Posted by As many suspected from the beginning, AEA is the source of funds behind the True Republican PAC putting out negative ads aimed at Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne.
Even knowing that all is fair in love and war, I still marvel at the disingenuousness of politics that has AEA, known for its association with state Democrats, paying for an ad that denounces Bradley Byrne for not being conservative enough, for being “another liberal politician trying to look conservative.”
Here is the latest ad from the True Republican PAC that goes after Byrne.
And here is Byrne’s response. Serious. No music.
The Byrne campaign has said that the campaign of Republican rival Tim James is also involved. The Montgomery Advertiser reported last week that Marty Sullivan, Byrne’s director of communications and policy, said via email, “We now know that the slick smear attack being waged against the front-runner in the campaign for governor is being orchestrated by AEA union boss Paul Hubbert in collusion with a paid staffer of the Tim James campaign. (The) spending reports tell it all.”
Claire Austin, hired by James for fundraising, operates two PACs that some of the AEA money for the campaign passed through. Austin told the Advertiser, “I didn’t have any idea I was giving money to something that was targeting Bradley Byrne,” but that the ad “seems to be pretty factual from what I saw.”
The Advertiser also reported, “Brett Hall, a spokesman for James, said the campaign did not know who funded True Republican PAC, was not involved with the effort, and did not know Austin contributed.”
Here’s the link to the Advertiser story in case you missed it in the Daily Headlines last week.
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Good to see everyone exposing True Republican PAC for what they are – AEA and Tim James funded PAC’s to attack front-runner Bradley Byrne!
Why is Tim James so cozy with the Democratic party? Why doesn’t that bother any Republicans that are supporting him? I don’t get it -
Simple facts and the campaign finance reports prove the collusion. They couldn’t keep their stories straight on Renner. James’ camp and the AEA working in concert. Say it in plain English so Tim understands:
The Tim James campaign worked with Paul Hubbert to funnel money to this PAC and it makes me sick. (dramatic pause, look at shoes) How about you?
Grow up Carolyn!
Clearly, Tim James has it on good authority that the Byrne folks are really CHILD MOLESTERS WHO TOOK THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSE EXAM IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND WHO CANNOT BE BOTHERED TO SHOW UP FOR THEIR PROBATION REVIEW-issues that obviously trascend party, ideology, moral conviction, ethics, etc and so fourth.
(“You didn’t hear this from me, deary! Wink, wink, nod, nod, say no more, say no more!”) http://www.jumpstation.ca/recroom/comedy/python/nudge.html
No matter where you stand on this AEA/True Republican PAC, they are accomplishing a very important goal. They have knocked Bradley off his meassage making him respond to these attacks and spend a lot of $$$ doing it. This leaves a huge void for other candidates to drop in pushing an effective message, which in my opinion no one has truly seized the opportunity. Regardless, this does have the potential to have a real effect on this primary race.
Like Granddaddy always said…a bit dawg will always “holler”. Looks like Byrne is “holler’n”!
Fob was buddy buddy with Hubbert and like Father like Son.
It does so happen the ads are telling the truth. But no conservative wants to support somebody who plays well Hubbert.
If you want a pro-trial lawyer pro-AEA Republican – Tim James is your man.
SaltAir: I’m not sure this truly knocks Byrne off message since it allows him to remind GOP voters that the AEA hates him because he dared to challenge Hubbert. It may not be timed as Byrne planned, but it’s definitely his message…
All of this is just sound and fury signifying nothing. Did Little Tim take bad AEA dollars? Of course. Has Bradley washed some very bad money through PACs in the course of this campaign? Absolutely. Bad money is the fuel in the engine of Alabama’s political system. Tim seems to have claimed the upper hand for the moment, and Bradley has been delegated to bailing water off the boat decks. Now it is a question of who will peak on June 1. And, as bad as I hate to say this & that I will never vote for a James, the James family always has a way of sneaking up at the last minute in these things and not fumbling — ask Ann Bedsole, Winton Blount, and any of the multitude of the ’78 Gov. candidates .
It is telling those running attack ads against Byrne are not conservatives, but liberals (AEA) posing as conservatives.
If Byrne were really a liberal, as the ads claim, why would a liberal group (AEA) be spending lots of money to attack him? The fact that AEA is spending so much money to beat Byrne affirms my belief that he is a conservative.
If Tim James were to win, he would be socially conservative for sure. However, he would also be indebted to the liberal AEA for attacking Byrne and his policies would likely reflect this debt. I’m not comfortable with that.
