‘Trump man’ Luther Strange drops new ad, proudly touts Christian values
Sen. Luther Strange dropped a new ad on YouTube Tuesday, the latest in the upcoming special election to fill the seat vacated by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Diner” focuses on Strange’s Christian values as the former Alabama Attorney General leads the charge “to bring Alabama conservative values and common-sense accountability back to the United States Senate.” Also notable is that the 30-second spot has “Big” Luther Strange fully embracing President Donald Trump, a strategy that has come increasingly into play as he faces his leading GOP opponents, Congressman Mo Brooks and former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. “Big Luther is a Trump man,” the narrator says, “working to pass the president’s agenda … a border to stop illegal immigration … extreme vetting to stop Islamic terrorists … repeal Obamacare … pro-life … And endorsed by the NRA.” During the 2016 presidential primary season, Brooks told MSNBC: “Trump voters are going to regret their votes.” The Huntsville Republican later gave somewhat tepid support for Trump as the nominee, telling the Montgomery Advertiser: “Voters sure are facing some tough choices in November, aren’t they?” (Although he did admit he would vote for Trump in November.) Last month, a Senate Super PAC — controlled by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — dropped more than $2.6 million and add support to help Strange. Appointed to the Senate in February by then-Governor Robert Bentley, Strange is part of a crowded 10-person field for the Aug. 15 GOP primary. A runoff, if necessary, will be Sept. 26; the general election is Dec. 12.
‘Morning Joe’ host Joe Scarborough explains why he’s leaving GOP
“Morning Joe” host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough is blaming the GOP’s loyalty to President Donald Trump and its failure to live up to its promises for his decision to leave the party and become an independent. Scarborough first announced the switch during an interview with CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night. He appeared as a guest with his co-host and fiancee, Mika Brzezinski, who recently was attacked in sharply personal terms by the Republican president. On Wednesday’s “Morning Joe,” Scarborough accused Republicans of abandoning their fiscal principles. He also referred to Trump, saying Republicans are “kowtowing to somebody who — inexplicably — shows them no loyalty whatsoever.” Scarborough was elected to four U.S. House terms from Florida starting in 1994. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Personnel note: Bill Ashley named president of Shelton State Community College
Long-time Mississippi community college official Bill Ashley will be leaving the Magnolia State and moving to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to assume the top post at Shelton State Community College. The Alabama Community College System board of trustees on Wednesday approved Dr. William J. “Bill” Ashley as the next permanent president of Shelton State. “Dr. Ashley’s community college system experience is impressive in terms of years and breadth,” Jimmy H. Baker, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System said. “He will be a tremendous asset at Shelton State, and we look forward to working with him as he takes the campus to the next level.” Ashley has worked almost two decades in Mississippi’s community college system, serving most recently as vice president for student affairs at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Miss. His prior roles range from student instruction to athletics to academic leadership. A Mississippi native, he earned a Ph.D. in community college leadership from Mississippi State University. He also has an MBA from Delta State University and other educational credentials in finance and accounting. “I am deeply committed to the mission of community colleges, which is to provide accessible education and opportunities to people throughout their lifetimes,” Ashley said. “I’m especially eager to be a part of the exciting things happening today in Alabama’s community college system.”
Birmingham’s Weld newspaper is “temporarily” suspends print publication
As of Wednesday, Weld, Birmingham’s six year old newspaper, has suspended its weekly print publication until further notice. According to a post on Weld’s website the suspension is expected to be temporary. As of July 13, 2017, Weld is suspending publication of its weekly newspaper until further notice. This suspension is expected to be temporary, as the company completes ongoing discussions regarding its future and the future of print journalism in Birmingham. In the meantime, Weld will continue to provide new content on its website, weldbham.com. While the reason for the suspension has not been made public, it is suspected to be due to the high cost of print publication and lack of public funding. In February, Weld turned to GoFundMe, a crowdfunding platform to help fund a three-pronged effort to hire more journalists, print more newspapers and expand distribution. “We’ll hire more journalists. We’ll print more newspapers. We’ll continue to grow our distribution footprint. And that’s the key. That’s the area for growth,” said publisher Mark Kelly in February of the GoFundMe campaign. “It’s to help us to not just offset the cost of doing community journalism, but to increase the audience, increase our page count, increase the number of people who have the opportunity to look at our paper, and to increase the amount of news and information that we provide that’s important. According to their fundraising page, they’ve fallen shy of their $300,000 goal, having only raised $12,010 from 116 donors.
