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Political BLOG |
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Joe Arnold
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November 2007 ArchivesThe serated steak knives were hidden and the truth serum was kept in the cabinet as the Beshears and Fletchers dined together at the Governor's Mansion Thursday night. ...She's being booted out of her state job by a new democratic administration. So Alecia Webb-Edgington is going to try and win a job on her own. ...Who's going to turn off the lights at WHAS Radio? The Louisville radio station has told nighttime talk show host Joe Elliott that he's being laid off. ...Lt. Governor Steve Pence says Governor Fletcher didn't appreciate differing opinions within his administration. No real surprise to many, I'm sure. ...Remember former state house member and "Bluegrass Conspiracy" actor Henry Vance? Well, he's lost his appeal to get his Kentucky insurance license back. ...Kentucky's Transportation Secretary has decided to cancel the december bid letting for road construction contracts, opting to give the Beshear administration a chance to review the projects on the bid list. ...Oops. A democratic Metro Council member who wants to someday run for Louisville Mayor was spotted at a fundraiser for republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell last night. ...Kentucky's outgoing governor has wisely, in my opinion, decided to do some end-of-the-term interviews. ...The governor elect is appointing a host of folks that he has a history with, including a number of folks from the Louisville-area. ...Kentucky Economic Development Secretary John Hindman has been on the job about six months, but has a five year contract. As Ford mulled its future everywhere, the only incentives deal in the works between Ford and Kentucky was for the Kentucky Truck Plant, already considered the more stable of Louisville's two plants. We now know that Ford planned on closing the Louisville Assembly Plant. But the Kentucky Economic Development Financing Authority was clever. They added a "total investment" figure by Ford in Louisville that was not tied to total jobs. But, the... Kentucky's Secretary of State has joined the road show of republicans who feel compelled to announce their endorsement of a presidential candidate. ...The next big question among Kentucky political watchers is.....who will take Jon Draud's seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives? ...Jack Conway has begun assembling his top staff members. ...It looks like Indiana's republican governor, Mitch Daniels, may be in some political trouble when he runs for reelection next year. ...David L. Williams is running for another office. ...The only surprise I see among the Kentucky endorsements in the presidential race is that more republicans aren't backing Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. ...Louisville's Mayor is firing a preemptive strike on what he believes is a projected budget shortfall for the Louisville Metro government. ...Ryan Alessi had a chat with Steve Pence about his future and the possibility of politics playing some role in that future. ...WHAS 11 News has learned that State Representative Jon Draud will have a new title on Sunday, Kentucky Education Commissioner. ...I love this story. A Franklin County judge has now ruled on a story I first told you about in March. ...Senator Mitch McConnell's job approval rating is the lowest its been since Survey USA and WHAS-TV began polling on the issue. ...Maybe Janie Miller can get the kinks worked out of the Medicaid payment system. ...State Representative Jim Gooch's belief that global warming is not a threat has landed him a shot on ABC's Good Morning America. ...There have been a number of people who have called me since noon today, saying they've heard Crit Luallen is taking her name off the list of potential democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in 2008. Not true, according to Luallen's spokesman Jeff Derouen. ...Governor Fletcher's Chief of Staff, Stan Cave, says he wasn't aware of the huge shortfall in the state's medicaid budget until a few days ago. ...If the higher-ups at KET didn't realize it before, they realize it now. "Comment on Kentucky" is the one local program that has the attention of Kentucky's big money and politicians. ...Here's the best article yet on Al Smith, courtesy of my buddy Jack Brammer of the Lexington H-L. ...The former congresswoman from Louisville has apparently fallen in love with the former mayor from New York. Love in the political sense. ...It looks like former Governor John Y. Brown Jr. hasn't forgotten the beating he took from Steve Beshear during the 1987 governor's race. Beshear repeatedly blasted the former governor in the democratic primary, probably softening the field for Wallace Wilkinson's upset victory. ...Governor-elect Steve Beshear has named another big name from the Collins-Beshear years in Frankfort as his transportation secretary. ...The sun will set this evening on 33 years of television public service. Al Smith will host his last show of KET's "Comment on Kentucky." ...The videotaped proffer from former Transportation Cabinet employee Sam Beverage contains allegations of corruption and political favoritism in state government, and not only in the Fletcher administration. ...It's a moot point because the voters of Kentucky have done the most important polling, but Governor Fletcher's job approval went down this month, to its lowest since March 2007. ...There's an interesting column in one on-line political service that looks at the reasons voters in blue states and red states vote for governors in opposite parties. ...The Kentucky State Board of Education has selected Kentucky's next school commissioner but won't announce its decision until later this month. ...The legislative committee that's packed with coal county lawmakers heard one side of the global warming debate today, courtesy of the chairman, who doesn't