“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here.
1. Alabama Delegates at the Republican National Convention have been raving behind-the-scenes about the speakers Lt. Gov. Ivey lined up for the delegation. Notable names who have spoken or are scheduled to speak to the Alabama group include Grover Norquist, Gov. John Sununu, RNC Political Director Rick Wiley, Rick Santorum, Karl Rove, Gov. Scott Walker, Gov. Chris Christie and Fred Barnes.
2. Internal polling over the last three months has consistently shown Governor Bentley up over 60% favorability among all voters and over 70% among Republicans. This includes polling data from as far back as June and as recent as the last couple of weeks.
3. Yellowhammer previously covered Mack Butler’s entrance into the HD 30 race and Rob McHugh has now qualified for the Oct. 23 Republican primary as well. Although McHugh owns a well known family farm and is Chairman of the St. Clair County Young Farmers Division, ALFA has decided not to make an endorsement in the race. Butler has been endorsed by numerous elected officials in the area including conservative stalwarts U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions and local State Senator Phil Williams.
The winner of the GOP primary will face Southside attorney Beth McGlaughan in the general election on Dec. 11. McGlaughan was the only Democrat to qualify.
4. Governor Bentley last week called for a special election to fill the House District 34 seat previously held by Rep. Elwyn Thomas. Bentley recently appointed Thomas to be Executive Director of the Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission. House District 34 includes parts of Blount County and Jefferson County and a potentially crowded field is emerging including the following possible candidates:
James Bryson – Mayor of Highland Lake, Alabama
John Dobson – former District Judge, current head of the Blount County adult drug court
Jim Murphree – former Democrat State Representative who Elwyn Thomas defeated in 1998
Donny Ray – Executive Director, Blount-Oneonta Chamber of Commerce
David Standridge – Blount County Probate Judge
Tim Whitley – Farmer, former president of the Blount County Farmers Federation
Here’s the HD 34 special election timeline:
The special primary election: Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Run-off (if necessary): Tuesday, December 11, 2012 followed by a special general election:January 29, 2013.
General special election if no primary runoff: Tuesday, December 11.
5. The annual BCA Chairman’s Dinner is shaping up to be an interesting one this year. James Carville and Karl Rove will be taking the stage together for what is sure to be an epic left vs. right battle between two of the most well-known political consultants of the last quarter century. As a side note, BCA President & CEO Billy Canary worked with Rove as well as Carville’s wife Mary Matalin in the George H.W. Bush administration.
Hmmmm you certainly have some ax to grind with Chairman Armistead. Bill has worked hard, raised money, made good decisions about the party’s future, and deserves another term as Chairman.
A few people have not stopped campaigning against Chairman Armistead since his election as Chair in 2011. I would wish that between now and November 6, all Alabama Republicans put aside this intra-party rancor and push hard to elect the GOP slate statewide and in the various counties. Frankly, we have two tough statewide races and both nominees need/deserve our help
Hmmm, is “Hmmm” the name by which you are identified on your birth certificate and by your friends? If not, YOU wouldn’t be trying to deceive me would you?
Oh lord ms Norris im sure you’re a wonderful person, but you’ve been deceived and preyed upon by some who view themselves as far more important than they are in reality. Narcissism is a sickness in our world, but an epidemic at hq.
Thank you, Cliff. We’re having a great time. It will take every one of us working together to turn this nation around.
“Reality Check”, you might consider another pseudonym, as “reality” demands that you reveal who you are.
The point of every message I post is that a dark spirit of division has historically characterized our state – and Montgomery specifically. That city was founded by Andrew Dexter, a northerner and John Scott, a southerner – a bitter rivalry. It’s interesting that where their cities merged to form Montgomery, it was there that Jefferson Davis gave orders to send a telegram that ignited the Civil War which claimed over 600,000 American lives. At that same site at the Court Square fountain, also a former slave market, Rosa Parks boarded a bus igniting the Civil Rights movement whose resolution was made more difficult by those hiding behind white hoods and robes, further stirring the flames of division. That same street has witnessed division between the sacred and secular with the Ten Commandments monument. Democrats vs. Republicans… Gambling… Education… And the list goes on and on and on. Division can do nothing but destroy. And it’s time for it to stop. This is not about who has authority over this realm or that realm. It’s about the people of Alabama – my children and my grandchildren.
And, “Reality Check”, if you’re willing, I’d be happy to sit down and talk with you – or anyone else who has a problem with me – face to face. Perhaps we could invite the Chairman, clear the air, and get about the business of serving the people of Alabama. If we find no more common ground but that we love Alabama and are concerned about her future, then we have something we can work together for.
Cliff, you know how to contact me privately. When you get a chance – my daughter and I would love to take you on a Montgomery field trip – along with anyone else who’d like to join us. While homeschooling, we learned that our beloved song Dixie comes from a site where John Wilkes Booth was once inspired by the fiery rhetoric of William Lowndes Yancey there at the theater on Monroe Street. It extremely fascinating – about a 1.5 mile radius around the fountain – a multitude of stories (Freedom Rides, Klan rallies, the removal of thousands of Indians – right down Commerce Street…) stories of our division shared in the newspapers of the nations of the world. You’d truly enjoy it. We’ll buy you at hot dog at Chris’s… If only those walls could talk!
I’ll close with publicly thanking Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey who personally assisted my daughter with a printer while standing in the elevator. It was a tender moment for me as a mother – and moved me to wonder at the mountains we could move if we all seek to carry the weight together. With all my heart, I believe the newspapers of the nations will someday write of our unity and love for one another through which we may then assume a strategic and significant leadership role not only in our nation, but with the blessing of God, a strategic and significant leadership role in the world.
