Mitch dines out
After all the confrontations in various restaurants, Senator Mitch McConnell finally found a place that matches his governing style. Aaron Smith has the details.
Bruce Maples (bruceinlouisville@gmail.com)
A "gut check time" for American democracy
Washington Post writer Jennifer Rubin has had it with the narrative that both parties are equally at fault for shoving politics into the gutter. “I think we need to avoid any kind of false equivalence here,” she said on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell Wednesday. “It’s not
The gravedigger of American democracy
Move over, “Turtle Man.” Make way for “the gravedigger of American democracy,” Mitch McConnell’s brand-new moniker. Historian and author Christopher R. Browning debuted “gravedigger” in the Oct. 25 issue of The New York Review of Books. Who knows if it will top “Turtle Man” as a McConnell handle. But
The sleeper issue that could doom Kentucky Democrats
This year, voters seem mostly focused on pensions, taxes, and education. But a sleeper issue could doom the state Democratic party for at least a decade—maybe longer. “This is the major issue no one is talking about.” – Sen. Morgan McGarvey “It’s the tool the Republicans will use to
From 'The Great Compromiser' to 'The Great Debaser'
I was cooking on this column about Mitch McConnell’s latest descent into demagoguery when I got stuck. The Senate majority leader serially slimes Democrats. So I was having a hard time finding new words to describe his dissembling that the Democrats are the party of mob rule. “Cynical” is
How Andy Beshear could be a hero
As most of you know, Attorney General Andy Beshear is running for governor. Not this year, though; the election for governor isn’t until 2019. And there’s the rub. More than one fellow Dem has called out Beshear for announcing before this year’s election. And even more have
Vote your union job, not the GOP con job
Remember studying Macbeth in high school? We had to memorize the lines that end, “…full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Gov. Matt Bevin and the Republicans hope, if not expect, that Macbeth’s immortal words will sum up the election. The GOP is counting on Nov. 6 to prove
Resist? Yes. Doxxing? NO.
Some time ago, I attended a political rally focused on the Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally and subsequent events. A person in the crowd was handing out flyers showing a picture of a Kentucky person who was supposedly at the rally. Included on the flyer was the person’s home address, work
The republic can be saved, but the Republican Party cannot
The New York Times did as much as anyone to create the Trump presidency, and now they’ve published an op-ed from a White House insider who claims to be part of a double secret probation cabal that is working to prevent Trump from being an even worse disaster than
Senator Rand Paul – we will remember your vote on Kavanaugh
Senator, you are about to cast one of the most important votes you will ever cast as a senator. You are voting on giving someone a lifetime right to rule on issues that will affect this nation for generations. And if you vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, you will have
Who wants to join a union? A growing number of Americans
Only 10.7 percent of American workers belong to a union today, approximately half as many as in 1983. That’s a level not seen since the 1930s, just before passage of the labor law that was supposed to protect workers’ right to organize. Yet American workers have not given
A settlement w/o a settlement: JCPS got played
Let me lay out a scenario for you. You are negotiating a contract between your company and another company. The other company has threatened a hostile takeover of your company, but after much blowback from shareholders, has backed off and is now talking about a partnership. You go back and
One Great Depression was enough
A guest essay by Bill Ellis “Daddy, I’m so sleepy, I can’t stay awake.” “That’s OK, Buck, you go on to sleep.” I am now nearly 79 years old, but when only four years old I can recall as if yesterday, my father kissing me good bye.
Pro-tip for campaigns: Get some decent photos
One challenge of covering campaigns is finding decent photos. But apparently, candidates haven’t gotten the message that visual communications matter. Why is this a problem? Well, for one thing, every post on this site (except for the PubBlog) is supposed to have at least one featured image. Other photos
Democratic Socialists expanding in Kentucky
Nationally, 57 percent of Democrats view socialism positively, while just 47 percent feel the same way about capitalism, according to a new Gallup Poll. The survey might raise eyebrows among Bluegrass State Democrats, more than a few of whom lean conservative. But the numbers don’t surprise Nick Conder of
Rand Paul passing notes
What was Rand Paul doing in Moscow? Aaron Smith has an idea …
