Does Mr Byrne think that God will hear his prayers when he looks for support from a man who dismisses the sacrifice of His Son? When Trump says that he doesn’t feel that he needs to repent he is rejecting both the Gospel and God.
As the old saying goes, the religious right are actually neither religious nor right.
I write this not as a criticism, but as a warning.
1
G.O.P. candidates acting like "mindless partisans"?
Oh the shock....
1
This is genuinely frightening. All these sycophants shamelessly groveling before their cult leader, selling out the country's future for an endorsement. Very sad stuff. And purportedly "religious" folks worshiping this mendacious person; bizarre.
6
"He just doesn't care. He's more interested in what we're doing now." It makes me wonder if he has ever met the man. A man who makes holding a grudge an Olympic event.
2
I would hope Byrne is praying for our environment, as I see not a single reusable, recyclable service item on that table, apart from the salt and pepper shakers. But I doubt it.
8
“The two most popular things in Alabama are Donald J. Trump and S.E.C. college football — and not necessarily in that order.”
Democrats need to do whatever they can to help Tommy Tuberville win the GOP nomination. That could suppress GOP turnout enough in the general election to allow Jones to squeak out another win. No WAY will a faithful Alabama Football fans vote for the former head coach of that mortal enemy, Auburn!
I'm only half-joking.
7
This Alabama grad would totally vote for a former Auburn football coach over Roy Moore any day of the week!
One of the best days in my long life was the day Doug Jones got elected. Most candidates in Alabama politics are scary. One has said recently that Democrats don’t like God. What disturbs me most (maybe) is the vilification of others in our “United” States, starting at the top. I’ll be pulling for Doug as will many “heathens” who believe we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
5
Roy Moore has what appears to be a handwritten version of the 10 Commandments on his desk at his Moral Law firm. Maybe he can pen in an 11th commandment: Thou shalt not be a pedophile. And maybe abide by it.
10
It seems the Evangelicals will do anything to elect any candidate that promises to outlaw abortions. They think that's their god's will. Yet this supreme being lets nature terminate about 50% of pregnancies. Yet they do nothing to protect the newborns. The national average is 5.8 deaths per 1000 births. Except in the Bible Belt/Red States where it soars to 7.1-8.6
https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/infantmortality.htm
6
If God sent Donald Trump, God must want to bankrupt the US. Trump left today for his 29th trip to Mar-a-Lago. He has spent 133.8 million taxpayers' dollars golfing at Mar-a-Lago. That is the equivalent of 334 years of presidential salary.
14
@Linda
It’s the Presidential Tithe, only for Republicans.
SAD.
3
I can’t think of a funnier scene than the one described by where Sessions is speaking to the crowd of MAGA hats where he can’t articulate enough how slavish and servile an abject sycophant he is for the president as a woman starts screaming and heckling to him that he “wobbled” before Trump to the point where Sessions had to start talking over her. I dunno, are we in North Korea or something? Laugh or cry lol.
11
This kind of absolute subjection to a lifelong conman from NYC is both amazing and appalling.
9
Trump's hometown of NYC voted against him 10-1. Why? Because hometowners know he's a fake, phony and fraud. (Or to quote Bloomberg, "A con man"). To watch grown men genuflect before Trump's gold-plated toilet is like watching a drunk at a party who doesn't even know that he's humiliated himself.
12
Not surprisingly, you see the bias at the New York Times. Roy Moore is polling in last place. According to Realclearpolitics, it's Sessions 31, Tuberville 29, Byrne 17, Moore 5.
Yet on the front web page, Moore is mentioned while Tuberville and Byrne are not. Could this be because the writer wants to elevate the status of the beyond loathsome Moore to make Republicans look bad? Moore is a non-factor in this race.
2
@Erik The Republicans in Alabama don't need any help from the Times to make themselves look bad.
4
Moore sure has lots of support in my area.
Trump must be laughing all the way to Mar-a-Lago. A Manhattan Yankee rules over the South.
5
They best choose their lipstick carefully, sose Da Man knows whose lips're closer te da crow.
2
The way these guys lick boots make me ashamed to be a man.
3
The picture reminds me of this Bible verse:
“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.”
Matthew 6:5
7
Alabama and Mississippi are in an enduring historical fight for which state best represents the legacy of black African American men, women and children enslavement and separate and unequal Jim Crow and color aka ethnic cleansing terrorist genocide of the worst demons of American history.
With the ugly living leading legacy of the sons of Alabama Addison Mitchell McConnell,Jr.,Richard Craig Shelby and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III, it is Alabama that is clearly currently whistling Dixie, waving the Stars and Bars, wearing the white sheets, burning the crosses and in the hanging and shooting lynch mob educational political socioeconomic lead.
Except for the SSBN John C. Stennis there is no Mississippi living political heir of the segregationist white supremacist prejudiced bigot John Cornelius Stennis. Blessfully there is no new Mississippi Chester Trent Lott, Sr. nor Haley Reeves Barbour.
But then Alabama has Doug Jones, Bryan Stevenson, Steven Reed, Darrio Melton, Randal Woodfin, Terri Sewell and John Lewis.
Mississippi has Chokwe Lumumba and Bennie Thompson.
7
Shame on the those who support the con man pathological liar creature in the White House. Alas, the accidental President elected with the help from KGB thinks he is the king and we are just slaves serving his kingdom. The emperor has no clothes - always thinking of slick ideas on how to divide the people by fear mongering. He has transformed our great nation as a banana republic and driven by the paymasters whose only goal is to destroy the basic foundation of our democracy. He runs a cult and his supporters are mesmerized by con man’s outstanding talent of manipulation. The same game is being played in Alabama- he is going to dictate his loyal slaves to vote for his lapdog who will be corrupt, morally bankrupt and no regards for law and order so that he can continue to rule the banana Republic .
7
State motto of Alabama is "at least we aren't Mississippi."
4
I never believed that we were immune from cults of personalities or demagogues. I wasn't sure whether or not we'd see it in my lifetime, but we're not special, we are just as prone to falling for authoritarians as anyone else.
But I find it utterly dismaying that as of now the country is in the thralls of this particular would-be tyrant. A dumb, sundowning, vulgar, petty ignoramus. It's like we won gold in the dumb Olympics.
6
politics is a dirty dirty game. something needs to change
1
What a bunch of invertebrates.
4
“God gave us Trump...” - pre-enlightenment America stuck in the religious stupor of the past.
