Cramer replacement speculation
Posted by BrianHere is my current prospective candidate ranking for replacing Bud Cramer based on very little thought. I’m sure that I left off a few names on each side. Let me know in the comments.
Republicans:
- Mo Brooks - Seasoned veteran; will likely be the early odds on favorite if he decides to run. Previously said there were “two million” reasons not to run. Money will still be an issue, but he won’t have to fight the power of the incumbency as well.
- Ray McKee - Single issue candidate advocating for the FairTax; has been actively making the rounds getting his name out for months.
- Dale Strong - If Brooks doesn’t run, then I would expect to see Dale toss his name in the hat.
Arthur Orr, who was mentioned as a possible replacement in a Huntsville Times article is a young, rising star in GOP, but according to his zip code he lives in the 4th CD, not the 5th. I’m not aware of any big name Republicans from the east or west portions of the district.
Democrats:
- Susan Parker - Seems to be the early favorite among Dems.
- Parker Griffith - Age is an issue.
- Tom Butler - Who knows, could put an “R” by his name. Age also an issue.
I’d be a bit surprised if a hand picked successor on the Democrat side doesn’t surface quickly. All indications are that Cramer’s announcement was a complete surprise, but surely he wouldn’t leave his party in the lurch.
Related content:
March 14th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Can a non-entrenched (D) win the district? To me this seems like a republican district with a somewhat conservative democrat in office.
Then again the republican brand is really in terrible shape nationwide. Not sure a Bush loving Republican could inspire alot of votes.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
matt - you’re right, but then Bush isn’t running
It might be an interesting breakfast tomorrow, are you guys going to be there?
March 14th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I was planning ont it, but the wife has a prior obligation and I’ll be playing Mr. Mom. Fill me in if you don’t mind.
March 14th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
THE 5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT HAS ALWAY BEEN A DEMOCRATIC STRONG-HOLD… YOU CHILDREN OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ARE IN FOR A RUDE AWAKENING…. EVEN ‘MISGUIDED’ JACKSON COUNTY VOTERS “WHERE NO REPUBLICAN HAS EVER WON A LOCAL OR STATE OFFICE VOTED FOR BUSH.
‘THEY FELL FOR HIS FAKE RELIGION’
EVEN A REPUBLICAN WOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO JACKSON COUNTY THAN BUD CRAMER DID. BUD HAS TAKEN JACKSON COUNTY FOR GRANTED FOR 18 YEARS.
ANYONE BUT A STINKING REPUBLICAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 14th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Gimp, Cramer basically voted as a Republican on most of the issue. You are joking right?
Reactionary, I can’t make it to breakfast tomorrow. See you next time.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
BUD CRAMER IS AND WAS NOTHING BUT A OFFICE BOY FOR THE HUNTSVILLE DEFENSE INDUSTRY.
HE VOTED WITH REPUBLICANS AND AGAINST HIS OWN PARTY A LARGE % OF THE TIME.
NOTE* BEFORE THE USA INVADE IRAQ… I SENT A LETTER TO HIM QUESTION THE PRESIDENT AND HIS JUDGMENT TO ATTACK IRAQ….. HE INFORMED ME I WAS WRONG THAT HE HAD SEEN ALL THE INTEL AND THAT SADAMN HAD WMD…. HE WAS CERTAIN OF IT…….HE IS THE ONLY MAN IN THE CONGRESS TO SET ON (3) INTEL COMMITTEES…..HOW MUCH MORE OF AS SCREW CAN ONE BE?
NOW IS THE TIME FOR BUD TO CASH IN ON ALL THOSE HIDDEN EARMARKS HE SLIPPED INTO THE REPUBLICAN BUDGETS FROM 2001 TO 2006 TO BENEFIT HIS FRIENDS WHO OWN DEFENSES BUSINESSES..
March 15th, 2008 at 5:35 am
On WVNN’s Dale Jackson show yesterday morning Mo Brooks said that are many factors, including the 2 million, he has to consider before deciding whether to run or not.
