alabama politics – Shoals Insider

A MO BROOKS STORY

Staff — Tue, 03 May 2022 06:08:48 +0000

Alabama’s leading Political Columnist Steve Flowers

Over the years I have shared a lot of stories about Alabama’s colorful political figures. We have had some characters like Big Jim Folsom and George Wallace. Big Jim was gregarious and fun loving. Wallace was a political genius and without question the most prolific politician in Alabama history. Both Wallace and Folsom used theatrics to get elected governor, but both were effective once elected to office.

Ole Mo Brooks will make the history books as a colorful Alabama political character. However, unlike Wallace and Folsom, Mo will never be considered effective or important but Mo Brooks is no fool. He knows what he is doing. He is a graduate of Duke and Alabama Law School. He has always been a right-wing ideologue. He truly believes in less government even if that means cutting your district’s or state’s throat. He does not want to be an effective emissary for his people. He is proud of the title of being the least effective congressman in Alabama history. He believes his role is to be the most conservative person in the halls of the Capitol.

Mo and I were freshman legislators together in 1982. Mo served one four-year term in the Alabama House and left in 1986. He was immediately recognized as a right-wing nut, who was driven by an ideological agenda rather than being an effective legislator for his constituents. He was laughed at and ridiculed by the entire House and placed on the back row by the Speaker. They would recognize him, occasionally, his first year to make a reactionary speech on an issue. However, after a while, the Speaker would not recognize him to talk. Prior to that, if we had a bill we wanted to pass and we knew Mo might be for it, we would quietly go back to Mo’s desk in the far-right corner and say, “Mo, I would like for you to vote for my bill. However, please do not speak for it.” We knew his speaking for it would be detrimental to the bill’s passage.

Having been relegated to not having any power, which he preferred, he decided to become the Czar of conservatism in the House. He made himself the appointed keeper of all the House members voting records and would rank us on our conservatism based on how we voted on legislative issues. Mo got a computer, which was a rare device in those days, and sat at his desk keeping track of our daily voting record and ranking us. You can imagine how that upset some of the old crusty legislators, some of whom had been around since the early George Wallace segregationist days. They figured that the word conservative meant voting against Civil Rights and integration. I was one of the few who would visit with Mo. I would go back to his desk and ask how he was doing with his list. Some of the old timers would ask me what Mo and I talked about. You can only imagine the indignation they had towards the young nut from north Alabama when I told them he was keeping their voting record and ranking them on their conservatism.

Ole Mo moved on to the Madison County Commission for a decade or so. They say that every vote during that time was five yes and one no. Guess who the “no” vote was.

He has continued that same consistency of longing to be a loud voice in the wilderness of ineffectiveness during his 11 years in Congress.
Recently a respected fellow member of our 1982 Freshman Legislative Class and I were visiting and the subject of Mo’s race for the Senate came up. He said, “You know, I have never known anyone besides Mo Brooks who has served nearly two decades in a legislative-congressional capacity and never passed a bill nor ever accomplished anything.”

However, my 1982 colleague and I were from the old school that believed you should look after your district first. My perception of today’s Republican primary voters is that there are a good many who prefer a total less government conservative senator. If you are looking for a true long term proven conservative, then Mo Brooks is your man.

See you next week.

Alabama’s premier columnist and commentator, Steve has analyzed Alabama politics for national television audiences on CBS, PBS, ABC and the British Broadcasting Network. Steve has been an up close participant and observer of the Alabama political scene for more than 50 years and is generally considered the ultimate authority on Alabama politics and Alabama political history.

FIRST DISTRICT HAS HAD OUTSTANDING CONGRESSMEN

Staff — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 01:42:55 +0000

Senate Candidate Bradley Byrne

Current First District Congressman Bradley Byrne is leaving his safe congressional seat to take a shot at the U.S. Senate this year.

