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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of August 19, 2007

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at 901 Barret Avenue .

 

Notice to our Readers &  2007 General Election Candidates:

This newsletter will carry in this space any Democratic candidates' notice of events or communications (250 words or less) to our readers that the candidate provides to the editor at rcrider@louisvilledem.com

 

Fellow Democrats,

Ernie Fletcher has a secret.  Surprised?

In 2006, Fletcher set up a secret slush fund to pay his legal fees stemming from the 18-month merit hiring investigation that led ultimately to his indictment on charges of Criminal Conspiracy, Official Misconduct, Prohibition Against Political Discrimination and Complicity. Of course, Fletcher pleaded the 5th in court and provided a blanket pardon to his political cronies.

To this day, the names of individuals and corporations that have given money to Fletcher's legal fund remain secret.

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, even Fletcher's own Lt. Governor has problems with the Governor's secret slush fund:

"I think the governor would probably be best served by making a full disclosure, especially during the campaign year...."

Last week we learned that, while Fletcher and the Kentucky Republican Party have tried to scare the public into forfeiting their right to vote on the issue of limited expanded gaming, they have taken tens of thousands of dollars from Vegas casinos they condemn.

But according to Fletcher, none of these interests have given to his secret slush fund.

How do we know? I guess we'll have to take his word on it.

Fletcher has also denied taking money into his secret slush fund from Peabody Energy after calling a special session that would grant the company millions in tax breaks.

How do we know? I guess we'll have to take his word on it.

This is the same slush fund that paid Caroline Pitt Clark, a defense lawyer, whom Fletcher appointed to the Public Service Commission just two weeks ago.

Unlike Fletcher, Democrats trust Kentuckians.

That is why Steve Beshear fully disclosed his own personal finances.

That is why the Kentucky Democratic Party fully disclosed the results of an internal financial review.

There is only one question remaining: Will Ernie Fletcher trust the citizens and stop hiding his secret slush fund donors from Kentuckians?

It's time we hold Fletcher accountable and ask him to finally release his secret defense fund contributions and contributors. What is he hiding?

Call Fletcher today, at (502) 607-8683 and ask him. Or send an email to Fletcher's campaign at contact@erniefletcher.com.

We also need your help to communicate this issue to voters across the Commonwealth. We own a large sign outside party headquarters along I-64 in Frankfort. Thousands of commuters pass it everyday.

We want you to come up with our next message for Fletcher. Right now it reads: 

ERNIE:
WHO GAVE TO YOUR
LEGAL DEFENSE FUND?

Please email your suggestions, 40 character limit, to sign@kydemocrat.com.

Let's work together to bring real leadership and change to Kentucky.

Thank you,

Jonathan Miller
Kentucky Democratic Party Chair

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Kentucky: Hot Spot for Working Families in 2007 Elections, by Mike Hall  

The political spotlight is going to shine brightly on Kentucky this fall. The Bluegrass State is just one of a handful of states in this off-year election where voters will go the polls. (Click here for a look at other state elections.)

Working family voters in Kentucky are mobilizing to toss out a governor who has attacked wages and workers’ rights and dragged his feet on mine safety legislation. They are working to put Steve Beshear (D), who says he will protect and improve pro-worker laws, into the governor’s mansion.

Helping mobilize the Labor 2007 union vote in central Kentucky is Tim Smith, president of UAW Local 2370, who has worked at Mahle’s components plant, in Franklin, Ky., for 20 years. As a union officer, Smith has been involved in contract talks, grievances and other in-plant duties, but this is his first foray into the political arena. Says the Labor 2007 coordinator for central Kentucky:

Every where I go, from Millwrights, to Pipefitters, to Sheet Metal, I see people pulling together to show Ernie Fletcher that he is not going to make this a right-to-work state. It’s not good for labor and it’s not good for the whole state. We’re going to step up to the plate.

Last year, working families rallied against two of Fletcher’s pet projects, “right to work” for less legislation and repeal of the state’s prevailing wage law. Their actions spurred the legislature to kill the moves. In states with so-called “right to work” laws, the average pay for workers is 15 percent less than in states where workers have rights to bargain contracts (including wages and benefits).

Prevailing wage law requires contractors on state-funded construction projects to pay workers the prevailing wage in the region. Prevailing wage laws ensure contractors on state projects don’t exploit workers by paying low wages to win state contracts.

United Steelworkers (USWA) member Jeff Wiggins, who was a volunteer activist in the 2006 election, is now organizing Labor 2007’s drive in western Kentucky. He says that the economic workplace issues can trump some of the deeply held social beliefs of some union members. Smith calls them his 3G members—God, guns and gays.

