Commentary
Ahem, Rand Paul, aren’t you forgetting something?
In a fundraising letter boosting Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron for governor, GOP Sen. Rand Paul praised the state’s top cop for suing Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear over “virtually every authoritarian edict” the incumbent “unleashed on Kentucky.” Paul meant Beshear’s?emergency executive orders that were aimed at keeping Kentuckians out of the hospital and the cemetery […]
Brereton Jones leaves lessons for reformist politicians
Kentucky never had a governor quite like Brereton Jones, who died Monday, and it may never again. His legacy is one of reform, with lessons for reformers. Jones wasn’t the first high-minded millionaire to use wealth to gain high office, but he did it with a most unusual pedigree. His political career began in West […]
Bipartisan backlash killed most of Sanders’ anti-transparency agenda
It’s doubtful that Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders anticipated the national firestorm she would ignite on Sept. 8 when she called the state’s General Assembly into special session — commencing Sept. 11 — to enact legislation aimed at upending the state law governing the public’s right to know, the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Clearly, […]
Tell us more, Mitch and Joe
Mitch McConnell, who has a policy of saying little, is exactly nine months older than Joe Biden, who says too much and will be 81 on Nov. 20. The president’s rambling makes some people worry about his health, but we know a lot more about it than we do about the Senate Republican leader’s, even […]
Why I’m very worried about a Gov. Cameron?
In Alabama, the governor earlier this year forced out the state’s early childhood education director, who is a Black woman, over the use of a teacher training book that the governor deemed “woke.” In Arkansas, the state’s education department, led by appointees of the governor, recently announced students could not get credit towards graduation by […]
Beware Sanders-like attack on government transparency by Kentucky’s supermajority
Arkansans set a high bar for Kentuckians in responding to their governor’s direct assault on the state’s public records law, and their message is clear: Stop putting the public’s interest last yet again.? As one critic loudly proclaimed, “Avoiding public scrutiny is neither bold nor conservative; it’s weak and reactionary. Requiring elected officials to obey […]
So many prayers. So little action.
I woke at 5 a.m. last Thursday thinking about the victims of the Old National Bank shooting in Louisville and googled their names so I could say a specific prayer: Thomas Elliott, James Tutt Jr., Juliana Farmer, Joshua Barrick and Deana Eckert; plus the six who were injured, James Evans, Julie Anderson, Dana Mitchell, Darrin […]
Kinship care families are waiting for a champion
I recently spoke to a legislative committee about Kinship Care. As I sat at the table during the hearing, my heart was hurting for so many kinship families in Kentucky who are in serious need and seem to be forgotten. There are many kids in Kinship Care who’ve been abused, neglected and removed from their […]
Will McConnell’s proudest accomplishment be his party’s political undoing?
A Louisville audience last month applauded U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell as he touted his historic success in remaking the federal courts. But McConnell’s proudest accomplishment could also prove to be his party’s electoral undoing as voters again showed the next day in Ohio where a measure sought by anti-abortion forces was defeated. The federal judiciary […]
As concern about Mitch McConnell’s health grows, his legacy remains?strong
Even if Mitch McConnell’s health prevents him from accomplishing his stated goal of serving as Senate Republican leader through 2024, he will still be the longest-serving Senate leader of any party, one who remade the federal judiciary from top to bottom. The impact of that achievement will outlive the 81-year-old Kentuckian, who appeared to freeze […]
Fear and anger in Appalachia — just like everywhere else
Recently, an eclectic group of artists from around the Appalachian region clashed with a small group of locals at Pine Mountain Settlement School in the community of Bledsoe in Harlan County. I wasn’t there, but after hearing from others who were, that’s a somewhat gentle description. Words like “mob of white supremacists” and “LGBTQ activists” […]
Do you know what your members of Congress are doing?
Republicans snubbed Hal Rogers, more than once. They treated Thomas Massie more roughly. Brett Guthrie deferred his dream. James Comer defeated two colleagues in an election to get one of the highest-profile jobs in Congress. But you don’t read about much or most of the news made by these members of Kentucky’s congressional delegation, unless […]