Alabama voters spoke very clearly in the Republican runoff election between Byrne and Bentley that they do not want anymore of business as usual--meaning *any resemblance of Governor Riley in the next four years. The elevated highway is controversial despite the full court press behind the scenes that is making it's way into certain area newspapers declaring most area Mayors support it. The people do not support it and their voices of dissent on the project are being actively suppressed by special interests.
*(Mobile Press-Resister August 11, 2010; "Echols, he said, suggested that Riley would help Bentley raise campaign money if Bentley would agree to "look after" his children.")
A large number of cities, even many outside the US, are now tearing down these concrete behemoths and the citizens of Alabama realize this project is a huge waste of federal stimulus dollars and state taxpayer money--it's Riley's way of rewarding his cronies along with his big contributors and the public is saying "NO" do something else.
That's why they voted for Bentley; they saw him as different, honest and beyond influence. He very quickly forgot that to get into the Governors mansion this particular November, you have to dance with "them that brung you" and he has gutted any chances of getting elected by voicing support for this project. The voters see it as the same old status quo and are now left wondering who they are going to support in November after having such high hopes for Dr. Bentley to bring about a change to Montgomery.
In the current climate of anti incumbents, even the powerful influences that usually control the big elections are well aware of the uncertain atmosphere in elections all over the country--the people are fed up with the same old chum and are taking their anger to the voting box. Higher turnout makes it tougher to buy your chosen candidate and they know even they have a real challenge this November in making sure their "mule" gets in office.
As we have said before, the real story is often in the reader's comments (which allows for free thought and debate unlike the SCR from our previous posting) and those comments echo the voter's tremendous disappointment in Bentley's latest misstep.
We are hearing from our own sources that for the first time in years, many conservatives are seriously considering voting Democrat in the upcoming Governor's race because of this. That's ironic because Bentley himself called for crossover voting in the runoff and he got some of that, which is highly unusual for this state.
He is on a no man's island now; Dems will go with their candidate in the end out of party loyalty, although there was some crossover voting from dissatisfaction on the left about the Democratic nominee Ron Sparks. The Republican faithful will stay with Bentley, but the Independents, including those that lean right and left who went for Bentley in big numbers, won't stay with any candidate that resembles anything Riley-like.
Bentley is finished as a people's candidate and he did it to himself by choosing to ignore what got him to where he is now. He decided to swim with the sharks, which is more commonly known as the pervasively corrupt Republican machine that has been on a feeding frenzy in this state for years, and voters will throw him back to the oblivion he rose from in November.
Although.....
This could be a well-designed trick from the Byrne crowd and we will keep a close eye on what Bentley says next, in person and not in print.
Stay tuned.
People who know him say Bentley is honest; however, he supports the 280 Boondoggle and shows how ignorant and out of touch he is by claiming, "Birmingham doesn't need transit," leads me to believe he is out of touch.
ReplyDeleteIt hard to tell a doctor anything other than your symptoms. Can we educate him?
Or, was he just playing the outsider and has now gone home to the Big Mule barn?
No we cannot educate him he is in the arms of BARD now.
ReplyDelete