Republican Reaction to the Health Care Summit
More on the "PACT fix" bill
On Thursday Alabama’s House of Representatives passed a bill meant to salvage Alabama’s Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) program on a vote 0f 104-0. The bill (HB228 sponsored by Craig Ford) includes a provision that Mike Hubbard referred to as a “poison pill.” The Montgomery Advertiser quoted Hubbard, but didn’t delve into the substance of his warning. The concerns come from a coupling of two provisions of the bill: a cap on tuition for PACT students and a rarely used “inseverability clause.” Those two provisions create the very real possibility of the entire legislative act becoming null and void. Read full post here.
My only question is this: Why didn't any of the Republicans vote against it? I know opposing a PACT fix would be unpopular with many parents and grandparents across the state, but you would think that some of the Republicans would have taken a stand and let them know the bill will most likely put them back in the same position in a few years. People in Alabama aren't stupid and most would understand the problems inherent in the severability clause if anyone took the time to explain it to them.
Why I'm Supporting Martha Roby for AL-2
I'm supporting Martha because she believes that the American people know what's best for them, not Washington DC. She supports removing burdensome government mandates that tell you what your health insurance should cover. She supports legislation allowing individuals to purchase insurance across state lines, thereby increasing competition among insurance companies and resulting in lower rates. And because she supports giving individuals and small business owners the same tax credits that employers get for purchasing insurance.
I'm supporting Martha because she believes you can spend your money better than Washington can. She believes Americans are overtaxed and overburdened by the Government. As a Montgomery City Councilwoman she voted against numerous tax increases and supported a balanced budget requirement for the city. I'm supporting Martha because she believes if you can't afford it, you shouldn't buy it.
Some have taken hits at Martha because she is a lawyer. I don't when education became a liability in the conservative movement, but as a fellow law school graduate I can say that being a lawyer helps when making laws. For instance, when Rep. Bobby Bright (then mayor of Montgomery) proposed an immigration bill to the Montgomery City Council, Martha said "wait a minute, let's write a law that will hold up in court." She researched the issue, looked at past precedent, and came up with a way to address illegal immigration that would stand up to any legal challenge.
Now is Martha the perfect candidate? No. Such a thing doesn't even exist. Do I agree with everything she says? Probably not, but I do agree with 98% of it and that's more than I can say for a lot of incumbent members of Congress. Why am I even taking a position on this race when I don't live in the 2nd Congressional District? Because I know Martha, and she believes Washington DC is wasting our money, over-regulating our lives and destroying the American economy; and I believe that anyone who feels like that is the kind of person we need in Congress no matter what district they are from.
Check her out at www.martharoby.com
Some Thoughts on Today's Health Care Summit
Today's healthcare "discussion" was replete with instances where Obama and the Democrats failed to provide any substantive counterpoint to the contentions raised by Republicans. These include the expected increases in individual premiums, increased taxes during unfavorable economic conditions, increased government intervention in the healthcare industry and lack of bipartisanship during the creation of the 2,400 page monstrosity.
One of the most excrutiating - and yet unsuprising - aspects of the summit today was the President assuming the role of arbiter and authority of what was appropriate for discussion. Nearly all of the questions posed by the Republicans today are the same as those the general public has sought answers to over the past year. Yet we saw Obama continuing to try to assert some moral high ground by deeming some many of the Right's concerns not worthy of a response.
Throughout much of the day, the President appeared flustered, unprepared and displayed a lack of knowledge about the piece of legislation we're all about to have to live with.
Perhaps the biggest star of the day was Rep. Paul Ryan, a fast rising star among the GOP leadership. Ryan made his point in a way even the charismatic and double-talking Obama couldn't weasel his way out of.
