A sign of hope in the public discourse

by | Dec 19, 2017 | Features, Politics

Byron Williams is the host the radio show Public Morality. He will be joining PoliticsNC as a guest columnist.

On June 11, 1963 President John F. Kennedy, watching with aides, was appalled when Alabama Governor George Wallace, in a ceremonious display, portrayed himself as physically blocking two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from entering the University of Alabama.   Wallace’s stunt was a face saving measure to make good on a campaign promise he made a year earlier. Malone and Hood had already entered the campus by a prearranged agreement, while the cameras focused on the confrontation between Wallace and Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach.

The standoff prompted the president to turn to speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, saying: “I think we better give that speech tonight!”  In a nationally televised address, Kennedy would elevate the cause of civil rights to a “moral issue,” one that was “as old as the scriptures and is clear as the Constitution.”

From police dogs and fire hoses to a church bombing that killed four girls, the Yellowhammer state in 1963 became the perceived epicenter for hatred. This Alabama was, in part, what Sam Cooke had in mind when he sung, “A Change is Gonna Come.”   It was specifically what motivated John Coltrane, in the aftermath of the 16th Street Church bombing, to compose, “Alabama.”

But 54 years later, Alabama offered America a path to rise out of the ash pile of political intolerance that has consumed it for far too long.

One aspect of the recent Alabama Senate race between Doug Jones and Roy Moore should be viewed for what it was—a Democrat, in a ruby red state, narrowly defeated a deeply flawed candidate who should not have appeared on any ballot where free elections are held.   But another aspect offers that human decency and integrity can still win over brazen political pursuits.

The latter consideration was something that many Americans questioned.  Had American politics rummaged into a hopeless marsh of invectives, hatred, and “othering” that titillates its way to victory? Does our binary public discourse that exists largely on the arid and rocky terrain of allegiance to orthodoxy, reign supreme?  Could President Donald Trump, as he infamously claimed as a candidate, stand on 5thAvenue, shoot someone, and not lose any votes?  Alabamians answered these questions in the negative.

Though not a prognosticator for the upcoming 2018 midterm election, the significance of Jones’ victory marks the first time either party has broken serve since the president’s 2016 victory, by winning an election they were not suppose to win.

The coalition, in totality, that swept Jones to victory may be one not duplicated again.  The Jones coalition bore strong similarities to that of former President Barack Obama.

Jones’ tangible success was due to the high voter turnout among African Americans that reportedly exceeded that of Obama in 2008 and 2012.  Not only did African American turnout comprise 30% of the electorate, 96% voted for Jones. Young people (18-44), another key component of the Obama coalition also turned out heavily for Jones.  According to Pew Research, this group supported Jones at roughly 60%.

This part of the coalition, along with some disaffected Republican voters can certainly be replicated elsewhere.   But there is an intangible characteristic of Jones’ coalition that may be unique to Alabama.

Richard Shelby, Alabama’s Republican senior senator, provided a profile in courage moment that cannot be devalued as contributing to Jones’ victory.  Shelby publicly opposed Moore, stating that he voted absentee for an undisclosed write-in candidate.   Shelby made his comments on the Sunday prior to the election.  Jones won the election by roughly 20,000 votes, there were approximately 22,000 write-in votes.

Afterward, Shelby said, “I’m relieved and I believe a lot of Republicans are relieved that Roy Moore and some of his people aren’t the face of the Republican Party that I know.”

Shelby stands out, in part, because placing integrity over politics has seemingly become the exception.  This is the tragic byproduct when strict allegiance to orthodoxy is preferred over dignity.

Jones may indeed have been the beneficiary of a perfect storm, but the unique circumstance that led to his victory should not be discounted.

In May 2017, Montana voters had a stark choice between integrity and politics, sadly choosing the latter. Greg Gianforte reportedly grabbed a reporter by the neck and threw him to the ground, but was rewarded with a seat in the House of Representatives.

But the result of the Alabama Senate race was much more than whether a party gained or lost a seat.  It temporarily removed the scab of political, theological, and sociological hypocrisy that has been dominant in recent years.

In 1963, Martin Luther King said:

“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”

The irony is palpable that 54 years after King famously offered his “dream” for Alabama that would be part of a coalition that would put hope back in America’s public discourse.

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