Streetcar Line
Not Our Cup of Tea
The real story behind the Alabama governor’s race.
My friend Robert Stacy McCain is a great reporter, but he really needs to stick with topics he has a longer history covering, rather than just parachuting in to a state (that he was not directly covering at the time and where he has not lived for decades) and buying a pig in a poke.
Our frequent commenter Oldefarte is absolutely right that lots of people have questioned how McCain’s favorite, Tim James, made his money. But that’s the least of the problems with McCain’s account. The way he describes the Riley tax plan in 2003 is unfair. I offer myself as a direct witness, as an editorial writer and columnist for the Mobile Register at the time. I bow to NOBODY as a Kemp-Reagan, supply-side tax cutter. I was writing letters to the editor in support of Kemp-Roth back while I was in high school, and have never once supported a federal income-tax hike and have written repeatedly and publicly for decades in favor of broad-based tax cuts. Yet I supported the Riley tax plan. Why? Because in local context, it made a lot of sense. Of course honest conservatives could disagree, but it was anything but a typical “tax increase,” despite how McCain described it.
Here was the deal: Alabama faced huge deficits and has a balanced-budget requirement. Riley already had cut, largely through administrative measures, about a whopping $350 million from the budget in half a year, with more cuts proposed legislatively. But he desperately needed a short-term bridge to balance the budget.
This was PRECISELY the same situation Ronald Reagan faced in his first year as governor of California, in 1967, and Reagan acted in almost exactly the same way Riley did, with a short-term revenue enhancement. Reagan later rebated a whole lot of taxes to the people, after the initial crisis was over.
Back to Riley: Anyway, overall, Riley’s tax plan raised far more money IN THE SHORT TERM than it would have “cost.” But it did so in the context of one of the smallest combined state-and-local government spending records in the country. Tim James’ father had cut the state budget to the bone, and then Democrat Don Siegelman’s spending hikes were largely taken back through a process called “proration” when the economy temporarily went bad. Meanwhile, among states that have property taxes, Alabama’s property taxes were something like the second-smallest in the nation. Its sales tax rates, though, were absurdly high, and its exemption threshold for paying income taxes started at an absurdly low $5,000 (well below the national average of about $16,000). Plus, huge swaths of land were effectively off the books because of what amounted to a huge exemption on taxes for lands used for timber — even if the timberland wasn’t actually being used in commerce, but just allowed to sit there as a nice big, untaxed private preserve.
What all this meant was that Alabama’s tax system was literally regressive — not regressive in the modern liberal sense of not being “progressive” enough for liberal tastes, but actually more burdensome on the poor than on the rich. Now I’m no big advocate of progressive taxation. But I AM against, as should be all conservatives, a situation in which the poor actually pay a LARGER percentage of their income in taxes than the rich do. Yet that was the case in Alabama. The low income tax threshold, the low property taxes, the timberland tax exemptions, and the high sales taxes (in Mobile, the sales tax was 9%, and 10% for restaurant food), meant that the tax burden was upside down. Several different independent groups did analyses, and while they all differed slightly in how they crunched the numbers, their basic conclusion was the same: The tax system was badly regressive. At one end of the estimates, the lowest-income Alabamians paid something like 9.5% of their income in state and local taxes while high-income Alabamians paid only 7% or so; the far end of the estimates looked even worse: low-income earners paid as much as 11% while high-income earners paid just 4.5%. Clearly, this wasn’t fair. Reform was desperately needed.
