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Political BLOG |
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Joe Arnold
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January 2009 ArchivesOther than failing to properly vet his Treasury Secretary, President Obama seems to have gotten off to a decent start. But one has to wonder if the pork-laden stimulus bill will do much to stimulate the economy or even keep it from crashing into depression. As a taxpayer, it looks like there's an awful lot of pork in there that won't produce a single job. Here's the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal's >> Continue reading: Is Stimulus Plan Obama's First Blunder? Every available Kentucky Army National Guard member has been ordered to immediate duty by Governor Beshear. Some Air Guard troops have also been activated. That means about 4600 Guard men and women will be activated by the end of Saturday and should be spreading across the state to help with emergency storm clean up and life safety efforts. Here's the release from the gov's office: ...At least at my house. Came back on Friday afternoon, after the Galt House had graciously agreed to let us extend our stay. Apparently there were a bunch of cancellations from folks who planned to attend the Kentucky School Boards Association convention at the Galt House this weekend. By the way, kudos to the Galt House and other Louisville hotels who charged special "storm rates" instead of trying to gouge people who lost power. The staff ...
It appears Frankfort reporters had no reason to beef about former Governor Fletcher's adminstration taking close to a month, in some cases, to cough up some e-mails requested under Kentucky's Open Records Act. The Palin administration is now in its fourth month of stonewalling requests for records from the Alaska Democratic Party. ...The Kentucky senator who says he's seeking reelection has a 42% job approval rating according to the latest Survey USA/WHAS11 News poll. And the colleague who helped Jim Bunning get reelected last time doesn't have an approval rating that's much better. Mitch McConnell is at 45%. ...National Republican Party Chairman Mike Duncan of Kentucky has lost his bid to keep his post. Duncan bailed out of the running after it became apparent he could not win. Ambitiious Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson released a statement about Duncan: ...Governor Beshear's job approval rating has dipped since the last polling was done in October. According to the latest Survey USA/WHAS 11 News poll, Beshear's job approval rating is 48%. That's down from 52% in October. The democrat is enjoying his best ratings in the Louisville area where 51% of those surveyed say Beshear is doing a good job... Sorry about the limited number of postings. The power is out at the Hebert mansion. That's where I do most of my blogging. Hopefully the boys and girls at L,G and E will find me some juice sometime in the next few days. ...
After the September wind storm which knocked out power to more Kentuckians than ever before, Governor Steve Beshear waited 13 days to request a disaster declaration from the federal government. Beshear said he wanted to wait until after county and state officials compiled damage assessments before sending a letter to President Bush. The gove... There's been plenty of speculation that Sen. Mitch McConnell isn't actively campaigning for his "good friend" Jim Bunning. Now there's more speculation that McConnell may be actively seeking another republican to run against Bunning. Here's the story from the Herald-Leader's parent company. ...Gov. Beshear has requested a disaster declaration for the entire state of Kentucky because of the ice storm: ...A Louisville woman has become one of the first Kentuckians to be hit with a felony charge for being involved in a hit and run accident. The primary sponsor of the 2008 bill was Rep. Tommy Thompson of Owensboro who says the law is needed to deter drivers from leaving injured people on the side of the road. Kentucky was the 48th state to pass the "failure to stop and render aid" statute. Now the >> Continue reading: New Hit And Run Law Nabs Louisville Woman Two college age men won't face criminal charges after they were caught hanging Barack Obama in effigy on the UK campus. ...Steve Beshear and David Williams are speaking to each other. That's the key signal that democrats and republicans in Frankfort are making a genuine effort to work together to solve Kentucky's budget problems. Of course, the tough decisions and compromises haven't been made yet so the house of cards could collapse. But at least the governor and legislative leaders from both parties are talking as they did >> Continue reading: Lovefest In Frankfort U.S. Senator Jim Bunning didn't participate in a luncheon get together between President Barack Obama and republican U.S. senators. A spokesman for Bunning told the C-J's Jim Carroll that Bunning had other meetings to attend. Sen. Mitch McConnell helped set up the meeting with the president. Earlier in the day, Bunning told Kentucky radio and print reporters that McConnell must have had a memory lapse when he told the National Press Club th... Politico is reporting that at least nine hours after Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo announced he was running for U.S. Senate on Monday, U.S. Senator Jim Bunning apparently hadn't heard the news. Here's the dispatch from Politico: ...
