I had to do a search to find the article. The headline doesn't mention Trump: "Alabama Votes for Tommy Tuberville, and Democrats Name a Challenger in Maine/A former college football coach defeated Jeff Sessions in a Republican runoff in Alabama, and Sara Gideon will challenge Susan Collins for the Senate in Maine. Key races also took place in Texas." But Trump is mentioned in the subheadline like this:
Trump’s support lifts Tuberville to victory.If Tuberville had lost, the stinging defeat for Trump would have been trumpeted.
Jeff Sessions spent his final days on the campaign trail reiterating his support for President Trump’s agenda, reminding voters of his efforts to curb illegal immigration while attorney general and emphasizing how, as a senator, he had endorsed Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign at a time when few others in Washington would.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough. And in truth, after Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Sessions’s opponent, it probably never was.
On Tuesday, Mr. Sessions lost the Alabama Senate Republican runoff election to Tommy Tuberville, a former Auburn University football coach whose platform was largely a blanket promise to support the president at all times.It's not that Trump is popular and powerful but that Alabamans are sheep — the NYT found a Republican to say that.
“People in Alabama voted against Jeff Sessions because Donald Trump told them to,” said Angi Stalnaker, a Republican strategist in Alabama. “If it had been Donald Trump saying, ‘Go write in Mickey Mouse,’ 50 percent of them would have gone to write in Mickey Mouse.”
“They wanted to please the president,” Ms. Stalnaker said. “This was never about Tommy Tuberville.”
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57 comments:
Doesn't fit their progressive agenda.
Why do you ask 'Why'?
Well...it is Alabama, after all.
"It's not that Trump is popular and powerful but that Alabamans are sheep."
Unlike New Yorkers. Baaaahh.
"It's not that Trump is popular and powerful but that Alabamans are sheep — the NYT found a Republican to say that.
When John Kerry lost in 2004, the next morning the NYT published a piece quoting New Yorkers and Wisconsinites about how the race turned out. A New Yorker explained that in New York people think for themselves while in the Midwest people vote for whom they're told to by neighbors, friend, etc. New York voted en bloc for Kerry while Wisconsin split 50/50.
Shorter Stalnaker: These people are so easily led that I couldn't lead them.
'Dog Bites Man' story gets less play than 'Man Bites Dog'? Who could have guessed that could happen?
If I lived in Alabama I wouldn't have voted for Sessions because he failed as AG. He never should have taken the job. His recusal (probably the wrong move ethically) allowed Mueller to get appointed as Special Counsel and that kept the Russia hoax going for years.
Except around Tuscaloosa. I heard that Sessions did better in Roll Tide territory against the former Auburn football coach.
They've excised the last of the naysayers on their staff. But they're still attempting to maintain the facade of a legitimate news organization rather than a propaganda organ for the DNC and its allies because their readers prefer the pretense I guess.
When it was time to stand up, Jeff sat down.
today's ProTip
IF, you're a US Senator; and someone offers you a job
AND, you KNOW; that YOU will refuse to Actually DO that JOB
MAYBE, Just Maybe; you Shouldn't TAKE That Job
Especially, IF there is a GOOD chance; that your party will then LOSE that Senate seat
Sessions is an example of the saying, "One 'aw shit' cancels a thousand 'atta boys'." He screwed up royally as AG, and conservative voters aren't going to forget it.
As for his supposed conservatism, the reality is that a lot of "conservative" politicians seem to only be conservative when it's politically convenient, or when they need to sell us something. Paul Ryan, John Boehner, George W. Bush, etc., were all unwilling to expend political capital to try and accomplish the goals which they promised voters. But every election they'd be back, telling us that we had to vote for them or else the left would continue to advance, and saying that all those super conservative politicians needed was One More Thing. Republicans hold the House? Obviously they can't do anything without the Senate, but then we'll see how conservative they are! Oh, now they also hold the Senate? Well, you can't expect results without the Presidency. It's just crazy to think that Congress has any real power! Trump just got elected and now we hold all three? Congress can't pass one of the dozens of reform bills which they routinely used to propose. No, they have to go through all sorts of legislative theater designed to justify why the bills ultimately failed to pass. And of course we can't do anything without at least one more conservative justice on SCOTUS.
It's not that Trump is popular and powerful but that Alabamans are sheep — the NYT found a Republican to say that.
Actually, the NYT found a Republican hired gun (that will now be out of a job) to say that
Althouse's vain hopes in the NYT as a viable news source are crumbling by the day.
Sadly, Mr. Sessions is part of the old guard of spinless R's who play along with the left's corruption.
You NEVER let the corrupt left control you. NEVER.
Sorry Mr. Sessions.
Sorry to see Sessions lose, but now he can go home and pat himself on the back for the his "Legal ethics" for the rest of his life. Funny how the Right always gets these characters who would rather lose or destroy their own President rather than compromise their precious "Legal ethics", while the D's not give a rat's ass and care only about winning. He wanted Diane Fienstein's approval, & not Trump's - and so he lost.
Sessions was a very good Senator and one of the worst AG's ever. Senator's don't have to run anything except a very small staff, and you can have ZERO executive ability and be a very good Senator. Which doesn't bod well for a Biden Presidency.
