The Rural Democrat

Aint No Riddle Man, Benny Ray Bailey JR Has a Record

The cat is out of the bag; 84th House District candidate Benny Ray Bailey JR has a record but not the type of record he would brag about.

Someone in Perry County is distributing flyers with Benny Ray Bailey JR's court records on it. The flyer claims to be the work of another 84th District candidate Chester Jones (D) and he is mad as hell and is threatening to sue the creator of the flyer. It must be nice to have had a daddy like Former State Senator big Benny Ray Bailey. This guy sure loves to drive fast!

Boone -  1998 - Speeding 10MPH Over (Guilty)

Perry - 1998 - Speeding 20MPH Over (Diversion)

Perry - 1998 - Failure to Produce Insurance Card (Dismissed)

Perry - 1998 - No Insurance 1st Offense (Dismissed)

Perry - 2000 - Failure to Produce Insurance Card (Dismissed)

Perry - 2000 -  No Insurance 1st Offense (Dismissed)  [What?]

Wolfe - 2000 - Speeding 26MPH Over (Dismissed) [DAMN!]

Knott  - 2000 - Improper Equipment (Guilty)

Knott - 2000 - Speeding 23MPH Over (Amended Down) [Amended! To what Jaywalking]

Floyd - 2001 - Aggravated Assault Spouse Abuse (Dismissed)

Floyd - 2001 - Violation of EPO/DVO (Dismissed)

Floyd - 2001 - Aggravated Assault Spouse Abuse (Dismissed)

Perry - 2001 - Speeding 17MPH Over (Diversion)

Perry - 2000 - Speeding 15MPH Over (Diversion)

Leslie - 2002 - Speeding 15MPH Over (Dismissed) 

Fayette - 2002 - Careless Driving (Paid Citation)

Knott  - 2007 - Speeding 15MPH Over (Dismissed)

Knott - 2006 - Speeding 25MPH Over (Amended Down)

Perry - 2006 - Speeding 20MPH Over (Dismissed)

McCain Says Something Stupid

It is general election stupidity in May. I have told both family and friends that Senator John McCain (R) will lose to Obama because of his stubbornness and or his mouth.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Thursday he believes the Iraq war can be won by 2013, leaving a functioning democracy there and allowing most U.S. troops to come home

I was thinking more like 5 months not 5 years.

Back in a Couple of Days

Dito the title

Bruce Lunsford is Within Striking Distance of Mitch McConnell

The presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Bruce Lunsford is within striking distance of presumptive Republican nominee Senator Mitch McConnell.

A poll dubbed the Kentucky Poll conducted by WKYT and Lexington Herald Leader indicates that it really doesn't matter who the Democratic nominee is, both Greg Fischer and Bruce Lunsford are 12 percent down to McConnell. That percentage speaks volumes as many Kentuckians seem to be fed up with Senator McConnell and it appears a Democratic candidate with some major cash and support could give Mitch fits.

McConnell's approval rating is resting at 48% and his totals in respect to a theoretical challenger mirrors that total. His latest SurveyUSA approval rating was his second lowest ever at 46%. So the Kentucky Poll seems to be sound in that regard. McConnell's approval among Democrats is inching close to the dead zone, 26% of Kentucky Democrats approve of McConnell. A Republican candidate must garner at least 25% of the Democratic vote to win a statewide election in Kentucky.

Iowa Sends in the Cops against Illegal Aliens and Kentuckians Eat Too Much Chinese Food

A crackdown on illegal aliens in Iowa has resulted in as many as 700 arrests. A kosher meat packing plant that employs around 1100 people will probably be short a few folks tomorrow as the 700 arrested worked at the plant. Federal Immigration officials had been accused of violating the Civil Rights of American citizens in a similar raid in 2006.

In Kentucky, WHAS11 in Louisville has conducted an investigation into the slimy world of Chinese restaurants. The Immigration and customs enforcement raided Bardstown's China Star restaurant earlier this year. WHAS11 says most Chinese workers are bending the rules because..... well they didn't give much of a reason for the undercover investigation. But rehashed the story and back story of the Bardstown raid. WHAS11 repeated the horrible fact that most illegal aliens are basically slaves to the man back home. Maybe our esteemed master of intellectual news should expose the gangsters that traffic in human beings. Instead of beating on the illegal immigrant.

