Posted by In Bradley Byrne’s new TV spot the Republican candidate for governor assures viewers, “I have signed a written pledge that I will not raise taxes.”
This ad looks like an effort to hammer the “I won’t raise taxes” theme particularly for the sake of his detractors who don’t want Byrne to live down his support of Bob Riley’s Amendment One tax proposal in 2003. Alabama is the state with the lowest state and local taxes collected per person, according to a review of U.S. Census Bureau reports on the 2007 fiscal year.
Byrne’s record – fighting for record tax increases.
Byrne’s mouth – no new taxes (while running in Republican primary for governor)
Who to believe? I believe history teaches us the record is more reliable than the short term mouth.
Bradley should have signed this pledge:
I..Will…Not..Talk…With…Awkward..Pauses..For ..Fake…Emphasis
or
I..Will…Not..Raise..Taxes..Unless..You..Make..The..Mistake..Of..Electing..Me!
Byrne A Proven Conservative?? What a joke!!..Byrne is a RINO!!!Alabama can’t afford to get BYRNED!!..
Byrnevoted4CLINTON, Mike, princeliberty:
Are you dismissing Byrne’s work as Chancellor of the four year system. Reduced wasteful spending, cleaned up corruption, fought AEA, etc. Seemed to be a fairly conservative stint.
Maybe I’m missing something. Who’s the better candidate on the GOP side?
*Byrnevoted4CLINTON: Nice play on words by the way – byrned. Very original.
Actions speak louder than words. Byrne cannot get past this, just like James & Folsom cannot get past being intellectual lightweights (read: dumb). Accept it and walk around it — do not bring up your weaknesses.
Only caught part of Byrne on Finebaum yesterday. Did Bryne try to explain his contributions to Democrats like Clinton or his contributions from AEA after he decided he couldn’t get elected as a liberal Democrat?
Ben – the best man in the race is Dr. Bentley, Democrat or Republican. But Byrne can probably buy the election anyway.
Actually, I think he said that he was a Democrat 18 years ago. He is pro-life, pro-family, pro-gun, anti-tax, pro-small government, etc…
Who exactly do you think is more conservative and on what record are THEY standing on?
Bentley has been an AEA lackey since his first day in the Legislature. Says he votes with them when they are right. When exactly is that?
The head of AEA is the head of the Democratic party. The 2nd in command is the 2nd in command at the Democratic party.
Why are against a candidate that used to be a Democrat, but for a candidate that is currently voting with the Democrats and accepting their money to fund his race?
That makes no sense.
Just what is a Byrne written pledge worth? Seems he signed one ( a contract) in 2007 for 3 years to be chancellor of the state’s 2-yr college system, didn’t he? He left with a year to go on that written pledge. Why should I believe this pledge when he didn’t keep that one?
nhisglory58 great point. He quit being a Democrat. He quit the school board. He quit as a senator. He quit as chancellor. He ain’t liberal or conservative. He’s a quitter.
…but Bentley hasn’t quit taking Democrat money or voting with them and Tim James hasn’t ever quit b/c he hasn’t ever done anything.
Thanks for illustrating all that Bradley Byrne has done to serve Alabama. He served his local community, was on the statewide school board, was a state senator representing his district, then cleaned up the most corrupt part of our political system.
What has your guy done?
Carolyn, I don’t have a candidate. I’m disappointed in all of them. But, Mr. Byrne simply did not keep one of the last written pledges he signed, so what evidence can you give me that he will keep the one he’s touting now?
Carolyn, Bentley is a decent and honest man. If your problem is AEA, tell Byrne to give his AEA contributions back. At least that would be honest. Byrne didn’t clean up anything, The U.S. Department of Justice did.
Holy cow. Looks like the casion comment spammers have infiltrated Doc’s.
Here’s proof of their dirty work:
http://occamsrazr.com/2010/04/07/journalistic-sodbusting/
Bradley Byrne has been one of Alabama’s premiere advocates for increased taxes. Bradley Byrne’s promises not to raise taxes reminds me of my pledges (usually made around New Year’s) to lose weight.
Bradley Byrne is about as conservative as I am skinny.
JohnZ: Sorry, my fault. I left out the word “viable.”
There you go John….I spoke too soon when I posted earlier that you could actually say something nice. You continue to advocate for Tim James by slamming everyone else.
