Political Wrap Up

Is the party over for Moore?

2006-05-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

There is a country song that goes, "Turn out the lights, the party's over."
One must wonder if Moore is singing that these days. It seems as though that Moore is all but beaten. Even though Moore is an influential person in Alabam and nationally, in a sense; it does not seem that this influence will win him the republican primary.
In the most recent polls conducted by the University of South Alabama, Riley leads, 64% to 20% for Moore. That is a hefty margin that has been growing with each new poll.
Though Moore is still out there campaigning it seems that the primaries which are set to take place next month are all but over.
For some supporters of Moore, though, it may have not been a defeat. This may have somehow served a symbolic purpose in Moore's ideolagical stances, even if he does not win.
This speaks to the greatness of America; where any man who feels he ought is able to run for public office. This may be a defeat for Roy Moore, but it may also be a victory for democracy.

There is nothing like AL politics

2006-05-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

If Roy Moore was not enough of a story, being in the Alabama gubernatorial race; then consider for a moment Don Seigleman, running in the Democratic primary. This former Alabama governor has litigation toward him pending including nasty things such as fraud. Riley is looking better and better all of the time.
In my opinion Riley really does look better. Although, I have to say that personally I respect Moore for his stance and the reasons behind which he did what he did (even though there are different ways to accomplish a quest for religious freedom then disobeying a federal court order); I also have support Riley because I believe he would make a much better governor.
It takes more than sincerely held beliefs to make a good governor and I would be shocked if Riley did not hold to those same beliefs that Moore seems to be campaigning on.
However, the difference between the two is that that is not ALL that Riley is campaiging on. Also, Moore's tendency to critisize Riley's every move, does not make Moore look better.
Stricly speaking as a son of the state of Alabama, nobody wants Seigleman back in office. He is the reason that the two most disturbing political developments in recent years for Alabamians have taken place: (1) The education budget crisis that Riley promised to deliver Alabama out of and has (2) Changing Alabama's license plates, taking off the coveted moto "Sweet Home."
I cringe as I think of each traumatic episode.
Nevertheless, Skynard fans and non-Skynard fans alike agree that there is no way that Seigleman should be back there. Unfortunately, that does not nessescarily mean he will not. This would be an interesting question: When was the last time a candidate won the bid for governor while being on trial for greivances commited in his first term as governor. Former governors go on trial all the time (shout out to Mr. Ryan) but will he get re-elected. It seems he could get the Democratic nomination although the polls for the Democratic primary are neck and neck.
I have to say, Riley is looking better all of the time. Although, I think if Alabama had to choose between Seigleman and Moore, then Moore would might have a chance.

Moore is slipping on the mud he is throwing at Riley

2006-05-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

(this blog was compiled for April 28th)
Moore is campaigning hard against incumbent Bob Riley. Moore has not ceased to try and criticize Riley for with whatever ammo he can get his hands on. If fact, Moore has made it a point to criticize most Republican political leaders including the President. So one can only imagine the opportunity that Moore saw when the President came to Alabama this past week and made an appearance with Gov. Bob Riley at Tuskegee University.
This in itself led to criticism from Moore. Moore accused of using the President’s appearing as a campaign stunt and has also said that Riley has “blindly followed” Bush’s decisions.
Recently, Moore has also spoken out about Riley’s taking campaign contributions from political action committees. Moore promises to run on campaign reform and to not take this kind of money, though he has taken it in the past.
Moore may want to try and run on the basis of good policy instead of on a base of criticism. The trouble with pointing fingers is that there are always three fingers pointing back at you.
For all of Moore’s inconsistencies, he does have some pretty influential people on his side. Former Gov. Fob James and wife Bobbie have publicly endorsed his bid for Governor. However, it seems that this is more of an ideological stance than a political one.
In the polls, it does not seem that Moore is gaining any ground as Riley still leads by a two-to-one margin. Moore’s only hope is the grass-roots efforts of Christian conservatives but it doesn’t not seem that Riley is exactly an atheist. After all, he holds weekly Bible studies with his staff. Riley supported Moore in his bout about the Ten Commandments three years ago, until Moore disobeyed the federal court order to take them down.
If Moore expects to make a good showing in the primary in June, he must concentrate on campaigning on the issues important to Alabamians and not campaigning so much against Bob Riley.

