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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of October 28, 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 Democratic Headquarters,           

640 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

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Democratic Candidates Speaking At The Louisville Metro Democratic Club

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Elvis, Pre-Dawn Political Action and Kentucky Elections 

Rachele Huennekens, AFL-CIO Media Outreach fellow, is blogging and leafleting her way through the second day of a 10-day bus tour through Kentucky, where Steve Beshear is challenging Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), who has canceled bargaining rights for state employees, privatized Kentucky’s Medicaid program and taken other anti-worker stands. Dozens of local labor leaders and union volunteers are taking part in the Bluegrass Express tour. 

Kentucky rain keeps pourin’ down, and up ahead’s another town that I’ll go walkin’ thru, with the rain in my shoes … searchin’ for you, in the cold Kentucky rain.

So sang Elvis Presley about the harsh weather that, unfortunately for the first few stops of the Bluegrass Express union-member mobilization tour, Kentucky occasionally experiences.

Last night’s worksite leaflet stop at the Commonwealth Aluminum plant in Hawesville and this morning’s stop at the massive Century Aluminum plant in Lewisport would have been rained out if it weren’t for the absolute dedication of the volunteers who spent hours handing out leaflets to steelworkers leaving and arriving at the plants.

Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan, Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council President Jeff Wiggins, UAW Local 2370 President Tim Smith, AFL-CIO field representative Don Slaiman, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9443 President Richard Hass and yours truly stood outside the plant gates in the dark, amidst the wind and rain, rain and even more rain, to distribute information on incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s disastrous history of hurting working families.

All told, the leaflets were a success. We distributed hundreds of fliers, and almost all the workers we spoke to were receptive and friendly. But, ironically, many of them remarked on our dedication to stand out in the rain. The subtext to their comments seemed to be an unanswered question: “Why go through so much bother?”

An answer came easily to Smith. A big grin on his face, he said:

I love doing this! The reason we’re out here is to reach out to our members.  Reach out to our members and let them know how important it is to get out and vote November the 6. 

To Tim Smith, it’s just that simple. Communication among members is the only way unions can effect positive change in the political arena.  If we want the government’s policies to address our concerns—health care, good jobs, retirement security and the dozens of others—then we have to make sure that union members are informed and elect good candidates to positions of power. And if it takes a sopping-wet leaflet or two, or 200,000, that’s no trouble at all.

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Union leaders conduct bus tour to support Beshear

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Lane Report: Grayson and Hendrickson tied

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THE COALITION GOES HOME, by Jim Hightower

The “willing” are waning.

Remember George W’s assertion in 2003 that he was not rushing off to war in Iraq on his own whim? No, no, he cried, lookie here, I’ve got this big international “Coalition of the Willing” backing me all the way!

Actually, his coalition was mostly a sham from the start. Of the 300,000 troops that it included, 250,000 were from the U.S., and Bush sidekick Tony Blair kicked in another 40,000. Of the world’s 194 nations, only 36 chipped in any troops for Bush’s cause, and most that did send some limited them to supporting roles, keeping them out of combat. Despite Bush’s pretense, the “multinational force” has really been a unilateral, American operation.

Now, however, there can be no pretense that it’s anything else, for Bush’s coalition has dwindled down to 20 countries contributing only about 11,000 troops to the Iraq debacle – and most of those will soon be gone.

While George W can’t speak the word “withdraw,” leaders of other countries are having no trouble these days saying it with great fluency and frequency. For example, Denmark has taken its 460 soldiers and gone home, Latvia’s 125-member contingent is down to 15, Lithuania brought its 50 soldiers home this summer, Georgia plans to withdraw 1,700 of its troops, and the Czech Republic will have all of its 100 soldiers out by year’s end.

Even the Brits are saying Bye-Bye Bush. Only 5,000 of their troops remain in George’s war, and half of them will be pulled out by spring, with the rest expected to be withdrawn by the end of next year.

