Tim James, a Republican running for governor of Alabama, is an oddity in this time of wishy-washy conservatism designed to “reach out” to moderates. The Anniston Star, a paper I worked for briefly, did a story on Tim recently.
What does he think of bailouts?:
He said major banks, automakers and insurance companies should go bankrupt instead of getting a government handout.
“It’s a cleansing of the system…,” he told the Calhoun County Republican Executive Committee. “It makes us stronger.”
Abortion? I’ve added emphasis to show the reporter’s incredulity about his candor:
Another person asked for his stance on abortion, which James quickly, free from hesitation, said is pro-life.
Since Roe vs. Wade, 50 million unborn children have been killed, he said. Unprompted, he said he was also against gay marriage. He said he was making his stance clear because, “when Republicans do this, we win.”
On taxing and spending:
“The government should live within its means.” He said he’s leading two campaigns and, right now, he’s talking about what’s wrong, and his next campaign will be how to fix it.
But raising taxes, he said, is never the answer to any problem.
He said Alabama was poised, is tough and will get through the economic strife.
“We’ll be stronger,” he said, pausing with a grin, “if we don’t have to bail out California…”
I worked for Tim James’ father, Fob, in 1978 when he ran for, and won, the governorship. I count that experience as the one that began my swerve from the left to the right. Not only are Tim’s view similar to his dad’s, the resemblance of Tim now and Fob then is striking. The scary thing is that Fob (right) was 43 when I worked for him. Tim, who was 17 at the time, is 47 now. Where did the time go?