Finally, something like 90% of all Alabama tax revenues were “dedicated,” by the Constitution, for one purpose or another. And the super-powerful Alabama Education Association owned more than half the state Senate, lock, stock and barrel, which meant that the revenue source dedicated for “education” spending amounted to the AEA’s own little bailiwick, with legislators deliberately mislabeling non-classroom, or even non-school-related items such as country music museums, as “educational” so that they could hide all their pork and slush funds in that account and use it also to pay off the AEA for whatever the AEA wanted. Early this decade, even when the taxes used for “general fund” revenues were incredibly tight, the education fund sometimes was rather flush — but lawmakers could not switch money between accounts, meaning the AEA kept its slush funds and power base even as state law enforcement was cut to the bone. As it was, the state police force at one point had only one trooper to patrol every 180 miles or so of state highways. The state crime labs were backlogged by as much as TWO FULL YEARS. The court system was thus badly bottlenecked. Highway deaths were rising rapidly. And all sorts of other basic governmental functions were barely on life support. Riley desperately needed to be able to move money from one account to the other depending on how the economy affected each revenue source. In this case, the general fund was starved even by all objective conservative estimates. Even Gary Palmer of the very conservative Alabama Policy Institute agreed with this basic fact of that the general fund was in dire straits. (Gary thought at least some more revenues were needed for the short term for the general fund, although not as much more as Riley ended up proposing.)
So what Riley did was come up with a reform plan that cut taxes for vastly more people than it raised them for — by something like a 5-3 margin if I remember right. (i.e., it cut taxes for something like 50%, kept them level overall for about 20%, and hiked them for about 30% of the populace). Even so, the tax code would not have become progressive overall, but almost exactly flat — exactly what conservatives have always said is the ideal!
But overall, in the short term, the Riley Plan raised more than a net $1 billion overall, mostly by raising the incredibly low property tax rates, which is what financed the general fund — and it made the NEW taxes “un-dedicated,” meaning their proceeds could, for the first time, be moved among different accounts. Even so, Alabama property taxes would have gone from something like second lowest in the nation to something like fifth lowest — hardly a terrible burden. And its overall spending levels would have done likewise, still sitting among the bottom six states in per capita spending in the nation.
And this was exactly when the second round, i.e., the larger and more supply-side round, of the Bush tax cuts were going into effect, so that EVEN FOR THOSE WHOSE STATE/LOCAL TAXES WOULD GO UP OVERALL UNDER THE RILEY PLAN, THEIR COMBINED LOCAL/STATE AND FEDERAL TAX LOAD WOULD BE SMALLER THAN IT HAD BEEN JUST TWO YEARS BEFORE. In short, even for the 30% who would have been moderately “hurt” by the Riley plan, their overall financial situation, in terms of taxes, would be better than it had been in 2001. No better time could be imagined to do tax reform in Alabama than a time when a windfall was coming to the very taxpayers, the minority of taxpayers, who would be hurt by the reforms — especially when the windfall was bigger than the new load. In sum, they wouldn’t even feel the pinch.
Finally — and here is the kicker — the Riley plan overall had two more wonderfully clever assumptions underlying it. Riley could not say it in public, but his idea was to do exactly what Reagan did: Once the immediate budget crisis passed, he wanted to give some of the money back to the public in a different form. In year three or four, if the budget were balanced and especially if the “rainy day fund” were replenished, Riley planned to bring to the people a proposal to cut the state sales tax by 1/2 cent (or perhaps more). After adding to the amount of money available for use in whichever fund is needed, rather than being dedicated to just one narrow use, he could afford to cut the “education” fund by a small amount so it wouldn’t provide quite such a power base/slush fund in the effective control of AEA. (How bad is AEA? It even opposed criminal background checks for teachers!) Help the taxpayers, while de-funding the AEA! What a great idea.
The second assumption behind the entire effort was to position himself politically in two ways more helpful to the state as a whole than to himself. First, if the plan did NOT pass — as it didn’t — it would show once and for all that fiscal rectitude was the only option left. “Hey, guys,” he could and did say (I’m paraphrasing here), with a big smile on his face, “I hear you loud and clear. You want government to live within its means, not by grabbing more of your means. I tried the big reform package, and you didn’t like it, and I’ll listen. I’ll do what I can in the future in piecemeal fashion, and let you weigh in on it each time, but meanwhile we are going to have the leanest government you have ever seen — and that’s a good thing.” In short, Riley took ALL tax hikes off the table for years by letting the voters themselves send even a carefully crafted reform plan to a crashing defeat. So by bringing the reform package to the people as a constitutional amendment, rather than trying to pass a tax hike through mere statutory means, Riley ensured that now ALL state politicians would be loathe to raise taxes in ANY fashion without getting clear popular approval for it. (Later, he actually did raise the income-tax exemption threshold, thus cutting taxes slightly for every single Alabama taxpayer.) Second, by putting himself on the line so much for the “reformist” or “goo-goo” (“good government”) crowd, he earned the undying support of the goo-goos, even many of those who were ordinarily center-left. He therefore made sure that their suspicions of the motives of a conservative Republican governor were almost entirely dissipated, meaning he could push conservative reforms for the rest of his term, on all sorts of fronts, without taking flak from basically high-minded goo-goos who might otherwise have assumed that the “reform” part of “conservative reform” was a mere mask for “radical conservative.” In other words, they would actually consider his reforms on the merits rather than fighting against them from the start. Since goo-goos tend also to be fairly high-finance folks (chablis-and-bris center-left, at least some of them), it meant Riley could pursue reforms without having a bunch of money spent fighting him out of mistaken assumptions about his motives.
