Steve Flowers: TV still drives the vote
After the 1960 John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon classic presidential contest, television became the medium for political campaigns. TV became the new campaign strategy in Alabama in 1962. George Wallace, Big Jim Folsom, and Ryan DeGraffenried used TV that year for the first time. Unfortunately for Big Jim Folsom, his use of TV was the demise of his storied political career. His appearance on a live 30-minute paid television show was one of the most colorful stories in Alabama politics. He came on TV drunk as Cooter Brown. That’s a story for another day. Wallace and Folsom were used to campaigning one-on-one and asking folks for their vote. They stumped and had rallies in every county and hamlet in the state. However, in the end, they succumbed to the politics of TV. It has not changed but has become more pronounced over the last 60 years. This 2022 campaign for our open senate seat is nothing more than a TV show. TV has become such an integral part of getting elected to a U.S. Senate Seat that it appears that what you do now is just raise money or, if you have a lot of your own money, spend your own money and buy and design effective TV ads. The day of actually campaigning appears to be over. The only candidate who made an effort to campaign in every county, shake hands and meet folks was Katie Britt. By the way, she is the only real Alabamian in the race. Katie Britt’s grassroots campaign organization is what propelled her to an incredible commanding lead heading into the June 21 runoff. It looked for a while in our U.S. Senate race that a real outsider, Mike Durant, would be in the June 21 runoff with Katie Britt. However, the original frontrunner, Mo Brooks, clawed back to claim second place. As a lifelong follower of Alabama politics, I long for and yearn for the day when state candidates actually get out and met and talked with Alabamians one on one. Not to sound too provincial or old-fashioned, I believe that a person who wants to be Alabama’s U. S. Senator ought to really know Alabama and the people of the state. They ought to at least know what’s important to folks in our state, from Mobile to Scottsboro and Dothan to Tuscaloosa. They ought to know the intricacies and nuances of places and what industries and federal dollars mean to their locales. They need to know how important military dollars are to Huntsville, Montgomery, and the Wiregrass and also how much agriculture means to rural Alabama. In short, they should know some folks in Alabama if they are going to be their U.S. Senator. With Katie Britt in the runoff, she has truly campaigned and not just been a phantom TV candidate who flew in from New Hampshire or Colorado and tried to buy our Senate Seat and run as a celebrity POW hero. If we want to elect someone to our U.S. Senate Seat who is a celebrity and knows nothing about how to be a U.S. Senator for Alabama, then we have some folks that are qualified and are real celebrities and real Alabamians. We have two who come to mind who are a lot more famous and would be better. They are real Alabamians. Allow me to suggest Lionel Richie and Randy Owen. Lionel Ritchie was born and raised in Tuskegee and spent the first 25 to 30 years of his life in Macon County before he became world-famous. Randy Owen, the legendary lead singer, and founder of the band Alabama has never left his home in Alabama. He is Alabama-born and bred. He still lives in DeKalb County, where he was born. He walks his land and takes care of his prized black angus cattle every day. These two guys are real, sure enough Alabama celebrities and would make a lot better Senator for Alabama than some semi-Alabamian. 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.
Lionel Richie joins lineup for The Music of The World Games
The Music of The World Games has announced the addition of Lionel Richie as a featured performer at this year’s event. The Tuskegee native is set to headline the World Games 2022 Closing Ceremony on July 17th at Protective Stadium. The performance will be Richie’s first performance in Alabama in over two decades. “I’m honored to be joining all the talented artists performing at The World Games Closing Ceremony, and to be headlining the closing ceremonies is truly special. I am so excited to be coming home to perform in Alabama,” said Richie. Richie will headline the evening, joining other performers from the state of Alabama, including the legendary group Alabama, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Jamey Johnson, American Idol alums Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, and Bo Bice, and Martha Reeves. Funk legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bootsy Collins will still serve as Master of Ceremonies for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The World Games is held every four years, in the year following each Summer Olympic Games. Staged over 11 days, The Games represent the pinnacle of competition for 3,600 of the world’s best athletes in 30+ unique, multi-disciplinary sports. The World Games generates worldwide exposure for participating sports and provides a highly visible stage on which athletes from more than 100 countries compete for gold. More than 600 medals will be awarded to the competing athletes, including 200 gold medals for the ultimate champions in each discipline. The World Games is led by the International World Games Association (IWGA). This non-profit organization is composed of 37 International Sports Federations and is recognized by The International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Lionel Richie to be featured in Alabama’s voter ID campaign ad
Multi-platinum singer and songwriter Lionel Richie has agreed to participate in the Alabama 2022 photo voter ID and voter registration initiative. The Tuskegee native will be featured in addition to former President Donald Trump. Every year, the Secretary of State’s Office conducts a statewide multimedia campaign to ensure all registered voters have a photo ID, promote voter registration, and encourage voter participation. The campaign consists of statewide television and radio ads, as well as digital advertisements. In the ad, Ritchie states, “Hi, I’m Lionel Ritchie, and I have traveled all over the world, but I consider Tuskegee, Alabama as my home sweet home. I have such a pride in this state, and I know that there is something I need to tell you that is of great importance: Vote. Register to vote and get your voter ID today. It really is easy…easy like Sunday morning.” To receive a free Alabama photo voter ID card, applicants must complete the application and meet the following requirements: they must provide a photo ID document or a non-photo identity document containing their full legal name and date of birth, they must be a registered voter in Alabama, and they cannot have any valid form of photo ID that is accepted at the polls. To register to vote in Alabama, you must be a U.S. citizen and an Alabama resident. You must be 18 years or older on or by Election Day, and cannot be convicted of a disqualifying felony nor declared mentally incompetent. The next Primary Election date is May 24, 2022, and the deadline to register before the 2022 Primary Election is May 9, 2022.
