Alabama
Opinion | The Alabama Democratic Party is exhausting
I am tired of the Alabama Democratic Party.
So tired.
I’m tired of writing about the absurd things that party leadership does. I’m tired of hearing about goofy, petty fights. I’m tired of watching grown people argue over who gets to captain a ship that sank long ago and is now burrowing into the muck at the bottom of the ocean.
I’m tired of the insane headlines. I’m tired of the ridiculous press releases. I’m tired of the never-ending stream of letters back and forth between the party and the Democratic National Convention.
Tired of it all.
The infighting within this dumpster fire of a party has been going on now for more than a decade, with the worst of it coming over the past five years. And all of it is absurd. And unhelpful. And embarrassing.
The past week has been a microcosm of the whole mess.
It started with a challenge from chairman Randy Kelley to the DNC over the selection of delegates from Alabama. It was a worthless letter, which of course contained a threat. Kelley said he would be taking a second slate of delegates to the convention next week in Chicago to “challenge” the slate selected by the Harris campaign.
I don’t know what this “challenge” would entail – maybe a Jets and Sharks street fight on the convention floor – but rest assured that the threat of it is as patently goofy as anything you’ve ever heard.
But then, that’s the way this party has been operating – as goofy as possible.
Because the leadership, with Kelley at the helm and vice chair of minority affairs Joe Reed pulling the strings, is constantly aggrieved. There is constantly a plot to undermine them. There is constantly a secret vendetta playing out, perpetrated by white people, to wrongfully wrestle control of the party away from their capable hands.
It’s ludicrous.
How far has it gone? Consider this: During a phone interview with me, Kelley called former Sen. Doug Jones a “confederate Democrat,” and then stood by it when I asked if he could repeat what he said. Then he called DNC chair Jamie Harrison “a token Black,” who is “afraid for his position,” so instead of doing the right things, Harrison instead “does what he’s told by the whites.”
Kelley said all of this after I said his claims of racism – which he made in his letter to Harrison and others at the DNC – rang a bit hollow, considering he was complaining to the Black head of the party about selections made by the campaign of a Black woman.
That’s how we got to this messy point, after all. The Biden campaign originally – and the Harris campaign since – denied several delegates put up by the state party and instead selected their own slate of Alabama delegates. To do so, the Biden/Harris campaign turned to Jones, Rep. Terri Sewell and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin.
To hear Kelley and Reed tell it, the whole thing was a sinister plot by a bunch of white dudes to undermine the Black folks of Alabama. It’s a story that might ring true if you forget that everyone involved, except Jones – the guy who prosecuted the KKK for the Birmingham church bombing – is Black.
But the reality is much harder to take for ADP leadership. Because the reality is actions have consequences, and these are ADP’s coming home to roost.
Reed has for years now thumbed his nose at DNC brass, bucked the status quo and did what he felt was best for him and the group of people loyal to him. I get it, and on some level, it is almost admirable to watch a guy so brazenly go against the grain and pick Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in 2008 and Michael Bloomberg over Joe Biden in 2020.
But such decisions carry political consequences. As do decisions to essentially flip the middle finger to the DNC on the whole bylaws issue, while simultaneously trying to eliminate the voting rights within the party of several minority caucuses.
The consequences of doing such things means you don’t get the trust of the folks at the top of the ticket. And if they can’t trust you, they can’t trust your delegates. It’s really that simple.
But never mind all of that reality. Instead, we have to get another embarrassing show from ADP. Another chance to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Another chance to call each other names and denigrate people who are pulling in the same direction.
In the meantime, the Democratic Party in this state does not appear to be any closer to picking up meaningful offices in this state. Which is a shame, considering there are numerous issues right now in which the party holds positions that are most favorable with large numbers of Alabama voters. We could be talking about the amazing gains ADP is making among suburban women and working-class white guys and young people.
Instead, the Alabama Democratic Party is making headlines for fighting with … other Democrats.
It. Is. Exhausting.
CMT tonight will honor “the most popular country band in history.”
“CMT Giants: Alabama” airs at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, on CMT.
- LIVE STREAM: Fans can watch CMT without cable on Philo (free trial), fuboTV (free trial), Paramount+ (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling.
CMT said the band will be “honored with stories and songs from fellow music stars Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Little Big Town, Riley Green, Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan and more.”
Alabama is currently on its “Roll On 2 North American Tour,” which was at the Giant Center in Hershey in April.
Alabama was formed more than 50 years ago by cousins Teddy Gentry, Randy Owen and the late Jeff Cook. They have sold 80 million albums, 43 No. 1 singles, including 21 No. 1 singles in a row, and multiple Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and have their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Alabama’s hits have included “Mountain Music,” “Tennessee River,” “High Cotton,” “Love in the First Degree,” “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” and “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why).”
