Alabamians for Hillary? They exist — just look for the Blue Dots
'You're not gonna change anybody's mind' in the most overwhelmingly Republican state
Diners stared. Elva Barnett was sure of it.
It brought to mind the 1970s, when she and her husband Alec began dating as an interracial couple in Foley, a balmy Lower Alabama town known for its proximity to what locals affectionately call the "Redneck Riviera," a stretch of white "sugar sand" beaches along the Gulf of Mexico.
She figures Alec could have been a mite more discreet recently when he told the hostess who they were joining for supper.
"We're here to meet with the Democrats," he said. Cue those "dirty looks" Elva swears she saw.
The Barnetts have long lived openly as Democrats in the Heart of Dixie. It's not the easiest partisan affiliation to have, this being the most conservative state in the nation, with about 1.5 gun dealers for every museum or library.
Alabama has backed a Republican for president in every election since 1980. Judeo-Christian principles steer politics here to the hard right, while the only real contest around seems to be a football rivalry between Auburn University's Tigers and the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide.
Republican candidate Donald Trump's chance of winning in Alabama stands at 99.6 per cent, according to FiveThirtyEight, despite sagging odds in other states.
'Undercover' liberals
But the Barnetts knew this when they were led to a private backroom of the restaurant earlier this month. Inside, about 40 fellow Dixie Democrats, including self-described "undercover" liberals, hugged and chatted over platters of shrimp Alfredo, grilled chicken salad and burgers.
They fell silent when Helen Clark, wearing her "Hillary for President" T-shirt, tapped her silverware on a bottle of Michelob Ultra to call the room to order.
"Has anyone had their sign stolen or destroyed?" she asked.
Hands rose, Alec Barnett's among them. The 57-year-old president of the Baldwin NAACP described how his yard sign was "mowed down" by a lawn tractor.
Although cars bearing Hillary Clinton bumper stickers do get keyed on occasion, campaign signs for the Democratic presidential candidate, already a rarity in this sure-bet state for Trump, are becoming hot targets. (For the record, Republicans in Mobile say they have also had Trump signs stolen.)
'They stoop mighty low'
In Barnett's case, he didn't know the culprit.
"I just seen the tractor," he says. "They was cuttin' the grass. They ain't had no business being over my property. He just swerved in and hit it."
So Barnett bought another one. This time, he mounted it in front of a Trump sign.
"They stoop mighty low. They try to intimidate you down here," he says. "Can't let that happen. You move on."
Such is life for Alabama's plucky Blue Dots, specks of Democrats who organize largely in liberal-friendly homes and wherever else they can gather with some measure of privacy.
So below the radar are their operations that several Trump officials in Mobile County about an hour away had no idea they existed. Asked about the Democratic presence in this state, veteran Alabama Republican strategist John Gray also said he knew of no such groups.
Until last May, most of the campaign operations around Mobile County were run largely as a roving field office out of one volunteer's truck.
Vivian Beckerle, chairwoman of the Mobile County Democratic executive committee, offered space in her family law practice, which has since become a makeshift field office for phone banking and distributing voter registration materials and posters.
Trump will undoubtedly carry Alabama and win its nine electoral votes on Nov. 8. And yet, the Blue Dots run an operation that's at once fatalistic and optimistic. They've all but abandoned Alabama as a lost cause while organizing car pools and bus trips into its all-important neighbouring swing state.
"When we go across the line to Florida, that's where we can make a difference," says Clark, co-ordinator for the South Baldwin County Democrats.
At a restaurant that hosted a Democratic social last week, a table of retirees including a social worker, teacher and speech pathologist, shared tales of Facebook friendships gone sour over revelations they were Clinton supporters.
"I commented to a friend of mine whose son is married to my niece — so she's like family — and she made a horrible comment about Democrats, and I responded I couldn't believe she was saying that; I felt offended," said Betsy Dozier.
The women nodded in sympathy, an emotional support group for progressives.
"You're not gonna change anybody's mind," offered Peggy Cunningham.
Languishing in the parking lot just outside, the Barnetts' grey Hyundai Santa Fe boldly displays an "I Heart Hillary" sticker on the dashboard.
Other Clinton supporters opted for a subtler way of imparting their party loyalty — decals of an unassuming blue circle in a field of red. From a car-length away, you'd have to squint to read the text beneath: "Another bright blue dot in a really red state."
Will Nevin, 31, a Clinton supporter and college instructor in Tuscaloosa, about five hours north, has spotted the stickers on the road.
He's had his own encounters with intimidation. He recalls a time in 2008 when he had an Obama bumper sticker and another driver waved him down from behind.
"I roll down my window, like do I have a flat tire or something? And he starts yelling at me about 'Obama's a traitor' or 'Obama's a secret Muslim.'"
Amy Andrews, 39, a lawyer in Mobile who actively campaigns for Clinton, found crucifixes scratched into the side of her car last February after she spoke out against suppression of same-sex marriage licences in Alabama.
'Bitch' written on car
Karen Randolph, 60, a librarian who also runs a high-school Young Democrats club in nearby Gulf Shores, found "Bitch" written on the windshield of her car in her condo parking lot.
Another Democrat who didn't wish to give his name said that when his daughter gave him an "Alabamians for Hillary" T-shirt from Boston for his birthday, he put it aside, half-joking, "Are you trying to get me killed?"
Tim Bolden, Clinton's grassroots volunteer leader in Mobile County, has never run into troubles with the Clinton sticker on his Chevy Tahoe. Still, he notes there's a good reason Democrats might not be so forthcoming about their politics, especially in Alabama, where Hillary Clinton's name is often mud.
"One thing you've got to remember in these smaller counties: There's fear of reprisals," he says. "We're in a state where people can be terminated without cause."
Bolden rejects the premise that Alabama Democrats are unicorns or that Clinton suffers an enthusiasm gap against Trump. He notes that the March 1 primary set a 40-year record for the most support ever in Mobile County for a Democratic candidate, with 29,243 votes for Clinton — surpassing Trump's 28,594.
The final tallies for Alabama's primaries overall put Trump ahead with 371,735 votes to Clinton's 309,928.
That Mobile County result marked a proud moment. But Bolden has no delusions about turning Alabama blue. What matters now is assuring Alabama there are Clinton supporters down South, and canvassing in Florida, where the Blue Dots can really have an impact in driving up voter registration for Democrats.
"That general maliciousness, the pettiness of stolen yard signs: Is some of it real? Is some of it juvenile pranks? Yes," Bolden says. "But at the end of the day, yard signs and bumper stickers, they don't vote."
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