Candidate Targets Melania

Mark Roberts, Congressional candidate in Oregon running as an Independent, has essentially called First Lady Melania Trump a prostitute.

In response to a Daily Caller report that Melania's staff (five) is much smaller than that of former First Lady Michelle Obama (44), Roberts tweeted:

"Did you know the First Lady works by the hour?  #thinkdirty #hoebag".

Stay classy, Roberts.

Rand Paul to Support Kavanaugh

Sen. Rand Paul has announced that he will vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. I had hoped and expected that Rand would eventually get there, and I'm glad that he has.

Rand has expressed important concerns about the dangers that technology poses to our fourth amendment rights. However, it would be as improper to impose a litmus test based on the fourth amendment as it would be to impose a litmus test based on Roe.

Further, some of Rand's concerns may be addressed legislatively.

At the end of the day, as Rand pointed out, one will never agree one hundred percent with any nominee -- unless one is the nominee.

NRCC Puts Vicki Glisson on "Young Guns" List

I cannot believe that this got no coverage locally. The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee has added Vicki Glisson, candidate for Congress in KY-3, to its "Young Guns" list.

That's a big deal. In a cycle where Republicans are losing many incumbents due to retirement, Vicki actually presents an opportunity for a pick-up.

Granted, local media almost uniformly view themselves as progressives and therefore don't want Vicki to win. Still, this recognition by the NRCC is, how to put it, newsworthy. 

To make the list, Vicki had to meet certain benchmarks set by the NRCC. She not only met the benchmarks, but in each instance exceeded them.  For example, she has out-raised John Yarmuth for the last two reporting periods -- something else you don't see covered in mainstream media.

The Ghost of the FBI Past --

University of Louisville Law Professor Justin Walker has an important op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal.  He reminds us of the consequences of an "independent" FBI. Independence became lack of accountability to democratically elected presidents.

I am generally aware of the misdeeds of the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. The recent movie, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House does a good job of illustrating that in the aftermath of Hoover's death, during Watergate.

What Walker's piece reveals, however, is that Hoover's abuse of civil rights extends to thousands more ordinary Americans than I had previously thought; this was not a problem limited to Hollywood stars and prominent politicians.

Walker's op-ed is a condensed version of a piece that will be published later this year in the George Washington Law Review, which I look forward to reading. 

More Crony Capitalism from GOP in Frankfort

Senate Bill 5 should be filed under "what were they thinking" or "why bother winning elections if you're going to govern like Democrats." Sen. Max Wise (R-16) is the sponsor.

Wise's bill basically reverses a successful practice of the private companies overseeing pharmacies dispensing drugs and brings it back into state government. That's right, it grows state government -- at a time when programs like education are being slashed due to Kentucky's desperate financial shortfall and the pension mess.

Not surprising, it's expensive (and inefficient) to grow government.  The price tag for Senate Bill 5:  $36 million a year.

Where on earth will the state get $36 million?  This is lunacy.

The only people to benefit from this bill are small town pharmacists. That is, it's crony capitalism -- Frankfort pols picking winners and losers.  In this case, the small town pharmacists win, and tax payers lose. If enacted, the pharmacies will get the Obamacare payment of $10.64 per each drug dispensed -- compared to under a dollar they now get. That's quite a raise. 

Nothing against small town pharmacists. But why should they get preferential treatment over other businesses and industries?  I bet some now defunct independent booksellers are wondering where their handout was.

Al Franken Schadenfreude

As Democratic women finally call for Sen. Al Franken to resign,  it's time to recall this, from The Hill:

He barked at Amy Coney Barrett during her confirmation hearing, “I question your judgment!” and condescendingly told her that “the root word of judgment is judge.”

Last June, during John Bush’s confirmation hearing, Franken explained, “One of the qualities I look for in a judge is judgment.” He described his responsibility as using his own judgment to evaluate the judgment of judicial nominees.

In hearing after hearing, Franken has sat, face resting on fist, lecturing conservative judges for what he deems “bad judgment.”

Jump cut to today. Freeze frame on the now infamous photograph of a grinning Franken apparently assaulting a sleeping woman. Read her describe his alleged behavior:

“He came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth. I immediately pushed him away with both of my hands against his chest and told him if he ever did that to me again I wouldn’t be so nice about it the next time. I walked away. All I could think about was getting to a bathroom as fast as possible to rinse the taste of him out of my mouth. I felt disgusted and violated.”

And her describe her reaction to discovering the photo:

“I couldn’t believe it. He groped me, without my consent, while I was asleep. I felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated. How dare anyone grab my breasts like this and think it’s funny?”

Franken has made a habit of accusing Trump judicial nominees of having poor judgment seemingly because they disagree with his political opinions, but it's clearly Franken’s judgment that's lacking. No matter how much the media shakes their pom-poms every time he launches into one of his confirmation hearing morality plays, that much is clear.

Angela Leet for Mayor

This is excellent news for Louisville. Republican Metro Council member Angela Leet has confirmed that she is running for mayor.

Angela is really impressive. She is smart, tough and entrepreneurial and a mother of two boys. She has been one of the voices for common sense in opposition to the inane plan to relocate the VA center to Brownsboro Road.

And she has called attention to Louisville's murder rate, even before most people were paying attention.

She's very personable. She commands respect from across the political spectrum.

After the election, Mayor Greg Fischer will have lots of time to risk his life on all those bike paths he's been building in heavy traffic areas (speaking of which, I saw a horrible accident of bike vs. minivan on Market Street).