3
God also gave us a plague of locusts and a 40 day flood
3
Just look at the photo of GOP drinking out of styrofoam in this photo. The photo says a lot of how Trumpy GOP cult members have no clue about the environment, as they sip out of polystyrene foam.
5
plastic forks, knives, styro cups with plastic lids and plastic straws; bet he’ll be good for the environment!
4
Byrne & prayer mates are furthering global warming.
This superb story exposes in a microcosm how the current president has turned all Republicans. Just like how Putin turns Russian oligarchs. How nefarious national intelligence agencies turn spies.
Trump's stick is the nasty tweeting, name calling, opposition research on his own party members, withdrawal of aid and support by Republicans, in short, a form of peer pressure and fear-- fear of ostracization, isolation and aggressive opposition.
The tantalizing carrot is power. Bradley Byrne bit hard after feeling the wind of Trump's lash brush past him. He has now been turned, just like all the wooden, marching GOP marionettes - which I like to think of as Trumpettes - even before taking the office that Byrne and all the rest desire more than their ethics, moral scruples or being a leader.
3
“Let me just tell you. There are rules in the Department of Justice. There are regulations in the Department of Justice..."
And the woman in the audience began to yell at Sessions.
There it is, loud and clear. She doesn't care about rules. She doesn't care about regulations. And I'm sure she spoke for most of the people in the room.
As for Sessions, Lord, he must be a glutton for punishment and humiliation.
8
The idea that that are worse candidates for the Alabama Senate seat than Sessions and Moore is really hard to believe.
But I guess there are.
What caught my attention the most, however, was the choice of dining utensils in the picture at Terri’s Mill Valley Cafe. Nothing except the salt shaker was reusable. I assume this is a restaurant and therefore has running water so they can and should use dishes, cups and silverware that could be washed and used again.
Not the best example of a candidate or a business worried about our environment.
6
‘ Tuberville doesn’t possess much in the way of policy views beyond his oft-stated beliefs that America needs more guns and more God. “He gives absolutely no indication that he’s put more than 10 seconds of thought into civics, much less what being a senator entails,” says Quin Hillyer, a conservative newspaper columnist who lives in Mobile.‘
Only the worst possible people.
Trump-GOP-Alabama 2020
9
Ten seconds, that’s about five seconds longer than Trump’s attention span on anything other than himself.
1
Sessions retrograde politics aside, it is startling to see what a weak, pathetic character he is. He goes all out for Trump, gives up a secure senate seat to serve Trump and then is repeatedly publicly humiliated by Trump. His reaction? Beg for a chance to come back and kiss the feet of the great and all powerful Trump. Does the man have no self-respect?
11
Too bad we can't have our own Brexit, rexit that is, so that the red States, or blue states, divorce from the "union".
5
Tried that once - and we got the Civil War.....
1
I feel sorry for honorable conservatives. They are a rare species indeed. Even Jesus Christ has taken a backseat to the trials of Trump. It seems, except for Utah, there is only one way into Washington right now...through the Trump swamp. However, they brought it upon themselves.
It seems that there is little we can do besides vote these sycophants out. If Democrats could stop! And just take a second to laugh at this, we may be able to defeat Trump in November. Relax and enjoy the clown show...no more crying and whining. We are not defeated! They are.
2
Moore & Sessions. A couple of ultra-regressive people, one of whom was credibly accused of being a sexual predator, the other who wanted marijuana sellers put to death.
How could anyone intelligent, ethical and patriotic vote for either of them, or Trump?
6
“God sent us Donald Trump... He thought they ain’t gonna make it..”. Proof that significant portion of a Americans are still stuck on the Mayflower.
2
I’m a Reaganite who believes today’s Republican Party has lost it’s way. Trump is a disgrace. McConnell is a disgrace. How can a candidate for public office follow these two anti-democratic officials? Hopefully the moderates in swing states save us in November.
4
Most white people in Alabama love Donald Trump more than God, and University of Alabama football more than either. Tommy Tuberville has name recognition across the state, but the majority of Bama fans hate Auburn above all else. I find it hard to believe that those fans would then vote for a former Auburn coach who beat them several years in a row. By the same token, many Auburn fans will never forgive Tuberville for losing to Alabama in his last season there.
2
Obviously, I live in Alabama. I cannot begin to tell you how vicious, racist, and hateful the GOP Senate candidates’ tv ads are. I despair for my state and for our country.
9
Every time I say to myself "Geez, at least I don't live in Alabama" I think about the campaign sign I pass every day on my way to and from work. It's touting a candidate whose slogan is "God. Guns. Trump." The slogan is prominently displayed at the top of every one of his signs. Sadly, I predict that candidate will win in a landslide in my county.
I don't feel so fortunate anymore. Cult members like those described in this piece are everywhere. There are more Roy Moores than I want to admit. No one reads (as a public librarian that really punches me in the gut). No one thinks. The rot just keeps spreading.
I'm no longer sure the United States is worth saving. Maybe it's time for a red vs. blue divorce. I'd move to another country but there are apparently few countries that are desperately seeking 60 year old librarians. I never imagined I'd ever even think that much less spend time Googling "how to become a permanent resident or citizen of [insert name of sane country here]."
18
Yes, the cult members are everywhere from California to New York. Alas, they are mesmerized by the con man pathological liar’s outstanding manipulation and fear mongering skills. They will come to the reality in the future and that will be too late. Con man has already transformed our great nation as a banana Republic and we will be like Saudi or Venezuela if he gets another four year.it is a travesty that the cult don’t see the true color of the most corrupt man in the world and how he is destroying the basic tenets of our democracy.
One word: unbelievable!
And two Senators from Alabama have as much if not more influence than two Senators from New York or California. Add Texas to the mix.
Something so wrong about representation by 100 Senators. At least, the House seems more democratic.
10
@Welcome Canada It is true the media never looks at that. Judge Kavanaugh was back by Senators from states that represented 44%. The system is broken Calif. and the other Blue states that supply over 60% of the Federal revenue have less power than the 40%. No, an explosion is coming. Jim Trautman
2
In another universe these stories of never-Trumpers turning into sycophants and toadies might make entertaining Greek comedies. In today’s world of Graham, McConnell, Cruz, Rubio, Collins and the rest of the sordid GOP,nhacks, they are real-world tragedies.
6
Sessions hasn't live in Alabama in twenty-five years. He has resided in DC since 1997. He still owns a home in Mobile, AL, but is never seen there. Washington is his home.
