Yes, there are crazy people in Alabama. But I have lived in Charleston for nearly eighteen years now and I can tell you I am tired of the South getting short shrift politically. Democrats -- and yes, liberal Democrats -- here in Charleston are passionate about individual rights, about education, about the environment. Who knew?
Of course, you say, that is Charleston, the little blue dot in the red state. But a few short months ago, when national Democrats dismissed the special election in SC's fifth, with little but local effort, the Democrat Archie Parnell lost by a mere four points. Imagine if the world outside SC gave us credit for being civilized Americans instead of right-wing cretins.
There is a special election happening in December in Alabama. And from what I have seen so far, it has been deja vu all over again. The media just can't take their eyes, or their cameras, off Roy Moore. Moore being the Donald Trump of Alabama, stupid and full of rage. Unlike Trump, he made his name from religious hypocrisy and he isn't a robber baron, but they share a proud heritage of anger and ignorance. And he has the loud mouth and the capacity to spew bile with which Donald Trump kept the media hypnotized until November 9, when reality came home to roost. After which there were months of mea culpas and vows, with some honest attempts, to report the news in a more responsible manner.
If the past week has been any indication of how that is going, Alabama, you are on your own. To be fair, it is hard to take your eyes away from a shitstorm. I've seen the image of Trump's mini-me pulling a tiny gun out and waving it around far too many times this week. And in my mind, composing this blog, I found it hard not to keep wanting to rant about what is awful about Moore, and which has already been reported ad nauseum.
So let us talk about the Democratic candidate. Didn't know there was one? That is not a surprise. The assumption has been that this race ended on primary night -- even Colbert said Moore is pretty much the next senator from Alabama. I beg to differ.
The Democratic candidate for US Senate is Doug Jones. He is not a politician, but has an incredible resume. In 2001, as a US attorney, Jones successfully prosecuted Thomas Edwin Blanton, Jr., for the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham which resulted in the deaths of four girls. He has also been a defense attorney. Jones has seen injustice and worked to fight it all his professional life.
He grew up in a blue collar, union household, in Alabama. He knows about fighting for fair wages and good working conditions. He understands that education is the key to raising the standard of living. He knows coal jobs aren't coming back, but is determined to provide a safety net and job training to those who lose those jobs. And he knows there are better jobs to come with rebuilding outdated infrastructure and improving our environment.
He believes that women have the right to make their own reproductive choices without government intervention. He doesn't waffle when he says that. He knows that women in Alabama need someone who will fight for their right to contraception and abortion more than those in states that haven't had knuckle draggers like Jeff Sessions and Roy Moore pretending that religion gives them the right to control women's lives.
Doug Jones' website does a comprehensive job of describing a strong and moral position on individual rights, civil rights, criminal justice reform, environment, healthcare and more.
Whenever I have been exposed to yet another breathlessly obsessive tirade about Roy Moore, I have gone on Twitter and told @CNN and @MSNBC to get their eyes off the car wreck and spend time talking to Doug Jones and Alabama Democrats about the real issues of the campaign. I was happy to see that Chuck Todd had actually interviewed Jones and asked him about just that.
And here are some numbers:
In the republican primary, there were 480,882 votes cast. In the state of Alabama, there are 3,330,802 registered voters. That leaves 2,849,920 who did not vote in the primary. It seems to me that easily a majority of those voters would like to see better wages and working conditions, an end to racial injustice, better healthcare, a safer and cleaner environment, and an end to the republican attacks on individual rights.
Jones points out that Lilly Ledbetter fought her fight for equal pay in Gadsden, Alabama. It is personal in Alabama, y'all. So don't let the wild eyed media ignore the Democrat in this race.
And let's not let the national Democratic Party wimp out either. Apparently, Joe Biden is planning on stumping for Jones, but some are squeamish about him maybe making waves, that some of those folks in Alabama might get upset if them northern Democrats get involved in their politics.
Nonsense.
And Keith Ellison has a real dog in this race, too. Jones' opponent, in his rants against anyone who isn't a white 'murican has said that Ellison should be banned from Congress by virtue of his being Muslim. Ellison needs to get down to Alabama and fight for Doug, for all those who aren't of the white supremacist persuasion.
Fun fact: when interviewed on September 1, Moore couldn't answer the question about DACA -- or Dreamers --because he had no idea what they were. Of course, after he did his homework he jumped on the anti-immigration bus. Who says the man can't learn?
Enough about that jackass, and back to the real story.
We need to spread the word. Doug Jones is a great candidate. He doesn't just know the constitution, he has worked his life to defend the rights granted under it. He has worked to prosecute those who have committed crimes against the innocent, and to protect us from a criminal justice system run amok.
Don't let the media or the Democratic Party dismiss this race. This is a critical fight, and it can be won. Right now, even with all the cameras on the infamous criminal Roy Moore, Doug Jones is a mere six points behind. Give him the microphone so he can tell the people of Alabama what he stands for, and what he plans on doing to make their lives better.
I believe in you, Alabama.
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