I find all of this “he was once a Democrat” a little amusing. Fob James….once a Democrat. Roy Moore…..once a Democrat. Sonny Callahan….once a Democrat. Richard Shelby…once a Democrat. Ronald Reagan…once a Democrat.
And all of you Amendment One fanatics….Give it a rest. The package was put together by the legislature and the vote was to raise taxes? NO. The vote was to send a package to a public referendum to let the people of Alabama vote if they wanted their taxes to increase or not. They (me included) voted NO last I checked and no taxes were raised.
In terms of the quality of the ad it is pretty darn good. Byrne leads in all the polls and has a target on his back for it. It is a shame that other candidates feel the need to attack him so they can possibly have a chance. And in terms of the funding behind some of them? Let’s just say AEA is quite happy to fund those that “will not take a salary” Sorry was that a slam?…
Dear 2010, I have not attacked “everyone else.”
I simply pointed out, at my website, that the moderate wing of the GOP seems enamored with party switchers who had liberal records, but they resent conservative Democrats who switch. The same factions who are promoting Parker Griffith and Bradley Byrne were the same folks who have done all they could to make certain that George Wallace Jr is never elected in our state.
I am a conservative–believer in limited government and constitutional liberty. I used to call myself a Republican–but if Griffith, Byrne, and company are the Republicans, then I am just a conservative.
Funny, if you end up with Artur Davis as the Democratic nominee vs Bradley Byrne as the Republican nominee, you could make an argument that the Democratic nominee has a more conservtive record in office.
John,
Which conservative Democrats who switched have been resented?
Are the folks who ran Jay Love’s campaign behind Bradley? This is the worst “paint by numbers” campaign I’ve seen since 2008.
Bradley is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Once again here’s the difference: Byrne no longer takes money from Paul Hubbert. Bentley continues to take Hubbert’s money. The AEA is doing everything it can to promote Bentley and smear Byrne. A vote for Bentley is a vote for Hubbert.
Margaret, you must not know Dr. Bentley. I know the man, and while I may not agree with him wholeheartedly (as a Tim James supporter), anyone who thinks that someone is pulling Bentley’s strings does not know Dr Bentley.
Remember, Bentley campaigns on reaching across the aisle. Bentley will work with whomever he finds common ground.
While I prefer James, I respect Bentley as a solid legislator and, personally, a godly man.
We could do MUCH worse than Bentley–we could have Byrne!
JohnZ, if anyone is going to “buy” the election it will be Bentley. He admitted two days ago that he is being supported by the AEA and admitted yesterday that AEA and Hubbert helped him get his jobs and PACT bills passed. AEA is backing Bentley so that Byrne won’t get the nomination. They’re terrified of the reform he will bring because they are comfortable and cozy in their little ring of corruption that runs unchecked.
I don’t know why we are even debating this. Byrne is the most qualified candidate, Byrne has the best message, has run the best campaign, and has done the best job of articulating a vision for Alabama schools and government that makes sense and can lead this state forward. He is by far the best choice to lead Alabama. Lets get behind Byrne and end this petty squabbling.
John – you just can’t help yourself. Bash Byrne at all costs. I can tell you are a Tim James supporter indeed.
Evidence of that is when you put up stories on your blog that have been proven false.
And you think George Jr. cannot win statewide office and is not supported by the party? Wow…what an assertion.
Brandonm2 – there is a reason we have elections. You must work for the state GOP committee, wanting to force people into elected office. Alabama is not Baghdad.
John, I have met Dr. Bentley on several occasions. While he is taking money from Hubbert, he will owe him and continue to vote as Hubbert tells him to. I stand by my previous statement.
I agree, Margaret. Plus, if you examine Bentley’s record in the House, you will easily find the fact that he is/was an AEA vote. That hasn’t changed just b/c he’s running for a higher office. “Reaching across the aisle” is code for capitulating.
If you don’t like the Democrat agenda, then how can you be for helping the chair/vice chair of the Democratic party (Paul Hubbert/Joe Reed)? AEA and the AL Democrat party are one and the same.
I won’t even dignify the ridiculous assertion that Byrne and Davis’ conservative credentials are even comparable with a response. Please try to stay in the realm of reality.
According to the Bryne supporter’s logic, the obviously conflicted Bradley was also an AEA lackey. How silly!
