By Adam Smith
adam@athensnews-courier.com
— With President Barack Obama’s approval rating hovering at 26 percent, it may be easy for voters to count out the Democratic Party.
However, Ron Gatlin, chairman of the Limestone County Democrats, said the local party remains strong heading into the 2012 election year.
“I don’t have a direct line to Barack Obama,” he said. “Despite what’s going on nationally, you have to look at what we have going on locally. We’re focused on our community.”
As a means of galvanizing the Democratic base, the group will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Sheriff’s Rodeo Arena on Highway 99. The free event will also feature a covered-dish dinner.
The event’s featured speaker will be former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mark Kennedy, who was elected chairman of the state Democratic Party in January.
Gatlin said having Kennedy in town to address tonight’s event is a big honor for the local party.
“He’s going to share his plan and his vision and let folks know the party is not dead,” Gatlin said.
Kennedy’s election to chairman came after the state’s Democrats lost every statewide race in 2010. Locally, Democrats didn’t fare much better as Republican Stanley Menefee bested Democrat David Seibert for chairman of the County Commission and Republican Brian Jones swept Democrat Kristi Valls out of the district attorney’s office.
Menefee, a long-time Democrat, switched parties prior to the election. In February, Circuit Court Judge Bob Baker followed suit. Following the retirement of Mike Davis, a long-time Democrat and probate judge, Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Stan McDonald, a Republican, to that post.
Local Republican leadership said other elected officials could switch before the 2012 election, but thus far, no one else has stepped forward.
Gatlin said he’s not worried about the prospect of more party switching.
“The folks who are still in office have been Democrats for years,” he said. “I’ve asked around, but everybody seems happy with where they are.”
Gatlin said despite having a two-party system, all elected officials still have their core values that voters should consider. However, he said the Democratic Party will continue to sharpen its message as it goes into the next elections.
“We’ve always been on the side of working families,” he said. “We’re also for seniors and education. Those are the things we’re really going to drive home.”