Academy of Honor recognizes accomplished Alabamians
The nation’s defense secretary and a pioneering social justice activist are among new members inducted Thursday into the Alabama Academy of Honor. The Academy honors 100 living Alabamians for their accomplishments and service to the state and nation. The ceremony included honorees for 2020 because that year’s ceremony was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 honorees are: Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, former U.S. Congressman Jo Bonner, retired Maj. Gen. J. Gary Cooper, a decorated Vietnam veteran and the first Black officer in the Marine Corps to lead an infantry company into combat. The 2021 honorees are U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Huntsville attorney Julian Butler, retired judge John England Jr., former Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, Grammy-award-winning recording artist Lionel Richie, and UAB’s Senior Vice President of Medicine Dr. Selwyn Vickers. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump to skip Kennedy Center Honors awards program
In a break with tradition, President Donald Trump and the first lady have decided not to participate in events for this year’s Kennedy Center Honors arts awards so honorees can celebrate “without any political distraction,” the White House announced Saturday. The Kennedy Center said it respected Trump’s decision and the show will go on. Past presidents and first ladies traditionally host a White House reception in the hours before the Kennedy Center gala, which they would then watch from seats high above the stage. This year’s honors are to be awarded Dec. 3. The Trumps reached their decision Friday, said a White House official who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. It was made the same day that the entire membership of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities resigned to protest Trump’s comments about last weekend’s demonstrations by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. The president has blamed “many sides” for the violence that left an anti-racism activist dead. Trump has had a long and contentious relationship with the arts world and some Kennedy Center honorees, who are being recognized for lifetime achievement in their fields, already had said they would not attend the White House reception. One honoree, television writer and producer Norman Lear, had also questioned whether Trump would want to attend the gala, “given his indifference or worse regarding the arts and humanities.” Trump has recommended defunding the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dancer Carmen de Lavallade said on her website this week she was honored to be recognized, but would not go to Trump’s White House. “In light of the socially divisive and morally caustic narrative that our existing leadership is choosing to engage in, and in keeping with the principles that I and so many others have fought for, I will be declining the invitation to attend the reception at the White House,” she said. Singer Gloria Estefan earlier had said that she would set her personal politics aside to accept the honor, now in its 40th year. She said the image of a Cuban immigrant, like herself, being honored is important when Latino immigrants in particular have “taken a beating in the recent past.” Estefan once hosted a Democratic fundraiser attended by President Barack Obama. She said she and her husband, Emilio, are not affiliated with a political party. The other honorees are hip-hop artist LL Cool J, who had yet to say whether he would attend the White House reception, and singer Lionel Richie, who described himself as a maybe. Representatives for both celebrities did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday. Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter said they respect Trump’s decision. “In choosing not to participate in this year’s Honors activities, the administration has graciously signaled its respect for the Kennedy Center and ensures the Honors gala remains a deservingly special moment for the honorees. We are grateful for this gesture” they said in a joint statement. The honorees, announced earlier this month, will be celebrated at a Kennedy Center gala in December, featuring performances and tributes from top entertainers that will be nationally televised. A traditional State Department reception and awards dinner Dec. 2 will be held as planned. Rubenstein and Rutter said all five honorees were expected at both events. The White House said Trump and first lady Melania Trump “extend their sincerest congratulations and well wishes to all of this year’s award recipients for their many accomplishments.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
