Sparks begins general election campaign

With Republicans still in limbo over who will be in a runoff next month to decide its nominee for governor, Democratic nominee Ron Sparks moved forward with his campaign on Wednesday talking about taxing bingo, passing a lottery, holding BP accountable and criticizing state Republicans who have already attacked him.
The popular two-term agriculture commissioner addressed the media at his Montgomery headquarters just hours after soundly defeating U.S. Rep. Artur Davis for the Democratic nomination.
Sparks finished with 62 percent, claiming his third impressive statewide victory. He won his second term as agriculture commissioner in 2006 with victory in 62 of the state's 67 counties.
Sparks talked about taxing gambling, the most predominant issue he pushed in the primary, about how Davis helped prepare him for the general election, and how Republicans began their attack "before the ink dried."
He vowed to run a positive campaign, but he criticized the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, state Rep. Mike Hubbard, for being so quick to attack him. The party released a statement soon after Sparks claimed victory on Tuesday, chastising him for supporting the health care overhaul passed by Congress and connecting him to two convicted felons, including former Gov. Don Siegelman, who endorsed Sparks.
If the Republican Party wants to use those tactics, Sparks said "the people of Alabama will know Mike Hubbard" by November.
Sparks said he has supported health care as agriculture commissioner and believes people deserve the opportunity to receive affordable health care.
While there is a lot of rhetoric and emotion surrounding the health care issue, he said "there's nobody in Alabama who’s read that 2,000-page document."
Sparks said people should give the law a chance and work to change portions that are not effective.
Sparks, still enjoying his lopsided win the night before, said he has won Republican votes before.
"There are Republicans who are hurting," he said.
Sparks was asked why he believed voters would approve a state lottery when it was defeated soundly in 1999, when Siegelman was governor.
He said the cost of tuition has almost doubled since then to about $30,000, the cost of health care has continued to rise, foreclosures are up, the unemployment rate is higher, and the banking system and auto industries collapsed.
"The environment is totally different," Sparks said.
The commissioner said he would not support a proposal that directed money to areas other than pre-kindergarten and scholarships.
Sparks said the lottery has been successful in Georgia and helped thousands of children attend college.
"The average family will not see their child's dream come true if I am not elected," he said.
Sparks said he would call a special session after the inauguration, if he was elected, to push legislators to tax and regulate bingo.
"There's too much money laying on the table ... ," he said. "There has been gambling in Alabama for 30 years. We need to get our head out of the sand and (stop) pretending there's not gambling in Alabama."
"The bottom line is the people of Alabama are hurting."
He has proposed using the revenue from taxing gaming to help fund education and Medicaid, which he said would he in a hole without the help from the stimulus money from Washington.
Since early in the campaign, Sparks has said the "people of Alabama deserve the opportunity to vote."
Sparks said his administration would be more accountable. He said he would hire an inspector general to ensure "every dime is spent wisely."
Sparks said he has reached out to Davis, who asked Democrats to support Sparks in his concession speech on Tuesday."
He said his Democratic rival helped prepare him for the general election by working hard and keeping the campaign on alert with tough shots.
"He is a good congressman. We welcome his advice," Sparks said.
Sparks credited his win to his support from black political organizations, 28 sheriffs, labor unions and a variety of other groups.
While other people are attacking organizations, he said he would ask "everyone for their vote."
"A governor brings people together," Sparks said.
While Republicans are battling in a runoff to determine who faces Sparks in the general election, the commissioner said he hopes to organize and raise money. He said there were a lot of endorsements he did not receive, but said he and his staff worked long days.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Curran to sign copies of Siegelman book in Montgomery

Former Mobile Press-Register reporter Eddie Curran will be in Montgomery on Thursday to sell and sign copies of his book, "The Governor of Goat Hill: Don Siegelman, the Reporter who Exposed his Crimes, and the Hoax that Suckered some of the Top Names in Journalism."

The assistant U.S. attorneys who prosecuted Siegelman, who was governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003, credited Curran's investigative reporting on the administration with sparking their investigation.

Curran will be at the Farmer's Market Cafe, 315 N. McDonough St., from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Quite a few legislators, lobbyists and staffers purchased his book when he was selling and signing copies at the State House in January.

People can find out more about Curran and his book at www.eddiecurran.com.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Davis recommends Beck for U.S. attorney

U.S. Rep. Artur Davis said there is opposition from Alabama's senators to the nomination of Joe Van Heest to be the next U. S. attorney in this district so he is nominating defense attorney George Beck.
Davis, in a statement, said he has learned the White House will not nominate Van Heest for the chief prosecutor in the Middle District of Alabama because of the state's U.S. Senate delegation.
"I believe that Van Heest would have made a superb chief federal prosecutor for the district, and I am disappointed that he will not have the opportunity to serve," Davis said.
The congressman, a Birmingham Democrat who is running for governor, said he will instead recommend Beck to the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice. He said Beck is a longtime veteran of the Montgomery legal community.
"Beck has built a bipartisan reputation as one of the most respected and successful members of the state's criminal defense bar and in my opinion would be confirmed by the United States Senate," Davis said.
Beck did not respond to calls to his Montgomery law office on Thursday afternoon.
Attempts to reach Alabama's U.S. senators, Richard Shelby of Tuscaloosa and Jeff Sessions of Mobile, were unsuccessful.
Some Democrats have voiced their displeasure over Beck because he represented Nick Bailey, a key defense witness in the case against former Gov. Don Siegelman. Attorneys in the Middle District prosecuted Siegelman.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen