From AL.com:

Retiring Rep. Bud Cramer of Huntsville hinted Thursday that he might become a lobbyist after he leaves office in January.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the conservative Democrat said he has developed valuable relationships over his nearly 20 years in Washington and could take advantage of them to advocate for Alabama’s interests.

This is interesting.  During the Republican primary Cheryl Baswell Guthrie made a big deal about Wayne Parker being a lobbyist - even though none of his lobbying efforts were objectionable.  It didn’t help her gain any ground, but that won’t necessarily stop Parker Griffith from using the same tactic in the general election.  But with Cramer hinting he might become a lobbyist after leaving office its going to be awkward for Griffith to make such an argument.  He is basing his campaign on how great Cramer is and how he wants to walk in Bud’s shoes.  Griffith won’t be able to sling mud at Parker over lobbying without dirtying Cramer as well.

Wayne Parker’s campaign issued a press release on Wednesday (text below) stating that “49% of Griffith’s campaign funds have come from outside the state of Alabama.”  That is absolutely true.  Here is a spreadsheet containing all of the itemized contributions Parker Griffith has received to date according to the FEC.  The total amount is $556,810, of which $285,649 came from sources inside Alabama and $271,161 (49%) came from locales other than Alabama.  When you include contributions from other parts of Alabama outside the 5th district his local contributions total a mere 36%.  Clearly lots of people are willing to give him lots of money to get elected, but over half of them aren’t doing so because they want Griffith to represent them.

Griffith has received about 45% of his funds from PACs and party organizations.  The Wayne Parker campaign PR noted that these PACs included ones operated by Charlie Rangel ($7,000 total) and Rohm Emanuel ($12,000 total).  They also included donations from at least two local politicians: state Rep. Laura Hall and Madison County Commissioner Bob Harrison.  The PAC money included numerous donations from labor unions.  I submitted a question to Griffith’s campaign a while back asking where he stood on union card check legislation.  I have not received a reply.  I’d be surprised if all those unions are showering him with cash just because they think he is a swell guy.

In an interview with WHNT Wayne Parker was quoted as saying, “49% of his contributors are from out of state.”  The local leftists seized on this and called Parker a liar. (Side note: it is a bit curious to see them fighting for Griffith considering he is doing his darnedest to appear conservative, which would put him starkly at odds with them.  Maybe they know something about his real positions that the rest of us can only speculate about.)

I thought it would be instructive to see just what liar means, so I consulted my trusty online dictionary:

liar -noun: a person who tells lies.

Well, that is of dubious use in this situation, so lets see what it means to lie:

lie -noun: a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.

There are other definitions of course.  Most have the common theme of intent to mislead.  Now based on Parker’s press release and the numbers that back it up it is apparent that he made a slight, understandable misstatement to WHNT.  He said contributors instead of contributions.  If Parker intended to mislead voters then he would not have issued a press release that contradicted his own statement.

However, the folks at Left in Alabama have previously proven that they know how to access the FEC website and I would assume that at least one of them can use Excel.  It should have been plainly obvious to them that Griffith has received about half of his money from outside the state.  They intentionally ignored this fact.  Maybe they just thought it was a coincidence that the 49% figure representing out of state contributions just happened to be the same percentage that Parker cited.  I would categorize it as a sin of willful omission on their part.  Not quite a lie, but dangerously close.

Kudos to Dan for also looking into the numbers.

*** Wayne Parker Press Release ***

JUDGED BY THE COMPANY THAT YOU KEEP

Wayne Parker raises nearly 88% of his funds from individuals while Parker Griffith raises 45% of his funds from PAC contributions and liberal Democrat Leadership

Huntsville, AL - According to the latest FEC reports released July 15th, only 36% of the money raised so far by Parker Griffith in his congressional bid has been raised in North Alabama. An additional 15% came from other parts of the state, while a full 49% of Griffith’s campaign funds have come from outside the state of Alabama.

Griffith has raised over $25,000 in the Chicago area alone, far outpacing what he has raised in Scottsboro, Decatur, Athens and the Shoals area combined. Griffith reported raising more money from Detroit, Michigan than Decatur, Alabama.

Griffith received nearly 45% of his campaign contributions from PAC’s; this is in contrast to opponent Wayne Parker, who has raised 88% of his funds from individuals.

“The overwhelming majority of Wayne’s support has come from individuals right here in North Alabama who care about this district,” said Parker for Congress Campaign Manager, Neil Forbes. “When you see Griffith raising so much money from PAC’s, from outside Alabama, and from the most liberal leaders in Congress*, it makes you wonder who he would represent in Congress,” Forbes continued.

