Raggedy Anne

Scardey Cat Anne

Queen Anne

On Monday, Anne Northup skipped a disability forum. The forum, which Governor Fletcher and Billy Harper attended, was held in Frankfort. Northup could have walked three hundred yards, from her press conference to the forum, and attended. She refused.

Northup has skipped four candidate forums. Instead, she has campaigned negatively and avoided policy discussion.

Someone remind Queen Anne, we hold elections in our country, not coronations.

I attended the Shelby County Lincoln Dinner to hear Anne Northup explain why she should be our next governor. I came away with an impression of an angry Washington insider who seems to think she is entitled to be governor simply because of who she is. The fact that Northup served Kentucky's 3rd District for 10 years deserves our respect, but it does not deserve our vote for governor. Anne Northup's campaign strategy seems to be to attack the Fletcher administration, for problems that she perceives, without offering any solutions or ideas on how a Northup administration would do anything differently. …

Northup had a distinguished congressional career, but she needs to accept that her time is over and move on gracefully with her life, instead of making unbecoming and embarrassing presentations like she made on Friday night.

JANET CUTHRELL
Simpsonville, Ky. 40067

More will endorse Queen Anne? Who cares.

Their offices and stature are irrelevant. Voters will not care about endorsements. They will not tote an endorsement’s list into the voting booth. Their care resides with the candidate’s policy. As previously stated, Anne Northup has no policy. She has one three-word talking point, which is chanted during her campaign’s daily yell practice… “Fletcher can’t win, Fletcher can’t win, Fletcher can’t win.”

Bunning’s pronouncements are hollow. Endorsements will not win. Anyone doubt the aforesaid? Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean. Was Dean nominated?

From Lexington Herald-Leader:

U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning predicted that Kentucky’s second in command won’t be the only high-ranking Republican to throw support to an opponent of Gov. Ernie Fletcher. Republicans have been disappointed with Fletcher, especially after a hiring scandal mired his first term in office, Bunning said Tuesday. The Republican senator said that would likely lead to more endorsements of Anne Northup in the May 22 GOP primary.

Bunning wouldn’t say who might endorse Northup, only that "some very high profile Republicans" are likely to endorse the former congresswoman from Louisville in her bid to unseat Fletcher. "It is an indication of the dissatisfaction with the Fletcher administration," Bunning said. "It’s disappointment more than dissatisfaction."

Bunning’s comments came the day after Lt. Gov. Steve Pence threw his support to Northup, saying she is the better candidate and "has a real chance of winning." Pence has already refused to run for re-election with Fletcher.

Fletcher was indicted last year on charges that he illegally rewarded political supporters with protected state jobs. The indictment was dismissed in a deal with prosecutors, but the special grand jury later issued its findings in the case, saying Fletcher had approved a "widespread and coordinated plan" to skirt state hiring laws. Fletcher has maintained that the investigation was politically motivated by Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who is running for lieutenant governor on a ticket in the Democratic primary.

From the Lexington Herald-Leader:

At one point, it appeared that the bill would become a way to eliminate the runoff provision that hangs over May’s gubernatorial primary. That now appears unlikely, said Rep. Mike Cherry, D-Princeton, who is ushering the bill through the House. "I would consider it much more likely that we will do runoff elimination in its own bill as opposed to tack it on to another bill," Cherry said.

Runoff repeal deserves own bill? Frankfort politicians should quit.

Quit considering runoff repeal. Play your ball as constituted.

Who is Steve Pence? Traitor, deserter, defector, or as perfectly coined within camp Fletcher… the Brutus of Kentucky politics. Frankfort politicians incorrectly chose Pence in 2003 and today, Pence chose incorrectly.

Fletcher should not be re-elected. However, Anne Northup should not be elected. She has no agenda and one three-word talking point. “Fletcher can’t win.”

Additionally, anyone noting Northup’s false courage? Raggedy Anne is brave before a camera. However, she will not attend forums. She will not face her opponents.

Obviously, Northup is phony tough and the counterfeit courageous.

From the Lexington Herald-Leader:

In his endorsement of Anne Northup in the Republican primary for governor, Lt. Gov. Steve Pence criticized Gov. Ernie Fletcher for violating the very campaign theme he rode into office. Pence, speaking at a news conference in Frankfort in which he formally threw his support behind the former GOP congresswoman, said the Republican Party "must have a candidate who can get beyond the scandals of this administration."

"For others the issue is not whether the governor can be re-elected, but rather whether he should be re-elected," Pence said.