To hear the AEA attack someone as not conservative enough is truly laughable. Hubbert and his corrupt cronies have hit an all time low and its sad the Tim James is more than happy to follow them down the road to perdition. I thought he was a respectable man, guess not. Anyone that the AEA hates has my vote; they along with ADC, New South, and other entrenched interests always stand in the way of true reform in our state.
What about the fact that the guy running the group is a republican and used to be Byrne’s county chair. Everyone seems to keep missing that. Yes it is AEA money, but why did this guy put his name on it? That’s a story worth following.
I don’t get what you are saying, George (but maybe it’s just me). So AEA wants to attack Byrne because they know they cannot buy them and because he isn’t afraid of them. They look for “cover.” They get someone with a Republican label willing to be their front-man, their conservative, Republican “face”–in an effort to hide their tracks. Clearly, the AEA could never make a credible frontal assault on a Republican candidates’ lack of conservative bona fides. (It would be like Billy Graham claiming the Pope isn’t Catholic enough.)
Clearly, the guy from Marengo County (or wherever) is either disgruntled with Byrne, a supporter of another candidate or just someone willing to be used for the right price. (“We have established what you are, we’re just dickering on price now.”) I just don’t know that the story is that interesting–regardless of where the trail leads.
The much more interesting story is the lengths that AEA is willing to go to oppose Byrne and the fear they have of him actually taking office. I think that fact generates a lot more support among those (like me) that think the AEA has been behind everything bad in Alabama, politically, for the past twenty or thirty years, than who the Marengo County guy is and why he is doing what he is doing. Maybe it deserves a footnote, but it isn’t the headline.
Headline: AEA SCARED SPITLESS OF BYRNE, THINKS HE CAN WIN AND THAT HE MAY TRULY REFORM EDUCATION WITH A LIKELY WORKING REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE LEGISLATURE.
Footnote: Marengo County dude used by AEA once really had his feelings hurt by Byrne, makes good on his pledge to get him back one day.
Benidict Arnord was a Colonial General, didn’t stop him for selling out for money. Lots of money out there to buy supporters. Isn’t there a Grand Jury in Montgomery looking into buying of Legislative votes?
Byrne has been attacking AEA and Hubbert for a YEAR – the least suprise of this whole election is that Hubbert throws a punch back. The question is this: you need to spend 3 times more on a positive ad to counteract a negative ad – does Byrne have the $$ to counter?
My instinct says no – his own “positive” ads were doing him in before the peapod and quack ads started.
Mr. Conservative, That was a brilliant post and I agree with it totally.
Margaret, you obviously are a woman of refined taste and know genius, not to menton dizzying intellect, when you see it.
Seriously, thanks.
AEA, i.e., Hubbert, may have a dual purpose in financing the True Republican PAC ads. (a) It’s a way for Hubbert to strike back at Byrne for his work as Chancellor fighting against Hubbert’s “double- dippers” in the legislature and (b) Hubbert wants to weaken the apparent front running Republican so a weaker Republican will be on the November ballot and a Democrat might win the governorship.
Byrne has a platform of truly reforming education – school vouchers, culling the administrative jobs, or anything else that would seriously help?
On a side not, isn’t it interesting that the AEA and AlFA continue to fail to release their polling? AEA has never gone this far before in an election without releasing a poll.
http://therealbradleybyrne.com/
Flip, thanks for citing the exact AEA and Democratic Party funded lies and deception for us to see ourselves
Flip, that link is, I am sure, very effective for people who don’t have any idea what the heck is going on in this state or how things work in politics. Here, the effect is going to somewhat limited. I suggest posting the link on the comments section of al.com or if there is an Alabama version of the Huffington post or maybe buy an ad on the Jerry Springer Show. Best of luck to ya son.
Flip,
Do you report to Paul Hubbert or Joe Reed or are you one of those two guys?
And of course the answer is no Byrne does not have any agenda that would seriously reform education.
I disagree Princeliberty, just like ending corruption in the jr. college system was a first step in reforming that system, ending AEA’s dominion over education is the first step in reforming the K-12 system.
There lots of smart people with great ideas for reforming education. All those good ideas are vetoed by one Paul Hubbert.
The rebuilding of London could not begin until the blitzkreig was stopped. (okay, I admit that is overblown rhetoric, but, hey, it’s late, I’m tired, goodnight!).
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