###

· On June 12, 2008, Parker Griffith received a $5000 from National Leadership PAC (Charlie Rangel’s Leadership PAC) and $2000 from Charlie Rangel for Congress.

· On May 31st, 2008, Parker Griffith received $10,000 from Our Common Values PAC (Rahm Emamuel’s Leadership PAC) and on June 27th, he received $2,000 from Rahm Emanuel for Congress.

So much for the Democrat’s Operation Chaos in the 5th district.  Wayne Parker defeated Cheryl Baswell Guthrie by about a 4 to 1 margin yesterday to become the Republican nominee for Alabama’s 5th district congressional seat.

Reactionary beat me to the punch in posting the raw numbers from the election, so I’ll just point out a few things I noticed.

There were 20,358 total votes cast in the 5th district race (97% reporting).  That was fewer than each of the candidates in AL-02 received (Jay Love defeated Harri Anne Smith 25,134 to 22,404).  I would suggest that is more of a reflection of how hotly the AL-02 race was contested as opposed to the AL-05 race where the outcome was all but certain.  It wasn’t quite the lock that Griffith vs. Maker was in the Democrat primary, but it was pretty close.

I took the wife and kids to the Parker headquarters for the expected victory party and campaign speech.  I met some great people and heard more of what has become a common theme: Parker is an all around great guy.  During the primary everyone - without exception - I talked to who knew Wayne would tell me what a decent person and man of integrity he is.  That includes a couple of people who were supporting one of Wayne’s opponents and had motivation to say negative things about him, but couldn’t bring themselves to do it.  Not many politicians are held in such high regard.  Parker delivered a strong speech (excerpts below) and really staked out his territory as the only true conservative in the race who can be relied upon to stand up for conservative values.

Runoff’s are strange beasts.  In the primary for Madison County Tax Collector Angela Stafford nearly won outright in a field of three candidates with 8,023 votes (47%).  Cory Brown came in second with 5,266 (30%).  But in the runoff Brown defeated Stafford 6,370 votes (55%) to Stafford’s 5,269 votes.  So Brown not only overcame a 18 point margin to pull off the upset, but he also increased his vote total by over 1,000 votes.  That is impressive considering that turnout in Madison County was about 58% of the primary total.  I would attribute this to a mix of getting out his superior message, mobilizing supporters at the polls, and Brown’s stronger Republican ties.

I also had a first experience of sorts yesterday.  I worked my polling place for Brown in the morning and late afternoon.  During my morning shift I talked to a lady who said that she voted for Stafford in the primary, but changed her mind the previous day to support Brown.  When I asked her what prompted the change of heart she told me that she had read about him on Flashpoint blog and that you (the Brown campaign) should thank them (Flashpoint blog).  I introduced myself as the author and we talked for a while about various things.  It was the first time in over two years of writing this thing that someone has told me about the blog without knowing I’m the author.

***

Excerpts from Wayne Parker’s victory speech:

“Over the next few months, the people of North Alabama will be given a clear choice as to who represents them in Washington.”

“The federal government is obligated to ensure the safety of the people from all threats - foreign or domestic, and to continue strong support for advanced space exploration. As your next congressman, I will support missile defense and maintaining the best trained and equipped military. I will strongly support NASA; specifically, the Marshall Space Flight Center. And, finally, I will always fight to fulfill the promises we made to our veterans.”

“We must not allow our country to be held hostage by our dependence on foreign oil. We must begin drilling and producing our own resources offshore and in ANWR, while looking to alternative energies so we can become completely energy independent. I believe the Tennessee Valley Authority, right here in North Alabama, is poised to lead in the development and production of nuclear energy. We cannot wait for $12 per gallon gas…we must act now.”

“We must close our borders and stop illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is not only an economic and public health issue; it is also a national security issue.”

“I am pro-life and I will always support traditional marriage between a man and a woman.”

“I am a firm believer in our 2nd Amendment and I am proud to have received the endorsement of the NRA in this runoff election.”

“Last, but not least, the federal tax code is too complicated, and our taxes are too high. I will fight for serious tax reform even if it means we must abolish the current code. I support abolishing the death tax and making our current tax cuts permanent.”

“Liberal politicians who dodge the real issues and create convenient answers are just not acceptable, and North Alabama deserves better.”

“I am a candidate for congress who has a burning desire to fight for our values. If you are looking for a silver-tongued politician who changes with the political winds, look elsewhere. But, if you are looking for someone who will get in the trenches, fight for America, and fight for what’s right, I ask for your support.”

