The Death of Willie Brewster
The Anniston Star has placed in their no login required section, the first of a four part series about this Civil Rights era murder.
You don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.
March 22, 2009
February 12, 2009
Butler and Barron ‘Bury the Hatchet’
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| Sen. Hinton Mitchem hands in his resignation as Senate President pro tem |
I have been interested in the vote by Tom Butler (D - Madison) for Rodger Smitherman (D - Birmingham) as state Senate President pro tem last week and in what that might mean for the dynamic in the state Senate this year.
Crash course to get newcomers up to speed: For some years now the Democrat Tom Butler has caucused with the Senate minority coalition of Republicans and a shifting cast of Democrats that at the beginning of the quadrennium almost claimed a majority that would have made dissident Democrat Jim Preuitt (Talladega) the Senate President pro tem. Instead the Democrats worked an unusual last-minute deal that brought two strays back home with the understanding that Democrat Hinton Mitchem would be President pro tem only two years and Smitherman would serve the last two years of the quadrennium. (Story here and here.)
On paper at least, the Democrats last week had a slim 17-15 majority to pull off the change in the pro tem spot this year. The surprise was Democrat Tom Butler giving the Democrats 18 votes instead of voting with the Republicans as he has for years.
What is at work here?
- For starters, the Democrats’ numerical advantage over the minority coalition was small enough that they were looking for a little cushion in case the Republicans pulled their own surprise.
- Like many Montgomery conflicts, Butler’s was more personal than political. He and Sen. Lowell Barron (D - Fyffe) have not gotten along, to put it mildly.
- Before the session, Barron and Butler had a lengthy meeting, “about two and a half hours” according to one account. They have supposedly buried the hatchet, something the Senate Democrats particularly and intentionally tried to encourage a year and a half ago in 2007.
- Butler has been heard to say since that he is absolutely not switching parties, that he is a Democrat, and if Democrats could work with him, he could work them. (You may remember that Butler was said to be unhappy about the handling of stories last year that he was switching to the Republican Party.)
Lt. Governor Jim Folsom, Jr. swears in Sen. Rodger Smitherman as Senate President pro tempore. Wife and Birmingham City Councilor Carole Smitherman looks on. - One GOP’er told the Parlor that Butler got some committee assignments in a deal with the Dems and “lost a lot of credibility in about half of the Senate’s eyes” with his vote for Smitherman as pro tem. “He told a colleague that he would continue to vote with us but no one really knows if he is dependable.”
- One observer believes that both may be true to some degree - that Butler sees himself as a Democrat, will work with the Democratic caucus, may vote with them on some procedural votes, but probably wouldn’t vote for cloture on a bill against the Republicans.
- Still, “Lowell hates Tom Butler,” insists one Montgomery veteran. “He won’t miss a chance to screw him.”
- If that’s true, Butler can console himself with some committee assignments he picked up. According to the updated Senate Committees web page, Butler has picked up some committee assignments in time for this session: Commerce, Transportation, and Utilities; Finance and Taxation, General Fund (Vice Chairperson); Health (Deputy Chairperson); and Local Legislation No.1. This is in addition to the other committees he continues to serve on.
I ask the Montgomery veteran if Barron is intent on bringing Butler back into the fold, might Barron allow the hatchet to stay buried? Maybe, maybe not. Barron and Butler may have different understandings of what burying the hatchet means, comes the reply. “Barron may think it means that Butler will do everything Barron tells him to do. Butler may think it means that he agrees with the Democrats in principle on most things but that he might not vote with them on some procedural votes like cloture.”
Related Articles:
November 14, 2008
Alabama’s new racial order - The future of Southern politics
Dr. Glen Browder’s four part essay on Alabama’s new racial order and its future concludes at the Birmingham Weekly. At the end are links to the other parts of the essay.