He then listed a litany of things that he said the 2003 version of Fletcher might have railed against while criticizing the "good-ol'- boy" culture of Frankfort. "In 2003, what would our party's candidate for governor have said about a governor that had been indicted -- taken the Fifth Amendment -- and issued blanket pardons to his staff?" Pence asked. "In 2003 what would our party's candidate for governor have said about an administration that endeavored to punish those who dared to disagree with them?"

Fletcher campaign manager Marty Ryall issued a statement about Pence's endorsement of Northup. It said: ""Anne Northup has been on a negative rampage against Gov. Fletcher since entering this race. She has no ideas or agenda other than to tear down our first Republican governor in 32 years.

"It is no surprise that the 'Brutus' of Kentucky politics has joined her negative campaign. She should hope there are no rough waters ahead, because Steve Pence will be the first one to jump ship."

Sam Edelen, a spokesman for the Republican gubernatorial campaign of Paducah businessman Billy Harper, said in a statement: "This doesn't affect our campaign. We're going to continue talking about issues important to Kentuckians, such as education and economic development, rather than endorsements from politicians."

One of the more interesting sidelights of the Pence-endorses-Northup news conference today was Pence's reasoning for staying on the job as Lt. Governor.

It's clear that Fletcher and Pence aren't speaking and Fletcher hasn't given his Lt. Governor any job duties, taking some away instead. So a reporter asked Pence if he would quit, now that he's endorsing Northup. Pence said no, that he was elected to serve four years and that's what he plans to do. The second part of his answer was the most interesting. He says he needs to be the one taking over the reins of state government if something happens to Fletcher. In other words, Pence says he's staying on just in case Fletcher dies or resigns.

He says he's done alot of soul searching on this issue and thinks he's doing the right thing. But there's a good argument to be made that any Lt. Governor with few job duties is wasting taxpayers money and should voluntarily relinquish the job to someone who will work with Fletcher for the last few months of his term.

Fletcher wouldn't elaborate on his earlier request for Pence to resign. But he gigged Pence by saying he went down to the Lt. Governor's office a few days ago but Pence wasn't there, Fletcher adding "I'm sure he was out doing something". Fletcher also says his 2007 running mate, Robbie Rudolph, is "hard working and loyal". That's another obvious dig at Pence. As for Pence, he says he's got a job waiting for him when he leaves office.

He plans to return to a private law practice. When I asked him if he might try to switch jobs with Irv Maze, if the Jefferson County Attorney wins election on his ticket with Jonathan Miller, Pence said he hadn't thought about running for county attorney again, but wouldn't rule it out. Pence joked that I should call his wife and ask her if that would be OK. Pence's wife is Louisville attorney Ruth Ann Cox, who has reportedly been pressuring her husband to get out of politics, get back into a law practice and earn some real money to help take care of their four kids.

Who is Steve Pence? His endorsement is not an earthquake. The blogs are barely registering the “news” as a faint breeze.

From Bill’s Political Blog:

Who does all of this help? Maybe Billy Harper? The Paducah businessman stayed out of the friction today continuing his strategy of hoping Fletcher and Northup will fight and ultimately self destruct. Harper has been out on his bus touring the state and once in a while shows up with his race car which he’s been known to drive at speeds of up to 230 miles an hour.

It’s a big endorsement for Northup and it was a clear opportunity for Fletcher’s folks to prove they can strike back hard. It’s really interesting on the GOP side of things right now.

From Blue Grass, Red State:

The few people who do still support this man are either not paying attention, blind loyalists, or state employees who care more about their own jobs than what's best for the party or the state. It makes me sick at these Lincoln Day Dinners the way state employees who support Northup often wear the Fletcher stickers anyway or wear no sticker at all because they're scared somebody's going to tattle on them and they're going to get fired. So much for free political speech in the Fletcher administration. That's intimidated away. That's my take. Here are others.

So the Fletcher campaign is going on a negative rampage against Steve Pence's integrity!? Unbelievable. Update: According to Pence, the Fletcher administration "endeavored to punish those who dared to disagree with them." According to the legal skills and logic of Jessamine County Attorney Brian Goettl that was applied to me the other day, this is not true and therefore makes Pence eligible to be sued by Fletcher for defamation or some such thing. Take it back, Pence! Endorse The Supreme Executive!

From OSI Speaks:

Both sides are likely going to play the announcement to their advantage (the Northup camp making it to be the neck breaker, while the Gov.'s camp will pretend it means nothing), but here is my take on it: The announcement means something and can be significant -- though it would have been much more significant had it been from someone who hadn't been so publicly anti-Fletcher -- like Sen. Mitch McConnell or any of the other Congressional delegates. But it is still a BIG announcement, in the sense that it is not often that one has one's Lt. Governor OPENLY endorsing, and campaigning for, the other guy (or in this case, gal) -- and maybe even appearing in the other guy's (or gal's) commercials, as I suppose Steve Pence will do. And certainly not one that will say the things that Steve Pence can say, and has apparently started to say!