They wish to save Alabama further embarrassment
The DNC/Media certainly don't want to dwell on the fact that the incumbent democrat, Senator Doug Jones is now officially toast. That's one more republican senator seat we can chalk up in November's race without a second thought. Why would they want to bring that up and ruin their covid pity party?
Robert Cook said...Well...it is Alabama, after all.
Why the feelings of superiority? You live in a t(h)urd-whirled shithole called NYC. Is has been and it dying as cities are losing their attraction. Just wait until something like ebola goes through.
Tommy Tuberville?
Is he the gay, purple one with a triangle over his head?
As a part time resident of Gulf Shores, I can attest to the fact that Alabamans are anything but sheep. I can also attest to the fact that Cookie knows even less about Alabama than he knows about economics.
We spent 3 years following false narratives because of his Jeff Sessions' incompetence, and then he has the gall to run for Senate?
I would have found a rock to climb under. WhattaFuckUp!!
My big concern about Tubby is that now the big Demo money will do a vetting on him unlike any ever attempted on any Supreme Court nominee. If he invested in a casino, had a girlfriend, tried to cheat on a high school bet or whatever, it will be brought out. If he missed church one Sunday, it will be in The NY Times.
Ann Coulter said ..
Now that the polls are closed, I'll admit, this was always going to be a tough race for Sessions, thanks to the disloyal, narcissistic, blame-shifting ignoramus in the White House.
Suppose the quote about voters being sheep and doing what Trumps asks is absolutely correct.
Does that not indicate a very high level of enthusiastic support for Trump among these voters?
The NY Times can't even find an actual insulting quotation these days.
Tuberville is from the intelligent part of Alabama that produces great educated men and women. His style it pitch perfect for the south. And because he is from Auburn’s tradition he is totally committed to Donald John Trump. Don’t under estimate Tuberville.
The last poll had him down 16 points against the guy who came in first in March. Hell yeah, an upset over the guy his boss endorsed would have been a big story.
"If he invested in a casino, had a girlfriend, tried to cheat on a high school bet or whatever, it will be brought out. If he missed church one Sunday, it will be in The NY Times."
Shit, they'll just make it up and pat themselves on the back for their moral clarity.
Subversion from within is insidious. The wolf with mutton on his breath.
Sessions didn't see defending Trump from, or going after Trump's political enemies as being part of the Attorney General job. He wanted to work on immigration. I can see that to a point, but when it became evident that the deep state was breaking the law that should've gone out the window. And what with the FISA Court fraud, that became evident pretty quickly. He should have appointed a second special prosecutor to investigate Hillary, the Clinton Foundation, her servers, Huma, etc, and particularly a special prosecutor that wanted to take her down as much as Mueller wanted to take Trump down.
Bari Weiss has answered all 'why' questions re the NYT.
Congrats, Tommy!
Good luck in the general.
War Eagle! Tuberville brought the ball across the goal line. Tuscaloosa fans hurt worst.
I feel bad for Sessions as I believe he is an actual honest politician and a good man.
But he was sooooo out of his depth as AG. The second he let deep-state actors talk him into recusing himself is the moment he unleashed the unaccountable Mueller bullshit.
He may have been well-meaning, but he was naive, and in a third-party kind of way stabbed Trump in the back. He couldn't be trusted after that.
Clyde: "Except around Tuscaloosa. I heard that Sessions did better in Roll Tide territory against the former Auburn football coach."
Tuberville took Tuscaloosa County with 8,917 votes to Sessions 8,060.
Session's "strength" showed up precisely where you would think it would: Mobile County (Mobile) and Madison County (Huntsville with large govt contracts for space activities).
I was a bit surprised Tuberville took Montgomery County (Montgomery) with 57% of the vote. There's a significant military presence there with Maxwell AFB so I thought Sessions might squeak that one out.
Why does Coulter have her boxers in a twist? Sessions didn't show the kind of tenacious loyalty that every president needs from his AG.
Every president deserves a wing-man.
Notice to GOP establishment politicians. It is now Donald Trump’s party. Get on board or get out.
And I wouldn’t say that Trump supported Tuberville as much as he never missed an opportunity to pound on Jeff Sessions for his perceived lack of loyalty as Attorney General. The AG is a direct report to the President, and as a former CEO Trump had certain expectations of his direct reports. Whether Sessions was afraid of Sally Yates, Rod Rosenstein, and James Comey, or stupidly fell for Russia! Russia! Russia! doesn’t matter much in the end. As a direct report he had obligations to his boss in a White House run like a business, and he failed to meet them.
But I wonder whether there isn’t more to it than that. Someone — our old buddy Jeff Sessions, perhaps? — persuaded Donald Trump to waste political capital supporting Luther Strange and then Roy (I like ‘em young!) Moore. This is not the time or place to discuss the.smokiness surrounding Strange’s appointment to fill the unexpired portion of Sessions’ term, but he was by no means an shoo-in to get elected in his own right, even if he hadn’t lost to Moore in the primary.
Joe Smith: "Why does Coulter have her boxers in a twist? Sessions didn't show the kind of tenacious loyalty that every president needs from his AG."
