All the Governor's Men by Katherine Clark

Author:Katherine Clark
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
Published: 2016-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

Editorial page, the Birmingham News, June 22, 1982

Toward the Future

Will Alabama cling to the past, or look to the future?

This is the question facing Alabama voters in the Democratic primary scheduled for September 7th.

Equally important: Who can best deliver a better future to the people of Alabama?

The answer might seem difficult to determine in an unusually crowded field of contestants. We believe the answer is obvious. To help clarify a potentially confusing picture in voters’ minds, we are coming out with our endorsement now for the Democratic primary and the general election.

Of the 6 candidates currently seeking the gubernatorial nomination in the Democratic primary, two stand virtually no chance of winning, according to polls and veteran political observers.

One of these is 67 year-old Percy Atchison, a retired attorney from Mobile who has never held elective office. A highly regarded member of the bar, a man of sterling reputation and personal wealth who has dedicated himself to historic preservation in Mobile and many other civic causes, Mr. Atchison is undoubtedly a worthy individual. But he has released no platform, has no campaign office, and has made no statewide appearances. He is not a viable candidate.

The other marginal contender is former governor James E. Folsom, 73, who served two terms during the 40s and 50s. Legally blind, he does not possess the best of health and has not been an active campaigner.

Two other candidates are better positioned to be contenders but do not constitute the best choice voters could make.

One is Lieutenant Governor Kyle James, 45, a distant relative of the current governor, Fob James, who is not seeking re-election. Prior to becoming lieutenant governor, Kyle James was a high school football coach and had never held elective office. He was presumably voted in on the wave of enthusiasm that swept his second cousin into the governor’s office four years ago. Although Kyle James has not been the disappointment or embarrassment that his cousin has proven to be, neither has he accomplished anything of note or substance indicating his fitness to take on the office he seeks.

In contrast, 65 year-old Billy F. Teasdale, known as “Big T,” is a veteran with 40 years of service in the Alabama legislature. He is currently at the end of an unprecedented 3 consecutive terms as Speaker of the House. Admired by both Democrats and Republicans as a pragmatic compromiser who can muster the votes to get legislation passed, he has often been tainted by scandal or ethics complaints, although he has never been indicted or under investigation. As a master practitioner of “the backroom deal,” Teasdale is entrenched in the politics of the past, in which special interests are invited to the table, and everyone gets a little of what they want, while the people of Alabama seem to get nothing and move no further toward a better future. He is not the man to lead Alabama where it needs to go.

The primary race really boils down to two main contenders: former governor George C. Wallace, whose last term concluded four years ago, and current Attorney General Aaron Osgood.

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