The latest ad campaign by Alabama candidate for governor, Tim James has stirred up controversy from all over the nation. Not a big surprise on the heels of the Arizona immigration bill which has brought new light to the discrimination of Hispanics in the United States. I’m not going to rewrite my entire take on the story for you, you can click on the following article to read it.
Candidate for Governor Tim James’s Latest Ad Campaign Plays Off of Voters’ Hate
Read this article on the al.com website about Tim James defending his statement. In the article, he says that safety is the primary reason. But, didn’t he say it was about money in his ad? Sorry, Tim James. I’m not that stupid. You can’t pull a switch like that and expect to slide right on by as if your intentions were good all along. There’s a non-politically correct word for that, too. It’s called BS.
Now, here’s the thing. Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, whether you’re running against Tim James or running with him, the outrageous behavior with which he has portrayed as Alabama norm should outrage you. Whether you agree that tests need to be given in one language or not, whether you agree with him that everyone coming to the United States should learn English before coming here or not, his switch should tell you that his motives are not about the issues he’s stated. It is very obvious now that he’s switched from saving money to saving lives what he’s trying to pull over on the voters of Alabama. It is very obvious that he is feeding into the discrimination that many people feel for Hispanics. Now he’s scrambling, strategizing, trying to save face; trying to convince voters that it was their safety he was concerned about all along.
But the sad part is, he still has a number of supporters who are praising him on, spreading the notion that Alabama is full of racists and bigots.
I understand how people can have the opinion that it should be about safety (even though traffic signs are largely universal). But that is NOT Tim James’s motivation. His motivation is to play off hate. Even if you are concerned with safety, he isn’t. Take a look at the ad again. Does he mention a word about safety in it? My point exactly.
If Republican is how you wish to vote, there are plenty of other candidates to chose from. At the bottom of the al.com article is a list of other Republicans running for governor.
And really, is the test issue the most important problem Alabama has? Not by a long shot.
Sources: http://www.youtube.com/user/timjames4AL#p/a/u/0/B9ohsvJHkbY
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/04/tim_james_defends_his_this-is-.html
