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Alabama Scene
But the recent conduct of Sen. Phil Poole, DMoundville …and yes, Dr. Paul Hubbert of the AEA…almost made me nauseous. You perhaps know the story but it needs re-visiting. Sen. Poole was one of seven Democrat senators who had joined 12 Republicans to elect one of their own as president pro tem. On the night before the critical vote Sen. Rodger Smitherman, DBirmingham, switched his vote…leaving the coalition still holding an slim 18-17 margin. But on Monday morning, a little more than an hour before the vote, Sen. Poole announced he too was switching his vote. The reaction of those he had turned his back on was unusually harsh…he was called a liar, a man whose word was worthless, a man who wouldn't stay hitched. Now we know why Poole did what he did. On the day before he switched Poole was given a $10,000 contribution by Dr. Paul Hubbert of the AEA…and nobody was more interested in seeing the Democrats prevail in the Senate than Hubbert. Dr. Hubbert did not deny making the contribution to Poole but incredibly he said it "had no connection" with Poole switching his vote. If Hubbert said that with a straight face he deserves to win an Oscar in the Best Actor category. That Sen. Poole didn't stay hitched should have come as no surprise. Eight years ago on the eve of a similar vote in the Senate he had switched his vote only hours before the vote after being promised millions of dollars in road contracts for his district. This time his price had dropped to $10,000. Former Lt. Gov. Steve Windom, who was the victim of the Poole switch in 1999, came up with perhaps the best quote on this latest development: "Poole me once, blame him…Poole me twice, blame me." Said another senator: "Poole should have a business card which says "Have Vote…Will Sell." **** Say this about the often-times noisy State Rep. Alvin Holmes, DMontgomery. He is an "equal opportunity" protester on issues of race. His latest target is none other than Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr., who is a darling of black voters. He wouldn't even be in office were it not for the overwhelming support of blacks in the recent election. It is for this reason that Holmes is so upset. He is howling in protest that Folsom has named but one black to his staff…and worse…she occupies the lowest ranking position in the office. As he pointed out, without the solid support of black voters, Folsom would not have come close to beating Republican Luther Strange in November. For the record, in the 10 predominantly black counties in Alabama Folsom outpolled Strange by a whopping 44,000 to 15,000 margin. Statewide the black vote went about 90 percent to 10 percent for the Democratic nominees. **** Decades ago the Readers Digest…once upon a time the most widely read magazine in the world (TV Guide long since claimed that title) had a regular feature each month entitled "The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met." If I made up such a list, be sure a name included on it would be my buddy Fuller Kimbrell. Old time politicos remember the name…state senator, Finance Director in the Second Folsom Administration, and a major behind-the-scenes player in Democratic politics for decades. Fuller is now 97 years old, an age when most folks would be enjoying the fruits of their labors. Not my buddy. He has just finished his second book and knowing him, you will probably be seeing him at a book signing in every corner of the state. I am not talking about some paperback lightweight book…I am talking about a 500-page hard cover book with some wonderful photographs. His latest effort is entitled "You Won't Believe It But It's So" includes a long look back at his growing up days in Fayette County as well as his experiences in state politics. The foreward is written by former Gov. Albert Brewer. I am not in the book selling business and Fuller sure doesn't need the money…but if you like Alabama history and politics this book is a wonderful stroll down memory lane.
Bob Ingram has been covering Alabama politics for over 50 years.
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