Coulter knows Sessions and knows that Sessions did gamble early on being the first Senate supporter of DJT. She gives Sessions lots of credit about that.
Coulter, and some other conservatives, are firmly convinced that once in office Tuberville will behave as an establishment republican rather than a principled conservative which you would expect from Alabama.
She is putting Tuberville on notice, like Loeffler in GA, they are on "squish watch".
Big Mike: "And I wouldn’t say that Trump supported Tuberville as much as he never missed an opportunity to pound on Jeff Sessions for his perceived lack of loyalty as Attorney General."
Its not the perceived disloyalty, its the astonishing naivete and weakness in the face of an obvious and blatant politically driven coup involving the abuse of all federal law enforcement and intelligence services power and the unwillingness to even question what the members of his {Sessions} own department were doing and what the basis for that action was.
Big Mike proclaims: Notice to GOP establishment politicians. It is now Donald Trump’s party. Get on board or get out.
As so many GOP candidates have learned the hard way.
There's a reason for my pseudonym. Jeff Sessions is a very good man who was a very good senator for Alabama, but he is not up to today's political game. I wish him all the best.
Why? Bari Weiss explained all this yesterday.
@ Drago
I give Sessions kudos for supporting Trump early on. But it's a 'what have you done for me lately' syndrome.
Sessions really screwed Trump with the recusal (unnecessary imho) and didn't even buy him flowers afterward. If he had any sense and felt he HAD to recuse himself, he should have appointed a special prosecutor first to look into the entire dossier/Awan/Feinstein spy chauffeur/Clinton email, etc. fiascos.
Then the Mueller team could have done what they did, and the Sessions team could have done their job as well. At least we'd have a little balance. I'm so fucking sick of republicans reverting to "My esteemed friend across the aisle" mode the minute they gain power. I expect them to step on necks like the Democrats do every second of the day.
It really is true; Republicans are the stupid party.
Btw, Coulter used to date Bill Maher. For that alone I question her judgment : )
@ BamaBadgOR
Wholeheartedly agree. As I stated earlier, I think he's a good guy and actually an honest politician.
Forty years ago that was OK. Today, you had better be a street fighter and it seems that the GOP is a little late coming to this realization.
Drago said...
Clyde: "Except around Tuscaloosa. I heard that Sessions did better in Roll Tide territory against the former Auburn football coach."
Tuberville took Tuscaloosa County with 8,917 votes to Sessions 8,060.
Technically, I said he "did better." I didn't say he won the county, but he didn't lose by 20 points there like he did statewide.
When Sessions was AG, he got played by corrupt Obama Admin holdovers in the DoJ, and let corrupt Obama Admin holdovers in the FBI & DoJ continue their illegal activities against the President and his Administration
Once he decided to run for the Senate, e could have said this, and said "please re-elect me to the Senate, so I can work to undo and expose the evil I allowed."
But he didn't do that. Instead he attempted to defend the corrupt Establishment
I'm glad he lost
Not only did he get played, he refused to do a damn thing about it. He could have easily lifted the recusal after seeing the farce that was going on. We need republicans with a lot sterner stuff than sessions and Romney.
You can always tell a fake con because they always attack Coulter or limbaugh.
@ rcocean
Coulter isn't much better these days than the Lincoln Project losers. It's all about the money. I get it...gotta pay the rent.
At least Limbaugh doesn't shift with every slight breeze or poll. Maybe it's because he has FU money, but I don't think so...he's been pretty consistent.
The sad part is there was not a single Republican candidate other than Trump that could read the writing on the wall in the last election. Don't they listen to the radio? Don't they look at the ratings and see Limbaugh's millions of listeners? Michael Savages? Mark Levin's?
Instead, every single person that goes to DC eventually gets compromised and (to give them the benefit of the doubt) don't even seem to realize it.
Too much power and far too much damn money floating around for the taking.
Well...it is Alabama, after all.
Did you say the same thing when we were pounded - day after day after day - with the made-up bullshit about Roy Moore and his yearbook? Which helped put Doug Jones over the top?
THAT Alabama?
Jaydub @ 9:36am comes out for the premise that 0 < 0.
("I can also attest to the fact that Cookie knows even less about Alabama than he knows about economics.")
Hmmmmm.
Sessions tried to thread a needle a long time ago. If he was smart he would have resigned early and no been seen as the zit on Trumps ass that he became.
Jaydub @ 9:36am comes out for the premise that 0 < 0.
Maybe Cookie knows -3 about Alabama?
If Sessions was smart he would have researched the FISA spying, then done a public announcement of the corruption at the FBI and DoJ, released the fact that the "Steele Dossier" was garbage bought from Putin by the Clinton campaign, shut down the "independent counsel", and proceeded to prosecute every single Obama Admin criminal.
But instead he pussed out. So now his career is over
Good
"Jeff Sessions is a very good man who was a very good senator for Alabama, but he is not up to today's political game. I wish him all the best."
Pretty much where I fall.
Sessions was naive enough to think others in DC would be (relatively) honest and (relatively) honorable, despite having been there for years. He's a man for a long past, but better era.
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