In all, the Riley Tax Reform attempt was a great thing for the state. Even in failure, it served good purposes. And if it had passed, it would have served other good purposes. It was a win-win.
The acid test, in the end, was how voters responded. In conservative Alabama, if what Riley had tried was so obnoxious, the voters could refuse to re-elect him. Instead, even in the overwhelmingly Democratic year of 2006, Alabama voters re-elected Riley by giving him 59% of the vote — an immense landslide.
As for Tim James, I have found him singularly unimpressive, a guy who tries to act tough and throw his weight around because his daddy was governor.
The front-runner for governor this year, Bradley Byrne, is a solidly reformist conservative — with a proven record of accomplishment, integrity, fiscal conservatism, traditional values, and tough and successful stands against entrenched, corrupt interests on multiple fronts. Yeah, he was for Riley’s tax plan — and he was right. He also fought repeatedly against government waste, for lower taxes overall, against the AEA, and in favor of governmental transparency. Neither he nor Riley deserve the back-of-the-hand treatment that McCain gives them. As a 30-year veteran of the conservative movement, I vouch for Byrne entirely.
About the Author
Quin Hillyer is a senior editor of The American Spectator and a senior fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom. Follow him on Twitter @QuinHillyer.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (124) | Leave a comment
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Bill Husein O'Stalin| 2.15.10 @ 7:07AM
I do not dispute your article but one fact escapes you. All taxes are eventually paid for by the poor as they work they way through the system. That, in fact, is why poverty is so hard to eradicate. The government through taxation, ensures the permanence of poverty.
pugsley| 2.15.10 @ 11:23AM
Bill-poverty has been around since the dawn of civilization and always will be. If you have worked with some of these people from the lower class you know what I mean. No amount of wool headed gov schemes to end poverty will help. Witness the gov housing for the poor with bright new building that within two years had curtains hanging out of windows with broken glass. Nothing free is valued for long. I am not against giving people a helping hand but they had better be willing to help themselves once the hand is offered. Our government always misses the point that once help is offered it is suppose to continue on add infinitum. Of course this makes it necessary for a veritable army of new shiny gov workers to oversee these programs and shiny new buildings to oversee said programs out of. Once again, my sarcasm button was broken about 15-20 years ago.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 2.15.10 @ 5:12PM
Thanks for your comment and your points are well taken.
I should have added one thing though. The government through taxation, ensures the permanence of poverty, and that also ensures the permanence of a certain type of government.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 2.15.10 @ 5:12PM
Thanks for your comment and your points are well taken.
I should have added one thing though. The government through taxation, ensures the permanence of poverty, and that also ensures the permanence of a certain type of government.
Mattled| 2.15.10 @ 8:25AM
"What all this meant was that Alabama's tax system was literally regressive -- not regressive in the modern liberal sense of not being "progressive" enough for liberal tastes,..."
I like the term and have been using it regularly---regressive. There is nothing "progressive" about today's liberals.
Going back to FDR's New Deal.
Going back to LBJ's "Great Society".
The "environmentalists"aka Communists want us in the dark.
Going back and being nostalgic, Margaret Sanger (Ruth Buzzy Ginsberg last year).
Talking about the Bill of Right as a negative charter (BO).
Talking about how the Civil Rights didn't go far enough to allow redistribution (BO again---Marxism).
