We don't have an imbed but we do have a link to the website that downloaded and holds the priceless video clip that Saturday Night Live yanked from the Internet after the Democrats pitched a fit. Here it is on Pat Dollard's website....the Banned SNL skit the Democrats don't want you to see.
Everybody, the Democrats, George Soros and President George W. Bush, gets skewered. Lovely!
Here's a great find by our friend, David Adams of the Bluegrass Policy Blog: Democrats want to force private health insurers to provide one-price-fits-all premiums so that people with pre-existing conditions, such as tobacco-related lung disease, pay the same as healthy folks. What's "fair" about that, you ask? For one thing, if you desperately want to pay higher health insurance premiums, then this is the formula for you. (Of course, Kentuckians know all about that, since health insurance costs are double those of other states, such as Ohio, where unhealthy people pay more the healthy people for coverage.)
Check it out:
From the Associated Press:
Virginia Fox wants to be restored to the CPE
One of the most recognizable names in Kentucky education circles is asking a judge to restore her to a postion on the Council on Postsecondary Education.
Virginia Fox is the former chief executive of Kentucky Educational Television and a former state education secretary. She filed suit in Franklin County on Friday asking for an order declaring that she still is a member of the council.
Gov. Steve Beshear had replaced Fox on the council with former Lexington Mayor Pam Miller.
Beshear spokesman Jay Blanton said the governor appointed Miller only after lawmakers failed to confirm Fox's appointment. Blanton said Beshear acted properly.
Governor Steve Beshear got his 15 seconds of fame last night during the Democratic National Convention. See the video clip and take note of what the governor had to say about the Great Commonwealth, that we have a "vibrant economy." Ya' think?!?
Whatever happened to the economic basketcase he inherited some nine months ago from outgoing Governor Ernie Fletcher? Whatever happened to the fiscal crisis? Was all of that just "spin"?
Also, we're curious to know if the guv was among the 36 delegates who voted for Barack Obama.
Whoever wins in 3rd will have cards to play
By David Cox
The Paducah Sun
Greg Stumbo is a bit premature counting Zana Renfro as a member of his team. To begin with, there is the little matter of the general election. Renfro, the McCracken County Democratic Party's choice to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Frank Rasche, has a Republican opponent, Brent Housman.
Her election is far from guaranteed. And even if Renfro prevails in November, her loyalty does not automatically belong to Stumbo. He apparently thinks otherwise. Stumbo’s precise words: "I think Zana Renfro would be an excellent member of our 'team for change,'" a euphemism for his personal bid to unseat House Speaker Jody Richards. On Monday he was already introducing potential donors in Frankfort to the newest member of "his" team.
Stumbo might think Renfro's vote belongs to him because of his opponent's ties to her opponent. Speaker Richards backed Paducah City Commissioner Gerald Watkins, the other high-profile Democrat who sought the party's nomination for the 3rd District. Renfro narrowly defeated Watkins, despite Richards' efforts.
Richards clearly counted on Watkins' loyalty to help stave off Stumbo's challenge. Stumbo is the former attorney general whose failed bid for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Bruce Lunsford landed him back in the House of Representatives where his hand-picked lackey was holding his seat for him just in case his higher ambitions didn't pan out. Still driven by personal ambition, he now has his sights set on Richards' job.
Stumbo calls the last session of the legislature a "disaster," and he blames Richards. Among the speaker's purported shortcomings was failing to stand up to the Republican-controlled Senate as if the role of legislative leaders is opposing the other party rather than cooperating with the other party to conduct the business of the people.
And although the session was indeed marked with acrimony, the end result was a balanced, if austere, budget without a major tax increase and without legalizing casino gambling. And it was followed by a special session at which lawmakers from both parties cooperated in approving long overdue pension reform. If that's a disaster, the Commonwealth could use more disasters. Stumbo was also quick to call Watkins' defeat a loss for Richards. He said, "I don't think there's any question that Watkins' loss in the heart of western Kentucky where Speaker Richards should be the strongest is a tell-tale sign that Jody is losing support.