Could the coalition be sending a message? I think they’re saying: Yoo-hoo, George… time to bring your troops home, too.

“Coalition of the willing’ is waning as nations pull out,” Austin American Statesman, October 10, 2007 

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DAILY GRILL         

"Within some months from now, I would say in seven or eight months, if we continue to see the progress we've seen in the last eight months, I think Americans will be generally accepting that we are withdrawing and ceding more authority over to the Iraqi military and that we are achieving quote 'success.'" -- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), 10/22/07

VERSUS

"We're either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months." -- McCain, 11/12/07

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Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told Congress yesterday that the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Iraq has made enough progress that the additional combat forces can be pulled out by next summer." -- Washington Post, 9/11/07, after Petraeus's testimony before Congress

VERSUS

"If General Petraeus early next year sees the security situation deteriorating, he will have the courage to go back to the president and say he needs to keep forces that he had planned to send home." -- Senior adviser to Petraeus Col. John R. Martin, 10/22/07

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During the week of October 22-26, 2007, the nation will be rocked by the biggest conservative campus protest ever -- Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, a wake-up call for Americans on 200 university and college campuses." -- Right-wing commentator David Horowitz

VERSUS

"It's important to note though, after we contacted those institutions, most of those institutions indicated that no such events is taking place on those campus." -- Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee Kareem Shora, 10/23/07

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I can tell you unequivocally that the ongoing war-fighting activities...have had no negative effect at all (on) our ability to provide sufficient forces to assist civilian authorities in fighting the wildfires." -- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Paul McHale, 10/24/07

VERSUS

"Right now we are down 50 percent in terms of our National Guard equipment because they're all in Iraq. The equipment -- half of the equipment, so we really will need help." -- Sen. Barbara Boxer, 10/23/07

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Quotes of the Day      

Wonderful quotes from the Kentucky Republican world

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Recent Senate Votes 

 Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations Act, FY2008 - Vote Passed (75-19, 6 Not Voting)

The Senate approved this $55.4 billion bill that would fund the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, NASA and other science agencies.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES
Sen. Jim Bunning voted NO

Recent House Votes 

 Internet Tax Freedom Act - Vote Passed (405-2, 25 Not Voting)

The House passed legislation that would extend the moratorium on Internet access taxes through November 2011.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

 

Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act - Vote Passed (377-38, 16 Not Voting)

This House bill would require rail carriers transporting hazardous substances to pass inspection and to provide their workers with supplementary safety equipment.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

 

Overriding the Veto of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act - Vote Failed (273-156, 4 Not Voting)

The House came thirteen votes short of overriding the President's veto of H.R. 976, a bill that would reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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HUMOR    

"Candidates out there campaigning very hard. Everyone's trying a different angle right now to get the lead. Presidential candidate John McCain has been taking his 95-year-old mother along with him on his campaign bus. None of the other candidates are traveling with their mothers, but Bill Clinton is traveling with several MILFs." --Conan O'Brien

"Good news for the terrorists: Undercover agents posing as passengers were able to get simulated bombs through the screening process here at LAX 75% of the time ... but not one drop of shampoo." --Bill Maher

"The Turkish Parliament has voted to approve the idea of invading Iraq. President Bush was furious. He said, 'What kind of country takes a vote before it invades Iraq?'" --Bill Maher

"He met the Dalai Lama this week. I'm not sure that he really understands what being a Lama means, because all of his questions were about what it's like to live in Michael Jackson's zoo." --Bill Maher

"How many arch conservatives are here tonight? Sam Brownback has quit the race for president. His supporter is devastated. ... Brownback said he couldn't raise enough money, he couldn't get enough support, and he got tired of carrying around that fetus in a jar. ... He said he knew he made the right decision to get out of the race when he sat down to tell his wife and she said, 'You're running for president?'" --Bill Maher

"Two of the defendants in the Jena 6 case ... were guests last night at the BET Hip Hop awards. Wow, that's pretty good for teenage kids, right? They said if they had known they'd be getting this much attention, they would have beat the crap out of a white kid a long time ago." --Bill Maher

