>Terri Sewell announces Copper Tube plant in Alabama

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Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell Announces That a Copper Tube Manufacturing Plant Will Be Built in Thomasville

Project to create 200 manufacturing jobs in the Black Belt

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (AL-7) announced that Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group will build a copper tube plant in Thomasville.

The plant will employ more than 200 people, and will be the first U.S. plant for this company, which makes copper pipes and tubes used in plumbing, air conditioning and automobiles. Rep. Sewell joined with Governor Bentley and other state and local officials and executives from Golden Dragon to make the announcement earlier today. Rep. Sewell wrote a letter of support in favor of the project.

“By building this copper tube production facility right here in Thomasville, we will create good-paying, cutting-edge jobs,” said Rep. Sewell. “Each manufacturing job has a multiplier effect of four additional jobs. Today, we are demonstrating that manufacturing is not just part of our past, but also an important part of our future. By making products like copper tubing, we will position Clarke County as a global leader in this industry and increase our number of exports across the world.”

“We’re very excited,” said Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day. “This project opens up huge opportunities for the future of this area, and will be a welcome relief for so many people who are currently looking for jobs. I want to thank Congresswoman Sewell for everything she has done to help make this project a reality. This has been a true partnership between state, local and federal government.”

“I appreciate Congresswoman Sewell’s support and I am very happy to be here in Alabama,” said Li Changjie, Chairman of Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group, Inc.

“Congresswoman Sewell has been really great,” said Raymond Cheng, CEO of SoZo Group, Ltd, an investment advisory company which matches investors with businesses and causes. “Everyone I have worked with on this project is really committed to helping this community.”

The plant is expected to be built on a 40-acre site in a city industrial park south of Thomasville High School.

Golden Dragon is based in Xinxiang, a city of 5.5 million people in China’s second-most populous province, Founded in 1987, the company indicates that it generates more than $2 billion a year in sales and makes more than 15 percent of all copper tube used in air conditioning and refrigeration worldwide.

>Terri Sewell having an impact

>It feels good to live in a congressional district where the representative actually cares about the people she (or he) represents.

Terri Sewell is the only member of the Alabama delegation that did not succumb to the lies and pressures from the big insurance companies and their money when they cast their vote on the Health Care Repeal Act.

Her statement:

“The Affordable Health Care Act is a first step towards strengthening our health care system and is already helping to save the lives of many in my district.”

President Obama said yesterday,

“I’m willing and eager to work with both Democrats and Republicans to improve the Affordable Care Act. But we can’t go backward. Americans deserve the freedom and security of knowing that insurance companies can’t deny, cap or drop their coverage when they need it the most, while taking meaningful steps to curb runaway health care costs.”

Republicans are more interested in those big checks they get from the insurance companies.

And only about 1 in 4 Americans want to repeal the law.

If the law were repealed, 16,600 young adults in Alabama would no longer be able to stay on their parents health insurance plans through age 26.

Republicans don’t care about the health or feeling of security that Americans have when they are able to be insured.

Also yesterday we learned that Sewell was elected President of the Democratic Freshmen Class of the 112th Congress.

In addition to serving as President of the Democratic Freshman Class, Rep. Sewell was selected to serve as a Senior Whip by House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD). This position provides Rep. Sewell a strong platform from which to advocate for constituents in the 7th District and families all across the state of Alabama.

She was also selected to to serve on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science and Technology. Those would be my favorite committees.

The House Committee on Agriculture creates farm policy and drafts legislation to protect the interests of rural America. The committee’s jurisdiction includes rural development, agricultural colleges, farming, nutrition, renewable energy, conservation, bioterrorism, forestry and many others.

The House Committee on Science and Technology is responsible for overseeing research and development programs at many different federal agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and many others.

Here is what she said about her agriculture appointment.

“I will promote innovative legislation that will strengthen our small businesses, our land grant institutions, support both urban and rural economic development and work to improve the nutritional challenges facing our children, seniors and families. This committee assignment will help to ensure that America remains a dominant exporter of agricultural goods, which will create and protect good-paying, cutting-edge jobs in the district and across the country.”

Here is what she said about her science appointment.

