BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Nationally syndicated radio host and Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham, a Connecticut native who is perhaps the country’s most unlikely Alabama football fan, is in the state this weekend for the Bama-Miss. State game. But before heading to Tuscaloosa, Ingraham stopped in Birmingham to speak at a luncheon organized by the Alabama Policy Institute.
Ingraham first explained her love of Alabama football. She recalled that when she was growing up in Connecticut, her mother believed that Bear Bryant’s dedication to hard work, service and love of country meant that he “represented the best of America,” so they would always watch the games on television.
“My mom loved college football and she loved Alabama. One of my best memories with my mom was as a 9-year-old in 1973. It was the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame — one of the most heartbreaking games in Alabama history. I hate Notre Dame to this day,” she laughed.
Ingraham also raved about the progress that has been made in Alabama since Republicans took control in 2010.
“People up north like to look down on the South — entertainment culture does, a lot of the academic elites. But you are outsmarting them. Alabama is outsmarting them,” she said. “You’ve really shown what is possible. You’ve transformed the state legislature. Now this is such a great state to do business in. You guys are amazing. It inspires me.”
But she saved her highest praise for Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who she noted is now poised to become the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee when Republicans assume control of the upper chamber in January.
“Jeff Sessions has affected policy in a really important way, and not just on immigration,” she explained. “He has really changed the way people talk about trade and holding countries accountable on trade agreements. He has been a tireless fighter for the people of this state and the people of this country. He has made such a mark on the debate. It’s not an exaggeration to say, if it weren’t for Jeff Sessions, the Republicans in the House would have signed on to that crazy immigration bill, which was 1,200 pages long and was basically the ObamaCare for immigration. Jeff Sessions did more to educate other Republicans on that legislation than anyone in the country. And they vilified him initially. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
Ingraham said that Republicans around the country would do well to follow Sessions’ lead and return to a more populist message that can win over middle-class working families.
“Or as I call it, Reagan Conservatism,” she said. “Just talk to people. Address people like they’re human beings instead of like they’re from interest groups. Just talk about what kind of country we want to live in and how we’re going to get there. That’s what Jeff Sessions does. That’s one of the reasons why he’s having such an impact.”
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
