BluegrassReport.org

Sorry

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I've been (and continue to be) out-of-town, but will back this weekend. In the meantime, please feel free to use this as an open thread for discussion.

KY-Pres: Clinton Leads All Republicans In General Election Among Kentucky Voters

While U.S. Senator McConnell (R) continues to threaten to tie his future Democratic opponent with the albatross of Hillary Clinton (D) comes the latest SurveyUSA poll which shows Clinton picking-up support in Kentucky in the past month and how leads all Republican challengers in Kentucky.

SurveyUSA. 560 RV, Nov 9-11, MoE 4.2% (10/12-14 results):

Clinton (D) 48 (47)
Giuliani (R) 44 (45)

Clinton (D) 54 (50)
Romney (R) 39 (41)

Clinton (D) 55 (49)
Huckabee (R) 36 (39)

Clinton (D) 48 (45)
McCain (R) 47 (49)

Unlike McConnell who is having trouble piercing 46 percent against his top opponents (all while he's suffering through record-low approval ratings), Clinton isn't getting less than 48 percent against her toughest Republican opponent, and is getting at least 54 percent against half of the field tested. Go figure.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama (D) is not faring so well in Kentucky, leading only Huckabee by 2 (44-42) while losing to Romney by 1 (43-44), to Giuliani by 14 (38-52), and McCain by a whopping 22 (34-56).

I'll leave the analysis of Obama's numbers, compared to Clinton's, to you...

More On Medco

A reader e-mailed me this morning with different point of view on the Medco issue that we've been discussing for a few days that I wanted to share:

I read your entry re Stan Cave and the Medco deal.  I attended those Board of Pharmacy meetings and I don’t think that Cave could have had anything to do with their delay in action.  There were two primary issues discussed that complicated having the regulations just rubberstamped.  The primary problem was that state statute requires that a Kentucky licensed pharmacist be involved in the dispensing of any prescription to a Kentucky resident.  The Medco regulation would have basically said that it was okay to ignore that statute because they refuse to have their corporate pharmacists licensed in Kentucky.  The other issue was that if Medco could ignore the statute (which they can’t), then other venues, like hospitals, want to do it too for dispensing during the night when it’s difficult to get a pharmacist to work.  I don’t see how Stan Cave could have impacted that discussion.  One other note was that the Medco representatives that were at the meetings never said that it needed to be done immediately or lose the project, although they did stress that they needed action “soon”.

Keep the e-mails coming.

A Brand New Day

Based on Gov.-elect Beshear's (D) early decisions and comments, I think it's safe to say he gets it. The public wants a government that is focused on getting things done and not just taking care of political cronies and they want to keep politics out of the state's Merit System:

Beshear Promises to Toe the Line on Hirings
By Greg Stotelmyer, WTVQ-36

Kentucky's incoming governor says he will respect and follow the merit system. "The spot light will be on us and it should be on us because this is an area that has experienced some abuse," Governor elect Steve Beshear said. Beshear says "politics and the merit system simply do not mix."

[...]

Also today, Beshear announced a web site to accept applications from those who want non-merit jobs. People in those positions help the administration set and implement policy. Beshear says he will not check the party affiliation of applicants or whether they gave to his campaign.

"I don't plan on asking for any kind of blanket resignations of the non-merit people at all," Beshear said of how he will handle the political appointees from the Fletcher administration. "They'll be evaluated on a case by case basis."

So far, so good.

Another SurveyUSA First -- Bunning More Popular Than McConnell In Kentucky

Turns out that U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R) worst job approval rating in the 31 months of SurveyUSA tracking wasn't the only remarkable thing about yesterday's poll. Adding a cherry to this sundae -- and also for the first time in 31 months -- is the fact that U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning (R) is now more popular than McConnell in Kentucky:

Bunning -- 43% approve, 43% disapprove
McConnell -- 44% approve, 47% disapprove

McConnell's Problems

A quick look at the demographics in today's very bad SurveyUSA poll of U.S. Sen. McConnell's (R) sliding job performance rating shows that the problems facing him are two-fold.

First, look at the consistent slide that McConnell has been experiencing with Democrats this year:

Then notice how he's been losing support among Republicans in the past few months as well:

This is a nightmare problem for McConnell. Democrats are beginning to loathe him and Republicans don't love him like they should.