What is so great about Liberalism/Progressivism again?
Oh yeah, absolutely nothing.
Richard Baker| 2.15.10 @ 9:06AM
Quin:
Goo goos is a term, if I'm not mistaken, from TR's day. I've read that in various histories of the period but haven't seen it lately. Is there hope for the word mugwump?
Albert A. Turner| 2.15.10 @ 9:15AM
That's all you got, Quin? "Trust me, I'm not like the OTHER politician. Just give ME more of your money and I'LL do better with it"?!!!!
Do you really think that taxes would have been lowered LATER? Do you really think the money would have been spent wisely? Do you think the money should have been taken from the populous?
Hey, Quin, I have some gorgeous white sand beach front property off of Shades Crest Road in Bluff Park, Al. I'll be glad to sell you at a discount!!
Come on.
Quin| 2.15.10 @ 10:21AM
Yes, yes and yes. You tell me: If the state enters an election year with a surplus, and the governor proposes letting the people vote on a tax cut and makes it a big issue, is any politician in his right mind who is up for a contested re-election battle going to refuse to allow the people to vote on it? Of course not. Again, the model was Reagan's first term as governor of California. In my mind, that's a pretty darn good model.
Albert A. Turner| 2.15.10 @ 11:40AM
And you are assuming a governor will push for this vote which is foolish to say the least. These elected officials are crystal meth freaks when it comes to money and spending money, Quin.
Kay Ivey cut the State Treasures' office budget while she was in office. She did her job with less. That makes HER a hero to me. I like her idea about having an honest to goodness review of every $$ being spent by the State. GOVERNMENTS ARE TOO LARGE IN THIS COUNTRY!!!!!!
Deanna| 2.21.10 @ 9:01AM
Why would Bradley Byrne know anything about Ronald Reagan -- he was a Democrat at the time!!!! Tim James voted for the first time for Ronald Reagan and you can bet your last dollar that Bradley didn't vote for hime!!!! He is a RINO at best and a Liberal Progressive at the very least. A VOTE FOR BRADLEY is a vote against Conservatism!
Pingback| 2.15.10 @ 10:06AM
Quin Hillyer on the Alabama Governor’s Race IN ALL CAPS! : The Other McCain links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Galen| 2.15.10 @ 10:24AM
As an academic (I guess that means education) I need to know; are they going to fund the 3 to 5 now vacant slots in Biology at U of Alamama-Huntington?
P. S. Cobb| 2.15.10 @ 10:25AM
If Bradley Byrne is so conservative ,then why wasn't he a part of the Reagan Conservative movement, and Why did Bradley Byrne support the candidacy of Michael Dukasis, and the Candidacy of Bill Clinton? Why? Because he was a Democrat until 1997. I think Bradley can be anything he wants to be if it will get him elected.
Pingback| 2.15.10 @ 11:15AM
The American Spectator : Not Our Cup of Tea links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Publius| 2.15.10 @ 11:59AM
Insightful analysis of Tim James. The fact you find him "singularly unimpressive" (whatever that means), gives me want to vote for him. You can clothe yourself politically as whatever you want, but I'm looking right through it.
Ryan| 2.15.10 @ 12:44PM
How is Quin wrong in his analysis?
Inura | 2.15.10 @ 12:10PM
You're right. Bradley Byrne really worth candidate. I think to vote for him.
loulou| 2.15.10 @ 1:31PM
Huh??
Publius| 2.15.10 @ 12:31PM
And Inura, another "duh" award winner, checks in.
Ron Jones| 2.15.10 @ 12:32PM
Prior to the Riley tax referendum, I had been asked by the (then) head of Christian Coalition to provide some reliable information about public school funding patterns for their organization. They were opposed to the tax increases. The AEA had hopped on Riley's plan by claiming that Alabama ranked about dead last in BOTH funding and pereformance in public education.
I worked the figures and found that at that time Alabama ranked 7th from the top in K-12 public funding. When the figures were released publically, AEA eventually 'fessed up that their numbers were incorrect.
Had the Riley tax increase passed, the looming cuts in public funding in Alabama would be much deeper than anticipated. Would the Riley tax increase have improved public education? Is there really a tooth fairy?
