2006 primary endorsements
I've been holding off on endorsements for today's primaries both because I'm not a rabid partisan and because I don't have deeply passionate opinions about some of the big races. But for what it's worth -- which may not be much -- here are some suggestions in the major statewide races before you head to the polls.
Governor: Lucy Baxley (D) and Bob Riley (R)
The choices in each party's top-line race are clear. Baxley proved her dedication to public service more than a decade ago when she gave up a lucrative real estate career to enter public office. Baxley has spent the campaign thus far playing her cards so close to the vest that it's often unclear that she even has cards, but she offers a few interesting ideas, including bans on monetary transfers among political action committees and the creation of a state inspector general. The fact that her chief rival will spend election day attending his federal corruption trial doesn't hurt either.
As for Riley, he's proving in many ways to be the sort of New South governor that some political observers thought his predecessor might be. Undeterred by the failure of a $1.2 billion tax plan at the start of his term, Riley got to work recruiting industries and hammering some needed reforms through the Legislature, including more realistic criminal sentencing guidelines and an increase in what was an abominably low state income tax threshold. It would be a very impressive record on its own, but it looks even better against an opponent whose main claim to fame is being the judge who disobeyed a federal court order to move a hunk of granite that literally had his name on it.
Lieutenant governor: No endorsement (R)
There was a time when the job of lieutenant governor actually mattered. Then came the 1998 election of Republican Steve Windom, and the Legislature, controlled by Democrats, stripped the office of many of its powers. Since then, the lite gov's main responsibilities have been to gavel the Legislature into session and check daily to make sure the governor is still alive. Some fun.
So why would anyone want the job? Simple: It's a springboard to higher office. The last six elected lieutenant governors have mounted gubernatorial bids, a pattern that makes it reasonable to see this year's contest for Alabama's No. 2 spot as a proxy for the 2010 governor's race. When I think of the categories from which I wouldn't like to see the governor emerge, the list includes long-time lobbyists, people who attend a rally co-sponsored by the League of the South, and people who share the name of our most infamous segregationist governor. (George Wallace, Jr., can't help who his father was, but that fact wouldn't save Alabama from a giant image hit if it elected another governor with that name.)
As much as I like Luther Strange's proposal to cut taxes on food and medicine and Wallace's plan to forbid legislators from taking lobbyists' gifts, the 2010 factor is why I can't endorse any of the GOP's three major candidates for the job right now.
Chief justice: Drayton Nabers (R)
The question in this race is quite simple: Do you want to revive the antebellum debate over nullification, or do you prefer the idea of the rule of law? If, like most Americans, you'd go for the latter, then Nabers is your only choice in the Republican primary. He doesn't have much more time on the bench than his opponent, but Nabers has written far more opinions, and his experience as a CEO also has helped him to be a good administrator of the state courts.
Attorney general: Mark Montiel (R) and John Tyson, Jr. (D)
A former judge and longtime attorney in private practice, Mark Montiel has far more legal experience than Troy King, who has grandstanded throughout his stint as AG. (See, for example, King's brief union with an ankle tracking bracelet and his decision to waste public resources by appealing a juvenile death penalty case to the U.S. Supreme Court a year after five justices who still sit on the court ruled the practice unconstitutional.) Montiel's lawsuit to try to get the legislative districts redrawn to improve the GOP's electoral chances six years after the census stands out as blatant partisanship, but he also has fought worthy legal battles against pork spending and holes in the campaign finance law.
Tyson, quite simply, is outstanding. He gained valuable leadership experience in his years at the helm of the state school board before becoming Mobile County district attorney for the last 12 years. In that time, Tyson has gained a reputation as an innovator in efforts to prevent disruptive youngsters from becoming lifelong criminals. He also has demonstrated the courage to hold even the most powerful public officials accountable. In Alabama politics, that asset's value can't be overestimated.
Secretary of state: Ed Packard (D)
Why shouldn't you vote for the incumbent, Nancy Worley? Click here, here, and here for examples. Why should you vote for Packard? He has almost a decade of experience overseeing Alabama elections (more than any other contender for the job) and has the sort of holistic, practical view of voting concerns and processes that comes with such experience. Packard also has called for a much-needed overhaul of the state's obscenely restrictive ballot-access laws, indicating a comfortingly apolitical approach to election management.
Gay marriage ban: Vote 'No'
There are three excellent reasons to reject the proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The first is that the amendment is redundant and would be no more immune to being struck down as unconstitutional than would the statute already on the books. The second is that the ban, which would violate gays' due process and equal protection rights, is simply wrong as a policy matter and inevitably will be overturned or repealed. The third is that the measure quite literally traces its origins to some guy's feeling that it's icky when two dudes kiss. I don't know about you, but I prefer when my Legislature exhibits more maturity than your average junior high.
