BluegrassReport.org

U of L Let Henry Go After Work Complaints (Gerth, Courier-Journal)

Joe Gerth has a blockbuster story in this morning's Courier-Journal on the real story behind former Lt. Governor Steve Henry's (D) involuntary separation from the University of Louisville, despite his the lies he told during the recent gubernatorial primary race.

After reading this story, Democrats should be quite grateful that Henry is not the current Democratic nominee.

Here are some excerpts from the lengthy story:

U of L Let Henry Go After Work Complaints
Accreditation, hospital liability were concerns
By Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal

Former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry was removed from the University of Louisville Medical School faculty last year after repeatedly missing surgical procedures performed by students under his supervision and being unavailable when on call for emergencies, university records show.

Henry's superiors voiced concern that his actions posed potential legal liability for University Hospital and medical students and could put the university's department of orthopedic medicine at risk of losing its accreditation, according to the records.

[...]

Among other things, the records show that Johnson had tried for more than four years to remove Henry from his volunteer position but was blocked by superiors until late last year.

"I would be remiss in my responsibilities as Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery if I jeopardized the future of our residents and our program by allowing Dr. Henry to remain on staff," Johnson wrote in 2003 to Dr. Joel Kaplan, then the chancellor of the medical campus, who had decided to keep Henry on staff.

In addition to Henry's supervisory and on-call problems, the file alludes to other concerns, though it doesn't go into detail.

[...]

In addition, the letter said, his statements to the news media were to be cleared through the department because of some inaccuracies in the past.

"For example, comments by you that you donate $50,000 from your U of L salary are completely inaccurate," Johnson wrote. "You have been on leave of absence from the full-time faculty since 1996 … and have not received a salaried check from U of L since that time."

[...]

On June 23, Dr. Ryan Krupp, a resident in the department, wrote that Henry was scheduled for surgery with Krupp and Dr. Justin Ogden.

When Ogden talked to Henry on the phone just before surgery, Henry said he was "minutes away from the hospital and that we should proceed with the case and he would meet us in the operating room," according to Krupp's letter. It added that Henry never showed up and didn't return phone calls.

Steve Henry (D) Goes On The Attack

Looks like Steve Henry (D) has tossed his pledge to stay positive in the trash.

Here's his two latest ads. I guess he agrees with the polls that say the one-time front-runner isn't in first or second any longer. What happened to all those Henry supporters that filled BGR with glorious comments about him? Haven't seen them around much these days.

Blue Grass Poll

The Courier-Journal has just released its numbers from its Blue Grass Poll taken May 10 through May 15. It shows the gubernatorial primary races as follows:

Beshear 27%
Lunsford 21%
Henry 13%
Richards 7%
Galbraith 4%
Hensley 1%

Fletcher 41%
Northup 26%
Harper 10%

My quick thoughts: 1) The poll began a week ago, which means it would not have taken full account of strong surges of late by Beshear and Northup; 2) Fletcher has to be terrified that he's only at 41% just a week from the election as the INCUMBENT, knowing that late undecideds rarely break for an incumbent, not to mention what would happen to him in a runoff; 3) how many of Harper voters will cast a vote for the guy who can't win instead of Northup who has a shot?

Hebert: Steve Henry (D) Loses Campaign Manager

Mark Hebert is reporting another wheel falling off the Steve Henry (R) for governor cart. Apparently, his campaign manager is no longer with the campaign and back in Oklahoma, leaving one week until the primary election. Now, we don't know if he quit or got pushed out, but Henry's campaign has been a disaster.

I wouldn't be surprised if he finishes fourth on Tuesday...

Henry's Sheer Desperation

Steve Henry (D) continues to demonstrate just how big of a fool he is each and every day during this campaign. I'm speechless by his attack on Attorney General Stumbo (D) during last night's debate:

Henry shot back by questioning the motives of Lunsford’s running mate Stumbo, the attorney general who assigned the prosecutor.

“That’s what he did to the governor,” Henry said, referring to Stumbo’s probe into Fletcher’s hiring practices. “And it seems like if you get in his political way, that’s what he’s going to do to you.”

That comment alone should effectively disqualify Henry from any further consideration. Not only is it an absurd statement but he's just given Governor Fletcher (R) a wet kiss if Henry faced him in a general election. Thankfully, Henry is dropping in the polls faster than an anchor at sea.

I've made no bones about my disgust for Bruce Lunsford (D), but I don't feel the same way about Stumbo. While I'm disappointed that he choose to run with Lunsford, I have only good things to say about his performance -- and that of the many talented people in his office -- during his tenure as attorney general. I was disappointed that they let Fletcher get away without a trial, but I fully understand the thinking behind that decision.