"More bad news today for Barack Obama. He just found out he's related to Bill O'Reilly too. The guy can't get a break!" --Jay Leno

"Screeners at the L.A. International Airport missed 75% of the fake bombs that were sent though the line. However, they did confiscate 100% of people's water bottles" --Jay Leno

"Congratulations to Al Gore for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I thought this was sad: Al had the Nobel Peace Prize for less than a week and O.J. broke in and stole it." --David Letterman

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 ETHICS -- GONZALES MAY FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR MISLEADING CONGRESS: Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales may face criminal charges for statements he made about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys while under oath, revealed former U.S. attorney John McKay on Friday. McKay, the ousted U.S. attorney from Washington state, told the Federal Bar Association that he believes charges could come "at the conclusion of an investigation, possibly as early as next month," adding that "Gonzales 'lied about' reasons for the firings when questioned under oath in July by the Senate Judiciary Committee." McKay believes that his refusal to start a criminal investigation into voter fraud allegations in Washington's 2004 gubernatorial race may have been the reason was fired. "There was a conspiracy to politicize the Justice Department, and they did not get away with it," he said. After stepping down as Attorney General, Gonzales hired a "high-powered Washington criminal-defense lawyer" to "represent him in inquires by Congress and the Justice Department." His "top concern" was the prospect of criminal charges being filed.

IRAN -- KRISTOL CALLS IRAN 'THE ONLY REAL THREAT' TO SUCCESS IN IRAQ: Yesterday, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol declared that the "only" concern left for the United States in Iraq is dealing with alleged Iranian involvement in Iraq. "I think we are going to have to be serious about dealing with...[Iran's] intervention in Iraq," said Kristol, "which now the only real threat, I think, incidentally, to relative success in Iraq." While Iran may be causing some violence in Iraq, there are other pressing "threats" to "success." A National Intelligence Estimate released in February concluded that Iranian involvement was "not likely" to be a major driver of violence. An August McClatchy analysis found that the majority of suicide bombers in Iraq are from Saudi Arabia, not Iran. In reality, "Iraq's complex and overlapping sectarian, political and ethnic conflicts, as well as the difficult security situation continue to hinder progress in promoting economic development, the rule of law and political reconciliation," according to Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Brown. Kristol used his allegations of Iranian involvement in Iraq to push for more war in the Middle East, claiming, "There has to be the credible threat of force" with Iran. He was quickly rebuked by NPR's Juan Williams. "The thing is we have our military stretched beyond all bounds," said Williams. "And you seem to want to engage in other wars. I don't know why you feel this way." 
 

ETHICS -- DISGRACED FORMER FEMA DIRECTOR 'AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS' ON CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: After infamously managing the Bush administration's disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina, former FEMA director Michael Brown released a statement yesterday proclaiming that he was "available for interviews" to discuss disaster response for the California wildfires. "Mr. Brown can speak...to some of the new processes in disaster relief efforts that will help to restore California communities. ... He can offer advice to residents and businesses on proper relief and recovery efforts." As 500,000 California residents are being forced to evacuate due to the wildfires, the storm has elicited memories of Katrina. "In a particularly nervy move," Brown drew parallels between the two tragedies, stating, "Of these 500,000 people, an estimated 10,000 of them have taken shelter at the local NFL stadium, Qualcomm, vaguely reminiscent of circumstances of Hurricane Katrina evacuees two years ago." During Katrina, Brown repeatedly ignored warnings that "thousands of evacuees in New Orleans' Superdome were running out of food and water."

