The Rural DemocratThe Rural DemocratA common everyday persons' point of view of politics in Kentucky and the Nation 
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Lite Blogging
2008-06-02 22:58:00 Sorry for the lack of posts but it will continue for a few more days. Very busy, besides it is boring as hell right now, maybe something will happen soon. More About: Blogging , Lite
Will the Storm in the State House Doom a Special Session?
2008-05-30 01:25:00 Is Governor Steve Beshear's (D) apparent move to call a special session of the Kentucky General Assembly a wise move, seeing that a hurricane is coming in the State House ? I would think the Governor is wise enough to test the waters, as he is apparently doing, instead of calling an extraordinary session with out legislative input. Now we have a war in the House and a Speaker that has publicly announced his support for a challenger, a very unorthodox move by Richards. If anyone is questioning the disarray that exists within the House leadership will certainly be convinced, especially during an overtime bitch fest which would certainly be the result of a special session of this assembly. I have enjoyed my little vacation from blogging and I want to do something a little different. Lets see who has the skills to truly handicap Kentucky politics. I would say the probability of a successful special session in pretty thin, a long-shot at best. 100 to 1 or a 1% chance of a successfu... More About: Storm , Special , Doom
Benny Ray Bailey II Concedes to Fitz Steele
2008-05-21 03:17:00 It was a tough race and I too am glad it is over. Statement from Benny Ray Bailey II Congratulations to Fitz. It was a fun race and I for one am glad it is over. I was good to have so many get out and vote and voice their opinion. Thanks to all who voted, and lets keep the vote count in the future high.
Fitz Steele wins the 84th House District Democratic Primary
2008-05-21 01:50:00 Bailey goes home and Fitz Steele has won the Democratic nomination for the 84th House District seat and may be considered the Rep. Fitz Steele (D) because no Republican candidate chose to run. Not withstanding a count disaster from hell, Fitz Steele is your winner. More About: Primary , Wins
Who Wins Who Loses?
2008-05-20 23:45:00 Stay here for analysis. Any surprises? U.S. Senate: 6:10 PM: Well, it is all tied up in Fayette County between Lunsford and Fischer, hopefully that is not a trend! 6:13 PM Lunsford is up 52%to 28% on Fischer, woohoo 6:23 PM: Fischer is laying the wood to Lunsford in Fayette County, uh oh, this could be interesting. 6:34 PM: Lunsford is pulling away in the statewide returns, trend Lunsford. 6:47 PM: Looks like this race may go down to the Louisville vote, that makes me nervous, but Lunsford is up 10%. 7:00 PM: Lunsford up by ten! 7:20 PM The Louisville vote is in and it goes to Lunsford, nice! Maybe in the 2nd? 6:16 PM: With less than 200 votes counted Boswell has doubled up Haire Will Sen. Johnny Ray Turner (D) be fired? 6:21 PM: Turner is up by a buck 30 with only 1% reporting but it looks good for Turner so far. 6:52 PM: Projected WINNER TURNER! Who wins the 84th? 6:35PM This will be a close race, a very close race, trend Bailey 6:39PM Troy Gaw will win the Harlan vote, ... More About: Wins
Aint No Riddle Man, Benny Ray Bailey JR Has a Record
2008-05-17 21:15:00 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 23M... More About: Record , Riddle
McCain Says Something Stupid
2008-05-16 04:15:00 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. More About: Stupid
Bruce Lunsford is Within Striking Distance of Mitch McConnell
2008-05-14 00:04:00 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...
Iowa Sends in the Cops against Illegal Aliens and Kentuckians Eat Too Much
2008-05-13 03:17:00 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 i... More About: Illegal Aliens , Aliens , Cops , Illegal
Appalachia exposed? or Kentucky exposed?
2008-05-12 04:29:00 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...
Mongiardo Endorses Obama
2008-05-12 04:05:00 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
2008-05-11 04:50:00 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 s... More About: Security , National , National Security , Coal , Critical
Will Clinton Democrats Play Renegade
2008-05-10 05:10:00 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. More About: Play , Renegade
War in the State House
2008-05-09 00:54:00 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. More About: State , The State
Kentucky is the Reason Hillary Clinton is Hanging On
2008-05-08 04:34:00 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 f... More About: Reason
Rep. Wilkey "conscious effort to embarrass this governor during this sessio
2008-05-07 23:12:00 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 ther...
Hillary Clinton Should Quit
2008-05-07 04:01:00 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. More About: Hillary Clinton , Hillary , Quit
CNN Projects Victory For Obama in North Carolina
2008-05-07 01:51:00 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. More About: Victory , Projects
Someone Tell SurveyUSA There is no OTHER!
2008-05-07 00:28:00 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
2008-05-06 03:46:00 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 com... More About: Domestic , Terrorist
Paul Browning Jr's Killer Gets Life, Eligible for Parole after 25 years
2008-05-06 02:07:00 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. More About: Killer , Years , Parole
Does Kentucky Voters Matter to the Commonwealth's Superdelegates
2008-05-05 02:15:00 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 al... More About: Matter , Voters
How Much Did Rev. Wright Hurt Obama?
2008-05-01 00:47:00 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 Oba... More About: Hurt
Mark Nickolas Slams Rural Kentucky and Can Kiss My Ass
2008-04-30 02:19:00 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 rejectin... More About: Kiss , Mark
Senator McConnell Approval Rating Second Lowest Ever
2008-04-29 16:07:00 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 McCon...
Barack Obama to Hold Press Conference with Rep. Ben Chandler
2008-04-29 14:53:00 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. More About: Press , Press Conference
Supreme Court Says Indiana Voter ID Law OK
More articles from this author:2008-04-29 14:49:00 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 thi... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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