It apparently didn't cross Stumbo's mind that McCracken County Democrats simply thought Renfro, with her more extensive service on the Paducah City Commission and McCracken County Fiscal Court, was better prepared for the job. It apparently didn't cross Stumbo's mind that this election was not about him. Renfro is already showing savvy, avoiding a premature endorsement of either the speaker or his challenger. "I support who I think is the best person to be speaker," she said. "I never hold a grudge."
Richards probably let out a sigh of relief when he read Renfro's comment in The Paducah Sun. An early endorsement of either Richards or Stumbo would be a mistake for Renfro. She doesn't need to carry any baggage to Frankfort. If anything, the House leadership challenge gives Renfro cards to play. If she is wise and if she is elected, of course she will play those cards for the benefit of the 3rd District.
(Copyright, Paducah Sun 2008)
By Bill Bartleman, Paducah Sun
McCracken County Democrats’ choice of Zana Renfro as the party’s nominee for the 3rd District House seat could influence the 2009 race for speaker of the Kentucky House.
Paducah Commissioner Gerald Watkins — who also sought the nomination — had the strong public backing of longtime Speaker Jody Richards. Watkins said Richards and his surrogates made calls to several party leaders on his behalf but it wasn’t enough to overcome Renfro’s narrow victory.
Renfro, a county commissioner, on Nov. 4 will face Republican Brent Housman to fill the seat that Frank Rasche, a Democrat, vacated. He resigned to accept a position in the Kentucky Department of Education.
If Renfro wins, her vote for House leadership positions in January could be important.
Rep. Greg Stumbo, former House majority leader, is trying to build support to challenge Richards, speaker for 14 years.
Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, was one of the first people to call Renfro on Saturday after she was picked. He also invited her to a luncheon he hosted Monday in Frankfort to introduce House candidates to potential campaign donors.
"I think Zana Renfro would be an excellent member of our ‘team for a change,’" Stumbo said in a telephone interview.
Renfro, who was in Frankfort on Monday to file her candidacy papers, said it is too early for her to make a commitment in the speaker’s race.
"Right now, I’m just worrying about winning in November," she said.
The fact that Richards endorsed Watkins and made calls on his behalf won’t influence her decision, she said.
"I’ll support who I think is the best person to be speaker," she said. "I never hold a grudge."
Renfro said she also received a phone message from Richards on Saturday but as of Monday had not talked with him.
"We’re playing phone tag," she said.
When Rasche resigned this month, Richards lost one of his strongest supporters in the House. Rasche and Richards, who is from Bowling Green, are close friends and shared an apartment during several legislative sessions.
Stumbo said the fact that Watkins lost the nomination is significant.
"I don’t think there’s any question that Watkins’ loss — in the heart of western Kentucky where Speaker Richards should be the strongest — is a tell-tale sign that Jody is losing support," Stumbo said.
He said he hears three criticisms of Richards from Democrats in the House.
"They don’t want another disaster like we had in the last session when very little was accomplished, they want cooperation with the governor, and they want someone who can stand their ground with the Republicans in the Senate."
Beshear has not taken a public stand on the speaker’s race but has voiced dissatisfaction that Richards wasn’t more diligent in helping him get his legislation approved during this year’s session.
Renfro said neither Beshear nor Stumbo has mentioned the speaker’s race to her. She said they promised to help her in the campaign against Housman.
Richards did not return a telephone message Monday but previously blamed Senate Republicans for the session’s outcome. He also has expressed confidence he will be elected to an unprecedented eighth term as speaker.
(Copyright: Paducah Sun 2008)
We reported several weeks ago that State Senator Ernesto Scorsone would be leaving the General Assembly for the state circuit court bench.
As it turns out, we were right. Scorsone, the legislature's one and only openly gay member, has announced he's not running for reelection to his Lexington seat. He's laying the groundwork for his appointment to the bench. From all accounts, he should be a shoo-in. Governor Steve Beshear will appoint Scorsone to fill the judgeship being vacated by Sheila Isaac, who will enter the senior judge program.
