Posted by Democratic Lt. Governor Jim Folsom and Republican challenger Kay Ivey are exchanging ads blaming the other for the financial straits of Alabama’s Prepaid College Tuition Program. Folsom’s ad has already been posted here. Ivey went up statewide on Friday with this ad.
The Republican Ivey is challenging Democratic incumbent Jim Folsom for the Lt. Governor spot.
Related Articles:
Pretty hard-hitting ad. Nice job Kay.
Seems like the old girl may have a little fight left in her yet.
Home run. Folsom presided over the most corrupt senate in the history of Alabama. And now we find out he didn’t even attend meetings of a Board whose actions he now questions. If lil Jim had paid attention to what was going on in the Senate and attended a few PACT board meetings, may be things would be different.
Wow. How many deceptions are in this ad? More diversion from Kay to hide the fact that she blew it. Does she think people won’t remember that she praised the legislation to fix it? Pretty shameful exhibition of hypocrisy if you ask me.
Nuff said……….
Statement from Save Alabama PACT:
April 23, 2010
A year ago, when our group was just getting started and we were not receiving any cooperation from Treasurer Kay Ivey, Lt. Governor Jim Folsom began to work with us behind the scenes making sure we received all of the information that we couldn’t get from others.
Jim Folsom did all of this behind the scenes and without seeking publicity for his effort. Governor Folsom opened his mind, heart, and staff resources to Save Alabama PACT and made it clear that fixing PACT was his priority. Last night, Governor Folsom kept his word and over 43, 000 PACT families who will now rest easier.
Jim Folsom stood up for Save Alabama PACT from beginning to end.
But he sure wants some credit now…
Ivey may have stumbled into how to take Jim apart. Democrat Incumbent + Washington Bailout=The Greatest Fear of Dems Nationwide.
Why did Ivey put out a statement praising the legislation – ” . . .”the legislature did the right thing by acting to safeguard it. . . .” and now attacks the very same legislation? And then she has pulled the statement (dated April 22, 2010) from her website. Sounds like she was for the legislation before she was against it.
A second thought after reading the old PACT legislation (from before the 2010 amendment) – did Kay realize that the Board included either the Lt. Governor or his designee, by statute. From the ad, it appears Folsom had a designee at every meeting until Ivey ‘fessed up and told everybody that the program was in the ditch, which was only a few weeks after she was still out recruiting new members. She was in charge – that is where the fault lies, and may be why she is squealing so loudly now.
Kay continued to solicit new PACT holders just 48 days before she issued a letter saying that PACT was in trouble and all contracts may not be honored.
So, not only did she mismanage the funds (the program’s own actuary question her management years ago) but she willfully mislead the people who trusted her.
Kay had a blackout in regard to the April 23 press release
Anybody else think this ad is slightly misleading? The Troy Messenger article referenced is about Troy getting screwed, not the tax payers. I would bet that the paper actually came out in favor of a bailout at some point, just not one that put the Auburn and Alabama schools (AUM, UAB, UAH, AU, and UA) in a more favorable position than Troy. I noticed the ad blurred the article, which could have been done for other reasons, but it doesn’t help that the ad uses the quote out of context. Thoughts?
By the way, I didn’t even check the other article mentioned. The Troy one just happened to jump out to me.
I am surprised that Kay feels that she can attack Jim on PACT. SHE IS THE TREASURER IN CHARGE OF THE PACT ACCOUNT. In the military, we would say, “The buck stops with her.” She failed the parents of PACT by not properly insulating the account from the pitfalls of the volatile market.
Kay knew the PACT program was in trouble in Jan of 2008. She then lobbied and got passed legislation that allowed a tax deduction for new PACT contract holders. What’s it called when new investors are solicited to bail out old investors? It’s generally called a Ponzi scheme except I don’t think it’s called that when the taxpayers end up footing the bill.
I was at a GOP gathering in Shelby county and was absolutely shocked at how many people strongly dislike Kay within the party. The point is not that she is desperate and misleading – She’s despised and Folsom is leading.
As a PACT holder, I’ve never blamed Kay for the PACT problems, always felt the economy and poor legislation was to blame. After this ad though, I think trying to lay the blame at Folsom’s feet is little too far away from the Treasurer’s Office.