From the Christian Science Monitor:
Obama called the Republicans on their use of props, as well as their standard talking points. But any members of the public watching the proceedings may well have come away thinking that the Republicans had more to say than just “no.”Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin, the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, came armed with numbers about the Senate Democratic bill from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.Calling the Senate bill “full of gimmicks and smoke-and-mirrors,” Representative Ryan said it “has 10 years of tax increases, about a half a trillion dollars, with 10 years of Medicare cuts, about half a trillion dollars, to pay for six years of spending.”“Now, what’s the true 10-year cost of this bill in 10 years?” he continued. “That’s $2.3 trillion.”Obama sought to frame the numbers differently, but Ryan had made his point. If Obama gets credit for welcoming Republicans to the table, the Republicans get credit for coming prepared.
At times the Democrats and Obama looked flustered and were clearly on the defensive. The President got testy with Sen. McCain and Rep. Cantor (click here for the play by play), and at one point hinted strongly that the Demcrats may use reconciliation to pass health care reform.
From Obama's closing remarks:
"The question that I'm going to ask myself and I ask of all of you is, 'Is there enough serious effort that in a months time or a few weeks time or six weeks time, we could actually decide something?' And if we can't, I think we've got to go ahead and make some decisions and then that's what elections are for."
Republicans have basically said they want to start over with a clean slate and figure out what both sides can agree on. Democrats say no to this idea, claiming that it is just not feasible to do it piecemeal. According to several recent polls, the American people are siding with the Republicans on this one (CNN, Rasmussen and Fox News).
The big winner today was the GOP. They showed up ready and willing to do battle. Democrats definitely didn't win any support from today's performance. I think (and this is somewhat of a general consensus) that the Democrats/Administration intended to use today to prove that they were trying to work with the Republicans and that Republicans just weren't willing. This would have paved the way for reconciliation. Unfortunately for them, the Demcrats didn't plan on Republicans like Cantor (who showed up with a copy of the bill-all 2700 pages of it) and Paul Ryan (who showed up with the CBO scoring of the bill). It was almost as if Republicans were saying "bring it on" on the topic of reconciliation.
Of course, neither side really intended to accomplish anything today. After all, if they had, they would have held a small meeting with a handful of representatives from both parties and the administration, and hashed things out in private. Today's show, complete with C-Span's cameras, was never going to net any kind of agreement.
Legislative Update
Look for the gambling bill to be modified slightly in the next few weeks--namely for the tax breaks for Country Crossings to be removed from the legislation. More on the gambling bill below.
As for the House, they spent the week on a constitutional amendment that would call a constitutional convention to rewrite the Alabama Constitution. The bill failed to get the necessary votes to stay on the table for debate, and is thought to be dead for the rest of the session. Today, the House began debate on a bill that would rescue the bankrupt PACT program. Some Republicans were unhappy with the bill because it capped tuition for students whose parents participated in the PACT program. This would result is different students being charged different amounts of tuition. It sounds like a total nightmare for universities and patently unfair to students.
Gambling was the big issue on Goat Hill Tuesday. Both sides had rallies scheduled at the State House--the Anti-Gambling crowd at 12:30 and the Pro-Gambling crowd at 2:00. Naturally, the Pro-Gambling crowd showed up early, and crashed the Anti-Gambling rally. Participants became very aggressive--yelling "Scalp Riley" and "Impeach Riley" and became very nasty toward First Lady Patsy Riley. I think the Pro-Gambling people really hurt their cause with Tuesday's display.
Regardless of how you feel about gambling in Alabama, this legislation is TERRIBLE. This is NOT, I repeat NOT, free-market gambling. It was written by a handful of wealthy and powerful gambling bosses and sets them up with a monopoly and gives them immunity from any criminal or civil prosecution. For details on the legislation, click here.
Scott Brown and the Jobs Vote
So when people ask me if I am discouraged or disappointed by Brown's vote, I say yes and no. I am not disappointed, because it was expected. On the other hand, I am slightly disappointed because I was hopeful that Sen. Brown would continue to vote right on fiscal issues. You have to remember, Brown won that election by campaigning on two issues: health care and spending. Those are the issues the voters will expect him to stick two. My hopes were high that even if we got a bad vote on some of the social issues, that at least he would stand strong on spending. Unfortunatley, calling the bill a "jobs" bill and the handful of other Republicans who voted for the bill gave him cover to cast a yes vote.