He no longer represents the interest of Alabama citizens and has nothing in common with us. He has spent more time in Alabama during his campaign this year than he did since being appointed AG in 2017.
When he was helping Trump in 2016 he hung out at Mar-a-Lago, flew around the world on Trump's jets and lived the high life on Trump's dime. His job for Trump was "foreign relations." He spent zero time in Alabama and very little time in Washington. He was a man of the world wielding influence with Trump while conferring with the Trump campaign's cabal of dirty tricksters like Roger Stone and other convicted felons, some in prison, some not.
At 75-years of age one wonders why Sessions wants to continue in elected office?
My guess is that McConnell has encouraged him to run to provide another lock-cinch vote so as to maintain the Republican Party's strangle hold on our nation and to wreak havoc on the poor in order to fund the rich.
What else could Sessions, a junior senator, possibly accomplish there? More dirty tricks? More lying under oath to Congress about contacts with the Russians on behalf of Trump? Who knows?
But I can assure voters of one thing: whatever is driving Sessions to run can't be a good thing for Alabama or the nation. Of that I am certain.
10
@Judith
At 75 he should be forced into retirement.
We need age limits on the upper end as well as term limits. With both in place we'd be long rid of the Sessions's and McConnell's and Trump's of this nation.
1
@Judith Vote for Doug Jones and tell your friends.
1
Everyone must remember that Sessions was in New York City the morning of November the 3rd (Trump's election) and he was the first person that Trump wanted to see. The imagination of Trump's landslide was not brought down to a realistic understanding of the electoral college fluke or a lucky freak of consequences of investigating HRC by the FBI. Sessions added nothing to Trump and supported the Trump ego and misplaced view as no mandate existed. Essentially, Sessions hero worshiped Trump and created the monster and now Alabama will know that the only man in the race with the guts and gumption of an (indomitable sharecropper, metaphorically) is Jones.
7
The President and his supporters are doing an excellent job of Building and completing the cult worship around him. When I read the part where the Woman replied to Mr. Sessions "But you wobbled...you wobbled." Referring to his disagreement with the President I shuddered. If anyone needs more convincing than that, then Democracy really is headed for a downfall in the United States. If Trump is reelected and Candidates Like Mr.Tuberville make it into the Senate the downward spiral of whatever bit of Democracy that is left in Washington will continue. If the Republican party wins control of the Senate and The House along with the Presidency I would think everyone knows what will happen.
5
Caption to the lead photo
"Let us Pray - Thank you God, that we live in a land where such a splendid midday repast is possible. We are indeed so fortunate."
1
I don’t see anything from these candidates that would show they are willing to solve actual real world problems. It’s all bumper sticker nonsense.
9
Fears of another civil war ignore the fundamentals of what occurred in 1861. There is little chance any (primarily northern) blue states would object to succession of the confederate states.
5
@Don Problem for Trump country is that all those blue states is where most of the money comes to fund his spending.
2
Doug Jones seems like the best choice.
10
I live in south Alabama because my 89-year-old mother does and I wish to be near her. Still. You’d have to live here and see/hear the ads these candidates run in order to believe them. They’re HORRIBLE! All of them. And, no, I’ll not vote for any of them. I’ll vote in the Democratic primary (in the reddest state in the union) and I’ll vote for my Democratic Senator, Doug Jones, as well as whoever the Democratic nominee for President is, come November 3rd. Don’t tar us all with the same broad brush; extend a little compassion for those of us who have enough guts to live in a place we (mostly) love while surrounded by the likes of this. Please. We are here. We feel invisible but we are real. Be kind to us. We need you.
19
@PJ
I feel your pain. Note my address.
My sincere Best Wishes.
4
We need *you*, too! Thank you!
2
The coastal elites look down on anyone who does not think the way they do. They are the closed minded ones. These people should get to know these people before they criticize them. There are good and bad people all over. I know. I live in New York.
1
@KMW
‘God sent us Donald Trump. He looked down on us and said, “They ain’t gonna make it. I’m gonna give ’em one last shot.”’
Anything to add, KMW?
1
Yeah, Trump has a great record of stumping for candidates.
1
Well, the photo shows that they all are not doing much to reduce single use plastics and styrofoam are they?
1
Plastic utensils and styrofoam plates and cups in every restaurant. That’s the south for you.
5
Imagine a GOP Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He packs his bags, integrity, love of nature, idealism, and sponsoring programs for kids. He speaks - with conviction, deep values for what is right and good ... and naivete. THEN ....... He is either A) tweeted into political oblivion by a man who has never set foot in nature or the world of integrity; B) denounced for refusing to sign a loyalty oath; C) sells his soul (and the environment, the parks, and the kids) for an invitation to a ball game.
3
It's a great story. But what does it mean? Who to root for, and why should it matter?
And who does Trump root for?
Byrne is a main street guy who was suspicious of Trump but, as a working politician, saw the light. No one is now more shamelessly lavish in his adoration than Byrne. He has fully embraced his opportunism.
Sessions was Trump philosophically before Trump existed, a curious fact that makes him one of the select few who can combine successfully Trump populism with a respectful institutionalism. Sessions wants to enshrine Trumpism within the traditional structures of government, not simply rape and pillage. That is why he instinctively recused himself from managing the Mueller investigation.
In his contrition Sessions has humiliated himself before Trump, abjectly seeking mercy. Trump intuitively apprehends that if he shows no kindness toward those who humiliate themselves before the throne, the line of supplicants could shrink. Plus the Christian mercy message is coming at him from multiple directions, making him pause.
Roy Moore is in a cell of his own, playing out his innocent sexual fantasies. The Ten Commandments have him boxed in. His toxicity has made him sui generis.
And Tommy Tuberville is equally irrelevant, a mindless cheerleader trying to cash in on his jock celebrity status.
For Trump the safest bet is probably Byrne, who has made a rational calculation. But Sessions has learned a hard lesson and accepted his fate. Nobody's heart is truer.
2
For decades, Republicans have campaigned on values: knowing one’s own mind, doing what is right, not just expedient, listening to one’s conscience and acting accordingly. Now, faced with a bully in the White House, all those high-minded platitudes have been jettisoned in the cause of personal ambition and success. But more than the hypocrisy of the politicians, I am amazed and disappointed by the hypocrisy of their voters, who say they want values in their leaders, but support pliable cowering sycophants.
8
Wouldn’t it be nice to see a principled southern Republican emerge out of the muck and more? Or even a business-focused type you could respect while you voted for his (yes, his) opponent? But no. From here on, my friends, it’s mud turtles all the way down...
