Informed Consent as Pretext

Imagine this scenario:  Liberals, motivated by a desire to save lives, impose a requirement that anyone who wants to buy a gun must first meet with a psychiatrist, 24 hours before the gun sale can take place. (After all, we don't want crazy people buying gun, and we want to be sure people understand the risk of gun ownership.)

Faced with a backlash about the lack of psychiatrists in rural Kentucky, Liberal legislators modify the proposed law so that the mandatory consult with the shrink can take place by Skype.

Conservatives would protest that such a law was an unconstitutional ruse to make gun ownership more difficult -- an infringement on the second amendment right to bear arms.

This is essentially what Republicans have done in Frankfort, albeit with a different constitutional right.

Roe v. Wade is one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time, right up there with Dred Scott (and similar in logic). I do not believe that the constitution gives a woman the right to kill her unborn child. To the contrary, I think that child has its own rights under the constitution.

But nine guys in black robes have held otherwise. It is the law of the land for now. I'd like to see that changed, either by the Court overruling itself or by constitutional amendment. However, until that occurs, respect for rule of law requires that we not undermine the woman's constitutional right to an abortion so long as that remains a constitutional right.

I therefore disagree with what Republicans have done in Frankfort with their so-called "informed consent" bill. As amended, a woman who wants an abortion must have a consult with a doctor by video chat or in-person. The video option was added when it was pointed out that the bill would be most onerous for rural women.

What on earth can the doctor or medical provider tell the woman that cannot be told the day of the abortion? This is just a delay tactic, an obstacle and impediment to the abortion taking place.

I suspect the real motivation behind the bill is the hope that some women, forced to "sleep on it," might change their minds about having the abortion altogether. That would save the life of a child -- certainly a good thing.

Proponents of gun control are similarly motivated to save lives by making the exercise of a constitutional right more onerous.

In both circumstances, the rule of law is undermined. That is a very serious issue, because the rule of law is the linchpin of our democracy. It protects our freedom.

So the informed consent bill, in my view, was well-intentioned but nonetheless a mistake.

Flashback on Rand Paul Accolades

Politico has catalogued some of the many instances in which media waxed poetic about how fascinating Sen. Rand Paul is, and how he would inevitably get the Republican nomination and then win the general election.

It's a good reminder of why it made sense for Paul to seek and RPK to agree to the caucus:

Take, for example, these comments -- not from Republican fans:

“Rand Paul will win the whole thing because he can win Iowa, New Hampshire, he can win South Carolina, and he's the only candidate you listed there that can win all three.” (Chris Matthews, Real Clear Politics, November 2, 2013)

“If the GOP want to defeat Clinton next fall, they should turn to the only Republican whose buzz rivals hers: Rand Paul.” (Brian O’Connor, the New Republic, April 13, 2015)


“If he announces, he’ll be considered a first-tier candidate.” (James Carville, Vogue, September 16, 2013)

Rand Is Out

Sen. Rand Paul has suspended his campaign. He was right to do so, and right to do so now. It's a three-way race, and he can be more influential by helping Marco Rubio at this point (which I hope he is inclined to do).

He is in good shape in Kentucky.  He will get reelected -- and without huge infusions of cash from the NRSC, so they need to stop whining. Yes, Democrat Jim Gray can self fund, and has been a popular mayor. Nonetheless, he will not win. And not because he's gay. Kentuckians like Rand Paul and they like his message. His work is not done on behalf of Kentucky and on behalf of the cause of freedom.

Now that Rand is out, the Kentucky caucus will not pose the conflict many of us felt. I would have voted for Rand as our native son. But I would have felt that in so doing, I was missing an opportunity to help Marco Rubio.  So I'm glad I don't have to worry about being loyal to the Kentuckian.

This is the first, maybe the last time Kentucky's primary actually matters in selecting our party's nominee.  I therefore do not mind that I will have to drive a little farther to caucus. Those who are griping about the caucus now being unnecessary due to Rand dropping out are missing this point:  we finally get a vote in selecting our party's presidential nominee, for the first time in the 20 years I have lived here.

I don't resent Rand for the caucus; I thank him for the opportunity it has given us. And I don't resent Rand for running for president. As I wrote in my last Courier-Journal column (reprinted below) I am sorry it did not work out for him, but I am still proud of him and appreciate the courage and sacrifice he made by running for president.

Need Your Input Here

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed me to an eight-member Congressional Commission to explore the possibility of a National Women's History Museum on or near the Mall in Washington,D.C.