The Mobile First Congressional District has had quite a legacy over the last century. Alabama’s First District has always been primarily made up of Mobile County. Historically, the rural southwest Alabama counties north of Mobile have been a part of the First. Washington, Clarke, Monroe and Escambia do not amount to much of the population. Baldwin and Mobile, which are now essentially one county, have been tied together for the past few decades, and they comprise most of the district.

In July of 1935, the legendary and colorful Frank Boykin became the congressman. He stayed in the First seat for 28 years. Ole Frank Boykin was a colorful, earthy fellow. He had little formal education but had made a lot of money in the lumber and turpentine business prior to going to Congress in 1936, and was reelected twelve times.

Boykin owned a hunting lodge in rural Washington County. He had a legendary hunting weekend retreat. Invitations to the retreat were coveted among members of Congress. The Speaker of the House would come every year, along with most of the leadership.

One of the best pictures I have ever seen was taken with Frank Boykin, who was about 5 feet 2 inches beside Governor “Big” Jim Folsom who was about 6 feet 9 inches. It was at the Boykin lodge. Both were obviously inebriated, especially “Big” Jim.” Boykin was famous for his favorite phrase, “Everything is made for love.”

John Tyson, Sr. served briefly after Frank Boykin lost out in a special state wide last man out election. Tyson’s successor was one of Alabama’s great congressmen, Jack Edwards. Mr. Edwards was more dignified than Mr. Boykin. However, they both served the First District well.

Jack Edwards was born in Birmingham. He was student body president at the University of Alabama and got his law degree from Alabama. He began his law practice in Mobile. Shortly thereafter, at age 36, he was elected to Congress in 1964. During his 28-year tenure in the House, with the addition of Baldwin County, the First District became one of the most Republican districts in the South. Edwards was reelected nine times. He chose to leave after 20 years.

Sonny Callahan succeeded Jack Edwards and stayed in the First District seat 18 years. Like Edwards he was helped in his first election by the top of the presidential ticket. Popular President, Ronald Reagan, carried Alabama overwhelmingly and had strong coattails. Callahan was also buoyed by Edwards’ endorsement and the addition of Baldwin County to the First.

Callahan was born in Mobile to a large Irish-Catholic family. He attended Mobile public schools. Although, like Boykin, he never graduated college and was successful in business. Along with being a popular state senator, he owned a trucking and warehouse business. He was serving in the state senate when he went to Congress in 1985.

Jack Edwards and Sonny Callahan were known for excellent constituent relations. Therefore, it was apropos for the man responsible for their constituent service to follow them into the First District seat.

Jo Bonner won the seat in 2002. He had been Callahan’s Chief of Staff. Callahan and Edwards endorsed Bonner in his initial primary. He was reelected, overwhelmingly, five times. After 10 years in Congress, he opted to leave Washington. Congressman Bonner is now Governor Kay Ivey’s Chief of Staff.

Jo Bonner was born to be the congressman from the First District. He was born into a family steeped in Wilcox County political and public service. His father was probate judge. He grew up as the “little brother,” actually and figuratively to fellow Wilcox Countians Judy Bronner, Kay Ivey, and Jeff Sessions.

Bonner was highly respected by his House colleagues. He was on a leadership track and was Chairman of the House Ethics Committee. Jo Bonner is a class act and the epitome of a true southern gentleman.

Bradley Bryne took up the mantle of the prestigious First District four years ago. He took to Congress like a duck to water and has done a good job.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers

Steve’s column appears on ShoalsInsider.com weekly. He is Alabama’s premier columnist and commentator, Steve has analyzed Alabama politics for national television audiences on CBS, PBS, ABC and the British Broadcasting Network. Steve has been an up-close participant and observer of the Alabama political scene for more than 50 years and is generally considered the ultimate authority on Alabama politics and Alabama political history.

Alabama is called the “Heart of Dixie”

Staff — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 18:04:31 +0000

Alabama’s leading Political Columnist Steve Flowers

As we begin this New Year of 2019, Alabama begins a new quadrennium in state government.