And keep in mind that McConnell still has a long way to fall with Kentucky Democrats who gave both President Bush (R) and Governor Fletcher (R) just an 18 percent approval in this same poll. Seems that McConnell is about midway down that hill, dropping 15 points among Dems since January (from 47 to 32). That suggests he may have as much as another 15 points to drop among Dems -- the majority party in Kentucky.

Very, very bad news for Mitch.

The Contrast

In contrast to the idiocy offered by State Rep. Jim Gooch (D), see for yourself some of the leadership being offered by governors of other states -- from both parties.

And be mindful that Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) leads a state that is second to none when it comes to coal reserves (it has four times Kentucky's reserves) yet he's embracing the need for addressing global warming pollution now.

Who do you believe?

SurveyUSA -- McConnell With Lowest Approval Rating Ever

Not good news for U.S. Senator McConnell (R).

Turns out that the latest SurveyUSA numbers are in and his job approval rating is at its lowest level ever in the polls 31 months of tracking, and for the first time his disapproval is higher than his approval.

U.S. Sen. McConnell (R) Job Approval (10/12-14 results)
Approve 44 (49)
Disapprove 47 (45)

Says SurveyUSA:

For First Time, Kentucky’s McConnell Has Negative Approval Rating

In 31 months of SurveyUSA tracking, United States Senator from Kentucky Mitch McConnell has had job approval ratings ranging from a low of 48% to a high of 56%. His Net Job Approval, determined by subtracting disapproval from approval, ranged from Plus 4 last month to Plus 24 in June of 2005.

This month, for the first time, McConnell has a negative Net Job Approval — Minus 3. His approval rating is at 44%, the lowest since tracking began in May of 2005, and his disapproval is at an all-time high of47%.

Says Mark Hebert:

McConnell's job approval rating is lowest in his hometown of Louisville and 15 surrounding counties where just 40% of those polled think McConnell is doing a good job.

More Gooch

A reader passed along a little tidbit relating to our on-going discussion on the recent anti-science efforts by State Rep. Jim Gooch (D) that seemed worth posting:

Hey Mark,

Last February I was doing some citizen lobbying in Frankfort.  I was a walking down a hall when I saw Rep. Gooch surrounded by a group of reporters.  I listened in as they were confronting Gooch about his business ties to the coal industry and asking him about potential conflicts of interest. Gooch clearly looked taken aback by all the attention and pointed questions.  Of course he denied it but then he made a not so veiled threat against those who would level such accusations (conflict of interest) against him, saying that people needed to watch what they say or there could be serious repercussions.  A few reporters asked him what he meant and he responded "I think you know what I mean."

I didn't really know much about Gooch until that point and after listening in, I found out all I needed to know about who this character is.

I'm not sure if I'm more frightened by the views Gooch embraces or the arrogance which apparently accompanies them.

Silberman Asks Not To Get Raise

When is the last time a public official did this?

Silberman Asks Not To Get Raise
By Shawntaye Hopkins, Herald-Leader

Fayette County Superintendent Stu Silberman told the school board that he did not want more money as his contract was extended four years.

The school board last night approved a four-year contract extension through June 30, 2012. The contract, at Silberman's request, did not include a pay raise.

Silberman's salary will remain at a figure set in August after he received all-distinguished ratings on his annual evaluation. The superintendent had earned $209,883 in 2006-07; that was increased to $212,479 for 2007-08.

For 2008-09, Silberman will get the same annual increase as other certified employees and changes to his benefits also will mirror those of other certified employees. He will get similar raises in each of the other three years of the contract.

"I just want the focus to be on our kids and teaching and learning," Silberman said after the meeting.

Silberman is an impressive and smart leader. Fayette County is fortunate to have him.

Did COS Stan Cave Kill The Medco Deal?

Following-up yesterday's post on the unimaginable fumble by Kentucky officials on the failure to land a facility for Medco -- and its high-paying jobs -- a reader familiar with the backstory says it was none other than Fletcher Chief of Staff Stan Cave who effectively killed the deal.