Re: Arthur Orr - I don’t think there’s any legal requirement for a congressperson to live in the congressional district they represent.
March 15th, 2008 at 5:42 am
I’ve talked with Mo and heard the same thing. I think he’ll eventually decide to run.
There are no residency requirements, but I question whether a district will elect someone who lives in another district. If Orr does live in the 5th or he decides to move here to run, then I put him immediately in the top two.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:58 am
dream on……..ain’t no republican gonna win the 5th district anytime soon with the DEMOCRATIC party staged to regain control of the white house…. the district would be cutting its own throat to elect a bible thumping no-tax, free trading warmonger draft evading republican corporatist with Democrats running Washington
March 15th, 2008 at 11:31 am
To paraphrase you, the district ain’t gonna elect a religion hating, protectionist, anti defense, tax raising, code pink socialist.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Ray McKee was the ONLY person who had the courage to run against Bud Cramer BEFORE he decided to not seek re-election. It’s funny to me now how all of these professional politicians are coming out of the woodwork now that Bud Cramer is not an obstacle. Where were they a few months ago? I think Ray McKee is for the people not for his own power in Washington like the other contenders.
March 15th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
My vote is going to Ray McKee. I’m all for the Fair Tax plus I’m tired of career politicians who are hungry for power. I want someone in Congress who is there to represent the people and bring money back to us - that’s what will help with this economy plus McKee has a strong stance on the illegal immigrant and war on terror dilemmas that we are facing now!
March 15th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Brian and matt - sorry y’all weren’t able to attend. There was an extra-large crowd (including more judges than usual). Both Sam(antha) and Greg Shaw spoke - no time for Q&A. Sam gave a report on the State Auditor’s office; Greg gave a stump speech - he’s running for AL Supreme Court.
Lotsa of buzz about candidates: both Ray McKee and Mo Brooks were there. Based on my conversations, Mo, Stan McDonald, and Arthur Orr seemed to be the most likely candidates. Ray is still in it, but IMO he needs to develop more than what seems to be a single issue platform.
Dems mentioned as likely candidates included Parker Griffith and Susan Parker. Randy Hinshaw was also mentioned, but if Griffith runs, IMO Randy would have a better shot at his State Senate 7 seat.
Both Faye Dyer and Glenn Watson attended, stumping for votes (Commission #2) - I’m glad I don’t live in that district - I would hate to have to choose between them. Richard Gipson attended, stumping for City Council #5.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Faye, not to criticize you because everyone has a right to express their opinion, but if I had my “druthers” I’d “druther” have someone in congress that will fight to let us keep more of whatever we earn rather than sending taxpayer money back to Alabama.
March 17th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Yea….Faye…. the Republicans have done a bang up job of that……for the DEFENSE CONTRACTORS.
Dr. Parker Griffith MD will be the 5th districts new congressman. Aint NO REPUBLICAN gonna win the fifth district with the mess the boychimp and his republican majority has given us.
March 17th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Faye…. how many years of formal education have you completed and just how much power do you think this dude ray maykee will have as a Republican freshman with a democrat in the white house and the senate and house both having majoritys……..NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 17th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Housekeeping note: Don in 15 & 16 is not the same Don who frequently comments here and operates Dr. IQ.
Don 15 & 16 is also GIMP from 4 & 6 as well as Factologist from 9. The writing style and rhetoric alone is enough for anyone to independently determine this, but I thought I would clarify.
Note to all: commenting under multiple names is frowned upon here. Pick one - try your real one so you don’t forget it - and stick with it.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Masters Degree working toward my PhD, Thank you very much!
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 am
Faye………the “Tax hating” Phd Candidate.
Yea!