Henry's malicious attack on Stumbo is so outrageous that one can only view it as an act of a desperate candidate who's best day in this race was the day he announced and it's been downhill ever since. I want Stumbo to lose but I have great respect for his work during the past three and a half years. I'm sickened by Henry's statement. So should all Democrats.

Survey USA To Show Beshear Surge?

The good folks over at Ditch Mitch appear to have the early data from today's Survey USA poll, indicating that Steve Beshear (D) has greatly benefited from Jonathan Miller's (D) withdrawal and endorsement:

(previous results in parentheses):

• Beshear/Mongiardo -- 32% (23%)
• Lunsford/Stumbo -- 23% (29%)
• Henry/True -- 18% (18%)
• Richards/Brown -- 12% (9%)
• Galbraith/Wireman --6% (5%)
• Undecided -- 9% (7%)

Assuming these numbers are accurate, the other interesting storyline is that despite dumping million of dollars into this race, Bruce Lunsford (D) isn't getting any more traction this year than in 2003 when he peaked at about 25% and then dropped out.

Not only is Lunsford no sure thing for finishing second, but if Beshear continues to gather steam there's an outside chance he'll pierce 40%. Will Lunsford try to go back on his promise and launch attack ads against Beshear in the final week?

Update: Also according to the Ditch Mitch post, Governor Fletcher (R) has lost some ground but continues to lead Anne Northup (R) by ten points.

Update #2 (12:41 pm): Click here for the actual survey results.

Democrats Focus Their Fire On Beshear (Gerth/Steitzer, Courier-Journal)

I missed last night's KET Democratic gubernatorial debate but, according to the Courier-Journal's story, it sounds like it was an eventful evening:

Democrats Focus Their Fire On Beshear
Gambling plan, loan ties assailed
By Joseph Gerth and Stephenie Steitzer, The Courier-Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Democratic candidates for governor took aim yesterday at former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear, criticizing their fellow candidate's reliance on expanded gambling to pay for the state's needs and his role in working for high-interest lenders.

They said the biggest problem with gambling is that it would take several years before the state could benefit from it — and that's if the General Assembly passes legislation next year to allow casino gambling.

"It's just like Wallace Wilkinson," said former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, invoking the name of Beshear's late political nemesis, who won election in 1987 pushing a state lottery.

"He's trying to perpetrate something that is not going to happen for at least three years."

House Speaker Jody Richards said Beshear didn't understand how difficult it would be to pass such a constitutional amendment as long as David Williams is president of the state Senate.

"Mr. Beshear doesn't seem to realize there is a General Assembly out there," Richards said. After listening to Henry, Richards and Bruce Lunsford take him to task, Beshear said, "I love how all these people plan for failure."

[...]

Richards and Henry also criticized Beshear for his work as a lawyer and lobbyist for the Kentucky Deferred Deposit Association in the late 1990s. The group represents payday lenders that charge high interest rates.

Beshear contended that he actually helped the state pass restrictions on the industry, limiting interest rates and the number of times the businesses could "roll over," or reissue, the loans.

In fact, he fought against more strict rules.

"Mr. Beshear, I know you're a great lawyer, but I don't think that is going to sit with the voters. The bottom line is you represented the industry," Henry said, calling Beshear's explanation "a little far-fetched."

Richards then jumped in, criticizing a bill Beshear supported in 1998, saying it allows excessive interest and needs to be more restrictive.

"Mr. Speaker, as I remember, the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed it and you voted for it," Beshear shot back.

[...]

When a panelist asked the candidates about the practice of sitting governors using a state plane to attend campaign events, all said they would not do so if elected.

A panelist followed up by pointing out that Beshear was reported to have used a state plane more than 200 times while he was lieutenant governor under then-Gov. Martha Layne Collins.

Before the debate ended, the Lunsford campaign seized upon the issue, releasing a statement that showed reports of Beshear's use of the state plane, many of which occurred while he was running for governor when he was lieutenant governor.

Beshear said after the debate that he used the plane to appear in his official capacity at civic events, festivals and parades, not to attend fundraisers.

Asked whether those events blur the line between official and campaign use, Beshear said the General Assembly should develop a clear set of guidelines "so that it will be clear not only to the governor and the lieutenant governor, but also the people in the state as to exactly when you can use the state aircraft and when you should not."

I'm looking forward to the Survey USA results that will be released today. I've heard that the Blue Grass Poll is expected to be released tomorrow as well.

Henry's Hypocrisy

Ryan Alessi highlights the hypocrisy of Steve Henry's (D) latest campaign promise:

Steve Henry launched a new ad last week touting the need for state government to buy Kentucky products and services before resorting to out-of-state vendors --a subject that had not yet been talked about in the governor's race.

The commercial's announcer starts off saying, "Today Kentucky state government buys ..."

"Computer software from California, dude," says a blond man in front of a Golden Gate Bridge.