SEC faces strong challenges as college football’s top dog
When LSU’s Ed Orgeron matter of factly declared the SEC as “the best conference in the United States,” he was mostly preaching to the choir in the league’s backyard. But the Southeastern Conference’s once-undisputed status as college football’s top league is facing strong challenges from both the ACC and Big Ten despite Alabama’s best efforts. The Crimson Tide certainly remains formidable as ever, if not invincible, at the top. Beyond that, there’s plenty of uncertainty — and in some cases mediocrity — in a league that won seven straight national titles from 2006-12. “If you’re trying to hit a moving target on this date and say, ‘Is the SEC the best league right now?’, the answer is no,” SEC Network analyst and talk show host Paul Finebaum said Tuesday at media days. “I think it’s probably the ACC. It’s marginal and you can come back and say, ‘Yeah but…’ “Results matter, and the SEC has lost two times in the last four years to the ACC.” Clemson toppled the Tide on a last-second touchdown at the national championship game in January. Florida State claimed the title with a win over Auburn four years earlier. The ACC isn’t the only league mounting a challenge to the league’s supremacy. The Big Ten finished with four teams ranked in the Top 10 in the final AP poll. The league did go 3-7 in bowl games. The ACC enjoyed an 8-3 postseason romp while the SEC’s 12 bowl teams managed just a .500 postseason record. The SEC sent a four-loss Auburn team to the Sugar Bowl, its most prominent non-playoff game. The Tigers lost 35-19 to Oklahoma. Still, SEC teams are faring well on the recruiting trail, with half of the top 12 signing classes in the 247Sports composite rankings this year. Alabama was No. 1 and Georgia only two spots back. For Finebaum, the difference comes down to the head coaches. The ACC has national championship coaches in Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, along with ex-SEC head men Mark Richt (Miami) and Bobby Petrino (Louisville). The Big Ten starts with Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, who led Florida to a pair of national titles, and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh topping the pecking order. The days of a Steve Spurrier-Saban-Meyer SEC coaching Mount Rushmore are past. “What do you have now in the SEC? I mean, after Saban, who’s next?” Finebaum said. “There’s no clear second-best coach. And even if you come up with that answer, it’s not concrete.” What is concrete: The ACC held the upper hand last season. That league went 10-4 against SEC teams and won four of five postseason games. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey gets philosophical when asked whether the league has slipped, even quoting a longtime manager of Manchester United. “That’s the nature of competitive endeavors — they’re very close,” Sankey said. “There’s a quote from Sir Alex Ferguson that I read that says in a fiercely competitive endeavor things aren’t decided until the bitter end. So you accept that. But I don’t at all think that’s a representation of slippage. “Our commitment is high, but you’re in a competitive endeavor. You want to win them all, but sometimes you don’t.” There does seem to be a wider disparity between ‘Bama and the rest of the league than among the top conferences. Alabama has won 17 consecutive SEC games, all but three by double-digit margins. A 54-16 dismantling of Florida in the SEC championship game would indicate a sizable distance between the Tide and the rest of the league, though rival coaches are mostly unwilling to measure that gap. “I don’t know the gap itself,” said Gators coach Jim McElwain, a former Alabama offensive coordinator. “I do understand this, they’re right now at the top. It’s up to the rest of us to go get ’em.” It’s clear the rest of the league — like the vast majority of programs — has been lagging well behind Alabama. Georgia coach Kirby Smart, a former Tide defensive coordinator, said the key to closing that gap will be not just recruiting top players but developing them once they arrive on campus. “When you do both, that’s when you got something special,” Smart said. “And I think every team in this conference is trying to play catch-up in regards to that. “I think each one’s getting closer, and we’d like to see that gap closed through recruiting.” And maybe, as a result, once again widen the gap between the SEC and other conferences. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Valerie Jarrett, top Obama adviser, working on book
Valerie Jarrett, one of Barack Obama’s closest and longest-serving aides during his presidency, has a book deal. Viking told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Jarrett is working on a book that will combine personal history and civic advice. The book is currently untitled and scheduled for 2019. “I don’t want to just tell my story,” Jarrett, a senior adviser during both terms of the Obama administration, said in a statement. “I want to share the experiences, life lessons and values that have shaped who I am and my ideas for the future.” According to Viking, Jarrett will describe her “circuitous journey” from childhood to the White House. Her book will be “a story of history, biography, politics and activism — and will provide ideas about leadership and being a good citizen in the 21st century.” “From her work on ensuring equity for women and girls, protecting civil rights, reforming our criminal justice system and protecting working families, Jarrett will share lessons learned about making change and her optimistic vision for what the future holds,” Viking announced. Financial terms for the book were not disclosed. Jarrett was represented by Creative Artists Agency, which also worked on deals for books by former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden. Jarrett, 60, has been friends with the Obamas for more than 25 years, when Jarrett was serving as deputy chief of staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and hired Michelle Robinson, then engaged to Barack Obama. She later became CEO of the Chicago-based Habitat Co. and chair of the board for the Chicago Stock Exchange, among numerous other positions. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
