7 Things: Whistleblower to be interviewed, Brooks and Sewell talk impeachment, new Alabama Democrat leadership (maybe) and more …

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November 4, 2019

7. Cam Ward is pushing for prison reform as he runs for Supreme Court

State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) has announced that he will be seeking the Place 1 associate justice seat on the Alabama Supreme Court in 2020, and while speaking at the Shoals Republican Club meeting, he discussed his stance on prison reform.
Ward explained why he doesn’t want to “go into a federal receivership like we did in the 1980s” because one of the consequences could be releasing “very nasty people.” Ward also added about his candidacy that he’s not “perfect” but that he’s “going to take on tough issues and not be afraid of it.”

6. They should release the body cam tape from the Madison shooting

It’s been a week since Dana Sherrod was shot by police in the parking lot of Planet Fitness in Madison, and while the body camera footage hasn’t been released, county officials are still investigating the incident.
An attorney for the Alabama Press Association, Dennis Bailey, said that many other states are arguing police body camera footage should be public record, but the Madison County sheriff’s office spokesman said the footage in this case “is considered the evidence and is part of the investigation.”

5. Battleground polling looks far better than national polls for Trump

With the media and their Democrats in a full-out coordinated attack on all things related to the Trump presidency, you would think the net effect would be a presidential race that was all but over, but according to new polling in battleground states, the race is far closer than you would imagine if you only consumed traditional mainstream media sources.
While Trump trails his top three rivals nationally in most polls by a wide margin, in the six closest states that went Republican in 2016, Biden is up on Trump by an average of two points. Trump leads Elizabeth Warren by two points, the same margin he beat Hillary Clinton.

4. Elizabeth Warren’s terrible idea is terrible

How Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) plans to find $20.5 trillion to pay for her $52 trillion healthcare plan over the next 10 years may be irrelevant because it has absolutely no chance of getting enacted, according to her political opponents. The plan is solely meant to help her get through the Democratic primary because it requires massive changes to defense, immigration and overall tax policy.
Warren’s biggest threat at this point, Joe Biden, took this as an opportunity to further show he is the moderate voice in the 2020 Democratic race, calling out Warren’s plan, saying, “For months, Elizabeth Warren has refused to say if her health care plan would raise taxes on the middle class, and now we know why: because it does. Senator Warren would place a new tax of nearly $9 trillion that will fall on American workers.”

3. Nancy Worley is out

Nancy Worley has been voted out as party chair of the Alabama Democratic Party. If the vote holds, she will be replaced with State Representative Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa).
Worley has already disregarded the vote and said that she’s looking “forward to continuing our leadership roles in the Party.”

2. Alabama congressmen hit the national airwaves on impeachment

U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (D-Montgomery) appeared Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where she discussed the current impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. She said that she’s seen her “Republican colleagues twist themselves into a pretzel to defend the indefensible.”
Sunday evening, U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) appeared on Fox News’ “Life, Liberty, & Levin” where he praised Trump, saying, “I’m thankful the president is trying to ferret out corruption wherever it may exist.”

1. The whistleblower to be questioned by Republicans

The whistleblower’s lawyer, Mark Zaid, has said that the whistleblower is now willing to answer questions from House Republicans. This offer allows Republicans to ask questions without going through U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Republicans will be able to ask questions specifically “in writing, under oath & penalty of perjury,” according to Zaid, who added that they are “ready to cooperate and ensure facts – rather than partisanship – dictates any process involving the #whistleblower.”