"Telephones from Tennessee," says a woman with a southern accent.

"Air fresheners from Chicago," a third actor says in front of the Windy City's skyline.

Then Henry, lieutenant governor from 1995 to 2003, is shown explaining his "Buy Kentucky first" plan that gives preference to in-state firms.

A look at Henry's finance report, however, shows that his campaign has paid for:

• Web site design from Chicago ($7,500).

• Fund-raising software from Washington, D.C. ($5,300)

• And polling services from Washington ($35,012).

More Steve Henry (D) Lies (Why Does That Sound Familiar?)

Mark Hebert has this nugget about yet another Steve Henry (D) lie:

Henry: In his opening statement, Dr. Henry told the group "I run a charity clinic at U of L".

That's not true. As the C-J pointed out in a story on monday, Henry's agreement with University Hospital was not renewed this year. When I asked Henry about the error, he said he'd put aside his medical work to run for governor. When I reminded Henry that he'd told the group that he currently runs a health care clinic, he responded by saying that he'd seen more than 20,000 patients during his years at U of L. When I kept pressing and asking if he wasn't misleading people to believe he was still practicing medicine, Henry responded that he won't try to see patients while he's campaigning.

Of course, being called-out on his lies won't stop the Henry campaign from repeating them. Here's a Letter to the Editor in the Owensboro newspaper this morning, touting the same lie:

Henry gives to community through free clinic, operations
5/8/2007

We all know that Dr. Steve Henry was born in Owensboro and that he graduated from Owensboro Senior High School, Western Kentucky University and the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He is a loving husband and wonderful father. He served two terms as lieutenant governor.

Steve is acclaimed as one of the top orthopedic surgeons in this area. Several days a month, he sees patients at a free clinic. He has performed several hundred operations at no charge, a way for him to give back to the community...

Melody Knight
Owensboro

I don't think there's any doubt that the Henry campaign is "astro-turfing" newspapers across the state by getting their supporters to write this trash. If you see a similar letter in your local paper, please forward to me ASAP.

The Answer To The Jerry Lundergan Question

A member of organized labor sent me the following concerning my earlier post about which Democratic gubernatorial candidates will replace KDP Chairman Jerry Lundergan should they win the primary, as the rules allow:

On March 29 and 30, 2007, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lexington, KY,  Steve Henry, Jody Richards, Jonathan Miller and Steve Beshear spoke to the UMWA 's Coal Miners Political Action Committee. In the presence of approximately 35 UMWA members each Candidate was ask the question if they would replace Jerry Lundergan as KDP Chair. Steve Beshear and Jonathan Miller responded without hesitation that they would replace Jerry Lundergan. Steve Henry defended Lundergan and indicated he would not remove Lundergan. Steve Henry then made the comment from the podium to give him a name that would be better. The Chair of the meeting responded,"Just throw a rock out in the crowd, anybody you hit would be better" this got quite a laugh out of the group and clearly Henry was displeased with the joke. Jody Richards bragged on Lundergan and tried to avoid answering the question but when pressed Richards refused to say he would remove Lundergan. There you have it.

Sadly, Jody is not giving undecided Democrats many reasons to support him.

The Question That Needs To Be Asked

One question that I would encourage a reporter to ask the remaining Democratic gubernatorial candidates is this:

Democratic Party rules allow its gubernatorial nominee to select the party chairman of his choosing. If you win the nomination, will you ask Jerry Lundergan to remain as chairman or will you bring in new leadership for the KDP for the general election?

While some supporters of Jonathan Miller (D) are trying to determine whether to back Steve Beshear (D) or Jody Richards (D), this question might be the deciding factor for many Democrats who are looking for good government and honest, ethical leadership running the Kentucky Democratic Party.

We all know that Bruce Lunsford (D) and Steve Henry (D) have embraced the extension of Lundergan's failed leadership if they win. We also know that Beshear is no fan of the current regime. But I've not seen where Richards has made clear his intention and how he answers this question may very well determine how much of Miller's support he can hope to receive.

For many, including myself, this question is as important as any issue a candidate is asked to give. It's time all Democratic candidates are put on-the-record to tell us whether the disastrous and embarrassing reign of Jerry Lundergan will come to an end if they are nominated.

Where's Ben? Where's Jerry?

Six months ago, all Democratic eyes were fixed on whether the state's two most popular Democrats -- U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler (D) and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson (D) -- would run for governor this year. They both demurred, and disappointed many.

Since then, seven Democrats did join the race, and polls show that its two most baggage-laden, ethically-challenged candidates -- Bruce Lunsford (D) and Steve Henry (D) -- have been leading the pack the entire way.

However, we've not heard a peep from either Chandler or Abramson about this race.