All of our Constitutional state officeholders begin their new four-year terms this month. Governor Kay Ivey will be sworn in for a four-year term on January 14. Also, being sworn in on Inauguration Day will be Will Ainsworth as Lt. Governor, John Merrill as Secretary of State, John McMillan as State Treasurer, Rick Pate as Agriculture Commissioner, Steve Marshall as Attorney General and Jim Ziegler will be sworn in for a second term as State Auditor. By the way, all of the above and indeed all statewide officeholders in Alabama are Republicans.

All 140 State Senators and State Representatives have already been sworn in for their four-year terms. Most of our legislators are also Republicans. There are 35 State Senators, 27 are Republican and only eight Democrats. The House is made up of 105 members. The partisan divide is 77 Republicans and 28 Democrats. Mac McCutcheon of Huntsville will be elected Speaker of the House in the organizational session next weekand Del Marsh will be reelected President Pro Tem of the Senate. My belief is that we will have a successful and prosperous next four years in the Heart of Dixie.

Alabama is a magnificent state. We possess abundant natural resources such as waterways, rivers, flora and fauna, and mineral deposits. Water is one of Alabama’s most precious natural resources, and almost 10 percent of the freshwater resources of the continental U.S. flows through or originates in Alabama during its journey to the sea. A sixth of the state’s surface is covered by lakes, ponds, rivers, and creeks. We have plentiful rainfall, much higher than the nation’s average. The average annual rainfall in North Alabama is 50 inches. The average is 65 in South Alabama and along the coast.

Some of you may wonder why Alabama is called the “Heart of Dixie.” We are the Heart of Dixie because of banknotes issued by the Citizens Bank of Louisiana before the Civil War. They bore the French word “dix” meaning ten, and thus the South became known as Dixieland. With Alabama serving as the first Capital of the Confederacy, it was thus the Heart of Dixieland.

The early French influence in Alabama is still felt in Mobile, which is much older than the rest of the state. Mobile was the first permanent European settlement in the state, founded by the French even earlier than New Orleans, and more than 100 years before Alabama became a state in 1819.

Mobile was settled by the French, but the rest of our European ancestors came primarily from five states: Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. Ninety percent of the pre-Civil War white population of the state originated in one of these five states. Of the first 16 governors, 15 were born in one of those five states and of the 100 delegates at the Secession Convention in 1861, only 17 were native-born Alabamians, while 72 were born in one of the above five states.

When Alabama became a state in 1819, it accounted for 1.3 percent of the nation’s population. There was rapid growth during the next few decades as cotton and slavery dominated the antebellum economy and culture. By 1840, Alabama’s proportion of U.S. population was 3.5 percent.

However, Alabama’s proportion of the U.S. population has been in steady decline since the end of the Civil War. Today we account for only about 1.6 percent of the country’s people. My belief is that the trend will reverse in the next few years as we continue to grow with automobile and high-tech industries, especially in the Huntsville area.

Alabama has been castigated as a backwards state and less opportune for women leaders. However, I would suggest that with the beginning of this new quadrennium we may be leading the nation and more so-called progressive states with women leadership. We have just elected a female governor, Kay Ivey, and Katie Britt has been chosen to lead the Business Council of Alabama.

Legendary Legislator Pete Turnham of Auburn turned 99 on New Year’s Day. Mr. Pete represented Lee County in the Alabama House of Representatives for 40 years from 1958-1998. He brought a lot of bacon home to Auburn University. Happy Birthday Pete, and Happy New Year to you.

See you next week.

Steve

Alabama’s premier columnist and commentator, Steve Flowers has analyzed Alabama politics for national television audiences on CBS, PBS, ABC, and the British Broadcasting Network. Steve has been an up-close participant and observer of the Alabama political scene for more than 50 years and is generally considered the ultimate authority on Alabama politics and Alabama political history. His column appears weekly on ShoalsInsider.com.

