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Shocking -- More Fletcher Fraud Discovered

I think we should get used to this, as we unpeel the Fletcher onion and understand the facts, not the fictions that the Fletcher-Rudolph campaign tried to spin this year as they trailed by 20 points in the polls:

Today:

"Most notably and despite claims last summer that the Medicaid budget was balanced, the truth is otherwise," Beshear said. "We are facing a current year shortfall of $389 million." About a third of that comes from general funds.

June 2007:

Medicaid Is Back In Black, Official Says

The state Medicaid program that was bleeding cash several years ago is now in the black, largely thanks to broad reforms that are beginning to take hold, Health and Family Services Secretary Mark Birdwhistell said today.

After updating a legislative committee on the progress the Medicaid program has made, Birdwhistell told reporters from the Herald-Leader and the Louisville Courier-Journal that the state will make its budget when the 2007 fiscal year ends on Saturday without having to push back some of its costs to the next budget cycle.

“We’re going to pay all the bills,” he said. “I feel very good about where we are.”

What's even more noteworthy about this dishonesty was that Fletcher named his own Chief of Staff, Stan Cave, acting budget director in September and apparently Cave's loyalty to his boss, and desperation to keep his job, trumped providing the public with honest and accurate data about the state's finances.

Crooks.

What Happened To That $700 Million Surplus Fletcher Told Us We Had Earlier This Year?

In case you weren't sure how big of a charlatan former Governor Fletcher (R) and his merry band of crooks really were:

Fletcher during the April 2007 KET Debate:

“Look at what I started off with a projected $1 billion shortfall at least by some accounting, $700 million at least by others. It was said there’d be a $1 billion shortfall, we’ve had over $700 million surplus now.”

And this e-mail from the Fletcher campaign during the Republican gubernatorial primary:

Dear Friend,
You may have recently received an e-mail from Anne Northup attacking Governor Fletcher yet again. It is unfortunate that her entire campaign is based on repeating arguments championed by the Democrats and attempting to use them for her personal ambitions.

As the first Republican Governor in 32 years, Governor Fletcher has begun to turn state government around. After inheriting a $1 billion deficit, we now have an over $700 million surplus.

Today:

Gov. Steve Beshear said today that the state is facing a $434 million budget shortfall this fiscal year and what he called a “budgetary crisis” over the next two years.

Fletcher Named "Biggest Electoral Embarrassment of 2007" By Rothenberg Political Report

Another lump of coal for former Governor Fletcher (R), this courtesy of the widely-respected Rothenberg Political Report:

Biggest Electoral Embarrassment of 2007

Nominees:
• Ernie Fletcher (R-Ky.)
• Robin Weirauch (D-Ohio)
• Vladimir Putin (UR-Russia)
• Bart Peterson (D-Ind.)
• Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-Va.)

The winner: Peterson’s defeat for re- election as mayor of Indianapolis was the stunner of the year, but Fletcher’s was the most embarrassing. Fletcher.

Fletcher Received Only 3 Contributions From Frankfort Residents In Final Weeks

Looks like former Governor Fletcher (R) didn't have many friends in the state's capital in the final weeks. He received a donation from just one person whose last name wasn't Fletcher, compared to the 114 who gave to Governor Beshear (D):

Just 3 Here Gave To Fletcher In Last Weeks Of Campaign
By Paul Glasser (State Journal)

Campaign finance records show local support for Ernie Fletcher dropped sharply during the final weeks in the gubernatorial campaign against Steve Beshear.

Fletcher only raised $1,400 from three individuals, including his brother Harold, between late October and Nov. 6. Candidates are only required to report contributions of more than $100 and individuals can only give $1,000 per candidate in each election cycle.

During the same period, Beshear raised about $43,000 from 116 Franklin County supporters, according to the records with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.

...The short list of contributors that supported Fletcher at the end of the campaign include: financial manager Rachel Fletcher, 2267 Cardwell Lane, $500; physical therapist A. Nitz, 132 Farmbrook Circle, $500; and architect Harold Fletcher, 2267 Cardwell Lane, $400.

Quote Of The Day

U.S. Senator Bunning (R) restates the obvious:

"Brett Hall is a liar," Bunning said in a conference call with Kentucky political reporters.

