Hot topics briefs
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.

The Jameis Winston story
This is a lose-lose situation. There are so many twists and turns to this story, no one knows what to believe. An accusation does not mean you are guilty; neither does an indictment.
If Jameis is not indicted, there will be some concern that the system is not fair. If he is indicted some people will always believe its the woman’s fault. The talk show sportscasters keep asking how can Jameis function with all the foreseeable problems hanging over his head?
Has anyone ever asked the question how many problems are hanging over the head of the young lady and her family? It would be a shame if this young man’s career is destroyed over this incident. It would be even worse if he committed this crime and go unpunished.

Can Auburn play for the National Championship?
The answer to the question is yes. Here’s what has to happen. Auburn MUST beat Alabama, Missouri and South Carolina and Ohio State and Florida must lose.
The powers-that-be must place Auburn as No. 2 in the national ranking. The question now is can this happen? The answer is there’s a possibility on a scale of 1-10, it will be 2, and miracles can happen.

Can Auburn beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl?
The answer to his question is on any given day, any football team in America can beat another team. If you don’t believe this, just ask the University of Florida.
Last week the Florida Gators, who used to be a power house, paid Georgia Southern $400,000 to play them. Georgia Southern ranked 149 out of 150 teams in America. Not only did the Florida Gators lose this game, Coach Muschamp, in all probability, will lose his job.
As most football fans know on any given day the ball can bounce in your favor. Going into the game, Auburn probably will be a 13-point underdog. The only way they can win is Auburn brings their A-game and Alabama brings their C-game.
If I had to make a decision, my decision would be that Auburn has two chances and they are slim and none.

Who will win the Heisman Trophy?
Johnny Manziel, and Jameis Winston just opened up the floodgates. Three weeks ago, Johnny Manziel, quarterback for Texas A&M, had a lock on the nomination. Two weeks ago, Jameis Winston had a lock on the Heisman Trophy nomination. They both lost their chance. It is very difficult for anyone to win the Heisman after losing three games.
Last week when LSU played, they just manhandled Texas A&M. Incidentally, Texas A&M still has to play another difficult game with Missouri and their chances of losing is better than 50-50.
This brings back into the mix the quarterback at Charleston and Ohio State. As of today, my guess would be that A.J. McCarron is leading the pack. If McCarron comes through with Auburn and Missouri, he will win the Heisman.

Who killed President Kennedy 50 years ago?
Fidel Castro is convinced that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy was not the work of a lone gunman, but rather the culmination of a broad conspiracy. According to a recent Gallup poll, 61 percent of Americans believe Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in Dallas 50 years ago.
I happen to believe that Oswald caused this tragedy by himself. Remember that Oswald shot Kennedy and roamed around in the streets trying to get away with no money, no plane ticket, and no pre-planned place to hide. It would seem logical that he would have had an automobile waiting off the beaten path, a change of 3-4 cars to a certain destination or even a private jet.
It’s difficult for me to believe that if this was a conspiracy they would have had a better getaway plan.
John F. Kennedy will go down in history as being one of the most loved presidents. It is also difficult for me to believe a lot of people in America celebrated his death. I would never like to know the answer to this question, but I wonder how many people would celebrate if Barack Obama met the same tragic end as Kennedy?

Sewage increase
The judge has ruled than Jefferson County can proceed with a 7 percent increase in sewage rates. Now it even gets word: they can make this increase again and again and again. In the event you do not pay, they can put a lien on your property. It gets even worse: your property can be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
The attorney who was objecting to the increase in sewage rates is filing an appeal. How long this will take and what court this appeal will go to is anyone’s guess.