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Philo is a streaming service that offers more than 70 live channels and more than 50,000 titles on demand for $25 a month. Philo has a free seven-day trial. Channels include AMC, A&E, MTV, BET, Discovery, VH1, Food Network, History, Nickelodeon, OWN, TLC, Lifetime, Hallmark, Paramount and TV One. Add-on packages include EPIX, STARZ and “Movies and More.”
What is fuboTV?
FuboTV is a streaming service that offers more than 100 live and on-demand channels and includes cloud DVR. FuboTV has a seven-day free trial. Channels include AMC, E!, HGTV, ESPN, NBC Sports, NFL Network, FS1, MSNBC, Food Network, Great American Living, Magnolia Network, Animal Planet, Bravo, FX, CMT, Comedy Central and Hallmark. The Pro plan is $74.99 a month, Elite is $84.99 a month and Premier is $94.99 a month. Add-ons include EPIX, Showtime and Starz.
What is Paramount+?
Paramount+ streaming service includes CBS, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV and Smithsonian Channel along with sports and originals such as the prequels to “Yellowstone” – “1923″ and “1883.” The Paramount+ Essential Plan is $5.99 a month or $59.99 for a year. The Paramount+ with Showtime bundle is $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year. Paramount+ offers a seven-day free trial.
What is Sling?
Sling streaming service is $40 a month for the Orange (32 channels) or Blue (40 channels) Levels. Orange plus Blue is $55 a month. Premium subscribers also can get a month of Showtime, STARZ and EPIX for free. Channels include CMT, Bravo, BET, Comedy Central, A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Discovery+, Hallmark, History, National Geographic, Lifetime, TLC and USA.
What is DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream provides access to more than 100 channels, hundreds of on-demand titles, the ability to stream through three devices at once, and unlimited Cloud DVR storage. Channels include ABC, HGTV, Hallmark, Bravo, BET, Discovery, Food Network, AMC, Animal Planet, CMT, Comedy Central, FX, ID, Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and PBS Kids. There are four packages ranging from Entertainment at $64.99 a month to Premier for $154.99 a month. The streaming service offers a five-day free trial.
Jeff Allen is entering his 18th year as Alabama’s head athletic trainer. But for the last 17 years, he has worked under the same head coach – Nick Saban. When Saban retired in January, Allen was retained by new head coach Kalen DeBoer and will continue to serve in his official title as the associate athletic director of sports medicine for Crimson Tide athletics.
Allen has now spent seven months getting to know DeBoer, and he described the transition from Saban to Alabama’s new coach as he joined Hey Coach on Wednesday evening.
“I’ve worked for the same head coach for a long time, but one thing I learned prior to that is it’s my job to adapt to the new head coach, it’s not his job to adapt to me,” Allen said. “You learn them. You learn their rhythms. You learn how they like things, how they like to be communicated with, what their expectations are for you as a staff member and obviously what his expectations are for us as a medical staff.”
It didn’t take Allen long to understand any of that because DeBoer made it clear.
“He’s an unbelievable communicator,” Allen said. “He’ll tell you straight up what he wants. I’ve really, really enjoyed being around him and watching him work. It’s been impressive.”
Along with strength coach David Ballou and new nutritionist Alison VandenBerghe, Allen makes up a critical trio within Alabama’s football program. A pillar since Saban’s first season as coach of the Crimson Tide, Allen has helped countless players immediately after injuries and beyond, and that will continue for the start of DeBoer’s tenure as coach.
But that level of trust is established well before any setbacks are sustained on the field.
“It’s the relationships that you build with these kids,” Allen said. “I tell people all the time that the biggest thing in my ability to get somebody healthy is their trust. I can’t earn their trust when they’re hurt. I have to earn it before they’re hurt. I have to take care of them. They have to know I’m there for them. And I have to be intentional about building relationships.”
Speaking of trust, Allen had that from Saban over the last 17 years. The athletic trainer said he never received pushback and could tell that would be the case when he was hired in 2007. On Wednesday, Allen recalled being interviewed in Saban’s office and something the now-former Alabama coach said to him that still sticks with him following his retirement.
“He pointed at me and he said, ‘If I hire you for this job and you come to Alabama, I want my players taken care of the right way,’” Allen said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and have had a lot of coaches before him. I had never had a coach say something like that to me. And I knew he genuinely meant it, and he did. I just saw that for 17 years.
“I think what people’s perception of Nick Saban was a lot of times the clips they saw on TV and throwing headsets, doing his thing, but I think a lot of us got to see a different side of him and I’m forever grateful for that.”
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