In the long run, Brown shouldn't be chastized too much for his vote. After all, we still need him on other issues and other votes. We have to chock this one up to being a Republican from Massachusetts (a far sight better than a Democrat from Massachusetts).
Pence's CPAC Speech
Why Sarah Palin Should Have Been At CPAC
I have been asked why Sarah Palin skipped CPAC more times than I can count now. The answer is...I don't know. She clearly doesn't have good advisors around her. Between the notes on her hand, her lackluster showing at the Tea Party Convention and her failure to show up at CPAC, Palin has had an awful lot of problems lately. She needs to ensure that she has competent people surrounding her if she wants to continue to be a player in national politics.If there are over 10,000 of the most dedicated grassroots activists for the conservative cause in one place, why would you miss it? That's a rhetorical question. You wouldn't miss it. CPAC was lit up with the energy not of old establishment types but the young, the restless and the politically active. You know those people who knock on doors and persuade? Yeah, that's who was at CPAC. Read more
CPAC Interview with Rep. Steve King (R-IA)
AL-5 Candidate Les Phillip at CPAC
Interview with Brett McMahon
CPAC Day 2
Tim Pawlenty started the morning session with a basic "I'm running for President" stump speech. He took the opportunity to bash Obama, healthcare, Democrats, etc. Good speech, but not great in my opinion. Mike Pence hit the floor about an hour later and gave a phenomenal speech. He made T-Paw look like an amateur. Pence sounds like a man running for President. When asked if he was running later in the day his response was, "I'm not running, but I'm not not running." After his performance today, he could mount a credible campaign. CPAC attendees were really excited about Pence. The emcee said he thought it was the best speech ever given at CPAC.
I also had two interviews scheduled for today. One was with Brett McMahon who owns a concrete construction company, and the other with Rep. Steve King (R-IA). The videos will be up later today. I'm trying for an interview with Erick Erickson, founder of Red State a little later this afternoon. Also, Mike Pence is scheduled to be in the Blogger's Lounge at 3:30 today so I'll try to snag him for a minute.
Rush Limbaugh made a surprise appearance through live feed to award Ed Morrissey of Hot Air the Best Blogger at CPAC award. The crowd went predictably wild at the sight of Rush. The best panel at CPAC was held this afternoon: Does Security Trump Liberty? with Viet Dinh, Jim Gilmore, Bob Barr and Dan Lungren. I love that CPAC is not just a pep rally, but has serious policy debates--that's what differentiates it from other conservative conferences.
I'll be doing a live update from CPAC on Lee Davis' radio show today at 4:30 CT. The station is 101.1 FM The Source. If you miss it, I'm going to do a recap of the entire conference on Monday.
Reflections About CPAC Day 1
As CPAC continued, attendees were in for a few surprises. Liz Cheney brought her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, along with her to the podium; and Sen. Scott Brown made an unexpected appearance to introduce Mitt Romney. Cheney and Brown got the loudest cheers of the day.
Obviously, presidential politics are on everyone's mind. There were Draft Cheney 2012 stickers floating around, and when Sen. Scott Brown showed up the crowed briefly chanted Romney/Brown 2012. Of course there's the yearly straw poll conducted by CPAC. The ballot consists of Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, John Thune or "other." A significant amount of people were grumbling about Senator Jim DeMint's name being left off the ballot. CPAC will announce the results on Saturday.
Speaking of Sen. DeMint, I was lucky enough to get a picture made with him when he took a stroll through the Blogger's Lounge:
Picture quality is poor. I'm guessing it's because of the bad lighting. I was just happy to stand next to the man.
There's certainly a lot of enthusiasm among attendees this year. I think that is in large part because the mood across the country seems to be shifting to the right. Republicans have won several key elections in the last year and things are looking good for the mid-terms. The largest debate amongst the conservative activists at CPAC seems to be over how we ensure our party sticks to true conservative principles of limited government and fiscal restraint once they win back the majority. They are certainly right to be worried. It hasn't been that long ago that Republicans held both houses of Congress and the Presidency and we all know how that turned out...