1
For all the taxpayer dollars that flow into Alabama, with very little flowing to the nation in return, I'm just shocked that dealmaker/transaction man Trump doesn't scream for a renegotiation of this terrible, worst ever deal.
4
The whole relationship between today’s Republican Party and Donald Trump was dramatized nearly 60 years ago in the Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life.” Like so many episodes of that show, it accurately predicted the future. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a watch.
3
That is a great reference. I just looked up that Twilight Zone episode (season 3) on Netflix and I remember it well. Wow, if the does not capture the mindless sycophants running to replace Jones, nothing does. And the similarity b/n Trump and the six year old boy that demands everything his way...spot on. They should use this is campaign adds.
So much prayer. So little soul.
4
It will probably be done as it is done in the highest echelon of corporate America and the Russian government. Trump will not clean his person for one week; whoever can fellate him most effectively will get the endorsement.
1
Everything about American religion defies physics. Everyone who claims to know what a hypothetical all-knowing being thinks of the human condition lies to themselves first and everyone else around them after.
Some of this may be true, but if you think Jones has a "prayer" of being reelected, you are going to be sorely disappointed come November. Your partisan impeachment sealed that deal up tightly.
2
It’s really disturbing to see grown men groveling to curry favor and show their fealty to a strongman despot. Have they no self respect? George Wallace is staring to look like a statesman.
4
Keeping the House and winning the Senate might make a for a very interesting few years if Trump does win.
6
Has anyone really crunched the numbers in Alabama and South Carolina?If the minority voters turnout in force isn't it possible to unseat Graham and keep Jones. I believe if the minority populations in those states thought they could really swing those states they would turnout in force. Jones courage should not be wasted and should be rewarded.
69
@Steven McCain Those numbers alone are not enough. Jones won in the special election in 2017 with the black vote and the young and urban liberal vote, but the margin of victory came from moderate suburban women who were repelled by Roy Moore. With Trump at the top of the ballot there will be a lot of straight ticket voting; there are a lot more republicans than democrats in Alabama.
4
@Steven McCain Trump won Alabama by 28 points and South Carolina by double digits, you can always hope but it is very unlikely a Democrat can win either state.
That’s just a breakdown of democracy on many levels. I don’t see how Sessions could kiss the ring again. He walked with some level of dignity.. I hope he keeps it.
15
Kudos to the WAPOST photographer Eli Durst. The portraits of these 'lost souls' candidates are astonishing.
14
Folks, I used to get angry and could NOT understand why reasonable People, especially Women, could live in a place like this. And THEN, my dear Husband retired from the Air Force, and accepted an extremely good offer to work for an Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. Here, in Wichita. And THAT was twenty years ago, time flys when you’re having misery. But, WE have a Goal. Within a year or two, we will retire slightly early. The original plan was to move to Seattle. But, my Parents in Florida are SUDDENLY aging rapidly. So, we shall move near the Tampa area, to care for them. I’ll be the NEW, ultimate Florida Woman. Imagine the possibilities.
Don’t dislike People just because of where they live. Some people truly don’t have a choice, or the money, to leave. Others have a goal, and are just staying and surviving as best as they can. And others have to stay, or to move, somewhere to care for Family. Hopefully, it all balances out. And now, I’ll have a glass of Wine.
Cheers.
44
I don’t look down on anyone for where they live. I grew up in Appalachia, and my family still lives there. I sometimes look down on people for how they think. I can’t help it. But I know well that not everyone in one region thinks the same way. I always try to point out that there are blue oases in every red desert. For example, in Western North Carolina, we have Asheville. Even in redder towns in the area, it still has an influence, being the biggest city in the region.
27
P.S. Welcome to Florida, soon! St. Pete is one of our best cities now. It has changed a lot since the old days when my grandparents first moved here. It’s a hip town with great food and beer, as well as a cultural capital with world class museums and galleries. There are a lot of great small towns in the greater Tampa area as well. Dunedin, founded by Scottish settlers, is a hidden gem.
8
Thanks, Ben. We’ve been visiting my Parents in Homosassa for Ten Years now. We’re pretty familiar with the area, and all very comfortable there. In fact, going for a week long road trip down next month. Why ? Temperature there yesterday: 82 degrees.
Here: 24 degrees. Yes, the weather is fantastic. I even enjoy the Summer.
Howdy, soon to be Neighbor.
5
A stunning report. I no longer feel much of an affiliation with these citizens who reside in this region of the country. Their seemingly mindless and enduring devotion to the president is truly upsetting and makes me feel that I'm not a citizen of this country or perhaps they are only loosely affiliated with the what I believe is our Constitutional democracy.
75
Alabama moderate Republican here. I wouldn't vote for Roy Moore for dog-catcher, much less US Senate (and voted against him last time like many other Republicans, which is the only reason Doug Jones got his 4-year stint in Washington). SO thankful that he's polling so low in our current race. We have some decent options. I could care less who supports Trump more (and yes, I was at the Alabama/LSU game too - and his attendance wasn't nearly as disruptive to getting around campus or the game itself as I thought it would be so hats off to our Secret Service and local law enfocement) because that isn't to me what is important. I choose my candidates on who aligns closest with my *moderate* conservative views (I have some hot spots that don't always exactly match up with the seriously conservative platform). Good piece on state politics that says a lot of research went into it.
25
@JMiller
What's wrong with Doug Jones? He's fairly moderate, too much so for many Democrats on the Hill, but probably a good fit for your state.
2
@JMiller There is no candidate for the republican nomination that could be labeled a moderate. They are all making fools of themselves with the slavish kissing up to Trump. Vote in November for the only moderate in the race, Doug Jones.
1
I don't necessarily have any regrets on the way I cast my vote last time based on the two choices I had. There are things that Doug and I disagree on (and things we agree on as well). But chances are the number of things I disagree with him on will be greater than the number of things that I disagree with on with the Republican nominee (at least that is how it has run in the past few elections). He's done as good of a job as I expected overall but knowing how my state is, I would bet the farm that he will not be re-elected.
"A popular theory in certain Democratic circles is that Jones, knowing that his electoral triumph was situational and that his time on Capitol Hill is likely to be short, is taking a YOLO approach to his Senate career."
In a nutshell, the problem with government is that more reps in Congress DON'T take that approach. These aren't supposed to be jobs for life. These are meant to be limited stints in which people take time from their regular careers to serve the public, and then return to private life. The idea is to go to Washington and GET THINGS DONE, not FAIL to accomplish things in the name of returning for unproductive term after unproductive term.
