Okay, Mr Jones, now please do NOT disappoint Joe…
I like this.
I’m sure it’s nice to go places with family friends, but also there seems to be some sort of message in this. 
Junior Senator, yes, not under any obligation to seniority, however.
I’m hoping 2018 breaks lots of traditions in red states.
I hope that Sen. Jones called Sen. Shelby and explained that he was asking Vice-President Biden because of their long friendship, and not to slight his fellow senator.
The Senate needs (much) more collegiality, and senators from a state should work together when that’s possible. (Besides, Shelby helped Jones get elected, if only indirectly.)
Certainly sends a signal… 
I certainly hope so.
Had that same thought, and I’ll betcha twenty bucks he did make that call unless there’s some personal grudge we don’t know about behind this. Obviously Jones is telling his national audience he’s a vote for sanity, competence, simple civility, fidelity to public service and the various laws and norms surrounding it, all that fun stuff. Status quo ante.
Jones’ ceremony is scheduled for noon on Wednesday and he plans to do his swearing-in on a personal family Bible,
It's good to see that Jones is starting his term by following Federal law as far as acceptable religious tomes allowed at the swearing in ceremony.The GOP agenda doesn’t allow for that. Democrats are evil.
Although I agree re: your Shelby comment, I disagree re: collegiality – until the Dems have 61 seats in the Senate. The only “collegiality” the Rethugs seem to understand is “if you Dems do it our way – and ONLY our way – then we’re OK. But if you push back, you’re dead to us.” OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but not much of one.
The Rethugs only understand one thing: the raw exercise of power. Until they are kicked to the concrete, repeatedly, their “collegiality” will be out of convenience, not because of the long “tradition” of the “greatest deliberative body in the world.”
Of course, once (um Gotteswillen) the Dems get a significant majority, we’ll hear the Rethug screams about lack of collegiality. But as Shakespeare or someone else once said: Screw 'em.
I totally agree. Why do we always have to play nice?
I think Jones’ decision was more about Biden than Shelby, but I remember that Shelby was first elected to the Senate as a Democrat and then, later, switched to the Republican side. Shelby could have remained a Democrat and still have gotten re-elected, but chose not to. His switch to the Republican side accelerated Alabama’s Right Wing Republican tilt, when, if he had stayed a Democrat, he could have played a pivotal role in transforming Alabama’s race stained populism into a broadly based, multi-racial progressive coalition. It was one of the most significant - if under reported - failures of political leadership in modern Southern politics.
Different angle—it would be bad politically for Shelby to be there-----Moore’s people are pissed at him, and Moore came within 2 points of becoming Senator. Moore might very well primary Shelby in 2020. Why give him ammunition?
I’m sure it’s mainly about their friendship, Intentionally or not, however, Jones is showing that a Southern Democrat doesn’t have to be ashamed to be a Democrat. While the junior senator from Alabama won’t mimic Elizabeth Warren (and, out of respect of his constituents, shouldn’t try), he can show the South that Democrats are a viable alternative to the GOP crazy.
Most of the southern Democrats including state and local politicians switched to Republican as talk radio took over.
Might well be. Would be another Delaware-sized piece of traditional Senatorial comity breaking off and floating away, but that’s the time we live in.
Yes, I think that’s probable. Shelby did give Jones a bit of a nudge toward the victory gate after all.
We don’t have to play nice. We do, however, have to live up to our principles. If we want Republicans to act like adults, we have to act like adults… and even then, they probably still won’t.