In this installment, he discusses and cites research on the current and future state of race and Alabama politics. A brief quote:
Alabama, for example, just proved itself anew as one of the reddest of the red states. However, it is clear that overt, traditional racism has disappeared from most forums of public life in our political system and contemporary standards of political behavior increasingly mute black-white conflict in the Heart of Dixie. This is neither the “Alabama forever” pledged by George Wallace nor the “Alabama dream” envisioned by Martin Luther King; but both races in this part of the country seem to have adjusted to living in a halfway house of racialized politics.
His comments on the current status of race on Alabama politics are especially useful considering the upcoming Governor’s race.
October 29, 2008
Alabama’s New Racial Order
A four part essay by Glen Browder, former Congressman and now a political scientist begins at Birmingham Weekly.
An excerpt to wet the whistle:
So, what would Wallace and King say about Alabama and the South if they were alive today?
Sadly, they would realize that racism extends into the new century. But they also would have to acknowledge an intriguing story of systemic transformation absent legal perversions of white supremacy. They also would note that mainstream Southerners themselves — often black and white working together — are leading efforts against stubborn vestiges of the Old South. In many respects, this region now practices a relatively sophisticated, still racially contorted, but somewhat normalized version of national politics.
August 1, 2008
Getting Personal
Justice Antonin Scalia in a recent interview was asked how he could maintain his friendship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg despite such ideological polarization. Justice Scalia responded, “I attack ideas, not people.” Sadly, such a view seldom makes its way into politics. Mudslinging is by no means a recent development in American or Alabama politics. Candidates in the early 1800s often refused to campaign themselves, as virtuous men, it was believed, should not openly seek election. Rather, they pressed supporters into service to “stump” for them throughout their districts to tout the candidates qualifications, while casting the most virulent aspersions at opposing candidates. Such unfounded vitriol has caused the ruin of more than a few political careers, and sadly the practice has not been relegated to the scrap heap of history.
Among the worst examples in Alabama politics occurred during the 1970 gubernatorial race between Albert Brewer and George Wallace. Despite promising Brewer he would not run, Wallace threw his hat into the ring as he needed a platform from which to launch his 1972 Presidential campaign. Race baiting played a role in Wallace ads cautioning white men to vote against Brewer because of his support of black state troopers with the clear connotation that they would present a threat to white women. The worst accusations appeared in unsigned circulars accusing Brewer of being a homosexual, his wife of alcoholism, and one particularly vile photo of his daughter surrounded by black men. Wallace defeated Brewer by a margin of 36,000 votes. Albert Brewer, having served with distinction in the House, as Lt. Governor and Governor, withdrew from politics as the price of holding office was far too high. I am fortunate to count Governor Brewer among my friends and I often think of where our state could be today had he been elected in 1970.
As an editorial in todays St. Clair News Aegis discusses, the character of a political candidate warrants scrutiny as character is often the clearest indicator of the service the candidate will render to the public. However, we must be vigilant to prevent scrutizing a politicians character from devolving into baseless character assasination.
June 24, 2008
The past is never dead, it isn’t even past.
Life moves at a little slower pace down here at the end of the dirt road and as temperatures climb, there’s no better place to be than sitting on the front porch with a cold glass of tea. Long, slow afternoons watching the heat radiate off the hay field allow a great deal of time to reflect upon where we find ourselves in Alabama today. The death of over sixty local bills in the most recent legislative session shows that Alabama is still mired in the problems of the past. The essential functions of our municipal and county governments are inextricably linked to the will of the Legislature. Among the bills that died in the Senate this session were bills requesting additional expense allowances by the Lowndes, Perry, Lee and Marshall County Commissions so that these governmental bodies could better serve their local constituencies. Other bills that withered in the waning days of the session sought to set restrictions on the proximity of commercial dirt pits in Mobile County to residences, or to increase court costs in Macon County, or to allow the Russell County Commission to increase sales and use taxes. Why must our local governments seek permission from the Legislature before undertaking even the most mundane tasks? The answer to that question lies in the antiquated 1901 Constitution, but the root causes reach back much further.
