The Alabama Democratic Party blasted National Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele in a press release this week for authorizing a partisan fund-raising mailing so close to the official census of 2010.
“The RNC claims this mailing is clearly marked as coming from the RNC, but conveniently absent are any disclaimers on the outer envelope. Just about everyone will open this mailer because there’s no way to tell it’s not junk mail,” Democratic Party executive Director Jim Spearman said. “Once inside, the RNC disclaimers are small and inconspicuous, and the questions are disingenuous and misleading. This mailer is borderline fraudulent, and Steele should be ashamed of himself for falling back on such a dubious fundraising tactic when it’s critical we focus on making the 2010 Census as successful as possible.”
The official 2010 Census of the Population is arriving in citizen’s mailboxes now. It is only 10 questions and is the shortest Census form in many decades. Respondents are encouraged to complete and return it by the end of April. An accurate response to the Census is critical in determining levels of federal funding for communities and will be crucial to next year’s redistricting efforts.
Joe Turnham, Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, encouraged all Alabama residents to fill out and return the census.
“The Census is extremely important, and the information is absolutely confidential. There are various groups and figureheads on the right making false allegations in an effort to dissuade people from completing the census, but their cries should be ignored,” Turnham claims. “I encourage all Alabamians to participate in this year’s census so that we will be fairly represented in Congress and so that the appropriate amount of federal dollars will flow to our great state.”
With only two months and a couple of weeks to go before the primary vote for governor of Alabama, Fort Payne Democrat Ron Sparks continues his relentless campaign against Rep. Artur Davis of Birmingham, while Democrats for health care reform continue to protest against Davis for his lack of support for the signature legislation of the Obama presidency.
The Sparks campaign issued a press release today asking a series of questions for potential voters for the Democratic Party.
“If you consider yourself a Democrat, ask yourself some questions. Why would I support someone who doesn’t support healthcare reform even though he represents a district which desperately needs it?” Sparks asks. “Why would I support someone who voted with Republicans to give a $37 billion tax break to oil and energy companies?”
Protesters are yelling all the way to Washington, hoping Congressman Artur Davis, D-Alabama, will hear their voices pleading for a “yes” vote on a healthcare reform bill.
“All he is doing is repeating what the republicans have said and this makes absolutely no sense,” said Deborah Carson, who voted for Davis twice. She says she feels as though he has turned his back on his constituents.
“Stop hurting the people in this district,” yelled Carson. “Stop throwing the people under the bus and stop standing with the people who say they want our president to fail.”
Even without a supportive vote from Davis, the movement to pass a bill supported by President Barack Obama may be gaining ground. Wednesday afternoon, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, had a change of heart. He announced he will support the bill.
“If Dennis Kucinich can walk it back Artur can, too,” Carson said, but others said don’t count on it.
Did Congressman Illegally Use Congressional Funds In Run for Governor of Alabama?
A veteran of the Civil Rights movement and Birmingham minister filed formal complaints with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Election Commission Monday challenging Congressman Artur Davis’ misuse of congressional funds in violation of both state and federal law.
Rev. Jack Zylman filed the complaint alleging that Davis made numerous illegal and unreported expenditures from his federal congressional campaign account for the express benefit of his state gubernatorial campaign. The complaints also charge that Davis raised funds for his gubernatorial campaign in violation of state and federal law.
“I had known about Artur Davis’ blatant disregard for and violation of the law for some time, but I decided to act when I could no longer take his hypocrisy and self-dealing,” Zylman said in a statement. “Artur Davis called for Congressman Charles Rangel’s resignation when Congressman Davis himself turned a blind eye to the election laws of our state and nation. After listening to Congressman Davis criticize Congressman Rangel, I had no choice but to file these complaints.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Spark publicly challenged Rep. Artur Davis Monday to level with the people of Alabama and to come clean on his position on all gaming issues facing the state.
Referencing a story in this weekend’s Mobile Press-Register in a press release, the Sparks campaign said Davis refused to state a position on several gaming issues, including casino gaming, sports betting, card games, slot machines, roulette and other games.
Sparks favors them all, and has said so from the beginning of his campaign for governor of Alabama.
“Why is Artur Davis afraid to take a stand on gaming issues, one of the most important issues facing this state?” Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks said. “He is hiding, cowering in the corner, while I have been perfectly clear in my support on each and every gaming issue. If the people of Alabama want it, they should be allowed to vote on it. I am leading on this issue, not running from it like Artur Davis.