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:04 am
1. Was Mr. Canary (a consultant for Bob Riley, Don Siegelman’s opponent during the 2002 election) involved in a conversation on November 18, 2002 in which he said that “his girls” (allegedly in reference to his wife, US Attorney Leura Canary and their friend, US Attorney Alice Martin) would “take care of” Mr. Siegelman? Who else was on that call? Is it appropriate for a US Attorney to be investigating the opponent of her husband’s client? Is that not a conflict of interest?
2. Mrs. Canary claims to have recused herself from the Siegelman case. Where is the evidence of this from the DOJ?
3. Did Mr. Canary and Mr. Rove discuss how to “take care” of Mr. Siegelman at any point while Mr. Rove was working at the White House?
3. Did Mr. Rove meet with operatives for Bob Riley (Siegelman’s opponent during the 2002 election) and discuss how to “take care” of Mr. Siegelman? Did Mr. Rove have these alleged meetings on street corners in DC, cafes, and at lobbying firms on K street throughout 2002 and later?
4. Did Mr. Rove ask William Pryor to seal the 2002 ballots before Siegelman’s requested hand-recount could happen? Mr. Pryor’s campaign for Alabama state Attorney General was run by Karl Rove in 1998. In 2002, Pryor sealed the ballots of the Riley-Siegelman campaign after a late-night glitch suddenly made Riley the winner. The following April, Pryor was installed on a recess appointment to the 11 Circuit Court of Appeals.
5. Why did Pryor seal those ballots?
6. Did Mr. Rove suggest that Mr. Pryor be appointed to the 11th Circuit? What were Mr. Pryor’s qualifications and why was he installed on a recess appointment? Was he being rewarded for sealing the ballots.
7. Did Mr. Rove have any relationship with Mark Fuller, the judge who was appointed by President Bush and later, somehow, got the Siegelman case?
8. Did Mr. Canary ever say that Judge Fuller “would hang Siegelman,” before Fuller had gotten the case? How about after?
9. Where is the court transcript of the trial, which is needed for Siegelman to file his appeal? It has been 30 months, already. How long does a court transcript take?
10. Why did Judge Fuller not let Siegelman report after he was indicted, instead having him shackled and brought in like a violent offender? The charges, after all, were bribery.
11. Why is Siegelman not allowed to be out of prison while he appeals his case? What is the reason for this?
12. Did Mr. Rove discuss the Siegelman case in 2002 or at any point after with then chief of the department’s Office of Public Integrity at the DOJ, Noel Hillman? If so, what was the subjects of that/those discussion(s)?
13. Did Mr. Hillman’s appointment to a federal judgeship have anything to do with the Siegelman case?
14. Did Mr. Hillman bury any evidence in the Jack Abramoff case connecting Mr. Rove and Jack Abramoff and/or Bob Riley and Jack Abramoff?
15. Michael Scanlon, the team-Abramoff member who bribed Republican members of Congress and laundered money for the GOP, was both an employee of indicted House Majority Leader, Tom Delay (R-TX) and then-Congressman Bob Riley (R-AL), who later went on to become Siegelman’s opponent. He also did work for Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH).
Delay was indicted on money laundering charges and was forced to resign from Congress. Ney plead guilty to bribery and corruption and is now serving time in prison. The other two members of Congress involved with Scanlon - disgraced Montana Congressman Conrad Burns, and scandal-ridden California Congressman John Do0little - are or have been under investigation. How then is it possible that Bob Riley - Scanlon’s one-time boss - was the only one of Scanlon’s associates to never have been investigated for his ties to both Scanlon and Abramoff?
16. Did Mr. Rove have any contact with Hillman regarding Bob Riley, Tom Delay, Conrad Burns, and John Doolittle and their ties to Abramoff and Scanlon?
17. Did the US prosecutors on Siegelman’s case threaten the brother of witness Nick Bailey if Bailey did not cooperate with the prosecution?
18. Why was the other prosecution witness in the Siegelman case - Lanny Young - seen as credible with regard to Siegelman, but dismissed as not credible when he also implicated Judge William Pryor and Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) in the same types of allegations? If he gets 2 of the 3 wrong, how is he still credible? Or is it that Jeff Sessions were not prosecuted because they are Republicans, while Siegelman is a Democrat?
