Thursday was one of the first tests of State Senate Republicans under the leadership of State Senate Pro-Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman): A loaded calendar with one bill that at least two Senate Democrats would exhaust every possible tool at their disposal to keep from getting a vote by the entire body.
The filibuster was back, as it had been in previous years, with State Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) and Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) leading the charge.
By Thursday afternoon, the Alabama Senate adjourned for the week after passing only two of the 13 bills on the calendar, one of which mandates "public entities" to install and maintain powered, height-adjustable, adult-size changing tables accessible for "newly constructed or renovated public buildings."
During the legislation's debate, Smitherman and Singleton took to the floor to stall the day's progress and prevent consideration of Senate Bill 5 (SB 5). If passed, SB 5 would change the selection of the currently unchecked Alabama Department of Archives and History's Board of Trustees.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine), comes after Department of Archives and History leadership ignored lawmaker concerns about a 2023 "Alabama LGBTQ+ history" luncheon it hosted.
During the six-hour ordeal, Singleton took to the microphone to slam Republican support for Elon Musk, who Singleton repeatedly took issue with for being a South African.
He also accused Republicans of "acting" as if they were aligned with the "old Confederacy."
"I just thought I would stand up here and speak truth to power today because y'all are sitting here willing as a party, the majority party, to allow a South African to be running your Oval Office," he said. "Your president ain't your president. That's the one you voted for. He's sitting in the back, and the little son is just kicking him in the butt in the office now, telling him what he ain't. 'You ain't no president. My daddy running this country.' And that was alright with y'all. That should be an ugly look to you — that someone else inside the Oval Office. I mean, you know, it was sad when on January 6 they stormed into the Capitol, and y'all had nothing to say. Everybody ... was alright with that. Where's your patriotism?"
"Are you really Americans? Because that's the same kind of stuff that folks did with that old cross — that flag with that cross on it," he continued. "They were anti-Americans. They're the ones who wanted to overthrow our government — the Confederacy. Y'all acting like y'all from the old Confederacy ... like you alright with that. Where are Americans at who will stand up against a South African in the Oval Office calling the shots? Everybody quiet now because they know I'm telling the truth. Call Mr. Trump and tell him I'm down here talking about him. Call him up. I know y'all got him on speed dial. I know you got him on speed dial. Tell him to primary me. I'll be alright. My feelings not going to be hurt. I'm going be able to win bigger when they know he is against me."
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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