Can the President overcome negativity?
Obama’s woes are not limited to honesty and his managerial skills. Fifty-six percent say he is not a person they admire, and an equal number say he does not agree with them on important issues. Fifty-six percent also say he does not inspire confidence, and 53 percent don’t view him as a strong and decisive leader. All of these figures are all-time records for Obama.
The poll was conducted November 18-20 for CNN with 843 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The Obama pep team who are signing on with their duly approved talking points need to remember one thing: This country is at a pivotal point in its history.
One blogger stated – “Regardless how much you might think he’s ‘a good man,’ etc., the nation is being led from behind and we are losing ground every day. We’re in big, big, trouble and all you can do is recite talking points.”
President Obama has three years to make vast improvements in his relationship with the American public. I would suggest that he start immediately and finish this in six months. It is imperative that he does so Democrats can maintain their majority in the Senate and make gains in the House.

e-mail: jjlewis@birminghamtimes.com

One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. I love it for many reasons.
It’s a time of year to be with family, and of course there is always so much good food. But I also love Thanksgiving because I think it is important that we take some time out of the year to think about all the blessings that have been given to us.
It can be so easy sometimes to forget how truly blessed we are; to take for granted the little things that make life so great. Most days we are so focused on doing our jobs or taking care of all the errands and other nuances of life that we might not stop and think to say “thank you” for what we have.
This is especially true in the world of politics. Every day, we read in the paper or see in the news about new policies or international threats. The political debate can become so bitter and personal that we forget at the end of the day to be grateful that we even have a democracy and the freedom to express our opinions.
So I wanted to take a moment to put aside the politics and instead focus on the blessings.
I have been so blessed that God has given me such an amazing family. I am grateful for my son, Jonathan, who has been given a chance to play college football and making great grades. I am grateful for my daughter, Wells, who is turning into an incredible young woman with such a bright future ahead of her. And I am especially thankful for my wife, Gwen, who is the best mother of our children and partner in life that a man could ever ask for.
I am grateful for all the people I work with at Hodges-Ford Insurance. We have had a lot of claims come through this year because of the storms, and the people I work with have gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide the best service possible to our customers.
I am thankful to our men and women in the military, as well as all of our public servants. From protecting our nation abroad to patrolling our streets and teaching in our schools, these men and women have devoted their lives to helping others, and, in some cases, sacrificed their lives to keep us safe and protect our freedoms and our way of life.
I am thankful to the people of Etowah County who have given me the opportunity to represent them in Montgomery in the Alabama House of Representatives. One of the most sacred things a person can give you is their trust, and I am honored that the voters of Etowah County have trusted me to fight for them and be their voice in Montgomery.
But most of all, I am thankful for our merciful God who forgives sins and has blessed my life so richly. I am thankful that God has stood by me in the good times and the bad times, and I am thankful for all that He has blessed me with.
There are so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, including this reminder to take a day and remember all the blessings we have been given.
Each of us will go through hardships in our lives, whether it’s losing someone we love, losing a job or just having a really bad day. In times like that, I think it is especially important to focus on the blessings in life and remember how good God has been to us. Sometimes when things seem to be going so wrong, the only thing you can do is think about the things that are still going right and remember that God is with you in the good times and the bad.
I wish you and your family a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
Rep. Craig Ford is a Democrat from Gadsden and the Minority Leader in the Alabama House of Representatives.