 

Appalachia exposed? or Kentucky exposed?

I find it amazing that Kentuckians apparently do live in the stone age. I defended the Bluegrass State but will no more, as it appears the people have spoken on the so called issues of gender and race. See Poll results (Here)

21% of likely voters say Obama's race would be a factor in this primary. Too me that is a very high number and the undecideds rest at 19%, so split that percentage and you get some odd 30.5% of likely voters figure Obama being Black is a bad thing or could keep him from being elected. That is a legacy Kentucky holds and the data indicates Kentucky will continue to hold that terrible reputation. But it is not isolated to the Highlands of Kentucky, the entire Commonwealth carries this burden. And Kentucky's Black population apparently believe that Obama's race will keep him from being elected the most, at 31%.

Apparently the comments made by Reverend Wright mean a little something to Kentuckians.

• Either Very important or Important - 43%
• 29% says it doesn't matter
• 28% are not sure

If you split the undecideds, it is very apparent that Reverend Wrights comments have caused Obama big trouble in Kentucky.

Obama's comments in regards to bitter rural Americans mean very little to Kentuckians according to polling data collected by the Lexington Herald Leader.

Mongiardo Endorses Obama

Very good move and I find it amazing that Obama has captured the first real group of Kentucky superdelegates while being beating like a rented mule in the polls. I also remember Senator Kerry being jobbed in the Kentucky presidential polls in 2004. Lets just hope the superdelegates and the people aren't too divided in their opinions about Barack Obama.

Now I will start to concentrate on McCain's track record on Native American issues. Seeing that the primary is long over, or at least it better be.    

PS I know Daniel is not a superdelegate.

Coal is Critical to our National Security

Barack Obama is trying to appeal to rural voters in Kentucky by running a coal ad that touts his accomplishment of helping secure funds for clean coal technology. (See Ad Here)  He is also planning on campaigning a bit in the Bluegrass State. I am little surprised he is but glad to see it. But I am not sure just how coal friendly Barack Obama really is, I hate to say that but it is true. 

We look at Saudi Arabia as the king of good light crude oil. Venezuela's heavier crude is becoming more coveted and is making that small country very rich. The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal and our very future depends on providing cheap energy to America and then the world.

A study a few years ago weighed in on the possibility of the tap running dry in the Middle East and or soaring oil prices becoming a prelude to a bitter recession that could provide a death blow to part of our society as we know it. The impact on the economy would be devastating and then our national security situation becomes critical. But one light at the end of the tunnel was always our vast coal reserves and the possibility of new technology making it possible to find crude oil in once thought impossible places. The need for energy is paramount and demand is as high as it has ever been. Now we are hanging up our keys to the SUVs and talking Green, which is a good thing. Green is sexy, Green is in fashion. And coal is as demonized as it has ever been, which is not a good thing.

Clean Coal technology is possible, but it will not happen over night. The next President will, as usual, be challenged with some of the most awesome responsibilities known to man. He will be faced with historical world discontent, wars and rumors of wars will be as prevalent as California wild fires. Coal is as important as the US Army and or the Marine Corps, that is fact. But we need to make it cleaner to burn, that is also fact. Hopefully Obama will lead the charge and take clean coal technology seriously.   

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Will Clinton Democrats Play Renegade

Now that is it so clear that Barack Obama is the Democratic presidential nominee, some of the political pundits are analyzing the possibility that Clinton Democrats might flip. If the polls echo truth, we have had a very divisive Democratic primary and people are fed up.

You can tell desperation is ready to set in like bad-cold for the Clintons. I say Clintons because Bill is certainly offering his services, he wants back into the White House so bad he could...,well you know. But they will not be thought of the same ever again if they continue.

War in the State House

Earlier today Rep. Susan Westrom (D) blasted the House leadership to Mars in an email that seemingly started a new and wonderful war between rank and file members and the so called House leadership.

What will be the result of this bad blood? Speaker Stumbo?