We are gathering public input as part of our research for our report to Congress.

I would very much appreciate anyone who has 90 seconds taking this survey. Not just women -- men, too!

Thanks in advance for your help.

How About That Turnout!

As I had anticipated, the polling was way off. Trump's supporters are just baffled as a result. I feel bad for them, particularly those who are new to politics. I hope they remain engaged.

Trump's results offer a cautionary tale: organization still matters.

How fascinating that Bernie tied Hillary. This is the Clinton Machine, after all. The guy isn't even a Democrat. And yet he tied her. That does not bode well for Hillary.

The historically high turnout suggests there is a hunger for change from Hope and Change. I predict New Hampshire will also see high turnout.

Marco Rubio's showing in third place -- almost bumping off Trump for second -- shows that this is now a three-person race on the Republican side. Things are starting to coalesce. I'd therefore respectfully disagree with the remaining Republican candidates who suggest that the race is "wide open." It is not.

One of the biggest stories of last night did not occur in Iowa. Rubio scored a coveted endorsement from Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina.

Scott recently spoke at the McConnell Center at University of Louisville, where I had the privilege of meeting him. What a great guy- smart, funny engaging, strong faith, conservative. He has a bright future in this party. And I think he -- like Rubio -- can do much to broaden the appeal of the Republican Party to minorities whom Democrats have taken for granted for too long, and for whom progressive policies have been a disaster.

The South Carolina primary, to my mind, is much more important that Iowa or New Hampshire. Rubio's odds of winning South Caroline just went way up. That's a good thing.

So Who Will Win Iowa?

I expect Donald Trump to win followed by Marco Rubio.  This may just be my hope - that Rubio edges out Ted Cruz, whom I detest.

I think there is a real possibility that Rand Paul will finish fourth, as a result of his father's organization and a very good debate performance last week.

Iowa is a lousy predictor of who will ultimately win the nomination; it is by no means representative of the rest of the country. The RNC should rework the primary system to displace Iowa as first in the nation. All this money gets wasted there for at the end of the day very few electoral votes.

The real question I have about tonight's results is this:  how accurate will the polling appear compared to actual votes?

Kentuckians have witnessed some wildly inaccurate polls in recent election cycles, done by formerly reputable pollsters. My sense is that pollsters have not adapted to the demise of the land line.

On the Democrat side, it would be fun to see Hillary get Berned. A decent nominee should be able to beat either one, so it probably makes little difference as to Republican chances in November.

Trump is scheduled to go to Little Rock following the Iowa caucuses. Presumably Mike Huckabee will announce he is bowing out and endorse Trump. This will be a great opportunity for Trump to remind voters of Bill Clinton as sexual predator and the general smarminess of the Clintons.

I'm Getting Sick of Debates

Is it only January?  We watched last night's debate and flipped back and forth to The Donald's Rally.

Marco Rubio had a terrific debate. The more I see of him, the more I like him, notwithstanding his Gang of Eight history.

This was probably Rand Paul's best debate. He looked healthy and relaxed; hopefully his neck issues have resolved. We saw more of the humor and warmth that those of us in Kentucky expect but had been missing from his earlier debates.

With regards to the Donald's rally, I was not bothered by Trump skipping the Fox Debate. He makes his own rules; that's what people like about him. His rally did seem a little like the Jerry Lewis Telathon.

How fascinating that Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee joined it. That was really astute for them to attend and for Trump to invite him. This cannot help but strengthen Trump with evangelicals.

 As for Santorum and Huckabee, they know it's over. But they have issues that they care deeply about and need to promote their personal brand. Either of these gentlemen would be big assets in a cabinet.

Good News for Rand in New Hampshire

A new CNN/WMUR poll puts Sen. Rand Paul within the striking distance of Sen. Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush.

But for the continued presence of Donald Trump, it would be a real dog fight.

Trump 34
Cruz 14
Rubio 10
Bush 10
Paul 6
Christie 6
Kasich 6
Fiorina 4
Carson 3
Huckabee 1

My C-J Column on Rand's Run

Reprinted with permission of the Courier-Journal:

Fox Business News’s decision to keep Sen. Rand Paul off the main debate stage in South Carolina last week manifested more of the bad luck that has dogged Paul throughout his presidential campaign.

A poll taken in the window that FBN used to determine debate participants showed Paul in fifth place: high enough for the main debate. However — through no fault of the Paul campaign — that poll result was not released until just after FBN’s cutoff.

