Folks, the Alabama Legislature is fumbling the ball on the one-yard line in the final minute of this political football game. It’s an absolute disaster that should have every conservative in this state fired up and prepared to break out the pitchforks and torches.
Why so serious? I have had a bellyful of the charades in my beloved Alabama. It is time that God-fearing, Jesus-loving, red-blooded Alabamians come to grips with reality. We know the problems but do nothing. Enough of the Republican In name only (RINO) leaders, I say!
The U.S. Supreme Court handed us a game-changing April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. Its 6-3 decision guts the racial gerrymandering games which courts have played for years.
Justice Samuel Alito made it clear: you can’t just draw districts based on race to create majority-minority seats. The Voting Rights Act doesn’t require this and forcing such a move violates the Constitution.
This should’ve been the green light for Alabama to finally scrap the court-imposed map that carved out a second Democrat district and go full steam ahead with a 7-0 Republican map reflecting the will of our people.
Instead, what are we getting? Timid half-measures and talk of falling back to a weaker 6-1 setup. That’s not victory. That’s surrender dressed up as pragmatism. Leadership is playing small ball.
Look at House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville). The man had a chance to stand tall and declare that the voices of 5 million Alabamians matter more than three federal judges. Instead, he’s out there splitting hairs, saying, “I don’t know that all Democrats are black voters,” trying to dodge the racial framing, even though the courts spent years doing exactly that, namely, packing black voters into specific districts to engineer outcomes. If you’re not willing to call out the racial gerrymander for what it is, how do you expect to fix it?
Ledbetter’s approach reeks of caution when courage is required. We didn’t need careful word games; we needed a fighter willing to restore the 2023 map and dare the courts to stop us now that the legal ground has shifted.
Then there’s Senate Pro-Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman), who’s apparently been more focused on contingency plans for special primaries than on seizing this historic opportunity. Back in late 2025, Gudger filed a bill for special elections in case districts changed late in the game. Fair enough on paper. But when the moment of truth arrives after Callais, where’s the fire to demand the full 7-0 map immediately? Instead of leading the charge to lock in conservative districts before the next election cycle solidifies, it seems he’s preparing for the possibility of chaos rather than preventing it. That’s more like administrative housekeeping while the house burns down around us than it is leadership.
This is what happens when you have supermajorities that act like they’re still the underdog. RINOS control the legislature, the governorship, and now the legal momentum after the Supreme Court finally reined in race-based mapmaking. The Callais decision explicitly says states cannot be forced to gerrymander by race. The Alabama attorney general’s office has been aggressive, filing emergency motions to lift the injunctions on our old maps. Yet those who can actually speed redistricting along seem content to tiptoe around the chance for total victory.
Niccolo Machiavelli told us that fortune favors the bold. Right now, fortune is smiling on Alabama conservatives, and our leaders are responding with contingency plans instead of bold action. The older 6-1 map might be better than the current mess, but it’s still a compromise with the activist judges and plaintiffs who’ve been running our redistricting process. We didn’t fight this long just to settle for one Democrat seat when the law now clearly allows us to have none.
I struggle with explaining to my D.C. friends that despite Alabamians’ definitive right-wing, Christian, red-blooded American bent, we are not holding our elected delegates to task. The people must take back the Republican party and oust RINO imposters.
This isn’t complicated. The Supreme Court just told us the old rules were wrong. Now is the time to act decisively, not hedge our bets. The people are watching, and they’re tired of watching opportunity slip away because our leaders would rather manage decline than seize victory. What do you expect when those with (R) by their name in Alabama are RINOS?
Troy Carico is a former infantry enlisted soldier (11B) and infantry officer with branch qualifications including counterintelligence (35E) and military intelligence (35D). He served with distinction in the U.S. Army for more than 22 years and is highly decorated and service-connected disabled. He also has prior service as a civilian intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency Great Skills Program and has served in numerous clandestine assignments throughout the world. You can find him on X @CaricoTroy, LinkedIn @Troy Carico, and Substack.
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 [email protected].
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