A federal judge has refused to let defense attornies see the grand jury transcripts in a high profile bid rigging case because "the defendants' rights in the grand jury proceeding were not compromised and the Court is unable to conclude that the grand jury would not have indicted in the absence of publicity surrounding the affidavit" that was made public. ...
Attorney General Jack Conway told reporters today he's "very interested" in the U.S. Senate race. Conway held a news conference in Frankfort to talk about the Senate race just four hours after Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo announced in a written statement that he was jumping into the race. ...The head of Louisville's Downtown Management District has quit. Here's the e-mail from Dan Kelleher: ...The University of Louisville is getting more than $20 million from an Atlanta businessman and his wife. The huge gift will be used to start a renewable energy research program at U of L. The announcement was made in Frankfort this afternoon. The gift is believed to be the largest ever received by a public university in Kentucky. Here's the release: ...Every state agency is being asked to come up with a plan on how they'd cut another 6.7% out of their budgets. Beshear is asking for the worst case scenario just in case lawmakers don't approve any tax hikes during the 2009 Legislative Session. The SEEK funding formula for Kentucky public schools is going to be cut, according to an e-mail that interim Education Commissioner Elaine Farris has sent to employees in the State Education Department... Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo has announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate. Mongiardo made the announcement in a low key way, sending out an e-mail news release to reporters. A Mongiardo spokesman says the Hazard surgeon is handling patients today and is unavailable for interviews. Attorney General Jack Conway is making himself available to reporters at 1 today. But here's the release from the Mongiardo campaign, the unusual response fro... Washington lobbyists know President Barack Obama is out to ban all earmarks in the federal budget. But those lobbyists are looking at the economic stimulus bill as a way to effectively get money earmarked for pet projects with little disclosure. ...The Executive Branch Ethics Commission has told Governor Beshear's Chief of Staff that he can sell his share of a Lexington condo to his partner in the venture, lobbyist Bob Babbage. ...Either potential donors are saying "no" or Jim Bunning isn't trying very hard because his latest campaign finance report shows he's raised less than $30,000 in the last quarter for his reelection campaign. ...Sooner or later Kentucky's child protection bureaucracy will surf into the 20th century and be subjected to some oversight and accountability. Because right now there isn't any. All of the records are sealed and any poor decision that's not in the best interest of the child is rarely exposed, except when someone speaks up. ...Senator Mitch McConnell told Washington reporters today that he was upset by the DSCC's decision to run TV ads, blasting McConnell's vote for the $700 bailout bill. ...
Kentucky's House Speaker says lawmakers whose bills were passed after the stroke of midnight on the last day of the 2008 session, should refile those bills just in case they're struck down by the courts. In a ruling yesterday, Judge Philip Shepherd said lawmakers could not "stop the clock" to pass bills at the end of a session. He didn't specifically say any 2008 laws that were passed that way should be declared null and void but that's the ... A new Survey USA/WHAS 11 poll shows about two thirds of Kentuckians approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president and, before that, president-elect. More Kentucky women than men like the job Obama is doing while the new president got his lowest rating (58%) in the area of Kentucky where he got his highest vote totals - the Louisville ... Some Kentucky gas station owners have agreed to pay a little over $100,000 to settle allegations of price gouging. That's the result of an investigation requested by Governor Beshear and completed by the Attorney General's Office: ...The Obama administration is reversing rules laid down by the Bush administration which limited access to federal records. The Bush administration had ordered federal agencies to err on the side of caution in releasing public records under the Freedom of Information Act. ...In an article about Jim Bunning's reelection chances, possible democratic primary opponents Daniel Mongiardo and Jack Conway take some shots at each other. Fun reading. ...Washington political newspaper reporting that there may be forces within the republican party trying to keep Jim Bunning from running for reelection. By the way, I have pretty solid information that Bunning was in Florida, apparently vacationing, during those missed Senate votes. ...A New York newspaper is reporting that Caroline Kennedy has pulled the plug on her bid for the U.S. Senate. ...Before an overflow crowd in a legislative committee room, House Speaker Greg Stumbo made the first formal pitch for his video-slots-at-racetracks bill. Stumbo told his fellow lawmakers that voter approval isn't needed to put slots at the tracks because it's not really an expansion of gambling and there's no prohibition in the Constitution. Here's the story. ...