WHNT just called Beth Kellum the winner in the Court of Criminal Appeals runoff (50,968 vs McLemore’s 42,098, with 94% reporting, 55% to 45%). She faces Democrat Jefferson County Circuit Judge Clyde Jones in the General Election.

Wayne Parker looks to have won the AL-05 House of Representatives candidacy (16,028 vs Guthrie’s 4,330, with 97% reporting, 79% to 21%). He faces Democrat State Senator Parker Griffith in November. Almost 14,000 of the more than 20,000 votes cast were from Madison County.

Twinkle Cavanaugh looks to have won the PSC President candidacy (60,493 vs Chancey’s 40,101, with 94% reporting, 60% to 40%). She faces Democrat former Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley in November.

Cory Brown looks to have won the Madison County Tax Collector candidacy (6,370 vs Stafford’s 5,269, with 98% reporting, 55% to 45%). He faces Democrat incumbent Lynda Hall in November.  If he wins, he will work to abolish the office (actually combine with the Tax Assessor’s office to form a ‘Revenue Commissioner’ office).

The Madison County unoffical results are here.

The polls were slow today. I put out signs for Cory Brown last night at my polling place, then schmoozed a little at lunch and after work.  It was interesting to see which of the neighbors were GOP supporters (the only ballots today at my polling place were GOP); saw most of my Neighborhood Watch, plus a few guys named ‘Coach’.

The Decatur Daily’s editorial board - the second most liberal in the state - wrote this almost farcical endorsement for Cheryl Baswell Guthrie:

Cheryl Baswell Guthrie, is conservative and adheres to many views that we question. She is, however, intelligent and articulate.

First of all, the Decatur Daily’s editorial page writers wouldn’t know a conservative if one fell out of the sky and landed on top of them.  Apparently they think that being a conservative means believing things that they don’t, which is kind of an admission of being liberal.  But how in tarnation (I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen that word written out) can they call Cheryl “Sequel One” Baswell “Sequel Two” Guthrie articulate?

Even the leftists picked up on this one noting that does it “give one pause - and a couple of chuckles.”

I would argue that this is more of an endorsement for Wayne Parker than for Guthrie.  It’s no great feather in your cap as a self proclaimed conservative to get endorsed by the liberals at the Decatur Daily.

The Alabama Republican Primary Runoff will be held this Tuesday, July 15th.  Here is a copy of the Madison County sample ballot.  I didn’t endorse any candidates before the primary.  I was a guest on a radio program that morning discussing the races and did not feel it would be appropriate.  This time I have no reason to not offer up my preferred candidates.

AL-05 Congressional Race

The big race on the ballot is for the 5th district congressional seat Republican nomination.  Wayne Parker nearly won the primary outright in a field of six contenders, but came up 1% of the vote shy of doing so.  He will almost certainly defeat Cheryl Baswell Guthrie in the runoff.  Wayne is clearly the better of the two Republicans and has secured endorsements from two of his primary opponents: Angelo Mancuso and George Barry.

I recommend Wayne Parker.

Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 1

I’ll just say that I’m not a big fan of voting for judges.  I don’t consider myself skilled at assessing their qualifications.  Both Beth Kellum and Lucie McLemore seem capable of doing a fine job in this capacity.  That said, I’m voting for Beth Kellum.

Public Service Commission President

This has been a rather strange race.  Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, who won the most votes in the three-way primary, is certainly a faithful member of the Republican party and has made that quite clear in all her advertising.  She has also curiously run ads boasting that she is pro-life (this is Alabama, after all), which has no significance in this race since last I checked Alabama Power and other entities she would oversee don’t perform abortions.  Matt Chancey came in second in the primary and it seems that most of the criticism about him has come as a result of his more conservative religious beliefs and some of his wife’s thoughts on women’s roles.  Cavanaugh’s party ties will help in the runoff when only the faithful come out to vote.  But, I do think that Matt has better ideas on how to keep our utility rates low by encouraging things like expanding nuclear power.

I recommend Matt Chancey.

Madison County Tax Collector

This race pits Angela Stafford against Cory Brown.  Stafford has worked for the Tax Collector’s office for nearly a decade and has offered up some good ideas for improving operations there.  But Brown has proposed a better idea: consolidating the offices of the Tax Collector and Tax Assessor into a single Revenue Commissioner office like other parts of the state.  That will save us, the taxpayers, serious money.

I recommend Cory Brown.

