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Blatant Truth of the Day
Posted on: April 12, 2017 at 09:10:19 CT
GA Tiger MU
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which is rather predictable, at least to me. And Ala. is hardly the only place it happens.
Blame Voters for the Political Corruption in Alabama, Experts Say
On Election Day, Alabama voters impose religious tests on candidates — not moral tests.
And that, in a nutshell, is one of the chief reasons why Alabama has so many crooked politicians, say two longtime chroniclers of the state's culture of corruption.
"If you are a politician in Alabama, you are against abortion, you are against homosexual marriage, you are a practicing Evangelical Christian, you always run on family values," said historian Wayne Flynt, who literally wrote the book(s) on his beloved home state.
In an interview with NBC News a day after Robert Bentley became the third Alabama governor in recent years to leave office in disgrace, Flynt said political scandals in what is arguably the nation's most conservative state happen because many voters don't set the bar very high for politicians beyond making sure they "tick off all the right boxes."
"For many people it goes without saying that if you're a politician, you're going to take a little off the top," said Flynt, a professor emeritus at Auburn University and the author of 11 books, including "Alabama in the Twentieth Century."
He added, "And it's not just Republicans like Bentley, it's Democrats too."
So, said Flynt, "if you're right on the issues" you'll get the Bible Belt vote .
"It's how so many white Evangelicals were able to justify voting for Donald Trump," he said.
And if a politician like Bentley — a conservative, anti-abortion, part-time Sunday School teacher — falls by the wayside, "there is the rationalization of the hypocrisy," said Flynt.
William Stewart, a retired University of Alabama political science professor and the author of "Alabama Politics in the Twenty-First Century," echoed Flynt.
"We are not noted for having a real high voter turnout and those that do often vote for politicians who reinforce their prejudices," Stewart told NBC News. "We have a passive citizenry that is content to let the politicians do their things as long as they don't get too far out of line."
Blame Voters for the Political Corruption in Alabama, Experts Say
On Election Day, Alabama voters impose religious tests on candidates — not moral tests.
And that, in a nutshell, is one of the chief reasons why Alabama has so many crooked politicians, say two longtime chroniclers of the state's culture of corruption.
"If you are a politician in Alabama, you are against abortion, you are against homosexual marriage, you are a practicing Evangelical Christian, you always run on family values," said historian Wayne Flynt, who literally wrote the book(s) on his beloved home state.
In an interview with NBC News a day after Robert Bentley became the third Alabama governor in recent years to leave office in disgrace, Flynt said political scandals in what is arguably the nation's most conservative state happen because many voters don't set the bar very high for politicians beyond making sure they "tick off all the right boxes."
"For many people it goes without saying that if you're a politician, you're going to take a little off the top," said Flynt, a professor emeritus at Auburn University and the author of 11 books, including "Alabama in the Twentieth Century."
He added, "And it's not just Republicans like Bentley, it's Democrats too."
So, said Flynt, "if you're right on the issues" you'll get the Bible Belt vote .
"It's how so many white Evangelicals were able to justify voting for Donald Trump," he said.
And if a politician like Bentley — a conservative, anti-abortion, part-time Sunday School teacher — falls by the wayside, "there is the rationalization of the hypocrisy," said Flynt.
William Stewart, a retired University of Alabama political science professor and the author of "Alabama Politics in the Twenty-First Century," echoed Flynt.
"We are not noted for having a real high voter turnout and those that do often vote for politicians who reinforce their prejudices," Stewart told NBC News. "We have a passive citizenry that is content to let the politicians do their things as long as they don't get too far out of line."
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Blatant Truth of the Day - GA Tiger MU - 4/12 09:10:19
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