Walt Maddox Pop-Up Rally Set for Tuesday

Staff — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:06:12 +0000

FLORENCE–A pop-up rally for Walt Maddox, the Democrat running for governor, is set for Tuesday at McFarland Park.

The rally is next Tuesday, October 9 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Maddox will discuss the issues in the race.

Maddox is facing the incumbent Republican Governor Kay Ivey in November.

There will be food and drinks available.

Staff Reports

Congressman Mo Brooks: President Trump misled into making endorsement

Staff — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 11:36:28 +0000

US Congressman Mo Brooks

HUNTSVILLE- Senate candidate Mo Brooks is sounding off after President Trump endorsed his opponent Luther Strange for the Senate seat.

Congressman Mo Brooks made the following statement on President Trump’s endorsement in the Alabama Special Election Primary:

“I respect President Trump, but I am baffled and disappointed Mitch McConnell and the Swamp somehow misled the President into endorsing Luther Strange.

“Perhaps the President is unaware that Luther Strange corruptly and unethically held a criminal investigation over the head of disgraced Governor Bentley to obtain the senate appointment.

“Perhaps President Trump is unaware that Luther Strange wants to keep the Senate’s 60% rule that empowers Chuck Schumer and the Democrats to kill the entire conservative, Republican, and President Trump legislative agendas.

“Perhaps President Trump is unaware then- Attorney General Luther Strange received $50,000 from a heavy polluter as a reward for Luther Strange sending two letters to the EPA that blocked EPA efforts to force the polluter to pay cleanup costs at a heavily polluted Birmingham Superfund site that endangers the health of Alabama children and citizens.

“The President has bigger things going on than a campaign, that’s for sure.

“In any event, while Mitch McConnell and the Swamp managed to mislead the President last night, I still support the America First Agenda, and all the polls show we have momentum.

“We believe our message will win out over the Swamp and Lyin’ Luther.

“We continue the fight for America’s future. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Forward we march.”

Shelby won an uphill battle to unseat Jeremiah Denton

Staff — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 21:23:29 +0000

Alabama’s leading Political Columnist Steve Flowers

Our Senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby will begin his sixth six-year term in January. He is an Alabama treasure. Over the past 30 years as our Senator he has brought millions of federal dollars home to Alabama.
Richard Shelby currently reigns as Alabama’s most prominent political figure. He is one of Alabama’s three greatest Senators in history along with Lister Hill and John Sparkman. Shelby is easily one of the most influential political figures in the nation.
Shelby has had a perfectly scripted rise to political power and acclaim. In 1970 at age 35, he entered politics and was elected to the State Senate from Tuscaloosa. He ran for an open seat in Congress in 1978 and won. In 1986 he rolled the dice, gave up his safe congressional seat and took on an incumbent Senator.
In 1986, Shelby was a 50-year-old Congressman a Democrat who had a stellar conservative voting record. He was safe in his U. S. House seat. Therefore, his decision to challenge an incumbent U. S. Senator was a gamble. His friends cautioned him that it was an uphill battle and he should not risk his safe House seat. His basic reply was, “I’m one of 435 in congress, given the rules of seniority, it will be 20 more years before I can chair a committee or subcommittee. They don’t even know my name up here. I’m either going to the Senate and be somebody, or I’m going home and make money.”
One factor that the average political observer was not aware of that Shelby probably sensed was that his congressional district was destined to be the first African-American district after reapportionment in 1990. That is what happened to Shelby’s 7th District.
Although it would be a daunting task to upset an incumbent, U. S. Senator, Jeremiah Denton had written a textbook on how to lose a Senate seat during his six-year term. Denton was elected as Alabama’s first Republican Senator since Reconstruction in 1980. He was swept into office on the coattails of Ronald Reagan who carried Alabama in a landslide. Alabamians knew very little about Denton except that he had been a naval officer and a well-known national POW in the Vietnam War. His patriotic hero position sold well in Alabama, especially with Reagan headed to the White House.
Yet Shelby beat Denton. It was close and Shelby had to spend some of his personal money the last week of the campaign to carry out the upset, but Alabama has been the better for Richard Shelby’s 1986 gamble. He was been reelected in 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010 and now in 2016.
I had the opportunity to fly back from Washington with and visit with Shelby a few years after his 1986 victory. He told me the inside story of the last six days of that campaign that illustrates how important money and media are in today’s modern politics.
When he decided to run against Denton, he knew the importance of money to a campaign. He also knew that it was essential to get the best media guru regardless of the price. Therefore, he spared no expense and got the best pollster and media people in America. About six days out, he was six points behind. The pollster told him to put $100,000 of TV ads in the Birmingham market using a certain ad and it would raise him two points. He did and it did. The next day the media man and the pollster told him to spend $50,000 on TV ads in the Mobile market using a certain ad and it would give him a one point boost. He did and it did. The next day the pollster told him to run a certain ad in the Huntsville market and spend $60,000 and it would raise him a point. He did and it did. Two days out the pollster told him to run a certain ad in both Birmingham and Montgomery and it would raise him by three points. He did and it did.
He won by one point. I suspect the ad most suggested by the pollster and the media guys was the one where Denton was saying he didn’t have time to come home and kiss babies’ butts.
See you next week.