What we are doing is defining our issues, getting our issues and message out into the hands of our members. When they hear from their local union that we are trying to protect jobs and put people’s interest ahead of corporate interests they listen. When they were trying to push their agenda of right-to-work and prevailing wage repeal, I had one of my 3G members come up to me and say, “Hey, they’re trying to take away my way of life.”

In Ashland, USWA Local 7047 member Mike Donta is working with local unions and union members across the northern edge of Kentucky. The 28-year veteran at Calgon Carbon Corp. says Fletcher has not only failed union members but all Kentucky voters.

We are not seeing the progress like we should. He’s looked out for his corporate friends but when it comes to good jobs, wages…helping everybody out and moving Kentucky forward, well he hasn’t.

How are unions going to work to get out the vote? At the June kick off meeting with some 85 union activists, Beshear summed it up:

The single best you can help me win is to do what you do best—talk with your members on the phone, at the worksite, using local union mail and at the door.

Click on the video above to see a message from Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan and other union leaders about the importance of the governor’s race.

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 DAILY GRILL      

"Significant changes [are] taking place." -- Brookings analysts Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack on progress in Iraq, 7/30/07

VERSUS

"I did not see any dramatic change in our position in Iraq during this trip."  -- Center for Strategic and International Studies military analyst Anthony Cordesman, who visited Iraq with O'Hanlon and Pollack, 8/9/07

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Quotes of the Day        

"One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I'd be a great president." --Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, on why his sons aren't serving in the military

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Recent Senate Votes 

 

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 - Vote Agreed to (83-14, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this bill that would provide greater transparency in the legislative process.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES

Sen. Jim Bunning voted YES

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Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (68-31, 1 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this bill that would add 3 million lower-income children to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted NO

Sen. Jim Bunning voted NO

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Protect America Act - Vote Passed (60-28, 12 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this bill which would temporarily expand the executive branch’s authority to spy on suspected foreign terrorists without a court order, when communications are passing through the U.S.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES

Sen. Jim Bunning voted Not Voting

 

Recent House Votes 

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (411-8, 13 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would provide greater transparency in the legislative process.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (225-204, 4 Not Voting)

The House voted for this bill that would expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, adding up to 5 million children to the program.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act - Vote Passed (229-194, 3 Present, 6 Not Voting)

This House passed bill calls for U.S. soldiers to spend an equal amount of time between combat and home.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act - Vote Passed (241-172, 20 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would require utility companies to produce 15 percent of their electricity from wind, solar power and other renewable sources and calls for the gradual reduction of using fossil fuels to generate electricity.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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Protect America Act - Vote Passed (227-182, 23 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill which would temporarily expand the executive branch’s authority to spy on suspected foreign terrorists without a court order, when communications are passing through the U.S.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted NO

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Defense Appropriations Act, FY 2008 - Vote Passed (395-13, 24 Not Voting)

The House passed this $459.6 billion appropriations bill for the Department of Defense.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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HUMOR      

"We all know Karl Rove resigned. Big blow to the White House. Rumsfeld's gone, Wolfowitz, Harriet Miers, Dan Bartlett -- all gone. Cheney -- never much help during the summer. That's his egg-laying season." --Jon Stewart

"Last week was a busy, busy week for both major parties. Starting with the Democrats, who met for a candidates forum on Logo, the gay-oriented cable channel that is not Lifetime or Bravo. ... It was generally a friendly event, except for one William Richardson [on screen: Richardson saying homosexuality is a choice, when asked if homosexuality is a choice or it is biological]. ... Richardson then swung into damage control mode, explaining the next day he didn't understand the question because of jet lag. Yes, apparently, the governor had just flown in from the 1950s." --Jon Stewart

"The Iowa straw poll, a quadrennial ritual for Republican candidates, was held Saturday in Ames, Iowa. And the big winner of this unofficial, preseason survey of the Iowa electorate? Former Massachusetts Governor/part-time J.C. Penny catalogue underwear model Mitt Romney with over 30% of the vote." --Jon Stewart

"In a big surprise, the second place finisher was Baptist minister and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee with 18% of the vote, despite spending less than a tenth of what Romney had. Huckabee himself seemed at a loss to explain his success [on screen: Huckabee comparing his Ames showing to 'feeding the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves']. Apt metaphor, governor. But I really have to say, don't you think Jesus would have won?" --Jon Stewart

"For those of you who still care, what exactly is the Iowa straw poll? [on screen: a political science prof. explaining that GOP candidates tend to pay the $35 ticket fee for voters in hopes they will come out and support them]. So, it's an election with no Democrats, in one of the whitest states in the union, where rich candidates pay $35 for your vote. Or, as the Republicans call it, 'Our vision for the future.'" --Jon Stewart