Apparently, Cave questioned the idea of pursuing the project and was responsible for having the matter tabled on several occasions at the state Pharmacy Board, which simply needed to pass an amendment to the current regulation that would have allowed the project to proceed (as the company acknowledges).

I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about what happened. Either leave a comment to this post or e-mail me, confidentially, at mark@bluegrassreport.org.

Fletcher Pouts?

Mark Hebert has this interesting item on how Governor Fletcher (R) isn't interested in following the leads of governors before him and doing interviews about his time in office before leaving it:

I did hear some disturbing talk at KET last night that I hope isn't true. Governor Fletcher was invited to the Al Smith affair and didn't attend. I don't know the reason for that. But I also heard that the governor had turned down KET's request for an end-of-the-administration interview with Bill Goodman. If that's true, I hope Fletcher will lick his wounds and reconsider. The purpose of the end-of-the-term interview is to preserve a governor's place in history and get their perspective on their four or eight years in office. There's usually not much news value except when governors who have no future political aspirations open up a little and tell about some of the funny and gut wrenching moments during their terms. Every governor has done the "post game interview" with members of the Frankfort press corps. I hope Fletcher can look to the future and realize he'll regret it if he doesn't do the same.

I suspect Fletcher still blames the media for his loss and isn't willing to sit-down with them any longer.

Either that or he's not interested in explaining what happened to the fat and happy state economy he boasted about just a few weeks ago.

Yarmuth to Hold Press Conference for High School Journalists

Admittedly, I'm very biased with this post since I'm such a big fan of U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D), but I think this is such a terrific idea (likely the product of his own media background):

Yarmuth to Hold Press Conference for High School Journalists
Media Welcome to Observe, Participation for Students Only

(Louisville, KY) On Tuesday, November 27, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) will hold a press conference for high school journalists interested in interviewing him for their school publications.

More than 40 Jefferson County students are expected to attend, including reporters, photographers, and television and radio crew.

Students are encouraged to ask about any subject related to the Congressman, including but not limited to education, healthcare, Iraq, energy, the environment, and his experiences as Louisville’s Congressman.

Although the questioning will be limited to students, the professional media is welcome to attend.

WHAT:   Press Conference for Student Journalists
WHO:    Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3)
More than 40 student journalists from Jefferson County schools
WHEN:   Tuesday, November 27th, 5:00 PM
WHERE:  Romano Mazzoli Federal Building
600 Martin Luther King, Jr. Place
On the front steps or Suite 216, depending on weather

I'm sure John isn't the first to reach-out to high school students in this fashion, but it's a neat idea and I hope more of our elected officials -- of all political stripes -- provide innovative ways for high school students to engage in the political process.

Anyway, just thought this was worth sharing.

Interested In A Non-Merit Position?

Gov.-elect Beshear (D) has just launched a website for all interested applicants for non-merit workers. Click here to visit www.BeshearTransition.com.

Here's the press release that incoming administration put-out this morning:

Governor-elect Steve Beshear today announced a new website to accept resumes for non-merit positions within the Beshear/Mongiardo Administration.  The new site is www.besheartransition.com.  Non-merit positions include cabinet secretaries, deputies, commissioners and office heads, directors, general counsel positions, and other policy making managers and some administrative assistants.

"I am interested in getting the best and the brightest men and women from across the state to work within my administration," said Beshear.  "These individuals will help develop and implement my policies and will serve at the pleasure of the Governor's office." 

The greatest number of employees in the Executive Branch work under the classified or merit system and are governed by statute and regulations.  To apply for a merit position with the state, individuals should visit the Personnel Cabinet website at  http://personnel.ky.gov. The Personnel Cabinet has established class specifications that set forth experience and training requirements, as well as salary ranges for each and every merit system job.

"The merit law has protections built into the hiring process so that applicants are judged on who they are, not who they know," said Beshear.  "I have the utmost respect for the merit system and am taking every precaution to make sure my management staff likewise respect the merit system and do not interfere with it.  Politics and the merit system simply do not mix."

Individuals who have sent their resume by mail for a non-merit position do not have to reapply by web. Their resumes will be scanned into the new website system. The transition website will remain in operation for at least two months.