When FBN offered Paul a spot in the “undercard debate,” he startled many by declining.

Paul then did the best he could with a bad situation by getting more interviews than he could have obtained as a debate participant.

Paul’s presidential campaign has not taken off the way many of us had hoped. That’s a disappointment, not an embarrassment.

Fifth place in a Republican field overflowing with qualified contenders, any one of whom would be better than President Barack Obama, is more than respectable, particularly given this competition.

THE COURIER-JOURNAL

Bridget Bush | New song to ring in new year

Moreover, many presidents did not get the nomination on the first try, including Ronald Reagan.

Paul has had the supremely bad luck of running against a force of nature, Donald Trump. The Donald took Paul’s attributes as a politically incorrect outsider and applied steroids.

Regardless of what happens in Iowa or New Hampshire or who wins the nomination, Paul’s political record is still enviable.

Paul has never lost an election. He defeated a heavy favorite, Secretary of State Trey Grayson, in his primary. He eviscerated Jack “Beware of Aqua Buddha” Conway in the general election. Paul is 2 and 0 for elections.

He then went on to make the cover of Time magazine multiple times.

Paul’s impact in the U.S. Senate and on public policy generally has been outsized for a first-term senator. And at a time when the public says it wants bipartisan problem-solving, Paul has shown that it is possible, without compromising one’s principles.

For example, Paul has co-sponsored legislation with Sen. Cory Booker on criminal justice reform, And he has co-sponsored with Sen. Kristin Gillibrand legislation to improve access to justice for victims of rape in the military.

Paul’s voting attendance record in the Senate is near perfect (94 percent) despite his presidential campaign.

THE COURIER-JOURNAL

Bridget Bush | Gun control won't stop jihadists

One of my favorite things about Kentucky is that because we are a small state, we have many opportunities to interact with our leaders. This is true not just for rich donors; anyone who wants to become involved in his or her party can volunteer and know our candidates in short order.

For those who are not political, it’s still easy to meet our elected leaders at Rotary Cluband Chamber of Commerce events and the like. Indeed, Paul continues to appear at town halls across the commonwealth notwithstanding his presidential campaign and Senate roll calls.

Paul went to Ashland to discuss the effect of high corporate taxes on steel industry jobs. He has fought downsizing for Fort Campbell and Fort Knox. He is looking out for what the Department of Energy does to the Paducah site. He has visited Corbin to discuss the heroin epidemic, visited small businesses in the West End of Louisville and traveled to Pikeville to witness the devastation the Obama administration has wrought against the coal industry.

And in his down time, he performs cataract surgery, pro bono.

Those who suggest that Paul’s presidential run will hinder his Senate reelection — that Kentuckians will punish him for a failed presidential run — ignore this reality.

Many Kentucky voters have met Paul. We’ve personally taken his measure. We’ve seen his sense of humor, his intellect, his respect for the Constitution and his love of liberty.

Nor will Kentucky Republicans punish Paul for requesting (and initially financing) our upcoming caucus on March 5.

For the first time, Kentucky has a voice in the presidential primary by awarding delegates before any candidate has passed the threshold necessary for nomination.

Eleven Republican presidential candidates have each paid $15,000 to participate; what was supposed to be a huge drain on the Republican Party of Kentucky may be a money maker.

One hundred and eleven of 120 Kentucky counties will have caucus locations; those voters residing outside counties with caucus locations will have only a short drive to a nearby county to participate. This grassroots effort will help the Republican Party get data and volunteers. It cannot help but strengthen local parties and lay the way to get out the vote when it’s time to flip the House this November.

It’s going to be a day for Kentucky Republicans to reconnect and to welcome new registrants and volunteers to the party. There will not be any backlash against Paul for requesting the caucus, regardless of the outcome.

Running for president, or any office, takes guts. Good for Rand for putting himself out there.

SOTU Snore

The best thing about President Obama's State of the Union:  it was his last.  We won't have to listen to his smug, condescending humble-bragging a year from now!  That truly is cause for joy.

I was curious to see if my dear husband would be able to stay awake for the entirety of the speech. Nope. As with the seven State of the Union speeches that preceded last night, Obama lulled him to sleep in a matter of minutes.

Donald Trump was correct: it was an incredibly boring speech.

Glad 2016 is Here

My apologies for not posting this earlier -- by  Courier-Journal  column from last week on why I am hopeful for the future of Kentucky.