Blessings, Cliff!
I’ve heard that a certain ALGOP Staffer made the convention happen!
Oh yes, Political Junkie. Of all the powerful names that have stirred our souls, one name rises to the top! Britney Mitchell Garner – a young woman so talented that someday maybe she’ll chair the Republican National Convention, and I say this with all seriousness.
If she is “stirring your souls” then it’s no wonder you think Armistead and the ALGOP staff is excellent. That is proof in itself that you are no judge of what it takes to run a political operation. Do you not think it is interesting that Armistead wasn’t elected to serve as Chairman, or Vice-Chairman for that matter, of the Alabama delegation? An on top of that, I believe it was Cliff who reported back at the end of July that fundraising was short some $30,000 for the convention. Seems to me that the only reason this was even close to a successful trip was because Kay Ivey and Jabo Waggoner had the foresight to bring in former ALGOP staffer Kate Anderson, who helped organize the 2008 delegation. I know hiring people with a proven track record of results may seem foreign to Armistead, but maybe if he had hired more people based on merit rather than people who helped him during his race for chairman, the ALGOP would be much better served. Hopefully the State Executive Committee will see the cluster that is the current ALGOP leadership/staff and decide to make a change next year.
Sir William Pennybanks, I could be mistaken, but I don’t recall seeing your name on the roster of those attending the RNC. If I’m wrong, I do apologize. Kate is a wonderful young woman whom I love and admire deeply, and she worked very hard to make this convention a success. But I also believe that credit should be given where credit is due – and with such a huge event involving so many people and activities, there’s plenty to pass around.
I have no knowledge of the fundraising efforts for the RNC. And I’m not concerned with “political operations”. My passion is the leadership and legislation that impacts the people of Alabama. So let’s talk about the past session – the first under Republican control in 136 years – about how all pro-life legislation was systematically aborted along with the children it represented. How many alcohol bills were passed? Let’s talk about it. Let’s discuss when and how the Opt-out of Abortion Funding Mandate (in ObamaCare) was passed. These are the issues that matter to me and other social conservatives – not your personal disdain for Chairman Armistead. These are issues that are important to Chairman Armistead and many on the State Executive Committee – and I was delighted when Resolution 5 passed at the 2012 Alabama GOP Summer Meeting “encourag[ing] the leadership of the Alabama Legislature to make passage of pro-life legislation to protect the lives of the unborn children and to promote the safety of women a top priority in the 2013 regular session” – something that did NOT happen in 2012.
Finally, my hope is that the State Executive Committee will recognize the cluster of individuals who incessantly stir up dissension and division for what they are – individuals who on this blog and elsewhere wear their false names to conceal their identity just as the Klu Klux Klan hides behind their white robes with pointed hoods…
Mrs. Connie – comparing people who share their thoughts on a blog to the KKK is way over the line. I delete comments that attack people personally, including those aimed at Bill Armistead. All I”ve seen anyone say is that he hasn’t done a good JOB. His JOB is to raise money and advance the Republican Party in the state. If people don’t think he’s done that, they’re free to share their opinion and it’s hardly a reason to compare them to a group of murderers.
By the logic you’ve expressed in numerous comments, we should “unite” behind whatever leader emerges…and I’m sure you don’t expect us to unite behind and support President Obama just because he’s an American. I’ve said it time and time again, I don’t have a personal problem with Bill Armistead, I just know he’s a bad Chairman.
It’s me again, refusing to hide like a coward behind a pseudonym – coming to you live from Tampa…
To bring truth to the “Rumors and Rumblings”, a simple point of correction… Chairman Bill Armistead secured Governor Scott Walker, Condoleeza Rice, Reince Priebus, Rick Santorum, Artur Davis, Governor Rick Perry, Tag Romney, US Senator Ted Cruz, and Rick Wiley for the breakfasts. Alabama GOP staff, of which I’m a volunteer paying for my and my daughter’s expenses to serve the Alabama delegation, attended a wonderful church service orchestrated by the Lieutenant Governor with a dynamic speaker, powerful prayers, readings, and wonderful music that has moved through my heart and mind all week. I’ve prayed and sang one specific verse from that program almost continuously – from Onward Christian Soldiers: “Like a mighty army moves the Church of God; Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are NOT divided, all ONE body, we; ONE in hope and doctrine, ONE IN CHARITY” (Biblical “charity” (love) as defined by I Corinthians 13: 4-7: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” May we all honor God not merely with our lips, but also with our lives.
“is not puffed up” – - – meanwhile every comment I’ve ever seen from you is extremely pompous. If you actually want to make an impact then live your life in a way that ministers TO people rather than preaching AT them in the comment section of a political blog.
On an entirely different subject – - – any one who is fooled by bill armistead probably isn’t a very good judge of character.
Appreciate the comment as always, Mrs. Connie…and the emails last week as well. I hope you’re enjoying your time in Tampa.
Kay Ivey for Party Chair?
I don’t know why ANYONE would want that job but ANYONE would be better than Bill Armistead. Unfortunately I don’t think a lot of the executive committee has a grasp of how bad things have gotten behind the curtain at ALGOP.
That’s a great idea. She would be one helluva chairman. Please tell me she’s expressed an interest. You got any insight on this, YH?
Bentley continues to defy logic. unbelievable.
A conservative governor is popular in Alabama? I don’t see how that defies logic. This Sept. 18 snafu has been his only significant misstep in my opinion.
Cliff, who of the possible candidates do you support in HD 34?
Byrne supporters die harder than Bruce Willis. No use in arguing. They didn’t get it the first time around so they’re going to get another dose in 2014.