May 29, 2008
Harri Anne Smith’s Expedient Company
Republican state Sen. Harri Anne Smith had a fundraising reception Tuesday night in Enterprise for her campaign for the AL-02 Congressional seat. A noteworthy name on the Host Committee list was developer Ronnie Gilley.
This session Smith introduced a bill to reverse regulations allowing electronic bingo at Gilley’s Country Crossing development without a vote of the people.
From the Alabama Baptist:
“My personal stance is this is not bingo this is gambling, and I am opposed to any form of gambling,” said Smith, a member of First Baptist Church, Slocomb.
“When the citizens of any community face a political and moral issue as significant and important as whether or not to allow a casino into their county, the people not the elected officials should have the right to make the decision,” she said. “The people should have had a voice in this, and that’s what we are trying to give them.”
But her bill was said to put the future of the development in doubt and in 11 days Smith changed her mind. In an awkward reversal, Smith announced that she was asking that her bill be “stopped, permanently.”
Last month, developer Ronnie Gilley stood on the opposite side of the issue, but this week he is a member of the Host Committee for her fundraising reception.
“There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader.” - attributed to Alexandre Ledru-Rollin during the French Revolution of 1848.
The whole episode is reminiscent of Smith’s party switch in 1998.
Smith had been quite the active Democrat. She was President of the Geneva County Democratic Club. For the state Democratic Party, she served on a Small Business Roundtable that actively sought to engage small business owners in the Democratic Party.
Ken Walker, Democratic Party County Chair of Dale County, remembers when Harri Anne Smith switched. “I got a call from the E.D. [Executive Director] of the Democratic Party saying we had to have a Senate candidate right away and could I find somebody that would run. [Democratic state Senator] Chip Bailey was going to switch parties and run as a Republican, and we didn’t have much time to find a candidate. I thought of Sheriff Lamar Glover and called him to ask if he knew of someone. He calls me back to say Mac Palmer will run. So I call the E.D. back in about an hour to say we have somebody.”
“‘No, no, no,’ he says. ‘We have to wait. Harri Anne Smith is trying to decide if she is going to run as a Republican or a Democrat. I said, ‘No, we already have somebody. You asked me to find somebody, and I already talked to him.’
“‘No, no, no,’ he says. ‘We need to wait to see what Harri Anne Smith is going to do.’ I said, ‘No, I gave my word to Mac Palmer, and the way I was raised I don’t go back on my word. She can run if she wants to, but Mac Palmer is our guy.’
Smith ended up running as a Republican against the incumbent Chip Bailey, and I asked Walker if he thought Smith would have run as a Democrat if she could have had a clear primary field.
“No. The Republicans were mad at Chip Bailey. The Dothan folks, Saliba and those folks. They told her they would support her with a lot of money if she ran as a Republican against Bailey. It wasn’t about ideology or political stances. She had a chance to get a lot of money supporting her, and so that’s what she did.
“I always teased her after that, that she was on the wrong side. She had always been so active with the Democrats. Came from a big Democratic familiy. Her daddy was a big Democrat. I really hated to see her go.”
Another south Alabama Democratic party activist tells essentially the same story about when she switched. “These folks were going to back her if she ran against Bailey as a Republican. It didn’t have anything to do with party positions or anything like that. She had a chance for a big win, and she took it.”
“She was close to Siegelman for a while. Her daddy was a big Wallace man. We watched her grow up active in the Party. It really broke my heart to see her go. Not just mine. Broke a lot of people’s hearts.”
She defeated the incumbent Bailey and won the seat. But after she was elected, she gave thought to switching back to the Democratic Party. Giles Perkins, then the Democratic Executive Director, has been known to tell the tale of driving down to the Wiregrass to meet with Sen. Smith to discuss it as she, in his telling, thought seriously about switching back.
The common thread here is the demonstration of expediency over ideology. Her critics would see it as a weakness, her supporters would see it as a strength. Ronnie Gilley sees it as a $250-300 million development, and for that, he’d see you at Harri Anne Smith’s fundraiser.
