Bradley Hankins

As you can see, to the right is the list of candidates who are running for governor of Alabama this year. They are in order by name, and are not labeled by political party. The reason all of the candidates are up on the list is because I want to cover them all, to give each their own chance to win my support, and maybe even yours.

Starting tomorrow I want to go full blast on the governor’s race, as well as the other elections going on in Alabama this year. It will be pretty interesting for Alabama in 2010, and I want to be here to help everyone grasp what all is going on the campaign trail. I will also be seeking some interviews with the candidates. For those of you who are knew to my blog, you might want to check out my interview with gubernatorial candidate Robert Bentley. Out of all the candidates, he was one of two candidates to actually respond to my request for an interview. The other was Bill Johnson, but our schedules never met up while he was in Mobile, and maybe we can give it another shot.

Maybe it is just because I am a small name in the state of Alabama, and maybe because my opinion doesn’t matter much. I can say this though, anytime I talk to anyone about the election, I always point out how Robert Bentley seems to truly care about the people of Alabama since he actually wants to get out and talk to people – even no-names like me.

Not all of my focus will be strictly for the elections in Alabama, I will continue to opine on national politics, as well as state and local. For more in depth Alabama politics, I urge you to check out Doc’s Political Parlor, which is now linked in my blogroll. It is truly the best place to get the latest happenings in Alabama, and I could only dream on my blog being anything like it.

So remember to start checking by again tomorrow for all the information on the gubernatorial race. I will be setting up some places here on the blog where you can get to know each candidate better, and compare the views of each of them so you know who you really want to support. For now, check out all of their websites to the right, remember don’t just like someone because you know them or their name, but give them all a chance, and go in with an open mind. This election, just like every other one, is critical for Alabama’s future. A man might have a nice name, but is he (or she) truly the right person for the state?

Today was a nice day to drive across the bay to meet up with Alabama gubernatorial candidate Robert Bentley for lunch. As we set down to eat our delicious crab cake sandwiches from the Easy Shore Café in Daphne, Alabama, we started discussing the happenings of being a candidate for governor, and what Dr. Bentley saw in himself, and of the other candidates.

Robert Bentley, who many in south western Alabama have never heard of, is quite popular in the northern part of the state. He described his popularity as that of Bradley Byrne down here. He’s popular where he is from, and his campaign will focus on building the knowledgebase of his name across the state, and promoting the fact that out of all six candidates, he is the only one that has been in the legislature. Bentley believes firmly that to be a great governor, you have to work well with the state legislature, and he believes that his time in the state House of Representatives has built the needed relationship that it takes to be governor.

Bentley stated that the first problem we must fix in the state is the current unemployment, which is currently at 10.1%. He believes that by strengthening the companies that are already housed here in Alabama, as well as making it economical for new business to come to the state, that the unemployment rate will lower. He stated that this will be his main goal, as the state can never be strong with such a high unemployment rate.

Bentley also has a strong passion to fix the problems with healthcare within the state too, and be believes that he is the most qualified to do so – as he is a doctor. Bentley believes one way to fix the problem is to have health savings accounts. With these savings accounts it will put the money in the people’s hands, and let them decide what they should do with their own healthcare. Whether or not to decide to pay $30 at the doctor’s office today, or $3000 at the emergency room tomorrow, it is all in the hands of the individual. He also believes that with Medicare and Medicaid that we should do the same. This way, the people will learn how to take care of their selves, and not to always rely on the government to take care of them.

Robert Bentley is also thinking about holding healthcare town halls across the state. But first, he said that he must read the health care bill that is being discussed nationally. He said that some politicians don’t get it, that they go into these town halls without reading the bill, and even though they say they will not vote for it, they are unable to answers the questions that the people are asking. Bentley believes that with these town halls that people will get to meet with the candidate, get to know the candidate, and all at the same time get real answers about the bill, and what he believes should be done for the state.

Overall, Bentley believes that to be in politics, you must care about the people who you represent. It comes across to me that he truly does, and that with his experiences with being a representative, and his time as being a doctor, as well as running a business, that he is very qualified for the job. And despite the fact that Dr. Bentley didn’t enjoy the crab cake sandwich as I did, it was an enjoyable discussion and I hope to have lunch with him, and possibly the other candidates soon.

You can also find this article, as well as many more dealing with Alabama politics at www.alabama.newsplatoon.com