Indeed, Hall is arguably pathological with his lies.

Aside from being an abysmal predictor of the political landscape, Hall -- Fletcher's former spokesman -- has no problem putting out complete falsehoods. He made-up poll numbers (that no one reported) to argue that Governor Fletcher (R) had tied Steve Beshear (D) with two weeks before Election Day (and then he lost by 18 as the real polls predicted), and he admitted he lied to the media earlier this year about how he obtained internal official records in an effort to smear Auditor Crit Luallen (D).

Besides, how bad do you have to be to be fired by Fletcher for inappropriate behavior? Seriously.

Fletcher Becomes Patton

Recall Governor Fletcher's (R) anger in 2003 when -- in the weeks before leaving office -- then Governor Patton (D) appointed new members to the Kentucky Racing Commission. So furious was Fletcher that he immediately disbanded the commission upon taking office and replaced it with the Kentucky Racing Authority with new members which he appointed.

Listen to how they whined:

Republicans and their incoming governor, Ernie Fletcher, are crying foul. Although Patton has the authority to pack seats with anyone he chooses until Dec. 9, that-doesn't mean he should, they said. Fletcher is urging recent Patton appointees to decline to serve.

"Any additional appointments will be disappointing as Kentuckians overwhelmingly gave us a mandate to bring-real change to state government, and that includes boards and commissions," said Daniel Groves, Fletcher's chief of staff.

[...]

Yesterday, several Senate leaders came out fighting and accused the lame-duck governor of unseemly arrogance.

"I actually admired Paul Patton and even considered him a friend until last week, when he decided to push for keno and make all these appointments, all at the last minute," said Sen. Charlie Borders, R-Russell, the Republican caucus chair.

"It's like he's somehow more important than the commonwealth," Borders said. "It's like his ego is more important than allowing the next administration to start finding its voice."

So, aside from helping to force the scary Jon Draud (R) down the throats of Kentuckians as the new state school commissioner, we now see Fletcher's cronies quickly trying to hand out the final racing license before he leaves office -- knowing that such a license probably means a gaming license if expanded gaming is enacted:

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority could decide before the end of the year whether to grant the state's last racetrack license to Sprint Racing Partners' proposed quarter-horse facility near London.

Authority Executive Director Lisa Underwood said one of its committees is scheduling a hearing for Dec. 10, but she doesn't know whether the application will be on the agenda for the Dec. 17 authority meeting.

...The timing of granting a license also could play a role in whether the track would be eligible for a casino, assuming the legislature places a constitutional amendment allowing gaming on the ballot and voters approve it. Bills to govern the awarding of casinos have limited some of them to tracks licensed by a certain date.

Apparently, it's okay if Fletcher does the very thing he criticized Patton for doing. A shameless hypocrite until the end.

I guess Governor Beshear (D) could always disband the Racing Authority if he so chose -- exactly like Fletcher did -- but that's just my two cents.

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.

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.)

Fletcher Sychophants Urge Non-Merit Workers To "Occupy" New Administration's First Days "Getting Rid Of You"

While Governor Fletcher (R) has publicly pledged the fully support to the incoming Beshear-Mongiardo Administration, some of his sycophants have jumped into their rats holes and are imploring non-merit workers to force the incoming administration to "occupy" their first days having to "getting rid" of them.

Class acts:

To non-merit employees:
Do not resign, even if requested, unless you get an absolutely unbeatable job offer elsewhere. This goes for Cabinet secretaries all the way down to non-merit clerical secretaries. Make Beshear fire you on Dec. 11 after he takes office. That way, you can draw unemployment for awhile and not give him the satisfaction of starting with a clean slate. Make him occupy his first hours and days with the details of getting rid of you. In NASCAR parlance, it's time for you to make your car very wide.

These are the same anonymous whack-jobs who implored fellow Republicans to refuse to support the only two Republicans who actually won on Election Day -- Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer (R).

Looks like Loony Larry Forgy (R) will have some friends if he decides to challenge U.S. Sen. McConnell (R) next year...

Fletcher's Campaign Admits They Lied About Anti-Gaming Issue

Not that we didn't already know that Governor Fletcher (R) was lying through teeth during the campaign, but it's good to see they acknowledge it.