believe humans are causing the earth's temperature to rise. ...Jody Richards was speaking in Louisville today, telling the Louisville Forum that he'll set up a group of legislators to study the casino issue. ...Governor Fletcher greeted President Bush when the prez arrived at Louisville's airport on Tuesday, but Fletcher didn't ask for a job. ...The Dems knocked off Anne Northup last fall, Ernie Fletcher this fall, now they're going after the big prize, Mitch McConnell. ...John Cheves has an interesting story in the Lexington H-L about the last minute "gay card' that was played by republicans to try and win a few votes for Ernie Fletcher on Election Day. ...Remember on primary election night after defeating Anne Northup and Billy Harper, when Governor Fletcher cheerily told his supporters, "I guess this answers the electability question"? ...While the unknown millionaire, the recently reelected statewide officeholder and the outgoing governor killer decide whether they want to take on Mitch McConnell, a Louisville doctor is jumping in. ...The search firm that came up with Barbara Erwin as a finalist for Kentucky Education Commissioner job may not get the rest of its promised payment from the state of Kentucky. ...The White House has confirmed that President Bush will be flying into the Louisville area on Tuesday. ...Mitch McConnell's reelection campaign has begun in earnest with TV ads starting today on Kentucky TV stations. ...Governor-elect Steve Beshear has made the first three appointments to his administration. ...Governor-elect Steve Beshear has asked for, and received, a meeting with Kentucky Board of Education members. Here's my story. ...Former congresswoman Anne Northup agreed to her first interview she lost the republican primary for governor to Ernie Fletcher in May. ...Here are some of the highlights of Steve Beshear's first day as governor-elect. ...It appears some of the documents posted along with the 10 Commandments in the Capitol Rotunda are factually inaccurate. At least that's what the AP's Joe Biesk found. ...The hardest hitting TV ads of the governor's race were apparently financed mainly by the Democratic Governors' Association. ...A woman named Liz Fossett has put together a web page aimed at "drafting" Crit Luallen to run for U.S. Senate in 2008. ...It looks like Mitch McConnell will be the target of more TV ads which are scheduled to begin airing on Thursday in Kentucky. ...The U.S. Senate Race, polling and the intelligence of Kentucky voters are the subject of this election wrap up. ...There's been plenty of chatter in Frankfort over the past four years about the prospect of Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer switching his registration to democrat. ...I knew it wouldn't take long. Washington democrats are already using Ernie Fletcher's big loss to beat up on the man who recruited him to run for governor four years ago. ...Louisville Deputy Mayor Larry Hayes will be taking his old job in the state capitol when Steve Beshear takes office next month. Beshear said Wednesday morning that he'll begin announcing appointments on Thursday. ...Here are my early observations from talking with voters in Louisville and Oldham Co. on election day: ...It appears Kentucky GOP leaders have thrown in the towel on Ernie Fletcher's reelection chances and are now worried about the down ballot races of Trey Grayson and Richie Farmer. ...OK, I was wrong. I said a federal judge wouldn't rule before the election on Governor Fletcher's motion to post the 10 Commandments, along with other historical documents, in the capitol building. ...Governor Fletcher continues to trail badly in the latest WHAS 11/Survey USA poll released today/ ...We don't know who's paying for them, but thousands of automated phone calls have made their way across Kentucky today, pretending to be a gay group in support of Steve Beshear. ...Governor Fletcher did a little knocking on doors yesterday in Louisville. ...Here are some tidbits from the last few days of the campaign trail: ...The Lexington Herald-Leader has the rest of the story on the Greg Stumbo/vote buying allegations. Former entertainer Pat Boone has recorded robocalls for the Republican Party of Kentucky. ...I've never seen an effort like I'm seeing this year to turn out democratic voters, particularly african-american voters in Jefferson County. ...Governor Fletcher's Secretary of the Cabinet and running mate, Robbie Rudolph was pulled over and cited for having an expired registration last month. The citation says Rudolph's registration expired in December 2006. ...The Big Sandy News has a story which claims a former campaign bookkeeper for Greg Stumbo's gave the feds information that Stumbo had been involved in vote buying. ...The boys are at it again. It's Fletcher vs. Stumbo on the 10 Commandments. ...Kentucky's Attorney General says Governor Fletcher is playing politics with a request to have a judge let the governor post the 10 Commandments with other documents in the Capitol building. ...Governor Fletcher has gone back to federal court to try and get the 10 Commandments posted inside the Capitol. ...The night before the election will feature a roundtable discussion among Republican and Democratic party leaders on KET. ...Southern states claim 9 of the 10 spots in Site Selection magazine's top 10 states list. Kentucky is ranked number eight. ...A new Bluegrass State poll shows Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson leading Bruce Hendrickson by just four points heading into the final week of campaigning. ...Governor Fletcher misspoke when he said the so-called Hit List that was at the center of the merit hiring investigation was actually a Promotions List, according to stories done by the Lexington and Louisville newspapers. ... |
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WHAS11.com Political Blog
WHAS11 Reporters blog the latest political news from the campaign trail and beyond. 
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