Governor Beshear's administration has appealed yesterday's Court of Appeals ruling which abolished state government's right to seize the domain names of dozens of internet gambling sites. The Beshear administration claims the internet sites are a form of illegal gambling barred by Kentucky's constitution. The Court of Appeals ruled on wednesday that domain names aren't illegal gambling, opening the door for the sites to resume doing business... A Franklin Circuit Judge has dismissed Sen. David Williams' lawsuit challenging the legality of the 2008 Six Year Road Plan. Judge Phil Shepherd also scolded lawmakers for "stopping the clock" at midnight on the last day of the legislature in an attempt to pass bills beyond the legal time limit. ...It was tough to be a republican in Washington today. ...In a 2-1 decision, a three judge panel of the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled that Metro government has the authority to charge police officers higher fees to use their take home cars. ...
The Kentucky Court of Appeals has overturned a Franklin Circuit Judge's order that the state can seize the domain names of nearly 12 dozen internet gambling sites. The appelate judges concluded that a web site or domain name is not an illegal gambling device under Kentucky law. The Beshear administration will presumably appeal the ruling to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Here's the reaction from the Poker Player's Alliance: ...
Louisville congressman John Yarmuth told Kentucky reporters today that he favors a congressional investigation into possible war crimes committed by the Bush administration. ...A republican blog is speculating that Mitch McConnell protege Scott Jennings is considering a run for congress in 2010. Kypolitics.org is reporting that Jennings has talked to a number of folks about the possibility of running in the republican primary against congressman Ed Whitfield. Jennings tells me none of it is true. Jennings says he "lov... After getting rid of three folks in the ombudsman office late last year, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services has hired a new ombudsman. Here's the release: ...Kentucky already has committees that review child fatalities. Now the state is going to be looking at highway fatalities in the hopes of spending our limited road funds more wisely. ...Senator Mitch McConnell released the following statement following the inauguration of Barack Obama: ...WHAS 11's Adam Walser has been eyeing the third floor windows over Louisville Police Headquarters for a couple of weeks. Why? Because they were open, heating the outdoors courtesy of Louisville taxpayers. On the coldest day of the year, Adam decided to ask city officials why the windows were open and how much it was costing. ...It's probably the best article in the C-J today. Journalist Bob Woodward discusses the way Barack Obama can learn from George W. Bush's mistakes. Woodward doesn't discuss how he, and other Washington-based journalists failed, in my opinion, to do their jobs and rigorously report on the build up to the Iraq War because they were concerned about being labeled "un...
