REPUBLICANS REELING IN KENTUCKY-- ERNIE FLETCHER DEAD MAN WALKING, MITCH McCONNELL GOING DOWN, AND NOW THE PARTY SWITCHING BEGINS

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Two years ago rubber stamp Republican Congressman Ed Whitfield Kentucky's senior U.S. senator, Miss McConnell, were in all their pompous glory as they puffed themselves up to preside over the defection of a conservative State Representative, putative Democrat James Carr. Carr switched parties and the GOP was reeling. That may have been the apex for GOP rule in Kentucky. Not long after, progressive Democrat John Yarmuth started what is very much looking like a trend in the BLUEgrass state; he handily beat incumbent rubber stamp Congresswoman Ann Northup in Louisville.

And people didn't even hate Northup; they just sort of recognized her as a tool of the Bush Regime. Kentucky's uber-corrupt Governor, Ernie Fletcher, on the other hand, they really do hate. Often winning the dubious distinction of the least popular governor in America, the latest SUSA poll shows Fletcher with a 40% approval rating (37% among women) and high disapprovals in every single area of the state, even in the solid red districts. Local polls show him losing his re-election bid to Steve Beshear by double digits, possibly by as much as 20%, a rout.

And McConnell isn't looking so wonderful either. Kentuckians have become aware about his self-serving modus operandi since becoming a senator and how he has enriched himself by sharp and shady personal business dealings with interests in China that have hurt his constituents and all Americans. At the same time, he is clearly Bush's #1 obstructionist in the Senate, the man most culpable in the body for prolonging the unpopular war in Iraq and preventing the progressive programs passed in the House from coming to a vote in the Senate. And then there's his little closet-case hypocrisy problem, which people are looking at even more closely because of his hysterical insistence that fellow senatorial closet queen Larry Craig resign even before going through with the legal hearings he was requesting. Last week a new SUSA poll showed McConnell with a bare 50% approval rating, with very high (career-threatening) disapprovals in the eastern and north central parts of the state as well as in Louisville. Among self-described "moderates" and independents, McConnell is toast and if 2008's election were held today, he would be stuck with the Republican base, probably not enough to win again.

So with all this as a background, today's highly respected Bluegrass Report posits that "the pendulum is definitely swinging back to the Democratic side in Kentucky." Two moderate Republican state Reps, Melvin Henley of Murray and Milward Dedman, Jr. of Harrodsburg, have decided to not go down with the sinking ship. Each has decided to switch parties and become a Democrat. The state House of Representatives already has a healthy 63-27 Democratic margin.

Welcome back to America, Milward and Melvin!