This is an opinion column.
It’s not a joke anymore. Charles Barkley for Alabama Governor is a thing.
Sorta.
A nonprofit has formed, celebrities are donning “Alabama needs a rebound” T-shirts, petitions to put Sir Charles on next year’s ballot as an Independent candidate are being passed out and signed.
Whether Barkley is on board or not.
Adele Culp, one of the organizers of Allabama.org – emphasis on the ALL – tracked the former Auburn superstar down last week outside the Ballin’ in Boutwell basketball event in Birmingham. The group had already reached out to him, trying to convince him Alabama needs somebody who really cares about Alabamians.
“We told him what we were doing,” Culp said. “He was hesitant at first.”
But she and others waited in an alley outside the basketball arena until he returned. He was a little more enthusiastic when he came back out, she said.
“So he was warming up to the idea between the time he went in and the time he came out,” Culp said. “He’d been hearing from people, and the last thing he said was ‘That’s worth some thought.’”
That’s worth some thought.
He didn’t say no, and posed with a T-shirt. That’s … something.
I have not been able to get Barkley to talk about his plans, or the petitions, or his thoughts about stepping away from a fat paycheck, international fame and commercial stardom to live in Montgomery, commune regularly with the Alabama Legislature, and do it all for a salary of $131,800.
I’m sure he’s thrilled at the prospect.
One Barkley advocate unaffiliated with Allabama.org said some people have questioned Barkley’s qualifications, and asked about his positions.
‘Does it matter?’ she said.
It’s a good point. He’d be running against Tommy Tuberville, who is infinitely unqualified, even more unhinged, and pretty much all thumbs.
But those are my words. Not those of the people trying to gather 55,000 signatures in the runCHARLESrun campaign to put him on the ballot next November.
As for Barkley’s position, I’d say it’s power forward, as it has always been. Which would also be a great campaign slogan:
Barkley for Alabama: Power Forward.
Way better than Tuberville’s brand:
Find someone less fortunate than you, and step on them!
I mean, in all seriousness, Barkley has given a lot to Alabama.
As my colleague Roy S. Johnson pointed out last week, the NBA superstar donated $1 million to the group Leeds Outreach and another million to his alma mater, Leeds High School, for scholarships to community colleges. He’s given a million to St. Mary’s Academy and a million to women’s athletics at Auburn. He’s pledged $2 million to battle blight in Birmingham and Leeds, and my favorite, he gave $1,000 to every Leeds school worker to get them through the pandemic.
That’s more than $6 million right there.
RELATED: 10 reasons Charles Barkley should run for governor
In contrast, you might recall, Tuberville was paid more than $5 million to leave Auburn after it all went South. And that was the best thing he ever did for Alabama.
I know Charles Barkley doesn’t need to run for governor. I know he doesn’t want to run for governor. He wants to do what he does best, and spread some of the love and money around to people who aren’t getting it from their elected leaders.
Maybe he doesn’t live here anymore, but maybe Tuberville doesn’t either. At least Barkley has shown that he cares more about Alabamians than has ever cared about kissing anybody’s backside.
As I have said before, the best reason he has to run for governor is not that he is Charles Barkley. It is that he is not Tommy Tuberville.
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