19. Why won’t the DOJ provide any documents to Congress regarding the Siegelman case or other selective prosecution cases?
20. And again, I ask, why won’t Karl Rove testify under oath if he has nothing to hide?
21. Why did Judge Fuller not investigate the jury-tampering issues when they were brought to his attention?
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
don/Don/Factologist/GIMP - Thank you for clearly identifying yourself as a person stricken with RDS, a more virulent offshoot of BDS. The most visible symptom is an irresistible urge to interject Karl Rove into any conversation, usually when doing so makes absolutely no sense – as in this case.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Hey Brian:
Founding Member of the Keating Five
Back in the old days, defendants in famous trials got numbers — the Chicago Eight, the Gang of Four, the Dave Clark Five, the Daytona 500. McCain was one of the “Keating Five,” congressmen investigated on ethics charges for strenuously helping convicted racketeer Charles Keating after he gave them large campaign contributions and vacation trips.
Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion. His convictions were overturned on technicalities; for example, the federal conviction was overturned because jurors had heard about his state conviction, and his state charges because Judge Lance Ito (yes, that judge) screwed up jury instructions. Neither court cleared him, and he faces new trials in both courts.)
Though he was not convicted of anything, McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,00 in contributions. In the mid-1980s, McCain made at least 9 trips on Keating’s airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating’s luxurious retreat in the Bahamas. McCain’s wife and father-in-law also were the largest investors (at $350,000) in a Keating shopping center; the Phoenix New Times called it a “sweetheart deal.”
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
For My Friend Brian:
The permanent Republican majority:
Part one: How a coterie of Republican heavyweights sent a governor to jail
Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane
Published: Monday November 26, 2007
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/The_Permanent_Republican_Majority_1125.html
Part one of a Raw Story Investigates series on the architects and the execution of backroom Republican politics
For most Americans, the very concept of political prisoners is remote and exotic, a practice that is associated with third-world dictatorships but is foreign to the American tradition. The idea that a prominent politician — a former state governor — could be tried on charges that many observers consider to be trumped-up, convicted in a trial that involved numerous questionable procedures, and then hauled off to prison in shackles immediately upon sentencing would be almost unbelievable.
But there is such a politician: Don Siegelman, Democratic governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003. Starting just a few weeks after he took office, Siegelman was targeted by an investigation launched by his political opponents and escalated from the state to the federal level by Bush Administration appointees in 2001.
Siegelman was ultimately charged with 32 counts of bribery and other crimes in 2005, just as he began to attempt a political comeback. He was convicted the following year on seven of those charges. Last summer, Siegelman was sentenced to seven years in prison and immediately whisked off to a series of out-of-state jails, not even being allowed to remain free on bond while his appeal was under way.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
For the EDUCATION of my friend Brian:
The permanent Republican majority: Daughter of jailed governor sees White House hand in her father’s fall
Larisa Alexandrovna
Published: Tuesday November 27, 2007
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/The_permanent_Republican_majority_Daughter_of_1127.html
Part two of a Raw Story Investigates series on the architects and the execution of backroom Republican politics
In Part II of the RSI special investigation, The Permanent Republican Majority, the daughter of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman sits down for an exclusive interview about the family’s ordeal and her father’s case.
To fully understand what the Don Siegelman case is about, please see “Part I – The Political Prisoner” of this series.
Throughout a week of phone and email discussions, Ms. Siegelman spoke and wrote about her father’s conviction and imprisonment on bribery and conspiracy charges and about the continued harassment of the family and those around them. The family home was broken into. Her father’s attorney had his office ransacked. Even the key whistleblower in the case – Dana Jill Simpson – had her house burned down and her car run off the road.
She maintained throughout all of these communications that Karl Rove – the former White House Chief of Staff – helped engineer her father’s fate with the help of two judges and two US Attorneys.