As Russia scandal touches his son, Donald Trump privately rages
The snowballing revelations about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer during last year’s presidential campaign have broadsided the White House, distracting from its agenda as aides grapple with a crisis involving the president’s family. The public has not laid eyes on the president since his return from Europe Saturday. But in private, Trump has raged against the latest Russia development, with most of his ire directed at the media, not his son, according to people who have spoken to him in recent days. The only comment from Trump on the matter for much of the day came in a brief statement via spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said Tuesday that the president believes his son is “a high-quality person.” On Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted that his son was “open, transparent and innocent,” again referring to the investigation as “the greatest Witch Hunt in political history.” The president also questioned the sources of the media reporting on the story. The bombshell revelation that Trump Jr. was eager to accept information from the Russian government landed hard on weary White House aides. While staff people have grown accustomed to a good news cycle being overshadowed by the Russia investigations, Trump aides and outside advisers privately acknowledged that this week’s developments felt more serious. Trump Jr. released four pages of emails Tuesday in which he communicates with an associate trying to arrange a meeting with a Russian lawyer. In the emails, the intermediary says the attorney has negative information about Democrat Hillary Clinton that is part of the Russian government’s efforts to help Trump in the campaign. The then-candidate’s son responds: “I love it.” This new setback raises new questions about whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Moscow during the election, a charge the president has denied for months. And it points those questions more directly at the inner circle of Trump’s own family. As has been the pattern for Trump’s White House, the controversy has sparked a new round of recriminations among the president’s team. Nearly a dozen White House officials and outside advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the mood in the West Wing. The president, in conversations with confidants, has questioned the quality of advice he has received from senior staff, including chief of staff Reince Priebus. However, Priebus has been a frequent target of criticism for months and even those taking aim at him now said it did not appear as though a shakeup was on the horizon. There has also been a difference of opinion within the West Wing has to how to handle the crisis, with some aides favoring more transparency than others. Some of the unhappiness centers on Trump’s legal team, which is led by New York attorney Marc Kasowitz. An unusual statement Saturday night from the legal team’s spokesman Mark Corallo appeared to claim Trump Jr., [Jared] Kushner and [Paul] Manafort were duped into meeting with the Russian lawyer, and was viewed as particularly unhelpful by senior White House officials. The revelations come at a pivotal moment for Trump and the Republican Party, as GOP senators race to finish work on a health care overhaul that has divided the party. Trump has largely stayed on the sidelines of the policy negotiations on the measure, but has still publicly pressed GOP senators to wrap up work on legislation this summer and fulfill one of the party’s central promises to voters. On Capitol Hill, some Republican lawmakers cast the snowballing Russia controversy as a distraction from the health care debate. “We ought to be disciplined and not be distracted by things that may be legitimate but not right now in our lane,” said Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The matter has also distracted from a brief stretch in which some White House advisers believed they were finding their footing. Trump aides, who view clashes with the media as central to the president’s agenda, were emboldened when three journalists from CNN resigned after the network withdrew a story about a Trump ally. Trump’s allies were also heartened by his trip to Europe last week, feeling that his speech saluting national pride in Poland was a high point of his presidency and believing that he held his own during meetings with foreign leaders at an international summit in Germany. But the afterglow of Trump’s trip quickly vanished, replaced once again with questions about the swirling federal and congressional investigations into Russia’s election meddling. And Trump allies took notice Tuesday when Vice President Mike Pence distanced himself from the revelation by the president’s son. In a statement, Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said the vice president “was not aware of the meeting,” adding Pence was “not focused on stories about the campaign especially those pertaining to the time before he joined the campaign.” Pence was named Trump’s running mate in the middle of