Bingo Boy Troy has spoken. Yes, Tim James can have a recount.No, it won't stop the runoff between Bentley and Byrne. If the recount shows James was the REAL second place finisher, they'll just have to have another runoff, this time between Byrne and James. How many times will Bradley Byrne have to stand for election this summer?
The Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party says Troy's opinion is "crazy." Bob Riley inflicted this egomaniac on the good people of Alabama roughly 6 years ago and the GOP is just now noticing the crazy?
* Countrycat came up with the title and wanted to write the post, but had to go to services instead. So go read what Kristopher said for all the ins and outs.
A little background. A Judge hearing a Bingo case in Lowndes County ruled that the Attorney General controlled all litigation in which the State is a party and therefore has the right to "take over" the Task Force on Bingo formed by the governor. This was appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court
Today, the Court ruled. It said the Governor and the AG are both members of the executive branch under the Ala Constitution and that same constitution gives the governor the supreme power to enforce the laws of Alabama. In short, the Governor can appoint a task force and the AG can not exercise any power over it.
The Court also made it pretty cleat that it did not think search warrants were required to raid a bingo parlour (since they are open to the public).
Finally it strongly suggested that in the absence of an amendment specifically authorizes "electronic bingo" that only paper bingo would be legal.
Wonder how this will play out in the primary race for attorney general?
Troy King should take a page from the Arkansas Attorney General in and save everyone some time, trouble and money.
"I would be abusing my office to bring a suit that I believe to be constitutionally frivolous," McDaniel said in a telephone interview. "State budgets are tight enough right now without bringing actions that are entirely driven by political motivation rather than sound legal justification."
The Arkansas experience in the 1950s rubbed the state raw and delivered a resounding defeat to segregationists, who made arguments similar to the ones launched by opponents of the Democratic-led health-care overhaul.
"They tried it here in Arkansas in '57 and it didn't work," Gov. Mike Beebe (D) told reporters recently. "I think you got to tell people the truth. And if I understand the law, the truth is the federal government can't just be defied by the state governments."
There are memorials here to the events of 1957, when a previous Arkansas governor rejected federal authority and tried to prevent nine black students from attending all-white Little Rock Central High School.
Tell people the truth, indeed. I haven't seen a single non-ideological source that holds out much chance this lawsuit will succeed. Nevertheless, a lot of Republicans are willing to waste state resources fighting it. Mary Orndoff checks to see where the AG candidates stand on the lawsuit issue, because after all, Troy King may not be our AG much longer. It's no surprise that Republican Luther Strange is virtually joined at the hip with Troy King on the lawsuit question. The Democratic field, not so much:
Among the Democratic candidates for attorney general, Giles Perkins of Birmingham said he, too, would pursue a case that the law's mandate that individuals buy insurance violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.
"But I think the states' rights rhetoric is just political talk, and we've had enough of that," Perkins said.
James Anderson, also a Democratic candidate for attorney general, said King was "grandstanding."
"It's almost that standing-in-the-schoolhouse-door business," Anderson said.
Michel Nicrosi, Democratic candidate for AG from Daphne said the health care lawsuit was "a piece of litigation with a marginal chance of success, and it will cost a lot of money. It's more about scoring political points and making the national news."
Hooray for Anderson and Nicrosi for their common sense approach, but what the hell is up with Giles Perkins? Is he just trying to stand out from the crowd in the Democratic primary or does he really believe this lawsuit is a good thing for the state of Alabama? He's running for a position that will have some say over whether to continue King's ill-advised participation in this stunt, which makes it even worse. Disappointing.
In July, 1798, Congress passed, and President John Adams signed into law “An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen,” authorizing the creation of a marine hospital service, and mandating privately employed sailors to purchase healthcare insurance.
This legislation also created America’s first payroll tax, as a ship’s owner was required to deduct 20 cents from each sailor’s monthly pay and forward those receipts to the service, which in turn provided injured sailors hospital care. Failure to pay or account properly was discouraged by requiring a law violating owner or ship's captain to pay a 100 dollar fine.
This historical fact demolishes claims of “unprecedented” and "The Constitution nowhere authorizes the United States to mandate, either directly or under threat of penalty...”
Who is Troy King to tell the actual founding fathers the intent of the Constitution? This lawsuit is a political stunt, not worth the paper it's printed on, and will cost the taxpayers of Alabama a bundle.
