Steve Flowers: Jim Martin, father of the modern Republican Party in Alabama
Jim Martin passed away recently in Gadsden at 99 years old. His beloved wife of 70 years, Pat, was by his side. He was a true Christian gentleman. Jim was one of the Fathers of the modern Republican Party in the South. In 1962, John Kennedy was President. Camelot was in full bloom. The Congress was controlled by Democrats only because the South was solidly Democratic. The southern bloc of senators and congressmen were all Democrats. Because of their enormous seniority, they controlled both houses of Congress. The issue of Civil Rights was a tempest set to blow off the Capitol dome. Kennedy was under intense pressure to pass major Civil Rights legislation. However, he was up against a stonewall to get it passed the powerful bloc of southern senators. Race was the only issue in the South, especially in Alabama. George Wallace was riding the race issue to the Governor’s office for his first term. The white southern voter was determined to stand firm against integration and was poised to cast their vote for the most ardent segregationists on the ballot. Our Congressional delegation was Democratic, all eight Congressmen and both Senators. Our tandem of John Sparkman and Lister Hill had a combined 40-years of service. Lister Hill had gone to the U.S. Senate in 1938. He had served four six-year terms and had become a national celebrity in his 24 years in the Senate. He was up for election to his fifth six-year term. It was expected to be a coronation. He was reserved, aristocratic, and almost felt as if he was above campaigning. Hill was also soft on the race issue. He was a progressive who refused race-bait. Out of nowhere a handsome, articulate, young Gadsden businessman, Jim Martin, appeared on the scene. Martin was 42, a decorated World War II officer who fought with Patton’s 3rd Army in Europe. He entered as a private and became an integral part of Patton’s team, rising to the rank of Major. After the war he went to work for Amoco Oil and married a Miss Alabama – Pat McDaniel from Clanton. They then settled in Gadsden and he bought an oil distributorship and became successful in business. He was a business Republican and became active in the State Chamber of Commerce. When the State Chamber Board went to Washington to visit the Congressional delegation, they were treated rudely by our Democratic delegates who were still voting their progressive New Deal, pro union philosophy. Martin left Washington and decided that Alabama at least needed a two party system and that he would be the sacrificial lamb to take on the venerable Lister Hill as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate. Martin got the nomination in a convention and the David vs. Goliath race was on. By late summer the Big City newspapers could feel that Martin had some momentum. He was being perceived as the conservative and Hill as the liberal. Every Alabama courthouse was Democratic, all sheriffs, Probate Judges, and statewide elected officials. It was hard to imagine that the tradition of voting Democratic would change, but the winds of segregation were strong. When the votes were counted in November of 1962, Martin had pulled off the biggest upset in the nation. NBC’s team of Huntley and Brinkley reported the phenomenon on the nightly news. Republican President, Eisenhower, called Martin to congratulate him. However, things were happening in rural North Alabama. Martin had won by 6,000 votes but three days later, mysterious boxes appeared with just enough votes to give Hill the belated victory. The entire country and most Alabamians knew that Jim Martin had been counted out. Jim Martin would have been the first Republican Senator from the South in a century. Some people speculate that he would have been the vice-presidential candidate with Nixon in 1968. Regardless, he was the John the Baptist of the Southern Republican sweep of 1964, and father of the modern Republican Party in Alabama. That 1962 Senate race was a precursor of what was to come two years later. Jim Martin was one-of-five Republicans swept into Congress in the 1964 Goldwater landslide. He probably would have won the U.S. Senate seat of John Sparkman. However, he chose to run for governor against Lurleen Wallace. In 1987 Martin became Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. As commissioner, Martin helped create the Forever Wild land preservation program. Jim Martin has a special place in Alabama political history. 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.