While it's understandable why they would opt not to take sides, it's not acceptable that they've gone into hiding while noticing that the Democratic electorate seems foolishly ready to nominate either Lunsford or Henry and doom our chances in the fall, particularly if Republican manage to get their collective act together and throw Governor Fletcher (R) overboard.

The narrative of this primary season has given us three very unexpected heroes in an effort to deny either Lunsford or Henry the nomination:

• Organized labor has come out in full force (with very few exceptions) to actively campaign against Lunsford;
              
• Former Henry campaign manager Leslie Holland has endured Henry's personal attacks and smears by going public with his law-breaking ways and even filed a complaint against him;
           
• Now Jonathan Miller (D) has dropped-out of the race and supported Steve Beshear (D) in hopes of specifically preventing either Lunsford or Henry from advancing to the general election.

So, where are Chandler and Abramson? When are they going to demonstrate some leadership and match the efforts of organized labor, Holland and Miller? Or are they determined to remain in their safe, comfortable cocoon, to hell with the Democratic Party which looks to them for leadership? Chandler's silence is particularly disappointing given what Lunsford did to him in 2003 with the millions of dollars in bogus attack ads and then the betrayal of endorsing Fletcher in the fall after previously promising to support the Democratic nominee.

It's time for Chandler and Abramson to show some leadership.

It's time they make clear that Democrats must win back the Governor's Mansion in the fall and cannot afford to nominate either Lunsford or Henry. To do so would jeopardize our hopes of winning and would ensure that the Kentucky Democratic Party will be run by the same lackluster, egocentric, and unprincipled bunch of good ol' boys led by Jerry Lundergan.

It's time to step-up, Ben and Jerry. Many of us have sacrificed. When will you? There's only two weeks until the May 22 primary. Don't let us down, again.

Update: Meanwhile, the Courier-Journal offered two editorials this morning on the race -- one praised Miller and his decision to endorse Beshear, the other blasted Henry for deceiving voters that he still practices medicine at U of L. This is the very type of leadership we need from Ben and Jerry in the remaining days.

More Steve Henry Lies

Steve Henry (D) is truly pathological.

From Joe Gerth:

Despite what he claims on his Web site and in literature handed out by his campaign, former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry no longer practices medicine at University Hospital.

Published materials say Henry, an orthopedic surgeon, "continues to practice in Emergency Trauma at the University of Louisville Hospital."
   
In fact, Henry isn't practicing medicine anywhere now, and his relationship with the school ended Dec. 31 when his appointment as a volunteer professor expired, according to Ellen de Graffenreid, a U of L spokeswoman.

De Graffenreid refused to say why Henry's appointment was allowed to expire, and U of L refused to turn over documents that might explain.

[...]

Despite that, Henry has left it on his Web site, and his campaign makes a big deal of the fact that Henry is a physician. After he told Dunlop he planned to return to U of L, he was reminded the school allowed his appointment to lapse.

Mark Hebert adds that Henry lied to him not long ago about this very thing and offered that his departure from U of L was suspended at his request.

It's startling how many similarities Fletcher, Henry and Lunsford share...

Is Steve Henry (D) Planning To Violate Another Campaign Finance Law?

There's a great of chatter that Steve Henry (D) only loaned his campaign $1 million as a stunt to show an inflated bank account (since his fundraising was so poor) and has no intention of spending that amount of money in the race and will instead reimburse himself before May 22.

Well, if this is true (and we don't know whether it is) -- in vintage Steve Henry style -- he would, again, break state election law. You see, gubernatorial candidates in Kentucky can't loan their campaigns more than $50,000. Put another way, candidates may only reimburse themselves $50,000 from any amount they've given their campaign, the rest is considered a personal, and non-refundable, contribution.

So, if Henry intended to loan himself a million as just a ploy, seems that the law is clear that he's just said goodbye to $950,000 of it.

Here's the law:

121.150 Campaign contribution and loan restrictions and expenditure limitations.

(13) No candidates running as a slate for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall make combined total personal loans to their committee in excess of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in any one (1) election. No candidate for any other statewide elected state office shall lend to his committee any amount in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in any one (1) election. In campaigning for all other offices, no candidate shall lend to his committee more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in any one (1) election.

Effective: March 16, 2005

Keep a close eye on this so that Henry doesn't pull a past one and try to reimburse himself more than $50,000.

Could he really be this dumb?

Henry Responds To Election Complaints (Brammer, Herald-Leader)

Jack Brammer has the goods on Steve Henry's (D) response to the campaign finance complaint filed against him. Not surprisingly, he simply denies, lies and says that this is a federal matter. What a joke:

Henry Responds To Election Complaints
Jack Brammer, Herald-Leader

FRANKFORT -- Steve Henry, a Democratic candidate for governor, filed a lengthy response with the state Registry of Election Finance today to complaints that he improperly spent funds to lay the groundwork for his run for governor.

