| June, 2004 |
| PAGE TWO |
| DECATUR POLITICS UPDATE |
| The only big news about the primary election is that nobody cared. Or at least not very many. Locally, less than 20 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. Statewide, it was less than 17 percent. Pam Baschab, who sits on the Court of Criminal Appeals, lost in her bid for Alabama Supreme Court, despite having big money and Roy Moore behind her. It was an education for me to read about the large contributions to judges in the appeals courts. This was a million-dollar primary, just for this race alone. Of course, I couldn't help notice most of the money came from big business and plaintiff's lawyers--the very people in a position to gain from a judge's benevolence. I'm not attacking Judge Bashab here; I'd voted for her twice before, for CCA and for Supreme Court. It's just the way the game is played. The state appeals and supreme court justices are among the most powerful people in the state; yet the average voter has no concept whatsover of the job, much less the candidates. Since so few people vote, a few people with a few hundred thousand dollars can get a few thousand votes and put their candidate in--hoping to reap rewards from their investment. And they do reap rewards, or they wouldn't keep investing. After bathing in campaign cash from the sleaziest people alive for months at a time, the politician lawyer is then expected to become a wise, mature, and thoughtful jurist. Given the system, we should be thankful we have any good judges at all. |