The Political Bridge

The Democratic Primary Race for U.S. Senate in Kentucky: The Who Cares Phenomenon of Contemporary Politics by DrTeds

 

This Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate in Kentucky illustrates several pervasive contemporary trends. 

These candidates are spending more time discussing each other’s personal lives rather than discussing the important issues facing the commonwealth and country.

Most of the so-called media follow the dirt rather than exposing a candidate’s (potential) performance as a public servant.  (Tom Loftus of the Courier-Journal did a good job of doing the later.)

I really don’t care if Jack Conway spent 60 or so taxpayers’ dollars on room service or that Dan Mongiardo and wife ate desserts at a conference at your expense. (Based upon my experience in the public sectors, these are real minor breaches of the public trust.)

 I really don’t care if Dan Mongiardo spends more travel money than Conway or vice-versa.

I certainly don’t care that Conway went to Duke and Mongiardo went to Transylvania.

Nobody’s perfekt; Only a few are without political sin.

Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson and Clinton had greater character flaws and engage in more shenanigans than Conway or Mongriado.

As we (Democrats) said about President Clinton, his character flaws (though greater than in either candidate for U.S. Senate) never impacted his ability to do the job. 

None of President Clinton’s character flaws indicated a lack of commitment or care for all the people of this great land.

Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Johnson also engaged in numerous questionable personal actions as elected officials.  President Kennedy, for example, used governmental personnel and resources for his plethora of sexual liaisons.

As long as Misters Conway and Mongiardo do not have any conflicts of interest between financial donors and public policy (which I doubt that they have), I don’t care about their character flaws. Knowing both of these good men, I doubt if they have such conflicts.

The American electoral system has become based upon character issues rather than on the real issue for the electorate—choosing the person who will best represent your interests at city hall, Frankfort, or Washington.

No wonder more and more people don’t give a damn for either party. 

No wonder more and more people think the government is broken.

No wonder more and more people think that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction.

PRESS RELEASE: Emerge Kentucky to Hold Events in Louisville April 23-24

Below are attachments concering a press release and fact sheet about Emerge Kentucky's female candidate training program holding two events in Louisville the weekend of April 23rd and 24th, 2010.  Congressman John Yarmuth is the featured speaker at the reception on Friday, April 23rd.  

Please contact me if you need more information or request personal interviews.  

Thank you,

Kathy Groob

Executive Director

 

  Download Emerge KY Louisville PR

 

Download What is Emerge Kentucky_

Advocates for No Tolls on Existing Louisville Bridges Are Getting Good Press, information courtesy of Chris Tobe

Editorial

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100410/OPINION01/4100317/1055/OPINION/Jumping+the+gun

 

Courier-Journal: Toll opponents dominate bridges meeting

Foes of tolls on new and existing Ohio River bridges made their first significant appearance at a Louisville-Southern Indiana Bridges Authority meeting Thursday, dominating a shortened public comment period.

Authority leaders limited the remarks to about 20 minutes and allowed eight speakers. Seventeen had signed up to talk at the morning meeting, attended by about 100 people, at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100408/NEWS01/4080326/Toll+opponents+dominate+bridges+meeting 

 

Business First: Bridges authority hears criticisms, update

As members of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority considered their mandate to find a way to fund the Ohio River Bridges Project, they were reminded at their meeting Thursday that there are still people who don’t want to see the project built at all.

“It’s a boondoggle,” shouted one man at the end of the public comment period.

Others held up yellow signs that read, “Tolls R 4 trolls,” referring to discussions of using high-speed toll booths

http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2010/04/05/daily40.html?surround=lfn

Fox41 evening and 10pm: Protestors speak out against tolling

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB Fox 41) In a filled meeting room at the Indiana University-Southeast campus, it wasn't difficult to spot the protestors at the Bridges Authority meeting.

"The majority of the community wants more bridges, not less, sooner not later with no tolls," says local architect Steve Wiser.

http://www.fox41.com/Global/story.asp?S=12279506 

 

Fox41 at Lunch: Bridges Authority meeting yields protesters

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB Fox 41) -- The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority met this morning to discuss funding options for the Ohio River Bridges Project.

The fact that tolling is being discussed as a possible source of funds brought several protesters to the meeting. Many of those protesters were carrying yellow signs bearing phrases such as "No Tolls" and "Tolls R 4 Trolls."

http://www.fox41.com/Global/story.asp?S=12277712

 

 

WAVE3 evening and 11pm: Authority of Bridges Authority being questioned

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – There is more controversy centered around the Ohio River Bridges Project. On April 8, the Bi-State Bridges Authority had its first meeting since being given authority the month before to make decisions. We were there as public comments were made in opposition to the multi-billion dollar project.

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=12277562

 

 

  

WHAS11 evening and 11pm: Debate over the bridge funding renewed, it still divides

(WHAS11) - Today, the debate over the bridges was renewed before the Bi-State Authority whose charged with finding a way to build the bridges and deciding who should pay and how.

It was clear that in tough economic times there are no easy solutions, and maybe no solutions. In a room full of people, there was a wide range of opinion, everything from tolls on existing bridges to pay for future bridges, to suggestions to abandoned road projects and gasoline powered vehicles.     http://www.whas11.com/home/Debate-over-the-bridges-renewed-it-still-divides-90285517.html 

 

WFPL: Bridges Authority Hears Public Comment

Gabe Bullard April 8, 2010, 2:30 pm

by Gabe Bullard

 The Ohio River Bridges Project came under fire Thursday at a meeting of the authority tasked with overseeing its execution.

The bi-state bridges authority’s main job is to figure out how to pay for two new bridges between Louisville and southern Indiana and a rework of Spaghetti Junction downtown.

http://www.wfpl.org/2010/04/08/bridges-authority-hears-public-comment/

 

Announcing a New Website For Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark

Dear Friends,

I’m pleased to announce that my new campaign website is now live and available at www.KeepLarryClark.com

 
I hope you will visit my new site to learn more about important legislation I sponsored during this legislative session and for voter information for the 46th District. I also hope to be your friend on Facebook, and that you will follow me on Twitter.

We need leadership now more than ever. I look forward to continuing to serve the people of the 46th District and of Kentucky.

Larry Clark

Mongiardo Stands Up For Kentucky Seniors: Asks Rand Paul, Does He Support National Tea Party Leaders' Call for Eliminating Social Security?

 

NEWS RELEASE

April 5, 2010
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

Contact: Kim Geveden
(502) 682-2010
[email protected]

Annette Lee
(502) 498-4008x230
[email protected]

 

 

Paul and Conway Both Express Support For Raising Retirement Age

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FRANKFORT --- In a video released today, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Dr. Daniel Mongiardo called on Republican frontrunner Rand Paul, who describes himself as the national Tea Party’s messenger, to state whether he supports Tea Party leaders' call to eliminate Social Security, which provides financial security for more than 800,000 Kentucky seniors.

“Rand Paul says he is the messenger for the Tea Party. Well, the Tea Party’s message to Kentucky seniors is drop dead when it comes to Social Security. Tea Party leaders want to abolish Social Security. The only question is whether Rand Paul embraces their extreme far-right view,” asked Mongiardo.

In an interview with Larry King last week, national Tea Party leaders Dana Loesch, founder of the Tea Party Movement in St. Louis and Wayne Allyn Root, former Libertarian Vice Presidential Candidate, expressed support for eliminating Social Security.

King: Would anyone turn away Social Security now?  Would you do away with it?
Loesch: I would. Yes.
King: You would?
Loesch: Yes. Absolutely.
King: Would you do away with it Wayne?
Root: I’d certainly like to.  At best, I would do away with it because I could find better ways to spend and save my own $15,000 a year.

In the video, Mongiardo used King’s interview with Tea Party leaders and clips from Paul’s announcement that he was running for U.S. Senate as a messenger for the Tea Party.

Of the leading Democratic candidates, only Mongiardo has consistently opposed cutting Social Security benefits or raising the retirement age. In his failed 2002 congressional campaign, Jack Conway suggested cutting Social Security benefits and raising the retirement age [Courier-Journal 7/30/02 & CNN 10/9/02].  On September 29, Paul also indicated his support for raising the retirement age to 70.

