Meet the Senator from Alabama who preceded Jeff Sessions

[ucrdem]

and voted against Sessions' 1986 appointment by then-president Reagan to federal district court judge -- Howell Heflin, Democratic senator from Alabama, 1979 to 1997:



from Heflin's March 30, 2005 NYT obit:

WASHINGTON, March 29 - Former Senator Howell Heflin of Alabama, a conservative Democrat who supported civil rights legislation and was sometimes described as the conscience of the Senate, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Sheffield, Ala., near his home in Tuscumbia. He was 83.

(snip)

But in 1986, Mr. Heflin voted against a lawyer from his home state who had been nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be a federal district judge. Several civil rights groups opposed the lawyer, Jeff Sessions, on the ground that he had shown insensitivity to blacks while serving as the United States attorney in Mobile, Ala.

The Judiciary Committee blocked the nomination. Mr. Heflin said he did not know whether Mr. Sessions would be "a fair and impartial judge." But the tables eventually turned. In 1996, Mr. Sessions, a Republican, won the Senate seat being vacated by Mr. Heflin, and he now serves on the Judiciary Committee.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/30/politics/howell-heflin-former-alabama-senator-dies-at-83.html

More here:

https://medium.com/@nmeyersohn/alabama-senator-who-voted-against-jeff-sessions-in-1986-once-said-he-probably-would-have-voted-for-a9ec6817d500

This also turned up:

In 1993 Heflin gave a memorable speech on the Senate floor in support of Senator Carol Moseley Braun's successful effort to deny renewal of a Confederate Flag design patent for the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Heflin spoke of his pride and love for his Confederate ancestors, his respect for the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and his conflict in breaking with them over this issue.

But, he said, "we live in a nation that daily is trying to heal the scars that have occurred in the past. We're trying to heal problems that still show negative and ugly aspects in our world that we live in today, and perhaps racism is one of the great scars and one of the most serious illnesses that we suffer from still today."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howell_Heflin

So Doug Jones might have a fighting chance of winning Heflin's old seat after all. Keeping fingers crossed!

[JI7]

1. he was anti choice and opposed gay rights so that helped to win there

[NewJeffCT]

6. he was a conservative Democrat

that's for sure. But, how many Democrats openly supported gay rights in the 80s and into the 90s? Even years later, most Democrats still hemmed and hawed on the issue.

Still, it's very telling that a conservative Democrat voted against a home state politician like Sessions.

[JI7]

8. I understand and that wasn't meant to be critical of him

But that Jones support got those issues could hurt him still.

[HopeAgain]

2. I'm afraid times have changed

Bigotry, greed and religiosity are the order of the day in 'Bama.

[House of Roberts]

5. When was that?

That's been true all my life and I was born in 1956. I've only lived outside of Alabama for a total of less than two years.

[ucrdem]

7. I'm optimistic based on human nature

also on that recent Fox poll showing Alabama voters preferring Barack Obama to Trump:

Nov. 17, 2017

The past sexual misconduct allegations against Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama's special election, appear to be taking a toll on his chances of winning the race, according to the results of a poll conducted by Fox News.

The poll has Moore down 9 points from his Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, among registered voters (40% to 49%), and 8 points among likely voters (42% to 50%).

Before reports surfaced that Moore had pursued relationships with teen girls when he was in his 30s, most polls had shown him with a comfortable lead over Jones.

A Fox News poll last month, which showed them in a dead heat at 42%, was one of the only earlier polls not to show Moore in the lead.

The new poll, released Thursday, was conducted from Monday to Wednesday using a random sample of 823 registered Alabama voters with an error margin of 3 points.

The poll also showed that former president Barack Obama (52%) with a higher favorability rating than President Trump (50%). Obama lost Alabama by more than 20 points in both 2008 and 2012.

Jones is now leading the race, according to Real Clear Politics' polling average on Friday afternoon, but only by 0.2%.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/11/17/fox-news-poll-alabama/875272001/

[ancianita]

3. Thanks. History is always instructive.

[House of Roberts]

4. Sessions campaigned for Alabama attorney general,

claiming it was the only job he wanted. Of course he got elected, and when Heflin announced he would retire, the little shit couldn't wait to announce his candidacy for Heflin's seat.