If you are undecided about this fall’s election for Kentucky governor (really?), here are five reasons NOT to vote for Daniel Cameron.
(1) He puts covering his a__ above everything else.
When a difficult situation presents itself, Cameron puts protecting himself and coming out unblamed above all other considerations. Two examples:
The Breonna Taylor case. Anora Morton wrote an article where she predicted what Daniel Cameron would do when faced with this sticky situation: impanel a grand jury to look into indicting the officers (thus making the protesters happy), but then using that grand jury as a way to get out of charging the officers (thus making the supporters of the officers happy). And of course, he could blame the grand jury for how things turned out, thus coming out personally unscathed.
The Eric Deters incident. Cameron is invited to be a featured speaker at the “Freedom Fest” of Eric Deters, the failed right-wing gubernatorial candidate who is considering running against Congressman Thomas Massie in 2024. First Cameron agrees to attend, then realizes it’s a bad idea for a number of reasons (including the fact he gets called on it by Massie). Rather than take responsibility for his mistake, he announces that he’s got a scheduling conflict at the last minute. Embarrassment averted once again.
(2) He actively opposes dealing with the climate crisis.
As noted by Louisville Public Media, Cameron has spent his time as attorney general opposing efforts to deal with the climate crisis.
- He supported the Supreme Court’s decision to limit the ability of the government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
- He opposed a rule from the Department of Transportation that would have required on-road carbon emissions.
- He has attacked companies that base investment decisions on their impact on the environment.
- And he has consistently opposed President Biden’s program to address the climate crisis.
(3) He celebrates Donald Trump’s endorsement.
This alone should disqualify him from any elected office. Rather than distance himself from the worst, most dangerous president this nation has ever had, Cameron revels in his connection to Trump. He touts the endorsement regularly, and for one single reason: to get the MAGA vote.
Immorality? Doesn’t matter. Grifting? Doesn’t matter. Lying? Doesn’t matter. Authoritarianism? Doesn’t matter. Seditionist? Doesn’t matter.
All that matters for Cameron is using the Trump name to get the Trump voters. And that shows a shallowness that is mind-boggling.
(4) He takes credit for the work of others.
Cameron has recently been touting the settlements of the opioid lawsuits. But as noted by Governor Beshear in a Yahoo story about the lawsuits,
“Every single lawsuit he’s settling right now, I not only filed but I argued personally in court, showing up when companies were trying to blame us for the millions of pills that they sent, hundreds of thousands, and into really small communities. Listen, as an attorney, you’re always supposed to share credit with other lawyers on the suit on a lawsuit, especially the ones who filed it.”
From some statements he has made through the years, it appears Cameron likes to take sole credit when the news is good, but uses “my team” when being questioned about bad results, as in the Taylor grand jury.
(5) He pushes the right-wing agenda, no matter what.
If there is any place where Cameron is consistent, it is this: whatever the right-wing and ultra-right-wing and MAGA-right-wing is pushing, Cameron is right there.
Upset about CRT? Cameron is too. Bothered by “woke” agendas? Cameron is too. Want to see gays and trans go back into the closet? Cameron does too.
Combine the Republican super-majority in the legislature with Daniel Cameron as governor, and Kentucky will be the next Florida.
These five reasons, taken together, lead us to an inescapable conclusion:
Daniel Cameron is not his own man.
We all know Cameron is a protégé of Mitch McConnell. But there’s a difference between being a protégé and a puppet.
His campaign is being run by McConnell aide Terry Carmack. His fund-raising is being helped by McConnell’s long-time fundraiser Laura Haney.
I cannot think of one thing that Cameron has said or done that felt like it came from within him. Everything about him seems put on like a costume: his positions, his actions, his statements.
Daniel Cameron may be a good friend, a fun person to have around, and a deep thinker. But who knows? All we see of him is the persona he has adopted to get elected.
I hope he is not elected. But if he is, I have a vision of his first day sitting at the desk in the governor’s office, after all the well-wishers have left and the door is closed.
He’ll say to himself, “Now what?”
Then he’ll call Mitch McConnell.
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