Campaign Crawlers
‘You’ve Got to Bring It Down Home’
James rides Tea Party momentum in Alabama.
Tim James was Tea Party before Tea Party was cool. Before the federal bailouts, before most Americans had heard of Barack Obama, before Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck became household names, James helped lead the 2003 effort to stop a tax increase proposed by Alabama’s Republican Gov. Bob Riley.
The battle over Amendment One, as Riley’s $1.3 billion tax measure was known, was a defining moment for the state’s conservatives. James, who had challenged Riley in the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary, sided with the anti-tax activists who organized an opposition campaign that became known as the “Alabama Tea Party.”
Alabama voters rejected the proposal by more than a 2-to-1 margin in a September 2003 referendum and, if politics were logical, James would be the front-runner in this year’s GOP gubernatorial contest. Instead, one recent poll showed that the early leader is Bradley Byrne who, as a state senator in 2003, voted for Riley’s tax-hike plan.
It’s a long way until the June 1 primary, however, and James believes Alabama’s voters are ready for his low-tax, free-market message. ”Economics is affecting everything,” the 48-year-old real estate developer said in an interview last week in Birmingham. “The economy has awakened a nation that’s been asleep for 30 years.”
James majored in finance at Auburn University and talks economics with impressive fluency, citing Gary Shilling and Bob Prechter as the analysts whose forecasts he finds most credible. Both Shilling and Prechter expect the current recession to get worse before it gets better, and James sees the populist mood represented by the Tea Party movement as driven largely by economic concerns and by the belief that politically connected insiders have gamed the system.
“The anxiety is directed at whoever’s in office,” James said. “It’s a good time to be an outsider.”
The son of popular two-term governor Fob James might seem an unlikely choice as an “outsider” candidate, but with much of the state’s Republican establishment already lined up behind Byrnes, James is clearly the slingshot-wielding shepherd boy in this David-and-Goliath story. In public appearances, he contrasts his business background with the political careers of his opponents in the seven-candidate GOP gubernatorial field.
“I’m a little bit different, I come from a different background, I took a different path,” James said when introducing himself at a candidate forum Monday in Montgomery. “I don’t have a long political résumé. I’ve spent 25 years here in Alabama, building companies, making payroll, taking risks, creating jobs — not jobs on the backs of taxpayers, but jobs in the private sector.”
In a state where the official unemployment rate is 11 percent — a number that doesn’t include so-called “discouraged” workers who have stopped looking for work — how to create jobs is clearly the top issue in this year’s mid-term elections. Running for governor, James understands where voters’ economic discontent is aimed.
“Their animosity is directed at Washington.… You’ve got to bring it down home.”
Bringing it down home — making the gubernatorial election a referendum on the current direction of the country — is a key to success for the James campaign. A recent Gallup poll found that Alabama is the most conservative state in America, and Obama got only 39 percent of the vote there in 2008. As one of James’ supporters said during last weekend’s state GOP meeting in Montgomery, James has to make voters feel that a vote for him is a vote against the Obama agenda.
Getting to that point, however, requires James to do battle in a crowded primary field that in addition to Byrne also includes Alabama’s Secretary of State Kay Ivey, state Rep. Robert Bentley, former state economic development director Bill Johnson and former state Supreme Court chief justice Roy Moore.
Moore is famous as the “Ten Commandments Judge,” who was removed from the bench in 2003 for his defiance of a federal court order. As one state Republican operative said, Moore has a “high floor and a low ceiling” — he can count on a certain level of support in the GOP primary, but is unlikely to win the nomination in a state that requires a runoff if no candidate gets a majority.
Fundraising reports show Moore ended 2009 with a modest $145,000 in his campaign chest, while James had more cash on hand ($2.6 million) than either Byrne ($1.8 million) or the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Artur Davis ($1.4 million).
While James seeks to capture the nationwide energy of the Tea Party movement for his gubernatorial campaign, it remains true that all politics is local. Alabama has been rocked by a series of corruption scandals, and is currently embroiled in a battle over casino gambling that led Gov. Riley to denounce state attorney general Troy King for “parroting the talking points of the gambling bosses.”