BTW, the way some of these people fall all over themselves to be in Trump's proximity and fall prostrate before him is nothing less than nauseating.
81
@DPrice
Doug Jones is my Senator and I am proud and grateful every day for him. He is a good man who is likely to soon be replaced by an abomination, of one flavor or another.
4
@D Price I disagree I think he thinks he has a decent chance
2
@D Price
The private life of most politicians is the political area. They leave elective office but remain as lobbyists, professors, think tankers, or bureaucrats.
People who take limited stints in public life are in serious danger of being manipulated by the permanent political bureaucracy. It knows what long-term deals and alliances are in place and what favors are owed and whether they have been paid or not. It took Trump a couple of years to develop a strategy for dealing with this.
As some of the others who have responded, I live in Alabama. We strongly believe a politician should represent the region that elected them and not a political party. People not from here are unaware that Alabama is like two different worlds. North Alabama is a lot more industrialized with major research centers as well as NASA in Huntsville. South Alabama is largely agrarian. The average level of education in North Alabama is higher. In the Huntsville Metro, over 50% of the pop. hold at least a bachelors degree with nearly 20% in engineering. The majority of the population in Alabama is in the north, from Birmingham up. With that said, North Alabama is almost entirely Republican. It has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with the fact that the Democratic party does not represent, in any way, our basic values of family and country. South Alabama is a little more Democratic Party in thinking. The only way that Doug Jones won the last election was because of a smear campaign against Roy Moore. (I did not support Moore but the campaign was UGLY). Jones promised a lot of things in his campaign, one of them being that he would represent Alabama and NOT the Democratic party. That has turned out to NOT be the case. Voters here have long memories when they feel like they have been lied to. Jones doesn't have a snowball's chance in the Sahara in the north and that means not much of a chance at all.
4
Chris, been to AL and it’s a pretty state. That being said my state’s tax dollars have been supporting yours for years. If each state had their exact percentage paid back that they put in then a lot of Alabama voters would be voting a lot differently. Just my two cents.
46
@Chris
What kind of basic values of country and family does it boil down to? I have basic values of family and country too. I don't see how that conflicts with the Democratic party. Mine don't. Quite the opposite. So if it's not race, what is it?
22
This isn't entirely accurate. Huntsville voted for Jones in 2017. Just 55% of the city voted for Trump in 2016. While it's true the surrounding areas are majorly republican, they absolutely do not reflect the demographics or politics of Huntsville. Moulton, for example, is over an hour away and is not "industrialized with major research centers," nor is any other city in the area.
If anything, this article shows Jones is in a better position than I expected.
15
Doubtless the majority of Alabamans are content with their choices -- Reagan, Trump, Sessions, Shelby, Roy Moore -- but the place sounds suffocating. An Eden of racism and authoritarianism.
The essential information about Alabama is its Stalinist support for Trump and that in its 2017 general election, Moore, the embodiment of zealotry and the legal definition of a predator, received nearly seventy percent of the white vote.
"The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity." -- William Butler Yeats, 'The Second Coming' (1921)
42
Tuberville thinks his finest moment was losing his stuff on the sidelines and I find that fascinating. No patter about the discipline or dedication inherent in sports for Tuberville! The lesson of football for him is, explicitly, “if things don’t go my way I’ll start throwing punches”, which has got to be the lowest bar for a first grader to aspire to. I tried to find some info on the call that Tuberville thinks is cause to go bananas. Probably offensive holding.
14
The ONLY reason Doug Jones won was Roy Moore was unacceptable to enough Republicans to give Jones the win.
Doug Jones is a good and honorable man, but Alabama is a red state.
Sessions is all-in with Trumpism in spite of the humiliation.
12
Cult fever is starting to take hold across the country. And many usually critically thinking people are getting caught up in it. It’s frankly worse than a viral pandemic in that this disease dissolves the bonds that normally make our country great, and renders the infected into trance-like automaton followers willing to gain the favor of it’s high priest for ephemeral dopamine highs.
I’m starting to see mature men driving on the highway with Trump flags flying of the backs of their Mexican-assembled pickups on my local highways. As blue a state as we are, I have never in 50 years seen anyone proudly display a politician’s campaign flag on a moving vehicle.
28
It never fails to astound how all of the Reagan "the government is the problem" people are the one's who sell their souls and claw and scratch to be elected to it. A depressing article on multiple levels.
33
My mother, God rest her soul, grew up in Birmingham. She was still alive when the joke came that when Georgia was invaded by Russia, the Alabama Walmarts sold out of ammunition. So goes the senate primary. Bless their hearts.
17
I think it’s obvious that Trump voters would be quite comfortable being ruled by Russia. Essentially, we ALL are these days. Hopefully enough of us are uncomfortable enough with it to throw off the yoke of Russian rule in November, but I’m not sure Putin is willing to let his new colonies break away so easily.
2
The first part of this article, concerning Byrne, made me sick to my stomach. Appalling. How on earth does he sleep at night?
28
Just wondering if the people of Alabama ever look at how there state ranks for important things like health care, retirement, education Etc,etc, etc,.
Keep electing those Republicans.
Football team is good but your best player was Forrest Gump.
36
@DDC The big joke are the comments they vote Republican cause of family values, yes, Trump and all those ministers that have been arrested for sexual abuse, but then they claim the Bible says it is ok. Love the conservatives because of their fiscal ideas you know gutting social programs to make their masters richer. How is that tax cut working you know the one where it was going to pay for itself the old trickle down. Gee, paying so much for itself that the deficit and debt are the highest in the history of the US. Oh, lets see the individual combined debt a mere $14 trillion and credit card debt $930 billion and trucks oh, they love those trucks in the South being repossessed at record levels greater than the crash in 08. Jim Trautman
1
Sessions looks so little, so isolated in the cover photo. Would make me feel a little sorry for him, were it not for his narrow-minded and cruel ideology.
19
So Bradley Byrne said Donald Trump was “not fit to be president of the United States.” But when he decided to run for the Senate, Mr. Byrne saw fit to vote in support of Donald Trump almost 98% of the time. Are there enough folks in Alabama who know a phony when the see one and will deny him a Senate seat? Mr. Byrne reeks so badly of hypocrisy and obsequiousness, how do people stand to be near him?
37
That’s the sickness of any authoritarian: everything is a loyalty test.
27
@Carolyn C Loyalty above country is Trumps motto!