This New Year’s Eve, Kentuckians aren’t singing the same “Auld Lang Syne.” The inauguration of Gov. Matt Bevin began a new song for our old Kentucky home.

Bevin eloquently delivered the first verse with his inaugural address. But what was most striking was his statement that he would be a praying governor — an acknowledgment that a man’s rhetoric alone cannot do the job.

Clearly, Bevin is intelligent; he gave a polished, 35-minute address with no notes. And he has surrounded himself with bright, well-qualified people.

All of that is necessary, but it’s not enough, and Bevin knows this. Prayer and discernment can provide the wisdom and courage that Bevin needs to move Kentucky forward. I am grateful that he recognizes the need for prayer.

We should pray for him, his new administration, and our Commonwealth. Indeed, we should lift up all our elected officials in prayer; those we like the least perhaps need it the most.

At the inauguration, Rabbi Joe Rooks Rapport read from scripture about Solomon: “Grant your servant an understanding heart.” As the Rev. Bob Russell explained, “There’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is horizontal – it’s the accumulation of facts about this world. Wisdom is vertical. It sees life from God’s perspective. It is the practical application of facts to everyday life. Knowledge impresses man, but wisdom pleases God."

Given the problems our Commonwealth faces, we need leaders who seek wisdom from “God’s perspective.”

With respect to “horizontal knowledge,” it was encouraging that Gov. Steve Mike Pence from Indiana attended Bevin’s inauguration. Like Tennessee, Indiana has surged past Kentucky for some time, just as Indianapolis and Nashville have left Louisville behind. Pence is building on the renaissance of Indiana that former Gov. Mitch Daniels began with the application of conservative policies. “Mitch the Knife’s” record in Indiana was so stunning that many Republicans wanted him to run for president.

THE COURIER-JOURNAL

Battle for the Ky House: Where it stands

Completion of the new Ohio River bridges raises the specter of Kentucky jobs moving across the river to Indiana in search of a friendlier business climate. Bevin’s election, therefore, comes just in time.

How refreshing and reassuring then to have our new governor promise to learn from Indiana, calling it “a model that we are going to copy. I am not above copying what other people are doing well.”

Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton’s historic election also bodes well for the future of Kentucky.

Progressives complain that Kentucky is turning red because voters here dislike Obama due to racism. It’s true that Kentuckians overall oppose Obama. It’s also true that Democrats’ electoral fortunes here are in a freefall alongside Obama’s approval rating. But not due to racism, as Hampton’s presence on the ticket and election well demonstrate

Hampton emphasized at the inauguration that she will not be tied to her desk. I hope that she builds upon Sen. Rand Paul’s efforts to reach out to minorities – followed up by the Jefferson County Republican Party’s opening an office in west Louisville. Hampton’s election should affirm and energize those important efforts.

Let’s not lose sight of the purpose of those efforts. It would be great to grow the Republican party and make the 3rd Congressional District competitive again. But it is essential to improve the quality of life through conservative solutions that empower Kentuckians to escape poverty.

That’s why conservatives have long favored school choice – so that parents who cannot afford places like Oldham County are not stuck sending their children to failing schools.

Bevin’s “Team of Rivals” appointment of Hal Heiner as secretary of Education and Workforce Development suggests that school choice finally will become a reality, given Heiner’s passion and expertise on the issue. This is long overdue.

THE COURIER-JOURNAL

Bevin appointee goes after EPA climate regs

Bevin noted at his inauguration that Kentucky “is one of seven states where there is no competition for public education dollars. That is going to end. We are not doing as well as we could be.” Bevin promised that “we're going to start to bring school choice to the state of Kentucky, and we will let the momentum carry forward because we owe nothing less to our young people.”

2016 will be the year that Kentucky Republicans flip the House. The sooner Republicans have a majority, the faster Bevin can make the changes necessary to catch up with — and surpass — surrounding states that have been luring away Kentucky jobs.

Not the same old song, but rather, as Bevin put it, “a fresh start together, as one Kentucky. Black, white, rural, urban, Democrat, Republican, Independent, people who come from both ends of the socio-economic spectrum, male, female, young and old alike. This is our Kentucky, this is our time. This is our opportunity.”

Bridget Bush is a Louisville attorney and founder of Elephants in the Bluegrass blog. Her column appears every third Wednesday in the Courier-Journal.