July 2016, several weeks after the meeting involving the president’s son. Trump Jr, who is running the family business with his brother, huddled with friends and close business associates after the first stories dropped, his mood shifting from worry to defiance over the story’s lifespan, according to confidants. He has told those close to him that while he realizes the optics of the meeting aren’t ideal, he has echoed his father in believing that the media have overblown the matter and, despite some opposition among his allies, has said he wants to publicly fight back. But White House aides struggled with bringing forth a strong defense against the scandal that also touched Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser who attended the 2016 meeting. Though Sanders called charges of collusion “ridiculous,” the White House press briefing remained off-camera for the second consecutive day, limiting the power of her pushback. And the president himself was slated to stay out of sight. He had no public events scheduled for Wednesday until he departs for another overseas trip, this time to France. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: Senate race evolves into three-man horserace, Trump vs. mainstream battle
The race for our open U.S. Senate seat is evolving. Folks, we are in a brief 33-day sprint to the primary August 15. The winner of the Republican Primary will be our next junior U.S. Senator. The Dec. 12 General Election will be a coronation for the Republican. The eight Democratic candidates are irrelevant as are at least six of the Republican qualifiers. It is doubtful that either candidate can win the August GOP Primary without a runoff. Therefore, the two left standing will square off September 26, after six more weeks of grueling and negative campaigning. All early indications pointed to a two-man race between Roy Moore and Luther Strange. However, both of these high-profile veterans of state politics have high negatives. These high negatives surrounding Moore and Strange point to the high possibility of a third person winning this race. The possible outside horse has emerged. Tennessee Valley Congressman, Mo Brooks, is gaining momentum. He could be the surprise in the race. Brooks garnered an amazing amount of free publicity by being one of the Republican Congressmen targeted and shot at in the June shooting of Republican congressional baseball players. You cannot get any better introduction to Alabama voters than being given prime time news coverage as an Alabama congressman who is so conservative that a left-wing wacko, Bernie Sanders socialist gunman fires upon you while you are riding your bicycle to practice baseball for the Republican team. It is now a three-man horserace heading into the homestretch. Every poll has Moore leading Strange and Brooks fighting for the runoff spot with the Ten Commandments Judge. Polling indicates that the majority of GOP Primary voters in our state do not want to vote for either Roy Moore or Luther Strange. Both have a large reservoir of detractors. Middle of the road, urbane Republicans are turned off and embarrassed by Roy Moore. They look upon him as a demagoguing, backwoods, Primitive Baptist, religious nut. They cringe at how he might embarrass the state if he got to Washington. The Beltway Republican establishment fears Moore’s independence and religious zealot antics and demonstrations. That is why you will see millions of Washington Super PAC money flow into the Heart of Dixie to elect Luther Strange. Luther’s negatives stem from the way he garnered the interim Senate seat vacancy. The perception is that he is currently in Washington because of a brazen, audacious, corrupt deal between him and disgraced former governor, Robert Bentley. It looks to the average voter that Luther Strange and Robert Bentley were in collusion in a backroom deal where Bentley, in his waning hours as governor, gave Luther Strange the appointment in exchange for Luther, as Attorney General, not moving with prosecuting Bentley and his adviser. Millions of Washington money may be able to wash away the Bentley taint. That is what Luther is banking on happening. You are seeing the avalanche of TV and media buys for Big Luther. His Washington handlers are scripting him to perfection. They are keeping him hidden out of sight. They are avoiding all media and debates. They will slip him into an event and get a photo of him there then quickly whisk him away. They will not allow him to be interviewed by any Alabama media. They do not want him to be asked about the appointment. He was pretty good about avoiding the media during his six years as Attorney General. Therefore, his following the instructions of the Potomac pros is an easy script to follow. Two secondary officeholders could have probably bested Strange out of the runoff. John Merrill or Twinkle Cavanaugh would have been tough for Luther. The two best candidates from the Congressional delegation would have been Congressmen Bradley Byrne or Robert Aderholt. Either of these two thoroughbreds would have made the runoff with Moore. The Roy Moore versus Luther Strange battle illuminates a natural divide in the Republican Party. It is almost like two separate tribes. It pits the evangelical, Donald Trump, George Wallace Republicans against the mainstream pro-business establishment Republicans. As one North Alabamian told me, “We will see if Moses with his Ten Commandments comes down off Sand Mountain with the Hebrew children and slays the seven foot Philistine Mountain Brook giant.” See you next week. ___ Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state Legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