A bill filed in the Kentucky legislature would allow home-schooled children to play on athletic teams at public schools. The bill is called the "Tebow Bill" after University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow who was home-schooled. ...U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, who helped shepherd the $700 billion dollar bailout for banking and Wall St. firms through the Senate, is now voting "no" on releasing the final installments of the money. McConnell says he doesn't trust the incoming Obama administration to spend the money as it was intended, though the bill authorizing the bailout had few strings attached. Here's the NYT >> Continue reading: Senate Votes To Release Bailout Money, McConnell Votes "No" Owen County Judge-Executive Billy O'Banion pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts of official misconduct today, all over the misuse of about $7200. O'Banion was a young, rising star in democratic party politics when he worked for Governor Brereton Jones administration then got elected Judge-Executive in his home county. But everything fell apart after an investigation by the State Auditor's Office last year. ...Most Kentuckians did not vote for Barack Obama. If you are one of them, we'd like to hear your thoughts as inauguration day approaches. Do you support him now? Wish him the best? How optimistic or pessimistic are you about his ability to lead, especially with the challenges he is about to inherit? Send your e-mails to joe.arnold@whas11.com OR leave a message on Joe's voice mail which can be used on the air, 582-7203. ...The C-J is reporting that U.S. Senator Jim Bunning has missed a number of votes in Washington and isn't saying why he skipped those votes. All Bunning is saying is that family comes before Congress. ...The task force appointed by Governor Beshear to study the rising costs of college has issued its recommendations, and they don't include a cap on tuition rates. Most of the recommendations call for studies and don't call for specific action by the governor. Here's the release from the Governor's office: ...The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville has joined the growing list of businesses and organizations who are cutting staff to cover a budget shortfall. President Albert Mohler has announced that 35 administrative positions will be slashed. ...In response to a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Legislative Ethics Commission has found no conflicts between House Speaker Greg Stumbo's business interests and his interests as Speaker. Here's the release from Stumbo's office; ...Kentucky's unemployment insurance fund is quickly shrinking because of the huge boost in unemployment claims. According to the Governor's Office, there's funding for just two weeks worth of payments, though the fund is being replenished and shouldn't run out. Just to make sure, Governor Beshear has formed a task force to take an immediate look at the potentially hug... Fox News is quoting Barack Obama's spokesman as saying the incoming president will allow gays to openly serve in the military, getting rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy initiated by the Clinton administration. ...The federal government cut off Medicaid funding to Oakwood because of repeated violations of federal standards. And it doesn't look like federal funding is going to resume anytime soon. The state run facility for the mentally retarded continues to have problems, according to Health and Family Services Secretary Janie Miller. That means Kentucky taxpayers will continue to carry the ... I never thought we'd get this much mileage out of my original story on Jim Rummage's claim that he got some frozen fish along with a pocket full of cash from Leonard Lawson during a visit to Lawson's Lexington home. But a federal judge has denied a motion by Lawso... It sounds like Daniel Mongiardo is ready for a second go-round with Jim Bunning. He may have to get by Jack Conway first. ...The brewing controversy over the ties between Governor Beshear's Chief of Staff, a lobbyist and the former Director of Homeland Security has prompted Kentucky's Republican Party chariman to call for Adam Edelen's resignation. Here's the release from Steve Robertson: ...Cost saving ideas have paid off for several state employees. They each got $2500 checks from taxpayers for their money saving ideas. Here's the news release: ...The Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services says the shortfall in Kentucky's Medicaid program is growing. Janie Miller told lawmakers today that the Medicaid shortfall has ballooned to more than $200 million. ...Some state social service workers, including one from Louisville, are picking up some awards for going the extra mile to help Kentuckians. Here's the release: ...Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson has quit passing state incentive pay to Louisville firefighters because the city would be forced to pay overtime on that money. So the firefighters union is suing the city. C-J. ...Former UK and Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch is looking at running for public office, according to a posting on a conservative blog. ...With all of the talk about smoking bans, cigarette taxes and casinos in Kentucky, perhaps we should all read this story out of indiana. ...Cincinnati Enquirer reporter/blogger Pat Crowley is reporting that Turfway Park racetrack wants to build a $150 million casino on its Florence property if House Speaker Greg Stumbo's video slots bill passes. ...Governor Beshear says he supports the concept. Health advocates says they take David Williams "at his word" and believe he really wants to push a statewide ban on smoking in public places. Williams insists he's not offering the smoking ban proposal as a way to kill any big hike in the cigarette tax, claiming they're two separate issues. Others aren't so sure Williams' motives are clean. Here's >> Continue reading: Reaction To Williams' Smoking Ban Proposal Herald-Leader columnist Larry Dale Keeling says the Governor, Senate President and House Speaker should all share blame for the failure, so far, to come close to reaching any kind of consensus on dealing with Kentucky's budget problems. ...It didn't smell right from day one and now the Lexington Herald-Leader's John Cheves has managed to bring down Gov. Beshear's head of Homeland Security. Ralph Coldiron quit today after Cheves discovered that Beshear's folks hadn't gotten proper approval to boost Coldiron's pay to $100,000. Earlier today, the paper found e-mails from Coldiron... An audit of Kentucky's school testing program has not determined the total costs of administering the test. The State Auditor's office took at look at the testing program and payments made to vendors after questions were raised by state lawmakers, some of whom want to do away with the CATS test. The audit found about $18.6 million dollars from state and federal monies spent on the testing last year. But it couldn't determine how much local...