“As a member of this committee, I have the ability to promote legislation that will improve economic development in the 7th Congressional District and throughout the State of Alabama. This includes introducing legislation in emerging scientific industries, encouraging the creation of public-private partnerships and investing in education and workforce development. Scientific advancement is one of the keys to U.S. competitiveness in a global marketplace, and this committee assignment will produce innovative opportunities for the advancement of science, technology and education as we move in to the future.”

I anticipate Terri being one of the most influential members of congress, and being a big help to the people of the 7th Congressional district.

>The Bessemer No Spin Zone

>People (who remain anonymous) are already poking fun at me after the Democrats in Alabama suffered defeat last night.

As if I expected every Democrat to win.

No, but when you ‘work’ for a party you support your candidates and you promote them and hope for the best.

I don’t apologize for that. I don’t duck and run.

So, here are some positive things from my perspective on the election.

Everyone in this state knows it is a red state. That is why the Blue Dot was developed here.

The Seventh

My candidate for the 7th congressional district, Terri Sewell, won handily. Of course that was expected and almost assured. But I supported Terri from when it first rumored that she would run. We needed a woman in congress and now we have one. Here she is in Selma last night at the historic St. James Hotel, thanking her supporters.

Here Terri and her mother are being interviewed by a Montgomery television reporter.

I personally thanked Terri’s mother for giving birth to her, and for raising her as she did.

The County

Another bright spot is that Jefferson County’s vote returned to Democratic in the governor’s race.

Ron Sparks received 104,098 votes to Robert Bentley’s 100,934. Not a huge margin, but a 51% to 49%.

Compare that to 2006 when Bob Riley took 53% of the vote in Jefferson County, compared to Lucy Baxley’s 47%, and 2002 race when Don Siegelman had 56% and Bob Riley had 43%.

I’m leaving out 2008’s Jefferson county vote for Obama, because I am comparing apples to apples with the governor’s race.

The pendulum swings.

The Constitution

Here’s a bright spot. All of the statewide amendments lost. For those of us that advocate constitutional reform, it indicates that the Alabama voters don’t like the process either. Trouble is, most elected Republicans don’t support true reform, so I don’t expect anything from the Alabama legislature, or at least not a convention to write an new constitution anytime soon.

The Gays

For the ever increasing majority that believe in LGBT equality, a record 106 openly gay candidates were elected across the country. Here are some highlights.

Lexington Kentucky elected a gay man as mayor, construction executive Jim Gray.

North Carolina elected their first openly gay state legislator, Marcus Brandon.

Rhode Island will send an openly gay man to congress, as Providence mayor David Cicilline will represent his district in Washington, and will be the fourth openly gay member of congress.

Click on the link to read more.

The Nation

Across the nation, we avoided having two of the most unqualified and unprepared candidates elected to the senate, and one of those defeats means the Senate majority Harry Reid will remain in office. May we never have to hear from Sharron Angle and Christine O’Donnell again.

As for the future along the national scene, I have my doubts that the Republican gains will translate into Republican love over the next two years. They were the Party of No for the previous two years. Before that they were the Party of Yes to both tyranny and wasteful spending. A few new shrill voices will have a difficult time transforming the established Republicans into Teabaggers that want to cut, oh, say, farm subsidies and Medicare benefits and unemployment benefits and the things Americans hold dear.

And their leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell (if in fact they remain the leaders) have said (collectively) that their primary goal is to make sure Obama is a one term president and that they would not compromise. Obama reached out to them during the first two years and they refused to work with the Democrats, who thinks they will now?

And Boehner, whose emotional swings range from screaming, “Hell, no,” in the House to crying after victory (it’s not like it was his first win, remember), will not have the steadfastness nor the demeanor to be an effective leader in Congress. Just a prediction.

All this could easily result in two years of ineffective government, the Republicans in congress getting the blame, and a second term for Obama and another swing in the house with democratic gains in 2012.

The Hotel

Ms. Sewell’s reception was held at the St. James Hotel in Selma, and Bobby and I spent the night there after the event. One word of advice. In a one hundred sixty year old building, when the elevator is stuck, and a while later they say it is working, don’t believe them. We got stuck in the elevator, but there was no panic. They “reset” it, whatever that means, from the outside, and we were able to ride up to our third floor room, after just a few minutes.