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Ky Caucus Coming Along

Those naysayers who opposed the Republican Party of Kentucky conducting a presidential caucus should ponder this: Chris Christie's filing today makes him the eighth presidential candidate to file. Moreover, Carly Fiorina is expected to file shortly.

Each of these candidates pays a hefty filing fee, to help offset the cost of the caucus. Coupled with the money that Sen. Rand Paul put up in September -- plus efforts to streamline the cost -- this may actually make money for RPK.

In addition, no other state is holding a caucus the same day as Kentucky. Many, perhaps all of the candidates, will be able to attend. That will provide momentum for those Republican candidates seeking to flip the House. How great for a first time candidate for state house to be endorsed by every single Republican presidential candidate?

The caucus will also lay the ground work for get out the vote efforts. Out of 120 counties, 114 now have an organization in place to conduct the caucus.  It doesn't get much more grass roots than that.

It would be great to see Sen. Paul nominated. But even if that does not occur, the caucus will have a spill over effect that will help Republicans flip the House -- or, if that happens before the session --  keep it Republican and improve the margin.

My CJ Column on San Bernardino

Reprinted with permission of the Courier-Journal  on why gun control cannot stop radical Islamic jihad:

We can all relate to the venue of the massacre. The terrorist attack in San Bernardino occurred at an office Christmas party, a potluck among colleagues. That fact is particularly poignant given all the trope in recent years about a War on Christmas.

San Bernardino is part of a war, and not just on Christmas. The two terrorists who killed 14 people and injured 21 others were part of a war against America and our way of life, a war against Christianity and Judaism, and a war against Western civilization.

This is true whether or not the shooters were acting on orders of a terrorist organization; it is clear where their sympathies lay.

Syed Rizwan Farook was born and raised in America. Tashfeen Malik was an  email-order bride brought to the U.S. on a “fiancée visa.” One of the most chilling facts of this tragedy is that she passed counter-terrorism screening. It may have been Malik who radicalized her husband, given her family’s ties to terrorism in Pakistan.

The couple was living the American dream: a secure job with benefits, a home in a safe neighborhood, freedom to worship at their mosque, a healthy baby. They were hardly marginalized or oppressed.

Whereas most parents baby-proof their home, Farook and Malik’s home included a cache of bullets, bombs and raw materials for making IEDs.

The couple tried to destroy their digital tracks the day before their rampage. Nonetheless, social media accounts connect both Farook and Malik to international terrorism suspects. Oddly, the couple appears to have supported rival factions of Islamofascism. Malik (under a nom de guerre) pledged her allegiance to an ISIS leader. Farook’s connections were to affiliates of al Qaeda.

Yet the Obama administration’s media apologists floated narrative after bogus narrative to portray the San Bernardino shooting as something other than what it clearly was: radical Islamist jihad.

The initial coverage tried to link the shooters to attacks against Planned Parenthood because there is a Planned Parenthood clinic 1.5 miles away from the shooting. Must be some crazy right-winger trying to take away women’s “right to choose.” Maybe a Tea Partier!

The next false narrative was workplace violence. This is the same storyline that the Obama administration maintains to this day about the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, who yelled “Allahu Akbar!” as he killed 13 people.  Sure, Fort Hoot and San Bernardino were “workplace violence” in the sense that people died a violent death at their place of employment.

The same could be said of the flight crews on 9/11. They, too, died on the job.

Americans are not stupid, contrary to what the administration and media elites think. We can differentiate a terroristic attack from workplace violence.

Yet our current leaders seem unable or unwilling to draw this obvious distinction. Something (competence? candor?) is missing from the Obama administration’s response to the very real threat of terror we face.

It took President Obama four days to call the massacre terrorism. Then he gave a prime-time speech to the nation from the Oval Office to do nothing more than state the obvious. It was unclear whether Obama had just figured out that this was terrorism or had come to the reluctant conclusion that most of the country already had drawn.

So Obama tried to change the subject, by arguing to curtail the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The day before, The New York Times had gone so far as to run a front page editorial — its first in a century — advocating the confiscation of certain classes of guns.

This comes straight out of the playbook of former Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanual: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Obama is just politicizing the deaths of San Bernardino to achieve a policy objective that he wanted anyhow. Rather than attack the enemy — radical Islamic jihad — he wants to disarm those of us who need protection.

San Bernardino happened notwithstanding (or maybe because of) California’s strict gun laws. Likewise, prohibiting people on the “no-fly list” from buying guns would not have prevented this shooting as that list is both under and over-inclusive. Neither Malik nor Farook was on that list, though the late Sen. Ted Kennedy was.

Gun control cannot stop a committed jihadist; it is dishonest to pretend otherwise. A box cutter and a plane become weapons of mass destruction in the hands of an Islamofascist. So can underwear, a shoe, and fertilizer.

Obama told us shortly before the massacre that Americans are safe from an attack such as recently occurred in Paris. San Bernardino proves that Obama is demonstrably wrong. We are not safe under his watch. The presidential election cannot come soon enough.

Bridget Bush is a Louisville attorney and founder of Elephants in the Bluegrass blog. Her column appears every third Wednesday in the Courier-Journal.

Rep. Denny Butler Switches to Republican Party

According to Insider Louisville, Rep. Denny Butler (District 31 in Louisville) has flipped to the Republican Caucus. With Butler's move, Republicans now hold 47 of 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Butler's switch comes as a surprise to many and raises the distinct possibility that enough Democrats could switch parties to give Republicans a majority before next year's election.

KY Should Hold Off Accepting Syrian Refugees For Now

I'm all for welcoming refugees, but Homeland Security needs to make sure it is properly vetting people. That's why governors across the nation are demanding answers from the administration and refusing to take in any more Syrian refugees until these questions are answered.

It's now well known that a passport found near one of the attackers in Paris indicates that he came from Syria as a refugee through Greece. Thus the fear that inadequate measures to identify refugees allow terrorists to slip in undetected. Indeed, ISIS boasted that it would do just that.

Let's focus on screening and then resettling mothers and young children first. They should be the priority as refugees.

So what say you, outgoing Gov. Steve Beshear?  Common sense would dictate caution.  Why not delay taking in any more Syrian refugees and let Gov.-elect Matt Bevin determine how he wants to proceed?  Bevin will be stuck with the repercussions; let him make the decision.

Once Homeland Security can weed out potential terrorists from true refugees, then let's be generous and welcoming to these people. They need our compassion. But first, due diligence is in order.

John Kasich Needs to Quit the Race

Last night's debate was mostly tedious -- a problem that Gov. John Kasich exacerbated. Every time he opened his mouth, he was like nails on a blackboard. There is just something terribly irritating about the man. It may be his lousy posture. Or his tendency to whine.

Some rave about his record of achievement, but  that's just not enough.

Although I don't think that Central Casting needs to pick our nominee, we do need to select someone who won't make people want to throw a brick through our TV screens.

Kasich is cutting into the time of more viable candidates, and he is hurting the Republican brand. Time for him to go.

Congratulations, MacBrown

Kentucky Republicans are very fortunate that Mac Brown has agreed to serve as Republican Party of Kentucky Chair.

Brown is a prolific fundraiser.  But he is so much more: a guy who thinks deeply about policy as well as politics -- someone who wants to find solutions to help all Kentuckians. Brown is a conservative, but resists being pigeonholed. He's willing to reexamine our positions on issues, as evidenced in his C-J column earlier this year on restoration of voting rights for felons who have paid their time. He is logical but also creative.

I was struck that Brown was aware of, and bothered by, the fact that the West End has no public middle schools. Like Rand Paul, he does not accept that Republicans should write off the votes of African-Americans, who have been so poorly served by the Democratic Party. I look forward to Brown continuing  and broadening the outreach efforts that Rand has started in that regard.

What a Great Night in Kentucky

Kentucky Republicans are ecstatic; we are all pinching ourselves because the victory was so much more extensive than most of us had thought possible.

Matt Bevin did not just win:  at nearly nine points, that's not just a mandate, that's a landslide. Note that even if Jack Conway had picked up every single vote cast for independent Drew Curtis, it still would not have been enough.

I thought there was a possibility that Bevin would win based on yard signs in even the most liberal parts of Louisville, but the margin is stunning. The polling could not have been more off the mark.

I am so proud that the first African-American elected to statewide office in Kentucky is Republican, Jenean Hampton, a unabashed conservative and early Tea Party patriot. This puts the lie to the notion that the Tea Party is racist. It also dispels the myth that Kentuckians hate Obama -- and Democrats suffer from association with him -- because Obama is Black and Kentuckians are racist. Kentuckians hate Obama because he's liberal and his policies hurt us. His race is beside the point, as Hampton's election makes clear.

It was certain to me months ago that Allison Ball and Ryan Quarles would win comfortably. No surprise there. But 61 percent for Allison -- wow. The Republican bench is deep, young and talented.

