Dr. Natalie Davis wasn’t surprised at all at Gov. Bob Riley’s upbeat view of state finances.

“He’s typically optimistic, very Reaganesque,” says the Birmingham Southern College professor of political science.

A little posturing may have been playing into the speech as well as the governor suggested to the Alabama legislature that the “doom and gloom” of state finances came from lobbyists and gambling interests trying to grease the rails for electronic bingo legislation.

“A bunch of bull,” is the way Riley referred to those “doom and gloom” claims.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” Rep. John Knight (D-Montgomery) told the Montgomery Advertiser following Tuesday night’s speech. Read here.

Lawmakers, Republican and Democrat alike, already see a prorated education budget and Legislative Fiscal Office forecasts of a $600-million dollar shortfall for the General Fund.

So….”bunch of bull.” Really?

Sen. Scott Beason (R-Gardendale) says Riley’s message appears to be “don’t do anything drastic.”

“He is a good salesman and has an ability to put an optimistic spin on it,” Sen. Beason tells me, agreeing that this is part of Riley’s argument against gambling legislation.

Filed under: Legislature