Sessions acts like saying merry Christmas is taboo and thereby subversive. Not one liberal, progressive, or Dem I’ve met has cared one whit about people saying merry Christmas! Say it as much as you want. No one cares!!
55
It seems super easy to run as a Trump sycophant. All of your policy positions are already packaged: all you need do is memorize a few key messages and then repeat them ad nauseum.
As for your personal views, don’t bother. Whatever Trump says you parrot, like a parrot.
As to whether you’ve changed your spots in order to get in good graces with Trump, that’s precisely the kind of people Trump wants around him: pliable supplicants who can be brought in and tossed away like french fries in a paper bag — the ones not eaten, of course.
What a lineup of has beens and never were’s to go up against a man of discernible integrity and a ton of guts.
23
I had the strong impression that Southerners, possessed of Southern pride, never grovelled, tuck to their principles and always told the truth.
Live and learn.
16
“I believe in him. He has a great work ethic." So said Tommy Tuberville of Trump. "Great work ethic"? Mr. Golfing at Mar-a-Lago himself? Tommy, you owe me a new shirt. I spewed the soda I was drinking all over the one I'm wearing when I read that.
58
Republicans are cowards with a silent moral compass. The Republicans that are not are rounding errors at best.
11
This is all downright creepy. All these Republicans sound like members of a cult, fawning over the Dear Leader to get his attention and affection. If we have to make up stuff to make Dear Leader happy, then we'll do that. If the Dear Leader is obviously wrong, we'll tell him that he's right and all the credible evidence is just a bunch of lies made up by his enemies.
It is hard to believe that a major American political party--even one as poisoned by an aversion to facts and a devotion to mean-spirited policies designed to punish those they see as "the other"--has devolved into this.
They're not interested in making this nation better for everyone; they certainly aren't willing to consider the long-term impact of their agenda. They just want to shower favor on their Dear Leader.
How 40% of the American people can buy into this is beyond my comprehension.
And given both institutionally-existing biases and the energy that the GOP leadership has invested in suppressing the ability of non-Republicans to vote, that 40% may well be enough to keep them in power.
41
Alabama Republicans have nothing to worry about. The only reason Doug Jones won a close race was because Republicans nominated a pedofile. Jones, or any other Democrat for that matter, has no shot in Alabama or any other red state.
1
@Lou Panico
That's too bad. If party affiliation is all you care about, then you might miss the opportunity of picking the better candidate based solely on party. Doesn't ability accomplishments, record and a strong moral compass matter to you?
1
"And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." - Mark 3.25
4
Why are we even in the same country as them. We have NOTHING in common. Let's all stop pretending these states are "united." Lets cut our losses now and split up into four smaller countries. WE certainly do NOT need THEM. They are dead weight. Cut them loose.
30
Alabama civil war ended tell me sessions
This is why America is broken: regardless of the issue, regardless of the facts, or lack thereof, Congress votes party line.
Oh, it's been argued for years that that is how it should be, yet apparently, Republicans and Democrats alike fail to realize that the only way you keep bad apples out of your party barrel is toss the bad ones out.
And that includes a fool of a President.
13
We all know that there are places in this country where people fight to top each other in their fealty to Donald Trump. But reading Jason's story -- with the names of the cast of characters filled in for all to see -- is yet another kick in the stomach.
Add to that what is now the almost daily erosion and destruction of democratic institutions.
Which leads me to ask -- with complete sincerity -- what I know are some particularly incendiary questions:
How does this NOT end in a real civil war? Might we at some point, to save our democracy of laws, be obligated to fight such a war? Might such a hypothetical war ever require extra-legal and distinctly unconstitutional conflict? Is a rough, even tenuous, "social cease-fire" possible when at least half of a country truly loathes a President and anyone who supports him.
And finally, if this nightmare scenario isn't inevitable, if you are reading this and thinking: "It's not going to happen," why is it you think it won't happen?
I tell myself again and again that I'm part of this "not gonna happen" group, but I always come up short when I try to tell myself WHY it won't happen.
11
Pathetic. Nothing more to say.
13
Is Alabama really a state in the American union? It sounds like something one would associate with another continent-another world-another time in the past. The truth is that Alabama is a state which is recapitulating the past-because they never left the past history of America in the deep south. Alabama never managed to take a step into the future-all of the wealth of the state goes into the football programs at Univ. of Alabama.(s)
This state and others in the deep south will be a part of the great divide again-worse this time around because the world has changed so much from 1865. There is the element of black citizens, Hispanic citizens,-all contributing to a political bloc if they manage it properly. Try as they may-America cannot escape the backlash of slavery and one can hope that the now educated black voters will recognize that they will not persevere with Trump in office again. Hispanics must also rebel against the Trump anti-immigrant policies and his overt anti-Hispanic outrages.
America can find itself again or sink into a kind of fascist demagoguery with Trump. Support for moral rectitude will not be coming from Alabama.
20
Sycophants wishing to debase themselves for the sake of ... some twisted mix of hubris, elitism and self-loathing.
15
Lord, please help to to Be Best at sucking up.
Sincerely.
GOP.
17
What a disgusting bunch of human beings, falling in line. Disgusting.
16
Leave now women.
Do not put your discretionary into red states. Time to break up the country
9
A very well written article. It is no wonder that the south is a punch line to a joke after reading about devotion to Trump, who I can assure you thinks Southerners are dumb Hicks, and he is supported as though he is the 2nd coming. As a Southerner I have stopped saying that with pride as I used to when I see that race and prejudice are still alive and Encouraged. How can it be in this day and age people are stuck with beliefs that are just ignorant. At one time I saw a New South that was changing in positive ways but it seems Trump has allowed people to regress back to a state of small minded haters who are manipulated by some jerk like Trump. Was I kidding myself believing that the South was changing? If all it takes is some con-man from NYC to come and say that hate is ok suddenly they are proclaiming God sent this person? What is wrong with you people? You listen to some carpet bagger from NYC and you decide to turn the clock back 70 plus years? Trump is manipulating you and when he is done stealing all he can he will laugh in your face. Wake up Southerners Trump is Using you and he has No Respect for Anything that you do. You heard him speak about how he can grab women and you tell yourself some lie so that you can still vote for him and your hate and prejudice is validated? No I have lost my Southern pride because I just will Not sell out to the lying cheating carpet bagger and for that I am Proud!
54
@John this an articulate and awesome comment.
