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Andy Beshear, the Mel Ott of Kentucky
“Nice guys finish last,” Leo Durocher, manager of the first place Brooklyn Dodgers, said of player-manager Mel Ott and his last-place New York Giants in 1946. In Kentucky, Nov. 7 proved that nice guys can finish first in politics. Gov. Andy Beshear, a moderate Democrat, won a second term...
Tax dollars are wasted in states with school vouchers
Like salmon swimming home to spawn, lobbyists are again roaming the hallways of the Kentucky State Capitol. This year, big-dollar lobbyists representing corporate-run private schools and churches are pushing House Bill 208 to change the state’s constitution to allow politicians to throw billions of tax dollars into private and religious schools.
A Fever in the Heartland: the Ku Klux Klan’s plot to take over America, and the woman who stopped them
It has become common to hear politicians and pundits compare Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler and other high-ranking Nazis. But if there is anyone who reminds me of Trump, it’s not the Führer, who, while a homicidal demon, was restrained and clever. No, the best comparison to Trump is D.C. “Steve” Stephenson, the Imperial Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1920s. Pulitzer-Prize winning author Timothy Egan has written the definitive account of Stephenson’s rise and fall in A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them.
Housing: Who has the privilege?
If you are reading this article, it’s probably safe to assume you have the privilege of having a roof over your head. You might even own your own home or can afford to pay the rent. As I walked to the Kroger’s near my home on this blustery, cold day, I passed three human beings who do not share that same privilege. What are we doing as a community, as a state, and as individuals to make it easier for those who are unhoused to receive the assistance they need?
This is a circus, dear readers, and Gomer Comer lies and flirts with pornography
Besides the fact that they are both proud sons of the old Commonwealth sod, what do Rep. Jamie Comer, wherever he claims to hale from these days, and the late magazine publisher Larry Flynt, of Salyersville, have in common?. Both men promoted pornography. That revelation leapt to the fore on...
When it comes to MLK, they only know one line
This weekend you will see tweet after tweet from Republicans saluting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his holiday. And the vast majority of them know only one line that the slain civil-rights leader ever said in his life: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
SOS Adams opposes bill to eliminate early voting
A bill to do away early voting in Kentucky has been proposed by a Northern Kentucky senator despite opposition from the commonwealth’s Republican secretary of state. Sen. John Schickel (R-Union) sponsored and filed Senate Bill 61 on Jan. 4. The measure was assigned to the Senate State and Local Government committee this week. On the Senate floor Friday, Schickel framed early voting as a COVID-era holdover that is not beneficial to the election process.
Democratic Senator’s bill ending tax on diapers earns bipartisan cheers
It’s not often that Republicans in Frankfort cheer on a Democrat-sponsored bill. But such was the case Monday when the Senate Clerk announced the filing of Senate Bill 97 from Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong (D-Louisville) to exempt diapers from the state’s 6% sales tax. Amid an otherwise quiet...
Lexington lawmaker files three bills he says will improve Kentucky elections
A state lawmaker from Lexington has filed three bills he says would improve elections for Kentucky voters. Democratic Representative Chad Aull said one would do away with straight-ticket voting and another would keep polls open until 7 p.m. “I think it’s, you know, our responsibility to provide the citizens of...
Weddle blames Beshear fundraiser for letting him make illegal political contributions
London Mayor Randall Weddle says he told a fundraiser for Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection in late 2022 that he planned to make political contributions of others on his credit card, but instead of being warned that such a move would be illegal, the fundraiser told Weddle, “Okay sounds great.”
Jazmin’s return, the session is underway, and the filing deadline has passed
Jazmin's back in this one as she and Robert discuss the filing deadline and who is running for which office, the legislative session, which is now underway, and the state of the commonwealth. Plus more!
KY GOP: The Party of NO
Oug, Kimberly and Chris share the news of the weak coming out of the Kentucky General Assembly (#KYGA24 to those in the know) as it moves to end diversity and inclusion education, while recasting Jan. 6th insurrectionists as innocent bystanders. Sheesh. Then we check in with friend of the show, Kesley Coots, about the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Campaign, to hear about their long-term plans for change in our commonwealth - as always, we close with our call to action.
Campaign staffers needed
Now that the filing deadline has passed and the campaign season has kicked off, a serious need has arisen across the Commonwealth: persons to staff the campaigns. From Congressional campaigns all the way down to local races, every campaign needs people to do the day-to-day work – keeping track of the money, managing the schedules, planning the field work, and so much more.
This Week at the State Capitol
“This Week at the State Capitol” is a non-partisan newsletter published by the Legislative Research Commission, and posted here with permission. Two bills related to elections – including one that seeks to amend the state constitution – were on the move this week as lawmakers began to pick up steam in the 2024 legislative session.
'Union members help people, whether on the shop floor or out in the community'
The AFL-CIO’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference began on Friday “at a crucial moment for the labor and civil rights movements, as workers across the country are organizing at historic rates for dignity, respect and justice, both on the job and in our communities,” says the AFL-CIO.
Republicans, it’s time to stop sniveling
The tableau in the rotunda of the state Capitol on the year’s first day of business was, for a moment, reassuring to those of us who worry about the future of the party in which we were long registered and where its current strongman may take it and our country.
Cameron says he’s fighting ‘woke’ – but he’s really just helping rich people get richer
At least Daniel Cameron is consistent. He’s still waging holy war on “woke ideology.”. Kentucky’s former attorney general is the new CEO of the 1792 Exchange, an organization which “doesn’t want corporations to take positions on ‘woke’ issues,” explained Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Joseph Gerth. “It doesn’t want them to end business relationships with people who act like racist and homophobic jerks, or place a premium on doing business with companies that don’t harm the environment.
Paid Family Leave Insurance Act clears committee
“Capitol Update” is a non-partisan publication of the Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky employers may soon have a new way to offer employees paid family leave. House Bill 179 would give private and public employers the option to allow employees to purchase paid family leave insurance. Rep. Samara Heavrin (R-Leitchfield)...
SB 93 – a Really Bad Bill
A bill that not only goes after DEI in the schools (incorrectly defined), but also goes after "belonging." And, that gets rid of trauma-informed programs in the schools. The written transcript is available to members at the Partner level, either to read here or to receive via email. If you are not a Partner-level member, this might be a good reason to upgrade your membership.
Bill filed for exceptions to state’s abortion ban
Kentucky state Senator David Yates, a Democrat from Louisville, held a press conference this morning to announce he will be filing a bill to add exceptions to the state’s total ban on abortion. The bill is called “Hadley’s Law,” named for Hadley Duvall, the young woman featured in Governor...
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