It was a hard week to be a strawman in Montgomery. At every turn, the strawman was thrown under the proverbial bus, held to account, beaten senseless by politicians who needed a way out. A hard week to be a strawman indeed.
Let me suggest that those who don’t say what they mean are some of the first to lose the respect of those they serve. Let your yeses be yes, and your no’s be no is a character issue. That said, if you are an elected official who wants to see the expansion of gambling in Alabama, then just say so. But to pretend that you don’t really want it, but you’re willing to hide behind a strawman and vote for it anyway is the height of disingenuousness.
It was indeed a hard week to be a strawman in Montgomery. But hey, it was not about gambling. It was about “giving the citizens the right to decide what they want.” Sure, that’s all it was. Never mind the people of the various House and Senate Districts who voted for elected officials to go to Montgomery and make decisions.
This was their job, but they deflected and deferred and demurred. The first strawman argument was “we can’t do our job until after the people do theirs.”
We’ve also heard the question before the Alabama Legislature is really one of public safety. This is for our own good they say. “It’s high time we got in there and regulated illegal gambling.”
Aside from the fallacy that legalizing that which is illegal makes us safer, you have to wonder why the attorney general of Alabama would call that a really bad idea. Apparently, the chief law enforcement officer of the state doesn’t agree that legalization is the way forward. In fact, this bill stands to bring reward to those who have been violating our laws for years. The second strawman argument was “it’s too hard to enforce existing laws so we’re just going to make it all legal and call it done.”
We heard quite clearly that Republican leadership wants this bill, so we need to move it forward. It must be a Republican thing. One team standing with locked arms of conservatives. Never mind that when it came to the floor 43% of Republicans voted against it. The bill only passed when all Democrats joined the other Republicans to get it across the line.
Well, when you bury Medicaid expansion into a gambling bill you’re sure to gather up the Democrat votes without much trouble. The third strawman argument was “We were just supporting our leadership because that’s what good Republicans do.”
But this is about good government they said. This is what we were elected by our Republican constituents to do.
Never mind that one cursory review of the bill indicates that it conflicts in multiple ways with the platform positions of the Alabama Republican Party. Expansion of government ― it’s in there. Increased taxation? — that’s in there, too. More regulation? Yep. Violation of free market principles? Yes, sir, and yes, ma’am. Curtailing constitutional liberties? Absolutely.
Has there ever been a less Republican piece of legislation? If this were a bill about something benign like book stores or food trucks, it would be laughed out of every GOP caucus meeting as being everything that Republicans say they don’t stand for. But when you add gambling to it, suddenly the fourth strawman emerges and “This is a very Republican thing to do.”
We were also told that this was the most important thing the Legislature could do. House Republican leadership claimed it was a “priority for the session.” Has a controversial bill requiring an amendment to our state constitution ever flown through the legislative process with greater speed and alacrity than this one?
What about school choice? We’ll get to that later. What about tax relief? Not today, we’re busy. How about veterans’ care, mental health, budgeting, election integrity, overcrowded prisons? Those are being considered, sort of.
Does anybody know anyone who called their legislator and said, “the most important thing you can do for me when you come into session is to pass a major piece of gambling legislation before anything else?” Strawman No. Five was that the blistering speed with which this bill came out of the House, because it was the most important thing for the people of Alabama.
Well, at least we can rest easy when told that this was an open and transparent process. After all, Gov. Kay Ivey is big on transparency. Never mind the fact that the bill was actually hidden from state legislators until just before being introduced. In the final days they were “allowed” to travel to Montgomery to review a copy of the 139-page bill, but no one was allowed to take a copy with them for further review.
Never mind the fact that it flew out of the House committee on a voice vote so that there will not be a comprehensive record of the “ayes” and “nays” that got it to the floor. Never mind the fact that it lasted less than two hours in floor debate on one of the first possible days it could come to a vote of the body. No one studied it in advance. No one called for a roll of the “ayes” and “nays” in committee. Strawman No. 6 was “Don’t worry, we’re just doing the peoples business out in the open.”
Again, if you’re an advocate for the expansion of gambling in Alabama then just say so. Nothing but respect for those who will fight for what they believe in and vote their true consciences. But if you say one thing and vote another it taints the process.
Let’s leave the poor strawman alone.
At this pace there won’t be any strawmen left in Montgomery to pummel on.
Phil Williams is a former state senator from District 10 (which includes Etowah County), retired Army colonel and combat veteran, and a practicing attorney. He previously served with the leadership of the Alabama Policy Institute in Birmingham. He currently hosts the conservative news/talk show Rightside Radio on multiple channels throughout north Alabama. The opinions expressed are his own.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Phil Williams on the strawmen behind the gambling issue in Montgomery
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