Here is a view of the courtyard that is surrounded by rooms.

A ground level view of the fountain in the courtyard.

The St. James was built in 1837, and during the Civil War it was occupied by union troops who burned most of the city. The hotel was managed by Benjamin Sterling Turner during the war, and he later became the first African-American to serve in the U. S. Congress.

Now the first African-American woman to go to congress from Alabama celebrates in the same hotel. Neat, huh?

Here is the view of the Alabama river and the Edmund Pettus Bridge from our balcony, as the sun was rising.

Imagine the history seen from that balcony (and the balconies on the other sides). Riverboats and barges with cotton on the river. Northern aggressors coming into the city. The city burning. The city being rebuilt. Martin Luther King, Jr, speaking at Brown Chapel on Jan 2, 1965. Bloody Sunday a couple of months later. The successful march to Montgomery that began in Selma later that year. The election of the first black mayor. Annual re-enactments of the March. Terri Sewell being elected to congress.

Selma, like Terri, is an Alabama jewel.

>Terri Sewell: the honest candidate

>What is worse, a thief or a liar?

Sheila Smoot is a liar. At least, her campaign is lying when they made this claim about Terri Sewell: “She didn’t even cast one vote in Alabama until 2008.”

And this one: “Sewell never even voted in Alabama until 2 years ago. … She never even bothered to vote and now she wants to represent you in Congress. … Sewell doesn’t even vote, but she attacks Shelia Smoot’s record?”

This would mean that Terri had never voted for her mother when she ran for city council.

Here is Terri’s voter registration from Dallas County in 1984.

Sewell has said this, in a statement about the matter: She “went on to vote in multiple local, federal, and state races in Alabama’s 7th district, often casting absentee ballots while away at college. She spent many long hours campaigning for her mother, who was the first African-American woman elected to the Selma city council, and always made a point to cast a vote in support of her mother.”

So last night as I was leaving Sewell’s town hall meeting in West End, a vehicle with speakers attached to the outside was broadcasting “This is a warning,” followed by these lies and others, with a booming, authoritative voice, to people in the community.

If Smoot will lie to get into office, what will she do once she is elected? We don’t need an embarrassment in Washington, D.C. We need a person who can relate to the big wigs there, but can also relate to the people, all of the people, in her district.

Read more about Smoot’s ads at Left in Alabama, where Smoot has been asked to pull the radio ads and to apologize.

Terri Sewell is poised to become the first African-American woman elected to congress from Alabama. She was recently named one of the Next 10 Women to Watch in Politics. She is in a list with Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and in my book there could be no better comparison.

At the Town Hall last night, Terri shared her policy views, but she also shared the connection she has with individuals in the district. People from the West End area who had answered a knock at their door and opened it to find Terri were there and spoke highly of their conversation.

Terri also spoke of people that she thinks about on a daily basis during this campaign. One was a seven year old girl who dreamed of being the first African-American female astronaut (Terri gently informed her that Mae Jemison had been the first, this little girl might be the second). But she reminds Terri that every child should be able to dream, and dream big. Terri herself came a long way and she feels everyone should have that opportunity.

Another person that Terri mentioned was a contractor whose business has been affected by the economy. Terri understands the hardship that people are undergoing (including the people in Green County that Terri said unfairly lost their jobs when the Governor’s Task Force closed Green Track).

I asked Terri about her positions on two issues of great importance to the President: the moratorium on deep water drilling and the lawsuit against the state of Arizona over their immigration law.

I could tell that Terri has put a lot of thought into both of these issues, because there are valid arguments on both sides. But her answers showed me that Terri’s views are truly progressive and I agree with her. She supports the moratorium on deep water drilling since we don’t know how to stop a leak like the disaster that is taking place right now. Shallow water drilling, and production from deep water wells already in operation, can continue.

As for the immigration lawsuit, she backs the President and sees the law as discriminatory.

