Live Blog Lincoln Day In Jessamine County

Governor Fletcher, Rep. Jeff Hoover, and Billy Harper all spoke to the Lincoln Day lunch in Jessamine county. The three posts that follow describe their comments. As much as the state Lincoln day event was held in Northup country, this is Fletcher country. As it turns out, Governor Fletcher easily carried the day on style points. If the GOP primary is going to send a challenger in to November to try to keep the office in Republican hands, it looks like something different is going to have to happen.

After the gubernatorial candidates spoke, other statewide candidates also addressed the crowd.

Linda Greenwell said that if the party doesn't get behind the gubernatorial nominee, Republicans will lose.

Lonnie Napier said "if you want someone who can lay the Democrat nominee to rest in November, you're looking at the man who can do it."

Tim Coleman, candidate for attorney general, said that he will use the practical experience he has gained being a prosecutor. "I'm not a politician with a law degree."

Stan Lee, candidate for attorney general, gave easily the most rousing speech of the day. "I want to restore public confidence in Attorney General's office. Right now the Attorney General's office has about the same credibility as the Designated Driver program for the Cincinnati Bengals."
"I am going to win this race because I have been an attorney for twenty years, which is also the same amount of time it would take little Jack Conway to grow a moustache."
"If you still believe in the party of God, family, and country, Stan Lee is your man."

Brett Hall spoke for the Melinda Wheeler for Treasurer, saying he would be very brief in his comments. He wasn't.

John Larson, a candidate for Attorney General, said he wants to "hold the line on spending for jails and prisons." Said he is going to increase fiscal responsibility in the prosecution of crimes, suggesting that younger generation is being "picked on" by overzealous prosecutors. "Prosecutors can establish more alternative programs ... shorter sentences ... discourage unnecessary legislation."

Billy Harper Speaks To Jessamine County

"The governor bringing chili kind of adds a new dimension to delivering pork." -- This little joke was delivered and received much, much better than a similar one given to the statewide Lincoln dinner.

"We have to invest whatever it takes so every first grade student has a reasonable chance to get a high school diploma."

"Every dollar this state spends should go for education and job creation."

"The first thing we can do is have state money follow the student. If they can get a better education in a different district we should allow that, even if it means school vouchers."

Rep. Jeff Hoover Speaks

"During the past couple of years, I have worked closely with the Governor and I think he would tell you I have been a supporter of his."

"Anne and I had a discussion and we decided we would provide an alternative."

"I like Ernie Fletcher."

Regarding political problems of the Governor, "whether it is fair or unfair, it is what it is."

"When you have an election that will be focused on (scandals) we can not win. That is why we are providing an alternative."

"We can not afford to have the Democrats in charge of the executive branch of government again."

"We agree with a lot of the things the governor has said."

Hoover said the military exemption bill the governor is talking about was put up by Republican House members each of the last two years and died in part because the administration would not support it.

"We support repeal of the AMC." "That is a policy difference we have with the current administration."

Ducked question on school choice: "we just started the campaign three weeks ago." "We will be coming out with some specific policy positions very soon."

Ernie Fletcher Speaks to Jessamine GOP

Governor Fletcher speaks first:

Begins by talking about the state of the commonwealth back in 2003 when he was running for office. Says his administration kept 95% of promises made in his "Prescription for Kentucky."

Mentioned tax modernization, fetal homicide, sanctity of marriage, increased fetal screening, building schools and roads, highest rainy day fund in history of the commonwealth.

Future priorities: Exempting military from income tax, open up land to hunting, fighting war on drugs.

"Folks, we've already brought a change to Frankfort and we want to continue that."

Harvard Lecturer's Solution To Terror: Buy Advertising On Al-Jazeera

I never considered before such easy solutions to attacks by Islamic fascists as Harvard students were treated to a week ago:

...regarding how Bush might have taken the moral high ground in the wake of 9/11, Richardson said she would have had the media focus on all the Muslims killed in the attack on the Twin Towers and beam that information into homes across the Middle East.

What were we thinking trying to kill terrorists when all we needed was a good media campaign? That's just plain irrational. If only we were more like suicide bombers:

In fact, it might be said that even suicide terrorists are "extraordinarily rational, since they use minimum efforts for maximum effect."

And of course it is still fashionable on the left to give a benefit of the doubt to America's enemies that they wouldn't dream of extending to the President of the United States:

Nor, Richardson claimed, are terrorists fundamentally immoral, although their acts may seem supremely so from the point of view of their victims. An examination of terrorist Web sites reveals an obsessive desire to justify their acts morally, and some who have committed outrageous acts of brutality have at other times performed actions of conspicuous virtue.

