BluegrassReport.org

Steve Henry (D) Snubs Key Democratic Women’s Group

I'm told that former Lt. Governor (and current gubernatorial candidate) Steve Henry (D) has refused to attend a candidate forum this spring sponsored by the NKY chapter of The Women’s Network, and instead offered to send his wife, Heather French Henry, angering this growing and influential statewide organization of nearly 1,000 politically active members, each of whom will certainly vote in the Democratic primary.

Even though Henry was offered three different dates in March, April and May to attend the group’s monthly meeting program, he refused to attend, and offered to send Heather instead of his female running mate, Renee True, who is actually on the ballot. In February, both Steve Beshear (D) and Jonathan Miller (D) appeared before the group. I'm told that the rest of the candidates, except Henry, are scheduled.

Why is Henry ducking this group? Why wouldn't he offer his running mate before his spouse?

By the way, I think this organization rocks. They formed only a few years ago and are led by an impressive group which includes Lil Press, Kim Garmer, Kathy Groob, Joni Burtner and Nancy Hoffman, growing like crazy, and really flourishing. Last year's gala with Helen Thomas was awesome and incredibly successful. This group has begun flexing its muscle within the Democratic Party and are a force to be reckoned with. I strongly encourage Democratic women in Kentucky who are looking to get more active in politics to get in touch with this group and either join an existing chapter or start your own. Click here to go to their website.

I also believe that the future of state politics is going to be led by grassroots organizations like The Women's Network and much less by a centralized political party -- regardless of who's in charge at KDP. Henry is crazy not to aggressively court this group, yet alone blow them off like this.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

On Friday, Larry Dale Keeling gave House Democrats credit for their commitment in ensuring that their caucus' power structure better reflects their party's make-up. It was a well-deserved compliment for those heading-up Democratic House leadership: Jody Richards, Rocky Adkins, Larry Clark, Rob Wilkey and Charlie Hoffman.

Given how critical I've been over the past 18 months with the failure of Kentucky Democratic leadership to broaden who gets to "sit at the table," I wanted to give credit where credit is due here. The House delivered in a big way and ought to be commended.

HOUSE STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
Larry Dale Keeling, Herald-Leader

The state House of Representatives amended its rules of procedure Tuesday to create the position of first vice chair of the Appropriations and Revenue Committee. Rep. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, will fill the post.

Coming into this year's session, Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, D-Lexington was the only female chair of a standing committee.

But in last month's organizational part of the session, the Democratic leadership of the House picked three women (Kathy Stein of Lexington, Joni Jenkins of Shively and Tanya Pullin of South Shore) to fill vacant committee chairmanships.

A fourth went to Rep. Daryl Owens, an African-American from Louisville. With those moves and with Webb's new position, House Democratic leaders are showing a commitment to diversity that is long overdue.

A Woman's Place Is, Apparently, Not In The House - At Least Not The Kentucky State House

The Courier-Journal ran an editorial yesterday about why State Rep. Kathy Stein (D) should be named chair of the House Judiciary Committee over State Rep. Brent Yonts (D). It's an issue I raised recently as well.

Here's an excerpt:

This week, when the Kentucky General Assembly convenes to organize itself for the coming legislative session, House leaders should do one thing that would pay off big for them over the long haul: Make Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, the chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee.

Why should they elevate an unabashed liberal to such a high-profile spot? Several reasons.

First, Rep. Stein is a smart lawyer. She has worked as both a prosecutor and a defense lawyer, and in criminal and civil law.

Second, it's about time House Democrats promoted the women in their caucus. None of their five leaders is a woman, and only one of 16 committees is chaired by a woman. The claim that Democrats are the party of inclusion is looking silly; in the Republican Senate, a woman is president pro tempore and women chair three of 11 committees.

But third, and most important, House leaders should elevate Rep. Stein because she is strong. She is willing to be the House goat.

There's another reason why Stein should be named chair and that relates to the possible gubernatorial bid of Speaker of the House Jody Richards (D).

Richards is the longest serving speaker in Kentucky history, yet on his watch a woman has never ascended to leadership and only one of 16 committees is chaired by a woman. If Richards opts for a gubernatorial bid, he should heed the fact that 20% more Democratic women than Democratic men vote in primary elections and they'll certainly want to know why the legacy of their long-serving Democratic speaker is so woeful when it comes to putting women in leadership roles, especially considering how many Republican women have a seat at their table.

According to the 2007 rankings by the National Conference of State Legislatures, Kentucky ranks 49th (trailing only South Carolina) among states in the number of women serving in state legislatures. While the national average is 23.5%, Kentucky ranks a miserable 12.3%.

Naming Kathy Stein the chair of the House Judiciary committee would be a well-deserved and desperately needed step in the right direction.

Democrats Target 9 On Equal Pay (Beardsley, Courier-Journal)

Elisabeth Beardsley has a story in today's Courier-Journal regarding the effort by Democratic State House Caucus to go after Republican incumbents who refused to support gender equity legislation.

This is a very strong and smart tactical move, drawing a distinction on an important issue and one which impacts the majority gender in this state -- particularly among those who actually vote:

Democrats say they plan to spend $20,000 over the next week to blanket nine Republican-held House districts with automated calls alerting voters that the incumbents voted against legislation to guarantee equal pay for women.