Alabama GOP stands behind Roy Moore amid assault allegations
The Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) Thursday evening said it is standing behind the party’s Senate nominee Roy Moore as they offered their continued support ahead of the Dec. 12 general election. Moore has been under fire since The Washington Post published an explosive report last Thursday afternoon with the accounts of four women who claim he sexually pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens. As of Thursday evening, a total of nine women have levied accusations against Moore. The news has caused rapid fallout from dozens within the Republican Party who have called on him to withdraw his name from next month’s special election if the allegations are true, but the ALGOP is breaking rank with the national party standing behind the former Alabama Chief Justice. “The ALGOP Steering Committee supports Judge Roy Moore as our nominee and trusts the voters as they make the ultimate decision in this crucial race,” said Chair of the Alabama Republican Party, Terry Lathan, in a statement. “Judge Moore has vehemently denied the allegations made against him. He deserves to be presumed innocent of the accusations unless proven otherwise. He will continue to take his case straight to the people of Alabama.” According to Lathan, ALGOP Steering Committee, comprised of 21 members, met Wednesday evening to discuss the situation surrounding Moore. “We are very grateful for the multitudes that have reached out to us with support and prayers. We ask God to guide us, politically and personally, with His mighty strength and wisdom. In turn, we also pray that justice and truth will prevail for all involved in this situation,” Lathan concluded. Moore’s campaign Chairman Bill Armistead responded to the ALGOP’s statement of support on behalf of the campaign. “I appreciate Chairman Terry Lathan and the Alabama Republican Party standing strong behind Judge Moore,” said Armistead. “As Chairman Lathan alluded, there are sharp policy differences between Judge Moore and the Democratic nominee. Judge Moore will work closely with President Trump to rebuild a strong military, confirm strict constitutionalists to the courts, and reform and simplify the tax code, while the Democratic nominee supports Obamacare, partial-birth abortion and far-left liberals on the Supreme Court.” “The political establishment and the national media have put a bullseye on Judge Moore because he’s a conservative outsider who will go to Washington to fight for our values, but the voters of Alabama – the people who know him best – aren’t fooled by these tricks and lies. Judge Moore will spend the next three weeks traveling the state and speaking directly to the voters about job growth, tax reform, rebuilding the military, and stopping the overreach of liberal judges. ”
Former state senator, GOP Chairman to run Roy Moore’s Senate campaign
Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore has tapped Bill Armistead to serve as his campaign manager. Armistead is no stranger to Alabama politics. Most recently, he served as the Alabama Republican Party Chairman from 2011 to 2015. Prior to that he had served two terms as a state senator from 1994 to 2002. He was also the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor in 2002. “I am honored to have Bill Armistead serving as my Campaign Chairman,” said Moore on Facebook. “I have known Bill for over 25 years and know him to be an ethical leader of our party who consistently stands up for our shared conservative values. Bill will help us engage the real people of Alabama who are frustrated by establishment politics in Washington and want a Senator who will be their voice.” Under Armistead’s leadership, the Republican Party increased its majorities in the state legislature winning every statewide office and made record gains at the local level. “Judge Roy Moore will be the next United States Senator from Alabama, and I am proud to offer my endorsement and support. I encourage all my friends across the state to join the campaign today by visiting judgemooreforsenate.com or on Facebook @JudgeRoyMoore,” Armistead said in a press release. He continued, “Judge Moore has stood up for conservative values his whole career, often in the face of so-called, bi-partisan adversaries, and this campaign will be no different. The Washington establishment has made it clear that they want to hand-pick the next Senator from Alabama, but I have every confidence that voters in Alabama will stand with Judge Roy Moore on August 15th and send a proven fighter and tested outsider to Washington to shake up the status quo and support President Donald Trump in draining the swamp.” Moore will face nine Republican challengers in the August 15 primary.