The Incompetence And/Or Dishonesty Of COS Stan Cave

In light of yesterday's revelations by Governor Fletcher (R) of the "discovery" of significant and serious budget shortfalls facing various parts of state government -- despite his constant assertions of wonderful economic times while campaigning -- is the "coincidence" of this gubernatorial announcement just two months ago:

Governor Fletcher's Chief of Staff to Serve as Acting Budget Director
Press Release Date: Monday, September 17, 2007   

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Ernie Fletcher has asked his Chief of Staff, Stan Cave, to act as budget director until a permanent director is named.

Cave will continue to serve as the Governor’s Chief of Staff. His salary will remain the same.

“As our cabinets and agencies begin to prepare for the 2008 budget session, it is critical that we have a leader in place to ensure that those preparations run smoothly and efficiently,” said Governor Fletcher. “Stan’s experience in the Kentucky Legislature and his knowledge of all aspects of state government make him a great fit to act as budget director until the position is filled on a permanent basis.”

Why is this relevant? Two reasons.

First, while Cave is the inner-most of Fletcher aides, and was so actively involved in his re-election campaign, isn't it noteworthy that Budget Director/Chief of Staff Cave waited until after the election to advise the public of the real economic news -- not the fictional world they spun on the campaign trail?

But maybe more noteworthy is how nearly impossible it is to conclude that Cave isn't just lying to the media. Here's what he told Mark Hebert yesterday:

Cave says he can't speak for the governor but he doesn't believe Fletcher was aware of the financial problem while the campaign was ongoing.

This means either Budget Director/Chief of Staff Cave didn't bother to tell the governor -- with who he spent every waking hour for the past year -- of the true depths of the state's financial problems until last week, or he's every bit the liar we've come to believe.

Based on Cave's dismal performance over the years, five bucks says he's lying...once again.

Crooks until the bitter end...

How Many More Things Will We Learn That Fletcher Lied About?

Now that his landslide ouster is complete, we're finally learning what we suspected -- Governor Fletcher (R) lied through his teeth about the state of Kentucky's economy.

Earlier today Gov.-elect Beshear (D) told reporters that after having a chance to review some budget data, things aren't as rosy as Fletcher said:

Gov.-elect Steve Beshear has started reviewing the state's financial situation and is predicting "tight times" could be ahead, he said Monday.

Beshear, who takes office on Dec. 11, said he's looking both at the state's current financial situation and at what lies ahead. It's among the many areas his administration has to rein in before taking office.

"It is going to be some tight times financially, it looks like right now," Beshear said.

...On top of that bad news was this blockbuster which Mark Hebert just reported :

...the Cabinet for Health and Family Services submitted its budget request which included asking for a whopping $389 million to cover a shortfall in the medicaid budget THIS fiscal year. That request was submitted, as required, on November 15th, nine days after election day. It was an election in which Fletcher repeatedly bragged about his administration bringing the medicaid budget under control.

...And then this:

“I think you would have to ask the governor what he would mean by saying we had Medicaid under control,” said Beshear Cabinet Secretary Larry Haynes.

On top of the hole in the Medicaid budget, WHAS11 News has learned that four state agencies -- Corrections, Juvenile Justice, Veterans Affairs and Parks -- are all currently in the red.

Wasn't it just a few months ago that Fletcher wanted to call a special session to spend his fictitious budget surplus on his pet projects during the general election?

Looks like our ordained-minister-turned-politician was every bit the charlatan that we suspected. Good riddance to these crooks.

P.S. -- And please don't go looking for those 100,000 new jobs that Fletcher claims to have created either. They don't exist. Did even come close. But that's one item we've been on top of for quite a while.

The Now NATIONAL Embarrassment Of State Rep. Jim Gooch (D)

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth highlights how the shameful ignorance of State Rep. Jim Gooch (D) to chair a Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee hearing to dispute the growing consensus on global warming -- and only invite global warming deniers to testify -- has quickly made its way to the national stage.

Turns out he was invited as a guest on Good Morning America on Sunday to discuss this latest travesty of Kentucky political leadership:

By the way, despite this shameful display, the Herald-Leader notes that:

But, despite the grumbling of some rank-and-file lawmakers, Democrats said, they don't plan to remove Rep. Jim Gooch, D-Providence, as chairman of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, where he has defended the coal industry and stopped environmental reforms for years.

