When Greg Stumbo's Deputy Attorney General Pierce Whites attacked Marathon Oil under Kentucky's poorly conceived price gouging law saying "there is no constitutional right to price gouge," he was taking a position that might help Stumbo in the upcoming Democratic primary.
Populism traditionally seeks to deny the laws of economics and promote vagueness in favor government power in the name of "doing something."
What's disappointing is how Ernie Fletcher played along in response to Marathon Oil's lawsuit seeking to improve or remove Kentucky's price gouging law. Kentucky has been in a state of emergency since Fletcher declared one on August 30, 2005.
The lawsuit asks the court to void Fletcher's emergency declaration or set a time limit on it.
Fletcher interpreted that as an attack on the powers of his office.
"The fact of the matter is the executive order stands and it has the full force of law, and we'll be defending that aspect of the suit," Fletcher said.
What's even more disappointing is that neither of Fletcher's primary opponents are going to call him on this. The electorate has moved so far left that the smart political money rests firmly on the side of calling ourselves victims and suing our largest service providers for providing services.