My take on this question is transcribed below the fold. And before you ask, no, I have no idea what's up with the hot tub time machine BS. That is not the image I uploaded with this clip.
Dueling press conferences, a blizzard of press releases, debate (?) in the Legislature ... I have absolutely no idea where this is going.
Troy King held a press conference today declaring that, although he has the authority to shut down the Governor's anti-gambling task force, that's "not an option I'm prepared to exercise - yet.
The Governor's responded that King has no credibility left on this issue.
In a release, Victoryland Attorney Mark White said:
“We believe the Governor and Mr. Tyson should follow the advice given to them by the State’s Attorney General and remove our property and our citizens from their lawless threats of arrest and destruction.
Because our machines have been certified to be in compliance with the Alabama Supreme Court Decision that set out the six-point definition of legal bingo, we are anxious to put our employees back to work and restore business operations. We are willing to prove that again in the Circuit Court of Macon County.
If the Governor and Mr. Tyson reject the advice they have been given, the citizens will know they are acting against the best interests of our State. General King will then have to decide if he will do his job as Attorney General by stepping in and taking over the legal process which is clearly his right under the Constitution.”
Or, to paraphrase, "Sic 'em, Troy!"
Then John Tyson, head of the Governor's anti-gambling task force, held a press conference to say:
Slot machines are illegal no matter what name you call them ...
It is the duty of the Task Force in Illegal Gambling to enforce the criminal law of Alabama. We will do just that.
The attorney general knows what his powers are. And he basically announced today (that) while he was going to give his advice, he was not going to do anything. So the work of the task force will continue.
Paraphrasing again: "Do your job, or get the hell out of the way, Troy!"
And here's Victoryland Attorney Mark White, again:
“The position taken by Mr. Tyson today confirms he is determined to create a Constitutional crisis in our state and endanger the life, liberty and property of Alabama’s citizens.
Mr. Tyson and Governor Riley do not believe they are accountable to any law or any person. Everyone must now ask the question ‘Why are they doing this now?’
General King today confirmed Mr. Tyson and Governor Riley were turned down by neutral magistrates and judges in Macon and Greene counties because there was no probable cause. They now seek to declare probable cause themselves and it is clear they are proceeding in bad faith and contrary to law. They have created civil liability for this State in amounts that defy imagination.
Every citizen now stands in peril because of their desperate actions.”
Which sounds kind of like "The sky is falling! Do something!"
These are grown men with good jobs. Surely there's rhyme or reason motivating them ... somebody please pull back the curtain and let the rest of us see it.
The power struggle before the high court stems from lawsuits filed by five district attorneys, who accuse some large pharmacy companies of violating state law by filling prescriptions with generic drugs when a doctor prescribed a name brand. Some of the state's top plaintiff lawyers helped the district attorneys file the suits and would share in any winnings.
Attorney General Troy King wants to take over the suits as the state's chief law officer and have them thrown out. He has asked the Supreme Court for an order that would let him do that.
The DAs aren't taking this lying down:
The Alabama District Attorneys Association, the statewide organization for Alabama's DAs, argues that King has the authority to take over criminal cases, but not civil cases like the drug lawsuits.
In court papers, they accuse King of seeking "superpowers" that would make all district attorneys subordinate to him.
Superpowers? That's one trait that I never, ever associated with Troy King.
The undercurrent in this whole case is, of course, gambling:
The lawyers argue the drug case could determine whether King could assume control of a future gambling case brought by the task force or district attorneys, like the current task force commander, Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson.
But the real issue is much bigger, I think. King is supposed to be Alabama's top law enforcement official, but he seems to do nothing but antagonize sheriffs, DAs, police officers, and anyone else who comes into contact with him.
Remember when Parker Griffith, Mooncat, and I attended the Twickenham Republican Women's meeting? AG candidate Luther Strange was the main speaker and he had absolutely nothing good to say about Troy King.
In fact, the meeting turned into somewhat of an anti-Troy king revival meeting as Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning and Madison County DA Robert Broussard took the opportunity to "testify" about how AG King had never supported them in anything, never called them, and was more an impediment to law enforcement officials than a help.
I have video but don't have time to put it up right now. Have to get ready to drive over to Scottsboro for the Scottsboro Boys Museum Grand Opening. I'll try to upload some clips this afternoon and put them in the comments.
