Pol Watchers

Coverin' politics around the Bluegrass

Media:

Trey Pollard at PolitickerKY offers a look at what Democratic state Senate candidate Kathy Stein had to say about GOP Senate President David Williams. The site also offers its weekly list of winners and losers, featuring Secretary of State Trey Grayson atop the winners list and two prominent candidates for federal office among the losers.

WHAS's Mark Hebert asks why Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford is playing into GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell's hands and shows the latest fund-raising request McConnell has put out.

The Courier-Journal's Joe Gerth has an in-depth look at the new ad by Lunsford.

Republican blogs:

Osi Speaks highlights what Republican congressional candidate Brett Guthrie has been saying on the trail and runs excerpts from the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer story about Guthrie's rotary club speech, which requires a subscription.

KYpolitics.org picks up on a Corbin News-Journal story about two area judges reprimanded by the Judicial Conduct Committee for making campaign contributions to a partisan race, in this case the Democrat who lost in the February special election for state Senate in Perry, Leslie, Bell and Harlan counties. Oddly, the headline is "Another story the MSM won't publish" -- except it was a newspaper story that made up the whole of the post and the contributions were originally reported by the Herald-Leader here and in a later March 18 article.

Kentucky Progress takes Gov. Steve Beshear to task for scheduling a transparency meeting during the time that Grayson, who called for putting government spending online before Beshear did, was out of state for the GOP convention.

Democratic blogs:

Bluegrassreport.org raises concerns about Beshear touting the candidacy of Carroll Hubbard, who is running for state Senate but has served prison time.

PageOne, in addition to following the investigation of former U of L education dean, weighs in on the behind-the-scenes Democratic House leadership races.

- Ryan Alessi

Blogging the Bluegrass: 2007 wrap-up edition

As another exciting year in Kentucky politics comes to a close, Pol Watchers checks in with the commonwealth's pundits of cyberspace to see what they're buzzing about in the waning hours of 2007.

REPUBLICAN BLOGS

• Kentucky Progress suggests that state government should put its financial ledgers online so citizens can more closely watch how taxpayers' money is spent.
• KYpolitics.org takes a look at the record of the Democratic candidate in the special election for Northern Kentucky's 63rd House District seat.
• Cyberhillbilly praises U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell move to take out taxes from the federal energy bill.
• And want to ride on a "Huckabeast?" Elephants in the Bluegrass explains what that's all about.

DEMOCRATIC BLOGS

• BluegrassRoots awards its "Rooties" for the best, worst and craziest of the year.
• Page One Kentucky wants to know where the list of donors to former Gov. Ernie Fletcher's legal defense fund is. Fletcher had promised to release it after Attorney General Greg Stumbo leaves office (which officially is next week).
• The Rural Democrat weighs in on the Eastern Kentucky state Senate race as well as the destruction of Indian Old Fields.
• And Bluegrassreport.org continues to kick Fletcher, who lost his re-election bid nearly two months ago.

MEDIA BLOGS

• Mark Hebert at WHAS in Louisville snared an interview with U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Louisville, in which Yarmuth said he screwed up by not voting for a recent resolution recognizing Christmas. He also reports that Gov. Steve Beshear is booting out many of Fletcher's political appointees.
• The Arena has a top 10 list of what the mayor of Louisville considers his accomplishments for the year.
• Pat Crowley of the Enquirer reports that Secretary of State Trey Grayson and U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis are helping fellow Republican Alecia Webb-Edgington raise money in that special election for the 63rd House District, while the Kentucky Democratic Party is making robo calls for Wolff, the Democrat in that race.

Meanwhile, 2007 saw many comings and goings of bloggers. While many new blogs, such as Page One Kentucky, Elephants in the Bluegrass and even the Courier-Journal's blog The Arena joined the fray, other political sites that junkies have come to know and love or hate either shut their virtual doors or face an uncertain future.

• We said goodbye to Kentucky Republican Voice, which shut down out of frustration over the often contentious GOP primary for governor last winter.

• Brian Goettl, the Jessamine County attorney, stopped posting on The Conservative Edge,  which he helped co-found, around the November election and since then the site's posts have been intermittent.

• Bluegrassreport.org shut down in August after founder Mark Nickolas moved to Montana, then restarted again after some Kentucky Democrats enticed him to start the site back up. He posted several weeks ago that Bluegrassreport.org's direction is again up in the air.