раскрутка сайта | 2.15.10 @ 12:42PM
Albert A. Turner you are right!
Alabama Campaign Observer| 2.15.10 @ 2:08PM
This argument between Bradley Byrne & Tim James over who is the biggest conservative is ridiculous...neither of them has been or will ever be a true conservative. Bradley is a tax-addicted liberal do-gooder & Tim is the addled brain son of a former disaster of a Governor who is looking for his next big "public service" project to enrich himself.
And Quin, save your outrage. I knew you in Mobile, remember your coverage of the above stated Amendment One fight in 2003, and have no doubt that Bradley and yourself have had many conversations over the troubling nature of the Alabama tax structure.
Deanna| 2.21.10 @ 9:04AM
You are correct -- Bradley Byrne will never be Conservative in any sense of the word but, you are wrong about Tim James. Tim is not running on his father's coat tails -- he is his own man and has he own policies and ideas as to how to turn the State of Alabama around. Bradley on the other hand has a history of voting for raising taxes -- check out his voting record. He is a RINO!
Red Phillips | 2.15.10 @ 2:27PM
I'll let Quin and RSM fight it out over the Riley tax plan. But CLEARLY the best candidate from a conservative standpoint is Roy Moore. I've heard positive things about Tim James, but he doesn't have the long public track record of fighting for us that Moore has. Image what a thumb in the eye of the national liberals that electing Moore would be. They would go ballistic. And imaging if we could also get good States' Rights governors like Ray McBerry in Georgia and Debra Medina in Texas elected with him. Then we might have a block that could start to turn back Federal encroachment.
I'm surprised RSM doesn't appreciate what an achievement electing Roy Moore would be and therefore what an opportunity this election is.
Deanna| 2.21.10 @ 8:52AM
The only track record Moore has for "fighting for us" is he thought he was above the law regarding the Ten Commandments, nothing more, nothing less. NO ONE is above the law when you feel strongly about a ruling you fight it within the system not put youself above the law. Roy Moore has not attended one Gubernatorial debate in the last year and he continually cancels appearances that he has agreed to (i.e., he just cancelled the Chritian Coaliation Debate). You might want to ask yourself "why would he do that" the reason being is that he has no sense of how to do anything but defend the Ten Commandments, while honorable ,that is not what we need in Alabama. Tim has far greater knowledge (degree in Finance and sucessfull businessman) as to the problems we face in Alabama than Roy Moore. I believe the reason Moore does not make himself accessible to the voters is that he thinks his stance on the Ten Commandments are going to put him in a run off. This should offend every voter as he does not provide answers to the issues that currently face Alabama!
Quin| 2.15.10 @ 2:30PM
If you knew me in Mobile, you should also remember that I consistently advocated for the city government to cut its sales tax rate, and for the state government not to weaken its protections for its rainy day funds, and that I consistently advocated for lower federal taxes, and for strong fiscal restraint at all levels of government.....
but no, I have never had a detailed pesonal conversation with Bradley Byrne about the tax structure, although I did. I have had serious conversations with him about spending restraint, ethics reforms, and education, and I have heard him at least touch on numerous other topics, all in a conservative vein. To call Bradley a liberal is ludicrous beyond belief.
jmb27| 2.15.10 @ 3:52PM
Predatory Lending is a major contributor to the economic turmoil we are currently experiencing.
Here is an example of what I am talking about:
Scott Veerkamp / Predatory Lending (Franklin Township School Board Member.)
Please review this information from U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley regarding deceptive lending practices:
"Steering payments were made to brokers who enticed unsuspecting homeowners into deceptive and expensive mortgages. These secret bonus payments, often called Yield Spread Premiums, turned home mortgages into a SCAM."
The Center for Responsible Lending says YSP "steals equity from struggling families."