How sweet that Mike Harmon upset Adam Edelen. Mike had no money and suffered the indignity of some very unfair negative ads from Edelen. Meanwhile, as he was campaigning to be reelected as auditory, Edelen was telling people -- even Republicans -- that he was planning to run against Rand Paul next year. And he was viewed as an up and coming star within the Democratic Party. So much for the mainstream media narrative that Rand Paul's Senate seat is in jeopardy because of Edelen.

Vote Bob Heleringer for District Court Judge

There are close to two dozen candidates for Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge. I will be voting for Bob Heleringer. He's smart, experienced and a good guy.

There is an unfortunate tendency for lawyers whose practices are languishing to run for judge as a way to get a steady salary. That is not true of all candidates, by any means, but it is something the voter should be alert to. Need for a job is not an adequate reason to elect someone judge. In fact, it should be a disqualification.

Bob Heleringer does not need the job. He's had a successful career. He's also been able to juggle a career in the State House and more recently as a columnist in addition to practicing law, That speaks l to his time management skills as well as his interest in public service.

District Court is a very intense place. The judge's demeanor is of paramount importance. Heleringer has the intellect for the job, as well as three decades of legal experience. But his most important attribute is that he treats people with respect and is good at helping people of divergent views work collaboratively. He has a sense of humor -- very important in a place as stressful as District Court -- and he demonstrates humility and courtesy in how he interacts with others.

To my mind, he is the clear choice.

That MSNBC Debate Was an Outrage

Here's a guest post from Jack Richardson on the Republican Presidential Debate:

CNBC REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE – HEADS SHOULD ROLL

​On October 28, 2015 the third Republican Presidential Debate was hosted by CNBC. Recriminations over the format, the host network and the moderators were swift and like a tidal wave washing over the Republican National Committee, as well it should. While some of the Neanderthals at the Republican National Committee are still ringing their hands and trying to figure out why Donald Trump is leading in the polls, the debate debacle on Thursday night proved that the Republican voters have already figured it out.

As Rush Limbaugh and others have suspected and are now talking about more openly, is this a rigged game? Is the fix in? Are the people we have trusted, i.e., the RNC in on the fix? It would sure seem so given the utter incompetence and lack of control the RNC has exhibited in the way it has managed the debate format for its candidates.

Well, I'm one of those who believe it's a fixed horserace. I will never forget the night that George H. W. Bush was debating Bill Clinton and in the middle of the debate Bush looked at his watch. Boom. The campaign was then and would later be reported as being one of the worst run re-election campaigns in history. At that moment it hit me like a ton of bricks.....the powers to be have tapped Clinton on the shoulder. The fix was in. No one with Clinton's scandals and background should have won that election, but sure enough ole George turned it over to Clinton. George's glance at his watch told the story. He was tired and ready to be done with it and  be off to Kennebunkport, Maine. 

Back to the CNBC debate. The Republican voters already know that if officers of any of Donald Trump’s companies had delivered a disaster as occurred with the CNBC moderated debate, the next morning Trump would have called a meeting, walked in and said, “you are all FIRED!” That’s why the Republican voters support Trump. He’s on target, he's to the point, and he doesn’t tolerate incompetence.

Don’t misunderstand. This is not an endorsement of Donald Trump, it’s a condemnation of the RNC’s mismanagement. The hierarchy within the RNC has allowed the Republican field to be cast in a horrendous light as we have agonizingly watched over the last three debates. Quite simply, the degree of ineptitude and sheer stupidity with which the RNC has allowed the debates to be structured and hosted is nothing short of the most egregious political malpractice imaginable. If this were a Middle East venue, there wouldn’t be a simple firing, heads would and should roll.  

In view of the importance of this election and the importance of these debates, heads should roll and the Republican voters are going to be the executioners. I was not completely on board with the voters' decisions until Thursday night. Forget firing anyone, let’s break out the pitch forks and torches and hunt down those at the RNC responsible for the ambushing the Republican candidates have experienced over the last three debates. Those RNC decision makers should be run out of town. 

​Senator Cruz, Senator Rubio, Donald Trump and Chris Christie gave red meat to the audience Thursday night. You could almost hear a collective roar across the country when Cruz castigated the CNBC moderators for their bias. The Republican voter gets it.They have been screaming for someone to come to the rescue, for someone with the guts enough to stand up and tell it like it is. The Republican voter knows that something is dreadfully wrong and it’s in our leadership.