Why the hell not?

To allow this man to continue to have a bully-pulpit and mock science and obstruct efforts to pass mine safety legislation in order to protect his coal company interests is an offense to every Kentuckian, and is a microcosm of what is wrong with our political system. Democrats should be demanding that Speaker Richards (D) remove Gooch from this post, and not settle for anything less.

Hypothetically, imagine if Gooch was chair of the education committee and held a hearing to promote a view that black students were genetically inferior to whites (and refused to allow an opposing view to testify at the hearing). Would we allow him to continue as chair? Of course not.

Imagine if he chaired a health-related committee and held a hearing on a hypothetical view that HIV does not cause AIDS (like a few loons still believe). Would we let him keep his powerful post? Hell no.

So, why is his current mockery of committee work being tolerated? This is a complete farce, another example of the joke of the Kentucky General Assembly, and yet another national chuckle at Kentucky's expense. Simply amazing.  Can we please find a primary challenger in Gooch's district?

Meanwhile, The New York Times recently published a story on the joining of forces by both Republican and Democratic governors across the country to create regional pacts on climate change. The story focused on the efforts of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R), and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D).

Kentucky's Clear Blue Shift

One of the recent signs that have made more predict that U.S. Sen. McConnell (R) is in for a rougher re-election fight than expected is the fact that President Bush's (R) job approval numbers in Kentucky have plummeted to a disastrously low 35% approve and 65% disapprove.

Indeed, those numbers do suggest that the man who has proudly defended and advanced the Bush agenda ought to be very concerned. But a closer look at those numbers tell an even more problematic story for McConnell.

You see, while Bush is becoming less popular in Kentucky, he's also getting less popular in the other 49 states, so simply using Bush's plunging numbers in Kentucky only tell part of the story. But where things are much more instructive is to see where Bush has dropped more than elsewhere over the past few years.

When you do that, you'll notice that in only one state (New Mexico) has Bush's job performance tumbled more than it has in Kentucky -- among those states which SurveyUSA has been testing monthly since May 2005 -- when you compare the differences in President Bush's net rating (approval minus disapproval):

State	Nov 2007	May 2005	Diff
New Mexico	-35 (32/67)	-4 (46/50)	-31
Kentucky	-27 (35/62)	+2 (49/47)	-29
California	-44 (26/70)	-15 (39/54)	-29
New York	-54 (22/76)	-25 (35/60)	-29
Minnesota	-30 (34/64)	-2 (47/49)	-28
Massachusetts	-54 (22/76)	-26 (35/61)	-28
Virginia	-32 (33/65)	-6 (44/50)	-26
Kansas	-21 (38/59)	+4 (49/45)	-25
Washington	-35 (31/66)	-10 (42/52)	-25
Oregon	-36 (31/67)	-13 (42/55)	-23
Alabama	-16 (41/57)	+6 (50/44)	-22
Wisconsin	-33 (32/65)	-12 (42/54)	-21
Missouri	-28 (35/63)	-10 (42/52)	-18
Iowa	-33 (32/65)	-17 (39/56)	-16
Ohio	-29 (34/63)	-20 (38/58)	-9
AVERAGE	-33.8	-9.9	-23.9

That - along with the plummeting of new Kentucky Republican voters over the past two years and this month's landslide defeat of Governor Fletcher (R) -- really paints a picture that a political realignment is happening here in a noticeable way and these dynamics couldn't be happening to McConnell at a worse time.

Does that lead me to believe that Kentucky is becoming a Democratic state again? No, I wouldn't go that far.

But I do believe these trends tell us that Kentucky is much more politically comparable to the Midwest swing states than it is to the South, which is how the state seemed to behave for much of the past decade, until around 2005 when we began to see a subtle but steady change in the political attitudes of Kentucky voters, leading to John Yarmuth's (D) defeat of Anne Northup (R) in the 3rd congressional district and this year's defeat of Fletcher and plunging approval numbers for McConnell.

This is why McConnell should be even more concerned and why the environment is right for a serious challenge of both U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis' (R) and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield's (R) congressional seat, as well as the take-back of the state Senate.

