By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
It now appears that there is nothing Speaker Mike Hubbard will not sacrifice to save himself from a criminal trial. Hubbard will soon file a motion to challenge the constitutionally of the ethics laws he championed in 2010.
After five years, Hubbard has suddenly realized that the laws he voted for, laws he said would be Gov. Bob Riley’s legacy, laws he said would prove that Republicans were different than Democrats, are not constitutional. This is worse than Gov. Robert Bentley after his reelection suddenly realizing the State had financial problems.
Many in the State legislature were outraged that Bentley wanted to raise taxes to solve the problem he had just discovered. Will any lawmaker dare to publicly voice their outrage that Hubbard’s wants to overturn the ethics laws they voted for to save his sorry neck?
Is there a State Senator who will buy a billboard to denounce Hubbard? How many radio talking heads or opinion writers will point out Hubbard’s dishonesty?
If there are any, I will be surprised. Legislators and radio heads are not afraid of Bentley, but they shudder at the shadow, of this sawed-off dictator.
“Because of the laws passed in the [2010] Special Session and proudly signed into law by Governor Riley, Alabama ethics laws are now among the strongest in the nation,” Hubbard proclaimed in his vanity tome, concerning the ethics laws he now hopes will be overturned giving him a “get out of jail free” card on some of the 23 felonies he faces.
He also wrote of those ethics laws, “It is my hope that future historians will say that this was the legislature that brought the reforms Alabama had needed for so long and that fundamentally changed how state government operates… Most voters in Alabama had become used to hearing politicians say one thing on the campaign trail and do something else once elected. That kind of empty rhetoric and broken promises has given Alabamians a serious distrust of state government for decades. We vowed to change that.”
How can a lawmaker look at Hubbard and not see a dishonest man? He is willing to sellout his signature legislation and his promise to the voters, to delay his criminal trial. This is what honest men do, no, this is how crooks operate. Hubbard continues to deny, deflect, and delay, because he knows he is guilty.
Eighteen citizens of Lee County after hearing from over 150 witnesses and seeing thousands of pages of evidence believed that he had committed 23 felony crimes. Most politicos after reading his emails released at the request of his criminal attorney are convinced that Hubbard is a crook, but they are afraid to call him out.
In his book Hubbard wrote, “Alabamians are, after all, not a corrupt people. They are honest, hard-working, God-fearing folks who deserved to have a government that reflected their values.”
Do Hubbard’s actions reflect the values of the people of our State? He says he wants his day in court, but will trample on the ethics laws to avoid it. Of course these are the very laws he is accused of breaking so, why should he care if they are further ground in the dirt?
Hubbard said, “Politically, strengthening the ethics law and providing the Alabama Ethics Commission with some real teeth was a perfect way for this new legislature to set the tone for the quadrennium.”
The tone for this quadrennium is that House members with the exception of Rep. Alvin Holmes reelected a man charged with breaking laws he championed.
If anyone still believes that Hubbard’s indictment was a way for Attorney General Luther Strange to clear the field for a run for Governor, or if they believe this is in any way a political prosecution, please for the sake of your family and friends, get help, you are delusional.
Of course, their leader is delusional. He still tells people that things will be different when he is Governor. Let that sink in: Hubbard still thinks he will be Governor of Alabama.
In his book Hubbard wrote, “Ethics was a subject that set Republicans apart from the Democrats… Unfortunately, Alabama had gained a reputation of being a corrupt state, or at least having a corrupt government. That hurt economic development, created cynicism in the minds of the public and, quite simply, was not fair to the citizens and taxpayers of the state.”
Hubbard’s corrupt leadership, indictments, and now his brazen attempt to have the ethics laws overturned for personal gain, is far worse than any act perpetrated by the Democrats.
Is there anyone brave enough to stand up to him, or do we have a government of political cowards? So far it appears the later is true. The Governor, and the legislature want the prosecutors to do what they know they themselves should do, and that is to remove Hubbard from his seat of power.
Hubbard will sacrifice all of them and every man, woman and child in this State to keep his power, and stay out of jail. I for one will not stand by and watch that happen without speaking out.
Those who stand by Hubbard, and those who do not stand for what is right, are on the wrong side of history. Alabama is the only state in the union with a Speaker of the House charged with felony crimes. We are also the only state with a Speaker that wants to have our ethics laws ruled unconstitutional to save his skin.
This is a shame.
We should be better than that.
