Let me jump forward about two weeks for you: U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) loses his Senate seat to former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville by 10+ points, incumbent Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh beats Democrat Laura Casey for Public Service Commission president and every Republican running a Congressional race blows out their opponent, as U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) does not have a general election opponent.
We will then be told that some random Democratic mayor is the next major threat to a statewide Republican sweep in 2022.
This, of course, is not true.
The same was said for Ron Sparks (rural voters totally coming out), Parker Griffith (moderate enough to be a Democrat, then a Republican, then an independent, and then a Democrat again) and Walt Maddox (a “cool” young mayor), and we all know what happened with them.
Democrats in Alabama had no business winning the Senate seat that Jones will lose in less than two weeks and their behavior, which mirrors national Democrats, only marginalizes them further.
Look at Macon County Democrats: They are placing signs telling voters that “Racism is on the ballot.” It’s not, and this divisive messaging doesn’t stay in Macon County anymore.
All over the state, voters were told that Alabama Democrats can’t stop calling everyone “racist.”
This isn’t 1965 or even 1995. This kind of inflammatory nonsense gets spread to suburbs and rural areas via the internet.
Non-racists don’t like this.
Witness the completely asinine push for a debate by Senator Jones with Tommy Tuberville. This does nothing but scream, “I am going to lose.” We are 12 days out, and all we are getting from Jones is that Tuberville was a bad coach (he wasn’t), swindled people (it appears that is untrue) or that he’s a “coward” for not debating.
Now email me at [email protected], and tell me a single candidate that lost a race because he refused to debate. I’ll wait.
Oh, and a Joe Biden endorsement? That’ll really help in Alabama. Was Hunter not available?
You know what Jones, the state’s highest-profile Democrat, can’t do? Explain how he is in touch with the politics and culture of Alabama.
His campaign is one long explanation about how the way he feels is different than what we have all seen with our own eyes.
On guns, he believes Alabamians are ready for gun control. Alabamians aren’t.
On abortion, he has said he is pro-choice until birth, but now he isn’t — and the media is going right along. Alabamians aren’t.
One of two things has to happen for Democrats to be more than a party of Birmingham, the Black Belt and a shrinking media-PR arm that can’t move the needle outside of their congratulatory tweets to each other:
- The state has to change.
- They have to convince people they are something they are not.
I don’t think the state is going to become a liberal hotspot anytime soon, so it might be time to just start attempting to change people’s minds by being honest about what you want as Alabama Democrats.
Run people that will tell you what they actually believe and not require an untrusted media to repackage your positions.
Yes, Democrats in other states will send you money, but they can’t vote for you.
Go all in. Stop trying to be Republican-lite. No one believes you and November 3’s election results in Alabama will make that point again.
Learn nothing.
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 AM weekdays on WVNN.
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