Here what Fletcher said in the final week of the general election on his flip-flop on the gaming issue:

Bishop, who campaigned with Fletcher in his successful 2003 governor's race and who later accepted a position as mansion director, said the governor couldn't ignore the gambling issue.

"Fletcher believes in his heart that this would not be good for Kentucky," Bishop said, "and he felt it was his responsibility as governor to take a stand."

Fletcher said Bishop is right.

"This is not about strategy," Fletcher said. "I don't think people understand that."

And here's what his campaign told the Herald-Leader in a story that came yesterday as they looked back on the election:

The campaign's first internal poll taken in early June tested possible negative messages about Democratic challenger Steve Beshear -- he favored casinos, once lobbied for the payday loan industry and worked on the liquidation of Kentucky Central Life Insurance Co. The poll respondents were then read a list of Fletcher's accomplishments and were asked to pick between the two candidates.

Even after laying out the best-case scenario for Fletcher, "we still couldn't get over 44 percent," said Marty Ryall, Fletcher's campaign manager.

[...]

What the Fletcher campaign did next was a bit unorthodox and more than a little controversial, especially among some of the governor's staunchest allies. The strategy was to change the subject, specifically to the issue of casinos upon which Beshear proudly built his Democratic primary platform.

"If we could make it a referendum on casinos instead of a referendum on the governor, we might have a chance," Ryall said. "We knew it was a long shot."

...After the campaign's June poll results came back, Fletcher's key advisers agreed on one of their weekly Wednesday conference calls that opposing casinos was the best option because the numbers showed that socially conservative voters might respond to such a message.

Convincing Fletcher, however, was the first task.

"We acknowledged that it was unconventional; it was kind of a Hail Mary," said Bill Kenyon, political director for Fletcher's media consulting firm Strategic Perception, Inc., in a phone interview from his Texas home. "Like most political figures given their preference, he would have rather talked about his achievements. That just wasn't going to put us over the goal line."

Fletcher said last month that he and first lady Glenna Fletcher looked at all the data -- poll numbers and statistics about the effect casinos have on communities --and signed off on the approach.

By late June, Fletcher had altered his public stance on the issue from staying neutral to declaring, "No casinos."

Contrary to Fletcher's assertion more than a week ago that "this is not about strategy" it seems it was all about strategy. Unfortunately, yesterday's Herald-Leader story doesn't point out how brazenly dishonest Fletcher was on this issue.

Part 2 -- Fletcher & Crooks -- Like Pigs At The Trough Until The Bitter End

I've gotten some interesting e-mails over the weekend about Friday's post concerning the unapproved election eve black-topping quickly done in Clark County, without even a contract or bidding.

Seems that Clark County wasn't the only place in Kentucky that saw unplanned, unapproved black-topping in the 48 hours before the election.

From a Jessamine County reader:

Mark,

They did the same in Jessamine County the last weekend as well. On Friday before the election, Judge Cassity received a call from the Allen Company telling him they were holding a letter signed by the Secretary to pave some $500,000 in roads. Cassity told them he did not have any contract and that they would be at their own risk. They paved roads on Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Tuesday’s election.

I suspect that when December 11th comes around, there will not even be dust in the cupboard for the Beshear administration and will have a difficult time even keeping the lights on.

And this from a Democratic county judge-executive from a Northern Kentucky county:

It seems as though Gov. Fletcher had funds left over from last year’s discretionary bond fund. Please note last year’s fund. I had learned there was about $7 million unspent and I officially ask for some additional funds. Of course I did not receive these funds, heck I never received a confirmation from the Transportation Cabinet that I had ask for the assistance. This was all apart of Sec. Nighbert’s program of treating everyone fairly, no matter whether you were a D or R. So I feel very safe to say that is where the money came from so quickly. If someone checks they still might find some of this borrowed money still unspent. My county only got $350,000 out of $75 million in bonded funds, but that was clearly due to my support of Beshear and Chandler, 4 years ago.

Crooks to the very end.

Lessons Not Learned

John Cheves penned an excellent story in this weekend's Herald-Leader on how Governor Fletcher's (R) attempts to play the "gay card" backfired on him and references, among other things, the Fletcher folks' obsession with San Francisco references.