About 80,000 calls began in the targeted districts last Thursday, said Jonathan Hurst, director of the House Democratic caucus.

The calls will tell voters that the targeted lawmakers were among 21 Republicans who voted last session against a bill to strengthen a state law banning gender-based wage discrimination by inserting a definition of "comparable worth," Hurst said.

At a press conference, female Democratic House lawmakers said research indicates that women make 77 or 78 cents for every dollar that men earn, an average disparity of about $4,000 per year.

[...]

The nine targeted lawmakers are Reps. James Carr, Joe Bowen, Jim DeCesare, Mary Harper, Russ Mobley, Mike Harmon, Brad Montell, Joe Fischer and Bill Farmer.

Finally, showing why he's such an endangered freshman Republican, State Rep. Jim DeCesare (R) offers this breathtaking response:

"It's just something that they're nitpicking on me about."

That's right, DeCesare thinks demanding gender equity is "nitpicking." Hope he enjoyed his one term in the state House...

Pence Targets Cervical Cancer (Saladin, Kentucky Post)

Let me be the first to credit and thank Lt. Governor Pence (R) for his efforts below to educate women to end cervical cancer. It's an admirable and very worthwhile effort.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

Pence Targets Cervical Cancer
By Luke E. Saladin
Post staff reporter

Kentucky Lt. Governor Steve Pence wants to send cervical cancer the way of the polio and yellow fever.

Pence spoke at Northern Kentucky University on Tuesday about a new public awareness campaign called "Ending Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime."

The effort is part of a 10-state education project organized by the National Lieutenant Governors Association.

"Cervical cancer is a disease that many times can be preventable," Pence said. "Our goal is to educate Kentucky women about cervical cancer and the factors that can cause it.

"We want to encourage younger women to be proactive about their health."

Unlike most cancers, cervical cancer is caused by a virus - papillomavirus or HPV.

It's typically passed to women through sex with an infected partner and is normally cleared by the body, but in some cases it can develop into cancer.

In 2006, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in the United States, and about 3,700 women will die from the disease.

(click here to keep reading story)

Sadly, conservative Republicans will be furious Pence is touting the new cervical cancer vaccine, which they fought tooth-and-nail to keep -- unsuccessfully -- from coming on the market:

Pence urged women to take advantage of a new drug on the market, GARDASIL, from Merck & Co. The drug is a vaccine that helps prevent cervical cancer, as well as other diseases caused by HPV, including cervical lesions and genital warts.

(MUST READ) Governor Fletcher, The University of the Cumberlands, and Grove City College

The Herald-Leader has a story up on today's press conference held by Democratic legislators regarding Governor Fletcher's (R) refusal to veto the use taxpayer money to fund projects at the bigoted religious school, The University of the Cumberlands, a clear violation of the state constitution.

Senator Ernesto Scorsone (D) said it best:

“I don’t understand why the governor is struggling or why he failed to veto this funding,” Scorsone said. “History is clear and so is our constitution. In the plain English of the constitution, a direct appropriation of taxpayer dollars to a private, religious school is unconstitutional. It could only be justified by activist judges. Is that what he wants?”

Scorsone said he suspects Fletcher’s real struggle on this issue is not with interpreting the state constitution but rather with standing up to Senate President David Williams, a Republican from Burkesville who put money for the University of the Cumberlands in the budget.

Also, when will the media explore Fletcher's exceptionally close relationship with another religion-based university which got into trouble with the federal government by refusing to adhere to Title IX requirements (equal funding for women's programs) and lost in a seminal case before the U.S. Supreme Court after it was sued by the Reagan Administration -- Grove City College?

Why do I ask about that school?

Well, despite Fletcher's regular reminder that both of his children attended public schools and lamented how many Kentuckians leave the state to attend college, during the 2003 race for governor, both of his children actually did leave the state to attend Grove City College.

Grove City College (in Grove City, Pennsylvania) is often mentioned in the same context as Bob Jones University for its refusal to follow federal law (Bob Jones forbade interracial dating). To this day, the school has refused to agree to adhere to equal funding for women and because of the Supreme Court ruling against them, they forbid ANY of their students from receiving one penny in federal student loans so they don't have to comply with Title IX.

Also, you might remember how Fletcher had left for his Asia trip last year right at time the Merit System scandal broke. Well, lost amid the frenzy of the breaking scandal was the fact that Fletcher very quietly flew to Grove City College the day before he left for Asia to deliver the commencement address -- without telling the media and at first denying that the trip had happened -- using state resources to get him and his entire family there.

In fact, despite several requests by me, the school would never release a copy of his remarks to their graduates (despite several promises), and the Kentucky media has never reported this issue, despite wide knowledge of these facts and the very disturbing attempt to hide the taxpayer-funded trip to a school that refuses to adhere to Title IX.

Previous Grove City College commencement speakers included former presidential candidates Alan Keyes (R) and Gary Bauer (R), and former Senator Jesse Helms (R) was awarded an honorary doctorate there. A close look at Fletcher's history with Grove City College might shine some light on the Cumberland issue.

Why does Fletcher have such animosity towards both women and gays?

More on this later...