Talk radio and political blogs in Alabama are rife with accusations that state politicians are controlled by contributions from gambling interests. Such accusations have been hard to prove because Alabama law permits money to be transferred between political action committees, effectively obscuring the source of donations. James has not involved himself in the casino fight — “it’s not our message,” one of his campaign staffers says — but has promised to reform the state’s campaign-finance system to provide transparency.
In a year when Alabama voters associate political insiders with corruption, as James says, it’s a good time to be an outsider.
About the Author
Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.
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Oldefarte| 2.12.10 @ 10:25AM
If memory, James and his construction firm was involved in some questionable bridge building in Alabama previously. As to Riley's tax increase efforts, Alabama at the time was facing a sizable financial deficit; and Riley had to propose a tax increase initially as a possible solution in order to have the political ammunition necessary [from the rejection of the proposed tax increase] to subsequently decrease state expenses and therefore balance the Alabama budget. Bob Riley has been a two term EXCELLENT governor for the state, and deserves its citizens' thanks and appreciation for same [after previous corrupt Democrat administration of some former governors]. Byrne has been editorially supported previously by AS's Quin Hillyer and seems to be the best choice; but the only known political liability for him may be his supposedly previous political supporting of a former Mobile judge who was recently tried in court [and ACQUITED, sadly] for alledgedly having sexual relations with local prison inmantes, in return for judicial leniency. If Bryne can explain away and sufficiently apologize for his political support of thei judge, his other political accompolishments and qualifications should be enough to result in his being elected Alabama's next governor.
Al Adab| 2.12.10 @ 10:42AM
The Conservative Movement has stood in oppositioon to deficit spending, debt and pork since at least 1964. Those issues were part of the GOP platform in that year. Too many seem to confuse, intentionally or not, the GOP with Conservatives. They are not the same.
Only if we "return to proven ways" will self-government and Liberty continue to be part of the American experience. Should we fail, generations yet unborn will curse our name for delivering them to a long night of tyranny.
Opportunity is to be found candidate by candidate. Conservatives (and Tea Party perhaps) must select one by one and not rely on the RNC to do the work. Foot soldiers win the war. Now is the time to stand.
Ronald Rink| 2.12.10 @ 11:11AM
"Oldfarte" appears to have inhaled way too much of his own methane. There was never any questionable bridge building on James's part. What's odd is the Goat Hill Crowd in Montgomery is trying to tear down someone who actually built something, versus being a political hack who makes trouble and little else. The $1.2 billion Amendment One tax package wasn't Byrne's only embrace of higher taxes. He never saw one he didn't fall head over heels in love with. If Bradley Byrne had his way, our property taxes would be triple what they are now. Not to mention state income taxes. Byrne switched to the GOP when it become not only cool but necessary to get elected.
Olde Real Conservative Farte| 2.12.10 @ 11:58AM
Hillyer's piece on Byrne left me confused, as Quin is usually on the small-government team. Perhaps he looked at Byrne's rhetoric but failed to look at a track record filled with voting for one tax increase after another as well as a long list of donations to Democrats.
Regarding Riley, he has done some good as governor, however, Amendment One was an unforgivable sin. Also, even though the tax hike failed, the state was on a strong economic footing the following year.
The only thing questionable about the bridge seems to come from liberals: It was a free-market project which built a toll bridge - liberals don't like actually having to pay for the services they receive. Anyway, James has long since sold his interests in the project.
This really is a fight between the establishment GOPers and the small-government crowd. Let's hope small government wins.
Quin| 2.12.10 @ 5:41PM
I am a charter member of the small government team, and always will remain so. See my column Monday for a full explanation. Meanwhile, look at Byrne's record in the state Senate: He was an energetic and effective voice for small government. It was my job to cover such things. I saw Byrne work. He was good.