“Alabama needs a governor who takes a stand and who commits the full force of his office to get this done for the people of Alabama. Sitting on a fence or hiding your views from voters like Artur isn’t leadership; it’s political cowardice. If you want gaming in Alabama, there is only one candidate committed to doing it, and that’s me,” Sparks said in the statement.
The Press-Register asked all gubernatorial candidates to answer eight positions on various forms of gaming. Artur only gave positions on three of them, answering “not sure” five times.
“That’s a worse percentage than his Congressional voting record this year,” Sparks said.
Birmingham attorney Giles Perkins, who has announced his intention to run in the Democratic Party’s primary election for attorney general in Alabama, will walk the 51 miles from Selma to Montgomery to file his qualifying papers on Tuesday.
Along the way Perkins will walk with local leaders and citizens and groups such as the Foot Soldiers, to hear their concerns and to learn how he can help their communities, according to a press release issued by his campaign.
“The Attorney General is there to represent the people – not just the rich and powerful — but really the working people of Alabama, whose voices are rarely heard,” Perkins said. “I want to take some time to talk to people about how the attorney general can work with these communities to make them a safer place for our families.”
The Democrat who could be U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith’s opponent in the general election for North Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District responded to Griffith’s video comments today on health care.
Mitchell J. Howie said he was disappointed but not surprised to see Griffith use an opportunity provided by the GOP weekly video address “to roll out five minutes of Washington style talking points, to attempt to score political points based on partisan bickering and his newfound loyalty to his newfound political party.”
“Since Griffith chose not to speak for the people of North Alabama, he might not appreciate that our friends and neighbors are tired of these Washington political games,” Howie said in a statement. “The representatives in congress need to be focused on service to their constituents and service to this country more so than their next election.”
After Previously Accusing Him Of Abusing Cancer Patients
Huntsville doctor Parker Griffith, a North Alabama Congressman, who switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in December, will be delivering the weekly Republican YouTube address on Sunday — presumably from the standpoint of being a medical doctor who is opposing the Democrats on health care.
“The fact that a doctor who left the Democratic caucus is delivering the address this week is no coincidence,” an anonymous senior GOP aide boasted in an e-mail to news organizations. “This is a shot across the bow of any ‘moderate’ Democrat in the House who is considering voting for a health care bill loaded with tax hikes, Medicare cuts, and notorious backroom deals.”
As has been previously reported, however, there is an irony in this particular doctor being embraced by the GOP — after they openly accused him of some very serious acts of medical malpractice during the campaign against him in 2008.
During the 2008 election, when Griffith was seeking the open Congressional seat, the National Republican Congressional Committee ran an attack ad that accused Griffith of a practice known as “warehousing” cancer patients — meaning to deliberately give poor care to patients in order to keep them bedridden and make more money from their medical treatments.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — One of the few major contenders for governor promised “access” to the largest gathering of progressive environmental activists in the state on Sunday if he is elected, an indication that even in the conservative land of Alabama the cold war against science that dominated the Bush-Riley era may be on the verge of a serious thaw.
Ron Sparks answers questions from the Alabama Rivers Alliance crowd Sunday in Montgomery
“When I become governor my door will be open to you,” Ron Sparks, the Fort Payne Democrat, pledged. “I will listen to you, rely on sound science and use common sense.”
More than 100 community organization leaders, citizen activists and concerned citizens held the first professional conference of its kind in the state this past weekend when the Alabama Rivers Alliance graduated from the annual nature field trip workshop to a full blown hotel and conference center affair in downtown Montgomery, a shot over the bow of Alabama’s entrenched corporate polluters.
Sparks also indicated to a luncheon audience from all over the state and region that he would work to move Alabama from the good old boy spoils system to the merit system when it comes to major appointments. He indicated he would not run the state like President George W. Bush ran the country for eight years, appointing the likes of unqualified FEMA director Michael “Brownie” Brown, or like Governor Bob Riley has run the state — appointing a two-time Oil Man of the Year to run the Department of Conservation, for example.
During the Bush years, we specialized in covering the politicization of the U.S. justice system as much as any news organization. Our archives are about the most comprehensive for anyone researching the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, and the original case against Richard Scrushy, which Glynn Wilson covered for The New York Times.
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