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RELIGION -- CONGRESSMAN SAYS RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN FEDERAL OFFICE WAS NOT ENVISIONED BY FOUNDING FATHERS: When Idaho State Rep. Bill Sali was running for Congress in 2006, Vice President Cheney visited his state and said, "Bill is ready to make a difference in Washington, and he's going to be the kind of Congressman who will make you proud." Now-Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID) is demonstrating his worth by criticizing the new religious diversity embodied in the 110th Congress. "We have not only a Hindu prayer being offered in the Senate, we have a Muslim member of the House of Representatives now, Keith Ellison from Minnesota," he said. "They are not what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers." Sali may want to take a peek at Article VI of the Constitution, which notes that there is no religious test for public office: "[N]o religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." Sali's not alone in his bigotry. In Dec. 2006, shortly after Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) was elected as the first Muslim congressman, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) warned that "American citizens" need to "wake up" or "there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office." Last month, protesters belonging to the Christian Right anti-abortion group Operation Save America loudly interrupted the first Hindu prayer delivered in the Senate. Sali said that when a Hindu prayer is offered, it "creates problems for the longevity of this country."

HUMAN RIGHTS -- BUSH ON TORTURE REPORT: 'HAVEN'T SEEN IT, WE DON'T TORTURE': During President Bush's press conference yesterday, The Washington Post's Peter Baker asked him if he "had read" a highly confidential report by the International Committee of the Red Cross that "has found an interrogation program in CIA detention facilities, [that] used interrogation techniques that were 'tantamount to torture.'" Details of the report were revealed recently in the New Yorker. "Haven't seen it; we don't torture," Bush bluntly responded before moving on to another question. Bush's denial of torture is hardly convincing, considering he is apparently unaware of the allegations coming from the Red Cross, "which is known for its credibility and caution." The report alleges "that American officials responsible for the abusive treatment" at CIA "black sites" may have committed "grave breaches" of the Geneva Conventions. Though Bush claims to have not "seen" the report, others in his administration have, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, and CIA director Michael Hayden. Given the documented abuses at Abu Ghraib, Bush would be wise to actually read reports like the Red Cross's before definitively declaring "we don't torture."

HEALTH -- REPORT: TOBACCO TAXES PRODUCED SHARP DECREASE IN SMOKING: A USA Today report "finds that higher state taxes on smokers have produced sharp declines in consumption. The amount of decline in smoking is directly tied to the size of the tax increase." Cigarette sales fell 18 percent in North Carolina last year after the tax was raised to 35 cents from a nickel. In New Jersey, smoking dropped by 35 percent after the state raised its taxes from 80 cents in 2002 to $2.40, and Connecticut saw a 37 percent drop in consumption after it increased its tax to $1.51 from 50 cents a pack in 2002. Recently, Congress approved an increase in the federal tax on tobacco products to fund the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program(SCHIP). But President Bush has promised to veto the measure. According to economists, "the nation may be about to experience one of the biggest one-time declines in smoking." "I expect a bigger drop than almost anything we've seen before," says Frank Chaloupka, a University of Illinois economist who has studied the effect of taxes on smoking. "He predicts that smoking will drop 6% if the 61-cent-per-pack tax hike is passed." 

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NEED COMPUTER ASSISTANCE?? 

Democrat Activist Mike Bailey is now providing “Professional Computer Support.”  He can be contacted at 502-558-4026, or mikebailey2000@usa.net. 

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Think Fast            

President Bush said he can't recall when he learned that Army Ranger Pat Tillman died by friendly fire. Just days before Bush delivered a 2004 speech that made reference to Tillman, a top general had written a memo to Gen. John Abizaid, then head of Central Command, warning that it was "highly possible" that Tillman was killed by friendly fire and making clear that the information should be conveyed to the president.

"The next decade will be a hot one, according to scientists unveiling the first 10-year projection of global warming. … The significance of the new study is that over the last century, global warming has contributed to about a one-degree rise in average temperatures."

"Nearly half the people murdered in the U.S. each year are black, part of a persistent pattern in which African Americans are disproportionately victimized by violent crime, according to a new Justice Department study released yesterday."

"I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers," said former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani yesterday. "I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them." Battalion Chief John McDonnell, head of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association in New York, responded, "I think he's really grasping and trying to justify his previous attempts to portray himself as the hero of 9/11."

The Bush administration on Friday will announce plans to enlist state and local law enforcement in cracking down on undocumented workers, which previously was largely a federal function. The plans call for the administration to "train growing numbers of state and local law enforcement officers to identify and detain immigration offenders whom they encounter in the course of daily law enforcement."

