If Americans are less than confident, slightly confused and even a little angry with the political narrative they are hearing about the “fiscal cliff”, they have every reason to be. The fiscal cliff is a politically-created crisis resulting from two separate legislative undertakings. In December of 2010, Congress passed and President Obama signed the “Tax […]

Trending topics are the most-talked-about topics on Twitter at a given time. They are listed on each Twitter user’s homepage to show what topics are currently the most discussed by other users around the city, state, nation or world. 2012 was a big year for Twitter when it comes to politics, and political conversations many […]

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. All sources remain confidential. 1. House Republican Freshmen are huddling this week in Andalusia at Rep. Mike Jones’s farm for their yearly Freshmen retreat. […]

Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Mercedes’ parent company Daimler, personally delivered the Pope’s brand new modified M Class crossover to the Vatican last week. “It is an honor for Mercedes-Benz to be accompanying His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his future journeys with our new Popemobile”, Zetsche said in a statement. “For more than 80 years […]

I was as surprised as anyone last week when conservative stalwart Sen. Jim DeMint resigned from his South Carolina U.S. Senate seat to become the president of conservative Washington, D.C. think tank The Heritage Foundation. While it’s never good to lose a solid conservative vote in the Senate, I think it’s great that President Reagan’s […]

I attended the annual meeting of the Business Council of Alabama today at the Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham. I enjoyed hearing Jay Timmons, President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, give an excellent speech covering the challenges facing American manufacturers, including the so-called “fiscal cliff,” high corporate taxe rates and over-regulation. The […]

This is a very open blog so I allow free dialogue and I welcome criticism. That’s why the Yellowhammer comment section frequently contains both positive and negative comments directed at me personally and toward this blog’s content. That will continue. However, I won’t allow personal attacks on Chairman Armistead, the Governor or anyone else. Feel […]

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. All sources remain confidential. 1. For the first time ever, we’re only going to have one Rumor & Rumbling this week. I’ve decided to […]

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead officially announced last night in an email to GOP Executive Committee members that he will be seeking a second term as ALGOP Chairman. “After much prayer and discussion with my wife Emily, we have decided to ask for your support for another term as your Chairman,” Armistead wrote. He […]

Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard on Monday announced that Rachel Adams, a veteran of political public relations who has worked in national presidential campaigns and a highly-regarded D.C. consulting firm, will serve as his office’s communications director beginning in early December. Adams replaces Todd Stacy, who recently left the Speaker’s Office to lead […]

Almost 50% of Alabamians now use the internet each week to consume political news according to polling data from GOP polling firm McLaughlin & Associates. Regular readers will recall that over the last couple of weeks we have been breaking down numbers found in a Mclaughlin poll that was presented to the House & Senate […]

Governor Robert Bentley on Friday announced the appointment of Jeremy Oden to the Alabama Public Service Commission, effective Monday, December 3, 2012. Since 1998, Oden has served as State Representative for House District 11, covering portions of Cullman, Blount and Morgan Counties. Oden will resign from his District 11 seat prior to assuming his new […]

Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard on Thursday announced that State Rep. Mac McCutcheon (R – Capshaw), a two-term legislator representing portions of Limestone and Madison counties, has been selected to serve as chairman of the body’s agenda-setting Rules Committee. McCutcheon replaces former State Rep. Blaine Galliher, who resigned from the House in order to […]

“ Hate Mail of the Week” is a weekly feature on Yellowhammer Politics in which some of the hate mail submitted through our contact page or in response to our email blasts is published exactly as it was received. The only edits made are to remove expletives — this is a family show, after all. […]

Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL02) today took time to send Christmas cards to military personnel stationed overseas and is encouraging constituents to join her in spreading holiday cheer to men and women in uniform serving around the globe. It’s important for us to remind military personnel stationed overseas that we are thinking about them and praying […]

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. All sources remain confidential. 1. House Speaker Mike Hubbard will announce next week that Rachel Adams will be coming on as his Communications Director. […]

Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas has been elected by the House Republican Steering Committee to be Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers and Michigan Congresswoman Candice Miller were also in the running. In the end, the massive Texas delegation, which will have 24 Representatives in the 113th Congress, proved to […]

The latest Congress-created crisis, the so called “fiscal cliff,” has weak-kneed Republicans caving in droves to calls for tax increases. In spite of having a year to figure out how to avoid a combination of massive tax hikes and deep defense cuts, Congressional leaders and the President have once again waited until only a few […]

Sources close to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told Yellowhammer this morning that Christie has filed the necessary paperwork to begin fundraising for a 2013 re-election campaign. While it has long been believed the larger-than-life Governor would seek re-election, it hasn’t been a lock. In spite of Christie’s national profile, he’s still a Republican governor […]

Yellowhammer released some inside polling numbers prior to Thanksgiving that showed support reaching a historic high for the initiatives being pushed by Republicans in the Alabama legislature. Today, we’re releasing more polling numbers that show just how dramatically the Alabama electorate has shifted to support the GOP on a wide range of issues, even issues […]

President Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation: The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a […]

By: Congressman Jo Bonner Like many Americans, I have been closely following the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group which controls the Gaza Strip. While no one – Israeli or American – wishes for violence, Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and cannot be expected to tolerate bombardment of its citizens, […]

By Elizabeth Robinson | Alabama Policy Institute Policy Analyst On November 19th, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton ruled that Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts chain, and other for-profit companies must pay for the coverage of contraceptives such as birth control, the “morning-after pill” and the “week-after pill,” regardless of the religious convictions of the […]

Some of you may remember that I visited Israel earlier this year (I covered the 10-day trip extensively in multiple posts HERE). Here’s a cell phone video I took with shots being fired in the background while we walk through the streets of Jerusalem: Here’s another cell phone video from Sderot, right on the boarder […]