J.D. Crowe gives us an Oval Office-worthy portrait.
Trump would probably be horrified by the extent to which his personality fits the classic Alabama-politician demagogue profile. As any aspiring public servant knows, loyalty is the only political virtue in the heart of Dixie. Loyalty and money
Drew Pendergrass' insightful essay on the "The Alabamafication of America" (Kyle Whitmire's original term) deserves extensive quotation:
Why is Alabama, a place known for social conservatism, evangelical Christianity, and strong emphasis on family values, a hotbed for corruption and sex scandals, where removal from office serves to prove one’s conservative bona fides? To Fording, the answer lies in Alabama’s traditionalistic culture, a hierarchical system where citizens fall in line with authority and accept “an elite class entitled to power.” This results in low rates of citizen participation.
Religion is an important tenet of traditionalism. For Wayne Flynt, professor emeritus of history at Auburn University, Alabama’s traditionalistic culture is best illustrated by the popular relationship between its citizens and Christianity. Flynt explained to the HPR, “Religion is a stool with four legs: one is theology, one is social ethics, one is personal ethics, and one is ritual and practice.” In his view, Southern Protestantism makes ritual irrelevant, as “the closer religion is to everyday practice, the more [Alabamians] like it.” Strong cultural ideologies undermine social and personal ethics, as “dealing with poor immigrants is off the table” to many traditionalists. As a result, Flynt finds that “the Evangelical church is not concerned with social justice.” Personal ethics are also not important—“Southern Baptists have one of the highest divorce rates in the U.S. When it comes to premarital sex and children out of wedlock, Alabama doesn’t do well.” This leaves only theology, which Flynt sees as strict adherence to the text of the Bible.
Despite his public failures in social and personal ethics, Trump, like Moore, gives off strong traditionalist airs. He may not know the books of the bible, but his strong stance against Islam is a classic evangelical stance—traditionalist Christians stand up to those that do not accept the text of the bible, a pillar of traditionalist Christianity. This antagonistic thinking is advanced by men like Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, who claims that fear of Muslims is rational. Steve Bannon, another Trump adviser, has repeatedly talked of the civilizational struggle between Islam and Christianity.
Many of Donald Trump’s populist ideas, like a Muslim registry or immigration ban, are of questionable legality. If Donald Trump can leverage himself into a champion for Christianity or conservatism, as Moore has done with great success, the unconstitutionality of his actions will be of little consequence.
Voting rights remain key to political wrangling. Last year, when the state budget crisis unfolded, Governor Bentley did what any bought Baptist with a Viagra habit does under pressure, namely, he proved his mettle by rolling back a few voting rights.
Like most Republicrats, Bentley had run on a platform to decrease spending and balance the state budget.
Like most Republicrats, he failed miserably. The only solution left was to throw a few racist bones to white nationalists and football fascists. Bentley determined the state could no longer afford to offer "social services" like Department of Motor Vehicles offices in small rural communities. With that, he shut down DMV offices in largely poor, black, Democratic counties, curbing access to driver’s licenses just as the strict new voter ID law came into practice.
Currently, state legislators are trying to hold Bentley's nose to the accountability flame with respect to filling Sessions' seat. US Senate candidate Ron Crumpton (D) has urged the Governor to rescind his proclamation and set the Special Election for Senate this November, instead of November 6, 2018. Brandon Moseley writes:
At this point, Ron Crumpton (D) and Senator Luther Strange (R), who was appointed by Gov. Bentley, are the only declared candidates for the US Senate seat formerly held by Jeff Sessions, who is now the US Attorney General. That could change when formal qualifying for the seat begins.
Crumpton challenged US Senator Richard Shelby (R) last year. Crumpton was the only Democrat who qualified for any statewide race, other than former Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton (D) who ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States.
The shake-up over Sessions has stranded Bentley in an impeachment limbo that shows little sign of abating.
And can I just add that Hannah Ford's thought-stream represents everything that makes Alabama (and the Trump administration) a perpetual flat tire of hissing hot air? Where does Alabama Political Reporter find recycled chicken soup for the white-self-help like this?
