Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville has been responding to questions about his carpetbagger status since he launched his campaign. Tuberville has more than leaned in on these issues. He told Huntsville’s WVNN that he moved to Alabama to run for office.
In response to a “carpetbagger” flier posted at an event in the Shoals, Tuberville said, “Yes, I’m not an everyday resident of Alabama. That’s going to be brought up. I’ve been here most of the last 20 years. I’ve had property. So, you’ll see that on TV – ‘He’s a carpetbagger.’ Yeah, I’m a carpetbagger of this country. I love this country. I love this state. I’m a carpetbagger. I pay a lot of taxes. I brag about that because I’m fortunate I’ve made a little money in my lifetime. I can do this and not take any money.”
A few days later, Tuberville was in Decatur and a questioner asked to see his drivers license so he could see that he was a “legitimate citizen of Alabama.”
Tuberville responded, “It’s in my car,” weirdly invoking Hillary Clinton’s run for Senate in New York even though she lived in Arkansas as a defense when it is straight-up carpetbagging.
Tuberville made it clear that he believed this issue was being created by State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs) and noted that he was polling at 2%.
None of these defenses are very good.
Is this the biggest issue on the table these days? Absolutely not.
Will this issue be used by Tuberville’s opponents? It absolutely will.
Tuberville’s opponents are already seeking to make this an issue. First, it will be a whisper campaign, and then it will be a direct attack.
Is that silly? Of course. Have you not been paying attention to our politics?
Will it work? Meh.
It will have an impact. Alabamians love this state and any sign of disloyalty will cost you votes.
I asked listeners of my radio show to come up with a name for the people who want to see Tommy Tuberville’s drivers license and here are there “best” answers:
- Drivers license truthers
- Carders
- Bouncers
- DMV deniers
- Alabamians
- Residencers
- Never-Tubers
Here is how Tuberville can circumvent that issue: Produce an Alabama drivers license.
Send one of your staff to your car, take a picture of it and tweet it out.
If it is an Alabama license, great, but what if the expiration date is April 2019?
If it is a Florida license, good luck with that one.
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 a.m.weekdays on WVNN.