Finally, it took Alabama government more than two years to return to a strong footing. The year after Amendment One went down saw all sorts of problems with law enforcement and other basic functions, until the national economic boom and Riley's strong industry-hunting raised revenues.... Again, watch this space Monday for a full column.
Oldefarte| 2.13.10 @ 4:10PM
Dumbasses 'Ronald Rink' and 'Olde Real Conservative Farte' may wish to educate themselves by reading the following:
"Tim James and His Toll Road to the Future
By TWAY Kris
Candidate for governor of Alabama, Tim James has talked many times about his success in building the Foley Beach Express toll road in Baldwin County and how that could be a model for future development. James, who developed the Foley Beach Express toll bridge in Orange Beach, said at a morning news conference at Renasant Bank that a road built years sooner as a toll road instead of waiting until state money is available is an option.“I’d have to see the numbers,” he said, referring to costs, traffic volumes and toll rates. “Each toll road has to stand on its own.” James said that once the tolls pay the debt for a road, it should become free for motorists to use. Really? Well, let’s just see how that works in practice…Traffic on the Beach Express toll bridge is on pace to fall for the third straight year, putting the city’s taxpayers in a pinch and forcing them to borrow millions of dollars to meet their obligations in a revenue-sharing pact with the span’s owners. Hmmmm….so what are we talking about in pure dollar terms? Early next year, two things will happen. The bridge’s current owners, American Roads LLC, will pay the city for December traffic and reconcile the difference between the 21-cent rate and the 10 cents it pays throughout the year. Orange Beach, meanwhile, will write its next $1.2 million check. The accounting will then look something like this: American Roads: $8.4 million; Orange Beach: $4.3 million.
American Roads LLC bought the bridge as part of a package from an Australian bank, who had bought it from Tim James and his partners for $70 million. Certainly a great deal for Tim James, not so much a great deal for Baldwin County taxpayers…so far. Reporter Ryan Dezember does point out in the article that in the long run, the county will make back it’s money, because they only make these payments for the first 10 years, but keep collecting revenue for another 40 years. However, notice what James proposed in the speech in Huntsville, that the road would be “free use” after the time that the government pays it’s remaining debt. The idea that these roads can be built cheaper and faster by making them toll roads for a period of time doesn’t seem to work quite as well in practice as Mr. James wants to have us believe."
Pingback| 2.12.10 @ 2:27PM
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Phillips| 2.12.10 @ 3:54PM
Moore is the best candidate by far, although I have heard good things about James. Moore is one of a few "States' Rights" candidates running for Governor this year including Ray McBerry in Georgia and Debra Medina in Texas.
Conservatives who are actually interested in taming the beast in DC need to focus on getting good States' Rights conservatives elected at the State level. Their push back at the State level has much greater potential to curb Fed excesses than does a few more good conservatives at the national level.
Basil | 2.12.10 @ 5:54PM
While I can't speak to the "questionable bridge building," Oldefarte's recollection of Riley's tax increase efforts match my memory. And, thankfully, the increase was defeated.
Chuck Myguts | 2.12.10 @ 6:44PM
The first thing to remember is that the people of Alabama knew that the defeated tax increase would effect their own personal pocketbook.
The second thing to remember about Alabama is that we are a "populist" state with populism being defined as "What can you do for me with someone else's money"
Ben| 2.12.10 @ 9:25PM
I'm a solid conservative, both fiscal and social, but Riley's Amendment One got an unfair wrap. It was an excellent package which included accountability measures that would have made state government less corrupt. The problem I had with the opposition (and you see a lot of the same thing here) is that it was completely reflexive and unthinking. To some people, anything that wasn't a straight-up tax cut was just the dadgum gummint tryin' to take our money. It's the kind of stuff that can drive a thinking conservative nuts.
Speaking of which...
Phillips, Roy Moore may be right on some things, but he is overall an embarrassment and I would vote for Artur Davis before him. I'm surprised to see you still supporting Debra Medina, given that she has now been exposed as a 9/11 Truther.