Scorsone's decision to make a move for the circuit court triggered a chain reaction with State Rep. Kathy Stein announcing she's running for Scorsone's Senate seat. (We told you that would happen, too.)
Unitarian minister, the Rev. Kelly Flood, is running for Stein's 75th District House seat. The only question now is how will the people of Lexington take to this "deal" hatched by some of the most liberal-left Democrats in the Commonwealth.
The big surprise about today's U.S. Senate primary vote between Bruce Lunsford and Greg Fischer is that Lunsford's big-money advantage didn't take out his opponent earlier in the race.
In fact, Fischer's been catching up, going from single digits in the SurveyUSA poll three months ago to the mid-20s. Lunsford's about double that but below 50%. Both claim the other has given money to Republicans, which could be a poison pill in a Democratic primary, even in Kentucky. Will a larger-than-normal turnout of 30% or more help Fischer over Lunsford, or vice versa?
The Courier-Journal's Joe Gerth called Lunsford on the carpet in Monday's political column. In "Anatomy of an ad," Gerth details how Lunsford's attacking Fischer for giving a few hundred dollars to Republicans in an apparent effort to mask $57,000 Lunsford gave to Republicans, as well as supporting Republican Ernie Fletcher in the 2003 governor's race. Gerth writes:
But what is especially troubling is that some voters are buying the mischaracterizations in Lunsford's ad. A cattle farmer from Anderson County told me Saturday that he was voting for Lunsford despite the fact that Lunsford had backed Fletcher in 2003.
Who wins today's primary -- Lunsford or Fischer -- won't really matter, now, will it? U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell's waiting to pounce. Lunsford's claiming Illinois as his legal residence and Fischer's company violating environmental regulations . . . these and more may crop up in the weeks and months to come. (Can't wait to see how the "selective outrage" factor plays out in Kentucky's staunchly Democrat daily newspapers this election season.)
Kentucky has six congressional districts and only three have contests in tomorrow's primary election. The spotlight tomorrow will be on the 2nd Congressional District where Democrats David Boswell and Reid Haire, both of Owensboro, are vying to see who will face State Senator Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) in November.
Boswell, a state senator and former state agriculture commissioner, last week launched a radio ad attack on Haire, Daviess county judge executive, calling him a tax raiser. (Since when has been pro-tax hikes been a negative thing among Democrats, especially this year?) Reid's TV spots feature his 10 years as the county's exec. Without survey data to say who's ahead in this one but locals say Boswell has the edge. These same observers report Guthrie should win easily in the general, no matter who wins for the Democrats.
Louisville's 3rd Congressional District is where Republicans are battling for the honor of facing U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D) in the fall election. Anne Northup, who held the seat for a decade until Yarmuth knocked her off in 2006, is poised to win tomorrow. She's been able to set the tone for the primary and dominated her four male opponents, notably local developer Chris Thieneman.
Thieneman had been expected to mount a strong race by some conservatives, but his abrupt exit and re-entry early in the campaign damaged his chances. Meanwhile, Corley Everett will hold a news conference today to announce he's dropping out of the race and endorsing Thieneman. Everett aligns himself with the Ron Paul faction of the GOP.
The 6th Congressional District has a primary between two Republicans, John Larson and Tony McCurdy, one of whom will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Versailles) in November. McCurdy has the edge here due to the fact that he's campaigned more aggressively and staked out conservative positions versus Larson's more moderate orientation.
Don't know if Chandler's and Yarmuth's support for Obama will damage their reelection prospects, but they do appear to have aligned themselves with the liberal-left faction of their party, not a popular position in conservative Kentucky. Obama's now behind John McCain by some 30 points in statewide polls, indicating a blow-out for the Republicans in the general election. It could be enough to push Northup over the finish line in a close race.
In Kentucky's other three congressional races, incumbent U.S. Reps. Ed Whitfield (R-1), Geoff Davis (R-4) and Hal Rogers (R-5) have only token opposition, if any, and are expected to be reelected in a walk.
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