Related Articles:
April 25, 2008
Looks at Books
Two Alabama Political Blasts from the Pasts have released new books. While both pols were once at the top of the state’s political heap, the books could not be more different.
The more traditional release is a biography of former Alabama Governor John Patterson. The book Nobody But the People is actually written by Warren Trest, but Patterson worked closely with Trest and has been on the circuit promoting its release. From his role in cleaning up organized crime in Phenix City, to a tumultuous term as governor, to the transition to a respected jurist Patterson’s political career has had many acts and Nobody But the People chronicles them all.
Former State Senator Bill Drinkard has also become an author recently. Drinkard served three terms in the Alabama Senate and chaired the powerful Rules Committee before leaving the Senate to become an influential lobbyist. In the mid 1990s Drinkard pled guilty to a corruption charge and dropped off the political map before recently resurfacing as an aide to the Senate Democratic Caucus.
However, while Drinkard probably could pen an interesting biography about his ups and downs in Alabama politics, that is not what he’s done. Drinkard’s book Elom is a sci-fi novel that introduces (according to Publisher’s Weekly):
a low-tech world where human reproduction is controlled to concentrate desirable traits. Life is regulated by the scriptures of Geerna, a primitive human who long ago reached a covenant with the goddess Shetow. The wise women of the Medora Council interpret Geerna’s words and protect her secret prophecies, overseeing the competitions where adolescents demonstrate their skills and suitability for mating.
Drinkard’s book while obviously aimed at a specific market has met with at least some critical success as prominent sci-fi author David Drake said the book contains “engaging characters in a story told with the feel of a myth passed down by word of mouth.”
Whether or not either of these books is your cup of tea, it’s good to see two Alabama politicians enter the world of the published word. Now if only we could get more Alabama pols to blog…
January 18, 2008
Disclosure Advocates, Take Note - UPDATED
Original post has been removed.
Wow… a fabulous source told me a very interesting story that I repeated here. A commenter did some research and revealed that the story was not true. I checked with my source who said that the story was a well-worn chestnut and who was very surprised to find also that the story could not be verified.
Since the basis of the post was a story that was not true, I’ll remove the story and am noting the error for anyone who may have seen it. In time I may delete the post entirely, but I wanted to be sure to give people an opportunity to see the correction here. My apologies all around… I always want to provide the best information available and am eager to correct the record on this occasion.
Related Articles:
May 22, 2007
Radio Interview on 1901 Constitution & “Thick Book”
WBHM’s radio show Tapestry interviews Mark Berte, Grassroots Education Director for Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform on the documentary “It’s a Thick Book” and the shortcomings of the state’s 1901 constitution. You can hear it online from this webpage.
Interesting, for example, on what this constitution costs the taxpayers… Berte says the amendment ballot initiative that we’ll be voting on June 5 is costing us $3.5 million.
FYI, the documentary “It’s a Thick Book” will be shown this evening at 6 p.m. at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Related Articles:
May 21, 2007
Lewis Lehe Talks About “It’s a Thick Book”
In 2004, Homewood High School student Lewis Lehe exercised his right to vote for the first time. Though he thought he had prepared himself, he was surprised to find constitutional amendments on the ballot that affected places in Alabama he had never heard of. Why was he asked to vote on an amendment that affected Crenshaw County?
His curiosity led him to create “It’s a Thick Book,” a well-done, engaging and even funny documentary on our state’s 1901 Constitution. The movie premiered Sunday, March 4, and Lewis Lehe, now a college sophomore, spent his spring break travelling to most of the nine locations around the state where the movie was shown in its premiere week to answer questions after it was shown.
| I said, “Wait a minute. It’s Friday night, and you are watching the movie in the frat house. On Friday night.” I felt like I had really made it. |
The movie will show tonight (Monday) in Mobile and Auburn and tomorrow in Birmingham at the Civil Rights Institute. (Details for the events are here.) You can even order your own free copy of the DVD or watch it online. (My two cents is that if you have the opportunity, you’ll enjoy watching it with a group more.)
