Race and the (Alabama) American experience: a personal journey post-Nov. 4, 2008

1. For South, a Waning Hold on National Politics [New York Times, Nov. 10, 2008]

Less than a third of Southern whites voted for Mr. Obama, compared with 43 percent of whites nationally. By leaving the mainstream so decisively, the Deep South and Appalachia will no longer be able to dictate that winning Democrats have Southern accents or adhere to conservative policies on issues like welfare and tax policy.

Read "Letters to the Editor" regarding this article at:

nytimes.com/2008/11/17/opinion/l17south.html?_r=1

2. Alabama's Exit Polls [CNN]

3. Alabama Primary Results [New York Times]

Mr. Obama decisively won the Democratic primary in Alabama, where African-American voters made up about half of the turnout.

4. Obama Cleans Up with Alabama Newspaper Endorsements [leftinalabama.com]

5. Vote 2008: Alabama newspapers endorse Obama by 2-1 margin [wadeonbirmingham.com]

Of the eight nine 10 newspapers that have published endorsements in the presidential race, five six support Obama, two three support McCain, and one endorsed neither. Before the cries of “liberal media bias” ring out, keep in mind that most of these same papers endorsed Republican George W. Bush in the previous two elections.

6. Map of Newspaper Endorsements in the 2008 US Presidential Election

Endorsing Sen. Obama (endorsed Bush in 2004): 58 papers, 4.8M total circulation

Endorsing Sen. McCain (and endorsed Kerry in 2004): 11 papers, 0.5M total circulation

7. It's Hard Being Blue in Alabama [Nancy Blackmon, Andalusia Star-News]

These days I feel a little like Kermit, except the lyrics to my song are, “It’s not easy being blue.” I’m experiencing what it feels like to be a political color that is different from the majority of folks around me, and sometimes it is, as Kermit sang, not easy.

...After listening to all the words of the candidates — not just the sound bites played over and over in ads and newscasts — I decided which message fit with my own values, made me feel the most promise for the future. Having done that, nothing I hear from the red side is changing my mind. And I know nothing I say is going to change a committed red voter to blue.

So maybe at this point, letting it be and respecting each other’s views and choices is the best thing to do.

8. A.C.L.U. Sues Alabama on Ballot Access [New York Times, July 22, 2008]

Like virtually all states, Alabama restricts the rights of many felons to vote, but in Monday’s suit the group contends the state is going beyond even its own laws. People convicted of nonviolent offenses like income tax evasion or forgery are at risk of being turned away by voter registrars in Alabama, the A.C.L.U. says.

Alabama does not bar all felons from voting, only those convicted of crimes involving “moral turpitude.” In 2003, the civil liberties group says, the State Legislature clearly defined what those crimes are: murder, rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, incest, sexual torture and nine other crimes mainly involving pornography and abuses against children.

At issue in the lawsuit is not the list enacted in law but an expanded “moral turpitude” list developed by the state’s attorney general, Troy King, in 2005. That list includes about a dozen additional offenses, most of them nonviolent, and several including the sale of marijuana.