Alabama GOP left to regroup after Robert Bentley debacle
Alabama Republicans who pledged honest government when they won control of the state now have what might be their toughest job yet: picking up the pieces after a third top GOP leader was run out of office in only nine months. Gov. Robert Bentley pleaded guilty to misdemeanor campaign finance charges and resigned Monday rather than face the possibility of more severe charges and impeachment by the Legislature, which was reviewing allegations linked to his alleged affair with a female aide. Appearing sullen during a plea hearing and later proclaiming his love for the state during a farewell address, Bentley joined House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore on the sidelines of power after being forced from positions atop a branch of government in Montgomery. Hubbard was convicted of felony ethics violations last June and is free on bond while appealing. Moore is suspended from his job as the head of the state’s judiciary after being convicted in September of violating judicial ethics with an order against same-sex marriage. Bentley’s replacement, GOP Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, promised an open administration after months of news reports and rumors about the 74-year-old governor’s alleged affair with an adviser nearly three decades his junior. “It will be transparent. And it will be honest,” Ivey said. But sensing an opening in a deeply conservative state where Christian values play well at election time, state Democrats pounced. “Republican corruption has spread like kudzu throughout our state,” Democratic Party chair Nancy Worley said in a statement. She added: “To get elected, Republicans told Alabamians they were the party of integrity and family values, yet they govern by fattening their own pockets, having love affairs, and disrespecting the founding principles of our government.” Alabama’s GOP Steering Committee had called for Bentley’s resignation, as had the Republican leaders of both the House and Senate. Bentley, a 74-year-old family-values conservative who won two terms partly because of his reputation for moral rectitude, was first engulfed in scandal a year ago after recordings surfaced of him making sexually charged comments to 45-year-old political adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason. Last week, the Alabama Ethics Commission cited evidence that Bentley broke state ethics and campaign laws and referred the matter to prosecutors who could have sought felony charges tougher than the misdemeanors to which Bentley pleaded guilty. Just days later, an investigative report prepared for the House Judiciary Committee said Bentley encouraged an “atmosphere of intimidation” to keep the story under wraps and directed law enforcement officers to track down and seize the recordings. The report portrayed the governor as paranoid and obsessed with trying to keep the relationship secret. The committee on Monday started what was expected to be days of hearings leading to a vote on possible impeachment, but Bentley’s departure stopped the process cold. He invoked his Christian faith during a farewell address in the Capitol. “There’ve been times that I let you and our people down, and I’m sorry for that,” Bentley said in the old House chamber of Alabama’s Capitol after he pleaded guilty. One misdemeanor charge against Bentley stemmed from a $50,000 loan he made to his campaign in November that investigators said he failed to report until January. State law says major contributions should be reported within a few days. The other charge stemmed from his use of campaign funds to pay nearly $9,000 in legal bills for Mason last year. “He did what he did and he deserves now to be called a criminal,” said Ellen Brooks, a retired district attorney overseeing the state investigation. The plea agreement specified that Bentley must surrender campaign funds totaling nearly $37,000 within a week and perform 100 hours of community service as a physician. The dermatologist also cannot seek public office again, but he said he plans to help the state in some, unspecified way. Ivey became Alabama’s second female governor. The first was Lurleen Wallace, wife of segregationist and four-term Gov. George C. Wallace. She ran as a surrogate for her still-powerful husband in 1966 when he couldn’t seek re-election because of term limits. She won but died in office in 1968. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama GOP calls on Robert Bentley to immediately resign
The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee, a 21 member committee governing body in charge of the direction of the state Republican Party, has called on Governor Robert Bentley‘s immediate resignation amid growing allegations of an alleged affair and the possibility of improper use of taxpayer funds to cover it up. “The ALGOP Steering Committee calls upon Governor Robert Bentley to immediately resign,” ALGOP stated in a resolution passed Sunday. “The overwhelming majority of elected officials are good, hard working people who love their communities, state and nation. However, when situations arise that are in direct conflict with the betterment of our people, we will speak up regardless of political party.” The ALGOP leadership joins fellow Republicans House Speaker Mac McCutcheon and Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh, in urging the governor to resign. “We’ve got a lot of important issues with the state, from education, to prison reform,” said Marsh at a press conference. “I would only ask that I hope that at the end of the day the governor would do what’s best for the people of Alabama.” The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin impeachment hearings Monday at 10 a.m. after the Alabama Supreme Court issued a stay on Saturday, which temporarily delayed the hearings. Bentley maintains his innocence. Read the full ALGOP resolution below: The ALGOP Steering Committee calls upon Governor Robert Bentley to immediately resign. The ALGOP Steering Committee commends the Alabama House of Representatives, the Alabama Senate and the Alabama Supreme Court for their courage and their diligence in the impeachment process while putting partisan politics aside for the people of the state of Alabama. While we are deeply saddened by these circumstances, the Alabama Republican Party holds their elected officials accountable and demands the utmost integrity of office holders. The overwhelming majority of elected officials are good, hard working people who love their communities, state and nation. However, when situations arise that are in direct conflict with the betterment of our people, we will speak up regardless of political party. Public service must be about the needs of the people being served in the great state of Alabama, not about an individual person. We have no doubt that our great state of resilient and resourceful citizens will once again rise above these difficult times.