And just as Terri has been able to communicate with and inspire the people she has met on the campaign, she will be able to do the same with members of congress. I could picture her last night meeting with Nancy Pelosi or Alan Grayson and having productive conversations with them, and actually getting things done for our district and for our country.

If Terri does not win this election consider it stolen. That’s where the “thief” question comes in.

But Terri will not lose. She will win on Tuesday. She is upbeat. I am upbeat. Her supporters are upbeat.

See you at the polls on Tuesday.

There is beauty in the world.

Macy Gray thinks so. Here she sings “Beauty in the World”

Here’s the remix, if you prefer that dance beat.

>What we learned yesterday

>Where to start after yesterday’s primary election?

I’ve not spent 13 hours at a polling place since my own campaign on election day 4 years ago. Those of us making a last minute effort to influence voters had a good day at Thompson Manor in Bessemer.

Do we do any good by handing out ballots or candidate info to people on their way in to vote?

Who knows, But in a close race, when there are many races on the ballot, a voter might be coming to the poll in strong support of only one candidate in a single race, and really not decided on the other races, so we pass out our literature in hopes of gaining a vote or two.

At any rate, I think the voters of Alabama proved one thing yesterday. We are not a teabagger state.

Xenophobe Tim James seems destined to be left out of the runoff. He’s currently in third place.

Theocrat Roy Moore can ride off into the sunset on that horse he’s pictured on in today’s Birmingham News.

Racial profiler wanna-be Steve French lost. (The victor of this primary may well be a teabagger).

Laughingstock Dale Peterson lost his youtube based campaign of threat to a couple of more sensible Republicans that will face each other in a runoff.

Teabagger-come-lately Parker Griffith lost his Republican bid for the seat that Democrats gave him 4 years ago. It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, and it’s not nice to fool Democrats either, Griffith. (His replacement leans teabag).

As for the Governor’s race, the only surprise on the Democrat side was the margin of the Ron Sparks win over “throw ’em (both gays and blacks, other wise known as “your base”) under the bus” Artur Davis.

Davis’ vote against the health care bill has to go down down as one of the biggest political errors in Alabama history. Pundits are downplaying it, while every single black person I spoke with, and there were many, said that vote sealed the deal against him. Whoever advised him to vote that way (surely he didn’t come up with that himself, heck, he’s got a Harvard education! after all), should be fired. Oh wait, they don’t have a job now anyway, do they?

On the Republican side, it is truly a gift from God if in fact it turns out that Tim James can join Roy Moore at Buck’s Pocket (many of you younger readers might not know, but Buck’s Pocket is “where all the defeated public officials go to lick their wounds after an unsuccessful election.”

In the race to replace Davis in AL-07, Terri Sewell led the pack with 31,489 votes over Sheila Smoot with 24,376 votes. Earl Hilliard, Jr. came in third with 22,939 votes. Sewell and Smoot will face each other in a runoff.

Six weeks of campaigning to go for those in runoffs. I will investigate some numbers and comment more on these and other races later.

>Sewell surging in polls in AL-07

>A new poll shows Terri Sewell surging in the polls, jumping from 9% in January into a tie for the lead with 22% now. Sheila Smoot also has 22% (down from 29%) and Earl Hilliard has 20% (down from 25%). The poll numbers were released by the Sewell campaign this morning.

With Hilliard and Smoot both falling in the poll and Sewell on the rise, it appears she will at least head into a runoff with the lead.

Terri is the only candidate currently running television ads.

She still lacks name recognition, and some people don’t know much about her. Left in Alabama interviewed her and here is some video. In this clip Terri talks about her background, growing up poor in Selma, and her education and early experiences outside the classroom, and what a “public finance lawyer” is.

You owe it to yourself to watch these videos. It will take a little time, but we all need to be informed about who we send to Washington.

Here, Terri discusses her priorities, including investing in infrastructure, investing in human capital and workforce development, investment in small businesses, investment in technology, including alternative energy sources. Job creation and better educational opportunities are desperately needed in the 7th district.