I am currently trying to get a few opinions from other House members and so far no one wants to talk. House Majority Whip Rob Wilkey is out, Speaker Richards has, very carefully, responded. Now hopefully the press hounds the other House leaders and hopefully gets some reaction.

Governor Beshear's plans or probable plans to call a extraordinary session of the Kentucky General Assembly may be on ice for a while, if he calls it anytime within the next 3 or 4 months it will likely be a total waste.

This rift is cutting deep into the fabric of the standard quo that has been observed for a decade in the state House and with any rift is left a void and that void must be filled. Now we wait and see how far this goes.

Kentucky is the Reason Hillary Clinton is Hanging On

One thing needs to be made clear; Kentucky could be the sole reason Hillary Clinton is still in the Democratic presidential primary. Hillary is Throttling Obama 62%-28% in Kentucky and she should win West Virginia as well. There is no realistic way Hillary Clinton could win the Democratic nomination, it seems everyone knows its over except Hillary and Bill.

If Kentucky actually sees Obama more than twice I will be shocked and in West Virginia 56%, of registered Democrats favor Hillary and 27% support Obama, 17% have not made up their minds.

Lets do a little math:

According to CNN, Obama has 1845 total delegates to Hillary's 1686. If she beats Obama 30% to 70% in Kentucky and 65% 35% in West Virginia, the pledged delegate split would be 55 pledged delegates for Clinton and 24 for Obama, bringing the total delegate count to 1741 for Hillary and 1869 for Obama. If by some miracle Hillary picks up 65% of the remaining superdelegates that split would be 176 of the superdelegates for Hillary and 95 for Obama. The new grand total, leaving out Montana, Oregon, Puerto Rico and South Dakota, would be 1917 total delegates for Hillary Clinton and 1964 for Barack Obama.

As you can see Kentucky is very much in play and if Obama is wise he will spend some cash in Oregon because as of a few days ago he was leading 51% to 39%. If that holds true and the undecideds no resting at 10% split down the middle, Obama would take Hillary 56% to 44%, bringing the new total delegate count to 1993 for Obama to 1940 for Clinton.

Puerto Rico will be tough for Obama. The Latino vote will likely go Hillary and probably big, the latest poll indicates at least a 12% point victory for Hillary and I will give her that 12% gap. That would give Hillary 31 pledged delegates and Obama 24. That would bring the total delegate count to, 1971 for Hillary and 2017 for Obama.

Now for Montana; Obama was crushing Hillary there and I will give him a terrible 6 point worst case scenario win. The pledged delegates would split at 8 and that would bring the new delegate total to 2025 for Obama and 1979 for Hillary, game over, everyone go home. I didn't even bother counting South Dakota. As you can see the preceding scenario is virtually impossible and Obama still wins. Obama wins this election NO MATTER WHAT. Unless of course, Michigan and or Florida finds a way to be thrown on the wood pile, but that will not happen.

So lets enjoy the attention, hopefully we get some, and wait for the inevitable, an Obama victory.

Rep. Wilkey "conscious effort to embarrass this governor during this session" Finally Someone is Telling the Truth

Majority Whip Rob Wilkey (D) blasted the State House leadership in an email sent out to various members today. He laid it all out and also announced he will be retiring at the end his term. He heavily criticized the House Leadership for being too worried about their own House leadership positions rather than doing a good job and serving the people.

And as expected he blamed the debacle that was the 2008 session partly because of the unwillingness of key House leaders to work with Governor Beshear and exposed House members of betraying Governor Beshear in a way that will likely make it impossible to rebuild any type of trusting relationship. Wilkey accused House leaders of working to embarrass the Governor. But did place a little blame at the Governor's feet as well.

KyKurmudgeon

Referring to the obvious rift in House leadership that proved problematic during this year's General Assembly session, Wilkey wrote, "I thought we didn't serve anyone very well ... I also thought there was a conscious effort to embarrass this governor during this session. It worked. He could have done a better job of building a relationship with the House, but I also feel he was misled into believing that we would work with him. We didn't."