2
@John You are both correct and incorrect. Despite the article and many of the comments, and despite the embarrassing obsequiousness of these candidates, some of all of this would be found in other states as well, although granted not to this degree. But I was raised in Alabama and returned many years ago to live, and to not acknowledge that racial relations have changed and dramatically for the better is to ignore reality. I see mixed groups eating lunch together every day.. and it was a mixed group of voters, predominately African-American women but with many white supporters also, who elected Doug Jones.
2
Just so gross and sad. Go Doug Jones go!!
20
'When I asked Byrne what he’d say if Trump ever did raise it [Byrne's comments on Trump's comments], he replied immediately: “I screwed up.”'
Wrong answer. Experienced politicians know enough to politely decline to answer *hypothetical* questions.
Indeed, Byrne gives a good way to evade the question when he says: '“He [Trump] just doesn’t care. He’s more interested in what we’re doing now.”'
Byrne is a "three-term congressman", yet he sounds like a rookie.
3
How pathetic.
10
What a sad state of affairs in Alabama. Where have all their true leaders gone? Although it is kind of funny to see grown men in the cradle of the Confederacy sucking up to a Yankee con artist from New York. Who would have thought?
33
Great reporting. One could not make up this cast of unsavory sycophants.
16
'When I asked Byrne what he’d say if Trump ever did raise it, he replied immediately: “I screwed up., and 'and argued that Trump was “not fit to be president of the United States', and here Bryne is pictured praying as a good christian should.....and these people wonder why they are called hypocrites? Really? How can anyone not see this as anything other than blatant, complete and utter self interest?
5
Imagine being a man that age needing to publicly worship a knucklehead like Donald Trump, while privately loathing him.
Pathetic doesn’t even begin to describe the situation.
25
So "God" sent us Donald Trump. A serial adulterer, a pathological liar, a mean and vindictive man whose greed knows no limit and who acknowledges no need for repentance. An expert at sowing division between Americans.
In an interview..with CNN, [Trump] said that he does not regret never asking God for forgiveness
Trump bragging about attempting to have sex with a married woman: "I moved on her like a *female dog*" (Access Hollywood)
People today are having a hard time recognizing Donald J. Trump as who he really is. He has opposed every single word, action, and commandment of Christ to love others. He hates the poor and would take away millions' healthcare. He is vengeful and greedy. He loves only himself and money. Without horns and a tail he doesn't match everyone's preconceived notions; including the Evangelicals who laid hands on him and offered him a "mulligan" for his non-stop sexual exploits.
Trump sows chaos and division, brags on camera about the sins he has committed and many of his followers openly admire him for racism and particularly his hatred of immigrants. "He speaks plainly" they say.
But make no mistake. Donald J. Trump is the embodiment of evil. Pray, and take whatever action you are capable of to unempower Him and take away his control over our country before he utterly destroys us.
45
@Wade Nelson For these Evangelicals and Red State voters, its a single issue election: Abortion
1
Alabama. A state that always makes me feel less embarrassed to be from Texas.
30
Sessions and Moore? Seriously? A demonstrated, unrepentant racist and a credibly-accuser child predator? Oh, Alabama - all the terrible stories about you are clearly true.
13
That man is a pathetic, pandering weeble.
4
“How Alabama’s Senate Primary Became a Trump Loyalty Contest”
It apoears that if the president has any say in the matter, he — Donald Trump — will be at the center of all elections that take place during his reign.
He should also have a say in federal legal actions — charges, verdicts, sentencing.
Trump was the unjustly accused victim of the only bona fide North American “witch hunt” to take place since 1693.
We’re caught up in an endless game of Donnie In The Middle!
Does anyone remember a time when D.J. Trump did not occupy the “center” of all things?
If two subsequent days pass where Trump isn’t the topic of the newspaper headliness on at least one, he does something, anything!, to demand the nation’s attention.
- Assassinate the top general of a country with which we’re not at war.
- Evacuate all American troops from Syria. Abandon the Kurds.
- Interfere with some governmental process about which he has no understanding.
- Etc.
So long as he is president, Trump will force himself into the center of everything he can. His imbalance compels him to do so.
9
The GOP has sold its soul to worship this false prophet. I recall messages in the Bible about this from my church years long past, however, the entire right wing apparently has forgotten as they bow down to Lord Donald. They think He can do no wrong, He knows all, He will save them all. Good luck, suckers!
17
Arent you supposed to pray before you eat? Something fishy about that photo.
5
"Arent you supposed to pray before you eat?"
If you are referring to the first photo, they ARE praying.
"Something fishy about that photo."
What, pray tell?
The division in the country is much worse than that of the civil war years. Then, it was a clash of regions over states rights and the ability of a state to leave the union. Now, it’s a nationwide disagreement over practically everything.
18
@J Actually, the Civil War was fought over slavery. The Confederate states tried to leave the Union because they feared the federal government would abolish slavery, not just to see whether it could be done. “States rights” became a euphemism for segregation. The same division, or its echo, is still haunting us today. I see men at Trump rallies with shirts that say “Rebel Son.” The South is still decorated with Confederate flags and monuments to Confederate icons. The battle continues over whose narrative will prevail.
69
@Sarah
Sarah, States Rights is not an issue just about segregation and its ilk. Think of all the especially Democratic states that are yelling "States Rights", when it comes to legalizing pot, and the especially Republican states yelling "States Rights", when it comes to abortion.
@Sarah In Australia, we could call a Referendum. Everyone votes (compulsory here) and then the Southern States can choose to begin their own country...for good or ill.
The differences between Alabama and places like Massachusetts and California is greater than the differences between Toronto, Tokyo or Paris and Massachusetts and California.
I don’t think the the conservative and liberal states have anything in common policy wise or social outlook wise.
It calls into question whether the United States of America is a sustainable entity.
150
@Practical Thoughts
It will be interesting to see if Trump is re-elected this November whether the topic of secession comes to the fore in certain blue states.
6
@Practical Thoughts Nothing compared to Quebec and the rest of Canada. Still a country, last I looked.
2
@Practical Thoughts Before Putin and Trump's 2016 corruption, I never really bothered with conspiracy theories. Then we had... well, everything that has happened since. One notable episode was the brief California 'exit the US' campaign (like the then new Brexit). That turned out to be Russian based nonsense. And so I have to wonder about this post, and I think one or two more in the thread, calling into question the USA. By any chance, does your East Coast view look out onto the Bering Sea? (Can you see Sarah Palin from your house?)