Alabama GOP leadership passes resolution in support of Chief Justice Roy Moore
The Alabama GOP State Executive Committee passed a resolution over the weekend in support of currently suspended Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore at a special meeting called to elect alternate delegates to the Republican National Convention. Moore was suspended from his position following complaints made to the Judicial Inquiry Commission by the ACLU and other civil rights activism groups. The appointed body, which oversees the state’s judges, said the 69-year-old jurist “abused his office by issuing an administrative order to probate judges in January telling them an Alabama court order and law banning same-sex marriages remained in effect despite the U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming same-sex marriage six months earlier,” according to a report by The Associated Press. The suspension is Moore’s second, his first ending in an eventual removal from office in 2003 for violating a federal judge’s order to remove a large Ten Commandments monument from public property. Moore was subsequently re-elected to his position in 2010 in a landslide win. “Chief Justice Roy Moore has been a consistent proponent of our pro-life and traditional marriage values, which are the positions of the Alabama Republican Party,” the resolution reads, in part, “and… we believe that any statewide elected official should only be impeached and subsequently removed from office by the elected legislature.” ALGOP isn’t the first group to speak in support of the Chief Justice. Over the weekend, a group of conservatives rallied in Montgomery in an outcry over Moore’s removal. “We can’t believe what’s unfolding before our eyes here in Alabama and across the nation,” wrote the group’s spokesperson Hannah Ford in a release. “If you’ve ever wanted to be a voice for truth, for God, for marriage, for morality, for the Gospel, for your children and grandchildren, for the Constitution of the United States, and the laws of Alabama, this is your time. Chief Justice Moore has been a lone voice for God’s law and for a proper interpretation of the Constitution in the midst of those who hate both and now they’re trying to take him down.” Find below the entire text of the resolution passed by ALGOP. WHEREAS, Chief Justice Roy Moore was elected by the voters of the State of Alabama, WHEREAS, Chief Justice Roy Moore has been a consistent proponent of our pro-life and traditional marriage values, which are the positions of the Alabama Republican Party, and WHEREAS, we believe that any statewide elected official should only be impeached and subsequently removed from office by the elected legislature, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY the Alabama Republican Party that we call on the Court of the Judiciary to drop the politically motivated charges against Chief Justice Roy Moore, and THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY the Alabama Republican Party that we call on the legislature to pass legal changes that would prevent the political removal of statewide elected officials, unless done so by the elected legislature of the state. Adopted, this the 21st day of May, in the Year of Our Lord 2016, by the State Executive Committee of the Alabama Republican Party.
Email insights: ALGOP Chair urges Republicans to unite behind Trump
Alabama GOP Chairman Terry Lathan urged her fellow Republicans to “unite” behind Trump, who she called the “presumptive nominee” in an email Thursday morning. Find the text of the email below. Fellow Republican, I would like to begin by acknowledging and thanking all the Republican candidates who ran for the presidency this primary cycle. I want to specifically recognize Senator Ted Cruz and Governor John Kasich for their outstanding commitment to the Party’s cause throughout their campaigns. Tuesday’s decisive victory in Indiana’s GOP Primary, made it clear that business leader Mr. Donald J. Trump will be the presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee. Mr. Trump’s current delegate count stands at 1,047, placing him well within the finish line of winning the 1,237 delegates needed for our Party’s nomination. Donald Trump is no stranger to Alabama. Shortly after announcing his candidacy last summer, one of Mr. Trump’s earliest campaign stops was in August 2015 to Mobile. The rally drew an estimated 30,000 people to Ladd-Peebles Stadium after relocating from the civic center to accommodate the crowd! He again visited the Birmingham area in November 2015, where over 2,000 supporters gathered in the BJCC Arena. The third visit by the Trump campaign was in Madison this past February. The rally drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 people to the Madison City Stadium. In our state’s March 1 GOP Primary Election, Alabama voters selected Donald Trump as their presidential preference which earned him 43% of the total vote. Our focus must now be unifying our Party to take back the White House. To quote RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, “Unity makes the impossible possible.” Our unity will be seen worldwide this summer in Cleveland at our National Convention, but more importantly on November 8, 2016, as we defeat Hillary Clinton. Contribute now to support the Alabama Republican Party in our efforts to Take. It. Back. Terry Lathan Chairman, Alabama Republican Party
