By Joey Kennedy
Alabama Political Reporter
What is it about us? What is it that we can’t see straight? That we can’t see we’re in need of serious leadership? That we can’t see we don’t have it?
What is it about us? What is it that we allow our public officials to ignore us, unless it’s to their advantage? What is it we allow U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby to run against President Barack Obama, who won’t even be in office when Shelby is re-elected —which he certainly will be because we’re stupid?
What is it about us? What is it we allow Gov. Robert Bentley to continue delaying Medicaid expansion when that expansion would give Alabama millions – billions – of federal dollars to help economic expansion, the budgets? What is it that we’re afraid of helping hundreds of thousands of our citizens get health care they cannot afford or get right now? What is it?
What is it about us? That we continue to support a speaker of the house who is charged with 23 counts of corruption, but we don’t demand he step aside and give Alabama a clear path to leadership? What is it?
What is it about us? What is it that we so much hate immigrants that we agree with the fear-mongers that Syrian refugees or others shouldn’t come to Alabama because they may be terrorists.
Like Tim McVey, the Christian terrorist who bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City, Okla.? Or that nut who attacked the Planned Parenthood office in Colorado before Christmas? Or that nut who shot first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.? Or that nut who shot up those people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.? Or that nut who shot up U.S. Rep. Gabby Gifford’s group in Arizona? Those nuts?
But keep these immigrants, these refugees out of the United States. They’re dangerous.
All of those “immigrant” shooters, right?
What is it about us? The best development recently is that Sarah Palin, that bright light of reason and intelligence, has endorsed Donald Trump — that hateful, racist, Angry White Man who is leading the Republican race for president.
Republicans who support Trump must own their bigotry. They cannot support Trump without knowing they are bigots. There’s no way around that. They are bigots if they support Trump, who is the biggest of bad-hair bigots in the nation.
Bring it on. I hope Trump gets the Republican nomination. Then we’re assured, without a shadow of a doubt, that a Democrat — even if it’s Hillary Clinton — will be president. Even if it’s Bernie Sanders, that horrid Socialist. Even if it’s a rock.
A majority of U.S. voters will never elect a hateful Republican. And Trump, and Ted Cruz, and Mario Rubio, and Ben Carson are hateful Republicans. They don’t stand for what America is. They don’t stand for anything but hate and divisiveness and, well, hate.
America, we are better than this. But we have to know we’re better than this.
What is it about us? What’s wrong is we believe Shelby is standing up every day against Obama. He’s not. He’s getting as much money from lobbyists as he can get. He’s not a good person. Indeed, he’s a bad person, a Senator for Life, and we let him be.
Stop it. What’s wrong with us? We respond to the politics of fear. We respond to making others less than we are. But they’re not. They are US.
What is it about us? We’re wrong with us? And until we acknowledge that, and change, we’ll continue to be wrong. Wrong in so many ways.
Wake up, Alabama. Don’t let the haters, the Roy Moores, the Robert Bentleys, the Jeff Sessions, the Richard Shelbys, suck us in.
Push back, Alabama. Do it. Or we’ll never shake what’s wrong with us. And there’s plenty wrong with us. Plenty.
Be brave, and go forward. Despite the haters. Don’t let them take your heart. Don’t let them take your soul. Don’t let them. Tell them NO!
What is it about us?
Tell them. Tell them now, or they’ll tell you.
Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes a column every Wednesday for Alabama Political Reporter. Email: joeykennedy@me.com.