In a 41-page response, Henry, a former lieutenant governor, said the charges against him are “completely unfounded” and that the federal law precludes the state agency that oversees campaign-finance laws from investigating.

[...]

In his response yesterday to the registry, Henry said this action before the registry is preempted by the Federal Election Campaign Act.  He said Holland “misstates the relevant facts and does not identify any law that was violated.”

Henry charged that Holland’s complaint is “simply an attempt to disrupt the Henry-True campaign” on the eve of the May 22 Democratic primary election for governor.

He has said that the federal Testing the Waters account that he used to collect donations between 2003 and 2006 was to explore a possible run for U.S. Senate, not governor.

As mentioned here on previous occasions, Henry's assertion in the final section above is utter bullshit.

Recall that Henry told The Kentucky Gazette in August 2005:

[LL] Do you plan to run for governor in '07?

[SH] Our number one goal right now is to put ourselves in a situation that's we're prepared to make that decision. So today, am I running for governor? I couldn't say if we are, or we're not. But I can say this: that's the only race that I'm looking at. I don't think I'd ever want to go to the U.S. Senate. I want to stay in Kentucky. I want my family to stay in Kentucky. So, the governor's race -- if I get back into politics, it would be the governor's race.

True-ly Lame & Why The Silence On Stumbo's Desire To Limit Gun Ownership?

I thought the same thing while watching the Democratic lieutenant governor's debate on KET earlier this week:

Steve Henry’s running mate Renee True demonstrated her primary qualification: she said yes when Henry asked her to run. Henry – despite his denials – was reported to have been turned down several times in his search for a running mate before True accepted. Her performance Monday was painful to watch.

My favorite part was how True continued to defend Henry's countless legal problem on the sole premise that they were "unproven." Not innocent. Not even a lame attempt to call them political. Just "unproven."

On another point, why hasn't anyone noted that during a discussion in the debate about guns Greg Stumbo (D) stated that legal immigrants should not be able to own a firearm?

His statement, and I'm working off my notes, was that "aliens in this country -- legally or illegally -- should not be able to buy a gun."

Not allowing "legal aliens" access to gun ownership is quite a departure from current law and something I'm certain is not embraced by the NRA, whose 100% rating Stumbo boasted about at the beginning of his remark. Someone might take a closer look at this (and maybe advise the NRA). According to one top national blog "federal law bars most nonresident aliens, including illegal aliens, from possessing a gun, but treats resident aliens the same as citizens."

Also, I recall vividly recall immediately after September 11th how the Bush Administration's Justice Department refused to cooperate with the FBI in allowing access to gun records of the 1,200 detained (mostly non-citizens) in the weeks following the attack. So, not only were they able to legally purchase weapons, but then that information was barred from 9/11 investigators, further compounding the matter.

In any event, check out the KET footage for yourself. According to my notes, it happened early in the program...

Edwin Edwards (D) v. David Duke (R), Redux?

As I'm sure you know, the latest Survey USA poll was released yesterday.

I wanted to vomit.

Not because the numbers for candidates I am rooting for were not as good as other recent surveys I've seen (though certainly that's part of it). Mainly I wanted to vomit out of a profound sadness that Kentucky primary voters are inclined to nominate (runoff notwithstanding) the two biggest pariahs to face each other in the fall (Ernie Fletcher and Bruce Lunsford), setting up a fall campaign that would be tantamount to the 1991 Louisiana Governor's race between the crook, Edwin Edwards (D), and the racist, David Duke (R).

That year, Louisiana voters were faced with such an unimaginable choice between two evils that bumper stickers on cars contained slogans such as "Vote for the Crook. It's Important," and "Vote for the Lizard, not the Wizard." It's amazing to me that the two candidates solidly opposed by the thoughtful core of each political party could possibly be leading with three weeks to go, albeit with percentages of just 29% and 46%, hardly indicators of strong support.

Though, I can't fathom being faced with such a situation this fall because 1) there's no chance that I would consider a vote for Bruce Lunsford in the fall regardless of who the Republican nominate (my party loyalty stops with him), and 2) there's no chance that I could ever cast a vote for someone so incompetent and dishonest as Fletcher, a man who is effectively Judas in Jesus clothing.

(Note: While I feel almost that way about Steve Henry (D), at least I believe, based on his demonstrated history, that Henry is a Democrat. A dishonest, pathological, unethical, manipulative, cheating, thieving Democrat...but a Democrat. Hence, I would vote for Henry over Fletcher...at least. Lunsford isn't a Democrat, he's a political opportunist. His political contributions, his support of Fletcher and other Kentucky Republicans, his long-time friendship with McConnell, his clear anti-union practices over the years, give us every reason to doubt that man has any core political beliefs (just like Fletcher), yet alone Democratic ones.)

So, if Survey USA is accurate, this will likely be the first election in my lifetime where the best choice is to exercise my right not to cast a vote for governor. There are plenty of excellent candidates running down-ballot that I am eager to support, but I will certainly skip the first race if I must choose between two pariahs. There is no "lesser" between the two that I've yet to discern.

So, yes, I was disappointed with Survey USA. While I have some serious qualms with some of its findings (like an unbelievably low 7% undecided among Democrats), I'm saddened more than anything.

As far as candidates go, they should always trust their own pollsters. You don't spend tens of thousands of dollars to do your own research and then throw it away when an independent poll contradicts it. If that was the case, John Yarmuth (D) would have closed-down his shop after the Bluegrass Poll showed him trailing Anne Northup (R) by six points with barely a week to go. Independent polls are very useful in that they help you see trends. They are powerful when they confirm what your poll tells you. But when they vastly depart from your own poll, you don't change course. You keep fighting. You stick to your campaign plan. And then you hope that your next poll doesn't mimic the independent poll. But there are still three weeks to go and we've not even reached Derby yet.

But if Survey USA is to believed, we ought to brush-up on our Edwards v. Duke history and see how Louisianans dealt with it. Ultimately, Edwards won that election but, not unexpectedly, was later convicted on 17 federal criminal counts including racketeering and extortion and is in federal prison until 2011. Meanwhile, David Duke, who also found himself in legal hot water, has most recently been seen in Tehran at a conference held by Iranian President Ahmadinejad questioning the Holocaust, where he told the delegation that gas chambers were not used to kill six million Jews. Louisiana voters were right on the money about these two characters.

God save the Commonwealth...

Henry Joins Fletcher In Wanting To Limit Your Constitutional Rights

Steve Henry (D) appears to be drinking the same Kool-Aid as Governor Fletcher (R) when it comes to the well-documented phony argument that restricting our constitutional rights to trial is going to help fix the health care problem.

From last week's Bowling Green Daily News:

Asked whether they would support changes in the law governing medical malpractice lawsuits, Fletcher and Henry said they approved of caps on non-economic damage awards...

Be sure to send this to every lawyer, judge and law student you know...

A Look At Steve Henry's Checkered Political Past

Sarah Vos did an impressive profile in the Herald-Leader on Steve Henry (D) and his extensive shady political history.

Here's a portion of Henry's checkered past:

• In 1974, when Henry was running for president of Western Kentucky University's student government, he was forced to resign as head of Student Discount Service, a student government organization. His campaign materials had been distributed to students with cards that listed places where students received discounts.

Henry said recently that supporters distributed the cards, which were left over from the beginning of the school year. "It was just one of those things they put out just showing what I had done," Henry said. "The cards were invalid anyway." Henry lost the race for president that year, but won it in 1975.

• As a Jefferson County Commissioner, Henry dated a jail officer who was involved in negotiating the employees' contract with the city. When the contract came before the commission, Henry voted on it. Henry said his actions were not improper. "We've got to get off being so judgmental about public officials, or we're going to force out a lot of good people," he said in 1998.

• After Henry's October 2000 wedding to Heather French, the state auditor found that 25 state employees used 500 hours of personal leave (valued at $16,000) to work on the wedding. The Henrys and their families reimbursed the state $3,200 for wedding expenses and $4,300 for trips to the Democratic National Convention and the Miss America Pageant. A state ethics panel concluded that the Henrys had not broken any laws, although it said that Henry should have consulted the panel beforehand.

• In 2003, Henry paid $162,000 to settle a federal lawsuit that accused him of defrauding the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Federal prosecutors said that Henry billed for surgeries that he could not have attended, because his schedule as lieutenant governor showed he was elsewhere.

Henry says he had no motivation to steal, as the money he earned on the surgeries was supposed to go to Bucks for Brains, a program that endows professorships at Kentucky universities. "When you're volunteering, as I was, you have no particular interest in the billing system," Henry said recently...

• Since 2003, Henry has raised at least $170,000 for an off-the-books campaign account. This type of account is allowed by federal law to explore running for Congress. But a former staff member says she was hired by Henry last fall to help lay the groundwork for a run for governor, and some contributors to that fund have told the Herald-Leader they gave money to help Henry's gubernatorial run.

Another Henry Scandal?

Good grief, another scandal for the Steve Henry/Renee True ticket?

By the way, will Henry agree not to pardon True's father who ran into serious trouble as Fayette County Sheriff in the 1980s? One prominent insider mentioned to me a few months ago that True was rumored ot have been shopping for a pardon for daddy for many years without success, and one wonders whether Henry made a promise to do so when she agreed to run with him (I noticed someone posted a related comment on Pol Watchers).

