Blogging the Bluegrass

Here's a look at the latest from Kentucky's political blogs.

• The Conservative Edge has an interview with Republican gubernatorial hopeful Billy Harper of Paducah. In the interview, Harper says he is opposed to expanded gambling, doesn't support raising the minimum wage and will work to eliminate the alternative minimum tax on businesses. His stance on gambling has formed since October, when he told the Herald-Leader it was "too early" to take a position on the issue.

• After watching Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," BlueGrassRoots has this unflattering thought about how President George Bush would come across in his own movie.

• On The Right! gave Courier-Journal editorial writer David Hawpe its Stupid Comment of the Day award last Wednesday for saying this:

Kentuckians tend to be a contented lot. They like their state, and there's a lot to like. But they don't want much of anything to change, despite the fact that survival and success in coming decades will require precisely that. Some politician with vision should help them change their minds.

• BluegrassReport.org takes issue with a column by CNHI's Ronnie Ellis, who suggested that U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler's decision to take a closer look at seeking the Democratic nomination for governor over Thanksgiving weekend was really all about buying time to put together a suitable alternative ticket. Blogger Mark Nickolas says Ellis is wrong and that "Ben is genuinely conflicted over the decision."  Either way, it's a safe bet that we'll be hearing from Chandler very soon.

• TV journalist Mark Hebert's On The Mark accuses officials with the Kentucky Justice Cabinet of "amateurish behavior" at a press conference last week.

• The Kentucky Enquirer's Patrick Crowley, who writes N. Ky. Politics, says "a source" tells him former Democratic governor Brereton Jones will not run for governor. (By the way, Pol Watchers adheres to the same sourcing standards as the Herald-Leader, so you won't be seeing many -- if any -- anonymous sources on this site.)

• Over at Blue Grass, Red State, blogger Jefferson Poole proves his conservatism by refusing to turn on the heat in his apartment during winter. "I just wear warm clothes and everything's alright," he says. Ummm ... OK.

- John Stamper

Comments

I'm hearing Miller and Owen are meeting today. Talk is that Owen will be on top of the ticket. Odd choice for Miller.

[Lunsford]

Hmmm... that would be an odd choice. Even weirder and more of a flash back to 2003, Dale Emmons and Bruce Lunsford are meeting.

Can Democrats really nominate such people?

I think Lunsford and Billy Harper should run together because they both endorsed Fletcher in 2003. They already have so much in common and so little in substance.

[Daniel]

I dont think Charlie would be at the top.