Bob Riley - Really?

      I read today that former Governor Riley has banned together with House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh to target "RINOS".  The term stands for "Republicans in name only", or a liberal in conservative clothing.  Mr Hubbard and Mr Marsh need to immediately turn and point a finger at Mr. Riley!  Our former Governor will never be able to overcome the negatives attached to his name.

    I must confess that Bob Riley did receive my vote the first time he ran for Governor.  I thought we finally had a good Republican in charge.  Then, I along with every other conservative in Alabama was shocked when he tried to push through the largest tax increase in history called "Amendment One", while previously campaigning against a tax increase.  The voters turned it down.  Then, he raised our property taxes without a vote of the people by ordering annual appraisals rather than quadrennial.  He had the nerve to campaign in his next election against Lucy Baxley, that the legislature needed to fix the property tax issue!

     Bob Riley did almost nothing when Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was attacked by liberals and ultimately removed from office.  Judge Moore is a great man and by not supporting a real statesman, Bob showed his true colors!  In my book, that adds up to at least three strikes against Bob as being a real conservative himself.

     Riley's popularity in the state plunged to the low level of 36% approval, and only the constant media attention during hurricane Katrina brought it back up.  Unemployment, when Riley took office was 3.3% and when he left it was 9.8%.  It was Alabama's highest unemployment rate in 25 years!

     Riley, in November 2005, signed a letter on behalf of the U.S. Family Network, opposing expansion of casino gambling in Alabama.  That network, was revealed to be a Jack Abramoff front, funded by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians which operated competing casinos.   Riley said he didn't know...

     When Bob Riley(R) ran in his last campaign against Lucy Baxley(D), I had had enough.  I went to the polls and voted for a Democrat for the first time in 25 years!  Sadly, she lost.  Twice Bob got in the Governor's office by the skin of his teeth.  He won the first campaign against Don Siegelman by only 3,000 votes and that was after the initial count showed a 2,000 vote victory for Mr. Siegelman.

      Holding the Governor's office does not make Bob Riley a good Republican no more than standing in the garage makes me car.   I suppose he can probably pick out the fake Republicans.  It takes one to know one!!!