In Campaign Ads, Truth Is Elusive (Cross, Courier-Journal)

Al Cross assessed the various gubernatorial candidates' television ads in yesterday's Courier-Journal column and I found these excerpts the most noteworthy:

More Kentuckians are working than ever before because there are more Kentuckians than ever before. So, Fletcher's ad is a half-truth, at best. Voters deserve better.

...The Governor's misleading statements are all the more egregious when he's touring the state on the taxpayers' dime, going from ceremonial check presentations to fund-raising events where he collects real checks from those who stand to gain or lose at the hands of the state -- money that will buy more misleading ads.

[...]

Henry was a leading opponent of the health-care provider tax, but had such limited leverage as Paul Patton's lieutenant governor that his claim stretches the truth to the breaking point.

[...]

Former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear has a TV spot in which he says, "I helped Governor Collins bring Toyota to Kentucky." This is the same guy who had no real role in Martha Layne Collins' administration, and repeatedly questioned whether she struck the best deal with Toyota.

UPDATE (9:29 AM): I took a quick look at archives from 1986 and 1987 for stories on Beshear's public position regarding the Toyota incentives and Cross is correct that Beshear's public stances back then are quite a bit different than how he portrays them today, similar to his attempts to reinvent the nature of his payday industry lobbying work during the late 1990s.

Here's a sampling:

Herald-Leader (October 5, 1986)

There was some disagreement, however, on state incentive packages such as the one used to lure Toyota Motor Corp. to Scott County.

"When we talk about the Toyota deal, a deal implies agreements on both sides and commitments on both sides," Beshear said. "When you look at this particular deal, the state has made a number of specific financial commitments. Toyota has agreed to accept those commitments."

Future deals, he said, should contain guarantees from the industry involved.

Herald-Leader (January 31, 1987)

Lt. Gov. Steven Beshear asked the Public Service Commission yesterday to reject a special Columbia Gas contract that could give Toyota a 42 percent discount on fuel for its Scott County plant.

The attorney general's office already has objected to the contract, which exempts Toyota from the usual requirements for obtaining the discount.

...Beshear, who is expected to announce his candidacy for governor Monday, said that all customers of Columbia Gas should not have to pay for a pipeline that would serve only Toyota.

Columbia Gas officials contend that the pipeline will provide better service to existing and future gas customers in the area.

But Beshear noted that Columbia Gas had said it had no other known customer for the pipeline at this time.

The state agreed to pay $6 million for the pipeline as part of its $125 million Toyota incentive package. But Columbia Gas increased the size of the pipeline to serve both Toyota and other potential customers and raised the price to $9.8 million.

"Simple fairness demands that the ratepayers of Columbia Gas not be forced to pay for a service for which they are not likely to benefit," Beshear said.

"Toyota, like any user in a similar situation, should be charged the additional cost of the pipeline. If, on some future date, other customers do indeed tap on, then a rebate to Toyota would be in order."

Steve Henry (D) Loans His Campaign $1 Million

Updates on fundraising figures from Democratic gubernatorial candidates (these are unofficial numbers):

• Steve Henry (D) has reported that he loaned his campaign $1 million on top of the $478,000 he raised from contributors. He's already spent about $1 million on his media buy leaving $500,000 on hand;
        
• Jody Richards (D) reported raising $515,000 and has $332,000 on hand and has not bought media yet;
               
• Bruce Lunsford (D) loaned his campaign $3.5 million on top of $722,000 from his many Republican interests and has already spent about $4 million;
                          
• Jonathan Miller (D) reported $1.01 million raised and has $187,000 on hand after making additional media buys;
                 
• Steve Beshear (D) reported $1.13 million raised and a cash balance of $553,000, but according I'm told $564,000 has just been spent/reserved for the final four weeks of television which took place after the reporting period.

I'll offer an analysis a little later (the only real surprise was Henry's million dollar personal contribution), but it is noteworthy how much more money was raised by Democratic candidates than Republican candidates (not including loans) since January 1 -- approximately $3.5 million compared to about $2.5 million. With an incumbent Republican governor, you wouldn't expect such a disparity.

The Shysters Want To Fix The Problem They Helped Create

Anyone else realize that the two Democratic candidates with ads telling us how they'll fix the health care system -- Steve Henry (D) and Bruce Lunsford (D) -- both had to pay the federal government hefty fines for allegations of Medicare/Medicaid fraud?

Lunsford ponied-up $100 million; Henry $160,000. And they want us to believe they can fix the problem. Shame on us if we're that stupid.

Republican Lieutenant Governor Debate And The "What If Something Happened" Question

Did anyone watch the Republican lieutenant governor candidates debate on KET last night? I watched the first 30 minutes and it couldn't have been clearer to me that Jeff Hoover (R) is the only one of the three that I would have any faith in being one heartbeat away. While I don't agree often with Hoover on political philosophy, the man knows the issues, has experience and clearly understands state government. He demonstrated that last night.

