The Alabama Education Association is nationally known for being the most powerful teacher's union in the United States. How long that distinction will last now becomes the question at hand.

The problem many people have with the AEA is not that they're trying to improve the salaries of teachers, but that they've used their influence on political issues outside of education. Their leadership is combative and even on the local level comes across as hostile and radical.

Stories of former AEA President Paul Hubbard sitting in the gallery in the Montgomery State House are widely known. When a bill, and not just an education bill, would be put on the board to be voted on, Hubbard would give a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" and his army of democrat legislators would vote as he told them.

After the 2010 GOP sweep, everything began to unravel.

In the 2014 Alabama Primary Elections, the AEA spent approximately $7 million. That's $7,000,000.00 of teachers' dues. $7 million in negative campaign commercials, mailers and phone calls.

How did it play out? What impact did the AEA have in this election?

• Lost ALL statewide races they were involved in.
• Lost ALL State Senate races they were involved in.
• Won a grand total of 5 State House races.

For $7 million in Alabama teachers' dues...this was their response?

Todd Greeson (R) received roughly $200k from AEA and was defeated by Steve Livingston (R), 56%-44%.

Greeson, who had represented DeKalb County in the State House for 16 years, carried his home turf soundly. However, the "black mark" of the AEA destroyed any chance he had across the other parts of  District 8.

Where does the AEA go from here? How much are they willing to spend of Alabama teachers' dues in the November General Election? What are they willing to pour in to a race against staunch conservative District 10 Senator Phil Williams (R)?

A federal ruling has just dealt the AEA another blow. The dues have always been deducted automatically from the paychecks of teachers. That will no longer be the case.

The law says that no government employee may arrange for the automatic deduction of dues to a membership organization which uses any portion of the dues for political activity.

Speculation is that with teachers now having to personally mail in their dues to the AEA, membership may take a hit of as much as 15-20%. Many teachers have always felt that they were forced to align with AEA, almost threatened in some instances. The fear of protection from lawsuits has always been used as leverage, but rarely justified in instances when the AEA has actually gotten involved. In some cases, educators have been quoted as saying they'd wished they'd hired their own lawyer as opposed to the one the AEA sent them.

Will this culmination of events give teachers a reason to jump ship?

Poor leadership at the top and internal conflict are the biggest obstacles for the AEA if they want to become viable again. But is it too late?

Barack Obama essentially killed the Alabama Democratic Party. Is the AEA the next Alabama juggernaut to fall?