By James Strong

When miles in the far distant, you see clouds dark and wide dumping trainloads of rain over the open seas, and fast and furious winds blowing the waves as high as skyscrapers, the skipper of a sailboat flees as quickly as possible to port or speeds toward the nearest island to hide the vessel behind impenetrable rocks and weather the approaching storm.
When you don’t hear loggers laughing and joking in the forest or the sound of axes and electric saws chopping down trees or the crackle of huge, ancient oak trees falling against one another and loud thuds as they hit the ground, you know it’s okay to walk through that part of the forest.
Signs such as these also exist in politics. For instance, in a close election, a large voter turnout for a particular candidate oftentimes precedes victory for that candidate.
Terry McAuliffe is the latest example of this principle, because a large Black voter turnout helped the Democrat win the closely-contested race for governor of Virginia in the November elections. McAuliffe only won over Republican Ken Cuccinelli by three points, but exit polls seem to show that his margin of victory resulted from the enormous number of Blacks who cast their ballots for him.
“Democrat Terry McAuliffe lost white voters to Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli by 20 points in the Virginia governor’s race, 56-36 percent. But McAuliffe still won the election by three points, 48-45 percent. How is that possible when more than seven-in-10 (72 percent) of Virginia voters Tuesday were white? Simple: Black voters,” comments NBC’s Domenico Montanaro.
Montanaro goes on to explain that “McAuliffe won Black voters by a 90-8 percent margin, a similar spread to the 93-6 percent President Barack Obama ran up in the 2012 presidential election in the Old Dominion. Black voters also voted at a similar clip to the 2012 election. They made up 20 percent of voters, or one of every five people who went to the polls. That’s exactly the percentage of the electorate Black voters made up for Obama in 2012 in Virginia.”
Stu Rothenberg, who claims to be a non-partisan political analyst, disputes the notion that African-American voters were responsible for McAuliffe’s victory. “He [McAuliffe] won because Republican Ken Cuccinelli failed to get the same level of support from the normally Republican voting groups that Mitt Romney had a year earlier,” says Rothenberg.
Yet, despite providing information to substantiate low independent and non-tea-party Republican support for Cuccinelli, Rothenberg provides no evidence and little logic to show that Cuccinelli’s lack of Republican support means that the large Black voter turnout did not help McAuliffe win the governor’s race.
That’s because the margins of traditionally Republican votes Cuccinelli received compared to margins Mitt Romney received in the 2012 presidential race from Virginians was too small and uneven to be statistically significant. For example, Cuccinelli received a lower margin of votes among the married over his Democratic opponent, 50 to 43 percent, than did Romney, 55 to 44 percent. But Cuccinelli received a higher vote margin among men, 51 to 47 percent, than Romney, 48 to 45 percent.
Moreover, as Montanaro notes, “Other key minority groups underperformed. Even though Latinos . . . make up 8 percent of the population, they were just 4 percent of the electorate Tuesday, down from 5 percent in 2012. Asians make up 6 percent of the population, but were just 1 percent of Tuesday’s voters, down from 3 percent in 2012.”
So, while Rothenberg claims that McAuliffe won because Cuccinelli had low Republican support, Cuccinelli would still have lost, it seems, even if he had high Republican support.
He was too weak to be a winner and too tiny to triumph among giants. He alienated the group that held his chances of winning by carrying it on a sea voyage of anti-Black innuendos and tossed it overboard to sink or swim, survive or perish. It did not sink, it did not perish, because McAuliffe and the Democratic Party threw it a life jacket.
What is that life jacket and how vital is it? Well, if you support Black causes, you will win Black votes. If you oppose Black causes, you will lose Black votes.
Consequently, just as we learned not to trust Romney’s smiles, we learned not to trust Cuccinelli’s eyes. They are strange, harsh eyes without a tear for humankind. Truly, his lack of warmth, his decision to ally with the racist Tea Party movement and his unwillingness to even open a delicate conversation with the Black electorate doomed his candidacy to defeat.
Cuccinelli espoused views that had little Black support and, therefore, did not gain Black votes. McAuliffe took positions favored by most Blacks and, as a result, won the Black vote.
Hence, as with endless droughts, the Republican Party still experiences a famine of thoughts on how to win Black and minority voters. Famished by their barren and vain toil, their candidates flounder among the drowsy and can only watch with weary eyes as Democrats and others feast off their incompetence. The Black vote, with the same sweat and excitement it showed in Virginia, helped Democrat Bill de Blasio become mayor of New York City, Democrat Martin Walsh become mayor of Boston and Democrat Michael Duggan become the first white mayor of Detroit since 1974.
Thus, if you continuously support policies that are anti-Black and anti-minority, you shouldn’t expect to receive votes from Blacks and minorities. That fact is simple enough, as tasty and healthful as Black beans and rice.
But in the pharmacy of politics, it’s difficult to find a drug that cures stupidity. Throughout the history of American politics, both the Democratic and Republican Parties have spread, without much concern or care, the disease of discrimination. But whereas the Democrats have managed to cure theirs, the sores of bigotry and intolerance still remain open and full of puss in Republican Party politics.
For some reason, they have seen but not probed, observed but not explored a clear and undeniable landmark on the map of American political understanding: If a large Black voter turnout occurs during an election, you can assume that Blacks will vote for a Democrat. As a result, Republican stupidity on this matter serves as delicious debates at dinner time in the kitchens and living rooms of the Democratic Party faithful.
How sweet is the knowledge that you have power to decide the outcome of elections! Much like honey added to tea, that knowledge adds flavor to get-out-the-vote campaigns. Such campaigns, when successful, can make a strong candidate weak and a weak candidate strong.
The essential message for Blacks constructs an oasis of influence. It uses, in the realm of politics, analogous timber from which mansions and palaces are built: If a small voter turnout can help candidates lose, a large voter turnout can help them win.