1. Scott collected nearly $10,000 on two separate mortgages using YSP and junk fees. 2. This is an average of $5,000 per loan. 3. The median value of the properties was $135,000. 4. Clearly, this type of lending represents a major ripoff for consumers.
http://merkley.senate.gov/news.....925F046B6F
maverick muse| 2.15.10 @ 4:04PM
Mr. Hillyer,
Not being from Alabama, I followed your explication regarding means for state taxation with interest, particularly since the Tea Party GOP conservative candidate's agenda in the Texas Governor primary race would rescind property tax and invoke consumer tax (below?) 10% on the basis to improve our local economy and alleviate the burdens on tax payers. Further, I have criticized out-of-state famous Republican bloggers, completely unaware of Texan issues and experiencing a memory loss regarding the horrible manner the Texas Governor refused to speak with either parents or children and stayed completely aloof from his subordinates removing ALL non-adults from their homes in Eldorado, these bloggers are feigning to support Constitutional conservatism. Yet they have proven how neoconservatives smear Tea Party independents; usurp the momentum to rescind corruption in order to retain the corruption.
By the way, exactly what is "a solidly reformist conservative"? I'm unfamiliar with the "reformist" conservative tag, and naturally apprehensive given "comprehensive immigration reform legislation" and what adverse affects result from so-called well intended reforms. Reformist as in revisionist? Is "reformist" where either "progressive" or "compassionate" conservative tags have evolved? It didn't sound that way, but I'm unfamiliar with the term as used.
Deanna| 2.21.10 @ 9:19AM
A "reformist conservative" is a liberal trying to get elected in a Conservative state. He was a Democrat so he could get elected and now he wants to be a GOP so he can get elected. The man has not changes his stripes, just his party. Check out Bradley Byrne's voting record and it will be crystal clear as to what he is and always will be -- voting for tax increases!
Pingback| 2.15.10 @ 7:08PM
The American Spectator : Not Our Cup of Tea : Secured Loans Unsecured Loans Demand L links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Morris the Kat| 2.15.10 @ 7:19PM
Quin - Fess up. When was the last time you saw Tim James? Not in the past 8 years, at least. You're drinking Bradley Byrne Kool Aid laced with hubris. You and the "We Know Better" crowd will eventually vote Democrat when these Tea Partying Republicans take over.
Deanna| 2.21.10 @ 9:07AM
You got that right - you are drinking the Kool Aide if you vote for Bradley! He is backed by the GOP establishment and if you really want to know Bradley check out his voting record in the Senate -- he is NOT Conservative. He runs on his overhauling of the two year college system but never discusses his 7 yrs in the Senate and you ask "why" because he VOTED TO RAISE TAXES. There is no tax that Bradley does not like!
Quin| 2.15.10 @ 7:31PM
I have supported the Tea Party movement from the day I first heard about it, Morris. Why would I vote against them? I'm as solidly conservative as can be, and have been working on behalf of the conservative movement for 30 years.
Deanna| 2.21.10 @ 9:14AM
You may be following the Tea Party Movement but I can assure you that Bradley Byrne is not part of it. When he discovered that a Gubernatorial Debate was sponsored by Rainy Day Patriots and Campaign for Liberty, he cancelled. He response was that basically it was really none of our business why and never did give an explanantion even though he was in town. I also asked him face-to-face about which Tea Parties he has been to and he stepped closer to me and said "why do you doubt me." His response is exactly why I doubt him. Byrne is trying to ride the Tea Party wagon but he is no Tea Party supporter! On the other hand, Tim James has been a member of our movement since the beginning and has attended all of our Tea Parties. I cannot say that for Bradley. When I asked him in June, 2009 if he wanted to attend our Tea Party, he replied "Tea Party?" We all know good and well that the Tea Party Movement was in full swing and if you had any knowledge of what was going on as a Conservative you would have jumpted on board. He basically waved me off when I asked him who I could contact in his campaign. VOTER BEWARE OF THIS RINO!
Pingback| 2.15.10 @ 8:26PM
Tim James for Governor | Press-Register’s quote of the week (and other stories) links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Red Phillips | 2.15.10 @ 8:47PM
"I'm as solidly conservative as can be"
Then why aren't you supporting Moore?
Brian| 2.16.10 @ 12:10AM
Alabama was wise not to vote to raise taxs. When are ppl going to figure out how politicians operate. They create a crisis (see global warming) or allow a crisis to develope in order to raise taxs. And always "for the children".
