Ernie Fletcher

Kentucky can be a national leader in health care, education and recreation. That was one of the claims made by Dr. Dan Mongiardo in a speech Friday to members of the Danville Rotary Club. Mongiardo, a Democratic state senator from Hazard, is campaigning for lieutenant governor as Steve Beshear's running mate. Mongiardo said before his speech that he would speak about policy, not politics. "I think people are tired of politics," he said, adding that the worst problems facing this country are not the Iraq war, health care, education or economics.

Today, this newspaper steps a little outside of what some perceive is its comfort zone. We endorse the Democratic Party's candidate for governor. Steve Beshear is the best choice in this election. We do not approach this decision lightly. Until the Republican primary earlier this year, when we endorsed Anne Northup, we professed steadfast and consistent support for Ernie Fletcher in both his elections to Congress and to the office of governor. But this is one of those times when leadership, or the lack thereof, trumps philosophy.

Dear Editor, I find it troubling that after four years as governor, Ernie Fletcher cannot have TV ads or campaign signs that promote anything positive he's accomplished. During his four years as governor, he spent more than $26 million in having the "Unbridled Spirit" logo designed, and changed all of our road signs, even though most people consider Kentucky "The Bluegrass State. " He initially hired the most talented group of cabinet secretaries this state has ever seen, only to run most of them off within the first 1 1/2 years.

Democratic candidate for governor Steve Beshear and his running mate, state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo, D-Hazard, are scheduled to appear at a campaign breakfast Friday morning in Winchester. All residents are invited to the free breakfast, which will begin at 7 a.m. at Cantuckee Diner on Carol Road. The breakfast will be a full meal. Beshear and Mongiardo will speak, and all other candidates on the Democratic ticket have been invited, but are not confirmed. Beshear and Mongiardo are running for governor this November against the incumbent Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher and his running mate Robbie Rudolph.

With his latest TV ads, Ernie Fletcher has solidified his well-earned reputation for dishonesty. These ads falsely blame Steve Beshear for the collapse of Kentucky Central Insurance in 1995. Beshear's law firm, Stites and Harbison, was hired by the Kentucky Office of Insurance to work on the liquidation of Kentucky Central's assets. An independent report in 1995 (recently made public) claimed that the law firm had a conflict of interest in the case. Stites and Harbison contested the finding of the report, and the two judges in the case, Richard Revell and William Graham, ruled in favor of Stites and Harbison that there was no conflict of interest.

In exactly 22 days, Gov. Ernie Fletcher will find out if his gamble pays off. As is obvious from one of the slickest advertising campaigns of any Kentucky gubernatorial campaign, that gamble would be his hope that his appeal to the moral conservative face of the two faces of us Kentuckians will result in a victory. You see, we Kentuckians are two-faced and proud of it, and Fletcher knows this because he is one of us and also has two faces. He knows many of us are conservative Protestants who roll in the aisles of our churches and revile the sins of demon rum, satanic smoking and ungodly gambling.

The last time Gov. Ernie Fletcher visited the Danville Country Club it was April during the primary campaign and he came bearing gifts in the form of oversized state checks for local projects. When Fletcher returned on Friday to speak to the local Rotary Club, he came with a different campaign gimmick, a cheerleader in the form of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. "I think Ernie Fletcher deserves more than a passing grade next month," said McConnell, adding he believes the governor can overcome a sizable lead by Democrat Steve Beshear before the Nov. 6 election.

Dear Editor, As we approach the upcoming gubernatorial election, citizens of Lincoln County and Kentucky face an unprecedented set of obstacles in re-electing our sitting governor. Perhaps not since the Civil War has there been such a polarization amongst the citizens of our state. On the one side is the Republican Party, with clear-cut visions of morality and decency. We are the party of the "right to life" and the sanctity of traditional marriage. Kentucky does not need casino gambling and slot machines on display for our children to become accustomed to. Few intelligent people will deny the harm that the present lottery has brought to our state since the early 1990s.

As we approach the upcoming gubernatorial election, we of Lincoln County and Kentucky face an unprecedented set of obstacles in re-electing our sitting governor. Perhaps not since the Civil War has there been such a polarization among the citizens of our state. On the one side is the Republican Party with clear-cut visions of morality and decency. We are the party of the "right to life" and the sanctity of traditional marriage. Kentucky does not need casino gambling and slot machines on display for our children to become accustomed to. Few intelligent people will deny the harm that the present lottery has brought to our state since the early 1990s.

As this year's gubernatorial campaign unfolds in all of its benign beauty, I keep coming back to the same question: "Is this the best Kentucky can do?"One political hack - this one a Republican from Meade County - thinks so. She called me last week and sprung this gusher: The incumbent and former physician-pilot-preacher-turned-politician Ernie Fletcher is "the greatest governor we've ever had. " I suspected she based her opinion on reasons beyond political success, leadership, competent advisers or charisma - all of which remain glaringly absent from the current administration.