(Full disclosure: I believe strongly enough in Brown that I will be working my polling place for him on Tuesday.)

Reactionary Update:

AL-05 Congressional Race

I went to middle school with Wayne Parker, played on the same basketball team at the YMCA with him, have a Parker yard sign and bumper sticker.  Note that at times I’ve been positively impressed by Cheryl, plus I like ads featuring monkeys (okay, chimpanzees).

I’m voting for Wayne Parker.

Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 1

Beth Kellum was kind enough to speak with me for almost 30 minutes after one of her speeches. I’m certain that she knows the job of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Note that Lucie McLemore has a judge’s demeanor (which is a good thing for a judge - thoughtful and reserved). 

I’m voting for Beth Kellum.

Public Service Commission President

The PSC Presidency seems to me to be more of an administrative job, with some PR.  IMO Twinkle knows State Government well enough to perform the job; note that I expect great things from Matt Chancey (run for and win an office).

I’m voting for Twinkle Cavanaugh.

Madison County Tax Collector

I like the idea of efficient Government and I think that combining the Tax Collector and Tax Assessor offices is a good plan.  I’ve met Cory Brown, and aside from appreciating his gardening knowledge (he used to host the Saturday morning WVNN garden show), I like his energy and ideas. I have a Brown yard sign, plus I will also be working polling places on Tuesday. Note that Angela Stafford is competent and would be a good choice.

I’m voting for Cory Brown.

This coming Tuesday, July 15th Cheryl Baswell Guthrie will be defeated soundly by Wayne Parker in the primary runoff to be the GOP’s candidate to compete with Parker Griffith for the open 5th district congressional seat.  The only question is how large the margin will be.  Getting within 25 points would be the equivalent of a moral victory.

I have quite honestly spent quite a bit of time during this campaign trying to contemplate why she got in the race to begin with.  During the campaign I marvelled at how dishonest she was while campaigning on the issue of integrity.  After getting blown out by Parker in the primary I questioned why she would keep going.  Then when I saw her monkey ad I just shook my head.

After Bud Cramer surprised North Alabama with his plans for retirement there were quite a few names bantered about for the Republican ticket.  On the Democrat side there were fewer mentioned and ultimately it came down to one strong candidate, Dr. Parker Griffith, and one person who should have stuck with physics.  Dr. Griffith presents a formidable challenge to any prospective Republican challenger, but one in particular has proven that she cannot beat Dr. Griffith.  Cheryl Baswell Guthrie got creamed by 32 points when she ran against Griffith for state senate in 2006.  It wasn’t that she ran against him in a strongly Democrat district.  She only gave up 2 points on the basis of party affiliation.  If there is one thing politicians are good at it is counting votes.  Guthrie had to have known that there was no way whatsoever she could defeat Griffith in the general election (in the unlikely event she made it through the GOP primary).  Why run knowing that defeat is inevitable?

So, the kamakize campaign is one thing, but she didn’t just give up her time in the futile bid.  No, she also gave her own money.  A LOT of her own money.  So far (as of 7/8/08) she has personally given a total $648,211.26 to her campaign.  About three quarters or so of that is in the form of personal contibutions, not loans.  And she did a great deal of that spending while she was languishing in the polls and only managed to eke out 18% of the vote while her main opponent won 49%.  And remember: she has no chance even if she makes it to the general.  She spent about a half a million dollars trying to win a primary so that she could get killed in the general.  Why?  After the resounding primary defeat - a defeat in which she left all cards on the table and pulled no punches - why burn another $120k trying to beat the candidate who took your best shot and shrugged it off?  It just doesn’t make any sense.

And Guthrie really isn’t a very strong candidate.  I’ve found her to basically be a walking gaffe machine.  We all might find it imposing to speak when a camera or microphone is thrust into your face, but she is running for Congress.  You have to be able to communicate effectively, but she has struggled to do so.  Here is a small sampling of her more curious quotes:

• In the WHNT candidate forum she said that teachers have been “over-exhumed.”  Does she think we dig up dead teachers to deal with shortages or something?
• In an interview with Dale Jackson of WVNN she referred to her two part campaign commercials (more on those later) as “sequel one and sequel two.”  Last I checked a sequel implied that it was, you know, after the first and consequently the first in a series can’t be a sequel.
• In the same interview with Dale Jackson she bragged about having conferred with “senators and house of representatives.”  We’ll get to what she was bragging about in a minute, but first let’s talk about the specific job she is running for.  She is running to be a representative, not a “house of representative.”  She should know this.

