The Alabama Question

[Dob Bole]

My first post wasn't phrased that well. As many of you may know, the GOP convention is scheduled 2 days after Alabama's filing date- so as it stands now, Bush won't get the Democrat-controlled legislature to change the law for him-pity.

http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2003/as-editorials-0424-editorial-3d23p4224.htm

Gore only got 40% of the vote in 2000, but he didn't try. In fact, noone has. The last Dem president to carry Alabama was Carter. In a time when the Democrats need Southern states, the prospect of Bush running as a write-in candidate against a democrat and the libertarian party is awesome. But will it hold? Do you think the Bamacrats will change the law to avoid getting Bushes and lawyers shoved down their throats?

[northofdenali]

1. They'll change it. Alabama is now almost solidly Repuke.

Governor on down!

[ButterflyBlood]

3. nope, Democrats still have the majority in both houses of the legislature

but since these are mostly conservative Democrats, it remains to be seen what they'll do.

This does sew West Virginia up for us though, if that state is also affected like I heard.

[nannygoat]

15. So is Illinois but I haven't heard what

it plans to do about it. Oh, please don't let * on the ballot in Illinois!

[Romberry]

2. Old news. The legislature already made the change.

The change to allow Smirk on the ballot passed in the last session.

[sandnsea]

4. What?

You can change things when it's in the interest of the voter? That can't be right, I could swear I heard somewhere that wasn't right...

[ButterflyBlood]

5. blech

what about the other states? California, West Virginia and Illinois I believe.

[Trek234]

6. It will be a cold day in hell when AL goes Blue

Doesn't matter if they have to write Bush in - Alabama WILL go Republican.

[Joeve]

7. What did you expect from Alabamans?

I'm not surprised they voted to let George off the hook, after all, he's a good Christian who would never lie, right? And he's going out there and killing those ragheads: who cares about them? They're all going to hell, anyway, right?

You know, the South gets more federal tax dollars than they pay out, whereas the industrial Northeast pays out more federal tax than they get in: in essence they subsidize their poorer Southern neighbors. So maybe what we ought to do is to even things out, in fact let's go back for the last fifty years or so and make the South pay the Northeast back for carrying them all these years.

These people are so stupid, if you DID do that,and phrased it in such a way as to make it look like you were getting the feds out of their hair, they'd vote for it, overwhelmingly. That kind of arrogant stupidity deserves to be punished, IMO

[trof]

12. It's "Alabamians", by Joeve!

And I'm not taking this personally,
but generalities do rankle just a bit.
We'll return the money if you'll take back all the snowbirds.
;-)

[bluestateguy]

8. Illinois is probably our best chance

Too many Dixiecrats still in Alabama. Other states where this problem existed or still exist are: West Virginia, Texas, Indiana and California. I suppose WV is a possibility for keeping him off; Republicans control everything in Texas; Indiana, last I heard was moving toward changing the deadline. I don't know about California. I suppose the Democrats (who control everything there) could say, "we don't have time to be bothered with this. We have a huge budget deficit, a recall election and stalemate in the legislature. It's not our fault you guys CHOSE to hold a late convention to exploit the 9/11 tragedy! Don't waste our time!" The Illinois Board of Elections was going through the motions to make the change, but they asked the Attorney General (D) for an opinion first. That was the last I heard there.

We can always say to them, "You can't change the rules just because you don't like the outcome!" (When have we heard that before?)

[ButterflyBlood]

9. This will mean we won't have to fight for Illinois

and will make West Virginia far far easier.

[Dob Bole]

10. I hadn't heard about West Virginia

This is good, though. WV is usually a southern state that you can count on going Dem, but Gore didn't carry it (no surprise there.) It only has 3 or 4 electoral votes, but that would have made the difference last time.

[ButterflyBlood]

16. it's got 5

if we can get every state Gore did + WV and NV, we win.

[Orangepeel]

11. No state is going to keep a sitting president (sic) off the ballot

it just isn't going to happen. I hope they make a big stink about republicans asking them to change the rules before they do, though.

[Dob Bole]

13. I disagree...

The states aren't going to keep him off the ballot, blame the GOP for filing too late. Also, I agree with Trof that there are too many generalities. I grew up in Alabama, and I don't remember hardly any Republicans there. The ones that exist are because of race-baiting, but they are by no means the majority. I don't see how, if Bama has two houses controlled by Democrats and frequently has Dem governors, one could say it is "solidly Republican." It's just the fact that nobody bothers to campaign there, or they don't know how to do it right.

[trof]

14. I met the Lt. Gov. (D) yesterday

and she might be worth a thread all to herself.
Funny, witty, intelligent, and not bad looking for a "lady of a certain age".

[ButterflyBlood]

17. perhaps, but they are mostly conservative Democrats

that will vote Republican in presidential elections.

[Nashyra]

18. He misses the California Ballot too

Now I know why the push for recall of the Dem Governor.

[ButterflyBlood]

21. even if they succeed

the legislature won't give him it

[jody]

19. AWOL would lose Alabama if he ran as a Democrat. eom

[Dob Bole]

20. Doesn't matter

Even conservative Democrats can be persuaded to be partisan. Look at Zell Miller for example. He is no doubt the most conservative Dem in the Senate. But when Repubes tried to convince him to switch parties and give them control of the Senate, he wouldn't have it. Traditional loyalty in Alabama is to the Democrats, and if that could be communicated over ideology, we win every time.