I've never been impressed by U.S. Senator Katie Britt. It's not personal. We've never met. I did meet her mama at an event where I was a speaker. I found Mrs. Boyd to be a lovely and kind woman. People who know her personally will speak highly of her drive and ambition. Even my wife Jessica, who was briefly a candidate against Senator Britt, speaks highly of her and some of her initiatives. Yet, I remain unconvinced that Britt is anything other than a creature of an insidious, money-driven and deeply corrupt pay-to-play political system.
She was mostly known to political insiders in Montgomery and Washington, D.C. when her former boss, Senator Richard Shelby, hand-picked her to replace him in the Senate. What followed was, by some estimates, $22.5 million of D.C. PAC money. It came from the Shelby-McConnell money machine and a handful of individuals. She and her associated PACs used that money to assassinate the character of a military hero in Mike Durant. Likewise, they flung some very expensive poo at the head of rock-solid conservative and erstwhile former Congressman Mo Brooks. They used that same establishment money to market Britt as a young, fresh face. Hey, Republicans can play identity politics, too. The old boys raised their money and purchased a Senate seat for a woman they groomed to play on the men's team.
Since then, I've been a harsh critic of Britt — probably too harsh. She has just been too easy to lampoon so far. Her State of the Union response was the worst P.R. stunt since Dylan Mulvany on the Bud Light can. She has not done a lot of heavy lifting. She never takes risks or gets her hands dirty. When the old boys needed to get ahead of the IVF flap that originated in Alabama, they shoved Katie out front. Of course, they picked the young mother from Alabama for cleanup on Aisle 5.
There was also the shark bite thing. After a tragic shark attack off the coast of Florida struck an Alabama family, Britt decided the federal government needed to be involved. For the record, I'm opposed to shark attacks. But the bill went nowhere after the initial publicity. I'm pretty sure sharks are indifferent to federal legislation anyway. Within six months of being elected, Britt went on tour to promote a book she "wrote" called "God Calls Us To Do Hard Things." He does indeed, but will she?
For two years, I've been waiting for Senator Britt to prove me wrong. I've been waiting for her to stand apart from the insider system in which she incubated her entire career. That first test comes this Wednesday. That is when the United States Senate meets to elect new leaders. Specifically, frontrunners John Thune and John Cornyn are non-starters for anyone who wants a Senate in sync with the Trump Mandate. Rick Scott has become a consensus favorite of reform-minded conservatives. Mitch McConnel wants a secret vote. Katie knows full well that the old-school guys want to pick their own successors privately.
When Britt ran in 2022, she said, in a Breitbart News article, that the Senate needed "New Blood" and "Fresh Blood." She said: "We have to shake things up across the board if we want to advance the America First agenda." Did she mean it? Does she still?
Prove me wrong, Katie. Demand an open ballot and declare your support for Scott. Show us you hear us. Get in a little bit of trouble with the money crowd. Take a little heat like your fellow Senator Tommy Tuberville took against woke military policy. The D.C. establishment flamed him from all directions but earned some Alabama respect for his burn scars.
Your support for Scott will certainly help this doubter change his mind. Truth be known, in the spirit of the new unified momentum of the Trump win, I'd like to be on your side. We just need you to be on ours.
Leland Whaley is the host of Leland Live, the most listened-to news talk radio show in Alabama. He can be heard weekdays from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Talk 99.5 WZRR in Birmingham.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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