I’m planning to leave late tonight or early Thursday for a shoe-leather reporting trip to Alabama. That rattling sound you hear is either the transmission of the 2004 KIA Optima or me shaking the tip-jar like Carmen Miranda’s maracas in a Cuban samba frenzy.
This trip continues the Grassroots-vs.-Establishment theme I’ve been covering for the past few months. There are several GOP primary campaigns in Alabama that have a Tea Party angle:
- Tim James has been a frequent speaker at Tea Party events, and is in a three-way primary for governor.
- Another Tea Party-backed candidate, Rick Barber, who volunteered for the Scott Brown campaign in Massachusetts, is one of two Republicans (so far) aiming to take on “Blue Dog” Democrat Bobby Bright in the 2nd Congressional District.
- Les Phillips is shaking things up in the 5th Congressional District, taking on party-switcher Parker Griffith.
So that’s a full menu for a planned four-day trip. But while doing research for the Alabama trip I noticed another very interesting story:
Alabama’s two Republican U.S. senators are backing Luther Strange in his campaign for Alabama attorney general, a reversal from their past support for the incumbent, Troy King.
U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions are featured guests at a Washington fundraiser for Strange next week, according to the invitation, and both offices on Tuesday praised Strange’s candidacy.
Two GOP senators turning against a Republican official in their own state? What could possibly explain that? Dan Riehl says, “It does seem a little weird.” A quick Google on Troy King turns up the fact that he was John McCain’s Alabama state campaign chairman in 2008 and . . . well, do your own Googling. It’s more than a little weird.
This adds that extra fear-and-loathing factor for my ‘Bama trip. We’ll see how much reporting I can cram into a four-day road-trip, since it’s at least a 14-hour drive there and 14 hours back again. Figure seven cups of coffee to get me down there (7 x $2 = $14) and another $14 to get back home, plus $50 for a carton of smokes. Oh, and $11 for a crowbar to pry my sweaty hands off the steering wheel when I’m done.
Once again, we borrow our post title from the esteemed poet Ronnie Van Zant:
If you don’t know what I mean,
Won’t you stand up and scream?
‘Cause there’s things goin’ on that you don’t know.
Swinging through D’ville on the way? Give me a call and we’ll take you out for your belated BIG 5-0 birthday dinner.
Swinging through D’ville on the way? Give me a call and we’ll take you out for your belated BIG 5-0 birthday dinner.
I think the big reason King is on the outs with the GOP here is his support for gambling. Gambling is illegal here and yet, strangely, casinos keep popping up around the state. Now, supposedly these establishments are there merely to provide a venue for charity bingo, which is legal, but when you go inside one of them it is just row after row of slot machines. King issued a legal opinion clearing the way for this type of thing putting him at odds with the state GOP and the governor. In fact the state anti-gambling task force, which has been traveling around the state raiding casinos, is run entirely by the governor’s office and the state police. No AG involvement whatsoever. Now, I’m sure AG King’s support for gambling in Alabama has nothing at all to do with his tight relationship with Milton MacGregor, owner of Victoryland casino, as well as other members of the alabama gambling mob. (/sarc)
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/04/alabama_attorney_general_troy_2.html
I think the big reason King is on the outs with the GOP here is his support for gambling. Gambling is illegal here and yet, strangely, casinos keep popping up around the state. Now, supposedly these establishments are there merely to provide a venue for charity bingo, which is legal, but when you go inside one of them it is just row after row of slot machines. King issued a legal opinion clearing the way for this type of thing putting him at odds with the state GOP and the governor. In fact the state anti-gambling task force, which has been traveling around the state raiding casinos, is run entirely by the governor’s office and the state police. No AG involvement whatsoever. Now, I’m sure AG King’s support for gambling in Alabama has nothing at all to do with his tight relationship with Milton MacGregor, owner of Victoryland casino, as well as other members of the alabama gambling mob. (/sarc)
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/04/alabama_attorney_general_troy_2.html
BTW, the two people you need to talk to to get the lowdown on the King situation and pretty much everything else concerning the current state of AL politics are Dan Morris and Mark Montiel from Newstalk 107.9FM.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Morris-and-Montiel-Viewpoint-Show/187317184640
BTW, the two people you need to talk to to get the lowdown on the King situation and pretty much everything else concerning the current state of AL politics are Dan Morris and Mark Montiel from Newstalk 107.9FM.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Morris-and-Montiel-Viewpoint-Show/187317184640
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