What’s it going to take for Alabama Democrats to stop fighting each other?
That’s a serious question. In fact, right now, with the current state of affairs in this country and state, it’s a deadly serious question. We desperately need a second voice in this state to force compromise and reel back in the far-right overreach that has left us teetering on the brink of a disaster.
We have people going hungry in record numbers. We have major cuts to critical healthcare funding. We have more cuts to programs that feed our children and needy. We just watched helplessly as rightwingers, doing the bidding of the elites who fund them, stole hundreds of millions annually from public education and called it “choice.”
We’re banning books. We’re labeling diversity, equality and inclusion as bad things. We’re rolling back protections for children who are different.
And in the meantime, the people who oppose all of that—the sane ones who govern from a standpoint of compassion and lifting up our most vulnerable—are fighting each other.
Still.
The long-running fight between the Joe Reed and Doug Jones factions of the Alabama Democratic Party is well documented. And well past tired. But last week offered a glimpse at other underlying issues—the sorts of issues that continue to keep Alabama Dems from pushing forward. It involved the Figures family—U.S. Rep. Shomari and his mother, Alabama Sen. Vivian Figures—and Rep. Barbara Drummond, who was running for mayor of Mobile.
According to various people and a slew of posts on social media, during Drummond’s oh-so-close bid to be elected Mobile’s new mayor—a bid that fell about a thousand votes short last Tuesday—the Figures family was notably silent. That’s important because the Figures family, in Mobile circles, is very influential and rightfully held in high regard.
As recognizable Dems from around the state and country, including Kamala Harris and Sen. Raphael Warnock from Georgia and Doug Jones and others from Alabama, made public appearances and public endorsements of Drummond in the race, nary a peep came from the Figures camp.
Rumors swirled that the silence was the result of a rift dating back to Shomari Figures’ run for Congress against Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels. Drummond, who was part of the House leadership team with Daniels and worked closely with him, backed Daniels in the race. Given that Drummond was from Mobile, this was seen as a slight by the Figures family, or so the story goes.
The fallout has been as pointed and nasty as you might expect from today’s social media world. Memes and anonymous digs have been spread around. Arguments have taken place. And another rift between Democrats has taken place.
I’m begging y’all. Please stop this.
Because here’s what I know about both sides in this fight—and in the dozens like them that are happening throughout the Alabama Democratic Party: Y’all are all good people.
Shomari and Vivian Figures are good people. They’ve done really good things—life changing things—for a whole bunch of people. They’ve fought fights that would wear out people. They’ve banged their heads against the Republican wall in this state and they’ve advocated for people who would otherwise have no advocate.
Barbara Drummond is equally good. She’s a smart, no-nonsense person who digs into issues and policy and crafts solutions that address some of the most severe injustices and shortcomings in our society. She focuses on lifting from the bottom, protecting the vulnerable and pushing progressive ideas that will truly make a difference.
Mobile is worse off because she is not the mayor-elect.
Look, I get the personal hurt and that sometimes things are said and done that make it really, really hard to support someone even when you mostly agree with them on major issues. But, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, it’s time for Democrats to start acting a little more like Republicans.
By that, I mean it’s time to stop focusing so much effort on the battles and care much, much more about the war.
If there’s one thing that Republicans have proven in the era of Trump, it’s that they can squabble and fight amongst themselves, but once the race turns general, it’s time to circle the wagons and win the seat. And it doesn’t matter if that seat is in the White House or a state house or a mayor’s office.
Now, I’m not advocating for blind party loyalty. I’m advocating for supporting people, no matter how much they might piss you off, who largely hold the same ideals and goals as you.
Win the war.
Because until you win the war—or at least show up for one—all of this fighting is completely inconsequential. No one is benefiting from your more popular ideas. No one is experiencing your saner style of governance. No one is being aided by your compassion and decency. No one is better off.
Take Drummond, for example. Every one of us with progressive ideals and a desire to see Mobile’s most pressing issues be addressed smartly knows that Drummond was the right choice. I don’t care if she said something bad about my mama. She was the best person for that job and no petty personal difference should lead me to prevent her—or from helping her—to serve the people of the city.
The same goes for every race up and down the ballot.
Democrats have a real opportunity right now to connect with people. The Republican Party has completely lost touch with the average working person. They don’t have a single idea how to both provide tax cuts to rich people and also implement changes that will help the average working American pay for dinner, housing and their kids.
Democrats do.
In the coming months and years, the people of this state—and all over America—are going to be in desperate need of leaders with good ideas, compassion, decency, intelligence and integrity. We’re going to be hurting financially. We’re going to have to get creative in order to save lives and provide people with the assistance they need.
There’s only one group of people with the ability to provide all of that. If y’all would just stop fighting long enough so people could see you.