You'll recall how in the final days how lieutenant governor candidate Robbie Rudolph (R) called the Beshear-Mongiardo "San Francisco treats" and then they sent robo-calls taped by homophobic entertainer Pat Boone warning that under Beshear Kentucky would "become another San Francisco."

Well, despite the failure of their San Francisco obsession to win their side votes, it seems that other Republicans in Kentucky haven't learned any lesson from their losing candidate's strategy. Case-in-point: conservative blogger Jefferson Poole has taken to referring to U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D) as:

Representative John Yarmuth (D - KY / San Francisco)

These guys just don't learn their lessons quickly, do they? Though, I suppose Democrats should root that they keep going down this clearly idiotic path...

The Carnage

Joe Gerth has an excellent column in today's Courier-Journal on the trail of carnage left by Governor Fletcher's (R) landslide defeat of last week, including these remarkable tidbits:

Gov. Ernie Fletcher won 28 counties in Tuesday's election -- all but six of which were in the "Old Fifth," a triangular area that ran from Monroe County up to Jessamine County and back to Harlan County.

There were 28 counties in the "Old Fifth," which was redrawn after Kentucky lost one congressional seat following the 1990 census.

Unlike in 2003, when Fletcher won dozens of Democratic counties across the state, on Tuesday he didn't carry one county where the GOP is in the minority.

And he lost in five counties where Republicans are the majority party.

Astonishingly, Fletcher lost Martin County, the home of Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, where 73 percent of voters are Republicans.

He also lost Leslie County, which is 86 percent Republican...lost in 75 percent Republican Owsley, 65 percent Republican Edmonson and 55 percent Republican Johnson counties.

Even Fletcher's own voters weren't interested in another four years of him...

Fletcher & Crooks -- Like Pigs At The Trough Until The Bitter End

A reader writes:

Where did Ernie Fletcher get the $770,000 he passed out for road construction in Clark County just days before the election? Why did a paving crew start work, even before the money is in the Clark County budget, and no contract was bid? Why are county officials telling said paving company they are on their own, regarding payment?

What is the reader referring to?

Well, here's a story in yesterday's Winchester Sun that might explain it:

The Clark County Fiscal Court approved an agreement with the state Transportation Cabinet on Wednesday to accept nearly $770,000 of surprise funding for local road resurfacing.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced last week that Clark County would receive the money when he stopped in Winchester during a campaign bus tour of the region.

County Judge-Executive Henry Branham said he was unaware of the earmark, which was drawn from the cabinet's discretionary fund, until the day of the announcement. Court members indicated Wednesday that they were uncertain that the county would actually receive the funds.

...Since the announcement, the Allen Company of Winchester has already performed $300,000 of work on the roads without a payment contract.

Clark County Road Supervisor Kevin Wilson said the Allen Company began work on the roads against his and Branham's advice, and the Fiscal Court would not be held responsible to pay for the work if the state funding fell through. County officials should know by Monday if Nighbert signs the agreement, he said.

County Attorney Brian Thomas said he doesn't think the county would be exposed to any payment liability since the Allen Company was specifically told to hold off on work. But he said the "unjust enrichment" theory in contract law could be used as grounds for a suit.

"Do I think we have created a contract? - no," he said.

Hmmm. First they sloppily posted the Ten Commandments in the Capitol on the day before the election, when polls showed Fletcher trailing by 20 points. Now we learn of unauthorized black-top laid in Clark County in the week before.

I thought these crooks were opposed to public financing of campaigns?

Good riddance.

Some Republicans Saw It Coming (Ronnie Ellis)

Ronnie Ellis has an interesting political column today on the Republican post-election reaction:

Early on Tuesday, I got an earful from a distraught Republican. She couldn’t believe Republicans found themselves in the position they faced in this election, only four years after the Kentucky GOP stood atop the political mountain and looked into what appeared to be a very bright future. But Fletcher and company blew their chance.

“How hard should it have been to govern without arrogance, without retribution, and with honesty?” she asked. “Ernie Fletcher and those around him never understood 2003 wasn’t about them. It was about change and that people were tired of being embarrassed by their elected officials.

“All they wanted was someone to be proud of and to know they would do what they promised. Instead, we got secret doors, cuff-link kids, arrogance, planes with no transponders, teachers marching on the capitol and moral superiority.”