It was pretty strong stuff and Mooncat and I left the meeting thinking that Troy King seems to be toast in the primary - at least in Madison County. However, this gambling issue seems to be one that could split the Republican party along geographic lines and officials from the Northern and Southern parts of the state square off for and against.
It's going to be a really interesting primary to watch.
Actually, Troy's drawers have been in a wad ever since Bob Riley created the illegal gambling task force. Tough tacos, Troy. If you'd do your damned job the governor wouldn't need to create law enforcement teams to work around you.
Riley needed a new head for the Task Force on Illegal Gambling because the old one, David Barber, had a (swear I'm not making this up) gambling problem. Gambling magnate Milton McGregor had Barber followed to a Mississippi casino, where he won around $2000, and allegedly threatened to make that knowledge public. Barber subsequently resigned.
Bob Riley's appointments seldom please me, but John Tyson is an excellent choice for this job, provided Riley is serious about gambling enforcement in this state. As DA of Mobile County -- a job he isn't stepping down from -- he's demonstrated that outside pressure will not dictate which cases he pursues. He was also Troy King's Democratic opponent in 2006. I think this means, "Look out Country Crossings!"
I am not sure how to embed video, but the full text is below the cut - I'll add a link to video when I find it. Some choice quotes from our good Governor's final State of the State address (and Lt. Governor Folsom's response) below.
Just so you know - anything in brackets is from my personal typed transcript and diverges from the official remarks.
On this year's budget:
I know you've read the same dire predictions and heard the same horror stories that I have. You've heard nothing awaits us in this session but doom and gloom. The lobbyists and the gambling interests have told you over and over that we must find new revenue, somewhere, or the sky's going to fall.
Ladies and gentlemen, that's what we in Clay County would call a [bunch of bull].
In the budget I'm sending you, General Fund agencies will receive the same amount of funding that they will be getting this year. No cuts. In fact, there is the potential for them to receive an increase of up to four percent. And in the education budget, that budget will increase funding for schools by over $400 million.
On Riley's economic recovery plan:
The first proposal is a $1,500 tax credit to jumpstart new jobs. A proposal that an independent economist projects will create 6,000 new jobs!
This idea is becoming a national model to get people back to work. At least one other state is using our same proposal to help in its economic recovery. And the President recently announced he is proposing this idea also. If others around the country are realizing tax incentives do work to create jobs, then Alabama should be leading this effort, not falling behind.
Governor Riley took a moment to attack a Congress "we can't control" for passing big spending bills and unfunded mandates, using it as a handy segue into something we can control - gambling! Quotes:
I can't imagine anyone who thinks the best way to help our economy is to have Alabamians lose billions of dollars gambling!
(Unsurprisingly, WSFA's camera cut to Commissioner Sparks sitting in the front row.)
No, this money is taken out of that county and sent to out-of-state slot machine makers and gambling bosses. Just imagine how many billions more will be taken out of the pockets of Alabamians if you vote to make it legal. Talk about a rip off!
Now I ask you: who ultimately pays for all these [social] problems? The casino operators? Not a chance. They're making money hand over fist off this misery. It's the taxpayers who are the ultimate losers. In states with casinos, for every one dollar casinos contribute in taxes, they cost taxpayers at least three dollars in additional government services to deal with the devastation the casinos leave behind.
If there is one person who knows the lawlessness and corruption that gambling brings, it is [fmr. Gov. John Patterson]. Listen to his warning, which was in the newspaper last week. He said: "Gambling brings the bad people to town and brings out the bad in good people. There's nothing about it that's good."
Ladies and gentlemen, heed his warning. If you vote to let this happen, you'll be swimming in a pool that has more sharks than all the oceans of the world.
Charter schools came up:
If you really do want to bring more education dollars into our state, then join me in fighting to allow public charter schools in Alabama!
This is truly one of those moments in our history that compels us to push open the door of opportunity -- for the sake of our children and our schools. Get charter schools on the floor for debate. Don't kill it in committee. Let every lawmaker have a vote -- yes or no. It will either succeed or fail. But if we don't try, then our failure is guaranteed. None of us -- no parent, no teacher, no student -- should allow failure to ever be inevitable.
And on PACT:
I believe this state made a commitment to families who enrolled in our pre-paid tuition program.