Soljerblue| 2.13.10 @ 3:27AM
No "solid" conservative is going to vote for Artur Davis in Alabama, so I have to conclude that Ben is either "bs"ing about his bonafides, or bluffing about his threat. As for Roy Moore, I covered his brawl with the feds as a reporter several years ago. Of all the so-called conservatives running in Alabama this year, Moore is the only one who has walked the walk when it comes to federal encroachment on its own and Alabama's constitutions. Byrne is trying to repackage himself as a conservative, but he's part of the GOP inner circle. Tim James is an outsider only in the sense that he hasn't held office. His business certainly benefitted from Daddy Fob's connections when he was governor. And Artur Davis? Obama's law school buddy who talks like a moderate, yet helped bring Pelosicare up for a vote in the House, then hid behind a "no" vote on the final tally. Obama took Jefferson County in 2008, and 11 other counties downstate in the so-called "Black Belt". And that's about all Davis will get in November.
Ronald Rink| 2.13.10 @ 10:47AM
Tim James got special favors when Fob James was governor??? You don't know either of them, do you? You're also assuming the Jameses are like other gubernatorial families who have generously engourged themselves at the public trough. Do some research, nucklehead, and you'll see what you're saying is not only verbage extracted from your arse, it's incredibly stupid.
Ben| 2.13.10 @ 2:01PM
Yes, a "true conservative" would hold his nose and vote for Davis if the GOP alternative is as repugnant as Roy Moore.
But yeah, it is kind of an empty threat on my part... Moore will never get within sniffing distance of the nomination, thank God.
Red Phillips | 2.13.10 @ 5:38PM
Ben, you are not a thinking conservative. I know your type after reading only a couple of posts. You are the type of conservative who cares more about attacking people to your right who you think "taint" your centrist "conservatism" than you do about conserving anything. "Eww... Roy Moore is an embarrassment." "Eww... Debra Medina has been exposed as a Truther."
Well I'm not from Alabama. I'm from neighboring Georgia. But Moore ain't embarrassing me and if he is embarrassing you then that's because you are embarrassed by authentic conservatism.
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princeliberty| 2.13.10 @ 12:15AM
Ben,
Riley's Amendment was the largest tax increase in the history of Alabama. (if it had passed) That's no unfair rap. Moore is right on the issues and has shown he will walk the walk.
Tim James is no outsider. He is the son of a former and failed governor. James' business career centered around making big bucks off the taxpayers through state contracts that he landed
with the help of his dad and his dad's buddies.
Tim has a terrible ego and that ego is far more important to him that any principles. As for his money it has mostly come out his own back pocket.
Roy Moore is the only true believer in the Constitution in this race. He certainly can win the nomination in primary were the religious right is likely to a majority of voters.
The general election is over already for the Democrats are running an Arthur Davis a buddy of Obama and a supporter of his agenda.
Red Phillips | 2.13.10 @ 5:26PM
"He is the son of a former and failed governor."
Why was Fob James a failed governor? He stood up for Roy Moore unlike spineless Riley.
Brian| 2.13.10 @ 5:11AM
Justice Moore has won state wide office before. And he'll do it again!
Pingback| 2.13.10 @ 5:32AM
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Brett| 2.14.10 @ 9:24AM
"The son of popular two-term governor Fob James"
If Fob is/was so popular, then why did he lose to Don Siegelman 58% to 42% in 1998? And that's after barely surviving the Republican primary and runoff.
As for Roy Moore, the only time in 20 years of voting I voted for a Dem candidate for anything was when he ran for Chief Justice. Fob vs Don, I left blank, but was happy to vote against Moore.
Red Phillips | 2.14.10 @ 2:37PM
Brett, why do you have a problem voting for an authentic conservative like Moore? Does authentic conservatism scare you?
Richard Baker| 2.14.10 @ 9:46AM
Wonder how much of the above bickering is the result of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry? My wife is a Tarheel born and a North Carolina graduate and if she sees something stupid she'll say it must have been the work of a Duke or NC State grad. Just wondering.
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