In recent years, the Democratic Party has sought to win back their Southern base by running candidates for the House and Senate as conservatives. Heath Shuler of North Carolina is a committed Christian and outspoken pro-lifer who won his seat in Congress as a Democrat. Gene Taylor of Mississippi, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, Travis Childers of Mississippi, and Charlie Melancon of Louisiana all won office as pro-life, pro-second amendment, conservative Democrats who support tightening border security and a balanced federal budget. These Congressmen are part of a coalition of Blue Dog Conservative Democrats.
This year, Alabama’s two open Congressional seats were won by Democrats who campaigned as pro-life, pro-second amendment, and proposed tightening our border. In the Second District, Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright won a seat that had been held by Republicans since 1964. Bright claimed that he actually voted for Gov. Mike Huckabee in this year’s GOP Presidential Primary (which means he violated the Democratic Party’s Radney Rule). Bright is a Deacon at Montgomery’s First Baptist Church, where he regularly hears strong Bible preaching from Pastor Jay Wolf, an outspoken evangelical Southern Baptist. Bright has been an outspoken Christian in public life.
In the Fifth District, Democrat Parker Griffith ran as a conservative. In his tenure in the State Senate, Griffith helped derail legislation to curtail illegal immigration and never sponsored pro-life legislation. Yet, Griffith won in a district carried heavily by the McCain-Palin ticket.
My question for these conservative Democrats is this: how will you fare in the Jim Allen Test? Jim Allen never blinked when President Jimmy Carter asked for his support. Allen had no trouble telling him NO. In fact, Allen’s last days were spent fighting Carter’s giveaway of the Panama Canal. Allen never cut deals to support liberal legislation. Allen was fond of saying that he drew strength from the people of Alabama and that the people of Alabama reminded him of that which was right. Allen often said that Washington needed more Alabama thinking.
Will these Democrats, elected as conservatives, be able to look Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the face and say no, even when she reminds them of the oodles of money delivered to help them from liberal sources? Will these Democratic Congressmen remind a liberal Democratic President that they represent Alabama first? The coming months will tell us how Congressmen like Bright and Griffith fare on the Jim Allen Test.
John Killian Blog
12/8/8
Magnolia Tribune