I find it disturbing that the only way some candidates feel they have a chance in this race is to go negative against another. Tim James and Dr. Bentley (and their supporters) see the need to go negative against Byrne, the front runner, for fear they will not make a run off that right now looks like Byrne and Moore. Byrne is a proven conservative reformer. No ones else has a record of reforming state government and standing up to special interests like Byrne. He leads in the polls because he is tested, proven and ready to lead. Throw all the bombs you want, he has a proven record that is strong and one to be proud of. I have done my research, inlcuding looking into the false allegations made by some, and Bradley Byrne is the man Alabama needs and the person I will proudly vote for.
DaleCY;
False allegations? Do you think that Byrne did not sponser Amendment One?
2010:
With the exception of Senator Shelby, Sonny Callahan, and Bradley Byrne, the others were Democrats over 30 years ago. James ran as a Democrat in the late seventies. Regan switched in 1962. That was back when everyone in the south was a democrat, and had been since Reconstruction. Byrne was a Democrat in 1997. 1997…..1979…hmm…which is more recent……? Hmm…
prince – i find it ridiculous that any memmber of the house or senate that voted to send amendment one to public referendum are demonized. is there something wrong with letting the voters decide whether or not we want our taxes rasied. amendment one raised NO taxes. and to michael, by your logic, callahan and shelby aren’t really true republicans. thanks for clearing that up.
Byrne used to be a democrat but Bentley surrounds himself with democrats now. He has hired several of Democrat Bobby Bright Campaign Staffers to run his campaign.
Carolyn,
You love you some Byrne. You must be a democrat like him. If you want to come back to reality then look at Byrne through your reality glasses. Supported Dukakis (sp?), Clinton delegate. Took money from AEA in the past! Apparently thats ok. He was on the PACT board when it failed.
Oh but he cleaned up the two year system!!!…well thats not hard when you fire everyone or everyone gets arrested. Plus his commercials are ripping of Dr. Bentley’s. Look at how they are made and produced. He even stole Dr. Bentley’s jobs plan…then admitted to it. The man has no original ideas…never has…and never will. He is just a Riley puppet that isn’t the brightest bulb and will let any special interest tell him what to do.
Never been a Democrat. Never will be. Sometimes I wonder if I’m a Republican, but only when they do stupid things like vote for bailouts and entitlement programs. I’m a conservative – a classical liberal if you have studied political science and history.
Bradley Byrne is the only guy in the race who has stood up to the AEA/Democrat party in Alabama (and the most powerful man in AL politics) and won. That’s why I’m for him. Plain and simple.
Doea anyone know what his stance on Amend 1 was? And does anyone know if he was in fact a Clinton delegate a few years back? Just heard some rumblings and wasn’t sure if that was the case. If so, how long ago was he a practicing Dem?
Ok just read over some of the above comments. Looks like he was a Dem, (which I am Ok with) I vote for the person, NOT the party. What I do have a problem with is Amendment One. That was the biggest tax increase proposal that we have seen in some time. Byrne just seems like another Riley. I for one don’t want another second of that. I have met every candidate except Bill Johnson…how anyone can saw a bad thing about Dr. Bentley is beyond me. He is a fantastic person. Very humble and very smart.
Byrne was never a national Democratic delegate for anyone. I haven’t looked it up, but he says his last contribution to a Democrat was in 1992 and that he voted in the Republican primary in 1996 (both of which can be checked for accuracy).
On Bentley – he does seem like a nice guy, but are you okay with the fact that his campaign is being supported by AEA? I’d rather have someone who voted for the people to vote for a possible tax increase 7 years ago than someone who is currently being supported by the head of the Democratic Party (Paul Hubbert – AEA). That just doesn’t make sense to me.
Carolyn,
How much money has Dr. Bentley taken from AEA? How does this compare to the special interest groups that gave Byrne money?
Just a couple of easy questions. Once you get this info…who is the more “controlled” candidate?
Are you ok with byrne’s campaign being supported by gambling? And yes I’m fine with AEA supporting a candidate. They have to support someone…and they obviously want a candidate that will support the thousands of teachers of Alabama. I don’t think teachers are that bad…now trial lawyers thats a different story.
Carolyn…You give yourself away as a paid employee of the Byrne campaign, but glad to see you admit he voted YES for the biggest tax increase in Alabama’s history. What about the right of the people to vote on the gambling issue?? Or does Byrne think he has some divine message from above to be able to determine what we the people of this state can and can not vote on.