Over 800! Plus, three reminders

Notes from Bruce

ForwardKY passes 800 members and still growing

I’m excited to share that we now have over 800 members of the site, with over 100 of those being paying member at either the Patron or Partner levels. Considering that a little over a year ago we had about 200 members, crossing that 800 threshold is pretty neat.

Breaking it out, that 800 looks like this:

• Friends (free – signed up with email, have access to all the content): 670
• Patrons ($5 a month, various additional perks): 22
• Partners ($9 a month, even more perks): 110

In addition to being excited, I’m also grateful. Grateful to everyone who has shown their support in one way or another, and grateful to still be going after six years. You keep reading, and we’ll keep writing.

Three important reminders and announcements

➡ ➡ ➡ The daily General Assembly Update newsletter starts the first week of January. This Tues-Sat email reports everything that happened the day before in the 2023 session: committee votes, bills moving and passed, and more. If you want it, you have to do two things: (1) Be a paying member at the Partner level, and (2) turn it on in your newsletter settings. If you are already a Partner and want the KYGA Update, go turn it on in your profile. If you are not at the Partner level, see the next item.

➡ ➡ ➡ If you look at the perks for each level (see them here) and decide you want to upgrade your membership, or you need to upgrade because you want the KYGA Update newsletter, we’re having a “Ready for ‘23 Membership Sale” right now! Just go to this page to learn more.

➡ ➡ ➡ And finally, I still have about 14 bumper stickers that you can have for free, as long as you agree to put them it somewhere it will be seen. (Like, on your car or truck!) Just email me with your name and address, and I’ll put it in the mail to you.

All for this week. Note that there won’t be a weekly newsletter next week due to the holidays, but there will be one somewhere around the first of the year with more updates and such. Everyone have a great holiday season!

Bruce

Stories and Such

Most-viewed post the past two weeks

Guess who canceled out the over-65 vote? The youth vote.

This election wasn’t a red wave or a blue wave. It was a youth wave.

Forward KentuckyBerry Craig

Media this week

More analysis of the 2022 midterms with Dr. Trent Garrison

Trent Garrison has done extensive analysis of Kentucky voters and voting over the years, and this time his question was: How much did the redistricting affect the outcome of the midterms? Join us for geeking out on data and graphs, and even some points of good news for Dems!

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples

Yarmuth delivers final address on House floor

Congressman John Yarmuth of Louisville delivered his final floor speech in the United States House before retiring at the end of this year. Here is a transcript and video.

Forward KentuckyForward Kentucky

More statewide elections w/ Prof. Joshua Douglas

News in the Trump v McConnell power struggle; developments around the 2023 statewide elections; and a big win by Andy Barr; Then, UK law professor and democracy expert, Joshua Douglas, for a discussion about the state of Kentucky’s democracy. And, we wrap up with an important call to action.

Forward KentuckyProgress Kentucky

Jonathan Shell is running for Ag Commissioner, and a difficult weekend in Bowling Green

Robert gives us the background on Repub candidate Jonathan Shell, running for Ag Commissioner. Then, Jazmin covers about last weekend in Bowling Green, where folks showed up asking that Emmitt Till’s accuser be arrested, leading to threats against them.

Forward KentuckyJazmin Smith

Buddy Wheatley on what happened in his election

One of the most popular and respected representatives in the KY House nevertheless lost his reelection bid a few weeks ago. Why did this happen? We talk with Buddy Wheatley to get his take on his loss, what caused it, and what comes next for him.

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples

Stories the past two weeks

Listening to the pre-election preaching in one small Kentucky town

Hateful rhetoric like this gets people killed.

Forward KentuckyTeri Carter

Jamie Comer and House Repubs just defended a powerful man by retaliating against his victims

Republicans have offered a preview of what we can expect from the House Oversight and Reform Committee once they’re in charge, and attorneys for women affected by that preview are objecting strongly to the “objectification and sexual exploitation” involved.

Forward KentuckyGuest Author

The KY GOP, the state budget, and a road trip – an allegory

Bruce Maples compares what is about to happen to our state budget to a road trip ... with an unhappy ending to both the trip and the budget.

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples (bruceinlouisvillegmail.com)

KY Smart on Crime announces policy agenda for 2023 session of KYGA

The group has its sights set on tackling the Commonwealth’s over-reliance on incarceration as well as addressing overdose crisis.

Forward KentuckyGuest Author

The handshake that wasn’t

The handshake is such a common occurrence that it rarely makes the news when it happens. But a recent handshake that didn’t happen made headlines around the world.

Forward KentuckyGuest Author

The Democrats of the past and the Republicans of the present

Most insider-written institutional histories tend to be more hagiography than history. Kenny Fogle’s History of the Kentucky Democratic Party isn’t.

Forward KentuckyBerry Craig

When it comes to open records, Kentucky is ahead of Mississippi in the race to the bottom

The KY legislature is the most public institution in the state. Why, then, are they so immune to open records requests?

Forward KentuckyAmye Bensenhaver

‘Prosecute/Fauci’: Musk aligns himself with the far right, and Twitter is now dangerously unsafe

If there was ever any doubt, Musk has cleared it up: he is aligned with the far right, and is making Twitter a far more dangerous place.

Forward KentuckyGuest Author

Al Cross: Beshear became popular from pandemic work, but it won’t sustain him in bid for reelection

Gov. Andy Beshear won high marks for his handling of the pandemic – but will that be enough to get him reelected? Al Cross isn’t so sure.

Forward KentuckyAl Cross

‘Respect for Marriage’ Act passes, protects gay and interracial marriages

The “Respect for Marriage” Act passed the U.S. House today, sending the bill on to President Biden for his signature.

Forward KentuckyForward Kentucky

Move over Mitch – here comes Jamie

Rep. James Comer is set to become the chair of the House Oversight Committee. Is he going to become as well-known at Mitch because of his work there?

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples

RSV, Flu, Covid: KY faces ‘triple threat’ this winter

The flu, COVID, and RSV are rapidly spreading in Kentucky, and health experts say that’s a problem for hospitals, schools and the state’s vulnerable residents.

Forward KentuckyGuest Author

Pearl Harbor and The Beast

“All the people not expecting it. Not knowing what to do. Not knowing where to go.”

Forward KentuckyBerry Craig

A good day for America

Just a quick and celebratory note about two things that need a happy dance.

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples