One of my favorite Craig Ferguson bits was the the theme of his 2011 comedy tour.  Explaining what he had learned from his two failed marriages, Ferguson sums it up as follows.

• Does this need to be said?
• Does this need to be said by ME?
• Does this need to be said by me NOW?

If I were smart I would heed these words on the morning after Alabama Democrat Doug Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by now Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III.  One would think everything that needs to be said now has been voiced by someone else over the last 12 hours.  But, as has been my obsession, I keep looking for those messages that were omitted or not in the forefront of the punditry which followed the election outcome.

ONE Person CAN Make a Difference

This weekend that person was senior Alabama U.S. Senator Richard Shelby.  On  CNN State of the Union last Sunday, Shelby said his home state “deserves better than Moore,” and while he could not vote for the Democrat, he chose to write-in the name of “a prominent Alabama Republican.”

With 100 percent of the votes counted, Jones won by just shy of 21,000 votes.  The number of write-in ballots totaled 22,819.  Sometimes people need a role model.  Someone who gives them “permission” to go against tradition or long-standing loyalties.  Someone who comes up with a way to hold on to personal values yet still sleep at night.

One can only hope there are one or two Republican Senators (you know who you are)  who follow Shelby’s example and give their colleagues permission to stand in front of the runaway GOP tax cut locomotive which is a train-wreck waiting to happen.

Authenticity Trumps Expediency (Pun Intended)

Before Jones finally took the lead in the ballot count around 9:45 pm EST, one MSNBC panelist was asked, “Do you think this would have been easier for Jones if he had not been so forthcoming about his pro-life stance early in the campaign?”  This question was based on the conventional wisdom many Republicans who held their noses and stuck with Moore were culture warriors.  And it was a mistake for Jones not to skirt such a divisive issue.

The panelist replied, “That’s not who Doug Jones is.  He delivers the same message regardless of the audience.”  I need not remind you how that compares to the flip-flopper-in-chief.  (Oops, I guess I just did.)

Walk THEN Talk

Another contributing factor to the Jones victory was the 29 percent turnout among African-Americans.  While this seems low it equaled the percentage who came to the polls in 2008 to vote for the first African-American candidate for president and surpassed the numbers for Hillary Clinton in 2016.  The explanation is simple.

Many politicians talk about justice equality.  While many Democrats have voiced disapproval of the lack of accountability by police for what appears to be excessive and unnecessary force in dealing with people of color, Doug Jones has a record of demanding accountability including the successful prosecution of four Klan members responsible for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which resulted in the murder of four young girls.

White politicians who want the respect and votes of African-American citizens, like Jones, need to “walk the walk” BEFORE they “talk the talk.”  Demonstrate your commitment to justice equality through action, not promises.

Now Comes the Hard Part

In the all-time classic political drama The Candidate, on election night the newly anointed U.S. Senator for California Bill McKay (Robert Redford) pulls his campaign manager Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) away from the press and cheering supporters.  Alone in a hotel room, McKay sits on the bed and delivers the film’s last line asking Lucas, “What do we do now?”

On November 24, in a post I called “BASE Ball,” I chastised Doug Jones for running an anti-Moore ad instead of talking about why he was the RIGHT choice for Alabama.  And the opportunity in this special election was NOT that a Democrat could beat an accused pedophile, but rather a Democrat could effectively represent the interests of Alabamans in the U.S. Senate.  To do this Jones needs to focus on “bread and butter” issues.  And he set the tone in his acceptance speech when he called on his future colleagues not to wait for him to arrive in D.C., but to act now on a issue that matters to thousands of his new constituents.

Take this election — take this election where the people of Alabama said we want to get something done, we want you to find common ground, we want you to talk. Take this opportunity in light of this election and go ahead and fund that ChIP program before I get up there. Put it aside and let’s do it for those million kids and 150,000 here in Birmingham, Alabama.

It is this kind of leadership and attention to issues which really matter to voters that could make Jones more than a one-term anomaly.  I hope the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate takes note.  Remind the American people that politics is a means to an end.  The end is good governance.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP