THINGS ARE LOOKING UP IN... KENTUCKY!

There's so much wrong with Kentucky politics-- between Bush's #1 congressional obstructionist, closet queen Mitch McConnell; convicted criminal governor Ernie Fletcher; a U.S. senator still serving who may have passed away last year or-- at the very least-- has been in a persistent vegetative state for at least two years... that it is hard to imagine the Democratic gubernatorial primary is as important a focus of attention as any of this. But it is; and it's this Tuesday.

If you've been following the story here at DWT for the last few months, you know that moderate Steve Beshear is battling reactionary fake-Dem Bruce Lunsford. Yesterday there were some important developments to report, each of which bodes well for folks in the Bluegrass state.

If you ever wondered how any Republican couldn't beat a convicted felon-- and the most disliked and distrusted governor anywhere in America-- you don't know much about bumbling imbecile Anne Northup. Many of us came in contact with this rubber stamp nonentity last year when progressive Democrat Steve Yarmuth dispatched her from the U.S. Congress where she had compiled an unblemished record of having done nothing whatsoever other than agreeing with Bush and Cheney on every single hideous agenda item they ever puked up. Kentucky Republicans decided she was the best they could do against walking, breathing disgrace, crooked Ernie Fletcher (who will do all he can to stay in the governor's mansion since he will be headed for prison as soon as his term expires).

With the latest polling (more on that below) showing that Republicans have already decided that for all his obvious flaws Fletcher is still better than Northup, the Northup campaign gave the state a great big demonstration of why she would make an absolutely horrendous governor. Basically, her campaign went wild and made late-night serial robo-calls to Republicans all over Kentucky-- and kept doing it all night... to the same people. She spent an awful lot of money to guarantee an awful lot of people would never vote for her under any circumstances. "Every way we can, we're telling people how sorry we are," Northup said yesterday while campaigning in Corbin. "We just feel terrible about it." Not nearly as bad as she's likely to feel when the polls close on Tuesday evening.

Now about the new poll numbers. Not only do they show Fletcher convincingly ahead of Northup (as of Tuesday, with a 10% lead)-- proving the Republicans positively embrace the criminality of their elected officials-- but that there is more good news for Democrats. On Tuesday, Democrats who were asked who they are likely to vote for next week, have started abandoning Lunsford. Steve Beshear now leads him 32%-23%, with 44% spread out among other candidates and undecideds. Keep in mind that even with Beshear slightly ahead, this is going to be a very low turnout election (15% is expected), and it's impossible to predict how things will play out on the ground. Lunsford has invested a ton of money in a field operation, and he has the not-so-tacit support of the state party. If neither ticket gets over 40% next Tuesday, there will be a run off on June 26.


Why has the bottom finally started falling out of Lunsford's cash-rich campaign? No one tells this story better than Cliff Schechter, who admits that he once worked for Lunsford and well-knows what a corrupt and unethical scoundrel he is-- and how utterly unfit for public office or to hold the banner of the Democratic Party. Keep in mind that Lunsford worked with mental patient Zell Miller, as Finance Chairman of Democrats For Bush. Please take a look at Cliff's latest explanation of the Kentucky election. Cliff will be our Blue America guest at Firedoglake this Saturday at 2pm EST (11am on the West Coast).


UPDATE: FLETCHER AND BESHEAR LEADING THE PACK IN THE HOME STRETCH

Today's Louisville Courier-Journal confirmed other recent polls: Fletcher is ahead of Northup and Beshear looks like he can beat the odious fake-Dem, Lunsford. "The poll, conducted May 10-15, found that 41 percent of likely Republican voters will vote for or are leaning toward voting for Fletcher, while 26 percent favor his closest rival, former U.S. Rep. Anne Northup of Louisville." The Democrats will probably face a run-off. "Former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear has a modest lead over Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford in the Democratic race for governor-- but it might not be enough to avoid a runoff. Twenty-seven percent of Kentucky Democrats say they likely will vote for the ticket of Beshear and state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo in Tuesday's primary, according to a Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll. Lunsford and his running mate, Attorney General Greg Stumbo, were preferred by 21 percent of Democrats."

IF YOU LIKE ZELL MILLER AND LIEBERMAN, THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING A WEEK FROM TODAY IN KENTUCKY YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO

It's inconceivable that Ernie Fletcher, surely the most corrupt governor in the whole country-- and, as far as I know, the only one still in office to have been indicted and convicted of a crime-- can be re-elected in Kentucky. He's in a neck and neck primary battle with recently-defeated Republican Congresswoman Anne Northup. She's having a swell time attacking him for his egregious corruption-- steering state contracts and handing out plum appointments to individuals who donate to his legal defense fund. Even if Republican primary voters don't care about such things, normal Kentucky voters in the general surely will. (Fletcher's response is that she's hardly one to talk about ethics, considering her own record shameful in Congress.) Their showdown is a week from today.

More important-- considering how fatally flawed both Republican candidates are-- is the Democratic primary on the same day. The overriding theme of the Democratic primary is that it is being dominated by a corrupt DLC-type, hack, Bruce Lunsford, a Kentucky version of Zell Miller or Joe Lieberman. He's loaded with dirty money and he's spending it to buy the election. After Jonathan Miller, the progressive in the race, dropped out and endorsed moderate Steve Beshear, endorsements for Beshear started piling up. Last week it was the Louisville Courier-Journal calling him the stand-out candidate to help rid the state of the "ethically challenged" Fletcher. Friday, Change For Kentucky gave him their nod and this weekend the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Cincinnati Enquirer both came out for him as well. Neither paper can avoid talking about Lunsford's lack of ethics. "Controversy peppers his past," writes the Enquirer, also reminding voters that "for Democratic Party loyalists, Lunsford's middle name could be 'Toxic' because of his past support of a number of Republicans. As fate would have it, that even includes past donations to Fletcher and his opponent, Anne Northup."

The Herald-Leader sums the race up best:

Democrats yearning for a strong, ethical leader to restart progress in Kentucky should nominate Steve Beshear.

Beshear has long been a force for clean, forward-thinking government-- as a legislator, attorney general and lieutenant governor...

What most recommends Beshear is his strong grasp of how to do the job he's seeking.

He knows how to work with the legislature. He understands government. He is eager to use the governor's power to get things done. Kentuckians are hungry for that kind of leadership after four years of bumbling and ethical travesties by the Fletcher crew.

As governor, Beshear wants to bring preschool education and health coverage to all Kentucky children, improve high schools and offer forgivable tuition loans so more Kentuckians can go to college.

He's realistic about the complex challenges facing Kentucky's economy and Eastern Kentucky, in particular. He's determined to tackle them and to bring some overdue fresh approaches to job creation. He wants more resources for land preservation...

Beshear has shown that he has the grit and the smarts to be governor. He is the Democrat most able to break the partisan stalemate that's been choking progress.

Working men and women are overwhelmingly opposed to the odious Lunsford although, even with Kentucky unions escalating their campaign against him, rumors are about that Hillary Clinton's campaign has rather different feelings about him. Of course, both Clintons have always been very comfortable with the most corrupt and treacherous of the DLC 5th columnists inside the Democratic Party, so it should surprise no one that she's in cahoots with a (rich) lowlife like Lunsford.

JONATHAN MILLER-- SHELTER FROM KENTUCKY'S STORM OF CORRUPTION AND REACTIONARY SPECIAL INTERESTS POLITICS

Yesterday we looked at an exciting race shaping up in an ostensibly deep red state, Oklahoma, between lunatic extremist James Inhofe, a cranky old incumbent who might believe the world is flat and who possesses one of the most reactionary voting records of any member of the U.S. Senate, against an attractive and populist young newcomer, State Senator Andrew Rice.

There's another race shaping up in another pretty red state that I'd like to take a look at today: the gubernatorial primary in Kentucky. If you've been following DWT over the last couple years you already  know all about Ernie Fletcher's unbelievable record of corruption. If you'd like to catch up a little, try here and here and here and here... and here. Fletcher seemed so unelectable that Louisville's ex-Congresswoman Anne Northup (beaten in a re-election bid last year due to her rubber stamp posture towards the Bush Regime), decided to challenge him in the primary and has been backed by most of the state's GOP establishment. The most recent SurveyUSA poll, released yesterday, shows Fletcher regaining the lead from Northup. The primary election is May 22 and the survey shows Fletcher leading Northup 46% to 34% as of this past weekend.

A win by Fletcher, whose reputation is unacceptable to normal people, is exactly what Democrats are rooting for. Remember, even though Kentucky has been trending more and more Republican-- with Bush having beat Kerry 60-40% and with Fletcher having won his first term 55-45%-- a healthy majority of voters are registered Democrats. In fact, 57.5% of voters are registered Dems, 36% are Repugs and 6.5% registered with other parties. It's difficult to imagine too many non-GOP base voters mustering much enthusiasm for Fletcher, a convicted criminal.


That brings us to the Democrats. And that isn't good news. Grassroots Democrats and progressives are excited about State Treasurer Jonathan Miller but Kentucky has some really low-information areas once you leave Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Owensboro. Leading the Democratic pack right now is Bruce Lunsford, a fake Democrat who appears nearly as corrupt as Fletcher and as beholden to the same special interests. One local KY blogger has posted a video of Fletcher explaining to his supporters that Lunsford "shares our values." Every indication is that he certainly does-- which is why no Democrat should consider voting for him. The same blogger lists 10 reasons to vote against Lunsford:

10. During the 2006 congressional race, Lunsford personally contributed more money to Anne Northup ($4,100) than to John Yarmuth ($2,000).

9. Four years ago, during the KET Democratic gubernatorial debate, Lunsford vowed to support the Democratic nominee in the general election, but on October 20, 2003, while standing next to his “friend” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), Lunsford endorsed Ernie Fletcher for governor.

8. Lunsford now promises “I’ll fix our broken health-care system” but as Chairman and CEO of Vencor, he paid $104.5 million to the federal government for Medicare/Medicaid fraud claims.

7. A few months before Vencor publicly admitted to investors about declining revenues and staggering debt in 1997, Lunsford had sold 50,000 shares at $47 apiece, for $2.35 million. Within three months, Vencor was trading at $30/share, and eventually the stock became worthless.

6. On the Vencor Board of Directors at the time of its crash was none other than current U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, also the wife of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R).

5. Following his election as governor in 2003, Fletcher named Lunsford to lead a blue ribbon transition team to re-organize government. Immediately, Lunsford’s team eliminated the Labor Cabinet.

4. After Congress cut Medicaid reimbursements to nursing homes, Lunsford offered cash bonuses to his employees who successfully evicted seniors who relied upon Medicaid to pay their bills so they could fill those beds with higher paying, private patients. This practice was known as “patient dumping.”

3. After Congress passed legislation to outlaw Lunsford’s practice of “patient dumping,” he paid a Washington, DC lobbyist $60,000 to try amend the Social Security Act to allow patient dumping after courts told him to stop and Vencor had been fined $780,000 for trying to kick out 137 residents.

2. Between 1995 and 2000, Lunsford personally donated $52,000 to federal political candidates and parties. Of that amount, $40,250 (77%) went to Republicans, including to both of Kentucky’s Republican senators, four Republican congressmen (Rogers, Whitfield, Lewis, Northup), as well as the Republican Party of Kentucky, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, and George W. Bush for President.

1. In May 2003, Lunsford dropped out the Democratic gubernatorial primary after polls showed him falling into third place (behind Ben Chandler and Jody Richards). Rather than finish third, Lunsford pulled-up lame and blamed a mean Chandler television ad for his surrender.

Kentucky's BluegrassReport showed Lunsford lifting his entire platform verbatim from failed Florida gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis (although I don't think Davis, unlike Lunsford, supports teaching creationism and religionist superstitions in the public schools).

Many people are focussing on next year's Kentucky senatorial election, an opportunity to rid the Senate of hypocritical closet queen and Bush rubber stamp Mitch McConnell. It won't help to have a close associate of his like Lunsford in the governor's chair. There's one populist running in this race, someone who represents the interests of ordinary people, not of the bribers and special interests, and that's Jonathan Miller. Anything less, will just be more of the same.


UPDATE: MILLER DROPS OUT AND ENDORSES BESHEAR

I would have preferred to see a progressive like Jonathan Miller as governor of Kentucky, of course, but the bad polling-- and resultant fundraising difficulties-- forced him out of the race this morning. He endorced a solid moderate, Steve Beshear. There are two important dynamics in this primary: to choose a real Democrat who can take on and beat the Republican and to offer voters in Kentucky a discernable choice. Lunsford is as much a Democrat as Zeller Miller, Harold Ford or Joe Lieberman. It isn't about Democratic principles or values or ideals with any of these crooks; it's all about themselves and their selfish ambitions. Lunsford might be the worst of the lot, as hard as that is to fathom.