Gov. Riley

rockmom on August 24, 2008 at 10:46 AM

I {heart} Gov Riley. The Paulbots on talk radio in Montgomery hate the guy…and he’s done an outstanding job pretty much all around. He handled Katrina beautifully (did you even know that AL had some poor coastal communities wiped out, and that Mobile and Fairhope took heavy damage? It’s because Gov Riley and his administration handled it, and because churches throughout AL worked like crazy down there.)

funky chicken on August 24, 2008 at 10:56 AM

Wonder why nobody is talking about Alabama Gov. Bob Riley. Great second-term governor, served three terms in Congress and kept his term-limit pledge, served on the Armed Services Committee.

Governor Riley fulfilled a promise to assemble a Cabinet of world-class leaders pledged to help him reform state government. He also took action to make his administration the most open and accountable in state history. He banned pass-through pork in his Cabinet agencies, saving taxpayers $40 million. He opened his office’s records with a transparency never before seen in Alabama. And he implemented an accountable budget process called SMART Governing that allows taxpayers to see how their money is being spent by every agency of state government.

During his first term, Governor Riley also successfully changed Alabama’s economic development model. Governor Riley inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression at the beginning of his first term. But during the next four years, Alabama achieved record low unemployment rates, experienced the creation of more than 100,000 new jobs, and attained a record budget surplus. In fact, Alabama’s strong economy has gained national recognition. Alabama’s economic development was ranked number one of all 50 states and declared the best of the southern states for four consecutive years.

Gov. Riley

rockmom on August 24, 2008 at 10:46 AM

I certainly hope the McCain team is smart enough to take a long look at Gov Riley. Of course he and Miss Patsy are quite happy in AL and may have no interest in moving to DC.

funky chicken on August 24, 2008 at 11:08 AM

Right on cue:

Axelrod went on to explain why Obama opted for Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., instead of the former first lady: “[Obama] has a high regard for Sen. Clinton … She’s going to be an important voice in moving this country forward in the next administration. But he felt that Sen. Biden would be the best fit for him at this time.”

In a separate interview, former Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani questioned Obama’s decision not to pick Clinton. “The strong choice would have been Hillary Clinton. The obvious choice would have been Hillary Clinton,” Giuliani said. “She had 50 percent of the Democratic vote. Obama has 50 percent of the Democratic vote. You almost have to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid her as the vice presidential pick of the party.”

“Sen. Obama has made a choice more out of weakness than strength,” Giuliani continued. “Don’t go with your strongest candidate, and then go with a candidate that actually emphasizes all your weaknesses and has been quite vocal about them.”

And while the former mayor of New York welcomed Biden “to this whole effort again,” he made clear that he has no intention of joining him on the campaign trail as McCain’s running mate. “I have not been, as far as I can tell, vetted, if they do tell you about that,” he said. “I am certain that the candidate — it’s down to three or four candidates. It is not me.”

Damn shame on the last part. And unlike Biden, Giuliani is trustworthy. He’s not on the veep short list.

funky chicken on August 24, 2008 at 1:08 PM

I hear ya. Who cares how many houses a candidates wife owns?

a capella on August 24, 2008 at 4:24 PM

oh dear :-)

funky chicken on August 24, 2008 at 4:27 PM