Terri takes a stand on the issues, including health care (a robust public option), equal pay for women (she has been endorsed by Lilly Ledbetter), a woman’s right to choose while making abortion rare and safe, opposing discrimination against gays and lesbians, respecting states rights to determine gay marriage (she understands the issue is a tough one, but at the very base of it, it’s a “civil rights” and “human rights issue”). Also, financial reform and Wall Street are discussed.

Finally, Terri makes her case. Here is why you should vote for Terri Sewell.

It’s time to send a woman to Congress. Why Terri? Watch.

As I watch these videos once thing I notice is how calm, yet confident Terri is in conversation. She seems like the type of person who can get into the conversation in Washington beginning on day 1.

In personal conversations with Terri I have found her to be one of the most informed and personable people in politics I have met in a long time. I believe she is the best candidate for the job.

Thank you Left in Alabama for creating these videos.

>Coffee Party meetup in Birmingham

>Tired of Tea?

Join the Coffee Party in Birmingham. There will be a meeting on Friday, April 9, 2010 from 2:00 to 3:00 at Starbucks at the Mervyn H. Sterne Library on UAB campus. 917 13th Street South Birmingham, Alabama 35205 The library is across the street from the Arts and Humanities Building. Between 8th and 10th Ave. So. on 13th street. Birmingham, AL.

Here is the mission statement of the Coffee Party.

COFFEE PARTY MISSION STATEMENT: The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.

I have highlighted phrases that stand out to me in contrast to the Tea Party movement.

cooperation in government. This does not mean voting “no” just for the sake of voting no, or trying to create a Waterloo at the expense of the American people.

the federal government is not the enemy of the people. How often have we heard from the Teabaggers about the federal government being the enemy, about states rights and sovereignty, and about secession (Texas?)?

but the expression of our collective will. The President, and the current congress, was, in fact, elected by the people of this country to accomplish the agenda that they are pursuing.

democratic process. Not spitting on people, mocking older men with Parkinson’s disease, using the “N” word or the “F” word to taunt congressmen.

support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them. The Party of Solutions or the Party of No?

The Coffee Party is not a political party. It is a movement, and from what I have seen the people are more diverse by age, race, and sexual orientation than the Tea Party.

Check it out.

>As Ugly As It Gets

>At least one TV in our home was on C-Span all day yesterday. That doesn’t mean I was parked in front of it all day, but I did see the good parts.

All the rhetoric that we have heard over the last 427 days (that this legislation has been worked on) will soon be forgotten. Health Care Reform will be seen to be a benefit to society and America will be a better place.

Republicans seem to think this gives them momentum, but I believe just the opposite. I am a typical Democrat, in that I support most of the policies of the party and usually vote for Democrats. And my elation this morning is profound. If I use the feeling after Barack Obama was elected as a baseline of 100, then today I am feeling a 93.

And if all Democrats in America are feeling a 93, then we will do well in November. A fringe benefit from this vote will be about 32 million votes. Democrat poll number should go up this week and continue to rise in the run up to the 2010 election.

Nancy Pelosi ended the night with her remarks on the floor of the House by smiling and giving examples of the positive ways this reform will benefit women in particular and Americans in general. Every woman in America should vote for Democrats this year after what Pelosi has done and after what Lilly Ledbetter did to advance equality. Being female is no longer a pre-existing condition.

Minority leader John Boehner screamed “Hell, no,” several times in a fit of rage.

An unidentified Republican called out “baby killer” as Bart Stupak was speaking.

(Update: I just read this tweet: “Dear Congress: Before you shout “baby killer”, remember that 5,378 babies have been killed fighting in Afghanistan/Iraq.”)

John Lewis was unfazed as Republican supporters chanted “ni**er” at him as he approached the Capitol on Saturday.

John Lewis and me at last year’s Weekend of Equality.

Let’s just say that Democrats and progressives were on the high road over the weekend, while Republicans and teabaggers were on the low road.

Shamefully, as has been the case throughout history, Alabama’s congressional delegation stood firm in their attempt to deny insurance to 32 million Americans and to prevent the Medicare donut hole from closing.

Artur Davis will be left behind as he will no longer be in office in Washington to see this reform implemented. Terri Sewell, who is seeking to replace Davis in AL-07, had this to say.

