True to form, another conservative media outlet slobbers over Alabama's former 'Goobernor' and advances the nonsense of a presidential Bob Riley.
American Spectator writer Quin 'full of spin' Hillyer starts out his narrow-view puff piece by saying he will "let somebody not already enthralled with just-retired (term-limited) Alabama Gov. Bob Riley write the definitive piece, from a fresh perspective, about what sort of a choice Riley would be for president."
But he didn't wait one sentence before charging right ahead and writing it himself! This is not Mr. Hillyer's first foray into temporary blindness as reported by Raw Story in 2008.
He has an ongoing condition of distorted vision and this latest 'piece' is just more of the same from AS(s).
"Drafting Riley" is so full of the world through coke bottle glasses claims it's like hunting over a baited field, so let's just go ahead and have some fun with the absurdities shall we?
"No philosophical weaknesses or personal baggage"
If that means that Riley has towed the republican line of reward your family members first from your official position, and *Jack Abramoff directed campaign contributions don't count as personal baggage then we're off to a roaring start Mr. Hillyer.
The next one may require anti-emetic medication before consuming so we'll give you a minute, which was less than what Mr. Hillyer did before launching into the article he said he would let someone else write.
(tick-tock, tick-tock....)
Minute's up. Ready? Steady now...
"The only reason he's not better known nationally is because he kept his focus on his job of serving as governor of Alabama, rather than scampering for the cameras and a national audience every chance he got. In other words, he's not all about his own ego: He's just about doing his job."How about a picture being worth a thousand words? Here's Bobbo from the official Office of the Governor website, at almost 67 years old, and he's trying to present himself as a, as a, ummm, er....well, you figure it out.
 | |
| 05/15/2006 Photo Credit: Governor Staff - Robin Cooper |
No further explanation required.
"I covered his first race for governor and his first term at close hand, and kept very good tabs on his second term from a distance. I was tremendously impressed."
Maybe that view from a distance is why Mr. Hillyer claims he was "tremendously impressed" because if he had been a native Alabamian living under the rule of Riley he may have seen what most of Alabama saw--a typical southern rethuglican that used Alabama and the system like his own personal trust fund.
Right out of the gate early in his first term, Riley tried to hit Alabamians hard in their worn-out pocketbooks with a $1.2 billion dollar tax hike for a $675 million "inherited shortfall." Rather than fix the problem that caused it, Riley and the Alabama legislature did what they always do and turned to the citizens for relief.
Alabamians were immediately suspicious of the difference in figures and who was on line with their paw out for a favor at taxpayer expense. Alabama's schoolchildren's funds were a favorite target of this blowhard 'gimme your milk money' bully. Riley frequently misdirected education funds meant for classroom supplies and books for his own view of what education money should be for. Like handing over $705,000.00 from the Public School and College Authority Fund to good buddy Mike Hubbard for renovations to the Auburn High School football facility, complete with a $55,000 scoreboard.
Did we mention proration of the Education Trust Fund and the total depletion of Alabama's "Rainy Day" fund accounts happened during his watch? Hillyer must have been looking the other way when those chickens (followed by many more along with a few snakes) crossed the road.
Mr. Hillyer continues, in his blissfully unaware and idyllic view of Riley and writes, "The ONLY reasonable knock against him is that CATO's report card gave him some bad grades before giving Riley a "B" last year." The reality is that the list of "reasonable knocks against" him is longer than forty miles of bad road in your Uncle Charlie's chugger of a pick-em up truck. Who's writing this stuff Mr. Hillyer, you or Todd Stacy?
You did say you were going to let someone else write the definitive piece...
Towards the end, we get to the real focus of what this article is all about:
"Riley has a sort or Reaganesque look about him, and he lights up a room in person and on a podium. His accent takes getting used to, but it sounds friendly rather than Haley Barbour's "backwoods tough" kind of Southern accent."
Riley is the best choice for the republican nomination of all potential southern candidates in the AS(s) view.
