New York Times opinion piece asks how to be a liberal in 'Lower Alabama,' sparks reaction
By John Sharp | jsharp@al.com
Baldwin County, AL
Burton LeFlore was already a stranger in a strange land when he became even stranger to a group of conservative voters during a 2013 candidates forum for South Alabama's open congressional seat after telling the audience he supported federal assistance for health care.
His comments, during a forum in Bay Minette hosted by the tea party, drew stunned looks.
"I really felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb," said LeFlore, grandson of famed civil rights leader John LeFlore. "It seemed every time I spoke, you could hear a pin drop."
The incident illustrates a growing polarization among Democrats and Republicans that was highlighted nationally in a New York Times opinion piece, "How to be Liberal in Lower Alabama."
Written by Fairhope resident and author Roy Hoffman, a former Mobile Press-Register writer, the piece has sparked some debate in Alabama over the state of civil discourse in politics and the extent of socializing and discussion among people with different political ideologies.
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It focuses on some anecdotal incidents in which Hoffman describes the difficulties of being a liberal Democrat living in Baldwin County, a conservative region with a history of overwhelmingly backing Republican candidates.
Roy Hoffman (file photo)
"Roy is a good writer but I do not think he will change many minds," opined Alabama Auditor Jim Ziegler on his Facebook page.
Added conservative columnist Quin Hillyer: "My friend Roy Hoffman is absolutely right about the state of political discourse today and about the need to keep communication open and civil. The truth is that all segments of the political spectrum are guilty of clannishness and vitriol, and all of us should work harder to find agreement rather than to denigrate those who don't agree with us."
'Share common ground'
In the piece, Hoffman quotes unnamed friends who say they are fearful – out of potential retribution – of sharing their opinions about their liberal beliefs in a county where 77 percent of voters supported Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential election.
"There's a proud tradition of Southern liberalism, with some willing to take the heat at any cost, but given that people these days can be downright mean, ever more of my left-leaning friends prefer to express their convictions only when marking the ballot," Hoffman wrote.
He also questions whether liberal Baldwin County residents should not "pull up stakes and leave?" He cited the recent popularity of rallies hosted by the GOP's top-polling candidates for president, Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, whose hard-right stances on immigration and other issues has generated excitement among tea party supporters and disenfranchised voters.
Said Hoffman about Democrats in Baldwin County, "We're alien beings."
"The key, I think, is for folks like us to engage, no matter the animosity from the wings, with people with other points of view," Hoffman said. "We might share common ground, but we inhabit it, often for generations."
Hoffman also cited a comment from a couple he knows who told him that they "never really talked about politics with Democrats."
A recent survey backs Hoffman's views. A 2014 Pew Research study that 27 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of Republicans see the other party as a threat to the nation's well-being. Voters labeled as "consistent" liberals or conservatives go even further: 50 percent of consistent liberals and 66 percent of consistent conservatives see the other party as a national threat.
And those labeled as consistent conservatives and liberals are growing: They made up 20 percent of the electorate two years ago, up from just 7 percent in the early 2000s.
The survey of 10,000 Americans showed that liberals and conservatives have a self-segregating preference, with 28 percent saying it's important to live in a place where most people share their political views, including 50 percent of voters who hold strong conservative or liberal beliefs.
Moreover, just 4 percent of conservatives say they'd prefer to live in a city, compared with 46 percent of liberals.
The distrust also delves into religious preferences with 57 percent of consistent conservatives saying it's important to live in a place where people share similar religious views, compared to only 17 percent of consistent liberals.
William Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama, said that religion and politics remain the two commons subjects most people tend to avoid talking about in order to avoid confrontation.
'Try to Engage'
"I think religion and politics are similar," Stewart said. "If you know your neighbor is Catholic and you are Southern Baptist you aren't going to talk religion with that person. I've heard many people say that the two subjects they generally avoid are religion and politics. We all prefer amicable relations to hostile ones."
Hoffman, in his piece, said he believes the divide will only get worse before it gets better especially during a presidential election year. "The key, I think, is for folks like us to try to engage, no matter the animosity from the wings, with people with other points of view. We might not share common ground, but we inhabit it, often for generations."
Hoffman's piece has generated reaction online nationwide. Commenters varied in their responses from those pointing out that the split exists equally in areas that are populated by mostly liberals to reaction from liberals living in the Deep South who claim there is a unique tribalism to the South's political divide.
Larry Powell, a communications studies professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham applauded Hoffman for capturing an "accurate portrayal of political ideology in Alabama." While he said the opinion piece might "hurt our image with liberals up north" because of its accuracy, he said the argument is not "limited to Alabama."
"Trump and Cruz are getting the same reception in most other states, to the point that establishment Republicans are concerned about long-term damage to the party," Powell said. "Overall, this is not an issue that's limited to Alabama."
Hillyer also said that the one-sided political atmosphere isn't uniquely Alabama. "It is the Left, not the Right, that is shutting down free speech on college campuses nationwide. It has long been the New York cocktail circuit where non-liberals have famously been treated as something weirder than space aliens."
Stewart said Hoffman's views are "purely anecdotal" and do not reflect his experiences in discussing politics "with anyone if they are willing to discuss it with an objective perspective."
'Keeping to themselves'
Lou Campomenosi, the head of the Common Sense Campaign tea party in Baldwin County, blames the Democrats for creating a national dialogue that conservatives – and those not supporting a leftist viewpoint – are "racist, misogynist, homophobic and imperialistic."
"My feeling is that this Hoffman guy doesn't really get it," he said. "I know he mentions how polarized the right has gotten. But my view is that we're reacting to what is going on. The tea party was the outgrowth of (President Barack) Obama's election and his transformative argument that we have to change the country."
Campomenosi urged Hoffman to attend one the local tea party rallies. He noted that the Baldwin County group doesn't just focus on national partisan issues, but that is also dives into local affairs such as the plight of the county's school system and its financial and academic hurdles. "I don't think we shout people down and we encourage questions and discussions," he said.
LeFlore, meanwhile, said it's going to be up to Democrats – on a national and state level – to get out its message better in the Deep South long dominated by conservative views. He argues that the Democratic Party's message might be more in tune with poorer Alabama conservative voters than the Republican Party.
"It has to do with polling and legwork and groundwork to get out and knock on doors and talk to some of these people and find a common ground and find out what is important to them," said LeFlore. "Until we do that, we'll see the same consistent divisiveness and Democrats not winning in the state of Alabama where we have clusters of Democrats who are kind of keeping to themselves."
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