Democrats call October 5th meeting on party bylaws
The Alabama Democratic Party’s governing board has called a Saturday meeting to vote on new party bylaws. U.S. Sen. Doug Jones’ campaign confirmed Tuesday that a majority of members of the State Democratic Executive Committee called for the meeting. The Jones campaign says the show of support from SDEC members across the state “is the first step in creating a more transparent, diverse and inclusive Alabama Democratic Party and complying with the DNC guidelines.” The Democratic National Committee in February ordered Alabama to bring bylaws into compliance and to hold new chair and vice-chair elections. A DNC panel gave the state an Oct. 5 deadline to approve new bylaws so it could hold new elections. Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley scheduled a meeting for Oct. 12. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Countdown begins for Alabama STAR ID requirement
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday urged people to update their driver’s licenses to STAR ID, which will be required next year for air travel. Ivey and Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Hal Taylor held a press conference on the steps of the Alabama Capitol urging people to get the STAR ID if they think they will need it. STAR ID is Alabama’s version of the federal Real ID program that required states to upgrade the security of their driver’s licenses. Starting Oct. 1, 2020, people will need the upgraded IDs — or a passport — to board domestic flights. It will also be needed to enter certain federal buildings. “The federal deadline is one year from today,” Ivey said Tuesday. “Y’all let’s not wait to the last minute. Please obtain your STAR ID today.” Ivey said it will be earlier for people to get the STAR ID instead of having to remember to carry a passport every time they fly. The governor held up a copy of her license showing the gold star that identifies it as Real-ID compliant. Taylor said about 450,000 people in Alabama have gotten a STAR ID. People will need to show several documents to verify identity, date of birth, Social Security number and address of principal residence to get a STAR ID. A list can be found with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency website . People will need to go to an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency driver’s license office, instead of a probate license office, to get the STAR ID identification. Locations and hours are available on the agency’s website. Ivey said her office will be doing multiple reminders over the next year. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Bradley Byrne: Holding their feet to the fire
With her announcement that the House will finally move toward impeachment, Nancy Pelosi has set in motion what the Democrats have wanted to do since Election Night of 2016. They will seek to remove President Donald Trump at all costs. It is frustrating for me that Washington is focused on these partisan impeachment proceedings when there is so much we could get done for the American people. For example, the President’s trade deal has bipartisan support but has not moved forward in the House. Of course, the border security crisis continues as well. Last week, I participated in the Federation for American Immigration Reform’s (FAIR) “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” radio row. Radio hosts from all over the country, including several from Alabama, assembled in our nation’s capital to discuss the urgency of solving the border crisis and fixing our immigration system. This should be a priority for Congress. Instead, Democrats are offering plans to cater to their base that make things worse. Democrats brought a bill to the House floor last week that would create a new government agency to provide vast new services to illegal immigrants. Common sense suggests we should end policies that drive illegal immigration, but what could encourage illegal immigration more than the promise of millions of additional dollars from American taxpayers? Unfortunately, there is no appetite in the House for solving real problems like border security. And while we are distracted by impeachment, little else will get done either. This entire charade is politically orchestrated theater. Looking at statements made by Democrats during the Bill Clinton impeachment in 1998 reveals the hypocrisy of the Democrat impeachment fantasy. Back then, Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor “we are bringing dishonor to it with our hypocrisy here in this chamber. Today, the Republican majority is not judging our President with fairness, but impeaching him with a vengeance… We are here today because the Republicans in the House are paralyzed with hatred of President Bill Clinton; and until the Republicans free themselves of this hatred, our country will suffer.” Is there any doubt that the current impeachment efforts are driven entirely by hatred of Donald Trump and his policies? There is a clear double standard! Jerry Nadler, who as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has been one of the fiercest proponents of impeaching President Trump, said in 1998 that “there must never be a narrowly voted impeachment or an impeachment supported by one of our major political parties and opposed by the other.” Those comments from two decades ago should destroy any fabrications that today’s partisan impeachment probe is driven by principles. Maxine Waters, who famously encouraged Democrats to publicly confront and harass Trump officials, said in 1998 “I am greatly disappointed in the raw, unmasked, unbridled hatred and meanness that drives this impeachment coup-d’etat, the unapologetic disregard for the voice of the people.” Her colleague Sheila Jackson Lee said after the impeachment vote that “we leave here today void and empty because our president will have been toppled against the will of the people of the United States.” Rosa DeLauro, a close Pelosi ally, said impeachment “is wrong and it is unfair. It denies the American people their right to representative democracy.” Clearly what’s good for the goose is not good for the gander. These representatives seem to think that the will of the voters should be honored, but only when those voters select Democrat candidates. Those of us who remember the Clinton impeachment battle know that impeachment sucks all the air out of the room. Everything else in Washington will stop. The American people deserve better. Democrats will continue to be distracted by their impeachment fantasy, but I will continue fighting to hold their feet to the fire.