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the Director of College Counseling for Grove City College is Dr. Warren Throckmorton, one of the nation's leading proponents of so-called “ex-gay” or “reparative” therapy where homosexuals can be turned heterosexual through therapy. Gives college counseling a whole new look...

They Discriminate Against Women Too!

Thanks to a reader for catching this incredible nugget.

On page 2 of the University of the Cumberlands Student Handbook comes this pretty disturbing section:

Accreditation Statement
The University of the Cumberlands is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; Telephone number 404-679-5601) to award the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of General Studies, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, and the Master of Arts in Education degrees.

In compliance with federal law, including provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military service in its administration of education policies, programs, or activities; admissions basis of religion in order to fulfill its purposes. The University reserves the right to discriminate on the basis of sex in its undergraduate admissions programs. Further, the University reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant whose academic preparation, character, or personal conduct is determined to be inconsistent with the purpose and objectives of the University. Where possible the University will seek to reasonably accommodate a student’s disability. However, the University’s obligation to reasonably accommodate a student’s disability ends where the accommodation would pose an undue hardship on the University or where the accommodation in question would fundamentally alter the academic program. No student who is otherwise qualified will be denied solely by reason of a disability. Any student who needs accommodation for a disability must notify the Associate Dean in the Academic Affairs Office at the beginning of classes. The Associate Dean will require appropriate documentation of the disability and can assist in arranging accommodations for students with respect to advising, financial aid, registration, instruction, and campus residency.

Hopefully, even our incompetent Governor Fletcher (R) will recognize that he has no choice but to veto the $11 million unconstitutional appropriation to this school that corrupt Senate President David Williams (R) slipped into the final budget.

You would hope.

A Must Read On The Sickness Of The Zealots Among Us

The incident at The University of the Cumberlands is really sickening and now attracting a great deal of national attention -- again painting Kentucky with a broad brush of being a state of backwards, intolerant homophobes.

For those of you not yet up-to-speed:

Last week, the Southern Baptist university dismissed Jason Johnson, 20, a sophomore theater arts major from Lexington, after he disclosed on a Web site that he is gay. That action put the spotlight on the University of the Cumberlands' rule against homosexuality and extramarital sex. A school policy says both are "not consistent with Christian principles."

Sadly, included as part of yesterday's state budget was $11 million for the university -- $10 million for a pharmacy building and $1 million for pharmacy scholarships. Though, because of the schools policies, and this incident, they will run into some serious problems with national accreditation standards that prohibit discrimination against gays.

However, that begs the question why are we using public money to support schools that discriminate like this in the first place, but beyond the public funding issue it also reveals some dirty little secrets that some of the conservative religious schools must contend with when their hyper-morality policies conflict with those in charge -- not a 20-year-old undergraduate student.

For instance, take Asbury College here in Central Kentucky (Wilmore). The following is from the Christian college's staff handbook on acceptable conduct:

The student population of Asbury College looks to employees for spiritual guidance and example. Therefore, certain behaviors are considered to be inappropriate for a staff person.

...Certain behaviors are expressly prohibited in the Scripture and therefore are unacceptable in the Asbury College community. These behaviors include: theft (including plagiarism), lying, dishonesty, gossip, slander, profanity, vulgarity (including crude language), sexual immorality (including adultery, homosexual behavior, premarital sexual intimacy), drunkenness, immodesty of dress, and occult practices. While not explicitly mentioned in Scripture, Asbury believes that the following represent violations of Biblical principles and also are unacceptable: abortion, gambling, and pornography.

Seems as Asbury College hold its staff and officers to very specific and rigorous standards of conduct, right?

Well, here's where Asbury's preaching and practice go its separate ways.

Many of you will recall news-stories last year about a prominent and very controversial OB-GYN who President Bush appointed to the FDA's Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs who led the charge to get the agency to NOT approve over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill.

His name was Dr. David Hager.

Hager is a member of the Asbury College Board of Trustees and even sits on the school's Executive Committee. His father is a past president of the college, and the school's administrative building, Hager Hall, bears the family name.

Well, last year, Hager wife of 32 years, Linda Carruth Davis, went public with a very personal confessional of a life of domestic sexual assault and infidelity that she claimed her husband inflicted upon her, finally leaving him a few years earlier. Davis says she remains a religious and political conservative.

In an incredibly powerful chronicle of their life, Davis recounted the following very disturbing and candid episodes:

Davis alleges that between 1995 and their divorce in 2002, Hager repeatedly sodomized her without her consent. Several sources on and off the record confirmed that she had told them it was the sexual and emotional abuse within their marriage that eventually forced her out. "I probably wouldn't have objected so much, or felt it was so abusive if he had just wanted normal [vaginal] sex all the time," she explained to me. "But it was the painful, invasive, totally nonconsensual nature of the [anal] sex that was so horrible."

[...]

In tandem with his medical career, Hager has been an aggressive advocate for the political agenda of the Christian right. A member of Focus on the Family's Physician Resource Council and the Christian Medical and Dental Society, Hager assisted the Concerned Women for America in submitting a "Citizen's Petition" to the FDA in August 2002 to halt distribution and marketing of the abortion pill, RU-486.

[...]

