Hey you DU Alabamians!

I was reading counterpunch.org and one of the columnists said that Roy Moore stood a good chance of being elected governor. I don't consider counterpunch to be the absolute best source of information (good for some things, not so good for others) but I was taken aback. Is there anything to this (the Moore thing)?

The polls show him losing by a significant margin in the Republican primary to the incumbent, Bob Riley. However, Moore's supporters, hard-right religious fanatics, vote in droves, like no other group. So things could get dicey.

I plan to vote in the Republican primary for the first time ever next year, so I can vote against Moore. Hopefully, a lot of others will join me.

I imagine Moore has a decent shot at winning the primary, but will not beat the Democratic challenger. From what I've heard, she has deep roots in the state, and is well regarded by Democrats and Republicans alike. It is my opinion that she might have a tough time against Riley, but will clean that Bible thumpin' fundie's clock.

It appears that Moore will be up against the incumbent governor, Bob Riley, who has come back from very low ratings a year ago. Still, Riley is vulnerable, and Alabamanians rarely miss a chance to pick the worst of the litter. The Democratic nominee is likely to be the current Lt. Gov., Lucy Baxley. She will have to defeat the governor who lost to Riley by a narrow margin, Don Siegelman, who is having legal problems and may have to pull out if his poll numbers drop. Alabamians generally assume that all politicians are corrupt, so when one gets caught, they don't care very much as long as they are getting their share of the pork. Still, I'd put my money on Baxley. If it comes to a show-down between Riley and Baxley, I'd bet on Baxley. If it's between Moore and Baxley, it should be Baxley, but remember that this state elected George Wallace governor four times.

It looks like we live in the same city. :hi: Look for the DU bumper sticker.

I'm seriously thinking about voting in the Rep primary so I can vote against him, and every Dem I know is considering the same thing. It's hard for me to judge though. I live in one of the most heavily Rep areas of the state. Someone else's perceptions are probably more along the lines of how the state is leaning as a whole, than mine.

Some people in Alabama love him but others loathe him just as intensely. The state's business establishment's not too wild about him, either, and they dominate Alabama politics.

I don't think Moore will even win the GOP primary.

nt

For a couple of reasons.

We actually have a chance of getting a good, Democratic woman governor.

I think Lucy Baxley could beat Roy Moore. Moore is not your average red state Republican. He's a truly certifiable religious wacko. Even regular, conservative Baptist and Methodist Alabamians are sort of embarrassed by him. But in a Baxley (D)/Riley (R) matchup, I'm afraid Riley wins re-election.

The other big thing to watch in this election is rigged machines. Remember that Riley took the governorship last time because of some weirdness in the middle of the night in Baldwin county, where they exclusively use optical scan machines. Somehow, thousands of votes were taken back from the Democratic candidate's total in the wee hours of the morning, after the watchers had left. It was explained as a "computer glitch".

This election looks to be a close one again, and it will be telling if there's another "computer glitch" that clinches it for the Republican.

Don't think so; the polls I've read down here on this don't look to good for Moore. I was surprised, but they don't. I think many Alabamians want someone good at other things beside publicity. If he wants to preach, that's fine, but let him do it in a church--not Montgomery.

Greetings from Talibama...hell YES it is possible, if not downright LIKELY that this crazy SOB will win.

The polling I've seen looks pretty dismal for Moore.

Which buys air time and helps obliterate the truth. Incumbent Gov. Riley isn't really popular with anyone and the Dems have no candidate except retread Don Siegleman who is currently under indictment on some trumped up charge from the old Republican bitch they installed as US Attorney down here in Talibama.

You've never heard of Lucy Baxley? You know, the lieutenant governor? The one everybody expects to win the primary? The one who's been discussed as a gubernatorial candidate for several years now? That Lucy Baxley?

along with Jim and Marsha,Roger and Maudie, and so on. I don't think she has a snowballs chance in hell of winning a General Election (the Bubba factor) so she simply CAN'T win the nomination. I like the idea of Dr. David Bronner running but it won't happen. Hope you find this and glad that "You Heart Lucy" and my difference in opinion is nothing personal.

in getting two of his stooges elected to the Supreme Court, and he's got others lined up to run for various legislative and statewide offices. Pre-election polls in 2004 showed Kerry winning Ohio, but the "churchies" made the difference. The same thing could happen here for Moore.

n/t

I will not under any circumstances vote for Riley, primary or otherwise.
Siegelman is our best hope of winning. As for Moore, all the conservative radio talk shows are really getting behind him. No one likes Riley. Alot of republicans are still pissed at his billion dollars
in taxes he tried to get through.

As far as baxley goes. I still have not forgotten how her husband lost us the governorship by stealing the primary. He lost and then convinced the party to nullify the election results and give him the win. Plus lucy will not admit that we have an illegal alien problem of huge proportions here. I just don't think she is the one. Not this time.

within the Democratic Party is lack of leadership. I'll give Joe Turnham a chance but we need leadership and candidates not under indictment.

He encouraged Republicans to cross over and vote in the Democratic primary, which is not allowed in Alabama, and then used his power as Attorney General to prevent poll workers from enforcing the rules against crossover voting.

No bigger crook has ever held office in Alabama than Charlie Graddick.

who made this thread. Next time I'll put out some cheese and cornichons

about this one....

How many more times will they do that, I wonder?

Why can't they fight fair? Oh. I forgot. Because they're republicans, of course.

I don't think it is fair to blame her for what her EX-husband did. Personally, I think she would be a stronger candidate than Siegelman, but I could be wrong.

He's gonna win.

Forget the polls. They always underestimate two major constituencies in Alabama -- black voters and Wal-Mart Republicans.

People tend to forget that Roy Moore won statewide office already. More than 800,000 people voted for him when he ran for chief justice. He is not some rube who doesn't know how to run for office.

And he has already scored the first big win in the election -- he came out in opposition to the state's requirement that counties reassess property for tax purposes every year instead of every four years as used to be the case. This is a winning issue and he has claimed it as his own. Other candidates have basically said "me too" or "We'll have to look at that." Wrong move.

Riley? I like him. He is a good and decent man. I wholeheartedly supported his education reform package that voters shot down big time. He is a Christian who understands that being a Christian means taking care of those less fortunate than you. In fact, I voted for him. I refused to vote for Siegelman. Siegelman is the embodiment of sleaze and I will not vote for someone who is corrupt, the jury's most recent acquittal notwithstanding.

But Riley is out of his league in this one. He has the support of the business community, which fears Moore intensely. Moore is a wild card who is said to have various populist economic leanings. Riley will get the money from ALFA and the rest of the landed aristocracy in Alabama. Moore will get the shock troops from the Christian Coalition. He'll have the preachers, he'll have the Wal-Mart Republicans and he will have a ton of $20 donations from everyone who wants to put God back in the schools.

The Wal-Mart Republicans don't like Riley because his education reform package tried to raise their taxes and because they don't trust those pointy-headed teacher's union people.

My prediction is that More will weaken Riley enough that another mainstream Republican will enter the race thinking he can sneak in. This will split Riley's vote and it won't even be close.

Moore will then go on to beat Lucy Baxley in the general election. Two reasons: 1. She's a woman and lots of people here won't vote for a woman. 2. She has never had to run a knockdown-drag out, no-holds-barred campaign, which is what it will take to beat Moore.

Will Moore destroy Alabama? No. Primacy in politics in Alabama belongs to the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Moore will discover this just as every other governor in the last 100 years has.

He'll get frustrated and run for president.

Then he's y'all's problem.