Jeff Sessions elected chairman of ALGOP national convention delegation
When delegates elected in Alabama’s March 1st primary travel to Cleveland, Ohio, for the Republican National Convention in July they will be led by Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, the highest-profile elected official to have endorsed frontrunner Donald Trump. Sessions was elected Saturday at an ALGOP delegation meeting as chair of the group, which consists of 50 pledged delegates, and 47 alternative delegates, who will be elected in May. Of Alabama’s delegates, 36 are pledged to Trump and 14 to Cruz. Chairman of Alabama’s delegation isn’t the only position Sessions has earned since announcing his open support of Trump in February. Last month the billionaire named Sessions chairman of his national security advisory committee. “We need to understand the limits of our ability to intervene successfully in other nations,” said Sessions when the appointment was announced. “It is time for a healthy dose of foreign policy realism. In the Middle East, this means forming partnerships based on shared interests, not merely overthrowing regimes in the dangerous attempt to plant democracies.” But having at the helm of the delegation one of most influential and vocal Trump campaign supporters could guard against any strategies to woo Alabama’s delegates to another candidate, should the convention be contested. In addition to Sessions’ election as chair, Trump delegates Representative Ed Henry (R-Hartselle) and Laura Payne were elected to represent Alabama on the Rules Committee, which will decide the rules under which the convention proceeds. These two positions, held in Alabama by staunch Trump supporters, could end up being some of the most important on the delegation. Traveling to Cleveland a few days before the convention, the members of the Rules Committee will decide what threshold a candidate must meet, and under what conditions, to become the party’s nominee. In what is shaping up to be a hotly contested convention, the Rules Committee will have even more influence than in previous years.
Jack Williams takes issue with ALGOP resolution rebuking Mike Hubbard
State Rep. Jack Williams is not happy with the Alabama GOP’s steering committee’s resolution calling for House Speaker Mike Hubbard to step down, saying his ethics case proceeded with “blatant disregard for the rule of law.” In a conversation with Alabama Today on Monday, Williams said the steering committee’s decision – based upon a vote taken on a conference call “in the middle of the night” – was driven by political opposition to Hubbard. “We have at least on member on the steering committee who doesn’t like the Speaker’s leadership, and they couldn’t win this battle in the caucus where the decision was made, so they took this battle to the steering committee, where they only had to convince 10 people,” Williams said, noting that fewer than the full 20 members of the body voted on the resolution. “This is an embarrassing way for Republican leadership to conduct business. “That’s unfortunate that this has happened because the steering committee has abandoned the principle of innocent until proven guilty.” Williams also criticized the committee for taken a one-sided approach to the problem, pointing to misdeeds by the Attorney General’s office reported in the media. “Right now we only have accusations against the Speaker,” Williams said. “The only violation of the law that we know definitively is we know the prosecutor … has illegally leaked secret grand jury testimony to the media. Maybe that might be where the steering committee should shine their little flashlights next. “The greatest threat to liberty in the state of Alabama is abandoning our bedrock principles of democracy like innocent until proven guilty, and having a lawless Attorney General’s office that operates without regard for the rule of law or the rules of the grand jury and the courts. The prosecutors should be about justice, not about eliminating potential political opponents or settling scores; it should be about justice.”