Our friend Steve Flowers’ column on Alabama politics appears weekly on ShoalsInsider.com.

Restaurant was hub for Alabama political figures

Staff — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 18:31:45 +0000

Interior of Elite Cafe Montgomery from a postcard of the time

Alabama’s most famous political restaurant and watering hole for 50 years was Montgomery’s Elite Restaurant. Until it closed about 1995, the Elite (pronounced “E-light”) was the place to eat and be seen. Many a political deal was struck at its back tables.
Legislators, politicians, and socialites in Montgomery frequented the famous establishment. The politicians and lobbyists not only met there during the sessions, they would meet there for political discussions, dinners and drinks all year long, and any night or day, even on Sundays. The original owner and proprietor was Pete Xides. His son, Ed Xides, a wonderful gentleman with impeccable southern manners and charm had taken over by the time I got to the legislature. I loved to eat there. The “Seafood Mélange of Trout Almandine and Shrimp Athenian combine to give the Elite’s most famous dish served with rice and lemon butter caper sauce,” quoting from the menu, is still among the best meals I have ever eaten.
During the 1940’s through 1960s, drinking alcoholic beverages was not as accepted in Alabama as it is today. Many counties were “dry”. It was especially taboo for a public official to be seen in public drinking whiskey and certainly not martinis and sophisticated scotches. Still, a good many did partake. The Elite was glad to serve their patrons the exquisite and expensive libations. Nine times out of ten, a lobbyist was picking up the bill. In fact, they kept a monthly tab at the Elite.
Beside the politicians, many of the sophisticated social elite of Montgomery frequented the Elite. A good many of the regular patrons were older ladies of Montgomery. They also liked their cocktails. To cover for its discreet customers, the Elite served its alcoholic concoctions in coffee and tea cups. Therefore, when a little old lady from the Methodist or Baptist Church asked her gin rummy buddy to go to lunch after church, they winked at each other and knew they would have a delightful Sunday afternoon sipping “tea” or “coffee” at the Elite. They would be sipping along with most of the prominent politicians in the state. Of course, it was illegal to sell or serve alcohol on Sunday in Alabama and in some places it still is.
Governor John Patterson had frequented the Elite since he was in law school at the University of Alabama and was a regular there while he was attorney general. When Patterson became governor he named Ed Azar, a straight-laced teetotaling Montgomery lawyer, as head of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
One day early in Governor Patterson’s administration, he got a call from Mr. Pete Xides. Old Mr. Xides told the governor that he had a major problem and that he had to see him. He said the matter was urgent. Governor Patterson told Mr. Xides to come on up to the governor’s office. Mr. Xides wasted no time scurrying up to the Capitol. It only took a minute because the Elite was just a few blocks down the street. He first apologized for having to bother the governor and thanked him for seeing him, especially on such short notice. However, Mr. Azar and the ABC Board had raided his famous restaurant and told Mr. Xides that he would have to cease serving alcohol on Sunday, even if he did serve it in coffee or tea cups. Mr. Xides pointed out that the governor had been sipping “tea” on Sunday at the Elite for decades, including while he was the state’s top prosecutor, though Mr. Xides might have been too polite to mention that. In fact, Governor Patterson had even been sipping there the previous Sunday. Governor Patterson pondered all that and told Mr. Xides that he “would hate for such a tradition to end in Alabama.” He promised the old Greek that he would do what he could to take care of the matter.
The Governor then had a long talk with his ABC Board administrator. Azar was feisty about it, but ultimately agreed that his boss, the governor, had the final say. The Elite continued to serve coffee and tea on Sunday. It was quite a political institution in Alabama and is sorely missed.
Former Governor John Patterson celebrates his 96th birthday this week. He lives on his ancestral farm in rural Tallapoosa County where he has a pet goat named Rebecca. Happy Birthday Governor Patterson!
See you next week.