 

 

 

Questions on Health-Care Reform to the Two Leading Democratic Candidates for U.S. Senate from Kentucky by DrTeds

 .

Kentucky Attorney-General Conway has promised to monitor the health legislation in order to protect Kentucky's Medicaid program.  http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/226487-conway-decides-against-health-care-reform-challenge. While the Nebraska provision has been eliminated from the final health care bill, sweeteners to other states remain. Tennessee gets an additional $100 million in Medicaid aid and Louisiana gets a $300 million boost in Medicaid funding (http://bulletin.aarp.org/states/ut/2010/12/articles/is_health_care_reform_legislation_still_packed.html).

 

Mr. Conway, why haven’t you kept that promise?

 

 LT Governor Mongiardo claims that he would have voted for the Senate’s health-care package, if President Obama gave him certain assurances.  (http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/88983547.html)

 

 Dr. Mongiardo, what specific assurances would you have wanted from the President?

Health-Care Reform and the Dinosaur by DrTeds

 

Call me a dinosaur.   You would be right.

 

Most of my core beliefs seemed to belong to a long-lost age. 

 

I strongly believe that the ends never justify the means.

Getting health care reform passed does not excuse the backroom deals that President Obama made with for-profit hospitals (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/ny-times-reporter-confirm_b_500999.html).

 

I strongly believe that public officias have a sacred duty to keep their promises; or, if that is not possible then level with the public. The Obama administration has committed itself to governmental transparency. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/) Candidate Obama (by December 2007) had endorsed a government-run option.

 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/22/did-obama-campaign-on-the_n_401204.html)

 

Based upon the article cited above, President Obama never meant to keep either of those promises.

 

I strongly believe that questioning our public officials is a sacred privilege of all Americans.

President Obama and his followers on the health care legislation claim to be on the right side of history.  As the President said upon passage of this bill: “I want to thank every member of Congress who stood up tonight with courage and conviction to make health care reform a reality. And I know this wasn’t an easy vote for a lot of people. But it was the right vote.” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/22/what-change-looks)

 

How does he know what is the right or wrong vote?  Is he a prophet, a high priest, or a psychic? Who is he to infer that dissenters lack (moral) courage?

 

I strongly contend that dissenting tends to be a highly moral act.   History has indicated that those Democrats who protested against the Vietnam War were morally courageous and right.

 

I’m not trying to single out Democrats and health-care reform advocates. (I have long been a believer in health-care reform and voted for Mr. Obama in 2008.)  

 

Republicans have also tried to stifle dissent; believed that the ends justify the means; have broken promises to their constituents, and acted as if only they have the correct moral values.

 

Such actions and beliefs are seemingly (as they say) the political zeitgeist.  Evidently, that’s what the American people desire.    

 

And maybe like Emperor Claudius of Ancient Rome,    I am a political fool, yearning for long-lost ideals that nobody wants and never really existed

Latest Polling Data on President Obma's Handling of Health Care, Courtesy of Polling Numbers.Com

Pollster	Date	Approve	Disapprove
AVERAGE		42.4%	52.3%
CBS NYT	3/29-4/1/10	34	55
USA Today Gallup	3/26-28/10	42	54
CNN ORC	3/25-28/10	45	54

For more complete data, click here.

Health-Care 2010: What's In It for You, courtesy of the Kentucky AFL-CIO

Download 4-10HC[1]to read what's in this important piece of federal legislation.

Rasmussen Poll Data on Kentuckians' Support of the Recently Passed Health-Care Bill

Sixty-five percent (65%) of Kentucky voters favor repealing the recently passed national health care plan.

Thirty-three percent (33%) favor the requirement in the bill that every American must buy or obtain health insurance. Sixty-three percent (63%) oppose that requirement. Fifty-eight percent (58%) say Kentucky should file suit like 14 other states to challenge the constitutionality of that requirement, but 32% oppose such a lawsuit.

For more click here.