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Justin Saia is leaving the Ron Sparks for Governor campaign where he had served as campaign manager since the beginning of August, a source close to the campaign has indicated to the Parlor. (The Sparks campaign has not returned a call for official comment.)
Saia and Sparks did not look to be on the same page last week when Sparks appeared to be flirting with the idea of moving into the AL-05 Congressional race. Was that a symptom of a problem that led to this week’s change? Or was it perhaps an indication that a decision to make a change had already been made?
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If there is a way this campaign can become a bigger mess, I’m not aware of it.
This looks like spokesman knew his boss too well and spoke, based on that knowledge that sparks would def be interested in congress or any government gig, without speaking to boss. Boss, while agreeing with spokeman decision, looked stupid and needed an out, therefore fired spokesman.
Anyone want to give odds on if we see an AEA/Dem-Party “insider” running the campaign next?
Sparks leapfrogged Justin Saia clear over a couple of levels of political campaign operative when he hired him as campaign manager — why should he be surprised if this young man had some rough edges?
There’s no question Ron Sparks spoke to an AP reporter about Griffith’s seat and left himself some running room for an AL-05 bid. Either that, or the reporter just made up stuff to print, which I doubt. Then the campaign tweeted Sparks was “considering all options” and apparently put it on Facebook as well. Now, I understand that most candidates don’t actually do their own tweeting, but in a well run organization there ought to be some degree of oversight or agreement as to what message comes out of the campaign. And if there isn’t, that reflects directly on the management skills of the candidate.
On the one hand, it’s healthy for candidates to realize when they have a problem and be willing to make changes to correct it, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the people being let go are people hired as the best and brightest for their jobs just a few months ago. Not a good thing.
To Kristopher:
I look for definite “old guard” to step in, if not actual AEA/insider. Sparks has tried the smart, high-tech, young politico, now he will go for the good old boy.
A party insider? From what I hear the Alabama State party is helping him all they can. When Artur is the nominee I hope he ask Turnham & Spearman to resign and get some real leadership over there.
One only need to see the contributions to date by AEA to Sparks to know who they are backing.
Tool
The Ship continues to sink!
i kinda hate to see justin walk the plank. i’ve been involved in politics for a long time, one way or another, and he’s the first campaign manager i’ve ever seen quote himself, in quotes, in a press release he put out under his own name. that’s one for the record books.
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Nope,
Ronnie is a ladies man you know! Has some the same habits as his buddy Lowell!
Nope, that wasn’t funny the first time — or even remotely appropriate for a political discussion.
Kathy, please spare us your high-minded talk. The new decade is one of political discourse through incessant teasing; and people like you can’t stand it be if for age or some other demographic. That demographic is just one reason you don’t watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report or E! or anything other than Leno, which is now at an earlier time.
Glenn Beck, for all his crying, is VERY entertaining. If you can’t see the lampooning in his radio show or on his TV show, please take a deeper look than what your Tea Party instincts tell you.
Sadly, Saia, for all his faults and premature pontification is still a good guy but was always the fall guy for Matrix. They’ll find someone to take his place with no problem.
Brian, your comment makes no sense and betrays a complete lack of knowledge about me or my “demographic”. The comment to which I was referring has been removed. There is a difference between “incessant teasing” and vulgar sexual references that have nothing to do with the subject at hand. Danny keeps a clean house here, in case you haven’t noticed. And if you think I have “Tea Party instincts”, you are sadly confused.
I was waiting to see how you were going to respond to the “Tea Party” comment Kathy…LOL
Yeah, Kristopher, that one was really off the mark. :)
I tend to be an iconoclast. And yes, the reference was vulgar, Doc’s is clean and, considering most people haven’t seen the movie SuperTroopers (watch it if you want a burning urge to go to the nearest church service and ask for forgiveness) I doubt most readers even get the joke.
All in all, I tend to do what the State GOP does to those with whom I disagree, lump them together and just “see red”. Since you are not a Tea Partier, I guess I will have to have a more nuanced response to your comments in the future.
I’m not red either, Brian. Decidedly blue.
Brian’s getting quite a lesson in what happens when you ASSUME…