This email is one of the most damaging examples of what really happens behind closed doors and the childish self serving attitude of many of our House members. I think it is about time to take out our own trash and hopefully the people think the same thing.

Hillary Clinton Should Quit

Now that the "big take" primaries are over and Obama is clearly in the drivers seat with no passengers or neighboring vehicles, it is time for Clinton to hang it up or risk destroying any chance of a national future in politics. Her divisive tactics have clearly backfired and proof of that backlash is the fact that any normal candidate would have been destroyed in regards to the trouble Obama has had to deal with and yet he keeps winning.

Hopefully Clinton can find the strength to hang it up and pursue unifying a fractured party before it is too late.

CNN Projects Victory For Obama in North Carolina

The exist polls and very little initial results was apparently enough for CNN to project Barack Obama the winner in the North Carolina Democratic presidential primary. If he holds on for a victory, Hillary should, if she has any decency at all, start drafting her primary concession speech and become the catalyst for Democratic party unity.

UPDATE: One minute after I made my initial post, Obama is crushing Clinton in NC, it is early. We could be seeing history tonight as this victory would undoubtedly seal the deal for Obama and Clinton will be left with no chance.

Someone Tell SurveyUSA There is no OTHER!

The latest SurveyUSA poll for the U.S. Senate is again useless, the results are badly skewed one way or the other for Lunsford and or Fischer because of the stupid OTHER option. There are no Others, we have our candidates. If the likely voters are not willing to vote, they hang up or they answer undecided. Anyway I expect Lunsford to pull this out on name I.D alone, but I would like to see some real polling results without the damn Other.

Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers and Barack Obama

One of the founding members of the domestic terrorist group the Weather Underground, Bill Ayers, is photoed doing the Old Glory Stomp during a photo shoot in 2001 and now has become, yet again, bad news for Barack Obama and his campaign. Although Ayers was never convicted of any Weather Underground related bombings he did say in September 2001, "I don't regret setting bombs...I feel we didn't do enough.", so he is a frigging terrorist in my book.

What is Obama's real connection with Ayers? The only official one is a small $200 campaign contribution in 2001, (HERE).  They also ran in the same political circles, served on some boards together and lived within blocks of each other, source here. But a student/teacher, surrogate father relationship is ridiculous. But this latest find of Ayers stomping on an American Flag and his support of domestic terrorism only adds fuel to the fire of intrigue. Pals or not there is a connection and it is all bad, nothing good can come of it.

Paul Browning Jr's Killer Gets Life, Eligible for Parole after 25 years

Raymond Harris was convicted for the shooting death of former Harlan County Sheriff and 2002 candidate for Sheriff Paul Browning Jr and will spend at least 25 years behind bars. But he will be eligible for parole after 25 years. I am bit surprised, a premeditated murder also linked to drug dealing and a dirty cop, was honored with a chance for parole. Amazing.

So far the players in this murder have received the following sentences:

• Raymond Harris - Life
• Dewayne Harris - 30 years
• Johnny Epperson - 20 years

Dewayne Harris testified that former Harlan Sheriff Deputy Roger Hall planed the murder and supplied the money and weapon. He has not been charged with anything yet.

Does Kentucky Voters Matter to the Commonwealth's Superdelegates

Even though I am very dedicated Obama supporter, I must ask this question; does it matter what the people want or how the people vote? Barack Obama owns Louisville Congressman John Yarmuth (D) and KY-6 Congressman Ben Chandler's (D) endorsements, even though it is a distinct possibility that Obama could get throttled in Louisville and Lexington during the Democratic presidential primary.

The Louisville Courier Journal has offered Obama their important endorsement the weekend before a very close Indiana primary, don't know if that was a motivation for the LCJ but clearly it is a very big advantage for Obama. The superdelegate system and all that is perceived wrong with that system will likely be exposed here in Kentucky. Now that Yarmuth and Chandler have both endorsed Obama I am very curious how Governor Steve Beshear (D) will vote. There is no shame in following the lead of the people and even though I am very happy with Yarmuth and Chandler for their support for Obama, I am also a little disturbed that the will of the people will likely be ignored. Clinton will likely win the primary and miss out on most if not all of the superdelegate votes.

