? If he is, then why would it matter if he loses business support. If that is the case them, “Let justice be done, tho the heavens fall.”
Artur Davis should be commended for taking a strong stand on the Siegelman case. I think in the long run this will help him politically because he is standing up for what he believes is right . . . and he will very likely be proven correct if the investigation continues. While there are many in the business community who do not like Siegelman, most will admit in private that the crime he was convicted of is absurd. Richard Scrushy served on the CON board under Hunt, Folsom, and Fob James, and he clearly abstained from votes concerning HealthSouth. Not many can claim with a straight face that Siegelman’s prosecution was not driven by politics. That said, most people also agree and recognize that there was real corruption under Siegelman’s leadership. I think what Artur Davis recognizes, and what the majority of people Alabama recognize, is that Siegelman made some bad decisions as Governor, but is not a personally corrupt person. He is the victim of an overzealous Justice Department who aggressively went after Democrats. He also was unfortunately got lumped with Richard Scrushy (another strategic move by the prosecutors), who many do feel is personally corrupt. Artur Davis stood up and said what many have felt for months concerning the Siegeman case but have been too timid to stick their neck out. Democrats will certainly reward him. And I don’t think business in the long run will punish him (some business leaders might even gain more respect for him. Most business leaders in the state do prefer Bob Riley to Don Siegelman. However, they also recognize that Siegelman did a lot for business while he was Governor, and they do not believe he lived a personally corrupt life, as Republican leaders and some prosecutors like to promote. A Republican real estate developer recently said to me, “I have known Don Siegelman for 20 years. And while he might be a political animal . . . he is the farthest thing from corrupt.” It is a tragedy that a good man like Don Siegelman know sits in jail. And Artur Davis will do nothing but help himself by standing up for what is right. I think, in the end, the 11th Circuit will reverse the decision, and Artur Davis will be viewed by the majority as being on the right side of this issue.
So now the white folks are after Artur? How odd because he is one of their favorite sons. Malcolm X or El Hajj Malik Shabazz referred to this kind of behavior the chickens coming home roost.
this is not about bca and davis. this is about him making a fool of himself and losing his character in an effort to further a partisan cause. he knows what he is saying is false and he doesn’t care as long as it scores points with certain democrats. pathetic.
Hey mooncat,
Here’s the complaint: “Improbable supporters who saw a statesman are becoming detractors who see a partisan.” Anyway, I think Artur is pandering to the national Democrats. Maybe he hopes Hillary will give him the nod for VP. (Ok so that’s a bit far-fetched, but not as crazy and Dana Jill’s ever evolving and growing stories.)
“One quick question” in #5, that’s funny. I don’t know the answer. Makes me think of the get-it-done folks who have work meetings with no chairs so people have to stand and will finish the meeting quicker. I would agree that it sounds unusually short but I don’t know that it’s impossibly short. Especially if it was more of a quick check-in meeting, along the lines of ‘do folks have what they need to do their jobs?’
Mooncat, I intended no complaint in the post (and perhaps that’s not what you meant). Simply an observation. And Talmadge, I wasn’t saying Davis should not do what he did (or that he should), but was pointing out that this was not occuring in a vacuum.
The initial comment is interesting. But it seems to miss the fact that the lead the accusation that the Justice Department has brought political prosecutions has been taken by Republicans, including Thornburgh, McKay, Iglesias and Simpson. We are also about to hear from two very prominent Republican attorneys-general who have concluded the same thing; both cite the Siegelman case as the most obvious example so far of politically corrupt prosecutions. In sum, I think there is only one side that really has the interests of justice on its side and really believes that, it has no shortage of people from both parties. And then there is the other side, which consists of the same bloc of people who believe we invaded Iraq for WMDs… and found them.
But the consequence for Davis is that some unlikely support that could have helped him move beyond his district’s safe seat may be committed to making sure that he stays there.
This statement from the preceeding post it a prime example of why we need campaign finance reform which includes public financing.
Look..a little info about mooncat.. She’s drank the Cool Aid…BIG TIME! ..major partisan. This from the same person who supports a small claims court judge for Supreme Court.