"A car bomb struck a market in a Kurdish area in the northern city of Kirkuk on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, police said. South of Baghdad, the U.S. military said a helicopter was forced down, leaving two soldiers injured."

The State Department is enlisting baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken for a new diplomatic role. Ripken will travel the world as a public diplomacy envoy to increase young people’s understanding of the United States by sharing with them his "impressive personal history and life experiences."

The Senate's #1 Batman fan gets an appearance on the big screen. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) will have a speaking part, though a "small role," in the new flick The Dark Knight, out next year. Leahy, who "dabbles in Batman culture purely for fun," had a cameo in the 1997 hit Batman & Robin.

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INTERESTING    

Ground Zero Worker Outraged at Giuliani’s Boasts, by Seth Michaels

Last week, we noted former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed, in the weeks of rescue and clean up after the Sept. 11 attacks, he was at the World Trade Center site “as often, if not more, than most of the workers.”

That statement shocked many who actually did spend a lot of time at the site, including Reggie Cervantes, a volunteer emergency medical technician who was on the emergency rescue team. As a result of her exposure to dust from Ground Zero, Cervantes says she now suffers from pulmonary fibrosis. Her struggle to get health care is featured in Michael Moore’s film “Sicko.”

Cervantes has responded to Giuliani’s claim in a powerful video. She accuses Giuliani of trivializing the suffering of those who, like her, were on the job and wound up with serious health problems. Cervantes says Giuliani is guilty of a failure of leadership:

You’ve done nothing, absolutely nothing to help us…you lack compassion, and your colossal mistakes cost civil servants their lives.

Firefighters and rescue workers also have taken Giuliani to task over his remarks, and former Sen. John Edwards released a statement condemning Giuliani’s grandiose claims.

It seems that Giuliani is determined to take every opportunity to exploit the memory of 9/11 for political gain, rather than honor the incredible sacrifices of our first responders. Enough is enough.

By the next morning, Giuliani started to backtrack from his statement during the radio show of conservative host Mike Gallagher:

“What I was trying to say yesterday is that I empathize with them because I feel like I have that same risk. And the way I said it, I probably could have said it better.”

You think?

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Kentucky Governor: Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) owed his 2003 victory in part to the corruption of outgoing Democratic Gov. Paul Patton. Similarly, former Atty. Gen. and former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) is poised take the governor's mansion on the strength of Fletcher's corruption problems -- possibly using Fletcher's same lines from 2003.

Fletcher was indicted last year on three misdemeanor charges related to corruption in hiring. In 2005, many of his political hires were indicted as well, and Fletcher pardoned nine of them. In August 2006, Fletcher reached a plea agreement in which prosecutors dropped charges in exchange for Fletcher's admission of "wrongdoing by his administration" and his acceptance of responsibility for the "inappropriate action."

Despite some calls for him to step aside in this election, Fletcher ran for re-election and won a contested primary (over former Rep. Anne Northup among others) without needing a runoff. Beshear handily won his primary, beating expectations and avoiding a runoff by securing 40.9 percent of the vote (he needed 40 percent). As his running mate, Beshear has tapped Daniel Mongiardo, who nearly defeated Sen. Jim Bunning (R) in 2004.

Fletcher's big primary win gives him some hope, showing that he is a strong campaigner. He is good at staying on message and is improving on the stump. Recently, he has begun hammering away at Beshear's call for a referendum to allow state-run casinos to boost state revenues. (A recent poll showed voters evenly divided on the issue.)

Beshear, for his part, may be the perfect man for the job of beating Fletcher. An establishment Democrat with many statewide races under his belt (although mostly losing ones), Beshear knows his role is to play it safe, and he is capable of doing so. If Beshear doesn't misstep, Fletcher will have a tough time climbing out of the hole he has dug himself.

While Kentucky is considered part of the South, it is, in many ways, a Midwestern state. It is unsurprising therefore, that in the last couple of years Democrats have utterly halted the GOP's momentum (almost electing a Democratic senator in 2004 and defeating a Republican incumbent House member in 2006), mirroring Democratic gains across the Ohio River in Ohio and Indiana.

Beshear leads in nearly all polls and is the favorite. But with three months to go and the advantages of incumbency, a comeback is not out of the question. Leaning Democratic Takeover.

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VIDEOS 

We came across a pretty remarkable snippet of video online. You've really got to see it to believe it.

Just click here to check it out:

And if you're as amazed, saddened, and angered as we are—pass it on to a friend, neighbor, or co-worker and help make sure people all over the country see it.

 

Jay Leno Interviews Dick Cheney

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