- Ryan Alessi

Blogging the Bluegrass: Thanksgiving edition

Here's a chance to catch up with what the digital Kentucky political gadflies are buzzing about:

REPUBLICAN-LEANING BLOGS

• Kypolitics.org is reporting that unnamed sources say U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Cathy Bailey is returning to Kentucky and could play a major fund-raising role, perhaps even as GOP chairman, for the Republican Party.
• Cyberhillbilly was first to report that Republican state Rep. John Vincent would retire at the end of this month. That was then confirmed by the Ashland Daily Independent.
• Blue Grass/Red State says Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell won't endorse in the GOP presidential primary. (McConnell told reporters at the state Lincoln Day Dinner featuring presidential contender Mitt Romney last February that he probably wouldn't back any GOP primary candidate because too many of his fellow senators were in the race.)
• KentuckyProgress weighs in on a cost of casinos.

DEMOCRATIC-LEANING BLOGS

• The Rural Democrat discusses a recent announcement by incoming Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo about adventure tourism in Eastern Kentucky.
• KyWomen shines the light on Democratic Party infighting in Northern Kentucky.
• PageOneKentucky pokes at Rep. Jim Gooch, D-Providence, for his appearance on ABC News to talk about his global warming committee meeting.
• Bluegrassreport questions what happened to cause Medco not to settle in Kentucky, while PageOneKentucky does some finger pointing.

Meanwhile, there seems to be growing tension among some of the Democratic blogs stemming from behind-the-scenes jockeying among several Democrats to potentially run against McConnell.

Bluegrassroots seems to be at odds with Bluegrass Report, while DitchMitch has criticized national blogs such as Daily Kos for appearing to favor one potential candidate over another. Others, such as the Rural Democrat, have tried to stay out of the fray.

(McConnell, by the way, has his own blog that answers accusations from cyberspace and offers campaign news and nuggets).

- Ryan Alessi

Blogging the Bluegrass

Here's a look at what's on the minds of Kentucky political bloggers. You can find links to 40 Kentucky political blogs in the right column of this page.

• Lawmakers should vote against the "Coal Company Crazy Check Act of 2007," says Kentucky Progress.

• BluegrassReport.org points out that Gov. Ernie Fletcher promised in a 2003 TV ad to create "more than 100,000 good jobs." It hasn't happened yet.

• DitchMitchKY analyzes the latest approval ratings for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

• The Conservative Edge wants Democratic candidate for governor Steve Beshear to take a pledge.

• When historians look back on the "sordid mess" of Fletcher's administration, Lt. Gov. Steve Pence will be a "lone beacon of integrity and decency," says StraightNFlush.

• The WHAS11 Political Blog reports that former Democratic Lt. Gov. Steve Henry is facing more legal problems.

• N. Ky. Politics offers a recap of a Kenton County Democrat Party picnic.

• Hillbilly Report has "Ernie Fletcher's Ten Commandments."

• Beshear's first TV commercial "lacks edge" and gives the appearance that Beshear is trying to "sit on his lead over Fletcher," according to KyPolitics.org.

• Page One wonders if House Speaker Jody Richards' support of energy incentives will create a challenger in his next election.

- John Stamper

Blogging the Bluegrass

With fresh poll numbers to digest and a weekend's worth of punditry to ponder, let's see what Kentucky's political bloggers have to say.

• The Conservative Edge thinks Republicans are headed "into the wilderness."

• An "ornery" question asked of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell by the Herald-Leader's Ryan Alessi caught the attention of Ditch Mitch Kentucky.

• The Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas spoke on national television this weekend about helping get U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., elected. Kentucky Progress wants to know how long it will take Chandler to "duck and cover" from such "extreme left-wingers."

• KyPolitics.org notes that Gov. Ernie Fletcher made an appearance at the Republican Party of Kentucky's Executive Committee meeting this weekend.

• GOP voter registration isn't going so well in Kentucky, according to BluegrassReport.org.

• The WHAS11 Political Blog has been busy dispelling rumors being spread by Democratic bloggers.

• The Rural Democrat says Democratic friends of Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson ought to be "running."

• Gov. Fletcher's campaign made an embarrassing email mistake last week, The Arena points out.

• The Hillbilly Report has a video message for McConnell: "You're fired."

• Billy Reed joins the political fray with StraightNFlush, where he urges House Democrats to not be "stampeded" by Fletcher on energy legislation.

• vere loqui is very unimpressed with Reed's new blog.

• The Democrats are in trouble if Heather French Henry is the only name they're tossing around as a possible challenger to U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis in Northern Kentucky, says Kentucky Women.

- John Stamper

BluegrassReport.org restarting

Liberal political blogger Mark Nickolas has revived BluegrassReport.org -- at least temporarily. Nickolas says he has received several requests to restart the blog from people willing to provide monetary support.

"Last week, a few dozen of you made a full-court press, asking me to resume BGR full-time through the election, and this time it came backed with pledges of modest support to allow me to do it without taking any outside job," he says in a new post. "I've been humbled by that effort and will launch one on-line pledge drive this week (as much as I despise them) to ensure I'll have enough funding to make this work for the duration."

Nickolas shut down the blog last month after moving to Montana.

He says the state's media have given Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher a "free ride" in the last month and vows to end the political career "of the nation's most incompetent, corrupt and hypocritical governor: Ernie Fletcher, as well as preventing first-rate lunatics like Stan Lee (R) from becoming the state's chief law enforcement officer."

Bill Riggs, a labor representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers in Louisville, says he is one of several who have pledged to provide financial support for BluegrassReport.

"There was something missing when he left," Riggs said. "He adds a lot to the conversation. He talked about things that others couldn't."

UPDATE 2:25 p.m.: In an email, Nickolas said he is not receiving money from the state Democratic Party or any other entity.

"I'm not carrying anyone's water," he said. "Frankly, I wouldn't want to see more than 5% of the money come from any one source. I like my independence in that way."

Nickolas, who first came to Kentucky to run House Speaker Jody Richards' unsuccessful bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2003, started BluegrassReport two years ago.

The blog's traffic increased dramatically after it gained national attention in 2006 when Fletcher's administration began blocking state workers from accessing it and other sites. A lawsuit filed by Nickolas against Fletcher is still pending in federal court.

In January, Nickolas was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury on charges of failing to pay his state income taxes over a three year period. The indictment was later dismissed after Nickolas proved he had paid his income taxes in December of 2006.

Since moving to Montana, Nickolas started another regional political blog called Rocky Mountain Report.

UPDATE 6:15 p.m.: Fletcher, who is in Owensboro this evening for a campaign stop, shrugged off news of BluegrassReport's return, saying he has never visited the blog.

"Mark Nickolas hasn't been a fan since we beat him," Fletcher said, referring to the 2003 governor's race, when Nickolas managed the campaign of Democrat Ben Chandler.

- John Stamper and Ryan Alessi

Fancy Farm blog roundup

Kentucky's political bloggers were working overtime this weekend after spending Saturday in the blistering heat of Fancy Farm, Ky.

Let's Blog the Bluegrass:

• Over at the WHAS11 Political Blog, reporter Mark Hebert says Democrat Steve Beshear had the best one-liner of the day. He gave Gov. Ernie Fletcher the best prop award.

• The Arena's Joe Gerth notes that Fletcher pounded on the liberal media, including a personal dig aimed at Gerth.

• Fletcher and Beshear "would have been pretty good candidates at Fancy Farm 100 years ago because of their abilities to deliver stem winding speeches," declares Bill Bryant of Bill's Politcal Blog.

• Pat Crowley reports on N. Ky. Politics that Democrats found their religion at Fancy Farm.

• Kentucky Women blogger Diane Brumback offers up a passel of pictures from the left and right sides of the Fancy Farm political speaking pavilion.

• Brett Hall of KyPolitics.org says Beshear took Fletcher's bait and swallowed it whole.

• DitchMitchKy's Shawn Dixon declares that State Auditor Crit Luallen's speech "set the kind of tone and message that all Democrats should be using in their races this fall."

• Brian Schenkenfelder of Elendil's Journal provided a blow-by-blow live blog of the event.

• Hillbilly Report has several photos and videos from the event compiled by Jim Pence.

• For a behind-the-scenes look at the Herald-Leader's Mayfield bureau over the weekend, take a look at Tom Eblen's post on Behind the Headlines.

• Finally, if your Fancy Farm craving still hasn't been fulfilled, watch all the action on KET's web cast. Also, the network will broadcast an hour of highlights from the event Monday night at 8 EDT.

- John Stamper

BluegrassReport.org shutting down

The popular Kentucky political blog BluegrassReport.org is shutting down on Monday, according to Mark Hebert of the WHAS11 Politics Blog.

Founder Mark Nickolas, who moved to Montana last month, says he is starting a new regional politics blog called RockyMountainReport.com. He has not put up a new post on BluegrassReport in a week.

Nickolas, who came to Kentucky as a Democratic campaign consultant in 2003, has endured much criticism and controversy over the past two years as he harshly criticized the administration of Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher.

The blog's traffic increased dramatically after it gained national attention in 2006 when Fletcher's administration began blocking state workers from accessing it and other sites. A lawsuit filed by Nickolas against Fletcher is still pending in federal court.

In January, Nickolas was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury on charges of failing to pay his state income taxes over a three year period. The indictment was later dismissed after Nickolas proved he had paid his income taxes in December of 2006.

Nickolas said last month that he hoped to sell the blog, but no takers came forward, Hebert reports.

UPDATE 12:00 p.m. 7/2/07: Nickolas has posted his 4,746th and final post on BluegrassReport.org.

- John Stamper

Blogging the Bluegrass

After taking a couple weeks off due to the work load associated with covering the General Assembly, we're back with our weekly roundup of Kentucky political blog posts.

• Watching the Kentucky Republican Party "tear itself apart" makes the Kentucky Republican Voice (Bryan Mills) believe his party is entering "The Dark Age."

• KyKurmudgeon (Larry Dale Keeling) thinks Gov. Ernie Fletcher is fudging some numbers in recent letters to potential campaign donors.

• State Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Louisville, tells On the Mark (Mark Hebert) about an anonymous letter that makes allegations regarding Legislative Research Director Bobby Sherman. Jenkins wants an investigation.

• Gov. Ernie Fletcher's new TV ad is unusual to say the least, according to Bill's Political Blog (Bill Bryant).

• Blue Grass, Red State (Jefferson Poole) thinks Gov. Ernie Fletcher's ad might win an Oscar for best 60-second film, but says it makes for a pretty puny political ad.

• BluegrassReport (Mark Nickolas) notes that Kentucky political operative J. Scott Jennings may have been involved in the recent controversial firing of several U.S. Attorneys.

• Republican Lieutenant governor candidate Jeff Hoover does an interview with The Conservative Edge (Leland Conway).

• U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Louisville, is retreating from reality, if you believe Ditch Mitch KY (Matt Gunterman).

• Cyberhillbilly (Johnathan Gay) thinks Gov. Ernie Fletcher's ad is a self-inflicted Dukakis moment.

• Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Miller made a campaign stop in Elizabethtown and Hillbilly Report (Jim Pence) was there to video his speech.

• Osi Speaks! (Osi Onyekwuluje) notes that Republican attorney general candidate Tim Coleman has launched his web site.

• Ralph Long measures the gubernatorial campaigns by their clothing offerings.

• Kentucky Women: Power, Passion and Politics (Diane Brumback) thinks Mark Nickolas is an inept blogger.

• KyPolitics.org (Brett Hall) says Republican gubernatorial candidate Anne Northup committed political suicide with this response to a question from Pol Watchers.

• Republican gubernatorial candidate Billy Harper is for school vouchers and that makes Kentucky Progress (David Adams) hopeful that his campaign will gain momentum.

• The Kentucky Democrat (Daniel Solzman) doesn't buy Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan's assertion that he isn't endorsing Hillary Clinton for president by holding a fund-raiser for her campaign in his home.

- John Stamper

Blogging the Bluegrass

A WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF KENTUCKY POLITICAL BLOG POSTS

• Ralph Long points out that Kentucky Retirement Systems' executive director Bill Hanes isn't worried that his newly-hired chief investment officer was an executive at a firm being sued by Ohio for losing large sums of public money in a hedge fund.

• House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover will try to rally his caucus against House Bill 184, which would make it easier for legislative leaders to agree on permanent changes to state laws behind closed doors, reports Kentucky Progress (David Adams).

• BluegrassReport (Mark Nickolas) doesn't put much stock in the Courier-Journal's Bluegrass Poll.

• KyPolitics (Brett Hall) spots liberal blogger Mark Nickolas and Barry Peel, spokesman for Republican gubernatorial candidate Anne Northup, at Panera in Frankfort.

• Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Miller doesn't think the minimum wage bill backed by House Democrats is strong enough, and neither does Hillbilly Report (Jim Pence).

• Steele's Kentucky (David Steele) says Gov. Ernie Fletcher's approach to economic development is like "standing on the beach, bailing out the ocean with a teaspoon."

• The Bridge (Ted Shlechter) doesn't agree with blogger Mark Nickolas' description of House Speaker Jody Richards' stance on teaching intelligent design.

• Elendil's Journal (Elendil Schenkenfelder) says good riddance to Darrel Brock as chairman of the Kentucky GOP.

• Kentucky Gazette Publisher Lowell Reese has sold the political newspaper to editor Laura Cullen Glasscock, reports On the Mark (Mark Hebert).

• Drinking Liberally Louisville (Vicki Sansbury) is less than impressed with Democrat Steve Henry's explanation of why he needed an off-the-books fund-raising account.

• The Kentucky Democrat (Daniel Solzman) thinks Steve Henry is toast.

• Blue Grass, Red State (Jefferson Poole) believes the Courier-Journal and the Herald-Leader are rooting for Gov. Ernie Fletcher in the GOP primary.

• Valentine's Day in Frankfort had a little too much hate for the liking of KyKurmudgeon (Larry Dale Keeling).

- John Stamper