By Linda Kirkpatrick
Living in Trumpabama as a Democrat is not the easiest thing that I have ever done. I know some of you feel sometimes like “WTH” and just giving up. I know. Been there. You see what is going on, and the frustration at the people who remain loyal to this indignant man makes you want to scream! How can anyone with any common sense see what he is doing and still stand up for him?
This State is being run by a Republican regime that is dragging us down in everything from jobs, education, infrastructure, to the high cost of living in a poor state. Families who used to be middle-class are now living in poverty. The poor are now living below the poverty level, and their struggle is on its way to becoming as bad as it was during the depression.
Alabamians who depend on Social Security are struggling to pay their bills and keep food in their homes. The cost of groceries have increased, and some families cannot afford to eat on what they have to spend on food. Now that the orange Fuhrer has cut Medicaid, there are thousands of Alabamians who will no longer be able to take their kids to the doctor or afford meds. This is also having a big impact on the elderly. All of the caps that President Biden put on lifesaving meds like insulin are now gone.
Gov Ivey refused the Medicaid expansion that has had a devastating effect on Alabama. It has resulted in many people losing their healthcare and the closing of numerous hospitals across our State. A lot of people, including Republicans, do not support one of the most strict abortion bans in the nation. If Alabama voters were to decide on the lottery, chances are it would pass. We all complain about how high food, clothing, and other goods have gone up in prices due to Trump’s tariffs; however, these same folks who are upset continue to vote for the representatives in our State government who voted in support of these changes.
Alabama farmers are seeing their bank accounts go down due to the price of corn and soybeans, among other leading agricultural products that have fallen 10% since Trump’s tariffs.
The Democratic Representatives in our State Congress, Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures, have gone on record opposing these tariffs. The problem is the Republicans, who make up 78% of Alabama’s Congress. So who are these loud supporters of Trump who are hurting the people who they represent?
Rep. Robert Aderholt cheered them as protecting steel and aluminum manufacturing. There were fewer than 1,300 steelworkers in Alabama in 2022. There were nearly 59,000 people working in retail sales, who are about to find their jobs a lot more difficult. Aderholt is known for his voting record, which has consistently been against the best interests of the people he has represented for over twenty-five years.
Rep. Barry Moore likes imports. Specifically, making it easier to import firearms into a state suffering from nation-leading rates of gun violence. But he’s also said he supports tariffs on cars, claiming they will bring jobs back. Which is not how the industry sees this playing out. Hyundai announced $21 billion in auto manufacturing projects to let Trump think it was a response to his tariffs. In fact, most of that reflects investments made before the trade announcements.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville calls Trump, who can’t commit to a single tariff approach, a “master negotiator” and claims tariffs will only bring “a little bit of pain.” I doubt that a family that cannot pay their bills and buy meds will disagree with that.
Sen. Katie Britt calls tariffs a “bargaining chip” with other countries. And if Trump throws Alabama jobs into the pot, she appears to be OK with that.
Rep. Dale Strong is too busy venting about something he heard on NPR to defend the 28,000 men and women in his district at risk of losing their jobs under this administration.
U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers and Gary Palmer haven’t said anything, as far as I can tell. It’s a far cry from 2015, when they were screaming about government overreach after President Barack Obama proposed a plan to cut carbon emissions and let the states figure out how to get there.
These representatives are too busy shaking their pom-poms for Team Trump while he is setting the field on fire with you on it.
The elected officials in Alabama do not listen to the voice of the people. This State has a long history of sending deaf representatives to Congress who are more interested in collecting the perks of the office instead of doing their jobs, even if it means ignoring the people that they are hurting. This plays out in Trump’s favor, even though his tariffs are threatening the State economy.
A system that limits voters’ practical choices means that Alabama politics produces sycophants, not leaders. We get officials who don’t fear voters. And representatives who tell you that losing your job and paying more for groceries is worth it because Trump’s will is all that matters. We have leaders content to turn Alabama into Trump’s doormat.
Where is the democracy in Alabama? Democracy means the voice of the people. Where are the voices for the people when they are afraid to speak up for fear of being cast out by the Trump supporters who enjoy intimidating them? Time and time again, I have had strong Democrats who are business leaders in our communities tell me that they do not let anyone know that they vote Democratic for fear of losing their business. I have had other Democrats tell me that they stopped voting because of the smirks they would get at the polls when they asked for a Democratic ballot. I understand this up to a point, but not to the point of not voting.
When we look back on the history of the Democratic Party, we should all be proud to be a Democrat. Look at all the good things these Republicans are enjoying in their lives thanks to a Democrat. Overtime pay, vacation pay, healthcare, OSHA, 401k, fair wages, housing assistance, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, women’s rights, the Civil Rights Act, unemployment, and much more. It has been the Republican Party that has spent years trying to kick millions off of their healthcare and finally succeeded with Trump. They have fought against equal rights since it was emancipated. Some Republicans have even said that they do not think women should even vote. The cruel laws that were passed in Alabama to prevent women from having control of their own bodies are proof that they do not think of women as equals. They even tried to pass a law to prevent women from having access to contraceptives. I can’t imagine Republican women supporting this; however, they vote along party lines that support this.
We can only do as much as we can to stand up for democracy and put our faith in God that He will protect us from the destruction that this administration has in store for us. Let’s hope that we can survive what is left to come.
Lynda Kirkpatrick