Those are just three things that popped in my head, but it is certainly not a comprehensive list.  What kind of goofy things would Guthrie say as an elected “house of representative?”

But Guthrie is more than just a verbaly challenged candidate with money to burn.  She has also proven to be a less than honest and credible candidate as well.  The first obvious deviation from honesty and integrity was when she issued misleading press releases about her “fund raising” only to pull them from her website after her first FEC report showed that she intentionally misled voters.  She followed up this incident by flat out lying about her opponent, Wayne Parker.  Using references that couldn’t possibly prove her claims (if they were true) she went deep into the mud attacking Parker.

Another element of her campaign that probably isn’t as much a lie as it is pure fantasy is her claim that she will immediately get on the Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations Committee shortly thereafter.  That would probably happen right after Congress passed a law authorizing pigs to fly.

I also find it curious that someone who purported to be a fiscal conservative would show more love for earmarks than Senator Shelby.  While earmarks account for a rounding error on the federal budget they are force multipliers, causing spending to accelerate as free spending senators and “house of representatives” mollify the objectors to bloated bills with judiciously placed pork.  A true fiscal conservative would recognize this and wouldn’t brag about seeking out such largesse.

At this point any rational person would be at wits end trying to figure out just what in the world this woman must be thinking to engage in this protracted, futile, expensive, and very public display of wanton vanity.  And then came the two commercials that appear to be produced by Michael Jackson.

The first commercial, shown below, started off with a monkey (ok, actually a chimpanzee), a juggler, and some kind of dancing performer in a glittery jacket.  A stranger political ad I had never seen (yet).

If that wasn’t enough, she followed it up with “sequal two” in which Bubbles played a more prominent role.

Seriously.  That is the best ad she could buy for all the money she has thrown away?  If I were legitimately running for an elected office and my consultants told me to shoot an ad that closes with me standing in front of a monkey, a juggler, and a dancing fool I would have to smack each consultant in the back of the head and promptly call the bank to issue a stop payment on any checks written to those morons.

Given the considerable ill will that Guthrie has fostered with local Republicans during this campaign I find it hard to beleive she would ever try to run for another office as a Republican.  Of course, she may not be able to afford to after blowing through so much cash (about a million dollars) over her last two races.  But she had no business being in this race, so maybe she’ll entertain us with another campaign she has no business being in.

Wayne Parker’s campaign issued the following press release today:

Huntsville, AL - Wayne Parker, the leading Republican candidate for the Fifth Congressional District (AL-05), received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association Tuesday. With nearly four million members nationwide, the NRA is the leading advocate for rights of gun owners in the U.S.

“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the National Rifle Association,” Parker stated. “I’ve always been a strong supporter of the 2^nd Amendment and the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms. North Alabama gun owners and sportsmen need to know their liberties are being protected in Washington. I look forward to being an advocate for them.”

The letter of endorsement, signed by the Director of Federal Affairs, Charles H. Cunningham, “urges all NRA members and other gun owners and sportsmen in Alabama’s fifth congressional district to vote for [Wayne Parker] in the Republican primary runoff election on July 15^th.” In addition, Parker received an “A” rating from the NRA.*

“While last week’s Supreme Court decision was a major victory for individual gun ownership, there is sure to be legislation that challenges that decision on every level,” Parker predicted. “Gun owners will need someone that will stand up for their rights during that process.”

The endorsement comes just days after a landmark Supreme Court ruling, which overturned the Washington, D.C. handgun ban and interpreted the Second Amendment to give individuals the right to bear arms.

###

*To receive a copy of the actual letter, please contact the campaign.

AL-05 candidate Cheryl Baswell Guthrie is fending off not one, but two lawsuits in local courts according to WAAY.  One involves a claim by a local marketing firm that Guthrie still owes them $25,000 from her failed bid to win a state senate seat in 2006.  Guthrie has already given her own campaign about a half million dollars this year in the absurd attempt to get whipped by Parker Griffith again.  I hope she still has $25k left to pay off the plaintiffs if they win.

This was bound to happen:

A question popped up this week in a Democratic e- mail group in Alabama. The e-mail was titled “Opera­tion Chaos Fifth District Style” and it asked:

“Anybody up for a little med­dling in the runoff between Bas­well Guthrie and Parker? I be­lieve we can all agree on who would be the easiest to beat in November.”

According to the Secretary of State’s website such crossover voting is perfectly legal.  (Yes, the info is dated, but I found it on other sites as well)  Voters may vote in the Democrat primary and then vote a Republican ballot in the runoff, but not the other way around.