Dick Cheney, Scott Brown and Mitt Romney
Next, Jay Sekulow got up to introduce Mitt Romney. Rumors had been floating around that newly elected Senator Scott Brown would do the introduction, but that looked doubtful when Sekulow took the stage. The crowd got another big surprise when Sekulow introduced Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) instead. The crowd again went wild. Brown got almost as many applause as Dick Cheney. There were cheers in the crowd for Romney/Brown 2012.
Romney gave a speech typical of a presidential candidate. He really went after Obama, attacking his policies and his personality. He rolled out his three pillars: Strengthening our Economy, Strengthening our Security and Strengthening our Families. Good amount of applause, but not like Brown or Cheney's. The results of the straw poll should be interesting this year.
CPAC 2010 Saving Freedom
"Battle is between American people and the Democrats. I like those odds.Of Rubio: I could use a guy like that in the US SenateWhen the Constitution was signed it did not even allow a federal income tax--that sounds like a good way to limit the size of the federal governmentEvery elected official takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. It’s time they started living up to that.People in Washington are too willing to give up freedom for earmarks and kickbacks.I’d rather have 30 Marco Rubio’s in the Senate than 60 Arlen Specter’s.I believe in holding Republicans in Congress accountable to conservative principles.You can’t govern from a teleprompter.We need a leader who will remind Americans how we became the greatest nation"
Ongoing: Panel--Saving Freedom For Future Generations
They are expecting 10,000 people at CPAC this year--a record for the conference. There's a lot of enthusiasm in the crowd. Definitely a feeling that the tide is turning against the Democrats and Government in general. I'll keep updating as things happen.
CPAC Days 2 and 3
On a more personal note, I had fun yesterday catching up with old friends and coworkers. Shana, Austin, Steve and I hit the Dubliner last night for good Irish music and beer. Today, we attended Grover Norquist's traditional Wednesday Meeting where I got my picture made with the Joe Scarborough. Joe delivered a great message and did so with a lot of style. A potential presidential candidate maybe??? He's certainly articulating the conservative message much better than most Republicans are right now.
After the Wednesday Meeting, we had lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill (a DC landmark), and then took in a little culture at the National Gallery of Art. Before hitting the museum, Austin, Shana and I took the requisite picture of the White House, and got stopped by a motorcade whose passenger bore a strong resemblance to VP Biden.
Tonight, we are hitting La Tasca for some authentic Spanish-style tapas and then stopping by several of the pre-CPAC events.
The fun starts tomorrow so watch for some good updates!
CPAC Trip Day 1
Here's the townhouse where we're staying:
Some snow shots of DC:
BTW-The above photo is of the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol-one hundred percent iced over.
Where Is Alabama AG Troy King?
Mazie and Bella in the snow
Birmingham Planned Parenthood Sting
After a sting operation in which a young activist posed as a 14 year-old girl who needed a "secret abortion" because she had gotten pregnant by her 31 year-old boyfriend, a video caught a Planned Parenthood staffer attempting to help her find someone to grant consent. When it became clear there was no one, the staffer told the girl the clinic "sometimes bends the rules." More info on that can be found here.
The video was submitted to state officials and sparked an audit of Planned Parenthood by the State Dept. of Health. The findings were not good:
But state health officials found that nine minors, ages 13-15, had received abortions at the Birmingham Planned Parenthood without proper verification of consent since November 2008. They also cited problems with the reporting of suspected sexual abuse. One of the 13-year-olds who received an abortion said she starting having sex at age 12. She was back at the clinic for another abortion four months later.
Planned Parenthood was put on probation for one year and required to come up with a plan to fix the reporting problems within their organization. On probation the clinic is subject to more frequent audits and may lose their license if the reporting problems are not corrected.
I personally think probation was much too lenient. Sadly, there are few restrictions on abortions in this country and clinics that provide the services cannot even abide by those. The parental consent law is in place to protect the minor who could not have any other kind of surgical procedure without their parent's consent (with the exception of emergency medical treatment). If for some reason the minor does not feel she can inform her parents of her decision (such as in the case of sexual absue, etc), there are judicial bypass options that allow that consent to be waived.