How Much Did Rev. Wright Hurt Obama?

The main discussion, at least in my little circle, is how much did Reverend Wright hurt Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama? Recent polls and opinions say he did indeed hurt the Democratic Presidential front runner but the big question is; how much? The Herald Leader asked this question today.

Obama may have waited too long to denounce his reverend and ultimately waited until another round of controversial remarks were made until he spoke out. It is evident that his campaign was damaged the first time this issue was revealed, he backed away from Wright but never denounced, now he denounced and all but admitted he is in damage control mode. As far as the delegate count is concerned, it is a virtual lock for Obama and he may be shifting to a newer more centered Obama, instead of the perceived left of left Obama.

Obama: 1,730 delegates - pledged: 1,491, superdelegates: 239

Clinton: ,1593 delegates - pledged: 1,332, superdelegates: 261

It is virtually impossible for Obama to lose, unless a load of superdelegates decide to switch over. Obama is also taking heat from his beloved liberal blogosphere after appearing on the FOX News Network. That ended his self imposed boycott of FOX and many national liberal bloggers have abandoned him.

In my opinion he may need a refresher, a new face for the general election. Because he knows if he does not turn it around in Rural America, he will have a tough time with McCain. If you analyze his victories in larger states over the past 2 months, his urban count is great but outside of the city, he usually loses or has lost more and more as the primary draws to an end. Go back in time and take a look at Kerry's numbers, as far as the pattern of rural to urban victories, it is almost identical to Obama's last couple of months. Obama knows this and it appears he is trying to appeal to more of the moderates than the liberals.

I simply do not believe his campaign is ready to implode, as some want to say, especially Clinton types. He knows he has won, short of a betrayal rivaling Judas and while these distraction are certainly not planned, he is taking advantage of the situation.  

Mark Nickolas Slams Rural Kentucky and Can Kiss My Ass

The guy has been gone for months and still seems to get under my skin. This time he blames Obama's woes in Kentucky on us KKK loving - hate the black man Rural Kentuckians. Sure, some people in Kentucky in general are racist, like everywhere else, but to use the excuse that Obama's low poll numbers are a result of Rural Kentucky's 1950's racist mentality! Nickolas you're not only a jerk, you are a an idiot.

I say this saddens me because these numbers are largely (but not entirely) a reflection of the unwillingness of mostly rural Kentucky Democrats to support a black candidate, plain and simple. You can sugar-coat this if you'd like, but at its core, there is a great deal of discomfort among many rural Kentuckians to support a black candidate. In fact, beyond the cities of Louisville, Lexington and Frankfort, it is rare for an African-American to get elected even to the state legislature.

......

I think we're seeing the exaggeration of poorer, white, rural voters rejecting a black candidate, and the highest concentration of these voters are in Eastern Kentucky. That region of Appalachia is one of the poorest in the country, is overwhelmingly white, more than 80% are registered as Democrats (at least in Pike and Floyd counties where Dems are concentrated), yet they are represented by a conservative Republican congressman (Hal Rogers)

Maybe you hit on something jackass, maybe the reason they elect Rogers is the fact that he appears to be Conservative and most Democrats in Eastern Kentucky are Moderate to Conservative Democrats, yes there is such a thing. Not because Obama's skin is darker than Clinton's, but the sole reason Obama appears to be left of left to many Rural Kentuckians. I know thats not true and that is why I endorsed him. If you analyze the crosstabs (HERE) you will also find the Clinton is thumping Obama among Kentucky Liberals, 58% to 35%. So the majority of Kentucky Liberals are racist? The lopsided totals in Eastern Kentucky is a result of political ideology not race.

But Nickolas' closer takes the cake.

I still have a huge fondness for Kentucky and wish I were at Churchill Downs this coming Saturday, but there remains rural regions of the state that are still afflicted by a 1950s mentality which refuses to join first-class cities like Louisville and Lexington in the 21st century, and that's really too bad.

.......