Copyright © 2013 by James Strong. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this
column, or any part of this column, without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Send your comments to strongpoints123@gmail.com.

I see where cities like Detroit, Michigan…countries like Greece and many others are filing for BANKRUPTCY.
Even today the Elite Class of America is arguing that the President’s idea of raising the Minimum Wage to nine ($9) dollars per hour (less than $24,000 per year) will bankrupt this nation.
 The IRS CENSUS REPORT shows that the least money needed for minimum living in today’s economy is $34,000 yearly.
So those of us who have been making up to $24,000 per year or less have been forced to go into debt consistently each year about $10,000, for example, the working poor.
I was with a friend who was trying to buy a car. The friends’ car cost $6,000. The friend had $3,000 and the blue book value for the car was $9,000 (a 2007 model car). So a friend needed $3,000.  The lender could foreclose on a $9,000 car and he only had to invest $3,000, a $6,000 mark up for the lender.
IMPORTANT EXAMPLE ON HOW THE POOR ARE TREATED.
The Finance Company – on second thought – stated we cannot loan the $3,000 but on the car that you are driving – we can lend you $5,000 (for a 2003 vehicle).
Per the Lender… you should do these things.
•     Clear title on the Alabama car
•     Pay the Georgia tax $197
•     Georgia tags
•     Make $98 payments for 1 year – 12 payments almost $1,200.
So, my friend received a $500 check.
THE RICH GETTING RICHER… WHILE THE POOR REMAIN POOR.
For many years, the so called Third World countries have been treated unfairly by the so called Rich or Group of seven (7) countries.
Over time I’ve read that from 1776 President George Washington (1789) to President Jimmy Carter (1980), 1st to 39th President: were the so called Good Years.
Then came the bad years: from 1980 to 1992 for America.
I understand that between the years 1789 to 1980 the so called Third World countries received loans from the World Bank; the International Monetary Funds (IMF), Group of 7 countries (G-7) and others loaned money at high interest rates.
So, when those countries could no longer pay, the lenders forgave this debt and down the financial road some of these countries needed more financial support.
Thus, new loans were given and when deemed necessary those loans were forgiven also (Good Years 1789 to 1980).
Along came the bad years 1980 to about 1992.
I am told that in America under America’s leadership that the Credit Records from America’s Dead files were opened.
That the money from loans made by Presidents and others in the Good Years (1789-1980) were placed back on the record books and that’s when a so-called Third World country (during the 1980s to 1990s) came to America for financial assistance.
The money would only be loaned if  that country agreed to pay back the money loaned plus the old debt that was forgiven to that country years earlier.
The “have not’s” are in trouble (in America) because almost all of their lives they have been under paid:  not paid a livable wage (one you can live on) year after year.
The so called Third World countries are in financial trouble because loans that had been forgiven, for whatever reason, were placed back on the books by the New Administrators.
The New Deal
I am told that after World War II…by the way (the World has never been at war!!!).
After, World War II President FDR put forward a plan to repair the war damaged countries (Germany, Japan, Italy and others), that President FDR also attempted to do the same here in America ,especially in the area of home improvement – a livable wage – public health for all citizens – 40hr work week – two week vacation with pay – public education – up to 2yr Associate Degree (free of charge) – a fair taxable system that pays America’s bills and a retirement program for reliable service to a company.
I believe that the Founding Fathers never intended America to rely on Third World countries to loan money to us so that America can pay its World debt.
FACTS:  Have and Have not’s?
When the Oil was taken from Alaska and put into production in America for export around the world, some money went to the Alaskan people, not as much as should have been, but some.

