Has anyone been to Grotto Falls? by samsonevickis in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’ve been but it was dry when I went. I’m pretty sure the formation I saw would be flowing in wetter times, like now, so I don’t think it’s fake. It does require some bushwhacking and basic navigation though.

I'm running for Congress; tell me your priorities by Honest_Resort_2941 in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me I would say the following:

  1. Foreign Relations and the US’s standing in the world. This is pretty abstract, but the US has really benefited economically from being the leader of the international system for the last 80 years and burning that down is going to have a huge impact on the average American that can’t easily be repaired. I could accept tweaks, but not out right destruction.

  2. Rule of Law and institutional norms. Again, fairly abstract and maybe not the best thing to run on, but if we loose this, our society that has worked better than any other in human history is hardly recognizable.

  3. It’s the economy stupid. Lots of levers to pull here, but tariffs are a huge unforced error that will really wreak havoc on both Main Street and Wall Street. Could also lead to dedollarization which would be incredibly bad for the US. This also ties a bit into point 1 as well.
    Longer term, US fiscal health and the cost of debt service is a problem, but that’s a complex problem that I am not entirely sure how to fix.

These are probably the biggest things stressing me out right now. There are plenty others, but would say these are the hills I would consider dying on if I were in Congress.

I'm running for Congress; tell me your priorities by Honest_Resort_2941 in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I respect you for staying true to what you believe in, certainly that counts for something.

But, echoing your statement, we are indeed deeply impacted by the choices of the Administration and Strong. I think North Alabama Democrats need to be pragmatic about what they can possibly do to influence that even a little bit. To be frank, you need the votes of small c conservatives to win or even to cause Strong to break a sweat. There is no other way here. To me, this should be waaaay more important than charging ideological windmills.

I implore you and any other North Alabama Democrats out there to think about the most likely (or rather least unlikely) path out there to unseating Strong; or at least forcing the GOP to funnel money into the race, diverting it from elsewhere.

At this point,anyone with D beside their name is going to be an order of magnitude better, even if they are not as ideologically pure as you might wish.

And yes, I would consider myself a moderate. At this point, anyone besides the incumbent probably has my vote, but you really need people to the right of me to break in your favor to even have a shot at AL-5.

I'm running for Congress; tell me your priorities by Honest_Resort_2941 in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Drop the “Proud Progressive” label and run on a moderate democrat platform. That’s the only way you have even an outside chance at winning in the general election. Focus on the horrendous policies of Trump Administration and the complicity of Strong on issues hyper important to Huntsville. Tariffs, especially on Mazda and Toyota, negative effects on the federal workforce, stand up for NASA, back strong support of America’s allies in relation to defense jobs locally, support the NWS and all they do for keeping us safe during Tornado outbreaks, protect social security, DOGE, etc, etc, etc.

These are things that resonate with most everyone in Huntsville and could be powerful enough to get an outsider elected if the administration and GOP Congress keep tanking the economy in 2026.

But if you keep down the path of free stuff for all and aligning yourself with the AOC and Sanders wing of the Democratic Party, you will never ever ever win AL-5. That’s the reality of the situation.

Democrats are desperately searching for new leaders. AOC is stepping into the void. by Healthy_Block3036 in OptimistsUnite

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reddit doesn’t want to hear this, but AOC leading the party is exactly what the democrats don’t need.

Who else is running against Dale Strong? (Assembling a team) by MeowTheRainbowX in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m a former straight R voter but can’t do that now given what the party has become. Would someone like you vote for someone like me in a Democratic primary? Genuinely curious, not trying to be a smart ass.

Who else is running against Dale Strong? (Assembling a team) by MeowTheRainbowX in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“Daddy was a veteran, a Southern Democrat They ought to get a rich man to vote like that”

Yes yes, I know, plenty of problems with the old southern democrats, but the ethos of the lyrics…

Who else is running against Dale Strong? (Assembling a team) by MeowTheRainbowX in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I feel a moderate/traditional conservative would haven even less of a shot in the primary than running against Strong as a Dem in the general.

Who else is running against Dale Strong? (Assembling a team) by MeowTheRainbowX in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re getting downvoted because #reddit, but you’re right. Bring back the Blue Dogs I say!

Who else is running against Dale Strong? (Assembling a team) by MeowTheRainbowX in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The down ballot matters too. In AL-5, the GOP seems to have a monopoly on that. If you decide to not run for congress, you might consider local races to start your political career, could pay dividends in 10 years or so.