WSFA had a few questions for Lt. Governor Folsom afterwards - there are a few more at my twitter stream, but here's my favorite exchange:
Concerned about Gov appearing dependent on more Fed funds? Folsom: Has been a res introduced in DC asking for addtl stim money and extension
Folsom: There's hope at this time that maybe DC will take action ... a lot of people are hoping we can have some addtl $ but we don't know
Curse that uncontrollable Congress and its delicious, delicious stimulus cash. What say you, friends? Be creative: Press Secretary Todd Stacy is already finding our side of the aisle lacking this evening.
Are the dozen or so Attorneys General -- including Troy King of Alabama -- moving to challenge the sweetheart deal Ben Nelson secured for Nebraska taxpayers motivated by insurance industry money as much as righteous outrage? Think Progress looks at some numbers:
An analysis conducted by the Wonk Room of available campaign finance disclosures for AGs from South Carolina, Washington, Michigan, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah and Idaho reveals that the health industry contributed heavily to their campaigns:
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster ~ $15,000
Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna ~ $24,645
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox ~ $12,600
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem ~ $20,700
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett ~ $24,300
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff ~ $9,500
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden ~ $10,100
Troy King didn't make that list and when I checked Follow the Money, it looks like insurers weren't big backers for him in 2006, although he got a lot from the Association of Home Health Agencies and the Medical Association. Both those groups stand to lose if health care reform passes. However, the real interesting point here will be whether Troy reports a bunch of insurance company contributions on his 2009 disclosure forms later this month. He's in a tough primary and obviously beating the bushes for funds, so this challenge to the Nelson deal might have been a windfall for King's campaign coffers.
Our esteemed Attorney General Troy King has been in the news pretty frequently recently for his investigation of Senator Ben Nelson's so-called "Nebraska compromise," but thanks to the ubiquitousness of the Google Ads system, he's turning up in some other interesting places as well.
While browsing this excellent Five Thirty-Eight post on Rasmussen Reports' polling practices, the Google Ad sidebar on the site turned up a gem of a Troy King ad. The link takes you to a screen shot I took - if you don't want to click, it helpfully instructs you to visit ALVoterGuide.com for a "voter guide" with "important information for the Attorney General Campaign."
Not surprisingly - the ad does say in the corner it's paid for by Troy King's campaign - clicking on the actual ad itself takes you to Troy King's website. Trying to visit ALVoterGuide.com? Turns up nothing at all.
Maybe it's late, maybe it's the giddy excitement inspired in me by the Iron Chef America White House garden special, maybe I'm just easily entertained, but: really? An ad touting a voter guide that doesn't exist, using an address that points to nothing, directing people to nothing more than Troy King's front page.
You don't even need to ask his salary to know that's true. But in case you want the gory details ...
Yes, he's now the highest-paid attorney general in the country. Yes, his $168,000 salary is outrageous compared to AG pay in other states, some of them much larger than Alabama. Yes, it's shameful, considering the fact Alabama's median household income -- $40,596 in 2007 -- is about 80 percent of the nation's.
Uh Lou, do us a favor and take Wolf "But But" Blitzer with you. Maybe then CNN will be the most trusted name in news again.
Support our Troops this Veterans day and everyday. While republicans, DINO's and bluedoghograts are waiving their flags and not voting for health care reform maybe they need reminding that 2,2266 uninsured vets died in 2008.
I have a suggestion for all you Congressmen who voted in favor of the Stupak Amendment, since you are so anti choice just stop having sex with women. That way they won't get pregnant and since you don't want them, or their children, to have access to affordable health care you can vote against health care reform with a straight face. Seriously.
I was reading a story on AMERICAblog, which is majorly liberal and usually has great investigative journalism concerning LGBT rights. when I happened to glance to my right and check out the ads served up by Google.
There, big as life, was an ad for Troy King!?!?!
Which begs the question: what criteria did the King campaign specify for where to place their ads? Thinking about it, I'm guessing it has to do with my internet address being from Alabama, but it was such a jarring cognitive dissonance I'm still shaking my head.
Re-election is anything but a sure bet for Attorney General Troy King -- it isn't even a certainty he'll win the Republican primary next June. After all, both Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby (with their deep pockets) have endorsed his opponent. Ordinarily, I wouldn't lift a finger to help King, but it seems to me the recent housing market meltdown provides an opportunity for him to do some good for folks in Alabama and get some really good publicity -- he loves publicity! -- at the same time.