From Northern Kentucky Politics:

Not totally surprising that Lt. Gov. Steve Pence is backing Anne Northup over Gov. Ernie Fletcher in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Pence was, after all, considering running against Fletcher. But still not good news for the governor.

From On the Right:

Fletcher spokesman Marty Ryal is starting to sound a lot like Brett Hall or whatever that Yankee's name was!

From Kentucky Pachyderm 2:

However, we will properly harpoon him on the issue on his loyalty, which has proven to be nonexistent. If Mr. Pence has any shred of decency or honor left, he will tender his resignation as lieutenant governor immediately. If a non-merit employee such as a Cabinet Secretary had made this endorsement, he or she would be asked to resign on the spot or else they would be fired.

Now this is hutzpah

The Herald-Leader quoted Anne Northup as saying that she regrets that people who will be endorsing her, will be in "the crosshairs" during this GOP primary. Considering that Northup organized, rallied and has been cheering on the Republican circular firing squad, regret is not nearly enough.

Northup should be apologizing to all Republicans. Billy Harper set the example of how to take on Governor Fletcher and his problems with class. Northup's campaign has been a case study in how to tear down a party.

Conservative Edge On the Edge

We broke the news last week that the "big endorsement" today would be Steve Pence. But this comes as no surprise to us - and shouldn't to anyone else. Steve broke away from the Governor very publicly during the merit hiring scandal. He distanced himself because he decided for one reason or another during that crisis that he didn't want to be on Fletcher's team. When rumors began circulating a couple of weeks ago that Northup would be announcing another "Big Endoresment" we knew who that would be.

There were only a finite number of "big endorsements" left and by process of elimination and political posturing the big foam finger pointed directly to Mr. Pence. A reliable source called and confirmed that suspicion - we were right. One other note: As the teams solidify in this coming primary the nation is watching. Brit Hume of FOX News was in Frankfort this morning to cover this primary.

Let's all keep in mind that even the losers of this race (and those of us in the media who are commenting and reporting on the race) are now representing the Commonwealth to a much broader audience. This fight may get bitter, but let's all remember to fight hard on the issues and not get personal. Kentucky is a great state and has a bright future. I am praying for a vigerous debate - and a powerful unity in May.

Just as I am hearing from more serious GOP primary voters who say they will vote for Billy Harper for governor, Mr. Harper seems to be improving his message. The MSM didn't cover it, but Harper was the only GOP candidate to stand up with Rep. Stan Lee last week and support the HB 30 special needs student school choice bill.

The soft underbelly of the education bureaucracy is its poor return on investment and continued clamoring for more money. Mr. Harper did himself no favors in his early commercials when he linked himself to KERA, but seems to be hitting his stride with this:

The notion that we need increased taxes and more government spending to transform our schools is not only misguided, but reads right from the outdated playbook of the politicians in Frankfort. An unfortunate example of this approach is the Covington Independent School District, which spent $13,166 on each student during the 2005-06 school year Ð the second highest rate in Kentucky Ð yet ranked last among the state's 175 school districts for its performance on the annual CATS assessment.

Spending per-pupil in that district has risen 121 percent since 1989, but student achievement has failed to keep pace. The funding is there, but the approach clearly is not working. In fact, average per pupil spending in Kentucky has risen every year since the KERA reforms, but student performance as measured by a variety of standards is not on the same track.

Now that he is properly indentifying the problem, it is time to hammer home some of the solutions. One of them is empowering parents with school choice. With Mr. Harper deciding to take a stand like this on real education reform, he may want to take a good look at this bill too.

From the Kentucky Post:

The portable classrooms at Conner High School are reasonably warm. So is the main school building. Students dodging snowflakes while going to their next class? Not so warm.

Of the 4,560 times each school day a student goes to class in a portable classroom in the Boone County School District, 71 percent are at Conner. Some students go back and forth four times a day, on a rotating schedule. Several of the nine portable rooms are within a few yards of the school. The farthest is exactly 77 footsteps away, across a parking lot and up a ramp. "It's all right, but sometimes it gets kind of cold," sophomore Bryan Shirden said recently as he filed out of his Spanish II class in 28-degree weather. "They have heating, but it's not the best situation."