Senator McConnell Approval Rating Second Lowest Ever

Even though Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell drew no opposition for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, his approval ratings are tanking. It confirms what I have been thinking; McConnell may be feeling the heat that all elected officials are feeling at the moment, the economy, gas prices, reverberations from a failed session of the Kentucky General Assembly (yea I know he is not a member, but in Kentucky a politician is a politician) and massive partisan bickering should all be considered factors why Senator Mitch McConnell's approval/disapproval rating is dead even at 46%.

• Overall - (Second lowest)Approval 46% - Disapproval 46%
• Republicans - (Lowest Ever) Approval 61% - Disapproval - 33%
• Democrats - Approval 39% - Disapproval - 55%
• Moderates -  (Tied Second lowest) Approval 40% - Disapproval - 52%
• Western KY - (Third Lowest) Approval 48% - Disapproval - 46%

The big one is his slide with Kentucky Moderates over the past few months. Not good for McConnell seeing this group is Kentucky's largest voting block.

I have two theories why McConnell is experiencing a drop in his approval ratings across the board; all elected officials are experiencing the fallout from a frustrated public, in this case McConnell's slide does not benefit, say Bruce Lunsford, the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate unless Lunsford pounces quickly and takes advantage of this opportunity. Second; he could be feeling the heat from some bad press and the attacks from the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate.

Either way McConnell could be vulnerable and it would be wise for Lunsford to dig into the piggy bank a little and maybe run an attack ad or two against McConnell as soon as the Democratic primary is over, risky, but a risk I would take. If he can cash in from sliding approval numbers via the first real poll for the Fall race, Lunsford could have McConnell on his heels in June and that is something no one would have predicted or even said was possible.

BUT his, for the most part, static approval/disapproval with Democrats must change, if he maintains a 30% or above approval rating with Kentucky Democrats, he will be almost impossible to beat.   

Barack Obama to Hold Press Conference with Rep. Ben Chandler

I guess U.S Rep. Ben Chandler (D) will be announcing his endorsement for Illinois Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama today at 11:30am. U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth will join Obama and Chandler at the press conference.

Supreme Court Says Indiana Voter ID Law OK

I have studied this issue until I am numb. During my tenure as Bruce Hendrickson's campaign manager we pushed for a voter ID during the Democratic primary and guess what, he won the Democratic primary for Secretary of State while pushing a very, very partisan issue. Not a Democratic battle cry but a Republican one, we tried to avoid pandering to any one idealogical group and it worked. We backed off the voter ID, only to lose to Trey Grayson in the Fall. But on the flip-side, if the Republican candidate appears more liberal than the Democratic candidate, we would have lost all the same.

Indiana has some of he toughest voting laws in the United States and the United States Supreme Court says their tough Voter ID law is OK. Hendrickson had a plan to avoid the disenfranchisement that could accompany a Voter ID law, the elderly and poor would have been eligible for a free state ID card, thus eliminating the number one argument against the law. But partisan bickering has polarized this issue to the point that no viable Democratic candidate will ever push it, ever again, unless we get another Hendrickson, that I doubt seriously, candidates like him come once every 50 years. Grayson needs to thank his lucky stars, every damn day.

Voter fraud happens and it happens more often that what is reported. Especially in Southeastern Kentucky. But as long as this issue remains a wedge issue between the parties, Kentucky will never eliminate voter fraud; and it is sad that such issues become partisan because of minority fears. BUT to defend my party, Republicans benefit from smaller voter turnouts and tougher voter laws could suppress the vote, but that argument is supported by no data. Political arguments and partisan warfare are usually not supported by sound statistical analysis but by emotion.

Does Kentucky need tougher voter laws or do we need a relaxing of the laws on the books? I suspect as we analyze Secretary of State Trey Grayson's (R) tenure in the office we will find that he will have accomplished very little in the realm of voting law. The trick is to increase voter turnout while eliminating voting fraud, not easy. Kentucky needs a system for early voting, a voter receipt and possibly a voter ID. But until the Democratic party relaxes their partisan fears in regards to a voter ID card, you will never see that in Kentucky.

