The World Around You

As noted already by Politico (first in a blog, then a full-blown article) and Left in Alabama, candidate for Alabama governor, Rep. Artur Davis released a statement today blasting his primary opponent and advocating taking a step back from healthcare reform to focus on jobs,

Leadership is about building broad support for results.  By that definition, it is increasingly obvious that the political process in Washington has failed to lead on health care reform, and that Americans in every corner of the country want a different approach.

It is clear that Alabamians share the same deep concerns. They believe, as I do, that we need to get on with the essential task of revitalizing this economy and getting Americans and Alabamians back to work. They also agree that instead of trying to do too much, Congress should return to a simple focus: helping individuals and businesses afford the cost of insurance and stopping insurance companies from discriminating against sick people.

Ron Sparks, who supports the flawed health care legislation in Washington, should realize that he is not only out of touch with the state he wants to lead, Ron Sparks would even be out of touch in Massachusetts.

To put Sparks’ position in perspective – he supports new mandates and taxes on businesses during the toughest business climate in a generation; he supports raising income taxes and Medicare taxes while the costs of insurance would still keep rising; and he apparently has no problem with a process that has been corrupted with secret deals that favor some states and make the rest of us pay for their special treatment.

Whatever else you say about Congressman Davis, you cannot say he is afraid to lead.  The question still remains whether there will be enough people willing to follow.  He’s saying the things many Alabamians want to hear, but not necessarily a majority of those in a Democratic primary.  I am extremely interested in how this rhetoric is playing with the electorate, or if they’re even listening at all.

There was also an article today describing comments Rep. Davis made to the District Attorneys Association on Wednesday regarding gambling,

“Gaming, bingo, the degree to which we allow, don’t allow gambling, you recognize that we need practical approaches to those issues,” Davis told the group. Davis said the choice really is not whether the state is going to allow gambling or not, because the Poarch Creeks for years have had gaming operations over which the state has no control.

“The real question is, what are the rules of the road going to be? How do we regulate the gaming we have?” Davis said.

The key words in that quote are “practical approaches”…it’s a phrase you will hear over and over again from Rep. Davis and it’s one of the reasons his message resonates with many Alabamians.  You can have all the high-minded ideals in the world, but the practicality of how government works (or doesn’t work) and the problems we face is going to stare the next governor right in the face.

Rep. Davis is continuing to hit a strong general election message tone with his statements, it’s a gamble when he is not running unopposed to run this far to the right this early, but it’s also where he is most comfortable.  He has been a moderate voice in Congress and it’s apparent the campaign decided to emphasize that, even in the Democratic primary.  Will those that are more progressive than the congressman put their support behind Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, remain on the sidelines or swallow the bitter pill and acknowledge that, particularly in 2010, a pragmatic moderate governor who leans a little to the left may be the best they can do?

I’m interested in your comments below.