Though her marriage had been dead for nearly a decade, she could not see her way clear to divorce; she had no money of her own and few marketable skills. But life with David Hager had grown unbearable. As his public profile increased, so did the tension in their home, which she says periodically triggered episodes of abuse. "I would be asleep," she recalls, "and since [the sodomy] was painful and threatening, I woke up. Sometimes I acquiesced once he had started, just to make it go faster, and sometimes I tried to push him off.... I would [confront] David later, and he would say, 'You asked me to do that,' and I would say, 'No, I never asked for it.'"

[...]

Sometime between the births of Neal and Jonathan, Hager embarked on an affair with a Bible-study classmate who was a friend of Davis's. A close friend of Davis's remembers her calling long distance when she found out: "She was angry and distraught, like any woman with two children would be. But she was committed to working it out."

[...]

By the 1980s, according to Davis, Hager was pressuring her to let him videotape and photograph them having sex. She consented, and eventually she even let Hager pay her for sex that she wouldn't have otherwise engaged in--for example, $2,000 for oral sex, "though that didn't happen very often because I hated doing it so much. So though it was more painful, I would let him sodomize me, and he would leave a check on the dresser," Davis admitted to me with some embarrassment. This exchange took place almost weekly for several years.

[...]

By 1995, according to Davis's account, Hager's treatment of his wife had moved beyond morally reprehensible to potentially felonious. It was a uniquely stressful year for Davis. Her mother, dying of cancer, had moved in with the family and was in need of constant care. At the same time, Davis was suffering from a seemingly inexplicable exhaustion during the day. She began exhibiting a series of strange behaviors, like falling asleep in such curious places as the mall and her closet. Occasionally she would--as she describes it--"zone out" in midsentence in a conversation, and her legs would buckle. Eventually, Davis was diagnosed as having narcolepsy, a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to regulate normal sleep-wake cycles.

For Davis, the diagnosis spelled relief, and a physician placed her on several medications to attain "sleep hygiene," or a consistent sleep pattern. But Davis says it was after the diagnosis that the period of the most severe abuse began. For the next seven years Hager sodomized Davis without her consent while she slept roughly once a month until their divorce in 2002, she claims. "My sense is that he saw [my narcolepsy] as an opportunity," Davis surmises. Sometimes she fought Hager off and he would quit for a while, only to circle back later that same night; at other times, "the most expedient thing was to try and somehow get it [over with]. In order to keep any peace, I had to maintain the illusion of being available to him."

[...]

As for David Hager, after repeated attempts to interview him for this story, we finally spoke for nearly half an hour in early April. That conversation was off the record. "My official comment is that I decline to comment," he said.

Hager expanded on his refusal to comment with the Herald-Leader with this semantic non-denial denial:

"As I said before, the allegations as stated do not reveal all of the information and therefore they're incomplete and not true. No one likes to be criticized, no one likes to be torn apart privately or publicly and I think that it's disappointing that my former wife has chosen this avenue to vent her anger and bitterness."

Hager eventually left the FDA as public outcry over his personal and professional conduct became public, but today Hager continues to sit as a Board of Trustee for one of the most well-respected Christian colleges in Kentucky, as well as serving on its Executive Committee.

Despite violating so many of Asbury's own codes of conduct that govern staff and officers, Hager was never investigated by the school (at least there is no record or acknowledgment of any) and rather than expressing concern about his conduct when the story emerged, Hager's colleagues defended him in the story above.

So, how we square the troubling double-standard of applying its code of conduct by these two religious schools? 

One religious school (Cumberland) expelled an honors student simply for admitting to being gay, but had never been reprimanded for any conduct in the past. The other school (Asbury) turned a blind eye to allegations of rape, forcible sodomy, and adultery committed by one of its highest ranking trustees and not denied by Hager himself.

Of course, our corrupt Senate President David Williams (R) waded into the Cumberland debate yesterday by telling the Herald-Leader:

"I have done a little research today and it appeared to me that this young man might very well be a provocateur in this entire thing," Williams said.

I'm sickened by this whole episode. The hypocrisy and double-standards at issue are astounding and we can't let the religious zealots get away with this behavior, nor can we let someone who has lived such a noteworthy un-Christian life like David Williams (per public stories about his personal life) be allowed to spew his hateful and hypocritical statements like this.

How much longer will Kentucky women sit on their hands while people like David Hager are asked by colleges to provide moral leadership for their students?

And quite disturbing is the fact that Hager remains a part-time faculty member for the University of Kentucky.

Maybe it's time for the media to start looking at these inconsistencies as well.

UPDATE: No surprise here:

HAGER, W.
1463 PINE NEEDLES LANE
LEXINGTON, KY, 405130000
Employer : WOMENS CARE CENTER
Occupation : PHYSICIAN  INDIVIDUAL Contribution
$1,000.00 on 07/09/2003
FLETCHER, ERNIE for
SLATE - STATEWIDE 

HAGER, W DAVID
LEXINGTON,KY 40502
WOMENS CARE CENTER
5/6/1998
$250
Fletcher, Ernest

HAGER, W DAVID
LEXINGTON,KY 40502
WOMENS CARE CENTER
8/14/1998
$250
Fletcher, Ernest

HAGER, W DAVID
LEXINGTON,KY 40502
WOMENS CARE CENTER
9/3/1998
$250
Fletcher, Ernest

HAGER, W DAVID
LEXINGTON,KY 40502
WOMENS CARE CENTER
8/19/1997
$250
Fletcher, Ernest

HAGER, W DAVID
LEXINGTON,KY 40502
WOMENS CARE CENTER
10/31/1997
$250
Fletcher, Ernest

No Democratic Women Allowed

As you may have read, the House and Senate selected 21 members to serve as negotiators to hammer out the budget compromise over the past seven days behind closed doors.