Governor Beshear Stepping Up to Lead

Even though his first session of the Kentucky General Assembly was filled with inter-party bickering and horn locking with King David Williams and crew, Governor Beshear appears to be sick and tired of his falling approval rating. Governor Beshear said NO to a two year state road project plan that would have tied the administration's hands behind their backs if any project would have cost more than originally planned, now like that doesn't happen.

Former Governor Paul Patton (D) brushed the dust off his upper lip today and spoke out in favor of Governor Beshear's handling of the illegal hiring of a new president for the Council on Postsecondary Education, Lexington lawyer Brad Cowgill. Attorney General Jack Conway (D) backed up the Governor and issued an opinion of the council's unlawful hiring practice. Governor Beshear needs to be decisive but not necessarily fast in his final action, but he must be thorough when he decides what road he wants to travel with CPE. He has the privilege of many options afforded to a sitting Governor and every advantage to come out of this situation smelling like a rose.

With the veto of the state road plan and his decisive reaction to the CPE, a special session might catapult him back into the catbird seat before Fancy Farm. He has many opportunities to turn his fledgling approval rating around in quick order. Being politically healed aside, Kentucky needs healing and most importantly Kentucky needs revenue.

Can Beshear scrape up enough political capitol to pass a cigarette tax increase, before election day in November? That is a tough job and would take the resolve of a 1000 pound moose, but if he racks up some victories in a few short months, he may have just enough to pull our Commonwealth out of this funk. Lord knows the General Assembly has no desire to help anyone but themselves.   

The Lunsford Collection

Seems everyone got the tag. They should have done a better job, I wonder if they got some cheap labor from some first graders.

The Lunsford Collection offers a well-known brand of baggage. After years of hefty advertising investment, customers have come to know The Lunsford Collection name, but it's time they knew the features.

"It's heavy. It's dirty. And, Bruce Wants Kentucky Democrats to Carry if for him

TheLunsfordCollection.com

Legislative Report Card: Rep. Leslie Combs, Rep. Scott Alexander

I have to admit that I do not know Rep. Leslie Combs (D) or Rep. Scott Alexander (D) well enough to offer any personal opinions. But as we said before in the Legislative Report Card for Rep. Rick Nelson (D), everyone gets some blame for the complete disaster that will be remembered as the 2008 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Our region, Southeastern Kentucky, is destitute and desperate for opportunities. Any legislator that plays the game of petty politics or panders to inter-party factions, Democratic or Republican will be blamed if they stand against regional opportunities for Frankfort political gain. Rep. Leslie Combs and Rep. Scott Alexander both are guilty of either being totally incompetent in their review of HB136 or they voted along party, or inter-party faction lines.

HB136 would have provided an infusion of much needed cash for projects that would have virtually completed a much needed industrial park in Bell County. Progress for Bell County benefits Harlan, Perry, Knox, Whitley and Clay. The number one problem we have in this region is regionalism and county isolationism, we have no concept of the meaning of the word team.

Opportunity for Southeastern Kentucky comes in gaps in years and we missed a golden opportunity with HB136 no matter what political party or faction was pushing it. I am not buying the excuse that "I didn't know" or "we didn't look at it close enough". Take a look at the voting history, it appears it was not a partisan vote but more of a faction vote or a regional vote. Confusion and probably incompetence resulted in this missed opportunity. No matter the good done elsewhere, our region missed out and our people continue to suffer.

GRADE F

Hebert: Governor Steve Beshear's Approval Ratings TANKS

This is certainly not good but at least it is early in his administration and he does have time to recovers. SurveyUSA has released new approval ratings for Governor Steve Beshear, his approval rating has dropped 8 points to 38 percent. But the links provided on Page One and Hebert's Blog are President Bush not governor Beshear.

Legislative Report Card: Rep. Rick Nelson (D)

Rep. Rick Nelson (D) is regarded as an outstanding legislator and that respect paid off in 2008 as no opponents lined up to challenge him for the 87th House District seat. But as we all know this year's legislative session was a complete bust. And everyone gets some blame and everyone will get blistered.

What did Rep. Rick Nelson (D) accomplish? Not much, but he was a co-sponsor on HB579 that was signed by the Governor.

