Joe Reed
Alabama Democratic Party
501 Adams Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104
twenty years, refereed to women as dogs and fat pigs and even suggested he can get
away with sexually assaulting women because of his celebrity status, and I have still
heard nothing from you.
It is a sad state of affairs when Republicans are more willing to publicly condemn the
Republican presidential nominee than the leadership of the Democratic Party.
Where has our partys leadership been while Republican leaders in Alabama were cutting
educators, state employees and retirees pay?
Where was our party leadership while Democrats in the Legislature were fighting to pass
a lottery in the special legislative session earlier this summer?
Why has our party leadership stayed silent while Republican leaders waste millions of tax
dollars defending unconstitutional legislation they forced into law?
Where has our party leadership been while Republican leaders not only refused to expand
Medicaid, but cut reimbursements for doctors and services for patients? Or when
Republican leaders tried to close down state parks and drivers license offices?
The Democratic Party cannot afford to have leaders who continue to neglect the local
parties, miss opportunities to present voters with our alternative to the Republican
establishment and refuse to adapt to the changing world around them.
Democratic legislators and local elected leaders cannot carry the mantle for our party
alone. And over the years, it has become abundantly clear that you are far more
concerned with holding on to your own power within the party than you are with trying to
win back the offices Democrats have lost.
As I weigh my options for 2018 and beyond, I have chosen not to serve as House
Minority Leader for the next two years. My focus will be on the future of our state, and I
will let new leaders step forward to focus on the future of our party.
With that said, both of you have served our party for many years, and I am grateful to you
for your service. But now it is time for you to step aside, and I respectfully ask that you
resign your leadership positions in the Alabama Democratic Party.
Respectfully,
Rep. Craig Ford
House Minority Leader
House District 28