Three hours earlier, it was snowing. Shirden is one of 17,000 students in the district, by far the fastest-growing in Kentucky. Over the past half-decade, the district has consistently gained 700 to 800 students per year. Given projections based on residential building permits, it will again in August. Superintendent Bryan Blavatt and Conner Principal Michael Blevins liken the use of portable classrooms to a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound, expressing concern over security, safety and adequate education.

They also wonder if it's had an impact on students' rates of weather-related illness, though that's never been documented. Conner's attendance rate of 92 percent is below the district's other two high schools, Boone County and Ryle. A new chapter in this story began to unfold early this month, when the Kentucky General Assembly convened for a short session. Boone school officials hope lawmakers will reserve some of the projected $279 million budget surplus to help the district finance new construction, specifically two new elementary schools.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher told legislators he was looking into that issue but was otherwise non-committal, echoing comments he made to Blavatt and others at a Jan. 9 town-hall meeting at Northern Kentucky University. State Sen. Dick Roeding, a Lakeside Park Republican, said it isn't very likely Boone schools will see help from the surplus. "That would require opening up the budget," Roeding said, "so they're going to be very careful about doing that."

Blavatt's appeal to Fletcher at the NKU session included a half-inch-thick summary of Boone's building needs. "This is the biggest push for school facilities I've seen in the state," the governor responded. "I think it's something to look at."

Blavatt knows he's in line with a lot of other entities asking for money. Suggestions the governor heard on how to spend the surplus included a residential drug-treatment facility for adolescents in Northern Kentucky, billboards in high-crime areas of the state, a credit to nursing home residents, college tuition assistance, and a grant of about $1 million for a new center for victims of child and sexual abuse. "The thing I was trying to convey to the governor, and maybe the legislators," Blavatt said, "is they view Boone as a wealthy area, and to an extent it is, but it's also a cash cow for the rest of the state. And the cow's drying up."

Boone has already spent $215 million in the past 12 years to renovate and build schools, and is currently building a new high school at an estimated price tag of at least $45 million. Conner, off Limaburg Road in Hebron, had 1,050 students 10 years ago. Blevins said that, when the new school year begins in August, he expects to eclipse the 1,700-student mark. There have been three building expansions since Blevins arrived at Conner in 1980. He's been principal since 1996. The school has to use the trailers to make do. "They're a pain," Blevins said from his office at the end of a recent school day.

"Really," he said, "with all the school safety issues, I'm concerned about kids walking across the parking lot."

Blavatt worries about what students are carrying in their oversized winter coats. Blevins worries about how easy it would be for someone to "mingle in with the students" while they're going back and forth.

For comparison, another of the largest school districts in Northern Kentucky, Campbell County, has just two portable classrooms at Highland Heights. They will be eliminated when a new elementary school, Crossroads, opens in August in Cold Spring. Back at Conner, the classroom in which Shirden is taking Spanish II has its downsides. It's air-conditioned with window units. One window screen is ripped. Whenever a student needs to use the restroom, it involves going out.

It's functional, though. Desks are in orderly rows. Maps of Argentina and Mexico grace the walls. The dry-erase board is covered with words in Spanish. Special-education teacher Greg Wingate, who teaches in the other half of that trailer, says the one upside is that students aren't distracted by hallway noise. The more glaring downside is equally inescapable, though. "You have to go outside to go inside."

This situation is horrific. The Governor is “looking into it.”

Governor Fletcher’s response is unacceptable.

Governing is leadership. Governing is prioritizing. Education is critical. A Governor spouting platitudes is useless.

Upon being informed of Conner High School, Governor Fletcher should have acted. He should have committed funds. He should have announced Conner was a priority. However, he said nothing.

Governor Fletcher’s inaction is deplorable. He should be ashamed.

Everyone believes the vast McConnell wing conspiracy.

With that stated, Sabato’s analysis is correct. The persecution of Governor Fletcher is imagined. His intentions were pure. However, his hiring was illegal. Subsequent attacks were not partisan. They were a response to Fletcher’s incompetence.

Northup’s candidacy is ridiculous. Her lone talking point is “Fletcher cant win.” Supposedly, she is a product of Senator Mitch McConnell. Reality states she is a Congressional loser from a Republican district.

Neither should win this election. Given the nomination, neither will win.

By Larry Sabato, published on RealClearPolitics.com. 2 paragraphs of many on the 3 2007 Governor races:

In Kentucky the only question is who is not running for Governor. The genesis of the large field is the deep trouble in which freshman GOP Governor Ernie Fletcher finds himself. Fletcher has been enormously weakened by a prolonged legal and political battle over his patronage hirings. No doubt, the pressure was great in 2003 to hire GOP office-seekers since Fletcher is the first Bluegrass State Republican Governor since Louie Nunn left office in 1971, but his handling of the matter has nearly destroyed his Governorship.