But he did manage to piss off most everyone in Bell and Harlan Counties, especially the elected officials. HB136 was drafted and quickly passed through the House and Senate with no opponents. When the bill made it back to the House it was defeated on the last night of the session by a 54-36 vote and who voted against it, Rep. Rick Nelson (D). Now why would anyone care about HB136 in Bell and Harlan Counties? How about 8 frigging million dollars worth of local project money. I wrote a thread on Rep. Rick Nelson's plea for then Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) to release much needed monies for the infamous Bridge to Nowhere project in Bell Counties last year, this bill would provided that money.

This region is destitute and we needed that money desperately. So why did Rep. Rick Nelson vote against HB136? He said he didn't know about local project money included in this bill. Nelson left this message on a local forum.

Middlesboro Daily News

Representative Nelson’s defense is that he simply made a mistake.

Initially, Nelson took the blame for his error in a message posted on www.bellcounty.forumcircle.com. He wrote, “I made a mistake by voting ‘no’ on that bill even though it was voted down by a margin of 54-36. I was told we did not have any projects in it by someone who was supposed to know and we only had a few minutes to scan the bill before we voted to double check it. I scanned the bill and did not see any projects for us and voted no. That’s not much of an excuse, but is the truth.”

When questioned by the Daily News, Nelson claimed that he asked Senator Smith before voting if the bill contained any legislation that would effect his constituents and was told ‘no’.

“If I had known it was in there, I definitely would have voted for it. I regret it. I talked to Senator Smith and asked him if there were any projects in [the bill] for Bell or Harlan. He said there weren’t. It was after midnight, so it was actually an illegal vote anyway.”

Nelson went on to say that a lack of communication is ultimately to blame.

“We need to have better communication,” he said. “If I would have known that it was coming up, I could have gotten them five or six more votes.”

I like Rick but I will say he has been dodging me lately. I hate quoting newly elected State Senator Brandon Smith (R) but he blew up when he heard Nelson's excuse for his NO vote.

”Much earlier in the day, he asked me about HB 608, a water bond bill, but never inquired about HB 136,” Senator Smith responded.

“It’s regrettable that Rick Nelson failed to do his job, but it is calculated that he would try to blame someone else. I did my job. He chose to vote against it and now he is trying to blame someone else,” Smith said. “It takes a strong character to say that I made a mistake but to blame someone else is just wrong.”

Smith went on to call Nelson’s excuse “about as blatant of a lie as I’ve ever seen told in politics.”

The five page document containing House Bill 136 for Representatives’ review contained a total of five ‘state high priority projects’. The Bell County project was third on that list.

I have to say that while Sen. Smith and Bell County Judge Executive Albey Brock (R) will certainly grab every grain of political capital possible with this situation, Nelson did this to himself. Do I think he lied on the forum? No I don't, but this could sink his ship in two years. People here tend to have long memories.

Grade F

Laughable Analysis At BGR

I wouldn't link Bluegrassroots if it wasn't so damn funny. One of the Bens over at BGR claims the grand Lunsford campaign is imploding. Why? It appears the Lunsford campaign sent out their FEC report 48 hours late. Oh help me I'm imploding! Jeez, considering the multiple campaign finance violations on the part of BGR favorite Greg "instant player" Fischer, I would be grateful, but it ain't over with quite yet now is it.

AG: Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education Violated State Law

Politics can seep into any crack it wants and this situation is a prime example of a former Governor's appointed council standing in defiance of a new sitting Governor. Now Attorney General Jack Conway (D) has issued a 12 page opinion filled with potential violations of state law.

Governor Steve Beshear (D) had hoped and strongly advised that the council follow state law and conduct a nation wide search for a new director but that did not happen. Pol Watchers has updated their original post on this subject and it is evident Council Chairman John Turner wants to keep it out of court and he is talking the talk at the moment. I don't think they expected the type of reaction they got from Governor Beshear. But he hinted that a friendly lawsuit might be in order to obtain a binding opinion, saying Conway's opinion is only advisory and it is.

Beshear has an opportunity to show the Commonwealth the type of leader we all know he is and he has another opportunity to keep the politics out of it, just follow the law. This is time for bold leadership and if that means disbanding the council then disband it.