Judge Mac Parsons Candidate
for Alabama Supreme Court 2010

Mac Parsons

Mac Parsons

One Reason Why Democrats are Increasingly Radioactive in Alabama

by Conservative Christians of Alabama

This election year in Alabama promises to be truly historic. The Republicans have a shot at taking control of the legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. Moreover, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Robert Bentley is so far ahead of Democrat Ron Sparks that he is simply trying to run out the clock.

With all the attention on the legislative and gubernatorial races, it's easy to overlook other statewide offices on the ballot. For instance, there are three Supreme Court seats up for grabs. But, unlike previous elections, there doesn't appear to be nearly as much money in play this year in these traditionally expensive confrontations. There is a presumption that this is a Republican year, and Democratic money interests just don't want to waste their funds by standing in the way of a Republican "avalanche" as recently described by George Soros, the billionaire funder of leftist causes.

But even if Democrats had plenty of money and Obama was not in the White House, they would still have a hard time winning in the increasingly Red State of Alabama.

A case in point is Mac Parsons. Parsons is a judge from Jefferson County running for place 3 on the Alabama Supreme Court against Republican Tom Parker. We first noticed Parsons from an email we received where he attacked Tom Parker.

Not knowing anything about Parsons' record, we decided to do some digging. What we found is a good illustration why elected Democrats are becoming an endangered species in Alabama state government.

Mac Parsons served four terms in the state senate. During that time, he was a big supporter of tax increases. We stopped counting at 13 tax increase votes in just a three-year period, because it began to sound like a broken record. Parsons voted to increase the gas tax, car tag tax, individual and corporate income tax, unemployment tax, and more.1

Parsons also carried water for the gambling interests, even serving for a time as a lobbyist for Hollywood Casinos after his term in the legislature. This explains why several of Parson's largest donations during this latest campaign (at least $20,000) came from PACs controlled by the gambling interests.2

Parsons is no passive Democrat. In 1988, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for Al "I invented the Internet" Gore. In 1992, he was a delegate for then Arkansas governor, Bill Clinton. This is a man who knows how to pick 'em.3

Something that should give business owners pause is that Mac Parsons is a big supporter of labor unions and an opponent of Alabama's Right to Work law. Once, as a state senator, Parsons authored a resolution basically blaming Alabama's Right to Work Law for contributing towards labor conditions akin to the former Soviet Bloc. This earned him an editorial slap by the Birmingham News, of all sources. Maybe this is why he prominently displays his endorsement from the AFL-CIO and government employee unions.4

Parsons even took liberal positions on social issues like abortion. He supported measures to water down and weaken pro-life bills, then voted for the final passage in order to appear that he was voting pro-life. He did this with resolutions supporting a constitutional amendment protecting life and also with parental consent laws.5

Many commentators have remarked that the rise of Obama has resulted in the Democratic Party catering to its extreme left wing, to the detriment of its appeal to more moderate voters. Granted, an Alabama liberal like Mac Parsons would not especially impress a Berkeley Professor, but he is still radioactive to most voters in the state-- especially this year.

The Alabama Democratic Party has sought to distance itself from its more liberal national affiliates. But as long as it fields candidates like Mac Parsons, it will continue to marginalize itself with an electorate increasingly conservative and increasingly put out by the radical agenda of Barack Obama and the Democrats in Washington.

Notes:

1. Mac Parsons evidently never saw a tax increase he didn't like. Between 1983 and 1985 (just three of Parsons' sixteen year career in the legislature), Parsons voted to raise taxes no less than thirteen times. Parsons voted to increase gas taxes (Alabama Senate Journal, page 999, 1984), individual and corporate income taxes (ASJ, page 1541, 1984), car tag taxes (ASJ, page 1093, 1984), and unemployment taxes (ASJ, page 304, 1983), to name a few. The Taxpayer Defense Fund gave Mac Parsons a negative "100% rating" for supporting tax increases. Only a small handful of Democrats earned this dubious "distinction."

2. In 1991, Mac Parsons Worked to expand gambling in Alabama through his support of HB 366. There were numerous votes dealing with this bill and Parsons voted pro-gambling every single time. (Alabama Senate Journal, 1991, pages 921, 923 and 924). This explains why one of his largest donations (at least $20,000) has come through PACs controlled by the gambling interest-- Source: Birmingham News ( HYPERLINK "http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/gambling_antes_up_41_million_i.html"http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/gambling_antes_up_41_million_i.html)

In 1995, Mac Parsons worked as a Gambling Lobbyist in the Alabama Legislature: "Former state Sen. Mac Parsons said he was at the meeting in his new capacity as lobbyist for Hollywood Casinos, a company he said is interested in opening 'casinos, plural' in Alabama." April 14, 1995 Birmingham News.

3. Mac Parsons was an Albert Gore Delegate in 1988 to the Democratic National Convention. Tuscaloosa News, July 19, 1988. Mac Parsons was a Bill Clinton Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1992. Huntsville Times, July 13, 1992.

4. Mac Parsons has been a consistent supporter of big labor, and an opponent of Alabama's Right-to-Work law. In 1983, Parsons was slapped by The Birmingham News for introducing a poorly worded resolution equating the working conditions of Alabama State Employees to a former Soviet Bloc country. Parsons' resolution was intended to honor Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lech Walesa, but he used the occasion to rant against the working conditions of the poor, repressed state bureaucrats. "Parsons should apologize not only to his colleagues and those who elected him, but also for the affront he has committed against the ideas of truth and honor." (The Birmingham News Editorial, December 15, 1983). It comes as no surprise, then, that Parsons prominently displays his endorsement of the state employees union and the AFL-CIO on his website.

5. In 1980, Mac Parsons voted to weaken SJR 9, a resolution in support of a constitutional amendment overturning Roe vs. Wade. (1980 Legislative Journal, 24th Legislative Day, Page 1134). In 1986, Parsons voted four times to water down and weaken a bill designed to require a minor to receive permission from a parent or guardian before having an abortion. (1986, Alabama Legislative Journal, pages 923, 924, 925 and 926). Parsons later voted to pass the final version of the weakened bill so as to appear to cast a pro-life vote. In 1987, Parsons repeated this action by voting to water down and weaken another parental consent bill (HB 346). (1987 Alabama Legislative Journal, Pages 1027 and 1028.

Other Voter Information from Conservative Christians of Alabama

Robert Bentley for Governor

Governor Robert Bentley