(Note: While SurveyUSA has conducted monthly Bush approval tracking in the states since May 2005, about a year ago it narrowed its month survey from all 50 states to 15 states, which is why the above chart only lists those states.)

More On McConnell's Vulnerability

Congressional Quarterly has an interesting story this morning on the efforts to oust U.S. Senator McConnell (R) next year. Even in Kentucky, voters are fed-up with McConnell being a shameless and dishonest apologist for the disastrous Bush agenda, that on top of his recent "gift" to the state of the disastrous Fletcher administration.

Here's an excerpt:

Dems Test Odds on Top GOP Sen. McConnell in ‘08 Kentucky Horse Race
By Jessica Benton Cooney, CQ Staff

The Democrats’ plans to stage a serious challenge to Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell , the current Senate minority leader, are still in their formative stages. Some national Democratic strategists are high on state Auditor Crit Luallen — she was easily re-elected in the state’s Nov. 5 election — and state Attorney General Greg Stumbo is another possible contender. Neither, however, has committed to the Senate race.

Democrats are, nonetheless, emboldened by Democrat Steve Beshear’s trouncing of ethics controversy-plagued Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher — a McConnell ally — in the state’s off-year election. And they are sounding increasingly confident that they can at least seriously test McConnell’s hold on his Senate seat, which until not long ago appeared an iron grip. CQ Politics currently rates the race as Republican Favored, but is closely watching developments.

Moreover, it appears that McConnell’s rise to the top of the Senate Republican ranks last January is hardly an unalloyed blessing as he prepares for his 2008 campaign. While McConnell will run on the prestige and legislative clout that his position as minority leader provides, the post also has made him a much more visible target for attacks from Democratic politicians and from Web-based activists allied with the Democratic Party.

Democrats portray McConnell as the leading congressional standard-bearer for the policies of President George W. Bush , whose approval ratings in Kentucky — as in most of the nation — have tanked since he swept to victory in 2004 with 60 percent of the vote in the Southern border state. A Survey USA poll taken Nov. 9-11 showed 35 percent of Kentucky respondents approved of the job Bush is doing as president, to 62 percent who disapproved, figures driven heavily by the sharp decline in public support for the prolonged U.S. military intervention in Iraq.

McConnell is accused by his critics of using filibuster threats and other parliamentary maneuvers to obstruct the will of the majorities Democrats won in both the Senate and the House in the 2006 midterm elections.

...Apart from deep policy differences, there are Democrats who are anxious for their party to go after McConnell just to give the Republicans a taste of their own medicine. The Republicans’ successful effort in 2004 to oust Democrat Tom Daschle, who then served as minority leader, from his Senate seat in South Dakota broke a longstanding (albeit unspoken) tradition by the parties of laying off each other’s top congressional leaders in the name of legislative comity. Democrats still fume over efforts by the Bush White House, led by adviser Karl Rove, to encourage the strong candidacy of Republican former Rep. John Thune, and the South Dakota visit by Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill First, then the majority leader, to campaign against Daschle.

The decline of the bipartisan “hands off” approach to legislative leaders is just one of the events that underscores how times have changed since McConnell last ran for re-election in 2002.

Beshear Taps Jennifer Moore To Be KDP Chair, Nathan Smith As Vice-Chair

This morning, Gov.-elect Beshear (D) has recommended that Jennifer Moore be elected Chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party and that Northern Kentuckian Nathan Smith be elected Vice-Chair:

Governor-elect Steve Beshear today announced his intention to recommend the election of Jennifer Moore, age 33, as Chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party and Nathan Smith, age 36, as Vice-Chair.  Moore, who has served since June as the Party's Vice Chair, would replace Jonathan Miller, who is resigning as Chair to assume his duties as Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet in the Beshear Administration.

Governor-elect Beshear will make his recommendation at the next meeting of the Kentucky Democratic Party's State Central Executive Committee which will be scheduled for Saturday, December 1, 2007. Pursuant to the Party's bylaws, Moore will serve as Acting Chair of the party until the State Central Executive Committee votes.

Obviously, I'm thrilled with the move as I've been a broken record over the past few years in highlighting the political rock-star that is Jennifer Moore -- as many of you have.