Jeremy Jester| 2.16.10 @ 11:01AM
Apropos of nothing, I've been here in Alabama (watching the pols) all my life. I recall becoming aware of politics watching the (literal) mud-slinging Baxley-Graddick campaign in the mid 80's. I cannot disagree with Mr Hillyer's analysis of Riley's first term tax/budget maneuvering. While I loath some of Riley's current efforts (re: gambling task force), I quite liked his effort to thwart the AEA and it's influence. Bradley Byrne was a part of that effort and from all indications will continue to fight the AEA's largess. The political reality in our fair state is that any pol that wanted any statewide office was a Dem prior to the early 1990's. Given those two factors, I have no qualms supporting Byrne.
As for Tim James, I'm not a fan. He's just another populist in a state with a long history of populist pols. And finally, Roy Moore: while I appreciate much of what the good judge has said and written, I don't see him as a conservative savior. His move while he sat as Chief Justice was a reckless, populist gambit. The cynical view is that the whole episode was an effort to vault Moore into the governor's seat (in that regard it was an utter failure).
Deanna| 2.21.10 @ 8:56AM
I suggest you look at Bradley Byrne's record of voting for tax increases while he was in the Senate. This man has never seen a tax increase that he didn't like. He may have stood up to AEA (his claim to fame) but you should be more worried about why he doesn't talk about his stint in the Senate (7 yrs), maybe because he RAISED TAXES!!!! If the House and Senate do not flip we will have a Democratic controlled state as Bradley is a RINO in all sense of the word!!!!!!!!
Oldefarte| 2.16.10 @ 11:18AM
No doubt for the same reason that I'll vote Bryne over Moore-----the former represents an intelligent, dignified Alabama political representative; whereas the latter [and James] only replicates the BAFFONERY image of Alabama to the rest of the nation [Red Phillips| 2.15.10 @ 8:47PM"I'm as solidly conservative as can be" Then why aren't you supporting Moore?]!!!!!!!
Red Phillips | 2.16.10 @ 5:16PM
So, you think standing up to Federal encroachment is buffoonery? Interesting.
Jeremy Jester| 2.17.10 @ 11:53AM
Breaking laws and defying court orders certainly qualifies for buffoonery, even in the pursuit of a "good cause". Moore certainly had the option to stand against the Federal encroachment via conventional means through the court system or though legislative action. Instead, Moore choose the route of past Alabama pols (i.e. George Wallace) and made his populist stand in the door in a bid to raise his status among the state's voters and elevate himself to the governor's office.
Mondo | 2.16.10 @ 10:44PM
I've read Quin Hillyer in AmSpec for some time now and I'll vouch for his grand conservatism.
Anyone who disagrees with me is probably a Progressive.
Former Bama Voter| 2.21.10 @ 9:55AM
I was in Alabama during Amendment One and will never forgive the Republicans for it. Tim James is a breath of independent fresh air and if I was back in Alabama, I'd be voting for him.
BTW, Moore is a batshit crazy embarrassment who hangs out with birthers.
Jon B| 3.12.10 @ 8:57PM
I wonder how many people here are actually aware of the fact that the Boston Tea Party was not about high taxes? The Tea Act of 1773 made Tea from the East India company so cheap that it threatened to put colonial merchants out of business. Another reason is that the Townsend program took money made from the Tea and paid some of the colonial Governor's salaries with it: Corporate control in a sense. Yet today Tea Partiers are protesting tax cuts for 95% of Americans and the rebuilding of the infrastructure Bush gutted...Amazing hypocrisy to misuse the original tea party for a purpose directly against it's intent..Amazing. Instead of serving Americans, today's Tea Partiers gleefully fight against them and support corporations instead. They're 8 years too late too worry about excessive spending and Government redistributing their wealth to corporations and the top 1%. It's dishonest on it's face.
"Colonial merchants, some of them smugglers, played a significant role in the protests. Because the Tea Act made legally imported tea cheaper, it threatened to put smugglers of Dutch tea out of business..."
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BTW, Moore is a batshit crazy embarrassment who hangs out with birthers.
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