What's even more egregious in this story is Planned Parenthood's failure to report suspected sexual abuse. The 13 year-old was likely the victim of a crime and Planned Parenthood had not only a legal, but a moral and ethic duty to report it. Why would Planned Parenthood have a problem reporting suspected cases of sexual abuse? They purport to be looking out for the rights of the minor/woman when they fight for the right to perform abortions on demand. They certainly weren't protecting the rights of this 13 year-old girl.
This is a sad, sad story and I'm afraid it is all too common in abortion clinics across the country. When will people understand that the law is THE LAW and that doesn't mean that it is a rough guideline for you to follow when it's convenient. For too long we have let legislators, Presidents, judges and others twist, bend and break the Constituion of the United States causing the American public to question whether laws actually mean anything anymore. We must get back to the rule of law in this country if we are to continue to be a free society.
Update on AL Legislature
I'm hearing that as of now, the Republicans believe they have enough votes to stop the bill from passing. However, the gambling interests would not bring the bill to the floor without being absolutely sure they had the votes to pass it. We'll have to wait and see what happens on Tuesday.
Sen. Lowell Barron informed the body that Sen. Ted Little's PACT bill would be on the special order calendar. I will be watching for a vote.
A few weeks ago I mentioned HB81, a bill that allows persons charged or convicted of certain felony or misdemeanor criminal offenses to petition the court in which the charges were filed or in which the conviction occured to have his or her record expunged. The Senate verson of that bill, SB178 sponsored by Sen. Smitherman, did not garner enough votes today to overcome the BIR.
The Senate spent the morning working on Sunset bills (mostly boards or commissions that have to be reauthorized every year). Sen. Scott Beason introduced an amendment to each of the Sunset bills that prevents illegal immigrants from serving on those boards or commissions.
I'll continue to update as this very fluid situation changes.
Martha Roby Reaches NRCC's Young Guns Status
the top tier of the Committee’s three-level Young Guns recruitment program. These candidates have reached the third and final step by establishing a clear path to victory through their ability to build a formidable campaign structure and achieve important goals and benchmarks.
Other candidates named are:
Steve Chabot (OH-01)
Tim Griffin (AR-02)
Andy Harris (MD-01)
Pat Meehan (PA-07)
Steve Pearce (NM-02)
Martha Roby (AL-02)
Dennis Ross (FL-12)
Steve Stivers (OH-15)
Vaughn Ward (ID-01)
Allen West (FL-22)
Congrats to Martha Roby for all her hard work!!
You can learn more about Martha and or contribute to her campaign by going here: http://www.martharoby.com/
AL House "Indefinitely Postponed" Charter School Bill
Vote was 13-2
Voting to "indefinitely postpone" were: Lindsey, Rogers, Bentley, Boothe, Buskey, Graham, Greeson, Kennedy, McLaughlin, Oden, Spicer, Taylor, and Thomas.
Voting to take a vote on the charter school bill were: Reps. Mac Gipson and Mary Sue McClurkin.
Thanks to Reps. Mac Gipson and Mary Sue McClurkin for standing up to Paul Hubbert and the AEA. Their commitment to bettering education in Alabama is much appreciated.
The only strange vote was Rep. Robert Bentley, who is also a Republican Gubernatorial candidate. It was not a wise move for Dr. Bentley in a republican primary where most voters favor more school choice.
First Statewide Poll Numbers
1007 likely Republican voters:
Governor's Race:
Bradley Byrne 20%
Moore 17%
James 8%
Bentley 4%
Ivey 3%
Johnson 2%
Undecided 46%
Attorney General's:
Troy King 27%
Luther Strange 24%
Undecided 49%
Presidential Poll:
Mike Huckabee: 33%
Sarah Palin: 23%
Mitt Romney 12%
Ron Paul 5%
Tim Pawlenty 2%
Undecided 24%
I don't know much about the polling--how questions were asked, what kind of polling list was used, etc., but there's not a whole lot of good news for anyone in this poll.