Guess how many Democrats women legislators were appointed by their leadership to be negotiators?

Zero.

These 21 budget negotiators spent a week behind closed-doors deciding how to cut-up a roughly $35 billion pie over two years, deciding which projects to fund and not to fund, and not one woman represented Democrats.

Nothing but lip service when it comes to Democrats bringing women to the table.

Also, gotta wonder whether any African-Americans were included in the negotiations when I read this portion of today's Courier-Journal story:

Louisville would get an unexpected bonus -- $2 million for a statue of Abraham Lincoln and memorial site, probably on the waterfront.

But the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in Louisville gets none of the $7.26 million it sought in the Kentucky state budget, disappointing backers of the partly completed project.

Women Wage Key Campaigns For Democrats (New York Times)

Front-page, above-the-fold story in today's New York Times focuses on the Democratic women running for key congressional seats in the country this year and how that may impact the electorate.

Obviously, I agree. Maybe BluegrassReport.org was ahead-of-the-curve in discussing how Kentucky Democratic leaders are behind-the-times on this very issue...

Very good story. Here's a few excerpts:

Women Wage Key Campaigns for Democrats
By ROBIN TONER
NARBERTH, Pa. — If the Democrats have their way, the 2006 Congressional elections will be the revenge of the mommy party.

Democratic women are running major campaigns in nearly half of the two dozen most competitive House races where their party hopes to pick up enough Republican seats to regain control of the House. Democratic strategists are betting that the voters' unrest and hunger for change — reflected consistently in public opinion polls — create the perfect conditions for their party's female candidates this year.

"In an environment where people are disgusted with politics in general, who represents clean and change?" asks Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Women."

[...]

Amy Walter, who tracks House races for Cook, said, "If you look at the top Republican targets this year, the success of Democratic women candidates will be very important in determining the number of Democratic pickups."

A net shift of 15 seats to Democrats from Republicans would turn over control of the House.

[...]

Democratic strategists hope to frame these midterm races as a classic change-versus-status-quo election — which, they say, makes women, running as outsiders against a "culture of corruption," the perfect messengers.

Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster working for three female House candidates this year, said, "If you want to communicate change, honesty, cleaning up Washington, not the same old good old boys in Washington, women are very good at communicating that."

Officials at the Democratic campaign committee said that along with Emily's List and other women's groups, they had made a point of encouraging and recruiting women as candidates this year.

Just a note, the pollster mentioned above, Celinda Lake, also happens to be state Auditor Crit Luallen's pollster, for whatever that's worth.

2007: The Year of the Democratic Women? (LEO)

My political column in LEO this week is entitled "2007: The Year of the Democratic Women?" where I highlight several emerging Democratic women who we ought to be watching closely as potential statewide candidates -- Crit Luallen, Jennifer Moore, Audrey Haynes, Kathy Groob, Kerry Morgan, Joni Jenkins, Robin Webb and Tanya Pullin.

Click here to read the story.

I look forward to reading your thoughts on these women and others who you think might emerge in 2007. I only left Senator Denise Harper Angel (D) off the list because she was just elected and I was trying to focus on a possible 2007 statewide run, otherwise she would been in the thick of it.

Afternoon Update

Here's an afternoon update on developments in Frankfort:

• Attorney General Greg Stumbo has filed an objection to Governor Fletcher's most recent appointment of a special justice to hear his own appeal -- which is set for oral arguments tomorrow morning. Stumbo said Fletcher overstepped his authority under the state Constitution by making a single appointment of John Knox Mills as special justice as it would "impermissibly expand" the governor's appointment power while eroding the high court's authority to set its own policies. (AP, Schreiner)
                    
• Expanded gaming has cleared it first legislative hurdle, as a bare-bones version of a constitutional amendment passed the House Licensing and Occupations Committee on a 12-6 vote. When asked about the development, our rudderless Governor Fletcher said, "I don’t see it has a lot of possibilities this session." What a shock. (Alessi, Herald-Leader)
                             
• The Courier-Journal this morning confirmed what BluegrassReport.org reported on Monday, which is that Rep. Rob Wilkey (D) has let House Bill 699 (a measure that would exempt legislators' e-mails from the state open-records law) die. (Legislative briefs, Courier-Journal)
                    
• House Appropriations Chairman Harry Moberly (D) offered one of the better responses to Governor Fletcher's complaints about the House budget: "While he's hand-wringing about that amount of money, the House is trying to move this state forward, which his budget failed to do." Nicely said. (AP, Biesk)
           
• In another clear example of misplaced priorities during a critical legislative session, the Senate passed a bill to outlaw lap dancing in Kentucky. The bill's sponsor, Senator Julie Denton (R), showing her ignorance said, "This is designed to protect women and also to help reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases." On a related-note, Denton also worries about contracting AIDS from public toilet seats. (that last part was sarcasm) (AP)
               
• And let me toss in this national freebie -- The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds the Democratic Party leading the Republican Party 55% to 39% among registered voters in the generic Congressional ballot ... This is the largest lead Democrats have held over Republicans since the 1982 midterm elections. (Gallup Poll)

Our Criminal Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert Must Stand Trial For Another Criminal Act

Maybe this time the criminal known as Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert will stand trial for his criminal behavior, unless Governor Fletcher would like to run the risk of a public lynching by the women of Kentucky by issuing a new, and specific, pardon, but he might want to first check with Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan before taking them on...