​The greatest threat in this country is the insidious liberal ideology and political correctness  that has infected and plagued the media, our universities and our political discourse. It is a suicidal mentality that is delivering us into the hands of our enemies and the voters are alarmed. Just when this country needs leadership that leadership is missing particularly within the RNC. The Leaders in the RNC have been and are committing political malpractice on a scale not seen since the re-election campaign of President George Herbert Walker Bush. 

The Carson and Trump campaigns are attempting to get the other campaigns to get together and force the RNC to restructure the debate format. It’s outrageous that our candidates are having to fight within their own party to protect the candidates. The RNC should be ferociously protecting our candidates. The Republican voters have now come to the realization that we can’t win anything with the leadership we have. They have truly become the loyal opposition, that is loyal to our opposition.  Hillary Clinton couldn’t have any better friends than those in charge at the RNC who are responsible for the debate debacles.

  

​Whoever allowed the Republican presidential field to be displayed to the American public as they have been over the last three debates should forever be ostracized from the political process. Whoever chose CNBC with the sanctimonious, arrogant, smug moderators straight from the rotting socialist bowels of the Democrat Party should be nailed to a stockade and put on display to forever endure the scorn of the Republican voters who have become exasperated at the incompetency at the RNC.

​Any one of the people in the Republican slate running for President would be a healing salve to the open festering wound that socialist policies have brought about in this country. The Republican voters are screaming out for its leaders to help the party save the nation. But no, the RNC leadership is proving as deadly as liberal corruption is proving lethal to the country. The voters are watching their country die and they are terrified. Likewise the Republican voters are enraged over the ineffectiveness of their party and have concluded that the problem lies with the leadership. Consequently, the Republican voter has embraced the outsiders, Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson, to lead the party.

​Some in leadership say these candidates are unelectable and will never survive a campaign against Hillary Clinton. That just further emphasizes all the more how the failure of RNC leadership policies has brought us to this crisis. Heads should roll. 

The deafening cheers of the crowd Thursday night when Cruz went on the attack against the media explains why Trump and Carson are leading. The RNC is still scratching its head. That alone is evidence enough that RNC incompetence runs so deep that we need a wholesale purge and the Republican voter is about to do it. How much clearer does the message need to be to the RNC than the debate audience’s response to Cruz, Rubio and Trump’s attack on the media? How dare those at the RNC be so stupid as to allow such a debate format, much less the liberal moderators. The rest of the Republican field would do well to follow the examples of Cruz and company.

Of no little discomfort to this writer is why has it taken so long for the field of Republican candidates to recognize that the media is the enemy. Why have so many of the candidates taken the bait the media types have thrown at them and attacked one another as if those attacks would never be used by the Democrats in their general election ads against whoever the Republican nominee might be? Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment needs  to be implemented: speak no ill of another Republican.

When it comes to the moderators every Republican candidate should be schooled in how not to let the moderator set the premise of the question or the agenda. If a question is ridiculous then attack the question. Point out why it is ridiculous and state how it should be rephrased and then answer the question as rephrased. Never, never, never allow a liberal moderator to get by with framing the issue or setting the agenda. That’s why Trump, for all his shortcomings, is ahead.  The audience will never hear a candidate’s answer until the ringing in their heads of the absurd question from the moderator is exposed, disposed and rephrased.  The Republican field was at fault for allowing the moderators to draw blood for nearly fifteen minutes before attacking the questions and the questioners.  Trump has no hesitancy doing that. The voters love him for it. The RNC was at fault for the format and for the host and allowing the pick of the moderators. 

​The debate formats were wrong headed from the beginning. To have picked CNBC is political malpractice in the extreme not to mention the moderators. There is no excuse for not knowing the pedigree of the moderators. That kind of virulent, unbridled and obsessed liberal bias doesn’t just emerge overnight. All three of the moderators have a trail of liberal bias stench that even a blind blood hound could have detected. The RNC has failed the Republican voters. To have allowed the debate to go forward with this news outlet with these moderators, heads should roll. 

​The Republican voter wants; the Republican candidates to be unified against the enemy, which includes the media. They want what Cruz, Rubio, Trump and Cruz delivered in their assault on the media. They want competency at the helm of the RNC where CNBC-like debates do not occur. Without Republican solutions soon, we are doomed as a nation. Until the RNC is fixed the nation will not have a solution to its problems. Heads must roll.