IRAQ -- BLACKWATER URGES SUPPORTERS TO 'INFLUENCE' CONGRESS WITH MISLEADING SPIN: In the past few weeks, Erik Prince, CEO of embattled private security firm Blackwater USA, has orchestrated an aggressive public relations campaign in efforts to save his company's reputation in the face of multiple scandals, giving interviews to The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CBS News, and PBS, amongst others. Yesterday, Blackwater sent an e-mail blast to supporters, encouraging them to contact "elected Congressional representatives" with "letters, e-mails and calls" with the goal of "influencing the manner in which they gather and present information." Blackwater "suggested themes" for supporters to follow, such as "Cost efficiency of Blackwater -- saving the US taxpayer millions of dollars." But Blackwater's cost-saving claims are specious at best. In fact, "[i]t costs the U.S. government a lot more to hire contract employees as security guards in Iraq than to use American troops." The average Blackwater employee makes more on a per-day basis than Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. 

ADMINISTRATION -- WHITE HOUSE 'NOT WORRIED' ABOUT $2 TRILLION IRAQ WAR: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported yesterday that "total spending for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other activities related to the war on terrorism would amount to between $1.2 trillion and $1.7 trillion for fiscal years 2001 through 2017." With $705 billion in interest, the cost of the wars could amount to $2.4 trillion -- with $1.9 trillion in Iraq. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino attacked the report as "a ton of speculation." "It's a hypothetical. ... What I can tell you is I'm not worried about the number," she said. The CBO's projection is not "pure speculation." In fact, the report considers a range of predictions about the U.S. military presence in Iraq, consistent with the administration's desire for a Korea-like, "enduring" occupation of Iraq. "[I]t's clear under analysis that the nation is on an unstable fiscal path," CBO Director Peter Orszag told Congress yesterday. The "higher debt and interest costs, is going to cause severe economic dislocation, which are exacerbated by war costs." Orszag also said yesterday that the real costs of the war could be higher than anticipated.

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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     

  

"Sen. Larry Craig is still traveling back to his home state of Idaho these days. ... But one thing about his travel plans is different since his widely publicized arrest. ... [H]e's now connecting through the Denver airport. He's apparently had enough embarrassment in Minneapolis to last a lifetime."

In two new reports, the State Department is "sharply" criticized "for poor coordination, communication, oversight and accountability involving armed security companies like Blackwater USA," including an audit that shows "the department cannot say 'specifically what it received' for most of the $1.2 billion it" paid to one company.

"Tuition and fees at public and private universities have risen this year at more than double the rate of inflation, with prices increasing faster at public institutions, the College Board said in reports released yesterday." As a result, students and families are being forced to borrow more, driving up the use of private loans.

"With hundreds of thousands of families facing foreclosure in recent months, lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at protecting consumers against predatory mortgages." The bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Mel Watt (D-NC), and Brad Miller (D-NC) is "an update from similar legislation filed in 2005."

After being attacked by the right wing, the Frost family refuses to back down from the fight for children's health insurance. Yesterday, Graeme Frost's mother, Bonnie Frost, "stood before a microphone at a Baltimore church, in a peasant shirt and clogs, to make a quiet appeal for broader health coverage in Maryland."

Senate Judiciary Committee members accused the White House of allowing the Intelligence Committee to review warrantless surveillance documents "in return for agreeing that telecommunications companies should get immunity from lawsuits." "There is no excuse for the administration to grant access only to those inclined to agree with it," the Washington Post writes. 

President Bush's "weakened approval ratings" have forced him to take a "much more personal role in opposing Congress." Bush "has made 46 veto threats during the first nine and a half months of 2007, compared to 28 such threats" during his first six years. The Progress Report's Amanda Terkel also notes, "In his first six years, Bush vetoed just one bill. In less than one year under this new Congress, Bush has been forced to issue three."

New poll finds that in "a 12-month period during which the Taliban insurgency spread in Afghanistan and violence rose in the country's major cities, Afghans grew increasingly concerned about security and more people came to regard it as the most serious issue facing the nation."

Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Washington plan to join California's lawsuit "suing the EPA for stalling on a decision about whether to let California and 11 other states force car makers to produce cleaner vehicles."

Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday issued "his sternest warning to date on Iran." "We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said, adding, "The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences."

Legal experts say the granting of retroactive immunity by Congress is "unusual, particularly in a case involving private companies." Salon's Glenn Greenwald notes that former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy spoke out forcefully against retroactive immunity.

Following a cross border raid by Kurdish militants from Iraq killed 17 Turkish soldiers yesterday, pressure increased for Turkey to launch a strike into Northern Iraq, but Turkey's Prime Minister delayed a decision after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice personally intervened.

"The U.S. military has increased airstrikes in Iraq fivefold this year. ... Coalition forces launched 1,140 airstrikes in the first nine months of this year compared with 229 in all of last year." After a "major bombardment" near Baghdad killed 49 people, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called for U.S. military restraint.

Last spring, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) berated Democrats for "blocking his proposal requiring Members to disclose the existence and value of their personal residences." McHenry, however, has not disclosed at least three pieces of property "that he owns worth more than $300,000 combined."

Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen expressed concerns that the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan had undermined the military's ability to prevent other conflicts. "Because we have had such an intense focus on the Middle East and Iraq and Afghanistan, there is risk associated with those other parts of the world," Mullen said.

On CBS"s 60 Minutes last night, Tom Swetnam, one of the world's leading fire ecologists, said that the warming climate is fueling mega-fires. "Swetnam says that climate change -- global warming -- has increased temperatures in the West about one degree and that has caused four times more fires."

Right-wing pundit Glenn Beck responded to criticism over his suggestion earlier this week that the California wildfires are damaging the homes of "a handful of people who hate America." Beck yesterday lashed out at "a few liberal bloggers" who, he said, "claim that I'm serious when I'm joking and try to cause trouble."

"Despite new House travel restrictions, lawmakers accepted free trips worth nearly $1.9 million during the first eight months of this year -- more than in all of 2006, records show." For example, the conservative Club for Growth "spent $32,242 to bring 10 GOP lawmakers to its April convention at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach in Florida that included a four-hour cruise on a 170-foot yacht."

"The Bush Administration is reportedly considering air strikes, including cruise missiles, against the Kurdish rebel group PKK in northern Iraq. The move would be an attempt to stave off a Turkish invasion of that country to fight the rebels."

The Iraqi government announced today that it has decided to "formally revoke the immunity from prosecution granted to private security companies operating in the war-ravaged country." A government spokesman said in a statement that the Iraqi cabinet "decided to scrap the article pertaining to security companies operating in Iraq that was issued by the CPA in 2004."

$2.4 trillion: The potential cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the next decade, "or nearly $8,000 per man, woman and child in the country, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate." "The number is so big, it boggles the mind," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL).

"President Bush said yesterday that a missile defense system is urgently needed in Europe to guard against a possible attack on U.S. allies by Iran." Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that the United States "could delay activating such a system until there is 'definitive proof' of such a threat."

"Despite all his recent bravado about being an apostle of small government and budget-slashing," Bush is the biggest spending president since 1964. According to an analysis by McClatchy, annual growth of discretionary spending (adjusted for inflation) has increased 5.3 percent under Bush's watch, a number that exceeds the spending of his recent predecessors.

"The government's terrorist watch list has swelled to more than 755,000 names," growing by approximately "200,000 names a year since 2004." The new report by the Government Accountability Office also "raised worries about the list's effectiveness."

A job listing recently appeared on the D.C. government's public job database allegedly looking for a personal chef for MSNBC pundit Tucker Carlson. The posting named Carlson, who listed his own occupation as "Able Seaman." The pay was just "$7.50 an hour, with no benefits." Evidently, according to Carlson, the posting was a hoax.

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INTERESTING      

Border Fence Shuts Out U.S. Steelworkers, Threatens Environment, by James Parks 

Once again, the Bush administration is sending work overseas that could be done here and ignoring laws that get in the way of what it wants to accomplish.