Also, I really love the move of recommending Nathan Smith to be Vice-Chair. Northern Kentucky Democrats have shown a great deal of muscle and organization of late in a political environment that is not in their favor. Despite the shifting landscape, NKY Dems have been very aggressive in targeting their efforts (recall the unexpectedly narrow losses in the state House last year by Randy Blankenship and Linda Klembara), and arguably the biggest story on Election Night this year was Beshear's double-digit margins in Kenton and Campbell Counties and losing the staunchly conservative Boone County by a stunning 300 votes, and Nathan has played a very large role in those successes.

As Vice Chair, Smith will be crucial in helping to recruit candidates to challenge both State Sen. Damon Thayer (R) and State Sen. Jack Westwood (R) next year, which is crucial to taking back the state Senate, the second biggest target out there next year for Kentucky Democrats after defeating U.S. Senator McConnell (R).

A great move.

Kentucky's Red Tape Helped Indiana Land Medco (AP)

So, for all the effort that Governor Fletcher (R) and the state legislature made to hold a special session to offer bucket loads of cash and incentives to coal companies to come into the state and experiment with never-before-done technologies in a mass scale in the U.S., it would have been nice if they had made a small change to state law to allow this company -- and its high-paying jobs -- to expand to Kentucky:

Kentucky's Red Tape Helped Indiana Land Medco
Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A pharmacy giant likely chose Indiana for its new $150 million mail-order center because of inaction by Kentucky regulators, business and state leaders said.

Medco Health Solutions announced on Monday it had chosen central Indiana over Louisville for the pharmacy center and its 1,300 high-paying jobs.

Kentucky had offered $30 million in tax incentives, while Indiana had promised about $18.5 million for the 300,000-square-foot center, which the company said would be "the world's largest and most advanced automated pharmacy."

But economic-development officials say it was the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy's failure to quickly approve a regulation that would allow Medco pharmacists working in other states to review prescriptions shipped through Louisville.

"It was a deal breaker," said Eileen Pickett, a senior vice president of Greater Louisville Inc., the metro chamber of commerce. "They can do business in Indiana today, and they can't in Kentucky, and that was a big part of the decision."

Jobs at the new center, including pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, will pay an average of $53,000 a year. Wages are expected to range from $12 to $45 an hour, according to the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority.

"Those are the kind of jobs that cities and states salivate over," said Mayor Jerry Abramson. "We certainly put a very aggressive financial package on the table, but came up short in terms of our need for amending our regulatory structure."

Economic officials and Medco representatives appeared at three consecutive meetings of the Kentucky pharmacy board, but at each meeting the board put off action.

A few weeks after the third meeting, New Jersey-based Medco said it had chosen Indiana.

...Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher was regularly briefed on the Medco recruitment and was "engaged," said Hindman, the economic development secretary. But he said that to his knowledge, the governor didn't have personal talks with Medco. Fletcher's office referred questions about Medco to Hindman.

Medco has two similar centers in New Jersey and Nevada, which together dispense 2 million prescriptions a week.

Sheer incompetence.

Final Comment

As has been widely discussed throughout the state for the past week or so, tonight is Al Smith's final Comment on Kentucky after serving 33 years serving as its host. What a tremendous loss.

Everyone seems to have a personal story to tell about Al's influence on them, and I'm no different. For me, there are three people in particular who have most shaped my political development over the past four years (whether they realize it or not): Ben Chandler, Al Cross, and Al Smith.

From the time I managed campaigns to the past few years publishing BGR, I cherished every one of Smith's kernels of advice, history, and perspective. As anyone who spent any amount of time with him will tell you, the joy was simply listening, digesting and learning. Replacing him will be tantamount to replacing Michael Jordan on the basketball court. You simply can't. I'm thrilled that Al will now have time to finish his book and enjoy his life without the constant time demands of the show, but the state (and many of us) will be much poorer as a result. I'm looking forward to the finale and hope you will find the time to watch it as well.

Al, you will be greatly missed.

Cillizza, WaPo: McConnell Now Among 10 Most Vulnerable Seats

It's official: U.S. Senator McConnell's (R) growing re-election concerns has finally landed him on a Top 10 most vulnerable list.

