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ANOTHER GOP pol resigns

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ANOTHER GOP pol resigns

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Editor’s note: I live in Georgia, but I’m from Alabama. I married a beautiful Alabama gal, and graduated from the University of Alabama in 2005. I have roots there and care about its future.

Another high-ranking Alabama Republican has resigned before their term is through to take a private job, the Montgomery Advertiser reports.

Rep. Jay Love, chairman of the state’s House Ways and Means Committee, will leave Aug. 1.

So, if you’re keeping score, that makes three: U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman and, now, Jay Love.

Three Republicans leaving for the private sector. All begin their jobs in August.

The only difference between Love and his predecessors is that he made the announcement after a holiday and not immediately before it. If people were paying attention, especially in the media, I’d say this was a serious error on his part.

Am I nuts to think it might be more than a coincidence that three high-ranking state Republicans holding public office recently decided to quit before their terms are through?

This isn’t a Republican-Democrat thing, or a Liberal-Conservative thing. Alabama politics is a dreary spectacle of cronyism, ignorance and low expectations. It was true when Democrats ran the state and it’s true today.

The source of our dysfunction is, as we all well know, the state’s comically outdated constitution, a document created with the intent of suppressing minorities and placing the levers of power in Montgomery.

Giving that much power to politicians without providing any oversight is a recipe for backwoods shenanigans. It’s the kind of crap that’s been holding my state back for years and it will continue being an anvil around our necks unless people start calling it out for what it is, instead of expecting it like they expect the sunrise or football championships.

I’m thoroughly disappointed in the Alabama media’s handling of this entire series of events. Since we are a state of lowered expectations, perhaps I should simply applaud our media for covering the resignation at all.

If this isn’t a line of serious inquiry for you folks by now, just what has to happen for it to become one?

At what point does this become too weird to ignore?

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