This Girl Rocks!
Varma became intimately acquainted with big government policies in Philadelphia two years ago when the Commerce Department shut down her and a business partner’s green-building proposal to revitalize vacant land in the Kensington. Varma witnessed the mismanagement of taxpayer money first-hand, stating, “I thought the city would welcome a green project, but a taxpayer funded program –The Industrial Empowerment Zone –stood in our way. It has failed to bring industry back, and succeeded only in blocking a project which could have helped the community and supported private business.” For Varma, The Industrial Empowerment Zone program is just another example of how big government impedes progress and hurts ordinary Americans.
You can visit her website at http://votepia.com
Democrats Kill Teacher Ethics Code
Here's a summary of the ethics code from the Birmingham News:
The proposed code, among other things, would forbid harassing colleagues, using inappropriate language on school grounds, accepting gifts from vendors, having inappropriate contact with students and being under the influence of illicit drugs. The proposed code also says ethical conduct includes encouraging and respecting fellow educators. Violating the rules is grounds for disciplinary action.
A Legislative Council that convened last fall to consider incorporating the proposed ethics code into law, voted to block the process. Then, at the beginning of the legislative session, in a largely party line vote, Democrats passed legislation blocking the ethics code from becoming law. Last week, Governor Riley vetoed that legislation, and yesterday the House voted to override that veto. A veto can be overridden with 53 votes in the House and 18 votes in the Senate.
Those Representatives that voted against the override of the Governor's veto should be commended. Many of them will take a serious hit from AEA over this and I am grateful to them for doing the right thing.
Here's the roll call on yesterdays vote:
Member Vote
House District 40, Vacant P
Allen N
Baker (A) P
Baker (L) P
Ball P
Bandy P
Barton P
Beasley Y
Beck N
Beech Y
Bentley N
Black P
Boothe Y
Boyd Y
Bridges N
Buskey Y
Canfield N
Clouse N
Coleman P
Collier P
Curtis Y
Davis N
DeMarco N
Drake N
Dukes Y
England Y
Faust N
Fields Y
Fincher N
Ford P
Galliher P
Gaston N
Gipson N
Gordon Y
Graham Y
Grantland Y
Greeson Y
Grimes P
Guin Y
Hall Y
Hammett Y
Hammon N
Harper Y
Hill P
Hilliard Y
Hinshaw P
Holmes P
Howard Y
Hubbard N
Hurst Y
Irons Y
Ison N
Jackson Y
Johnson Y
Kennedy Y
Knight Y
Laird Y
Letson P
Lewis P
Lindsey Y
Love N
Martin A
Mask N
McAdory Y
McCampbell Y
McClammy Y
McClendon N
McClurkin N
McCutcheon P
McDaniel P
McLaughlin Y
McMillian N
Millican Y
Mitchell P
Moore (M) Y
Moore (P) N
Morrow Y
Newton (C) Y
Newton (D) Y
Oden Y
Page Y
Payne Y
Robinson (J) Y
Robinson (O) Y
Rogers Y
Salaam Y
Sanderford P
Scott Y
Sherer Y
Shiver P
Spicer A
Taylor Y
Thigpen Y
Thomas (E) Y
Thomas (J) Y
Todd Y
Treadaway N
Vance Y
Ward P
Warren Y
White Y
Williams (J) N
Williams (P) N
Wood (P) P
Wren P
Total Yea: 53
Total Nay: 25
Total Abs: 2
Y= Yea
N= Nay
A= Abstain
P= Pass (Not Voting or Not Present)
Quote of the Day
"Mr. Speaker, I just spoke with Senator Shelby and I have nominated you to be the ambassador to Argentina."
I couldn't make this stuff up. What would we do without Rep. Alvin Holmes? Things would be a lot less interesting...
Update on Florida Senate Race
Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio has now jumped to a 12-point lead over Governor Charlie Crist in Florida’s Republican Primary race for the U.S. Senate.A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely GOP Primary voters in the state finds Rubio leading Crist 49% to 37%. Three percent (3%) prefer another candidate, and 11% are undecided.