The Beverly Hillbillies
Jed shot at a rabbit, missed the rabbit, made a hole on his land, oil came out of the hole – Jed and his family has now become $50 million dollar millionaires. Of, course there was no discussion as to who else in that community, that county, or that state benefited from that event.
A Fable, yes however, this is how things and property is managed or should I say mismanaged here in America this is how the have – have more – and the have nots are created here in America by the so – called Capitalist.
Warehouser…  (German)  Warehouser Lumber
Mr. Warehouser purchased land in Alabama to open a saw mill corporation, the land sold for about $5 per acre (Government Land).
1. Mr. Warehouser now owns an entire country in Alabama worth billions of
dollars (Government Land – our land).
2. He does wood products. (3) Paper products (4) large brown paper rolls (5)
white computer paper and many other products.
Mr. Warehouser’s paper products produces black and green liquor to color the paper. This product is highly carbonated and makes good fertilizer for re-punishing the farm soil which he used to produce cotton product farming and corn product farming.
Mr. Warehouser plants his own trees for his Saw Mill as well as buys from others.
Mr. Warehouser purchased all the land or most that was owned by homesteaders and small farmers in that county.
This is an example as to how the Haves, the Have more and the Have Nots are created. Not by single parents but by money, power and selfish greed.
Lastly, I would like to briefly discuss our Tax System.
I am a billionaire, over a million dollars per year taxable income.
Do you think that I am going to pay 39.6 percent of 1 million in taxes with a debt of 17 trillion nationally ?
1. How much is needed to run the Nation next year -1trillion,
2. How much do we who make over 1 million yearly pay,
3. 400 pages in the tax code for deductions, loop holes and on and on.
Now out of about $400,000 at 39.5 or 40 percent I might end up paying $40,000 at most or as Mr. Warren Buffet puts it, less than my Secretary.
Seventeen trillion dollars debt (Obama’s debt) a joke – Debt clock – Borrowing money from China (give me a break).
From 1776 to 1980 204 years of running the Government and 39 Presidents, the total money owed after 204 years was less than 1 trillion dollars, in fact less than 800 billion or .8 trillion dollars; from 1980 to 2013, 33 years, 17 trillion dollars!  Not one Think Tank in Washington D.C. can explain to the general public exactly how much is a trillion dollars; they use expressions like
1. If you stack 1 dollar bills one on top of the other you can reach the moon
2 and ½ times
2. Or my favorite… If you place 1 dollar bill long end to long end and you
are standing at your front door; you can go under the moon, loop around
the moon back to earth, loop around plant earth and end up back in front
of your door (A figure 8 around the moon plus earth).  This will be about
1 trillion dollars. 33 years – Bill Clinton: debt free – come on!!!
(You Republicans).  Give me a break.

Comment on Syria & King Au Saud
Who is supporting the opposition forces to Syria?
It seems that the United Kingdom (UK), the United States and others had promised military support but not only did the Rebels not get the support, but that they were blocked from buying weapons from the Black Market.
President Obama said that he drew the line when it came to using chemical agents by Syria’s government on its people; the chemical agent was used and some people died; however, the President did not have definite proof that it was Syria’s Government who was responsible and so President Obama sent the UN Inspectors to investigate.
The President of Russia and the U.S. thru the UN decided that Syria must turn in its entire chemical agents so that thru the United Nations this chemical can be destroyed.
This way our President avoided starting another military conflict; this was the UN Resolution on Syria.
I am sitting meditating and I hear that a Soccer player is being traded to another team for about $130 million dollar salary for six (6) years. Many times more than he was paid on the team that he was playing for.
I am told that a second player is being negotiated for at $50 million dollars.
These so called Third World countries; these countries cannot negotiate for money for loan repayments or loan forgiveness in order to continue feeding, educating and other needs for the rest of the people by this So Call Private Sector Money Gurus; they prefer to bankrupt the masses of the same countries that they are making contracts with for an individual player.
“I wonder if there is Intelligent Life on this Planet.”
The regimes in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) are forcing open a new debate in such forums as the UNCTAD Meeting.
The net worth of the world’s 200 richest people increased from $440 billion to more than 1 trillion in just the four years from 1994 to 1998.
Hugo Chavez: the choice posed to humanity is socialism or death. “Capitalism has destroyed the ecological equilibrium of the earth.”
One of Marx’s Great Prophecies was the remarkable advance in technology would not necessarily benefit humanity particularly if it was controlled by those properties who would use science and machines to protect their gains rather than for the social advancement of all of Humanity.
World Human Slavery
Governments –––– Utopia Sociality
Basic Equality