She is not popular at all around Montgomery Republicans. Its just like anybody would be better than Little Jim.
The PACT parents know who helped us, it wasn’t the woman who claimed the sky was falling. It was the man who left his door open and heard us out. Exactly why there is not a single one defending her in the ad. She uses misleading headlines to twist the facts. Kay is just a bored old woman with a history of inaction. She almost let the most important people in our society, the children, down. She’ll do it again.
Folsom is up with a response ad. Man is he on the defensive. You’d think his poll numbers were down or something!
I have to laugh at people accusing Ivey for being misleading in her ads. Patti Lambert flat out lies in Folsom’s ad, Folsom lies about what a great “jobs creator” he is and he’s lying about his ties to gambling.
I call Ivey’s ad a good dose of Little Jimmy’s medicine.
I also question these posters on here who claim how much Ivey is despised by GOP faithful. She won her primary without breaking a sweat or a run-off and she is very well-received on the stump.
Desperation attacks and wishful thinking from the corrupt Dems in Montgomery. They want to keep the 136 year gravy train rolling…
Didn’t the RSA lose a ton of money too? Was Kay in charge of that account? Truth is that the national economy tanked and Alabama and Auburn raised tuition costs by leaps and bounds. The program was built on faulty assumptions from the start. The hens came home to roost when the stock market fell. Too highly invested in a speculative venture.
Simon – I tend to agree with you. He has gone from a fairly positive jobs ad that Kay would have to dance around to getting in a mud fight over PACT. Folsom’s month of early ads costing half a million dollars should have put this away for him. Something is wrong in the demographics beyond the Montgomery echo chamber.
@ anonymous. No, David Bronner is in charge of the RSA Acoounts. Most of that was due to the Stock Market Crash.
GOPMisty:
If Ivey is so hated, then why did she win her primary, and why are her favorable/unfavorable numbers so much better than little jim?
@ Anonymous…I dont think that anyone can refute the fact that Folsom has created thousands of jobs in Alabama. He recruited Mercedes which has resulted in jobs created not just at the manufacturing plant but with supplier companies as well.
He also went to Germany to recruit ThyssenKrupp which continues to grow and creat jobs.
Just ask yourself: who would you rather have standing next to our next Governor representing AL to new business prospects?
Folsom has done it before with incredible success and will do it again.
As a PACT student, now college graduate, I do not blame Ivey for the PACT problems. I blame Presidents Carter and Clinton. Carter created the community reinvestment act, and Clinton expanded it. This little dandy created the derivatives bubble that burst and resulted in the housing market crash. Just my take.
politigal – Folsom made the deal on Mercedes, Fob James found the money to pay for Jim’s $150 million promises after Fob kicked Little Jim to the Bham gutter in 1994. Another example of Democratic spending and promises & a Republican having to clean the mess up.
I no fan of Ivey’s but let’s not delude ourselves and think republicans are not going to vote for her. The will and in large numbers. She didn’t win her primary by being disliked. Go sell crazy somewhere else gang. Ivey will be hard to beat, so let’s focus on the issues and turning Democrats out to vote. I’m worried that Natalie Davis’ comments that Ivey might win are depressing our side. We need to join together and support our ticket from the top to the bottom (yes, I’ll even vote for Ron Sparks).
First of all, Kay won the Republican primary because her opponents were Hank Erwin and a Daphne school teacher. She is disliked within her own party, from what I’ve heard. However, she was also the candidate with a higher profile and holding a state office.
Now, as far as the ad goes, Kay is going on the defensive. Its certainly not hard hitting, as she uses only one source to deny that she, the State Treasurer, mismanaged the PACT funding.
If you will notice, Jim’s ad that put her on the defensive went like this, “Kay mismanaged the funds, here is what I did to fix it.” Her’s, on the other hand, “No I didn’t, he started the PACT, and he helped save it.” No where in this ad does it say what she did to fix the mismanagement or solve the problem.
You need a new media consultant, Kay.
How much longer is Jim Beam Folsom going to ride the Mercedes horse? He’s gotten more mileage out of that solitary accomplishment since Michael Jackson invented the moonwalk.
If he’s such a great jobs recruiter…where are all the J-O-B-S in this state???
We have massive unemployment and Jim Beam Folsom is trying to sponge off Riley’s Thyssen Krupp recruitment simply because he rode along in the plane to Dusseldorf? That’s pathetic.