The Lexington Herald-Leader has found e-mails which show lobbyist Bob Babbage had several meetings with his partner in a property deal, Gov. Beshear's Chief of Staff Adam Edelen. The e-mails also show a third partner, Ralph Coldiron, was hurting for steady income when Beshear appointed him to head the Homeland Security Department. ...The two leaders of the Kentucky legislature both say they could both support a ban on smoking in public places to improve the health of Kentuckians. Sen. David Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo made those statements on KET's Kentucky Tonight program. ...Some gambling opponents have begun their PR campaign against House Speaker Greg Stumbo's bill which would allow video slot machines at race tracks without voter approval. Here's the release from long time conservative activist Martin Cothran: ...To all you Franklin Countians who e-mailed, called or tracked me down at the Capitol to tell me "Mark, we can't see you anymore," you can rest a little easier. The Frankfort Plant Board has reached agreement with the three Louisville TV stations it had taken off the Frankfort cable system. We're back on the air in Frankfort. Hopefully, all of you who watch WHAS-TV for the weather and my political reports missed us for a couple of days and w... Kentucky's public employee pension systems were hoping to crawl out from under their unfunded liabilities in the next few years. Instead, they're losing ground. ...There's a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader this morning that attempts to discern how much power Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell really has with just 41 GOP Senators. ...Economist and writer Paul Krugman says in a NYTimes piece that Barack Obama should scrap the business tax cuts and plow more into long term infrastructure improvements if he really wants his stimulus plan to work. ...Kentucky's 176 public school districts have a total of $656 million in contingency funds, according to records obtained by WHAS 11 News. Some districts have more than 30 percent of their total budgets plowed into their reserve account. While education officials say most districts have been socking away the cash to pay for new classrooms, technology or program initia... U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell will be donating all of his official papers to the University of Louisville, which will do a $3 million renovation of its main library to house the Senate Minority Leader's records. McConnell is now the longest serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky history, surpassing Wendell Ford. ...The state's revenue receipts were up in December, compared to a year ago. That may make it tougher for Gov. Beshear to sell republican senators on the size of the state budget shortfall and need for a tax hike. What the numbers don't show is what WHAS 11 News has been reporting this week, that Kentucky had a record number of applications for unemployme... The state's revenue receipts were up in December, compared to a year ago. That may make it tougher for Gov. Beshear to sell republican senators on the size of the state budget shortfall and need for a tax hike. What the numbers don't show is what WHAS 11 News has been reporting this week, that Kentucky had a record number of applications for unemployme... The Lexington Herald-Leader's John Cheves has a lengthy story about House Speaker Greg Stumbo's business connections and potential conflicts with state government. Stumbo took to the House floor to wail on the H-L story today. Looks to me like the headline is a lot tougher than the story. ...As expected, David Huber has resigned as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. It's routine for the federal government's chief prosecutors to resign when a new president takes office. They serve at the pleasure of the President. Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth will essentially pick the next U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District and make a recommendation to the Obama staff. Congressman Ben Chandler will pick the other... Governor Steve Beshear will join the two leaders of the House and Senate on KET Monday night. Should be fun. Here's the release from KET: ...It's the oldest PR trick in the book.....releasing interesting information that could spark some tough questions late on a Friday afternoon. That's what Gov. Beshear did today, in announcing his plan to stiffen ethics requirements for his top staff. Chief of Staff Adam Edelen is also asking the Executive Branch Ethics Commission to provide him with advice on how to divest himself of a property he co-owns with lobbyist Bob Babbage. This is a... New Kentucky congressman Brett Guthrie has gotten his committee assignments. They're not stellar but not bad considering he's a freshman from Kentucky in the minority party. Here's the release from Guthrie's office: ...Governor Beshear is fulfilling a campaign promise to put more detailed budget and agency information about state government on the internet. Kentucky has a new web site that's designed to provide more transparency in government. More.... ...House Speaker Greg Stumbo filed his slots-at-the-tracks bill today. Here's the release from his office: ...It's 11 p.m. and House democratic leaders are apparently still behind closed doors, trying to hammer out committee assignments. House Speaker Greg Stumbo cancelled his speaking engagement at a Lexington Chamber of Commerce dinner to keep working toward decisions on which lawmakers will be on which committees. Stumbo's victory in the Speaker's race means a number of his supporters will take over chairmanships of committees. Stumbo told House... There appears to be consensus developing among Kentucky's political and educational leaders that Kentucky is trying to teach too many math concepts to its students, resulting in poor understanding of any of them, including the basics. So there's a move afoot to revise Kentucky's math standards. Here's the story. ...Governor Beshear has released a statement on President elect Barack Obama's stimulus package: ...A poll commissioned by health organizations shows Kentuckians support a 70 cents per pack increase in the cigarette tax by a 2 to 1 margin. 23% of the 500 persons polled were smokers, which is below the smoking rate in Kentucky. Here's the coalition's web site to get to the poll results. ...Contacting a judge on behalf of a constituent will cost a legislator some cash. The Legislative Ethics Commission has fined Louisville democrat Rep. Tom Burch $500 for trying to use his influence to sway a Court of Appeals judge. Burch maintains he didn't mean to do anything wrong. ...
After ousting Kentucky's longest serving House Speaker, Greg Stumbo might become "Kentucky's shortest serving Speaker" if he asks his members to "vote up or down on gambling" as one of his first orders of business. At least that's what Senate President David Williams told reporters yesterday. Williams' comments came in reaction to Stumbo announcing a renewed push for video slot machines at race tracks without seeking voter approval. Here's ... Rep. Greg Stumbo told his fellow House members today that they face "a daunting task" in solving Kentucky's budget problems during the 2009 legislative session. But Stumbo says House members won't let divisions by region, race or politics stop them from taking action. The new Speaker says it's OK for lawmakers to fight over policy, but their constituents want them to come together and get something done in Frankfort. Stumbo also paid tribut... The former superintendent of Shelby County Schools has been named Interim Commissioner of the state Education Department. The State Board of Education named Elaine Farris interim commissioner today. Farris replaces Jon Draud who resigned for health reasons. Farris is presumably, the first African American to oversee Kentucky's public school system. Here's the news release: ...It looks like Rep. Tommy Thompson's loss in the House Majority Whip's race may actually turn out to be a blessing for him. Thompson is in line to chair the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, replacing Harry Moberly who supported Jody Richards instead of Greg Stumbo in the House Speaker's race. Thompson was part of Stumbo's slate in the leadership races but lost by one vote. That loss meant western Kentucky voters would have no repr... David Lovelace, who retired from state government after holding a variety of high level state jobs, is back in Frankfort and has been promoted to the number two job in the Tourism Cabinet: ...Dr. James Holsinger's nomination for U.S. Surgeon General was shot down after questions were raised about his views on homosexuality. But the UK administrator and former state Health and