Why not follow the lead of Massachusetts AG Martha Coakly and go after Goldman Sachs? This is from last May:
In the first major settlement involving Wall Street’s role in the subprime mortgage business, the Goldman Sachs Group agreed on Monday to pay up to $60 million to end an investigation by the Massachusetts attorney general’s office into whether the firm helped promote unfair home loans in the state.
The money will be used for a loan modification program that would allow Massachusetts homeowners with mortgages from Goldman entities to write down their principal balances by as much as 50 percent.
The settlement resulted from a continuing investigation by Attorney General Martha Coakley into subprime lending practices and the role of investment banks that acted as middlemen in loans that have resulted in foreclosure or contained terms so onerous that they were destined to fail.
I confess to having done no research into whether Goldman Sachs was a player in Alabama's mortgage market, but it's worth a look, especially since foreclosures are up across the state -- 2622 homes in Birmingham just in the third quarter of 2009. If there's a case to be made for victims of unscrupulous lending in Alabama, Troy King could garner plenty of positive publicity, just when he needs it most. And it might not even be that hard to jump on this bandwagon because the wheels are coming off at Goldman Sachs.
Now, pension funds, insurance companies, labor unions and foreign financial institutions that bought those dicey mortgage securities are facing large losses, and a five-month McClatchy investigation has found that Goldman's failure to disclose that it made secret, exotic bets on an imminent housing crash may have violated securities laws.
You have here all the essential elements of a successful re-election bid: Thousands of people hurting financially and about to lose their homes, a big corporation that has already settled out of court for millions with another state, and an AG who knows how to play to the public. It could be a win-win -- except for the outside chance we'd end up with 4 more years of Troy King as the state's top cop.
Rep. Jimmy Martin (D) 42nd District (Chilton/Shelby), has written an article on bingo in the Chilton County Advertiser. I was surprised at the number of towns and cities who are trying to establish gaming in Alabama. It's beginning to look as though rumors of anti-gambling sentiment in the state may be greatly exaggerated.
Local governments see bingo as a way to raise revenue and create jobs in a time when both are needed and in short supply. Bingo is already big business in several Alabama counties, and the number one employer in Macon County. Whether you agree with bingo or not, the financial and economic development pressure will have more and more counties and cities looking to establish or expand gaming.
It's an informative article; Rep. Martin seems to be au courant with who in Alabama has plans, or is trying to have them. He also mentions the Riley-King rivalry, which is helping to stall progress on the issue in Montgomery.
To the former publisher of the Mobile Press-Register, now suing the paper: Folks with labor unions to negotiate contracts for workers don't have to depend on those vague "pledges" from employers.
Who is Cathy Maples and why would she (or anyone?) pay $63,500 for dinner with Sarah Palin? Granted, the money goes to a good cause, but this woman likes Palin and wants to see her as president. Apparently Cathy Maples makes a lot of money as an 8(a) federal defense contractor and gives money (but not a lot) to Republicans. Misguided, at best ...
Wasn't it just a few days ago when we were wondering if the Republicans running for Alabama governor were ever going to start mixing it up?
Still waiting for that show to begin, but the Attorney General race has at least a little bit of heat. Luther Strange released his own Country and Western campaign song (with some really nice picking by the musicians).
Why bother to publicize it at LIA? Mainly for the entertaining little slap at our current Attorney General, Troy King, who's been in the news the last year or so with a very public battle with Governor Riley over gambling and an investigation by the US Attorney's office.
As Strange's song notes:
"We now have a guy named Troy. He's been acting like a boy. Thinks he is a king."
btw... can Strange possibly be 6 feet 9 inches tall? Holy Goliath lookalike, Batman!
Mobile County DA John Tyson, Jr. will not run for Attorney General in 2010. I thought Tyson vs. Troy King was the most heartbreaking race lost by a Democrat in 2006 -- a) it was close -- about 53% to 47% -- and b) Tyson was SO much more qualified than Troy King.
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Bingo Boy Troy has spoken. Yes, Tim James can have a recount. 
Rep. Jimmy Martin (D) 42nd District (Chilton/Shelby), has written an article on bingo in the 