GOP stalwarts insist it is all partisan, a product of the ambitions of Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo (now running for lieutenant governor on a ticket in his party's primary). Whatever the truth of that, some of the revelations have been highly embarrassing to Fletcher, and his job approval and re-elect numbers are languishing in the 30s. Almost all Democrats and many key Republicans do not believe that he can be reelected in November.

Enter the Svengali of Kentucky GOP politics, U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, who is not about to sit idly and watch the Republican house he has built since 1984 crumble. The Senate Minority Leader also comes up for reelection himself in 2008, and he doesn't want a Democratic Governor recruiting a strong candidate against him. Behind the scenes, McConnell and his allies have promised support to former Congresswoman Anne Northup, who was persuaded to run despite last November's defeat for reelection.

Northup had represented the Democratic Louisville area for ten years, managing to win close victories in a hostile environment until she was finally washed away in the Democratic wave of '06. Northup has already tied Fletcher in at least one survey conducted for her campaign, never a good sign for an incumbent. If her campaign is well run and generously financed, she has a decent chance to win in the May 22nd primary--though we note that Fletcher has started to effectively use the powers of incumbency in an attempt to hold on. He still has a mountain to climb.

Multimillionaire businessman Billy Harper, who led Fletcher's fundraising efforts in 2003, has also filed to challenge the Governor in the GOP primary. His main threat appears to be in forcing a costly runoff, which will occur if no candidate secures at least 40 percent in May--unless the legislature abolishes the run-off, which is a live possibility.

From Blue Grass, Red State:

Here's the part about Fletcher:

FLETCHER LOOKS WEAK IN PUSHING TO SPEND 'SURPLUS'

Gov. Ernie Fletcher's proposal to spend $200 milllion of a bogus $401 million "surplus" on a variety of initiatives was an all too obvious re-election campaign ploy. And his plan to blame lawmakers for denying Kentuckians these initiatives when they exercise the fiscal restraint he seems incapable of doing is another obvious ploy. But as usual with our Boy Governor and the worthy successors to his original Kiddie Korps, they were a bit shy on anticipating all the possible consequences of their plan. BG and his aides knew legislative leaders were not inclined to open up the budget for wholesale revisions in a non-budget year, particularly when the structural imbalance in the budget greatly exceeds the bogus "surplus."

But he went ahead with his fiscally foolish proposals anyway, thinking it put him in a win-win situation of taking credit if he got what he wanted or blaming lawmakers if his initiatives failed. But there was a third option he obviously didn't consider. A governor who makes all sorts of promises to the public that he can't get the legislature to go along with just looks weak. A weak governor who fires off angry letters and goes into rants at legislative receptions in response to the House exercising some fiscal prudence on the "Boni Bill" looks both weak and whiny. Those are two traits BG has down pat, but why would Kentucky voters want to re-elect a weak and whiny governor?

I'm glad Keeling is just crazy enough to put this out there. All the sensible Democrats are trying to support Fletcher so they can win in the November general.

Sarcasm duly noted. However, Fletcher is vulnerable and the stated point is correct.

Fletcher is the Democratic choice. Given his nomination, they will win.

This response from http://polwatchers.typepad.com/pol_watchers/ to a question to candidates regarding the importance of health care to Kentuckians: ANNE NORTHUP:

1. A healthier and better educated workforce is vital to individual success and the collective productiveness to make Kentucky competitive in the emergent world economy.

2. There are things Kentucky can do to provide more access to health care without adopting the single-pay system. Many European countries are moving away from the single-payer system in order to provide access to better health care. Tuition rates are too high and we must find ways to stop the upward spiral and, if possible, achieve reductions.

3. Government must provide adequate access to health care and insure its quality including preventative care and information to help individuals make healthier life choices. But personal responsibility must be an equal and vital component of making that system successful. ... We need creative efforts to make sure affordable health insurance choices are available so that low income workers who have access to private insurance have the help they need … . Keeping tuition rates affordable for more Kentuckians will take partnership between the higher education community and the state.

The higher education communities must contain costs and address the inefficiencies in their system ... . The state must make tuition assistance a priority for qualified Kentucky students who deserve and need financial help.

Anne Northup proposing policy? Incredible!

She has talking points? I am stunned. I was told the lone phrase at the campaign’s daily yell practice was “Fletcher can’t win. Fletcher can’t win. Fletcher can’t win.”

Blogging the Bluegrass

A WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF KENTUCKY POLITICAL BLOG POSTS

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."