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Bill Clinton once used Alabama football as a weapon in his ‘feud’ with Richard Shelby

President Bill Clinton speaks at St. Cloud State University (Photo: Eric Austin)
President Bill Clinton speaks at St. Cloud State University (Photo: Eric Austin)

With the Democratic National Convention set to start this week, it seems like a good time to remember what the Clintons did last time they occupied the Oval Office.

No, no, no, not what they — or more specifically, he — did in the Oval Office, but how then-President Bill Clinton used the perks of the White House to punish one of his rivals, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)

So, the story goes something like this:

Shelby, at that time a Democrat, vocally opposed Clinton’s tax plan. To punish Shelby’s refusal to get on board with the rest of his Party, Clinton moved some NASA jobs from Alabama to Texas, and according to a report by the Associated Press, “let reporters know what they were doing” so that other Democrats would “get the message.”

Shelby responded by saying his vote was “not for sale or for rent to anyone, including the White House,” and went on to co-sponsor the Republicans’ alternative tax plan.

Then, according to the Associated Press, Clinton took it to the next level.

The White House then delivered what many in football-conscious Alabama consider the ultimate slap at Shelby — they gave him only one ticket to the White House ceremony honoring the national champion Crimson Tide. Sen. Howell Heflin, D-Ala, who has supported Clinton, got 15.

The AP reported local officials were “fretting” over the Shelby, Clinton “feud,” worrying that it could negatively impact the state.

Shelby may have gotten the last laugh, though. NASA remains a staple of the North Alabama community and the state’s aerospace industry has boomed since Clinton left office.

Oh, and the Tide have since then won four more national championships and Alabama’s senior senator accompanied the team to the White House each time, along with an entourage.

(h/t Roll Bama Roll)

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