Family Services Cabinet Secretary has been appointed to a new post by President Bush. ...In a tight race, Rep. Greg Stumbo has regained his political clout, beating Rep. Jody Richards in the House Speaker's race. Stumbo won by 3 votes, sending the longest serving House Speaker to the back bench of the Kentucky House. Riichards joked afterward that he was being assigned to "the building and grounds committee." ...We know Greg Stumbo beat Jody Richards by three votes to win the Speaker's race. And we know John Will Stacy beat Tommy Thompson by a single vote to win the Majority Whip's race. But I didn't get the vote totals. Larry Dale Keeling has the actual vote numbers from the secret balloting among the 65 House democrats. ...Governor Steve Beshear was perceived as supporting Greg Stumbo's bid to unseat Jody Richards from the Speaker's chair. He says he didn't get involved in any way in the Speaker's race. But it's probably safe to say that the governor isn't disappointed that Stumbo won. Here's his statement: ...Rep. David Floyd of Bardstown has replaced Rep. Stan Lee as House Republican Caucus Chairman. Lee is an outspoken conservative, unsuccessful candidate for Attorney General and frequent target of newspaper editorial writers, tells me his fellow GOP House members thought Floyd was more "even tempered" and added "when you stick your head up out of the gopher hole, people shoot at you." Jeff Hoover and Bob Deweese were reelected to their Republi... Nobody has a clue who's going to win Tuesday's election for House Speaker, not even Greg Stumbo or Jody Richards. Richards told reporters today that he expects to win "by a wide margin." That's not going to happen. It'll be close. The majority of my brothers and sisters in the Frankfort Press Corps believe Richards will win but have absolutely no basis in fact for that guessing. We're worse predictors than sportswriters and the prognostic... A few hours after Governor Beshear told reporters he hoped and expected a quick agreement with legislators on how to deal with the state's budget shortfall, Senate President David Williams told reporters that before lawmakers approve any tax hikes, there should be critical look at several state government programs. Here's my story from 6 p.m. In particular, W... The New York Times had a big article about Louisville state Rep. Tom Riner over the weekend. The story featured Riner's move to try and put more religion in government. ...Jody Richards has more favors to call in. Greg Stumbo is the "change" candidate in a time of great political change. Who will win the House Speaker's race on Tuesday? Does it really matter to average Kentuckians? The Lexington Herald-Leader's higher education reporter Ryan Alessi has a look at the race. ...
Justin Brasell, who helped lead Sen. Mitch McConnell's reelection campaign, has been hired to help Scott Kimmich's campaign for Kenton County Judge-Executive. Kimmich has also hired one of Anne Northup's former campaign staffers, Michael Clingaman, according to >> Continue reading: Former Campaign Staffers For Northup, McConnell and Davis Back In Business Two republican House members are proposing the elimination of Kentucky's personal and corporate income taxes and a cut in the 6% sales tax. But some of the lost revenue would be made up by extending the sales tax to a host of services and other items that aren't subject to sales tax right now. ...One could make a good argument that Sarah Palin's oldest daughter and future husband shouldn't be fodder for news stories. But apparently there's widespread interest in the couple and their baby, so much so that Gov. Palin has felt compelled to respond. Here's the story in the Anchorage newspaper. ...
Governor Beshear's proposal to shift more than $17 million in coal severance tax revenues to the state budget is being met with scorn from key Kentucky lawmakers. ...The Lexington Herald-Leader has a story about the shortage of smoking bans in southern Kentucky cities. There may not be anything improper here but it never looks good when the Governor's Chief of Staff has private business interests with a lobbyist a guy who was just hired as the state's Homeland Security Director. The Herald-Leader's John Cheves has the story. ... |
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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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