3
This is a good piece and I’m glad the Times is looking closely at Alabama Republican contest, which I think has echoes across the nation. But it seems that in a state that was so central to the Civil Rights movement, it would be illuminating to include questions of race and racism in these Republican campaigns and their lock on state politics.
50
Did this piece have to be this long? I'm sure it's well researched and all but you'll have to cut it way down if SNL is gonna use it for a cold open. The characters are all so colorful.
18
"Did this piece have to be this long?"
It's in the NY Times Magazine. If you want shorter articles, stick to the newspaper section.
8
The story of Jeff Sessions says a lot about the situation in Alabama and many other states. The Donald is basically a cult figure and has a cult following. Reality and facts have been abandonded; reality is whatever The Donald says it is. We are truly in The Apprentice Presidency.
As the article pointed out, Sessions was a trump supporter longer before there was a trump. He has always been a law and order type of guy. When has was U. S. Attorney in Alabama, he seemed to love enforcing the law rigorously against the dark-skinned and the poor but he did pretty much follow the law. For those of you who don't know, "law and order" and "the war on drugs" are sometimes used as code for "lock up lots of dark-skinned people."
At any rate Sessions one sin was following regulations at the Justice department which say that the Attorney General should not investigate himself. He was a major figure in the republican campaign of 2016 so he should not investigate that campaign. That makes perfect sense to everyone except The Very Stable Genius (aka The Donald).
It is bizarre, Sessions is a true believer in The Donald and trumpsim, but one disagreement and The Donald cuts him off and drives him out.
I do think that come November 2020, Jeff Sessions will be elected to the U. S. Senate. I will support Doug Jones but fully expect that a republican will be elected. It makes no difference which republican. Each one is a mindless sychophant.
213
@Aubrey "It is bizarre, Sessions is a true believer in The Donald and trumpsim, but one disagreement and The Donald cuts him off and drives him out."
Plus Sessions has actual experience w/ Trump as just a another clown in over his head. I am sure Trump wants people around who only view him as a God Emperor.
7
Great post! You are so right about the dynamics between Trump and his flunkies.
15
"sometimes used as code"
Sometimes?!
4
This article obviously deals with Alabama. But it could be written with a little variation in many other places across the United States.
The Donald is not just a cult figure in Alabama; in probably half of the states, The Donald's faithful are strong enough to decide many elections.
"Mediocre food with plastic plates and cutlery" but that picture at the beginning of the article could have been taken in many places. Over half of the U. S. Senate will probably be elected by people just like those mentioned in this article -- people who eat mediocre food on plastic plates.
The Donald has a good chance of being reelected; lets hope that the democrats can keep the House.
Best wishes.
60
Look at them, eating mediocre food with plastic plates and cutlery and drinking out of plastic and styrofoam cups.... as if it was 1975.
38
"... mediocre food ..."
Chicken salad with sliced tomatoes and pickles is not "mediocre" if that is what you are seeking.
BTW, Terri’s Mill Village Cafe is owned by a woman. Check the Facebook page for her cafe. You can find her photo and her menus there.
5
Styroform and horrible food... what a message..!!
30
Styrofoam and more Styrofoam. How sad for the people of Alabama and for the planet.
85
Styrofoam which will be taken into the backyard and burned in barrel right after lunch. It’s called ‘doin the dishes’ in Alabama.
3
@Connie But, but, but, these climate change deniers say that God won't destroy the Earth after the Great Flood. How can people be so ignorant?
1
There doesn't appear to be an original idea between the lot of these men.
Good governance begins with an understanding of real problems and a willingness to solve them.
Climate change? It's a hoax.
Income inequality? That's preaching class warfare.
Healthcare? Obamacare is a disaster.
They have an ignorant slogan for just about anything.
But you cannot save red states from themselves and that's just too bad.
132
@Steven Thackston
Haven't you heard? There is no place for "original ideas" in the modern republican party.
All "original ideas" must emanate from The Very Stable Genius (aka The Donald).
You are right, you cannot save red states from themselves. That is why many people (including myself) have pretty much given up on local and state politics. Much more productive to devote time and energy to managing your life and private business affairs.
Best wishes.
46
@Aubrey -- don't give up. Vote in every election.
Vote Them All Out!
39
Excellent research, with terrifying results. The cult is in full swing...
48
Bradley Byrne is a Duke law grad, an Episcopalian, and a former Democrat, which probably tells you all you need to know about where he really (in his own life) falls on social issues. But he's a career politician who'll say whatever it takes to get elected to whatever political office happens to be open. For years, the folks in Mobile have elected him to state and federal office just to get him out of town. In that sense, he's kind of the Teddy Roosevelt of Alabama Republican politics.
Roy Moore is not worth talking about. Even his supporters know the sun has set on his political career.
Tommy Tuberville is a football coach who, in addition to not being terribly smart to begin with, has taken a few too many blows to the head. Right now, he's cruising on name recognition alone, and it'll be interesting to see what happens once people actually start paying attention to what he says.
That leaves Jeff Sessions, who seems to be suffering from some sort of PTSD. It almost makes you feel sorry for him, until you remember who he is and what he's done.
Sadly, with the exception of Moore, any one of these men can beat Jones in November.
102
@Rupert Good comment.
Every time I see a Bradley Byrne ad on television, I think about what a waste. For one thing, it is a waste to have a Duke law degree if all you want to do is shill for right wing republicans. Many years ago he was on the state school board and he seemed like a pretty decent guy.
You are right that any of the republicans will probably beat Jones. But I don't think it matters which republican is elected. They are all The Donald's sycophants.
Best wishes and stay positive.
60
I went to Duke in the 90s. There were plenty of Republicans there back then, but none of them would have backed Trump. How things have changed.
10
@Rupert
Man oh man I hate generalizations, but growing up in the northeast and being taught that the southern states were somewhat backward and stupid...kind of has turned out to be true.
3
There's one photo of a woman in this article and even there most of her face is cut off. Unless this choice reflects indirect criticism of the republican approach to women (in which case it may be a bit too subtle), are you sure you couldn't do a little better?
2
How much single use plastic can be used at one meal? Everything on the table except the food is single use plastic. How can someone be an effective leader when they themselves are so out of touch?
102
@Harris silver Really? That's your comment? Did you even read the article? Like Republicans in Alabama give a hoot about "single us plastic". I mean how many ALABAMANS care about "single use plastic"?
26
@Harris silver Take a closer look. Those plates are not made of plastic.
1
The food contains plastic also, arguably.
12