Rubio is doing a moneybomb like Scott Brown did. The deadline is Feb. 10, 2010. His goal is $200,000. If you'd like to help him get there visit the website here.
Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Johnson Looking For Alabama's "Dirtiest Jobs"
JOHNSONS LOOKING FOR ALABAMA'S DIRTIEST JOBS
"We want to identify the dirtiest jobs in Alabama and work alongside some of our hardest working families." "Too many public servants have either forgotten what it's like to work their fingers to the bone trying to make ends meet, or they never knew to begin with." Montgomery, AL, Feb 1, 2010 - GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Johnson and his wife are looking for jobs. Not just any jobs--they want to find Alabama's dirtiest jobs. "Last Friday, Kathy and I spent the night in homeless shelters and recovery centers to better understand the challenges and potential consequences of losing jobs, homes and families. People really are hurting--some through poor decisions they've made, and yet others who simply have hit really hard times and have no where to turn. There is a real misconception of homelessness. Loss of employment, and subsequently losing shelter, can happen to anyone regardless of race, gender, age, intelligence level or socio-economic status. It was an eye-opening experience that will help us better understand the challenges and potential solutions to homelessness. "Having spent a brief amount of time sleeping in homeless shelters and recovery centers, we now turn to address the enormous challenges our working families are facing. Today, we kick off our 'Working with the People-Alabama's Dirtiest Jobs Tour.' "There are hard working people across Alabama that get up every day and make a contribution to their families, their communities and our State," explains Johnson. "We want to identify the dirtiest jobs in Alabama and work alongside them; and, in honor of the contributions they're making to their communities, we will also donate $250 to the selected families' charity of their choice. "Too many public servants have either forgotten what it's like to work their fingers to the bone trying to make ends meet, or they never knew to begin with. "Although Kathy and I have worked the past several years in management positions, we haven't forgotten, nor do we ever want to forget, what true, hard, physical labor is-the kind of work in which our men and women leave work with dirt under their nails and aches in their muscles. That's what tens of thousands of Alabamians do every day in order to support their families. We want to get out there with them and let them know we understand what they're going through." "We truly believe that public officials have forgotten their role. It's to connect with, listen to and serve the people, plain and simple. Kathy and I can relate to the hard-working families of this State, and we want them to know we understand their challenges. We intend to represent all the people of Alabama--not just the elite, and we commit to spending time with, listening to and connecting with people from all walks of life. "One of the things that sets us apart from the other candidates is that we both came from large families where money was tight and pay checks were small. My dad was career military and had six children to feed. Kathy came from a family of five children with a disabled dad. Before either of us ever hit our teenage years, we had jobs, responsibilities and contributed financially to our families. Our hearts will always go out to people who are struggling to balance tight budgets, put food on the table and find a way to educate their children. That's just who we are and what we stand for-hard work and contributing to family, community and country." Anyone who wants to recommend a 'dirty job' for the Johnsons' "Working with the People-Alabama's Dirtiest Jobs Tour" can do so by sending an e-mail with details to anthony@billjohnson.org or by calling the Johnson for Governor Campaign Headquarters at (334) 328-3823. ### Bill Johnson, former director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is a Republican Candidate for Alabama Governor in 2010. Johnson has been a member of Governor Riley's cabinet since 2005 and led Riley's grassroots efforts for his successful races for Congress in 1998 and Governor in both 2002 and 2006. He was the Governor's representative on the Appalachian Regional Authority (a 13-state coalition) and the Delta Regional Authority (an 8-state regional effort). Johnson has worked with state and local-level economic and workforce development efforts; was instrumental in launching the Black Belt Action Commission, of which he was director during the program's initial two-years; was active in launching the Rural Action Commission; and was the impetus for development of the Community Prison Re-entry (CPR) Network. Johnson, the son of a career military and civil servant, is a native of Birmingham. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Prattville and are the parents of three children.
I don't think I've ever seen anything just like this in a campaign before.
Anyone else have any thoughts?