I'll never understand how everyone realized this, except Fletcher. How can anyone be so clueless as to lose their political compass so quickly after being swept into office on the singular platform of cleaning-up the mess in Frankfort.

Was it simply arrogance + incompetence?

A Victim Of His Own Political Lunacy (Keeling, Herald-Leader)

Larry Dale Keeling has a terrific column in today's Herald-Leader on Governor Fletcher's (R) downfall. I think he's absolutely spot-on and I really encourage you to read the entire piece.

Here's how Keeling sums it up:

All he accomplished with the variety of tactics he employed over the course of the 18-month investigation was to make himself look desperate to keep the truth hidden. And such desperation creates the perception of guilt.

Simply put, the course of actions Fletcher and his advisers came up with in response to the investigation bordered on political lunacy. Through his own ineptitude and that of his staff, he took what should have been a two-week story and turned it into his personal political obituary.

Amen.

This is a textbook tale of what happens when you give Dumb (Fletcher) and Dumber (his advisers) a little bit of political power.

Ky. Capitol Displays Not Historically Accurate (Biesk, AP)

Idiots.

Apparently, Governor Fletcher (R) was in such a hurry to get the Ten Commandments posted in the State Capitol on the eve of the election -- hoping it would save him from a landslide defeat (it didn't) -- that they apparently didn't care whether the display was historically accurate.

What a bunch of fools:

Ky. Capitol Displays Not Historically Accurate
By JOE BIESK, Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. --To some, an exhibit on display in the Kentucky Capitol seems more hysterical than historical.

The "Star Spangled Banner," according to one framed account, was a rallying cry 33 years before it was written. And the U.S. motto, "In God We Trust," was adopted on two separate days in July 1956.

[...]

One plaque, about the national anthem, reads: "Both the new song and the flag became known as 'The Star Bangled Banner' and became a rallying cry for the American patriots during the Revolutionary War."

But Francis Scott Key didn't write "The Star-Spangled Banner" until 1814 after a battle at Maryland's Fort McHenry, and the American Revolution ended in 1781.

Calvert, the UK historian, had not seen the plaque but heard a description of it. She noted that the national anthem could not have been a rallying cry for American revolutionaries.

"This is an egregious error and an example of sloppy historical thinking," Calvert said.

A document regarding the adoption of "In God We Trust" as the national motto was also inaccurate, claiming Congress adopted it on both July 20 and July 30, 1956. The latter is correct.

A Fletcher spokeswoman, Jodi Whitaker, said the administration was "not aware of any inaccuracies."

[...]

Thomas C. Mackey, a University of Louisville history professor, said the connection between the national anthem and the American Revolution was "impossible." Americans did not gain an emotional attachment to the flag until the Civil War era, Mackey said.

"The flag was certainly important for our military troops to know where the lines were," Mackey said. "They certainly were symbols, but did they carry quite the significance as 19th century Americans and 20th century Americans? The answer seems to be no."

Of course, this comes from the same crew that wanted to teach creationism in our public school science classes and eagerly embraced an anti-science "museum" that believes humans and dinosaurs co-existed, with one display showing a saddle on a dinosaur like something straight out of The Flintstones.

Is there any doubt that the voters knew EXACTLY what they doing yesterday when they threw out these nuts?

Here Comes The Incessant Whining

This State-Journal story might be the single greatest compilation of whining Fletcher sycophants that I've ever read.

Take a deep breath before you read Teresa Barton, John Roach and an ensemble cast of Disciples point the finger at the "liberal media" and blame Fletcher's unspecified "enemies" for his downfall. It's that same recurring theme -- it's never their fault...

Oh yeah, and read this one for a little more Larry Forgy bluster.

McConnell Lunacy So Early In The Morning?

In today's Kentucky Enquirer:

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the titular head of the Kentucky GOP, said Fletcher "ran a hard-fought campaign that showed a deep commitment to the Commonwealth and to the principles that propelled him into office four years ago.

"He lost the race, but won our respect," McConnell said in a statement.

Senator, please tell us what you believe was respectful of the race Fletcher ran.

