Troy King: Re-elect me

By Jennifer J. Foster

Another thing that kept me busy yesterday was the taping of “Capitol Journal”  for Alabama Public Television. Topics I covered with Wetumpka Herald publisher Kim Price included:

The massive gambling bill being considered in the Alabama Legislature;

Gov. Bob Riley’s fight with certain legislators about whether to take the federal government’s money for expanded unemployment benefits made available through the economic stimulus package;

State Sen. Lowell Barron’s horrible so-called ethics bill putting a time limit on corruption investigations performed by the Alabama Ethics Commission; and

The federal grand jury investigation of Alabama Attorney General Troy King;

The tragic shooting spree in south Alabama this week.

The program will air tonight on APT at 9 p.m. Central. Those of you not in Alabama—or those of you who would rather watch Auburn battle Florida in the men’s SEC basketball tournament (although I can’t imagine that there’s anyone who would choose a sports championship over a political talk show) can catch the program on the web when it’s posted sometime next week.

Yes, that was sarcasm. Even I will be watching the game. War Eagle!

Speaking of King, he announced his candidacy for re-election this week. Danny has the details—including the curious fact that no reporters were present at the announcement—over at the Parlor.

Steele steps in it ... again

By Jennifer J. Foster

Just when you thought RNC Chairman Michael Steele was learning how to keep his head down and his mouth shut, he’s managed to put his foot in his mouth—again.

From CNN:

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele — already under fire from some in the GOP over his turbulent first month at the helm of the party — looked to ease conservative concerns Thursday over his comments suggesting abortion is an “individual choice.“

“I am pro-life, always have been, always will be,“ Steele said in a statement. “I tried to present why I am pro life while recognizing that my mother had a ‘choice’ before deciding to put me up for adoption. I thank her every day for supporting life. The strength of the pro life movement lies in choosing life and sharing the wisdom of that choice with those who face difficult circumstances.“

On Wednesday, GQ magazine published a recent interview with Steele on its Web site, during which the RNC chairman called abortion a “choice” and said the matter should be left up to the states to decide.

“I think that’s an individual choice,“ he said of abortion, adding that he thinks Roe v. Wade was a “wrongly decided matter.“

“The states should make that choice. That’s what the choice is. The individual choice rests in the states. Let them decide.“

Former Republican presidential hopeful and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has become the standard-bearer of the GOP’s social policies, came down hard on Steele and sounded very much the leader on the issue as he did so:

Former Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, arguably the most high profile conservative to weigh in on the matter, said Steele’s subsequent clarification “doesn’t explain why he would ever say what he did in the first place.“

“For Chairman Steele to even infer that taking a life is totally left up to the individual is not only a reversal of Republican policy and principle, but it’s a violation of the most basic of human rights–the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,“ Huckabee wrote in an entry on his Web site.

I guess alienating the king of right-wing radio and his 16 million listeners wasn’t enough for Steele ... he also has to alienate everyone in the party who values the sanctity of life.

Someone tell me again why this guy was supposed to be good for the party?

I’ll tell you this much: It’s tough enough to try to rebuild a party without a coherent message and without a capable messenger. It’s downright impossible if you are going to start whacking away at the core of what’s left of your platform.

Trust me on this: There are plenty of Republicans out there who are unhappy with the party and disillusioned with its performance at the national level. If they start to feel that the party’s commitment to the defense of life is in any way being compromised, they’ll walk—and take the moral backbone of the party and millions of votes—with them.

Earmarks for Alabama

By Jennifer J. Foster

Got a few quick hits coming your way before I head out of town ...

First, if you’re interested in the earmark issue, check out Media General’s searchable database of projects headed down Alabama way. You can search by requesting/sponsoring member or amount. Some interesting things here ... especially if you think about them in terms of what is and what is not the responsibility of the federal government.

Hat tip to Walt at the Parlor for this piece.

See also:

To-may-to, to-mah-to, and other earmark observations—Part 2: My thoughts on earmark reform

To-may-to, to-mah-to, and other earmark observations—Part 1: Baseball, earmarks and passing the “buck”

Babies and bars

By Jennifer J. Foster

The blogging’s been slow over the past 36 hours, I know, but I’ve been buried with several things—one of which I’m going to tell you about right now.

One of the items on my agenda yesterday was the Planning Commission meeting in Auburn. I had been told that the commission would be considering an application from a Columbus, Ga., man who wants to put a bar in the old Freewheeler building downtown.

One problem: The old Freewheeler building borders a day care on two of its four sides.

After hearing from the owner of the day care and several other people who implored them not to approve the application, I was stunned that commissioners did, by a 6-3 vote.

I was told later by someone “in the know” that the planning commission has considerably less latitude than the City Council in terms of interpreting the city’s zoning ordinance. When it comes to applications, the business “either fits (zoning ordinance and code) or it doesn’t.“

I’ve written my column for tomorrow about this issue, so you’ll hear more from me about this then. In the meantime, though, I wanted to link you to the article Opelika-Auburn News reporter Katie Stallcup wrote about the meeting. Check it out here.

Also, you can view the Planning Commission’s packet from last night’s meeting here (pdf file). The information concerning this item is found on pages 46 through 55.

Stay tuned ... there’s lots more to come on this issue.