First the Decatur Daily tells you that Steve Raby has no principles and that will make him a great Congressman…
The Huntsville Times agrees…
I sometimes wonder what exactly is going on at The Huntsville Times. How out of touch with the community is that newspaper? Answer: Very.
Ethical lapses, refusal to discuss issues and outright lies have defined Steve Raby’s run for Congress, this apparently is what The Huntsville Times says we need in Washington DC because that will make Raby good at politics.
FYI: This battle is not about North Alabama alone. This battle is about America.
Here is what they say about Mo Brooks…
Sit down with Mo Brooks and picture him as the District 5 congressman, and several things are immediately clear: He’s focused and well thought-out in his conservative principles. He’s confident and will tell you exactly what he thinks. He’s done his research.
So, he is focused, has strong principles and is honest? This is an endorsement of his opponent right?
And throughout, you expect he is about to put his foot in his mouth.
Show me Mo Brooks putting his foot in his mouth. Lay it out, if it’s so obvious you will lay it out clearly right?
No.
How about the Times candidate of choice Steve Raby….
Sit down with Steve Raby and picture him as the District 5 congressman, and likewise, several things are immediately clear: He speaks strongly about his 30plus years working behind the scenes locally and in Washington on issues important to North Alabama. His consultant work includes more economic development than expected. He’s incredibly uncomfortable as a candidate. And throughout, you wonder if he has a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to anything.
He’s been a lobbyist, a shady consultant involved in money laundering and questionable campaign tactics and he won’t tell you where he stands? Sounds like A1 leadership material.
Back to Brooks..
If the national climate is what drives your choice, and you want someone who will stand up and vocally blast the other side, Mo Brooks would be your choice.
Damn his principles and passion. Damn him to hell.
Brooks says he knows how to shift between campaign rhetoric and legislative rhetoric. But during our latest editorial board meeting, when asked if he would rule out shouting ‘you lie!’ during a state of the union speech, a la Joe Wilson’s outburst, Brooks said, ‘It depends on how egregious it is.’ That answer illustrates our fear that Brooks may not be able to put partisan politics aside and work in a proactive, productive manner for North Alabama.
This is called a reach folks, I know Mo Brooks, and I would say with a 90%-10% certainty that this was a joke.
Back to The Huntsville Times choice, Steve Raby…
There are a lot of things Steve Raby is not.
He is not a comfortable, shoot-the breeze candidate.
He is not defined by national politics. And he is not clean and free of political baggage as the former operator of four political action committees.
What is Raby?
A gameplayer:
But none of that sways our opinion that Steve Raby is the best person to successfully represent North Alabama over time in a proactive, bipartisan, hard-working, under-the-radar fashion.
The country at this moment is clearly in a highly charged, partisan firestorm. But success in the District 5 seat has been achieved exactly because a majority of voters in this district recognized that voting for a particular party may feel good in the moment, but the smarter choice is electing representation that builds on past success and can work for our interests longterm, in any political climate.
If the Huntsville Times is stupid enough to believe that we are going back to bipartisan time where people work together they are naive and stupid. The first 6 years of Bush and all GOP were not bi-partisan, when the Democrats took over in ’06 they made it clear they were not going to work in a bi-partisan way and the first two years of Obama and all Democrat control were worse.
Division is the new reality in DC if you consider the last 10 years to be “new”.
Bi-partisanship is what the minority party screams while it is getting crushed and then when they get power they crush the other guys.
Parker Griffith was supposed to be a “Bud Cramer Democrat”, which ignores the reason Bud Cramer left.
That reason: Bi-partisanship is dead.
Parker Griffith will be the first to tell you that you can’t operate that way in DC anymore.
The Huntsville Times needs to grow up and look at the mood in DC, that is what matters.
We need a fighter for the 5th Congressional district, we need Mo Brooks.
One more thing… This endorsement shines some light on why The Huntsville Times covered this race the way they did – Here and Here.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | 2010, AL-05, Alabama, Mo Brooks, Steve Raby
everything you say in your argument for brooks upon analysis shows that steve raby would be a better congressman. your main point is that extreme partisanship is going to be the rule in congress, so send mo, an extreme partisan. but, if extreme partisanship is going to be the rule, then we in this district need to send someone to washington that will work to resolve problems, work for the district, and who would try to diminish the extreme partisanship tactics that you say mo is good at.
ivan,
How is not being principled a good thing?
Being principled is a good thing! …as long as you can “shelve your principles” when needed…
Isn’t that right Dale?
Exactly.
To further expand on my point… from 9/24 (per your e-mail)
Social Conservatives (Christine O’Donnell) can’t win in the NE that is reality. The insanity of the conservative movement is to ignore that point. Democrats get that with the Blue Dogs, the GOP doesn’t get that, especially the grassroots. That is not a shelving of individual values, it is understanding districts..
being principled is good. shelving your principles as occasions demand is bad. who disputes generalities like that? the point is — if congress is mired in extreme partisanship we need someone like steve who can see through what is rhetoric inflaming worried voters, and what is principle, and act on principle for the benefit of the district and the country. screaming “socialism” to scare people isn’t principle, it’s plain old politics that worked when the word was “liberal” and looks like it is going to work in a lot of districts. we need to keep it from working in the fifth. voting for steve is putting principle above politics, above rhetoric.
Most of the time priciples and compromise are mutually exclusive. If your principals are the polar opposite of a given piece of legislation, then accepting any part of it is compromising your principals.
HTimes about Raby: “And throughout, you wonder if he has a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to anything.”
And that’s the guy they think we need in Washington? No thanks.
No shocker here. My opinion is, What Republican wants The Huntsville Times’s endorsement? Mary Scott Hunter got it and “Scott” was seeming to try and downplay it on your show earlier. Can’t blame her.
My favorite part of the endorsement was, “[The District 5 seat] is better served by the candidate we feel would put above all else North Alabama’s interests.” Shouldn’t he put the Constitution above all else? I’m fairly certain the Oath of Office doesn’t mention North Alabama’s interests.
“If Republicans take a majority in the House, which appears likely, Brooks will be in a great position to benefit this district. But if the Democrats take back control in the future, Brooks risks finding himself on an island.”
Does the Times know the length of a Representative’s term?
They are stretching for a reason to endorse Raby because the “Dems are in control” argument doesn’t fly here, they had to flip the script. It was an amazing reach but you can tell even the Times heart wasn’t in this mess.
http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/forecasts/house/alabama/5
New York Times Race Rating
Chance of Republican win 94%
My point is – the founding fathers setup the Representatives as a short term check. Asinine to base an endorsement on potential future political climate. (Just one of the many flawed arguments in the endorsement).
Steve Raby brags about BRAC and his workings with Howell Heflin. He doesnt make any mention of Fort Mclellean in Anniston, which was shut down by Brac.. wonder why
Just called today to cancel my subscription with the times and have other family members doing the same. Open mouth, insert foot for them. Lean left and pay for it I say…
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