He debuts as #10 on Chris Cillizza's latest rankings on The Fix, his Washington Post political column:

10. Kentucky: OK, we admit we're intrigued by the prospect of a serious race in the Bluegrass State. While we believe Democrats are trying to read too much into how Ernie Fletcher's loss in the governor's race last week impacts Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R) reelection chances, there is clear evidence that the Senate minority leader could be in for a real race next fall. McConnell's decision to hit the television airwaves this month with ads touting his leadership role and what it means for the state is a tacit recognition on the part of his campaign that this race could be real. Much depends on the identity of the Democratic nominee. State Auditor Crit Luallen is the first choice of national Democrats, and a recent poll put her well within striking distance of McConnell. If Luallen decides against the race, Democrats will have to turn to a second-tier of candidates, including including state Attorney General Greg Stumbo, 2006 congressional candidate Andrew Horne and wealthy businessman Greg Fischer. Regardless of who Democrats nominate, McConnell will be ready. He is as tough a campaigner as they come, and this race will likely be expensive and bloody. (Previous ranking: N/A)

Also, recall what conservative columnist John David Dyche had to say last week:

A year ago, Kentucky Democrats had few thoughts of defeating Mitch McConnell next year. But times have changed.

“But is it possible that with the right combination of candidate and circumstances he could be beaten?” says Louisville attorney John David Dyche. “Sure he could.”

Northup Endorses Giuliani

Last year, Kentucky Congressmen Ron Lewis (R), Ed Whitfield (R) and Hal Rogers (R) endorsed Mitt Romney (R) for president.

Today, former U.S. Rep. Anne Northup (R) broke ranks with her former colleagues and endorsed Rudy Giuliani (R), as well as agreeing to serve as his Kentucky state chair:

For Immediate Release
Contact: Elliott Bundy
Friday, November 16, 2007

Anne Northup Endorses Rudy Giuliani for President
Former Congresswoman to Serve as Kentucky State Chair
New York City – The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee today announced that former Kentucky Congresswoman Anne Northup has endorsed Mayor Giuliani for President. Northup will serve as Rudy’s Kentucky State Chair.

“Rudy’s experience as a leader proves that he is the only candidate truly committed to fiscal conservative principles,” said Northup, who represented Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District from 1997 until 2007. “As President, he will also keep America on the offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us, one of the greatest challenges we face. I am proud to support Rudy for President.”

“Anne is a welcomed addition to our team,” said Michael DuHaime, Giuliani’s National Campaign Manager. “We look forward to working with her to grow Rudy’s support in the state and continue spreading the word about his commitment to lowering taxes, slashing wasteful Washington spending and keeping American families safe.”

When There's No Difference Between Democrats And Republicans...

So freaking sad:

The interim joint Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing to dispute the idea that the Earth is warming, at least in part because of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere produced by industrial activity.

Chairman Jim Gooch, D-Providence, a longtime ally of the coal industry, said he purposefully did not invite anyone who believes in global warming to testify.

"You can only hear that the sky is falling so many times," said Gooch, whose post makes him the House Democrats' chief environmental strategist. "We hear it every day from the news media, from the colleges, from Hollywood."

Neither of Gooch's invited panelists was a scientist.

I'm ashamed and disgusted that Gooch has a "D" after his name. What next, embrace teaching creationism in our public school science classes? Recall that Gooch also threw-up roadblocks last year when it came to mine safety legislation.

Gooch represents the type of Democrats that deserve a primary election.

Meanwhile, prominent national Democrats and Republicans are working together on the issue:

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and former vice president Al Gore "are planning a bipartisan presidential forum on energy and climate change in New Hampshire in December," USA Today reports.

FYI -- Jim.Gooch@lrc.ky.gov

Hebert: Governor Fletcher Claims He Didn't Grovel For A Job When With President Bush This Week

Pretty sad that such a question is even asked by the media, but it's one that I'm certain most of us were also thinking so I'm glad Mark Hebert asked it:

Governor Fletcher greeted President Bush when the prez arrived at Louisville's airport on Tuesday, but Fletcher didn't ask for a job.

...There had been some rumblings that Fletcher might be talking with the president about the possibility of a job in Washington. But the governor's spokesperson, Jodi Whitaker, says that didn't happen. Whitaker says Fletcher and Bush had a brief conversation, the govern