Remember, boys and girls, war is not the answer:

Richardson replied that one of the most important characteristics of those like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. who refused to use violence to attain their ends was that they had a vision of the future, something terrorists rarely have. "For example, if you envision a Palestine where Jews and Arabs live peacefully together, it becomes obvious that the way to get there is not by killing each other."

And neither is seeing things as they really are:

"There's something about America that lends itself to exaggeration for the purpose of unification," Richardson offered. "I think it's undeniable that terrorism has replaced communism as a sort of bogeyman, that it's being used as a political football to engender fear."

Can there be much scarier to contemplate than the fact these are the kind of people whispering sweet nothings into the ear of President Hillary Clinton?

What, No Statue Of Jimmy Carter?

Looks like anti-Communists in Poland want to honor Ronald Reagan for understanding our enemies.

A Good Bill To Lower Health Costs

Senate Bill 135 changes the definition of excludable pre-existing conditions on individual health plans in Kentucky. It should allow premiums to come down by making it more difficult for people to hide illnesses when applying for health coverage.

This is only a small step, but it is in the right direction.

Ned Pillersdorf: Buying Gas Or Buying Votes?

The testimony in the Bath county vote buying case was interesting enough before one of the defense attorneys starting talking.

But Ned Pillersdorf, one of Maze's attorneys, questioned whether the money was to bring people to the polls or to help pay for gas.

Hey, isn't he the husband of Court of Appeals Justice Janet Stumbo?

What Role Will Tax Pledge Play In GOP Primary?

Gubernatorial candidate Billy Harper has signed the pledge liberals hate, the No Tax Pledge. This presents a fabulous opportunity for the Northup campaign and will be very interesting to watch.

Scandal: Toyota Doesn't Want To Go Broke

An "exposed memo" buzzing through Detroit will really get them worked up: Toyota North America wants to hold the line on wage growth so the same thing that has nearly wrecked Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors might not happen to them.

Can't have that, can we?

This "scandal" will embolden the UAW efforts to unionize Toyota.

All the more reason for passing Right to Work, filed yesterday.

Trying To Stop The Bleeding

Kentucky's long-term fiscal woes are going to get pretty scary if we don't do something about our pubic employee pension plans soon.

Rep. Bill Farmer (R-Lexington) deserves a ton of credit for trying to do something before it is too late.

The Dow Is Setting Records, Do You Know Where Your Social Security Is?

Personal accounts in Social Security are inevitable as stock ownership in America continues to climb.

The scare tactics just aren't going to last that much longer.

And when we start them, no matter who the president is, we will have to call them Bush Accounts.

What Kind Of A Sick Joke Is This?

We are wasting our time talking about a bullying bill for schools when we keep getting these yahoos who want to force unwilling older teenagers to hang around.

Hell Hath No Fury...

Abortion Showdown In Kentucky 2007

Will Governor Jody Richards allow Judiciary Chair Kathy Stein to kill all the pro-life bills that come her way? We are likely to find out soon as an "informed consent" bill is in the works.

Living Poor In Jim Wayne's World

Rep. Jim Wayne (D-Louisville) writes a State of the Commonwealth address from the perspective of a single mother in Kentucky in today's Herald Leader. I have three suggestions for her. File for the Earned Income Tax Credit to ease your tax burden, file FAFSA and go back to school, and talk to your kids every day about how education will allow them to change their destiny. The liberal worldview holds that people are stuck like medieval serfs in the life they are born into. This is quite often not so in America. A woman in Wayne's scenario will have to go to extraordinary lengths to improve her life. In Liberal Land, however, it never happens. But unsung American heroines do it every day. I know. My mom did.

Freshman GOP'er Starts Off Right

After freshman Rep. Adam Koenig's tough primary win last May, he is going to have to be diligent on fiscal issues to avoid another GOP challenge in 2008. Handling crime issues with bills to toughen restrictions on perverts should buy him some good will.

Two Really Stupid Ideas At Front And Center

You work hard to provide health coverage for your family and John Edwards wants you to pay more so others don't have to work quite so hard.

The other one is global warming, of course. George Will does a nice job straightening this out. And a Canadian climatologist knocks it out of the park.

The welfare mentality and junk government-financed science are luxuries we should be able to dispense with in this enlightened information age. Getting from here to there really just involves enduring a few ridiculous personal attacks. It's worth the effort.

Will Utah Embrace Real School Choice First?

Utah's House of Representatives passed a universal school voucher bill Friday.

Hilary's Macaca Moment