Sunday Focus: Alabama GOP kicks state Demos

Alabama Democrats: Crumbling From Within

Statements from Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead -

The Alabama Democrat Party, a leaderless party with fewer and fewer followers, will debate a bylaw change supported by Joe Reed, a longtime black political activist, that would in effect tell voters in many counties they are not welcome in Barack Obama's Alabama Democrat Party any longer.

Alabama Democrats should no longer be called that. Instead, they should be called "Blackbelt and Urban" Democrats because that will be the makeup of their party's representation if this bylaw is accepted.

Joe Reed and his people want to eliminate representation in their state committee from counties that overwhelmingly rejected Barack Obama and his liberal party in the 2012 election and move those committee membership seats to counties where Barack Obama won or was competitive.

Folk's that is just a handful of counties.

On the other hand, Alabama Republicans represent all of Alabama's 67 counties, with even counties that never vote Republican receiving guaranteed representation on our State Executive Committee. We Republicans believe our policies of smaller government, personal responsibility and traditional values are universal and every Alabamian should have the ability to join our party.

In the end, Joe Reed and his team are going to hasten what is already happening, the complete and utter regionalization of a political party that once dominated the state.

As Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, I say to all Alabamians, but especially those of you in counties the Alabama Democrat Party does not care about, join us if you want a voice in your community and your government.

Conservative Democrat elected officials have left the Alabama Democrat Party in droves to join the Alabama Republican Party. We continue to invite conservative Democrats to join us if they subscribe to our conservative philosophy.

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     Of course the Alabama GOP has tried to preserve it's own party purity too. 

     Mike Hubbard told a Young Republican group recently that Democrats would be disguising themselves as Republicans to run in the Primary Election next year.

     And there was the recent dustoff over College Republican Stephanie Petelos and her support for gay marriage. The party considered a by-law blocking someone from being able to: 

“continue to serve on the steering committee if they publicly advocate a position contrary to the platform adopted at the Republican National Convention.”

 The change was rejected, but the fact that it go on the agenda for discussion shows the GOP has a pro-purity element too.

[UPDATE: the proposed change failed on Saturday.]

[The Sunday Focus is a regular feature of TimLennox.com]