Here's our definitive view, sans speculation: If Riley is capable of lighting up a room, we're envisioning a room with no windows and hoping the door is made of bars.
(Thanks to Legal Schnauzer for allowing us to link to two of his enlightening articles)
* Abramoff's Web Of Deceit and Riley connections
In November 2005, Riley was linked to the Jack Abramoff scandal when his former Congressional press secretary, Michael Scanlon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the matter. It further emerged that, as a Congressman, Riley signed a letter on behalf of the U.S. Family Network, opposing expansion of casino gambling in Alabama.[29] The U.S. Family Network was revealed to be an Abramoff front, funded by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, which operated competing casinos.[30] Riley has denied knowing the source of this funding.
Subscribe in a reader
I'm changing my comment name to keep up with the times....boy howdy, this guy really loves the shellac haired goober in thief don't they! Nauseating from beginning to end!!!!!!! Yuck!!!!
ReplyDeleteSomeone is off their meds.
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of thickly piled garbage trying to pass for a legitimate article. Wonder how Haley feels about this? Funny stuff Max!
Quin Hillrey must have been in the gin literally when he sat down to pen this load of bull.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would love to see Haley and Riley go after the nomination. Can you imagine what sort of arrows might come out?
Makes me get a tingle up my leg just thinking about it.
I don't know about the tingle, but mine is gettin' more of an uncontrollable urge to kick.
ReplyDeleteThat's hate speech Spur. Napolitano should be over anytime now.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall and be privy to the backbiting that is going on behind the scenes between Barbour and Riley interests after this piece came out?
ReplyDeleteThe ASS (love that BTW) article throws Haley right under the bus! Gotta love that!!!
Speaking of egos Mr. Hillyer...
ReplyDeleteFrom his Wiki profile:
The 16 year old Hillyer unwittingly found himself a witness to history, as recalled in a 2008 column:
A young Reaganite to the core, I of course wanted desperately to hear Reagan's impromptu speech. But only eight pages at a time (out of about 200) were stationed on the convention floor, with another few passes available for specific messages.... My brisk walk through growing crowds of returning conventioneers was interrupted by a polite but insistent voice: "Page. Page! Excuse me, page, would you come over here?" Amazingly enough, I found myself looking up to see that the voice belonged to none other than Senator [Jesse] Helms. He seemed distressed. Long story short, he had given up his floor pass for the evening, but he desperately wanted to summon Tom Ellis, famed director of the Helms-affiliated Congressional Club, from the North Carolina delegation for a meeting. I first told Helms I had no floor pass, but his distressed look made me reconsider. "I don't know how I'll do it, sir, but wait right here!" I said.
"I'll get the message to Mr. Ellis -- but it might take 20 minutes to get there and back!"
Waiting with Helms by that time was Maryland's Rep. Bob Bauman, then chairman of the American Conservative Union. And, nosy as ever, I stood right close and eavesdropped as, right there in the middle of the concourse, the three conservative leaders discussed whether or not to launch a "Stop Bush" movement. The tentative idea was to call a press conference for the middle of the next morning, blast the choice of George H. W. Bush, and call on the delegates to reject Bush in favor of another nominee, probably Helms himself.
He also held a position at the Mobile Press-Register in the late 1990s. Uh huh things are getting a little clearer now...
http://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Quin_Hillyer
Now there's a paragon of virtue in the making___a wide-eyed boy wonder Quin in awe of one of the worst racists and intolerant heaps to ever walk the earth, Jesse Helms.
ReplyDeleteThat explains a lot.
I just love this pillar of moral righteousness, conservative family values, do the right thing Kool-Aid drinker of an alleged writer that completely ignores the scandal of Abramoff funneling money to both of Riley's campaigns. The object of his "enthrallment", Mr. Wonderful, says he has no idea where the money came from, so end of story case closed, that's all you have to say "I don't know" and you're let off the hook for any further scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteNice going Quin.
Journalistic jackass.
Mr. Riley, I've met Tom Cruise, and let me tell you something you backwoods bumpikin, you are no Tom Cruise!!
ReplyDelete