7 Things: Blame game continues, teacher retirement takes a beating, and more …

7. Election challenge has a hearing set

• Another Alabama court will hear a challenge to an election result on Dec. 19 – this time challenging the victory of Alabama State Rep.-elect David Cole in House District 10 over Democrat Marilyn Lands and Libertarian Elijah Boyd, representing Madison and Huntsville.
• Boyd filed a lawsuit challenging whether or not Cole was not a resident in House District 10 and has not lived in the district long enough to represent the area. There has been a motion to dismiss the case filed by Cole’s attorney arguing the court has no jurisdiction and that the appeal should be made to the state House of Representatives.

6. Cocky family ran large illegal operation

• The Department of Justice has announced multiple members of the same cockfighting family have been sentenced to prison. The last person, George Easterling, was given a 22-month sentence with one year of supervised release. Jim Easterling owned the land and cockfighting pit for years and his son, Brent, was known as “one of the most widely-known fighting-bird breeders in the country.”
• Prosecutors alleged that, “members of the Easterling family ran two large fighting-bird breeding businesses known as Swift Creek Gamefarm and L&L Gamefarm at which thousands of birds were bred and sold to be used in fights between two or more birds for the purposes of sport, wagering or entertainment.” To show the brutality of this, the DOJ stated, “Participants were charged expensive fees to enter their birds in the derbies – such as $1,500 to fight seven roosters – and told what weapons to strap to the roosters’ legs, such as short knives, long knives or spurs.”

5. More school choice 

• Alabama Republicans have long-supported school choice for Alabama parents and members of the Legislature seem to be increasingly supporting the idea, as well.
• State Rep.-elect Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity) is one of the newer legislators who is announcing where he stands by stating he wants to “empower” parents. He says,  “I think it’s important that we empower parents with the God-given freedoms and rights to protect their kids and make the choice that they believe is the best for their children’s mind, body, and soul.”

4. Tuberville wants abortion policy clarified

• The soon-to-be Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has forced the Biden administration to accept defeat on their vaccine mandate for military service members. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is now threatening to halt Biden’s nominees to the Department of Defense unless the administration’s abortion policy is made clear.
• Tuberville has an issue with the Pentagon’s plan to pay for travel expenses to troops and their families in order to get abortions if they can not access the services in the states they are stationed in. Tuberville wanted answers to this policy and received no response from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Because of this, Tuberville said he will place a hold on all nominees “until such time as my staff is briefed to my satisfaction on this matter.”

3. Questions about Stadthagan Club for Growth haul

• There seems to be a bit of consternation among conservatives about a $50,000 donation from the Club for Growth that has been given to new House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen’s STACKPAC. The problems seem to lie in two areas: the fact that Club for Growth doesn’t usually play in state politics and the attacks from the group on U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) and U.S. Sen.-elect Katie Britt during their campaigns.
• When asked for clarification about the donation and its impact on his bid for House leadership, State Rep. Stadthagen (R-Hartselle) says, “This PAC is not and has never been about House leadership,” adding it was about “straight-ticket Republican voting and nothing more.” The concern seems to be about what the money is for but, as of now, there seems to be nothing nefarious here.

2. Teacher retirement fund being hit, full payments will be paid forever

• A man who is regularly called very smart and forward-thinking says that the Retirement System of Alabama has taken a hit, or as he puts it, “We got what I would call smashed pretty good.” RSA Chief Executive Officer David Bronner says there has been a minus-13% return in fiscal year 2022, taking the value of the fund from $30.6 billion to $25.6 billion.
• The concern for this issue should not be one for the teachers or school employees who are set to receive state retirements, but for taxpayers. No matter what happens to this fund, teachers will receive their “defined benefit” retirement and the state will kick in the difference. 

1. Biden pleased with Democrats’ midterm performance, GOP blame game

• President Joe Biden is getting sick of all the winning, even though in 2022 he lost the U.S. House and his ability to ram through his agenda. Biden says, “We lost fewer seats in the House of Representatives than any Democratic president’s first midterm election in the last 40 years. And we had the best midterm for governors since 1986.” 
• The GOP blame game is on, with consultants blaming consultants and U.S. senators blaming Senate leadership, but former President Donald Trump is taking the brunt of the criticism. Trump’s 1-5 record in swing-state U.S. Senate seats is probably the biggest issue facing the Republican Party. But Trump tried to take out 10 GOP impeachment-supporting House members, he got 8 of them out. But in contested House seats he was 0-5. The numbers are far off the 82% win rate the former president claims if you factor in uncontested races. Former Trump candidate (and not at all bitter) U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) called out Trump, saying, “America can’t afford Trump’s ‘winning.'”