Judge Declines To Dismiss Merit Indictment
Trial of Nighbert set to start July 26
By Elisabeth J. Beardsley
ebeardsley@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A judge refused yesterday to dismiss the sole standing indictment in the state hiring investigation and set a July 26 trial date for Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert.

The indictment involves allegations that Nighbert told an employee who testified before the special grand jury that if it had been 20 years earlier, "I probably would have come back there and socked you in the mouth."

Franklin District Judge Thomas Wingate said Gov. Ernie Fletcher's Aug. 29 pardon was "broad and all encompassing" but did not refer specifically to violations of the state whistleblower-protection law, under which Nighbert was charged.

Wingate also noted that Nighbert's "socked" remark, which allegedly occurred Sept. 14, took place after the pardon date.

...Attorney General Greg Stumbo issued a statement welcoming the court decision for a jury trial.

"The court has ruled that threats of physical violence against a woman who bravely revealed government corruption are not pardoned," Stumbo said.

Kentucky Democratic Party -- State Central Committee Meeting On Monday

Diane Brumback posted this earlier today as a comment and I thought it was worthy of its own post. I concur with her assessment about the lack of women in any leadership roles at the KDP, except for the head of the women's clubs/women's caucus. I guess they had little choice there...

I requested a copy of the agenda for the SCC meeting Monday. I thought some of you may be interested if unavailable to attend. I will note that I did not realize until receiving this agenda that there are no women serving as Chairs with one exception.

-Diane Brumback

5:00 p.m. Welcome

Roll Call

Approval of Minutes

Chairman's Report – Jerry Lundergan

Introduction of KDP Staff

Democratic Woman's Club Report – DWC President Bettie Sue Wallace

Treasurer's Report – David Tandy

KDP General Counsel Report – Mickey McGuire

Report from Young Democrats – KYD President Jack Walker

Senate Caucus Report – Jack Walker, Director

House Caucus Report – Jonathan Hurst, Director

Finance Committee Report – Denzil Allen

New Business

Honorary Lifetime Members of Committee

Nominating Committee Report and Confirmation Vote for Vice Chair

Committee Reports from:

Building/Facilities, Chair Jimmy Morphew
County Organizations, Chair Roy Sizemore
KDP Foundation/Long Range Planning, Chair Harold Robinson
Labor, Chair Bill Ryan
Senior Citizens, Chair Sen. David Boswell
Youth, Chair Ryan Stratton
Farm, Chair Sen. Joey Pendleton
Veterans, Chair Sen. Mike Weaver
Women, Chair Bettie Sue Wallace

Executive Session – if needed

Adjourn

KDP Update

Here's what the Kentucky Democratic Party sent around this morning regarding the issue of the year-long vacancy for a female vice chair. The nomination of Rep. Joni Jenkins (D) will be sent to the Democratic state central committee for a vote next week. Thought you'd be interested in the formal outcome of the Nominating Committee.

Keep in mind that tonight is the first meeting of the Finance Committee in a very long time. Very happy to see that the KDP is addressing some of the concerns we've raised over the past month. Progress is good.

TO: State Central Committee Members
FROM: Roy Sizemore
DATE: February 14, 2006
SUBJECT: Nominating Committee Meeting

Monday evening, February 13, the Nominating Committee of the Kentucky Democratic Party State Central Executive Committee met in Frankfort for the purpose of interviewing and nominating a person to be Vice-Chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party.   The following members of the committee were present:

Joey Pendleton
Chad Aull
Jeff Noble
Milly Diehl
Roy Sizemore
Betsy Nowland-Curry
Bill Ryan
Auditor Crit Luallen
Danny Ross (proxy for Attorney General Greg Stumbo)
Kenneth Maysfield (proxy for Treasurer Jonathan Miller)
Senator Ed Worley
Representative Mike Weaver

The committee interviewed Virginia Woodward, Louisville, and Representative Joni Jenkins, Louisville.  Both women showed interest in becoming Vice-Chair.

After lengthy interviews with both candidates followed by lengthy discussion by the nominating committee, a vote was taken to determine if we should send one or two names to the State Central Committee.  It was the decision of the committee to send one name to the State Central Committee for consideration.

The nominating committee then voted to present Representative Joni Jenkins as the committee’s nominee for Vice-Chair of the Kentucky Democratic Paty.

Joni brings many positive attributes to the Party including being President of the Louisville Legislative Delegation.  She is highly respected by her peers in the House of Representatives and has very strong relations with the labor community.  She is very involved with issues relating to women.

It is a pleasure to serve as chairman of this committee. 

Sincerely,

Roy Sizemore
Chairman, Nominating Committee
KDP State Central Executive Committee

Ten Commandments

Larry Dale Keeling has a terrific column in today's Herald-Leader about the three fearless members of the state House (all of them women) and how their opposition to the recent Ten Commandments legislation was not staked out on partisan grounds but on a much more thoughtful assessment of the issue along with wicked-smart examples of their colleagues' hypocrisy.

I encourage you to read the entire column, but wanted to reprint the modern political version of the Ten Commandments as recited by Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo (D), one of the fearless three:

In her remarks on the floor Thursday, Palumbo read a different version of the Ten Commandments:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me, except an elected political position.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, except a posted plaque of the Ten Commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, except when talking about a political opponent.
4. Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy, except for going door-to-door in a political campaign.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother, except when placing them in a nursing home that doesn't have adequate staffing.
6. Thou shalt not kill, except by failing to provide adequate food and health care and medicine for the impoverished and malnourished people all around the world.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery, except when going through mid-life crisis.
8. Thou shalt not steal, except when taking credit for an idea that came from someone else.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, except against a political opponent.
10. Thou shalt not covet, except for an office on the first floor of the Capitol of the commonwealth.

How true.  I also love Rep. Kathy Stein's (D) relevant point:

But the Ten Commandments are unique to the Judeo-Christian heritage. (The irony, as Rep. Stein noted Thursday, is that they were given to the Hebrews but are now being cited as proof that this is a Christian nation. Stein is the legislature's sole Jewish member.)

As I've said before, the Democratic women in the legislature are some of the very few in the legislature with a backbone, and that's why the good ol' boys (like Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan) are so scared of them...

Gotta Give Republican House Leader Jeff Hoover Credit On This One!!

Thanks to Aaron Morris over at Bluegrass Institute for this gem. I've got to commend Republican House Leader Jeff Hoover for this very apt amendment. Nice job, well deserved and quite funny.

2006 House Bill 2 (Allow governor to promote gender equity on boards)

Introduced by Rep. Mary Lou Marzian on January 19, 2006, to allow the Governor, when appointments to boards and commissions are made from lists submitted to him, to appoint a male or female so as to achieve as much gender equity as possible.

• Referred to the House State Government Committee on January 20, 2006.
• Reported in the House on January 31, 2006, favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar.
• Amendment offered by Rep. Jeffrey Hoover on February 2, 2006, to state that this Act shall be known as the Jerry Lundergan Rehabilitation Act of 2006.

Passed in the House (91 to 6) on February 2, 2006

Remove Foot, Apologize, Move On (Herald-Leader)

Great column by Cheryl Truman in yesterday's Herald-Leader:

Remove Foot, Apologize, Move On
By Cheryl Truman
HERALD-LEADER COLUMNIST

You have to love Kentucky Democratic party chairman Jerry Lundergan, if only for this reason: He makes the Kentucky Republican party look like the model of quiet dignity.

Anyone can slip up and say something stupid, then apologize. (For tips on how to do this, see Oprah Winfrey's gracious about-face on author James Frey, he of the million little fibs.) But to keep driving home what a foolish remark you made, you really have to have Lundergan.

Do we wonder why Kentucky is crammed with $9-an-hour Republicans, who vote against their own best economic interest simply to avoid being identified with the Democrats?

Well, here's Exhibit One: articulate leadership. "Women are mainly mothers and have their own careers, so it's kind of hard to find someone who would be effective," Lundergan told Herald-Leader reporter Ryan Alessi, explaining why the party doesn't have a female vice-chair. "They just can't drop their careers for something they won't be reimbursed for."

Obviously, that's not the kind of quote for which Lundergan would like to be remembered. Had he simply said so, the issue would have gone away.

But in his response, Lundergan blamed Alessi for misunderstanding him. He also noted that he has five daughters, as if that is a contributor to controversial musings about the difficulties of a state full of estrogen-bearing voters.

A tip to the man charged with leading Kentucky's embattled Democrats back to prominence: Credibility means sometimes saying you're sorry, right up front.

Ain't it the truth?

Democratic Women Legislators To Hold Press Conference This Afternoon At 4:30 PM In Frankfort

In response to Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan's comments in yesterday's Herald-Leader, I've been informed that Democratic women legislators are holding a 4:30 pm press conference this afternoon at Democratic Party headquarters in Frankfort.

It's only going to get worse for Lundergan...

The First Calls For Lundergan To Resign...

From the chatter among various Democratic women, this could quickly turn into full revolt. Here's the first call for Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan's resignation over today's insensitive and idiotic comments in the Herald-Leader.

As reported in the Herald Leader, Kentucky Democratic State Party Chair Jerry Lundergan has sent an offensive message echoing across the state - "Women Need Not Apply."

As Founder and President of Kentucky Women in Action, a statewide organization dedicated to empowering women in politics, I have spent countless days and hours lobbying our legislators to support House Bill 2 which calls for gender balance in state government.  I find myself in a precarious situation faced with this damaging, antiquated mindset from the Chair of my own political party.

His recent statements printed in the Herald Leader referring to the role of women were incredulous and insulting as he has publicly denounced that women are not capable of having a seat at the Party's table as the Vice Chair.

Taking into consideration Lundergan's statements of late regarding what he believes the role of women entails, I regard this Chair to be obstructive in improving the status of Kentucky's democratic party and empowering the women of the party.  It is my opinion that the democratic party will spiral toward devastation should the Kentucky Democratic State party continue status quo.