Steve Flower’s column appears weekly on ShoalsInsider.com

Several mayors defeated across state in municipal elections

Staff — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 14:41:53 +0000

Alabama’s leading Political Columnist Steve Flowers

There is no truer adage in the political world than “all politics is local.” therefore, the best politics and the best governing in the state is at the local level. The mayors of cities and towns throughout Alabama are the real governors of the state.
Running a city is a full-time job. It is the where the rubber meets the road. They are the closest to the people. It is more important to the average voter whether their garbage has been picked up on time or their utility bill is too high, than if we build a wall to keep Mexicans out of Texas or that Hillary Clinton hid her emails. These mayors get blamed for the garbage not being picked up on time and especially if their water bill is too high.
There was a wholesale apple cart turnover and slaughter of iconic long-term mayors throughout the state with statewide municipal elections on August 23rd. It was devastating in the Jefferson County suburbs. The veteran mayor of Hoover, Gary Ivey, lost 35% to 52% to former Hoover Fire Chief Frank Brocato. Two-term Vestavia Mayor, Butch Zaragoza, lost 43% to 57% to former FBI agent, Ashley Curry. In Trussville, five-term Mayor, Gene Melton, lost big time. He got 25% of the vote running third to two City Councilmen, Buddy Choat (35%) and Anthony Montalto (40%), who will be in a runoff.
Legendary Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford fell to City Council President Tony Haygood, 38% to 62%.
The Selma Mayoral race was a real donnybrook. In a five person contest, the incumbent Mayor George Evans finished third with only 18% of the vote. State Representative Darrio Melton and former Mayor James Perkins are headed for an October 4th runoff with Melton leading.
In Alexander City, incumbent Mayor Charles Shaw barely got into a runoff with James Nabors, who led 47% to 20%.
In Hamilton, Mayor Wade Williams got trounced. Bob Page beat him 63% to 24%. Hamilton has not had a mayor to win a second term in 24 years.
In Demopolis, incumbent Mayor Mike Grayson was trampled by John Laney 63% to 15%. That is taking someone to the woodshed.
In one of Alabama’s fastest growing cities, Fairhope, four-term incumbent Mayor Tim Kant lost to bookstore owner Karin Wilson, who qualified the last day on a lark.
In short, a host of incumbent mayors bit the dust and they fell hard. However, some popular incumbent mayors won reelection handily on August 23rd. Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller waltzed to an impressive victory garnering 80% of the vote. In Prattville, incumbent Mayor Bill Gillespie trounced his opposition with a record 92% of the vote. Popular young Troy Mayor Jason Reeves got an impressive 73% of the vote over two opponents and reelection to his second term. Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis won a third term. He got 65% of the vote in his reelection bid. Jim Lowery, the longtime mayor of Fultondale won 58% to 42%. Enterprise Mayor Kenneth Boswell beat two opponents without a runoff.
The biggest victory of any incumbent mayor came in one of Alabama’s top three metropolitan areas. Huntsville is one of the state’s largest cities and the fastest growing. Incumbent Mayor Tommy Battle won with 82% of the vote. This will probably catapult him into the 2018 Governor’s Race.
Several popular mayors were unopposed. One was the very able Mayor of Andalusia, Earl Johnson.
All of the aforementioned mayoral incumbent victors are leading cities that are thriving and growing exponentially.
There will be some good runoffs on October 4th. Most notably in Ozark between Mike Barefield and Bob Bunting, where only 39 votes separated them.
Forty-year veteran Mayor Jimmy Ramage stepped down as Mayor of Brundidge. There will be a runoff election between Cynthia Pearson and Isabell Boyd, which will be interesting.
The Luverne runoff election between Alan Carpenter and Ed Beasley will be close with only 12 votes separating them.
It has been a very good year for local politics in the Heart of Dixie.
See you next week.

Our friend Steve Flowers’ column appears weekly on ShoalsInsider.com

Trump making headway with little tv ad spending, most Americans under 40 get their news digitally

Staff — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 16:45:13 +0000

In 1960 television was a new medium. Most Americans did not have televisions in the early 1950’s. However, by 1960 the majority of the country had fallen in love with Lucy and TV.
Presidential races had been run by party bosses in urban enclaves like New York and Boston. Political parties and party conventions were extremely important. The parties were controlled by longtime political pols and insiders. Powerful governors and senators would control their state delegations at the nominating conventions and would yield inordinate power at a critical point in the process.

Machine and ward politics in the major cities of New York, Boston and Chicago dictated the choice of party nominees, especially within the Democratic Party. The Republican Party was even then more based in the Midwestern and rural part of the nation. We in the South were essentially as irrelevant in presidential politics as we are today. We were entrenched as an island of Southern Democrats based on tradition and the post-Civil War Reconstruction animosity. Today, we are reliably Republicans due to race and religion.

The country was changing dramatically beginning in 1960. Folks were moving west to California and south to Florida. The northeastern center of political influence was beginning to decline. The 1960 presidential contest is considered one of the most interesting, dramatic, and closest in history. It was also a pivotal race because of the advent of television. The television set became the center and king of American presidential politics.

In one corner of the heavyweight slugfest was the GOP standard bearer, Richard Nixon. He had been vice-president for eight years under the popular General/President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower. Carrying the Democratic banner was youthful Massachusetts Senator and Boston bred John Kennedy. Most political historians submit that the presidential contest hinged on and was won on television.

The presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon was televised and Americans tuned in. Kennedy was considered the underdog but he turned the race around with his sterling television appearance. He was youthful, articulate, and handsome and took to the TV like a duck to water. Nixon, on the other hand, came off as a mean-spirited, scowling, bumbling alternative.
Kennedy knew to wear makeup and look rested. He appeared tanned and energetic. Nixon had come into politics through the traditional mediums of newspaper and radio. In fact, most people who listened to the debate on radio said Nixon won the debate. However, he lost big on television.

Nixon arrived at the television studio without proper preparation. He refused to wear makeup as he said it was not masculine to wear powder on your face. It would have helped him. Nixon had a pronounced five o’clock shadow. He had failed to shave and he looked very sinister. He also would not smile. He appeared gaunt and pale, probably due to the fact that he had a flare up with phlebitis in his leg and as he was getting out of the car he hit his leg on the door and he was in severe pain.

