Kentucky Republicans

You might say that Kentucky Republicans "hit the three" Tuesday with the capture of the governor's office by Ernie Fletcher, the secretary of state's office by C.M. "Trey" Grayson, and the office of agriculture commissioner by Richie Farmer, the great three-point shooter for the UK Wildcats. But there was a fourth Republican politician who if not on the ballot Tuesday seemed never to be far from the minds of at least the Democratic candidates - President George W. Bush. From the beginning of his campaign, Democrat Ben Chandler and his supporters tried to make Bush and his economic policies - mainly his tax cuts - the issue.

Dear Editor, There are three people seeking the nomination of the Republican Party for governor. Ann Northrup had a credible series of wins for a congressional seat atypical for Kentucky, an urban congressional district, until she ultimately lost her last bid for Congress to a first time Democrat challenger in a bad year for Republicans. Billy Harper is a nice rich man who can afford to pay for commercials but has no political experience. Governor Ernie Fletcher is the first Republican to win the governor's seat in over 30 years.

You have to hand it to Kentucky Republicans. There was a time when they would have caved in the face of such adversity. Some pundits are decrying a split in loyalties, suggesting increased damage to a party already torn by scandal, but this is not a time for blind party loyalty. Reparation will require regrouping, which breeds division. Party leaders have wrestled with Gov. Ernie Fletcher's handling of a hiring scandal, the resulting publicity and his indictment. The party is split over Fletcher's re-election bid, with some big players not only refusing to endorse him in the primary but suggesting he bow out for the sake of the party, which needs to put this saga to rest.

Kentucky Republicans are blowing it. That probably comes as no surprise to most of the electorate, which finds itself completely turned off by politics and politicians, by political parties and their promises. If you don't believe that, you're one of those who thinks 26 percent is a pretty good voter turnout. So here's the scenario: The state's GOP rides the wave of the conservative movement sweeping the nation, increasing its voter registration and its presence at the grassroots level.

Kentucky Republicans seem to be changing their bait regularly, clearly struggling to find the lure that voters will follow into the gubernatorial primary. The major anglers have given up on their own incumbent, whose underwater action seems to be attracting little more than snapping turtles. The latest spinner is Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who announced at the Fancy Farm picnic that he has been approached and encouraged to run. Whether Gov. Ernie Fletcher is about to fall victim to the same fate as U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman is a matter of some debate.

Kentucky Republicans seem to be changing their bait regularly, clearly struggling to find the lure that voters will follow into the gubernatorial primary. The major anglers have given up on their own incumbent, whose underwater action seems to be attracting little more than snapping turtles. The latest spinner is Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who announced at the Fancy Farm picnic that he has been approached and encouraged to run. Whether Gov. Ernie Fletcher is about to fall victim to the same fate as U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman is a matter of some debate.

For each of the past four years, I've received a Christmas card from Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher. I kept each one up in my living room until the next one arrived. Since the card kept coming, I figured that the governor really enjoyed my book, "The Unbridled World of Ernie Fletcher. " That or he never got around to updating his mailing list. I suspect the latter is true. I'm sure my cards have ended as Fletcher is leaving office on Dec. 11. He left an even bigger gift for the incoming governor, Steve Beshear: a budget deficit.

From a national perspective, the shellacking that President Barack Obama said Democrats took in Tuesday’s election wasn’t that bad in Kentucky. Both Democratic congressmen held on to their seats, though Ben Chandler must await a Friday recanvass to confirm his 649-vote lead in the 6th District. And the open Senate seat won by Rand Paul was already held by a fellow Republican, Jim Bunning. (More later on Democratic nominee Jack Conway.) So, Kentucky’s congressional landscape is pretty much where it was in 1994-98, when the last Republican wave and Sen. Mitch McConnell’s strategy and tactics helped the GOP take three of the state’s six House seats and Democratic icon Wendell Ford’s Senate seat.

One of the best annual features on television is the salute by CBS's "Sunday Morning" to notable people who died in the year just ended. This space, as a chronicle of Kentucky politics, seems overdue for a similar presentation. Each year, our state loses from its public life dozens of people who made a difference - often for good, sometimes for bad, and occasionally both - and in large and small ways made Kentucky what it is. Perhaps one reason this space hasn't featured such lists is that they are inherently difficult to make.

For each of the past four years, I've received a Christmas card from Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher. I kept each one up in my living room until the next one arrived. Since the card kept coming, I figured that the governor really enjoyed my book, "The Unbridled World of Ernie Fletcher. " That or he never got around to updating his mailing list. I suspect the latter is true. I'm sure my cards have ended as Fletcher is leaving office on Dec. 11. He left an even bigger gift for the incoming governor, Steve Beshear: a budget deficit.

Kentucky Republicans are blowing it. That probably comes as no surprise to most of the electorate, which finds itself completely turned off by politics and politicians, by political parties and their promises. If you don't believe that, you're one of those who thinks 26 percent is a pretty good voter turnout. So here's the scenario: The state's GOP rides the wave of the conservative movement sweeping the nation, increasing its voter registration and its presence at the grassroots level.

Dear Editor, There are three people seeking the nomination of the Republican Party for governor. Ann Northrup had a credible series of wins for a congressional seat atypical for Kentucky, an urban congressional district, until she ultimately lost her last bid for Congress to a first time Democrat challenger in a bad year for Republicans. Billy Harper is a nice rich man who can afford to pay for commercials but has no political experience. Governor Ernie Fletcher is the first Republican to win the governor's seat in over 30 years.

You have to hand it to Kentucky Republicans. There was a time when they would have caved in the face of such adversity. Some pundits are decrying a split in loyalties, suggesting increased damage to a party already torn by scandal, but this is not a time for blind party loyalty. Reparation will require regrouping, which breeds division. Party leaders have wrestled with Gov. Ernie Fletcher's handling of a hiring scandal, the resulting publicity and his indictment. The party is split over Fletcher's re-election bid, with some big players not only refusing to endorse him in the primary but suggesting he bow out for the sake of the party, which needs to put this saga to rest.

Kentucky Republicans seem to be changing their bait regularly, clearly struggling to find the lure that voters will follow into the gubernatorial primary. The major anglers have given up on their own incumbent, whose underwater action seems to be attracting little more than snapping turtles. The latest spinner is Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who announced at the Fancy Farm picnic that he has been approached and encouraged to run. Whether Gov. Ernie Fletcher is about to fall victim to the same fate as U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman is a matter of some debate.