Indeed, Republican attorney and whistleblower Simpson testified that Bush-appointed Federal Judge Mark Fuller, who presided over Siegelman’s trial, was selected in advance by Alabama Republican operatives working in concert with the US Justice Department. That department was then headed by Alberto Gonzales, who has recently resigned in disgrace.
The other federal judge with an involvement in the case is Judge William Pryor, who as Alabama attorney governor began the investigation of Governor Siegelman that eventually led to his indictment.
Then there are the two US Attorneys whose offices brought charges against Siegelman, Leura Canary, who was appointed by George W. Bush in 2001 as the US Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, and Alice Martin, another 2001 Bush appointee, who is the US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. Leura Canary is the wife of Bill Canary, an Alabama political operative with strong ties to Karl Rove who has worked as a campaign advisor to both Alabama’s current governor, Bob Riley, and former Attorney General Pryor.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:23 pm
For the further education of Brian:
The Permanent Republican Majority: Part III - Running elections from the White House
Larisa Alexandrovna, Muriel Kane and Lindsay Beyerstein
Published: Sunday December 16, 2007
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/The_Permanent_Republican_Majority_Part_III_1216.html
Bill Canary, Karl Rove, and the 2002 Elections
Karl Rove is known to have worked with Bill Canary on numerous political races in Alabama, beginning in 1994 and including William Pryor’s campaign in 1998. Canary and Pryor both enjoyed a close political and social relationship with Rove — who went on to become a senior adviser to the president, before Bush’s “brain” resigned earlier this year.
Two Republican lawyers who have asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation allege that Canary and Rove also worked together on the 2002 Alabama governor’s race. One of the lawyers is close to the Republican National Committee in Alabama.
According to the lawyers, Rove and Canary initially supported Republican Lieutenant Governor Steve Windom in his bid for the nomination to challenge Governor Siegelman but then switched their allegiance to Rep. Bob Riley after his victory in the primary. The Windom campaign was well known to be sluggish, however, prompting many observers to wonder just how serious an undertaking it really was.
By 2002, George W. Bush was president and Karl Rove was working in the White House as his special assistant with the highest level of security clearances. Rove, however, did not lose his security clearances, even after he was identified as one of the sources in the CIA leak case, in which the cover of covert CIA officer, Valerie Plame Wilson was exposed to journalists in 2003 as an apparent act of reprisal against her husband Joseph Wilson.
Rove could not be reached for comment for this article. A call placed to the White House for forwarding information was answered but not returned.
Windom, after being told about the article and the name of this publication, said, “I’m not interested, thanks.”
According to the Alabama RNC source, Rove met regularly with operatives for the Riley campaign. The source’s allegations are confirmed in part by campaign disclosure forms, which show that Windom paid Canary as a consultant between 1999 and early 2001 and later received large contributions from Canary’s business partner, a pattern that is duplicated with Riley and Canary.
According to public records, Windom paid Canary’s firm $38,022 for consulting and polling between 1999 and 2001. At the same time, PACs associated with Canary’s business partner, Patrick McWhorter, donated heavily to Windom’s campaign, contributing $149,000 in 2001 and another $75,000 in 2002.
After Windom lost the primary, PACs associated with McWhorter and Canary switched their donations to Bob Riley, giving him $85,000 in the days immediately preceding the November election. After the election victory, Windom emerged immediately as a close confidant of Riley’s, advising him on the appointment of a new Insurance Commissioner, Walter A. Bell, and other matters. Canary also emerged as a key Riley advisor.
Public records also show that at the same time Canary was consulting for Bob Riley’s campaign, his lobbying group, the Business Council for Alabama, donated $678,000 to the campaign of his client. This was the third largest donation the campaign received, exceeded only by those from the Republican National State Elections Committee, for $2,475,000, and from Bob Riley himself, who contributed $1,070,000 to his own campaign.
Rove on the Corner