A love for potato salad & small towns... but a hate for snakes

Alabama Public Radio's latest audio series is Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama.

In this episode, APR host Baillee Majors interviews Doug Jones, Fairfield native, former U.S. Senator for Alabama and former U.S. Attorney.

Baillee: Senator, happy to have you on!

Doug: Baillee, great to be with you. Thanks for having me.

Baillee: Absolutely. So, what are you up to these days? What you got going on?

Doug: Oh, I got a ton of things going on. I'm still engaged in some legal work, some government relations strategy, as well as all things politics. You know, you just can never get out of that business a little bit. So, I've been I've been pretty busy.

Baillee: But you're still in the great state of Alabama?

Doug: I'm still based right here in Alabama. I spent a lot of time in DC. I spent a lot of time traveling, but I am still based right here in Birmingham, Alabama.

Baillee: Okay, now that the introductions are out of the way, let's get you warmed up to answer our questions. To do that, I'm going to have you say "Quick-Fire Quips" three times fast.

Doug: (laughs) Okay. Quick-Fire Quips! Quick-Fire Quips! Quick-Fire Quips!

Baillee: Bit of a tongue twister there, but you did a good job. Let's get to the questionnaire! Here we go. What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear Alabama?

Doug: Home.

Baillee: What is a Southern phrase or two that you catch yourself using a lot?

Doug: Oh, there's a couple. There's "getting down to the lick log." I use that a fair amount. And also "keeping my powder dry." Something a politician needs to do more often.

Baillee: (laughs) Gotcha! This next question might be a little controversial. Vinegar-based barbecue sauce or things like sweet grits versus savory grits, those things. Are they ever acceptable in Alabama?

Doug: They're not preferred, but anything grits, anything barbecue is always acceptable in Alabama.

Baillee: What is your preferred, acceptable barbecue sauce and your preferred, acceptable style of grits?

Doug: Cheese grits, when I eat grits. I don't eat grits as much as a lot of Southerners. For barbecue, I kind of like a sweet, tomato based, tangy sauce.

Baillee: Okay, here's another food question for you. What's the best dish to bring to a potluck and why?

Doug: Potato salad because it's my favorite.

Baillee: This might divide our listeners here, but are you a warm potato salad kind of person or cold potato salad kind of person?

Doug: Yes.

(Baillee and Doug laugh)

Doug: I am a potato salad person. It doesn't matter. I love potato salad. I have ever since I can remember eating.

Baillee: I love that. Next question, what's a bad stereotype or something that people just get wrong about Alabama?

Doug: You know, I have heard so many times, and I'm glad you asked this question, "Why do people in Alabama vote against their interest?" And I tell people, "Who the hell are you to say what's in somebody else's interest?"

I think people down here think that folks just vote in ways that they shouldn't vote, and they are stereotyped that way.

I think that is incredibly unfair, and I've taken people to task for saying things like that.

Baillee: Fair enough. Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?

Doug: I do not like snakes. We do not get along, even if it's an innocent garter snake. Superstitions are all generally sports related, and too many to mention.

Baillee: Who was your childhood hero?

Doug: Probably John F. Kennedy, second only to Robert F. Kennedy. Senior, not Junior.

Baillee: Are they still your heroes today?

Doug: Absolutely. They led with commitment. They led with public service. They led in a way I think people could rally around.

They came from a position of privilege, but they really took care of folks, the least of these in society. I just admired the way that they tried to run the country and tried to be public servants.

Baillee: Good things to see in heroes. What is an underrated place to travel in Alabama and why?

Doug: Oh, gosh, that's hard to say. I think just about any small town in Alabama is an interesting place to travel because you see so many people, and you get such an interesting local flavor from wherever you go.

It doesn't matter whether it's in North Alabama and the Sand Mountain area, or you go down in South Alabama and Clarke County and some of those places.

I just love passing through and stopping at small towns general stores. The food is just incredible.

Baillee: Here is the last question. What does Alabama need?

Doug: I think we need political leaders who quit thinking about everything in political terms and their own self-interest and start thinking about progress in the state and moving the state forward, rather than just trying to do things that they think are politically expedient.

We have so, so much potential, but it seems like so many of our political leaders do things that they are politically expedient to their own self-interest. If we could get rid of political gerrymandering in this state, it would help the state so much.

Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in Alabama.

That was Doug Jones, a Fairfield native and former U.S. senator for Alabama and a former U.S. Attorney. I'm your host, Baillee Majors.

Keep up with Doug Jones on social media:

• Bluesky: @dougjones.bsky.social
• Instagram: @dougjonesbama
• X / Twitter: @DougJones

Don't forget to check out Alabama Public Radio on Facebook and Instagram for more Quick-Fire Quips!

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