There was a question that reporter Ronnie Ellis asked Dick Wilson (R) (Billy Harper's (R) running mate), that really made me pause and think for a moment. Apparently, Billy Harper has vowed not to give-up drag racing even if becomes governor and Ellis asked Wilson how he could convince voters that should something happen to a Governor Harper, that he would be capable of taking over the reigns and stepping in as governor since Wilson doesn't have a lick of experience.

Wilson's answer was worthless. He argued that drag racing was safe and I don't recall an answer to Ellis' question. But that made me think about the lieutenant governor role, especially given the recent serious accident of New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, or the sudden death of a sitting governor like Indiana's Frank O'Bannon, or the sudden resignation of New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy. Who could step in as lieutenant governor and competently take over? Who would you trust, not only to be governor, but who could handle a Hurricane Katrina-like disaster?

On the Republican side, Hoover is the only one I'd have any confidence in. Wilson seems like a nice man who should not be on a major ticket for high office. And Robbie Rudolph is one of the scariest, smarmiest politicians around. He exudes sleaze, dishonesty and pettiness. Everything we've read about him shows his obsession with retaliating against political enemies and not about doing the people's business. He honestly frightens me as possible elected official and someone I would have little confidence in properly, ethically, handling state government.

Thankfully, four of the five major Democratic lieutenant governor candidates are as rock-solid as Hoover as far as having the confidence of stepping in and running the show in an emergency. Regardless of which candidate you support, I think we'd all agree that Irv Maze, Greg Stumbo, Daniel Mongiardo, and John Y. Brown, III are all capable of assuming the office on a moment's notice.

But does anyone feel that way about Renee True? 

Sadly, I think there have too many recent instances where the number two is forced into action and must make crucial decisions immediately. While the gubernatorial candidates will be assessed by the voters, is anyone thinking about whether the LG could handle the job if disaster strikes?

Which lieutenant governor would you trust to deal with a repeat of the The Great Flood of 1937 when 60% of Louisville was under water and without power for weeks? And what if, God-forbid, terrorists managed to sneak a dirty bomb into the Kentucky Derby or among the 800,000 that attend Thunder over Louisville?

Serious, I think we need to think carefully about such scenarios when electing our slates...

State Police Investigating Steve Henry (D)

I haven't seen the story or found anything online yet but a reader tells me that Louisville's WLKY-32 ran a news story this morning that Kentucky State Police are currently investigating Steve Henry's (D) well-reported campaign finance irregularities. I don't know whether this is in conjunction with the recently appointed special prosecutor to investigate the matter, or an entirely separate effort. I'll report back when I learn more.

Did anyone see the segment?

The Big Mo' Grabs Miller-Maze -- New Poll Shows Them Tied For 2nd Place

This morning, the Miller-Maze campaign released polling conducted by The Mellman Group of likely Democratic primary voters over four days ending yesterday, and it shows them moving into a second-place tie (click here for poll memo):

Henry 22%
Miller 15%
Lunsford 15%
Beshear 12%
Richards 8%
Galbraith 2%
Hensley 1%
Undecided 26%

The poll also showed that Miller has the lowest unfavorable rating of the group and best fav/unfav ratio, with 39% giving him favorable marks versus just 12% viewing him unfavorably, a ratio of 3.25 (39/12):

Miller (39% favorable -- 12% unfavorable, ratio 3.25)
Henry (53% favorable -- 18% unfavorable, ratio 2.94)
Beshear (44% favorable -- 18% unfavorable, ratio 2.44)
Richards (39% favorable -- 20% unfavorable, ratio 1.95)
Lunsford (41% favorable -- 21% unfavorable, ratio 1.95)

This poll seems to confirm a steady swelling of support for Miller-Maze over the past few weeks. At the time that Miller-Maze went up with its first television ad, they stood at 8% in the Survey USA poll. A little more than a week ago, there were unconfirmed reports that they had climbed to 12%, moving into a tie with Richards. Now it shows they have climbed further to 15%, leap-frogging both Richards and Beshear.

Also, the campaign confirmed that it will report more than $1 million in contributions in its first official campaign finance report to be filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance (KREF) this week. The news of this polling should provide a significant boost to its already strong fundraising performance to date.

While this poll shows that this race is still very fluid and lots can happen with 29 days to go, it's unmistakable that Miller-Maze is the one team right now with significant momentum and there's nothing more important in the final weeks than having wind pushing your sails.

Finally, the horse race numbers were actually the combined numbers from two split samples, as half of the respondents were asked to select among slates and the other half were just asked by gubernatorial candidate. There was not much difference between the two but Miller, Beshear and Richards benefited slightly when their running mates were mentioned: