New Alabama senator fulfills promise of diversity: African-American Chief of Staff . . . . and more

Doug Jones, the Democrat who defeated Roy Moore for senator from Alabama with major turn-out support from African-Americans, has kept his promise of having an office staff that will "reflect the state of Alabama."

Jones announced the appointment of an African-American man as his chief of staff.  Dana Gresham, an Alabama native, has extensive Washington experience, having been chief of staff to former Alabama congressman Arthur Davis.  He later served as assistant secretary for governmental affairs in the Department of Transportation.

What a different view of Alabama Sen. Jones will bring to Washington than his opponent would have brought.

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And then there's this:

                                photo by Alex Wong, Getty Images

The young man standing next to Doug Jones at his Senate swearing-in is his son Carson, who is openly gay.  A zookeeper in Colorado, he has already made quite a splash in the gay-friendly news media for his good looks.

The irony here is that his father not only had to defeat a notorious homophobe in the odious Roy Moore, but he was given the oath of office by another one, Vice President Mike Pence, who as governor of Indiana stated his strong opposition to same-sex marriage.  He made the whopper mistake of signing an anti-LGBTQ bill that had a massive backlash from business and convention circles in Indianapolis.   The legislature quickly passed revised legislation and Pence signed that.

So Doug Jones begins his Senate career, having defeated a racist and homophobic opponent and having overcome the conservative political climate in Alabama.   Now let's see what he can do to raise the consciousness of the Vice President.

I can't refrain from adding this:    Carson, by all accounts, is a productive good citizen, well-liked and successful.  That's Doug Jones' son.   The pious Moores also have a son, who has been arrested nine times, including on drug charges and other crimes.   I'm just saying . . . .

Ralph