Judge tentatively delays Mike Hubbard trial until March
The ethics trial for indicted House Speaker Mike Hubbard was pushed back until March, which will overlap with the 2016 legislative session, a judge said Monday. Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker granted a defense request to delay the trial that had been set for October, saying he was doing so because of the number of documents involved. However, defense lawyers also objected to the new date, saying they could not be ready until early summer. Prosecutors and defense lawyers traded accusations during a hearing on a number of motions in the corruption case against the powerful Republican legislator from Auburn. Defense lawyers said prosecutors were being purposely difficult by doing a “data dump” of 2.5 million unindexed files during the discovery process. They said the files included irrelevant material and played a video that showed the bare backsides of two women dancing to highlight their argument. “The goal seems to be to make it as burdensome for us as possible,” defense lawyer Augusta Dowd told Walker. “We have to look at each file. The time consumed is enormous.” Prosecutors said they turned over everything because that is what defense lawyers sought and accused the defense of trying to delay the trial. “The defense is saying I’m looking at that blue sky, but it’s not blue,” lead prosecutor Matt Hart said. “The grand jury, they indicted Mr. Hubbard for being a corrupt legislator. … They deserve to have that resolved,” Hart said. Walker tentatively scheduled the case for March but asked lawyers to look at their trial calendars before naming a specific date. The 2016 legislative session begins in February. Defense lawyer Mark White would not say if the defense would object to the trial being held at the same time as the session where Hubbard would normally preside as speaker. However, defense lawyers told Walker they could not be ready before early summer, a likely sign that they will seek another delay. Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics counts accusing him of using his public offices as House speaker, and his former one as Alabama Republican Party chairman, to enrich his businesses. Hubbard and his wife, Susan, sat on the front row of the courtroom during the hearing. Hubbard’s defense last week filed a sealed challenge to the ethics law, according to courtroom discussions. The 2010 ethics law was one of the first acts passed by the GOP legislative majority that Hubbard helped sweep into office. Hart told Walker that the challenge should be filed openly even if Hubbard was “embarrassed” by challenging the ethics reform that he once championed. White said the filing was sealed because it included grand jury material. White said the defense challenge accuses prosecutors of misapplying the law in Hubbard’s case. Walker instructed the defense to publically file the challenge by Friday with the grand jury material redacted. The defense team scored a significant victory during the contentious hearing. Walker agreed to hold an evidentiary hearing in October on defense claims of prosecutor misconduct, including that prosecutors tainted the grand jury with their behavior. White said he wanted Walker to listen to audio tapes of the grand jury. “You can hear in the voice of Mr. Hart the venom he has for my client, Mr. Hubbard,” White said. The defense is expected to call multiple witnesses to the stand, including legislators who testified at the grand jury. “For us it’s a great day. It’s an absolute victory,” White said. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama GOP launches conference call series with Carly Fiorina
The Alabama GOP is having a series of statewide telephone calls with the first being held Tuesday with Carly Fiorina. In the invitation, Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan said, “In an effort to help us all get acquainted with our national Republican friends, who are interested in sharing their visions of our nation’s future, we are introducing a first for our state — a conference call series between possible presidential candidates and our Alabama Republicans.” Fiorina isn’t a household name yet but she’s hoping that in a crowded field her business credentials and straight talk stand out. Based on recent appearances to date here is what you likely can expect if you call in: She can be counted on to attack Hillary Clinton (though occasionally swiping at Bill): The New York Times reports that this is a favorite quip so you may even here it. She used it at CPAC and again at the New Hampshire First in The Nation Forum this past weekend, “Unlike Mrs. Clinton, I know that flying is an activity, not an accomplishment,” referencing Hillary bragging about how much she flew as Secretary of State. She’s all business: That’s the emphasis on her background. As the first woman to ever run a Fortune 20 company, Hewlett Packard, you can expect that to be a central part of any campaign and any conversation about her. In a National Review piece titled Fiorina Has Hillary Defenders Worried printed Sunday, John Fund described her business experience and her defense against her detractors. Fund wrote, “She believes she can connect with ordinary voters because her own experience shows how people can rise when they have economic opportunity.” He went on to quote her speech in New Hampshire where she told the audience, “For the first time in U.S. history, we are destroying more businesses than we are creating.” She went on to say, “The weight of the government is literally crushing the potential of the people of this nation.” She’s probably running for president. Quotes from Fiorina and her team have pretty much assured us of that. Saturday, on Fox and Friends she said it. Before that on an earlier Fox and Friends visit she put the odds at 90 percent. Reports Sunday night indicate that the announcement may come on May 04, putting her Alabama call just weeks before her launch.
