Justin “JP” Plott: Alabama Republicans and the case of missing spines

Does anyone else have redistricting fatigue? It seems our Republican legislators share this sentiment. What we are currently witnessing is yet another chapter in the ongoing book of Republican inaction when it comes to Alabama politics. I once thought it was a matter of incompetence, then perhaps a lack of urgency.

However, the current redistricting issues have led me to a more cynical perspective: perhaps many of the Republicans in Montgomery are not really who we think they are.

The United States Supreme Court gave the Alabama Legislature an opportunity of a lifetime when they lifted the injunction that has forced Alabama to draw its maps based on race for years now.

Attorney General Steve Marshall, who truly is the hero of this story, understood the assignment and stepped up when needed to deliver the state one of its biggest legal victories in history. These opportunities are extremely rare, and in this political environment, conservatives cannot afford to let them pass by.

And how did the so-called conservatives in the Alabama Legislature respond? Well, they played it safe, of course, by passing an already drawn 6-1 map claiming that this was the best they could do. Settling for the path of least resistance is not leadership, it’s cowardice under the mask of fake action. If “hurry up and look busy” ever embodied a group of individuals, we saw exactly that during this last special session.

I urge the “Republicans” in Montgomery to look to their North and South. Look at Tennessee, which went from an 8-1 map to 9-0 under intense protests. You think a couple of people shouting from the gallery in the Alabama House chamber was bad?

Take a look at what transpired in the Tennessee legislature as they passed this new map. Tennessee could’ve chosen not to lift a finger and be satisfied with 8-1, but pushed through to make its state completely red. Take a look at Florida, DeSantis had a new map ready almost immediately following the SCOTUS ruling. That’s true leadership, looking ahead and preparing how to strike best. That’s called winning.

Alabama is in an even more unique position than these states, where SCOTUS essentially told us this week, “For the love, please redraw your maps!” with the removal of our injunction. And yet, our Republican legislators crossed their arms and said, “go pound sand”.

The unfortunate reality is that if they wanted to, they would. If the Republicans in Montgomery truly wanted to paint their state red, they would. If they were truly conservatives as they claim, they would bite down on their mouthpiece, put their gloves up, and go to work. Instead, they fall back on the excuse of lack of time and expect you to be satisfied with that answer. They’ll tweet out how they want a 7-0 when it’s safe, and point the finger when they underdeliver.

It seems, once again, Republicans in Alabama don’t understand the gravity of the situation. The Democrats of 2026 want to do irreversible damage to our country.

We can look at the current rise of political violence from the left and take it as a warning. If they ever come back to power, they’re coming for blood.

This doesn’t appear to hit home in Montgomery.

What they’re essentially saying is that they’re willing to send someone to Congress from this state who advocates for abortion, wide-open borders, and all of the other despicable policies of the current Democratic Party, because they want to. What other answer is there? After what has transpired and been revealed through the redistricting process, this is the only place to land.

Attorney General Marshall did what he was supposed to. SCOTUS bent over backwards to hand you this opportunity, and you didn’t just fumble it, you threw it in the stands and then claimed you won the game.

If you’re going to give refuge to Democrats in this state, just change that “R” to a “D” and call it a day. We’d have much more respect for you than we do right now.

Justin “JP” Plott is the executive producer/co-host of “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” and co-owner of Rightside Media. You can find him on X @JPRightside. Watch “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” every weekday from 10am-12pm CT at www.rightsidemedia.org.