This time it’s the $1.2 billion, 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border that’s supposed to make us more secure. Seems part of the fence is made out of pipes from China, and it’s being built in a way that’s jeopardizing one of the world’s top natural wonders.

Members of the Congressional Steel Caucus, who represent districts where the steel industry is struggling, condemned the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for using Chinese-made pipe when U.S. companies could do the job.  

Says Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), chairman of the Steel Caucus:

The Chinese can’t make safe toys, and this is the national security infrastructure.

A member of the United Steelworkers (USW), Mickey Bolt of Transfer, Pa., was the one who blew the whistle on DHS. He saw pictures of the pipes with “China” written on them and sent the picture to his congressman, Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.), whose staff confirmed through sources at DHS that Chinese pipe was being used on the project. Bolt, who worked at pipe maker Wheatland Tube Co. for 31 years, told the Sharon, Pa., Herald:  

The contractor submitted the price based on using foreign material and was just hoping that the government wouldn’t check closely. If government inspectors couldn’t see this, then they must need a seeing-eye dog.

It’s a shame you don’t have the government looking out for American industry and the American worker.

Wheatland Tube closed its Sharon pipe plant a year ago, citing illegally dumped Chinese pipe imports as the main culprit. Chinese imports of steel tube, pipe and fittings products will reach about 3.9 million tons this year, making up some 30 percent of the U.S. market.

English says the use of Chinese pipes is “outrageous”: 

At a time when pipe and tube plants in my district are being shuttered, it is outrageous that the tax dollars of those people are going to put Chinese pipe into an American fence….It will take more than a coat of whitewash to clear away this outrageous mistake.

In June, the USW and six U.S. pipe companies filed an anti-dumping complaint against illegal imports of China pipe. Two years ago, Bush rejected a trade petition to place tariffs on Chinese pipe imports flooding into the United States.

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) says buying Chinese pipe sends the wrong message to U.S. workers and businesses.

Steel companies across the country are struggling because of China’s unfair trade practices. The administration should not reward China’s flagrant disregard for U.S. trade law by making deals with Chinese steel pipe manufacturers. Instead, our federal government should put American companies and their workers first.

Meanwhile, Think Progress today points out that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is ignoring court orders and concern for the environment to build the fence. He waived several environmental laws yesterday to continue building the border fence through a national conservation area in Arizona.

A federal judge halted construction of the fence Oct. 10 after finding the government had failed to carry out the required environmental assessment. Sean Sullivan of a southeastern Arizona branch of the Sierra Club, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said in a statement:

We can secure our borders while we protect our public lands. Bulldozing the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and our important environmental protections is not necessary to manage the border.

The San Pedro River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the southwestern United States. The conservation area through which it runs is one of America’s most unique and biologically diverse areas. The San Pedro region has been designated as a World Heritage Natural Area by the U.N. World Heritage program. Some 250 species of migratory birds have been recorded in the area, which led to its designation as a Globally Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, American Bird Conservancy and the international Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

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ENPR: Week of October 24, 2007, by Robert Novak and Timothy P. Carney

Kentucky Governor: Two weeks to Election Day, Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) looks like a one-termer. He sits at 40 percent in the most favorable polls, while former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) is polling well above 50 percent.

Fletcher is being dragged down by a patronage scandal, adding to the list of Republicans nationwide suffering from the taint of corruption. He also suffers from (and contributes to) the commonwealth's shift towards Democrats in the past two years. Fletcher had been relentlessly attacking Beshear, and Beshear was firing back. Fletcher has shifted to a positive tone at the last minute. At this point, it would take a severe Beshear misstep to make this a race again. Likely Democratic Takeover.

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VIDEOS  

 Beck: "[A] handful of people who hate America ... are losing their homes in a forest fire today"

The wonderland of Rudy, Mitt & Fred

Need Inspiration! Then Watch This Video Of Markel Hutchins Speaking At The Louisville Metro Democratic Club!

 

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