Kennedy won the presidency with that television debate and a new era of American politics began. Television became the king of politics and for half a century has been the dominant weapon of national politics. However, the presidential race has seen the beginning of the end to television broadcast advertising being omnipotent.
In fact, it appears that paid television ads are having an inverse affect. Outsider candidates like Donald Trump have thrived with little or no paid television ads, while Jeb Bush spent over $60 million on television with very little result. Another Floridian, Marco Rubio, spent over $30 million on television. Two also rans and prominent governors, Rick Perry and Scott Walker, spent most of their campaign dough on television with no effect on their polling numbers and left the race before the first primary.

This trend actually set in during the presidential race four years ago. Studies indicate that television ads had little or no effect on the Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney contest. Digital advertising is beginning to challenge television’s dominance. Most Americans under 40 get their news online. However, older voters still watch television a lot.

Nielson says Americans view an average of 36 hours a week whereas those older than 50 watch 47 hours. The era of king television in American presidential politics may be fading. Those of us older than 60 still like to read our local paper.

See you next week.

Our friend Steve Flowers’ column appears weekly on ShoalsInsider.com.

Trey Edwards: “Time for accountability in state government”

Staff — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 16:16:20 +0000

Trey Edwards of Victory Social Media

This past week has been another chapter in the seemingly never-ending saga involving our Governor. Despite his claims that he never took advantage of his office to protect his affair, he had a state helicopter fly his wallet to him after he drove himself to the coast to escape a confrontation over that affair with his wife. This means he used taxpayer dollars to hide his affair – otherwise, he could have just easily called a family friend to retrieve the wallet. It was the desire to keep the affair and the argument a secret that necessitated using state employees and equipment.

It is not generally a good idea to pass laws that will have a major impact on our state based on the improprieties of one man. With that being said, it is long past time for our state to implement some common-sense accountability measures. These issues have become the rule – not the exception – in Alabama politics. I have a few recommendations:

1) Recall Legislation
With the spotlight on the Governor right now and on the fact that our impeachment process for statewide officials is poorly understood, this is a prime opportunity for ambitious legislators to push a recall bill. Allow average citizens to petition for a recall election of any elected official. Since there is no possible way they can be removed for their actions during most of their term, they are more likely to abuse that privilege and vote in a manner that does not represent their constituents. Recall legislation would force every elected official to constantly be weighing each vote against their constituents’ wishes.

2) Closed Primaries
In Alabama, we do not have party registration. Democrats can vote in the Republican primaries and vice versa. This is the same thing as stockholders from one company being able to go into the stockholder’s meeting of that company’s rival, and cast votes on policy changes. What would happen? Naturally, they’d vote against that company’s best interests in order to help their side down the road. This happens on a regular basis in both state and county races. The most well-funded candidate typically has a better chance of winning elections, as they can simply spend money to get members of one party to turn out in the other’s primary to support them – or to take out potential rivals. This gives a distinct disadvantage to the candidates that are running on their beliefs – because ideology and issues are no longer a factor. We want candidates that focus on issues rather than rhetoric. These are the more pure-hearted ones – the ones that will fight for more accountability and do what they genuinely believe the right thing is to do.

3) Ethics Reform
What is the Alabama Ethics Commission’s job? Apparently, their job is to rubber-stamp any and every request from those in power. Our Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard, is currently facing trial for 23 felony indictments – many of which were signed off on by the Ethics Commission in advance – and this will be one of Hubbard’s defenses when he goes to trial. The commission is appointed by the very people they are hired to oversee. They are not an independent third party, but rather an internal agency with zero incentive to do their job. If they actually held Hubbard accountable to any ethical standard, he would simply have them replaced. We need to reform the Ethics Commission and make it an independent agency directly subject to either the voters themselves or to a combination of the three branches of government.

Comments, critiques, or insults? Find me on Facebook or e-mail me at trey@victorysocialmedia.com

See you next week…

Trey Edwards

Trey Edwards’ political column appears weekly on ShoalsInsider.com