“What is he doing NOW?” is the relevant question today. Nobody cares what he did 17 years ago when Jurassic Park and Mrs. Doubtfire were the year’s box office smashes.
To Anonymous @ 10:44, if you had been at the industrial announcements for Honda or Hyundai or some of the hundreds of auto suppliers, and heard the company executives say that, unless Mercedes had come here, that particular company would not have followed, perhaps you would understand. Or maybe a sector with 150,000 jobs is unimportant to Ivey supporters. And the business community understands Folsom’s skills in this area- as shown by the BCA endorsement.
To Landingham – I think we are usually on different sides of the fence, but I do agree with your thoughts. Again, why would Folsom shift from a fairly effective jobs ad to a mud fight over PACT that he is vulnerable on to begin with. By jumping in this story, it becomes a back and forth offense/defense pattern that does not have a high probability of assured success. Questionable media strategy. Ivey has nothing to lose by tossing bombs.
Loyalindependent- I agree and respect your reluctance for negative advertising. I guess someone just had to do it first. However They are now here anyway. I feel that Kay’s ad is more scathing and angry while Jim’s appears more factual to a degree. I think this advertises her as moody and angry. Not competent or trustworthy. Alls im sayin is that i feel this campaign wasn’t really dirty before this ad. I think the Folsom campaign will continue to let her get all riled up and lose her cool while Folsom will stay competent and trustworthy cuz that’s what he is. Nice move. C’mon y’all this is chess not checkers.
Good ad.
New polling shows Bentley now ahead by 22 and Ivey is ahead by 3. Luther Strange is up by 13. John McMillian is up 17. This is shaping up to be a blow out. I think the house and senate will both flip to the GOP. Mo Brooks is cruising to a big win and Martha Roby is ahead by 5.
Is polling from a reliable source? Or a trip through fantasyland?
Simon, that is interesting, since the poll I just saw had Folsom up by 7. And Bentley up by a little more than the 22 you are citing. Of course, if the ones you cite are Kelly Anne Fitzpatrick’s numbers, even then that would mean Ivey has gone from a 24 point lead to a 10 point lead to a 3 point lead. Even in those numbers, she wouldn’t have momentum. And in the ones I saw, which were from a very reliable source, she would be in really bad shape.
Either with Doctor Gerald’s Fair and Balanced Poll or Simon’s poll, pretty dang close. It will stay that way until election.
Not sure if I believe those poll numbers. I know that the Bentley race is close, but I can’t believe Kay or Roby being in the lead. Please quote the source of these numbers.
Sadly those numbers appear to be true. But that means we have 21 days to turn this thing around. We have plenty of time if we get out and work for our candidates. We have to get our people energized and to the polls.
Well, at least there is a silver lining for all the Folsom sycophants with his impending Waterloo. He’s such a job-creating MACHINE that his talents will most certainly be put to use either filling Neal Wade’s vacated job at ADO or Obama can appoint him “National Jobs Czar” and actually begin an economic recovery with positive job creation, rather than the excruciating jobless version we’ve had since he took office. No doubt, with Folsom’s stellar record (just ask Billy Joe Camp) and sterling, world reknown reputation (just ask Karry Lemak), Folsom won’t be left sitting on the sidelines with the millions of jobs he can conjure by waving his magic wand.
Not.
And if I was Kay Ivey, I’d put Patti “Lying Eyes” Lambert on notice that you better kill the queen the next time…
just found out why Folsom’s Mercedes ad was pulled. Gov. Riley objected to being quoted approvingly and Mercedes asked not to be part of a campaign. so Folsom pulled the ad.
Folsom4ever- Don’t know where you heard that. The real thing is that an ad runs its useful life in a week to 10 days. The Mercedes ad ran that long, then got pulled. Still, I would expect to see it again before the race is over.
Regarding Folsom’s Mercedes ad: Folsom talked about Mercedes all through the 2006 campaign and he will continue to talk about it through this campaign. On many occasions, Governor Riley has acknowledged Folsom’s contribution, in public and in private, as the father of the auto industry in Alabama. Mercedes has never, ever complained about Folsom using their name in an ad. The Folsom/Mercedes relationship is as strong now as it was in 1994.