Capitalist   Market Driven Sociality
Basic Greed
Land, air space, off shore fusel fuel, coal, gold, and diamond mines, rubber trees, copper mining and other mineral resources belong to the people, who are the Government.
Barter System
Replacing the Barter system with a monetary system such as dollars, pounds and so on.

At one time or another:
One dollar is worth so many ounces of gold then:
1 pound = 2 dollars; 14 peso = 1 dollar; 20 won = 1 dollar; 4 marks= 1 dollar; 7 francs = 1 dollar and son and on.
Gold was justified using 1 dollar as a world monetary currency.
Remove the 1 dollar per ounce of gold and there is No dollar to gold standard justification.

Working Poor
Earlier, I spoke of a soccer player traded for $130 million dollars for six years; another soccer player traded for $50 million.
President Obama tried to increase minimum wages in America from $7.75 per hour to $9.75 per hour which would equal less than $14,000 per year.
In America it costs $34,000 yearly (according to the IRS Census Report).
So, if you are head of household and you are making less than $24,000 yearly then each year you go into debt for at least $10,000 per year (Working Poor).
What fool decided that a billionaire is or could possibly be 1 billion times the man that I am; or the value of my worth?
The Haves – The Have mores and the Have nots is what is the problem in the World today.

Linton L. Matthews
Lithonia, GA 30058

Dear Editor:

 President Obama will get a break from “Obamacare” when he pardons the traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Each of us can also set aside our cares by pardoning a turkey and choosing a nonviolent Thanksgiving observance –  One that gives thanks for our good fortune, health, and happiness with a life-affirming, cruelty-free feast of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

And here are more terrific reasons:

•    You will stay alert through the entire football game. – You are
what you eat. Who wants to be a “butterball”? – Your vegetarian
kid won’t have to boycott the family dinner.
•    You won’t have to call the Poultry Hotline to keep your family alive.
•     Fruits and vegetables don’t have to carry government warning labels.
•    You won’t sweat the environment and food resources devastation guilt trip.
•    You won’t spend a sleepless night wondering how the turkey lived and died.
•    Your body will welcome a holiday from saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones.

Our own dinner this Thanksgiving will feature a “Tofurky,” lentil roast, mashed potatoes, corn stuffing, stuffed squash, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. An internet search on “vegetarian Thanksgiving” got us more recipes and other useful information than we could possibly use.

Brad Raynaud
Birmingham, AL 35205

 Certain events in our lives are of such magnitude that they remain indelibly printed on our memories. Such was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
Those of us old enough to remember this tragic event can recall with precision where we were and what we were doing on this inglorious day. I was 24 years old, had just received a master’s degree, and was waiting to report for active duty with the Army. In the interim, I was an instructor in the business school at Auburn University.
I was driving south of Union Springs on U.S. 29 when the first news bulletin screamed from the radio: President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.  After what seemed like an eternity but was actually about an hour later, a report confirmed his death.
Kennedy’s life was tragically cut short. We will never know what the charismatic, youthful leader could have accomplished had he not been killed.
But it is fair to say that he did not have many legislative victories in the 1,036 days he presided over what has been called “Camelot.” It would be left to his successor, Lyndon Johnson, to accomplish much of the legislation, including landmark civil rights laws, Kennedy had advocated.
In many respects, the nation was much different in 1963. America was smaller.  Total population was slightly over 189 million. California passed New York as the most populous state.
During Kennedy’s final year in office, the economy flourished. Gross national product – the measure would later be changed to gross domestic product – grew at a robust 5 percent. Unemployment was 5.7 percent. Inflation was a modest 1.3 percent.
The Dow-Jones Industrial Average was 715 for the year, up 12.3 percent from 1962. Factory workers, on average, earned more than $100 per week, their highest earnings in history. And during the year, Congress passed legislation guaranteeing equal pay for equal work.
In 1963, there were several “firsts.”  New Hampshire passed legislation authorizing the first state-operated lottery for education. Kodak introduced the Instamatic camera. Weight Watchers came into being.
All of these accomplishments were overshadowed by Lee Harvey Oswald’s fatal shots on November 22. Everything changed on that fateful day – when America lost its innocence.