The questions in the AL gubernatorial race: Education and Religion

2006-05-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

(This blog was compiled for the week of April 6th)
It does not seem to be an unlikely thing that these two issues would come up in a race for governor or even for a higher office for that matter. However, due to special circumstances in Alabama, these are possibly two of the hottest topics right now.
There has been a huge question about education in the state ever since people started wondering what would be done with the surplus in the education budget that was gained by increasing taxes over the past couple of years. This was the plan that Bob Riley campaigned on and he surprisingly won. When Riley ran for governor the question was, “What are we going to do about he education crisis?” Now, some are even proposing that the surplus be given back to the tax payers in the form of a refund, a plan that may please voters for the upcoming election but would probably not help Alabama schools. It really isn’t clear at this point if the Governor will veto, approve or amend the proposed budget.
The other question that has been raised is solely because of one of Alabama’s storied, almost infamous, candidates Roy Moore. Here is a man who is extremely outspoken about his conservative Christian beliefs and ever since he was removed from the Alabama Supreme Court over the “Ten Commandments incident;” he has been the poster child for Christian conservatism.
It is interesting that this week scores of people, both Christian and secular human rights activist alike, breathed a sigh of relief as a Christian in Afghanistan narrowly missed being executed according to that country’s Islamic Law. Although, for most Christians this was a cause for joy and celebration, some have used this as a reason to not elect people like Moore. If people like Roy Moore get elected will America be a Theocracy? The answer is no.
Religious freedom was in a large part why this country was founded. The battle cry of Christians is often being against the separation of church and state. However, that is only half of the battle cry. Christians believer that the separation of church and state should keep the the ‘state’ out of the church.
Think whatever you want to about Roy Moore. I find it interesting that no one ever brings up his track record of decisions to call him to account. It is always about his personally held religious beliefs and by the standard that he chooses to live his life. Did he ever gratuitously rule in favor of religious groups despite insufficient evidence to support those rulings or is America so “Theo-phobic,” especially towards conservative Christians that activists will not stop until it is outside of anyone’s right to hold to a sincere, orthodox form of Christianity.
For the record, I am a Christian. I say this just so you could know with what admitted bias I write this article. However, this should not be the reason that one dismisses my opinion as right or wrong and it should not be a litmus test with which we elect our officials.

Moore could use less time in the pulpit and more time in the political arena

2006-03-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

Moore stood in another pulpit this past Sunday discussing his history as former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and how God affects what we do in this country. It is not unlike what Moore has often done in many other churches; not just in the Madison Street Baptist Church. However, one has to ask; How is the race for governor going? It does not seem to be going that well for Moore.
In the latest polls done by the University of South Alabama, Moore is trailing his opponent for the Republican nomination by a nearly two to one margin. Incumbent Bob Riley will definitely be the one to beat in the gubernatorial race for Alabama. Despite what one might think of the man or where party lines fall, he does seem to be the favorite among the people. If I were Roy Moore I would not want to be running against him.
Moore needs more exposure in the political arena. While his distinction as the “Ten Commandments” judge may strike a chord with conservative Christians, even they have to wonder whether or not Moore has the know how and capability to ru the state efficiently.
It probably does not help Moore’s cause that Riley has the opportunity in these coming crucial days of the Republican primary, to pass popular legislation such as the recent “zero tolerance” laws on child pornography. It seems that Moore’s only political ‘weight’ is criticism. Moore has recently came out and called for Riley to condemn the recent Dubai port deal which, in turn, will definitely cause Riley to be silent on the subject. After all, a governor does not want to give the impression that he is letting his opponents dictate his policies.
Moore was also quite unhappy with the Alabama Republican party Chairwoman this past week, stating that she favored her former boss, incumbent Bob Riley. Twinkle Cavanaugh, GOP chief, was saddened by Moore’s comments stating that she supported Moore’s campaign for Chief Justice in 2000. Moore does not seem to be making any friends in the Alabama Republican party.
Moore does seem to be in an awkward position right now. However, with the candidate without a legitimate political outlet where he can show the people of Alabama that he knows how to run a state; his chances for winning the Republican primary look slim.

