I'm Jabo Waggoner and I Don't Have a Clue (following "Meet the New Boss" article)

Senator Waggoner has taken a real beating over his controversial hiring of Paul Hamrick and this morning he 'responded' in a radio interview that made everything clear as mud.

Some highlights (and lowlights) of the 'selection process' and Jabo's glaring inability to fully understand what he did when viewed through the sick-and-tired-of-it lens of the people. So much for the "new day in Alabama politics." How long did that last? Two seconds?

Jabo was asked about the decision to hire Hamrick:

"We put out a request for somebody and got 5 or 6 responses back. There was certain criteria we demanded such as they couldn't be a lobbyist or anyone with a conflict with another entity..."

He went on to list some of the potential candidates without names:

A "former president of a newspaper" (that one came later in the interview)

Former Lt. Governor

Pensacola resident (don't we have some developer honcho from there?)

Someone who wanted $10,000 a month (contract was for $5,000)

A lobbyist (big surprise)

Paul Hamrick

Jabo said that he "consulted with Senators Del Marsh, Arthur Orr and Trip Pittman" but the ultimate decision was his. We'd like to know what Pittman was doing in the discussion since he has shown himself to be ethically challenged at best, and capable of willfully working the system for hundreds of thousands of BP money in his pocket at worst.

Is Waggoner the reason the Ethics Commission is hands off with investigating the controversial oil boom contract work by Pittman and Baldwin County Commissioner James?

Jabo plays the blame game and says that "we underestimated the opposition" as if the only outcry came from the left, *which is opposite of the truth, and he says it "couldn't be worse timing coming on the heels of the governor hiring Sparks." First shot officially fired in what will be an escalating blame the Dr. Dr. Bentley game.
*(Paul Hamrick confirmed in an interview that too many republicans had concerns.) 

The senator is right about the number of democrats being hired by these "new republicans." People are very upset about it, but because of that, shouldn't he have known better? The answer is yes, absolutely!

But he's not listening and he just doesn't get it. He tried to pull a fast one and he got slapped for it. Big. Time to send some bags of quarters to his office for clue purchase.

Then he lamented on Hamrick "not being an issue for the last 4 or 5 years" and he "has been working informally for the republicans all that time." We have to wonder how many in the party faithful knew about this and if they did, why are they outraged now? Why haven't they been upset for the last few years? Or, when Jabo says "informally" does that mean no one knew and/or it was fine as long as Hamrick wasn't made public?

This raises more than a few questions for us and we're going to look a little deeper into it later, but the most obvious is how have political loyalties become so blurred?

The last part of his weak defense was just utter nonsense and he knows it was, but folks who don't pay attention, which is most of the voting public, wouldn't catch it:

"Not many people are aware of the heartbeat of Montgomery. It's hard to find a republican purist that has never worked in a democratic campaign. I'm disappointed to start the process over because it's so hard to find somebody."

Translation--it's hard to find somebody that me and my circle of three think will play our version of the game. This whole brouhaha was an inside deal involving some formerly elected officials in the mix, one was Steve French an inside source tells us, that are bending Jabo's ear and are still in the pile, even though they don't have an office on Goat Hill because the people told them "NEXT."

Here's a suggestion Senator Waggoner, tell the washed up has-beens to go home, accept defeat and stay out of the people's business! You've been voted out, so get the hell out of the state house boys. There's no reason for you to be there. It's ridiculous that Jabo even allows this to go on, but it's not at all a surprise.

How's that "new day" looking so far? And just for the record, 'purist' and 'Montgomery' are oxymorons Senator Waggoner.

Waggoner then put out a call on air: "....if anybody knows of someone to let me know." 

Anybody want a job paying $5,000 a month that can help Jabo and the republicans out? 

Requirements are simple:

Ability to lie at the drop of a hat

Listen to only what you are told to listen to--with a tin ear

Parrot propaganda designed to cover the machine and pull the wool over on the folks

Demonstrate a strong ability to be oblivious to criticism on cue

Able to forget your own morals and adopt the ones of those around you

It won't be difficult really, and you'll have lots of tutors on Goat Hill who will be only too eager to help you learn the fine art of helping yourself.

**Update on Riley gifting AG Strange--Bentley asks for $7.9 million back

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