Was it the gay-bashing robo calls or the equally disturbing one by Pat Boone? Or was it the hypocritical positions he took on expanded-gaming? Or maybe it was the dishonest attacks he launched against both Steve Beshear (D) and Anne Northup (R) -- who you left to twist in the wind after encouraging her to run in the primary in the first place? Or maybe it was Fletcher's attempt to drop any pretense of running for re-election on issues and instead trotted out the tired old smears of gays, guns, Ten Commandments, immigration, abortion, or his dishonest attacks on Kentucky Central? Or was it the "San Francisco treat" comments while you stood nearby? Or was it the shaking-down of state contractors and state employees for campaign contributions?

Please tell us, Senator. What part of Fletcher's re-election campaign caused him to win your respect, as you now state?

So Much For The Impenetrable GOP Fortress That Is Northern Kentucky

In light of last night's amazing seven point victory by Gov.-elect Steve Beshear (D) in the three Northern Kentucky counties (Campbell, Kenton and Boone), I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone how certain some Republican leaders were that Beshear could not pierce their GOP fortress, even with a pariah at the top of the Republican ticket:

Pretty much, Northern Kentucky is Republican territory at this point," Kenton County Republican Chairman Greg Shipmate said.

...

[State Sen. Katie] Stine said even a Democratic elected official from Campbell County told the governor: "You won't have any problem with this county."

I'll be looking for even better comments in the next day or two. It sure does seem that the GOP's NKY bubble can be popped with the right Democratic candidates.

Watch out Damon Thayer (R) and Jack Westwood (R), we're coming after you next...

Denial Sets In For Republicans

I can't help but notice that some of our Republican friends are posting comments this morning that last night's election told us nothing other than the voters dislike Governor Fletcher (R) and that Democrats didn't gain anything last night and that U.S. Senator McConnell (R) is just fine.

No doubt, there was a palpable feeling that Fletcher needed to be ousted, and that surely drove much of the voters' desire. Those are cute talking points, but they fail to address things like this:

1. Why has new voters registering as Republican plummeted since 2005, after reaching parity that year, especially its precipitous drop for five consecutive months heading into yesterday's election?
                     
2. Why are Senator McConnell's (R) favorables and re-elect numbers under that magical 50% mark in most independent polls?
                        
3. Why is Hillary Clinton (D) is outperforming Senator McConnell (R) in Kentucky in hypothetical general election match-up?

And that does even address President Bush's (R) rock-bottom job approval in Kentucky, the fact that Democrats are in full-control of two crucial congressional districts, that Fletcher lost the three Northern Kentucky counties by seven points -- when Republican leadership made clear in recent weeks that NKY would remain a Fletcher strong-hold.

It's understandable that Republicans are going to try to find the silver-lining in last night's results, but it's important to separate fact from fiction and we're already seeing them spin their little fables, hoping the media will report the same.

Kentucky has not magically transformed itself into a blue state, but voters sure seems a lot more willing to embrace Democrats of late, based on their actions at the voting booth, how they are registering to vote, and their attitudes that recent polling has made very clear.

Though, as a Democrat, I sure hope this state of denial lingers for a while...

BGR Readers Rock!

You guys were quite impressive with your over/under predictions in the various counties, with the majority going 14-5 with their picks. Even more impressive is that (with the exception of the Northern Kentucky counties), the over/under line was very, very close to actual results, meaning it was a much tougher call for the majority of readers to pick the correct result.

Below are the results. The only counties missed (shaded in red) were the ones that were very close to the actual over/under line, giving you little room for error. Nicely done.

County (Over/Under)	% Predicting OVER	% Predicting UNDER	Fletcher 2003	Fletcher 2007
Franklin (30%)	32%	68%	47%	26.6%
Jefferson (35%)	22%	78%	49%	34.5%
Fayette (40%)	33%	67%	54%	41.0%
Boone (65%)	21%	79%	72%	50.8%
Kenton (60%)	20%	80%	65%	45.1%
Campbell (60%)	16%	84%	63%	44.4%
Warren (50%)	21%	79%	61%	44.9%
Oldham (55%)	28%	72%	68%	51.5%
Daviess (45%)	16%	84%	52%	35.6%
McCracken (47%)	20%	80%	59%	43.4%
Pulaski (62%)	32%	68%	73%	62.3%
Pike (30%)	41%	59%