Moore's grassroots go deeper than just Alabama

2006-02-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

Moore’s grassroots campaign continues as he took time to speak in two Alabama churches this past week. Moore took scheduled campaign stops at Journey Church in Eva, AL and the First Christian Church of Dempolis, AL.
Although these homilies were definitely about more than just his gubernatorial campaign, Moore’s presence in those settings proved to be as good of a campaign tool as any candidate has at their disposal. There is probably no better setting for Roy Moore to sound off about the issues that first plunged him into the gubernatorial race.
However strong Moore’s influence has proven to be in the grassroots among Alabama’s conservative Christians; it seems that Alabamians are not the only one paying close attention to Moore’s bid for governor. In fact, several individuals in other states are paying in the form of campaign contributions to Moore.
According to Moore’s campaign spokesman, over 2,000 people in 49 states have contributed to Moore’s campaign. If this sounds like a lot, it is. It is possibly more contributors than any gubernatorial candidate has ever had in Alabama’s history.
Despite these impressive numbers, Moore still falls short of the kind of money that it typically takes to win a gubernatorial election. Typically, the kind of backing that has at least for the past two years funded a win in the Alabama Governor’s race has come from the state’s businessmen who are interested in what the Governor they honor with a contribution can do for Alabama business. Moore seems to be a risk for the business community because of his ties with conservative Christianity. Some people of the business community are simply afraid that those factors would scare off business from different cultures and/ or religions.
Although Moore intends to show Alabama Businessmen that he is good for Alabama business, he insists that the fact that he has received so many contributions from such a diverse number of people shows the strength of his bid for governor. He feels that he does not need to have his campaign backed by big business in order to win. After all isn’t an election decided on the votes of the people and not the depth of their wallets?
That is true. It would not be the first time that an Alabamian gubernatorial race was decided in favor of the person with the smaller campaign budget. However, let’s all remind ourselves that the election will be decided with the hard earned vote of the Alabamian in November and not with approval of anyone’s friends from any of the other states.

Men of Athens, lend me your ears...

2006-01-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

It is doubtful that Roy Moore began his address that way earlier this week while in my hometown of Athens, AL but he did spark everyone's attention with what he said. Moore addressed many moral issues while speaking outside of my Grandmother's favorite resturant, Chu-Chu's Buffet, on Thursday. This was to be expected in a town such as Athens. For those who do not know it well, (which is pretty much everyone) let me explain.
The city of Athens only went wet a couple of years ago. Businesses in the city are now able to sell alcohol while those in Limestone County, but outside of Athens' city limits, still cannot.While this may seem like a useless piece of information, it was not overlooked by Moore. Moore's speech expressed the kind of sentiments with which several people in Athen would most likely agree. There is probably no other place in Alabama who wanted to hear what he had to say more than Athens. The great people of that town have a strong value and concern for the moral fabric of their society. Moore undoubtedly knew exactly whose ears he would be "borrowing."
Moore addressed a range of moral issues. The most popular issue was in regards to Moore's career and in fact almost synonomous with the name "Roy Moore" in the state of Alabama; that is the issue of the seperation between church and state. Moore expressed concern Thursday that the federal courts are taking away the people's right to acknowledge God. Moore thinks that government interference in people's personal religious practices that intersect in any way with public life impedes their "right to worship."
However, Moore did not only limit himself to moral issues such as religion in public life and gambling, a hot-button issue in Alabama where there have been several attempts to institute a lottery, but Moore also addressed some serious concerns for the people of that great state. One such issue is that of education. Just a few years ago the Alabama legislature found itself with a depleted surplus fund which is used to pay for education. This was the number one concern on most people's minds as the state elected Bob Riley in the last gubernatorial election. Though now it seems that Alabama has a $500 million dollar balance to the good in the same education fund that was in such a crisis situation a short time ago. The million dollar question concerns Moore's plan for that money.
While Bob Riley, Moore's current competition for the Republican nomination, ran and won the Governor's race on a promise of education funding and reform; Riley was completely forth coming on how this reform was going to happen; taxes.It was not pretty or popular but it worked. Moore under the campaign mantra of Giving the government back to the people, will most likely seek to give that education money back to the people in the form of tax rebates.Moore feels strongly that tax increases do not necessarily mean a better education system for Alabama's children. Moore's aim is set on getting a handle on overspending in Montgomery and finding ways to put money back in tax payers' hands such as changing annual property tax appraisals to quadrennial. Also, Moore plans to limit state legislators' to three consecutive terms in order to sqaush entrenched special interests lobbyists.Those fifty or so fine people in attendance were happy to hear what Moore had to say on Thursday.
Though the weather held up for the event, it is doubtful that even inclement conditions would have stayed the speech made outside of Chu-Chu's. It would definitly not deter some who see Moore as the champion of Christian religious rights in Alabama. Let's just hope that Moore's tenacity about issues concerning moral integrity will show itself as fervent in other areas such as unemployment and education.