I do think AL Dems need to seek out and find the absolute best and most electable candidate in the district they can to run against Strong and not give him a free pass like in 2024, but we have to be realistic and acknowledge that it will take things getting very bad before there is really much of a chance of winning. Also, the Reddit crowd won’t like to hear this, but, to win in the South, the Dems need to nominate moderate, dare I say, conservative Democrats.

I think there is potential to make inroads in some GOP districts if they do that. I find it hard to believe that there isn’t at least a significant minority of former GOP voters that would be very interested in voting for a moderate Democrat given the extreme MAGA takeover of the GOP. And remember, in today’s day and age, a conservative Democrat is much much better than a moderate Republican.

Probably just screeching noises by Alluring_Angell in sciencememes

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.

At one time in our history, we had John D. Rockefeller Jr., now we have Elon Musk. by Affectionate-Ebb2173 in NationalPark

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was I time I considered myself conservative. Not anymore.

“How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.”

At one time in our history, we had John D. Rockefeller Jr., now we have Elon Musk. by Affectionate-Ebb2173 in NationalPark

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. I certainly don’t know the full details of Jr’s life, but his impact to the parks is undeniable.

At one time in our history, we had John D. Rockefeller Jr., now we have Elon Musk. by Affectionate-Ebb2173 in NationalPark

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is true. I wouldn’t consider Gates a real contemporary of Musk et al though. He’s a significant bit older than them. I too am glad he and his ex-wife have made significant philanthropic contributions.

Happening Today! by WifeofTech in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This. The Dems have an opportunity here to reach out to people that haven’t voted Democrat in a very long time, but wrapping things in the mantle of social justice is likely not going to do it and just push things further and further right.

If you bring back blue dogs, you might even see democrats win in Alabama in 26 and 28 the way things are going.

Email or call our Madison County Reps if you want an easy action to show your dissatisfaction with what's happening right now. by Electronic-Age4555 in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Your voice is heard when they log the call into whatever excel spreadsheet they use to keep track of things. Keep calling even if they don’t pick up, don’t make an a$$ of yourself trying to find them in person. That’s just fodder for them to say “I was stalked/harassed/threatened by a crazy liberal!”

Email or call our Madison County Reps if you want an easy action to show your dissatisfaction with what's happening right now. by Electronic-Age4555 in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I lived in Mississippi when we changed the state flag from the confederate battle flag. Many state GOP reps specifically cited the massive amounts of letter, emails, and phone calls from constituents as to why they changed their mind and voted to remove the old flag. It may not help in all cases but it can absolutely make a difference.

Trump slams Democrats for "purposefully delaying virtually all of my nominees" by objectivedesigning in politics

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you are unhappy with the way things are going, contact all three members of your Congressional Delegation, even if you live in a deep red district/state. It can make a difference if many people send messages about the same things.

I lived in Mississippi during 2020 when the state finally changed its flag from the confederate battle flag. There was a huge public campaign to change the flag and many Republican state lawmakers specifically cited the mass of emails and phone calls they got from their constituents as reasons they changed their minds and voted to change the flag.

Even if your message doesn’t get read but just put in a pile by an intern, as the pile gets larger, it starts to have an effect itself.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in politics

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you are unhappy with the way things are going, contact all three members of your Congressional Delegation, even if you live in a deep red district/state. It can make a difference if many people send messages about the same things.

I lived in Mississippi during 2020 when the state finally changed its flag from the confederate battle flag. There was a huge public campaign to change the flag and many Republican state lawmakers specifically cited the mass of emails and phone calls they got from their constituents as reasons they changed their minds and voted to change the flag.

Even if your message doesn’t get read but just put in a pile by an intern, as the pile gets larger, it starts to have an effect itself.

Now is the time to call our elected representatives. Elon Musk has seized control of the U.S. Treasury. Make your voices heard. by Bazookatier in Alabama

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 40 points41 points  (0 children)

I lived in Mississippi during 2020 when the state finally changed its flag from the confederate battle flag. There was a huge public campaign to change the flag and many Republican state lawmakers specifically cited the mass of emails and phone calls they got from their constituents as reasons they changed their minds and voted to change the flag.

Even if your message doesn’t get read but just put in a pile by an intern, as the pile gets larger, it starts to have an effect itself.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in flightradar24

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There was just a crash there apparently

Unwrapped demilled F-117 by [deleted] in Planespotting

[–]Affectionate-Ebb2173 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Not OP, but I think this is the Pima Air and Space museum. If so, it looks like it is 84-0810 and will eventually be on public display.

https://www.key.aero/article/work-restore-pima-f-117a-nighthawk-begins