I call upon the state central committee to ask for Lundergan's resignation as party chair. 

I can only imagine the state central committee members are infuriated. For the members not to call for his resignation, one would think they condone such lack of integrity.

Based upon Mr. Lundergan's dreadful remarks and the scope of the outrage, measures need to be taken immediately to request Mr. Lundergan resigns as party chair.

Best regards,

Diane L. Brumback


Diane Brumback, President
Kentucky Women in Action

Lundergan Update

For those interested in e-mailing Democratic state central committee members to express your outrage over Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan's comments today about Democratic women, just click here for the information.

How Much Longer Will Lundergan Survive?

After Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan's comment in Ryan Alessi's column this morning, how much longer will Democratic women tolerate him as the chairman of their party? How much longer can this guy get away with this?

"Women are mainly mothers and have their own careers, so it's kind of hard to find someone who would be effective," Lundergan said. "They just can't drop their careers for something they won't be reimbursed for."

My LEO Column: "Time for Democratic women to ask, ‘Why?’"

Here's my new LEO column for the week taking aim at how poorly the Kentucky Democratic Party treats its women.

Bluegrass Politics
Time for Democratic women to ask, ‘Why?’

by Mark Nickolas

This week Liberia seated its first woman president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Isn’t it sad when a Third World country looks more progressive than the state we live in?

And I am speaking of Democrats.

Ten days ago, the Kentucky Democratic Party selected state Rep. Perry Clark as its nominee for the Feb. 14 special election to fill the yearlong vacancy in Louisville’s 37th Senate District. In choosing Clark, local Democratic Party leaders skipped over Virginia Woodward, who narrowly lost to Dana Seum Stephenson in 2004 but waged a tenacious yearlong court battle. A firestorm erupted among Democratic women who believe the Democratic Party happily pushed Woodward out front to fight its legal battles, but summarily threw her aside after her legal victories forced a special election. And, despite promises, Woodward’s legal fees still have not been paid by the Democratic Party.

This has caused many women — and men (including this one) — to question whether the Kentucky Democratic Party leadership, despite all of its rhetoric of inclusion, truly values its women. After all, Democratic women are the heart and soul of their party. Voter statistics show that among Democrats, registered female voters outnumber male voters by 20 percent, and in Louisville, that gender gap widens to an incredible 36 percent.

That’s just among those registered to vote. When you look at who actually votes, the difference is stark.

In the November 2004 election in Louisville, 43 percent more Democratic women than Democratic men turned out (115,542 women to just 81,107 men) and Democratic women outvoted all Republicans — of both genders — combined. In a hypothetical party-line vote, Democratic women alone could defeat the entire Republican Party without the vote of one Democratic man.

Yet it’s impossible to find a woman in key leadership roles within the Democratic Party. You won’t find a woman among the eight Democratic legislative leaders. In fact, no Democratic woman has ever served in House leadership, and it’s been 15 years since Helen Garrett of Paducah served in Senate leadership.

Two men — Chairman Jerry Lundergan and consultant Dale Emmons — have run the state Democratic Party for nearly a year, and while bylaws require the election of a female vice chair (must be the opposite gender of the chair), they’ve never filled that slot.

Former Gov. Julian Carroll recently assembled his “Network 39” a group of leaders to provide guidance for the Democratic Party. Among 39 handpicked members, six — 15 percent — are women.

Currently, eight of the Democrats’ 56 state representatives are women, and only one of 15 senators. That ranks Kentucky 48th in percentage of women state legislators, trailing only Alabama and South Carolina. Republican women hold five senate seats, including a member of leadership.

While Democratic leaders love to talk about their “big tent,” the truth is only the good ol’ white boys are allowed to lead its diverse rank-and-file. Women get empty promises but no seat at the table to discuss planning, strategy, candidate recruitment and legislative goals. More disturbing is the derisive term “Bitch Caucus” that many Democratic male house members use to refer to their female counterparts.

The fight between Perry Clark and Virginia Woodward shined white-hot light on this problem. Party leaders insist the outcome was nothing more than Clark being a better candidate and they dismiss these concerns as more liberal rabble-rousing. That argument misses the point. This isn’t ideology. It’s a growing belief that the male-dominated leadership of the Kentucky Democratic Party is often hard to distinguish from the misogynistic attitudes of Gov. Fletcher and his party.

A more candid explanation would frame this as an ongoing struggle between the old guard and the emerging new generation of Democratic leaders. And while the old guard continues to dwindle, they stubbornly cling to power because they know they have little else. The fight for the 37th Senate District was another example of it trying to protect what power it has left.

Until Democrats see women in legislative leadership positions; until they see the party leaders getting around to actually finding a female vice-chair; until they see the “Network 39s” including more than 15 percent women; until they see efforts to recruit talented Democratic women candidates, no one will look at the selection of Perry Clark and believe in their heart-of-hearts that it was simply a case of the better candidate winning. Until then, the Democratic Party barely differentiates itself from the Ernie Fletchers of the world.

Mark Nickolas is a former Democratic political consultant and publisher of Kentucky’s most widely read political blog, BluegrassReport.org. Contact him at Mark@BluegrassReport.org