Lewis was kind enough to sit down in the Political Parlor for a brief chat to share some comments about his experiences making the movie. You can read it all after the jump.
Related Articles:
May 1, 2007
Watch “It’s a Thick Book” on the Web
I continue to tell folks that “It’s a Thick Book” is an entertaining look at our state’s 1901 Constitution. Now you can easily see for yourself to tell me how right or wrong I am.
“It’s a Thick Book” can now be seen online via streaming video. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
My two cents is that watching video on the computer screen is a pretty unsatisfactory experience, so once you check it out for a bit, I suggest you click the link there to have them send you your own copy on dvd so you can watch it in a more comfortable setting, perhaps with others. (Who wants to sit in front of a computer screen watching a video for 45 minutes?)
I’d be interested to know what you think. The folks I know who have seen it have been saying positive things.
“It’s a Thick Book” was made by Homewood High School graduate Lewis Lehe.
BTW, the posts in Related Articles (immediately below) have various links to what newspapers have said about “It’s a Thick Book.”
Related Articles:
April 19, 2007
Sen. Bishop, Seizing Opportunity
On the occasion of the state Democrats’ Jefferson-Jackson Banquet featuring President Bill Clinton tomorrow night, here is a photograph from a similar occasion in the past with another Clinton connection. The featured speaker at the state Democrats’ fundraiser in May, 2002 was James Carville, famed for his work on Clinton’s presidential campaign and later a senior political advisor to the President.
As politicians sometimes do, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charles Bishop (and his wife) took advantage of the opportunity for a photograph with the guest. (The picture has since picked up some discoloration.) Bishop, former Democratic Agricultural Commissioner for the state, is now the Republican state senator from Jasper.
March 3, 2007
Selma’s Pulpit Visitors
Activities in Selma this weekend commemorate the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march. Selma pulpits are seeing visitors tomorrow, some in a “command performance:”
It was [GA’s U.S. Rep. John] Lewis who invited Obama to Selma a month before Clinton decided to go. And it is Obama, not Clinton, who has been awarded Selma’s prime real estate - the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church where the famous march began.
Clinton will be speaking at the black First Baptist Church a few yards away on Martin Luther King Jr. Street. [Jesse] Jackson and [Al] Sharpton have reserved pulpits at Tabernacle Baptist Church and the Second Baptist Church, respectively.
Though curiously, Jackson “will not be coming because of an already scheduled trip to Ghana.”
November 26, 2006
Martha Brewer Remembered
In the wake of Martha Brewer’s passing last week, Bob Ingram remembers the attacks on her character in the 1970 governor’s race between incumbent Albert Brewer and former Gov. George Wallace. One book called this race the most negative political campaign of all time.
August 22, 2006
Lt. Governors Often Unsuccessful in Gov’s Race
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| Gov. Kilby |
Cleaning out some files…
Since 1901, Alabama voted only two lieutenant governors into the governor’s seat: Thomas E. Kilby in 1914 1918 and Don Siegelman in 1998.
Several more than that have run and not been elected, most recently Steve Windom in 2002.
Two others, Albert Brewer and Jim Folsom, Jr., ascended to the office to finish their predecessors’ incomplete terms but both lost their races for full terms.
Update: The source above had the year of Kilby’s election incorrect. He was elected in 1918.
June 4, 2006
Karl Rove & Perry Hooper in 1994 Alabama
While looking up some other things, I ran across this account of Karl Rove’s role in the 1994 election of Republican Perry Hooper, Sr. to the Alabama Supreme Court. At the time, no Republican had been elected to the Supreme Court in more than a century.
The 2000 [presidential] election was not Rove’s closest race. That had come earlier, and serves as a greater testament to his skill. In 1994 a group called the Business Council of Alabama appealed to Rove to help run a slate of Republican candidates for the state supreme court…
