Author

Joey Kennedy

Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes a column each week for the Alabama Political Reporter. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.

Tommy, can you hear me?

That Morning Consult poll of Alabama voters that showed Republican Tommy Tuberville with a 17-point lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Doug Jones for the U.S. Senate was such a stunner, a Jones campaign aide rushed out an email fundraiser trying to quell any panic. Until now, most polls have shown Jones to be competitive against … Continued

Joey Kennedy

August 6, 2020

Opinion

The inevitable is inevitable

Donald Trump, in full panic mode – and that’s dangerous for the nation – floated the idea Thursday morning in (of course) a tweet that perhaps the Nov. 3 election should be delayed. We knew it was coming. One event Trump does not want this year is an election. He’s completely bungled the federal (and … Continued

Joey Kennedy

July 31, 2020

Opinion

The “in crowd” needs to get out

I am about to say something nice about Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill. But, still, before this column is over, he’ll most likely get triggered, write a press release on secretary of state stationery, taking my column out of context and arguing that he’s not a supporter of voter suppression. But, of course, Merrill … Continued

Joey Kennedy

July 23, 2020

Opinion

Voting doesn’t have to be a health risk

My vote was suppressed Tuesday. I didn’t vote because I was not going to submit myself to walking into a polling station, even masked, during a coronavirus pandemic that is raging out of control. There were attempts to require masks of voters and poll workers. It’s the law in Jefferson County. But Secretary of State … Continued

Joey Kennedy

July 16, 2020

Opinion

We are like a petulant child

I guess we’re done. Despite a shutdown that lasted weeks, apparently state leaders were twiddling their thumbs, wishing, like Donald Trump, that COVID-19 would just magically disappear. It isn’t, though, is it? Here are the grim facts: We’ve got record numbers of new cases daily. Hospitalizations are also at record numbers. Health care workers are … Continued

Joey Kennedy

July 10, 2020

Opinion

Somebody, please, take the lead

Just like Donald Trump on the national level, Gov. Kay Ivey has bungled containing the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Alabama is showing record cases and hospitalization levels. But while Ivey extended the Safer-at-Home order though July 31, she didn’t add any new restrictions. The governor says requiring masks is simply too difficult to manage and enforce. … Continued

Joey Kennedy

July 2, 2020

Opinion

The heavy weight of racist words

Oops! He did it again. Donald Trump just can’t pass up a chance to demonstrate how racist he is. We’ve known all along that Trump has a history of racism. This racism didn’t just show up when he decided to run for president in 2015. Remember the Central Park 5, five young Black and Latino … Continued

Joey Kennedy

June 25, 2020

Opinion

A tunnel too far?

My colleague Josh Moon last week wrote a truthful (if scathing) column about the legacy of former governor George C. Wallace. After laying out his case about how Wallace used racism as a political prop, Moon ended the column this way: “And that is why George Wallace’s name shouldn’t be on any public building.” I agree. … Continued

Joey Kennedy

June 18, 2020

Opinion

Voting shouldn’t be so difficult

I may trigger Secretary of State John Merrill, so this is the warning. We must not repeat what happened in Georgia Tuesday. In-person voting was a mess. Millions of dollars in brand new voting machines malfunctioned. Some voters had to wait in line for hours to cast a ballot in the Georgia primaries, and some … Continued

Joey Kennedy

June 11, 2020

Opinion

Being silent is being complicit

A moment in time: I was a young journalist, just hired by The Birmingham News. I was standing on the street outside the old Birmingham News building. I had my coat and tie on. A man came up and stood beside me, also in a coat and tie, as we waited for the light to … Continued

Joey Kennedy

June 4, 2020