Sparks: Gee ... thanks
By Jennifer J. Foster
Published: October 7, 2009
Now here’s a little something of note.
Auburn City Councilman Arthur Dowdell wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in this morning’s print edition of the Opelika-Auburn News. It’s also online.
Dowdell supports Democratic candidate Ron Sparks for governor, and he wants you to, too.
Here are his reasons:
Sparks “is the best qualified to lead our state in challenging times” because he “is compassionately concerned about all Alabamians.“
Oh, also:
He appointed blacks to two of four top deputy positions at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. He also appointed blacks to 27 of 66 voter registrar seats across the state.
What? You didn’t think that mattered? Oh, well, think again. It matters. Arthur Dowdell says so.
And then Dowdell cites Sparks’ efforts to open new markets for Alabamians’ farm products around the world.
... You know, those things that are part of his JOB as ag commissioner.
Oh, but Dowdell being Dowdell, there’s more. Specifically, he wants to tell you why he isn’t supporting Artur Davis—who just happens to be black:
Why am I not supporting Artur Davis?
Um, Councilman Dowdell, we didn’t ask. But you’re going to tell us anyway, aren’t you? Yes, you are.
First, I was, and am, a strong Barack Obama supporter. I support Obama’s public health option, something badly needed by our numerous uninsured brethren. Davis opposes the public option, apparently currying favor with more conservative voters.
Secondly, when I took a stand earlier this year against the proliferation of Confederate flags in a public cemetery Davis criticized me for that. In his effort to play for more votes, Davis has become insensitive to the suffering the flag has represented to African-Americans as a people.
Oh, where to start with this ...
First of all, regarding the public option, how is that an issue in the gubernatorial race? If President Obama is successful in securing a plan that includes it at the federal level—something Dowdell wants—then it’s moot at the state level. If it isn’t passed at the federal level (and the president has even stopped his regular use of the phrase “public option,“ if you think that has anything to do with his chances), Davis doesn’t support it anyway, so it isn’t an issue.
And anyway, could it be that Davis doesn’t support the public option because A) It’s financially untenable B) It’s constitutionally questionable and/or C) It is not in and of itself a critical component of health care reform? Whatever the reason, Dowdell isn’t interested in hearing about it. He just knows that the only reason Davis could possibly oppose a public option is because he is “currying favor with more conservative voters.“
(*Sigh* and *eye roll*)
Secondly, Dowdell just has to—just has to—make this about himself. I live here in Auburn, and trust me: The best thing Arthur Dowdell can do for himself is to NEVER MENTION THE FLAG CONTROVERSY AGAIN. Not, Councilman Dowdell, because it isn’t a symbol of controversy, but because it is a non-issue in Auburn.
I was told back in the spring, when Dowdell pulled those flags—
SIDEBAR: Let’s stop there for a minute. I don’t remember whether I told you this here back then, but I was told that Dowdell specifically involved the media in his flag-pulling stunt. I was told that Dowdell had already pulled the flags when he encountered an employee of the Opelika-Auburn News at a local fast-food restaurant. Dowdell approached that employee and told him that he had pulled the flags from the graves of the Confederate war dead from the historic cemetery. Dowdell then accompanied the employee back to the cemetery, retrieved the flags from his car and posed with them. That is how the infamous photo that appeared on the front of the OA News came about. END SIDEBAR
—that Auburn residents as a whole aren’t the only ones who’ve had enough of Dowdell and his grandstanding tactics. I was told that more than a few folks in Ward 1, which Dowdell represents, wish that he would spend more time attending to their needs instead of to his own publicity.
Davis just happened to be in town that week for a campaign event. Not surprisingly, he was asked about the flag controversy. He responded with an articulate, measured and thoughtful response—a response that likely displeased Dowdell not only because Davis did not leap to Dowdell’s defense but also because it was articulate, measured and thoughtful—which I commended in this space.
So even if Dowdell wasn’t explicitly confirming it, it would still be a no-brainer that he thinks it’s his duty to settle that score with Davis by endorsing Sparks.
As you can see from the comments that have already been left on the web page, Dowdell’s endorsement is not exactly the most coveted nod in Auburn. So here’s the irony: In trying to hurt Davis by endorsing his opponent, Dowdell will probably manage to secure a few dozen votes for him, instead.
I’m sure Sparks is extraordinarily grateful.
See also:
Apology in Auburn, my blog entry from May 6 following a city council meeting wherein Dowdell apologized for pulling up those flags. This entry references and links to Davis’ reaction to the flag flap; it also includes that infamous picture described above.
Dowdell: Off-base on race, again: My blog entry from May 21 discussing how Dowdell wants to rework the entire structure of the Auburn City Council so that more black members will be included. Because, apparently, you can’t trust free and fair elections based on a ward system approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. Or, put another way: You can trust democracy, but only if you get the result you want.
“Councilman Dowdell’s actions continue to be puzzling,“ my column from May 23 about the flag and ward map issues.
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