“Today’s vote brings this country a step closer to ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable quality coverage. It is important that health care reform does not end here, but that we continue to press for a public option that will ensure coverage of 100% of Americans. In Congress, I will work with President Obama to make sure that this is done,” said Sewell.

Sewell hopes to be the first black women elected to congress from Alabama. We need a woman representing Alabama. Our seven congressmen, including Davis, voted against the interests of women in the area of health care last night.

Ron Sparks wants to be governor, and said this.

“I have been on record supporting affordable health care,” said Commissioner Ron Sparks. “I am happy for the 7th District, which will finally get the assistance they desperately need and want. I have never seen a Representative so blatantly ignore the will of the people in his district like Artur Davis has done. He was elected to represent the 7th District, not the special interests, but he chose to return to Washington to vote against his constituents.”

Read what some other locals said at Left in Alabama.

>Terri Sewell in 6 minutes

>The Birmingham Downtown Democrats met on Friday and at their luncheon all of the candidates for the 7th Congressional district spoke.

Here is Terri Sewell‘s six minute presentation. Thanks, Mooncat.

“I will go to Congress and make sure that health care gets passed. A comprehensive health care legislation that includes a public option. It’s critically important for all of this district. And do know that I will fight for that.”

Now we know that one congressperson cannot “make sure” that any legislation gets passed (although we do know that one congressman can make sure it doesn’t get passed). And hopefully health care legislation will be in place long before she gets there. But what is important, and impressive, is the passion and commitment that she brings.

Terri understands that employment is the main issue in the district and that education is the key to economic development. Listen to what she says.

“Education I believe is the best economic plan ever devised – a good education.”

“I have been working … as a finance attorney working on behalf of local authorities and helping local governments attract industries. Putting together public and private partnerships that actually attract industries which create jobs.”

One of the reasons I am so interested in Terri’s campaign is because I firmly believe that it’s time we sent a woman to Washington. Terri would not only represent the people of the 7th Congressional District, she would represent all of the women of Alabama.

There are other women, good women, in this race, but Terri has received the support and endorsement of an Alabama hero, Lilly Ledbetter.

“There are a lot of choices in the 7th district race, but Terri Sewell stands above the rest. Terri will work with President Obama to promote and pass bills to help working people, create new jobs, pass health care reform and level the playing field for women and minorities in Alabama,” said Ledbetter.

She has also received the endorsements from several advocacy groups for women, among them Emily’s List, the Women’s Campaign Forum, and the National Organization of Women PAC.

If you don’t know Terri, you need to know that she was featured on NBC’s Today Show as one of the “Top Collegian Women” and was chosen as one of the “Top Ten College Women in America ,” by Glamour Magazine.

If we bring Terri to Bessemer would you come to meet her and hear her? We’re working on it.

>Selma Bridge Jubilee 2010

>Forty five years ago marchers ascended the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and were met with Alabama State Troopers and police. The scene was a little different yesterday at the Bridge Jubilee.

Terri Sewell, one of the candidates hoping to replace Artur Davis in congress (AL-07), was on hand along with a number of supporters. Terri was raised in Selma, and her family roots reveal a presence during the events of 1965.

A bust of Martin Luther King, Jr, stands in front of Brown Chapel, where the march began. In my book (Those Others), one of the characters took part in the march on Bloody Sunday, and his account of the event is posted in an excerpt from the soon to be released book (the cover design has been approved and the final complete proof is being prepared.)

Supporters for Ron Sparks were out in numbers at the event.

Artur Davis supporters were in the crowd as well, and I spoke with a Davis sign carrier about the candidate’s “no” vote on health care reform, flip flop on hate crimes legislation, and lack of support for ENDA (employment non-discrimination). Nothing new or encouraging from that supporter.

Marchers in 1965 might have looked toward heaven in prayer as they ascended the bridge. This is what they might have seen.

But when they reached the crest they would have seen State Troopers waiting at the foot of the bridge. Yesterday, State Troopers played a much different role, and their presence was appreciated.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 took part in the march yesterday.

After the march we had our picture taken by someone from the Freedom Foundation, which is working to improve the community in various ways. We need them here, in Bessemer.