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Folks,
Given the current state of affairs, with our end-of-month fundraising deadline in a few days and Tommy Tuberville about to drop $8 million on TV ads against us, I’m supposed to be using this Substack to ask you for money. I absolutely hate fundraising, and I try my best not to use the tactics most campaigns use to scare people into contributing. I strongly believe that if I’m going to ask you to contribute to my campaign, it’s got to be because I’ve inspired you and you share my vision for the future of Alabama.
So today, I’d like to try to do just that. Yesterday I gave a speech in Birmingham called “A Vision for Alabama,” where I talked about what it’s going to take to give ordinary folks a fair shot at a good life in our state. I’d like to share the beginning of that speech with you today. If—and only if—you like my speech and you share my vision for the future of our state, will I ask you to contribute to my campaign today. [ [link removed] ]
A Vision for Alabama
Given the current state of affairs in this country, I was tempted to just read a pamphlet from Thomas Paine. His words began with, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” You know what I’m talking about.
Sadly, I think those words capture what so many Alabamians feel these days. But instead of stating the obvious, I decided I wanted to begin today with a belief that has carried me in public life, and it’s carried me into this campaign from the very, very beginning.
I believe that there are enough Alabamians who refuse to accept the way things have been and who refuse to accept that this is the way things have to be. I believe there are enough people in this state who want to get past the culture wars and want to get to widespread, economic prosperity. Who want to know that their families, their friends, and their communities have a fair shot at a better life.
So today, I want to speak plainly about where Alabama is. How we got here. Where we can go, together. Not by pretending we all agree on everything. Not by checking your values at the door. But by recognizing that what is at stake for this state is bigger than any faction, any political party, bigger than any one person.
The truth we have to talk about is Alabama’s truth. To build something better, we have to be honest about what’s held us back. Talking about Alabama’s history can make us uncomfortable. And I’m not talking about the civil rights era, or the “southern heritage” of the Confederacy. I’m talking about an uncomfortable truth about how Alabama’s government is set up. It’s not something to do with race, gender, or status. It’s something that affects all of us.
The truth is, for most of the last century, our state has been governed by a small circle of people in Montgomery who learned that the surest way to hold onto power is to cut ordinary Alabamians out of the decisions that shape our lives. Montgomery, our state capital, is a haven for special interests and big money. And make no mistake, folks, both parties, Democrats and Republicans, have governed this way when they have had complete power for too long.
The method has always been the same. Divide. Frighten. Keep folks angry at each other so they never ask who’s actually running things around here. Who’s getting rich while too many hardworking Alabamians find it harder and harder to just get by. This is not some ancient history, folks. Ask anyone on the street today, Democrats and Republicans, and roughly two thirds of them will tell you the same thing: their state government does not really care what they think.
And folks, they’re not wrong. The oldest trick in Alabama politics is that once you are elected, you ignore what people actually need and what they actually want. Instead, you become beholden to big money and special interests in order to cling to that newfound power.
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Thank you for reading the beginning of my speech. I’ve got a lot more to say, and you can watch the rest by clicking the link here. [ [link removed] ]
And if what I’ve said reflects your own hopes for Alabama, I’m respectfully asking you to support my campaign today. [ [link removed] ]
Thank you,
Doug

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