Paper Tiger; Or, The Stars Fell in Alabama

Roy Moore, of granite Ten Commandments fame in Alabama, got a dismal 33 percent of the vote in the Republican primary for governor yesterday. He's already come out and said he would not be supporting the winner this November, incumbent Governor Bob Riley.

Hmmm ... 33 percent of the Republican activist base ... only 33 percent voting for probably the most visible, most heroic public Christian, in one of the most Christian-dominated states of the Old South. Just 33%. That's pretty much precisely Bush's approval rating right now. Is that the president's base? And just how impassioned is that 33 percent? Well, not very.

So what happened to the 900-lb. gorilla? Roy Moore, the Christian hero of only last year, gets absolutely trounced by a Republican heretic. Gov. Riley had advocated (gasp) for raising Alabama taxes to support education (and was disastrously unpopular in that advocacy).

Another bellwether: The stoopid Gay Marriage amendment attracted even less support in the U.S. Senate this time around.

Are people getting fed up finally with Shiite-y nonsense?

Coincidentally, THIS: "North Carolina and Florida are the only states south of Washington, D.C., and east of Texas that don't have a same-sex marriage ban in their constitution or a scheduled vote on a ban. South Carolinians will vote on a constitutional gay marriage ban in November that political observers expect to pass. Two N.C. House Democrats and most state House and Senate Republicans have pushed for such an amendment for several years, but Democratic leaders have blocked debate" (Charlotte Observer).

Hey, here's to keeping the lid on! That paragraph above accounts for my strong support for Democratic control of the state government. Forget anti-gay laws. When's the last time we've had to worry about some stooopid anti-abortion initiative in N.C.? Despite whatever MAJOR disagreements we have with the Guv and with You Know Who and with He Who Must Not Be Named -- the Democratic Czars in Raleigh -- we appreciate the effort it must take to hold the Extreme Right at bay.

Addendum: In the midst of such deep rumination, I happen on this posting by Anglico on BlueNC, a good and important read about pragmatic N.C. politics and Democratic control of state government. I hold a lot in common with Anglico. I have those same cultural roots. And completely agree with him that the alternative to Democratic control of North Carolina is dangerous millionaire Art Pope and the old Helmsian Hoard, including Jack Hawke, Virginia Foxx, Patrick McHenry, that Republican state convention crew last weekend ... and need we name him? VERNON ROBINSON, who just because he happens to lose a fair percentage of the offices he seeks, also happens to speak strongly for The Thirty-Three (percent), who (also incidentally) have the other 66% of the N.C.G.O.P. totally buffaloed. Make no mistake: a Republican takover of the state would be an extremist takeover.

But just how likely is any takeover by Republicans in any Southern state right now, if the righteous brethren are as weak as they turned out to be in Alabama?