Governor: Lucy Baxley (D) and Bob Riley (R)
The choices in each party's top-line race are clear. Baxley proved her dedication to public service more than a decade ago when she gave up a lucrative real estate career to enter public office. Baxley has spent the campaign thus far playing her cards so close to the vest that it's often unclear that she even has cards, but she offers a few interesting ideas, including bans on monetary transfers among political action committees and the creation of a state inspector general. The fact that her chief rival will spend election day attending his federal corruption trial doesn't hurt either.
As for Riley, he's proving in many ways to be the sort of New South governor that some political observers thought his predecessor might be. Undeterred by the failure of a $1.2 billion tax plan at the start of his term, Riley got to work recruiting industries and hammering some needed reforms through the Legislature, including more realistic criminal sentencing guidelines and an increase in what was an abominably low state income tax threshold. It would be a very impressive record on its own, but it looks even better against an opponent whose main claim to fame is being the judge who disobeyed a federal court order to move a hunk of granite that literally had his name on it.
Lieutenant governor: No endorsement (R)
There was a time when the job of lieutenant governor actually mattered. Then came the 1998 election of Republican Steve Windom, and the Legislature, controlled by Democrats, stripped the office of many of its powers. Since then, the lite gov's main responsibilities have been to gavel the Legislature into session and check daily to make sure the governor is still alive. Some fun.
So why would anyone want the job? Simple: It's a springboard to higher office. The last six elected lieutenant governors have mounted gubernatorial bids, a pattern that makes it reasonable to see this year's contest for Alabama's No. 2 spot as a proxy for the 2010 governor's race. When I think of the categories from which I wouldn't like to see the governor emerge, the list includes long-time lobbyists, people who attend a rally co-sponsored by the League of the South, and people who share the name of our most infamous segregationist governor. (George Wallace, Jr., can't help who his father was, but that fact wouldn't save Alabama from a giant image hit if it elected another governor with that name.)
As much as I like Luther Strange's proposal to cut taxes on food and medicine and Wallace's plan to forbid legislators from taking lobbyists' gifts, the 2010 factor is why I can't endorse any of the GOP's three major candidates for the job right now.
Chief justice: Drayton Nabers (R)
The question in this race is quite simple: Do you want to revive the antebellum debate over nullification, or do you prefer the idea of the rule of law? If, like most Americans, you'd go for the latter, then Nabers is your only choice in the Republican primary. He doesn't have much more time on the bench than his opponent, but Nabers has written far more opinions, and his experience as a CEO also has helped him to be a good administrator of the state courts.
Attorney general: Mark Montiel (R) and John Tyson, Jr. (D)
A former judge and longtime attorney in private practice, Mark Montiel has far more legal experience than Troy King, who has grandstanded throughout his stint as AG. (See, for example, King's brief union with an ankle tracking bracelet and his decision to waste public resources by appealing a juvenile death penalty case to the U.S. Supreme Court a year after five justices who still sit on the court ruled the practice unconstitutional.) Montiel's lawsuit to try to get the legislative districts redrawn to improve the GOP's electoral chances six years after the census stands out as blatant partisanship, but he also has fought worthy legal battles against pork spending and holes in the campaign finance law.
Tyson, quite simply, is outstanding. He gained valuable leadership experience in his years at the helm of the state school board before becoming Mobile County district attorney for the last 12 years. In that time, Tyson has gained a reputation as an innovator in efforts to prevent disruptive youngsters from becoming lifelong criminals. He also has demonstrated the courage to hold even the most powerful public officials accountable. In Alabama politics, that asset's value can't be overestimated.
Secretary of state: Ed Packard (D)
Why shouldn't you vote for the incumbent, Nancy Worley? Click here, here, and here for examples. Why should you vote for Packard? He has almost a decade of experience overseeing Alabama elections (more than any other contender for the job) and has the sort of holistic, practical view of voting concerns and processes that comes with such experience. Packard also has called for a much-needed overhaul of the state's obscenely restrictive ballot-access laws, indicating a comfortingly apolitical approach to election management.
Gay marriage ban: Vote 'No'
There are three excellent reasons to reject the proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The first is that the amendment is redundant and would be no more immune to being struck down as unconstitutional than would the statute already on the books. The second is that the ban, which would violate gays' due process and equal protection rights, is simply wrong as a policy matter and inevitably will be overturned or repealed. The third is that the measure quite literally traces its origins to some guy's feeling that it's icky when two dudes kiss. I don't know about you, but I prefer when my Legislature exhibits more maturity than your average junior high.
posted by Alabamian at 2:00 AM
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