Wayne Curtis, Ph.D., is a former superintendent of Alabama banks and Troy University business school dean.  He is retired from the board of directors of First United Security Bank.  Email him at wccurtis39@gmail.com.

By Steve Flowers
 
The political spotlight has been focused on Mobile for most of this year. They had a historical and sensational mayor’s race that ended in early fall. It resulted in a new mayor, Sandy Stimpson. Incumbent mayor Sam Jones lost to Stimpson after eight years in office.
Although mayors do not run under partisan labels, it was a classic Republican versus Democrat race. Stimpson is a wealthy white businessman. Mayor Jones is the classic African American Democratic politician. Both men are in their 60s and have been successful in their careers. Stimpson will approach running the port city in an open and businesslike fashion. He defeated Jones with a plan that always works in politics. He outspent him and, more importantly, he outworked him.
Politicos who watched the race said they had never seen a better run campaign nor seen a candidate stay on message as well as Stimpson. They say he worked harder than any candidate in Mobile mayoral political history. He probably wore out about a dozen pairs of Gucci shoe loafers walking the streets of Mobile shaking hands. Stimpson would make an excellent candidate for governor in the future. However, it has been suggested he probably will never undertake that mission because he loves Mobile and his family too much. Most of his children and grandchildren live close to him in Mobile.
As if the mayoral race was not entertaining political theater enough, we had a race for an open congressional seat to watch in coastal Alabama. Jo Bonner’s retirement from congress left his seat open for a political fray. There was a bevy of candidates seeking the open congressional seat.
Bradley Byrne began as the obvious frontrunner and man to beat and he emerged as the victor after a long primary and tumultuous runoff. Bradley will go to Washington as a freshman congressman and will follow in the footsteps of Frank Boykin, Jack Edwards, Sonny Callahan, and Bonner.
The race was interesting. Byrne always had the money, organization and establishment endorsements. As mentioned, there was a large field of candidates seeking the seat. Therefore, it was obvious that there would be a runoff. Not surprisingly the evangelical candidate, Dean Young, who was endorsed by Roy Moore, emerged as Byrne’s runoff opponent.
The runoff became very contentious and received national attention. Observers statewide and nationwide were watching the race because of the schism that has evolved within the Republican Party ranks. Byrne was the establishment candidate. Young was the reactionary Tea Party evangelical candidate. National Party leaders say this rift will continue to play out across the country in the 2014 election cycle.
Byrne, who is a lawyer, former state senator and former chancellor of Alabama’s two-year college system, defeated Young by only 3,600 votes. Byrne prevailed by a 52.5 to 47.5 percent margin. The runoff became so bitter that Young has refused to endorse Bryne in the perfunctory general election against a Democrat. “This party is deeply divided.  It is as wide as the Grand Canyon and as deep as the ocean,” said Jonathan Gray, Young’s campaign consultant.
Bryne won his victory in the upper income enclaves of Mobile and Baldwin counties. Young received most of his votes in the rural areas of the district. Young lost his own precinct in Orange Beach. Bryne’s campaign strategists attributed his victory to a sophisticated, get out the vote operation. They boasted of having 18,000 door knocks and 50,000 live volunteer calls.
Indeed, they may be right. Both sides must have knocked on a lot of doors because the runoff drew 20,000 additional voters to the polls, more than the first round of voting on September 24th when nine candidates were on the ballot. This 40 percent increase and turnout is unprecedented in a special election runoff. Both these South Alabama races exhibit the cardinal rule in Alabama politics. Although a lot has changed politically with sophisticated computer technology, money and hard work still prevail.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears weekly in more than 70 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. He may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.