Indictments threatening GOP's new hold on Kentucky

[Robbien]

By Ian Urbina, New York Times

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A year ago, after being accused of illegally forcing Democrats out of state Civil Service jobs and giving the jobs to political loyalists, Gov. Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky, a Republican, dismissed the charges as insignificant.

But 15 indictments later, Fletcher's administration, including his so-called Disciples, who are accused of being the main ringleaders of the patronage scheme, is still feeling the sting as the governor's approval ratings drop below 30 percent. Fletcher himself was indicted on three misdemeanor charges; his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty this month.

The scandal has threatened to reverse a tide that Republicans in the state have worked for more than a decade to turn in their favor. With the GOP controlling the state Senate and just shy of a majority in the House, many Republicans viewed Fletcher's sizable victory in 2003 as the dawning of a new political era for the Bluegrass State.

"The state is still potentially a swing state, and this will certainly slow its drift toward Republicanism," said Al Cross, a political writer and professor of journalism at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. "This is definitely being amplified by what is going on in Washington. We can expect a lot more wind to be in the face of Republicans at a time when the state was trending their way."


http://insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_3958271

[saltpoint]

1. Still more blue grassroots in the Bluegrass State might help us pick

up some of those House seats we need in November.

Go, Kentucky Democrats!

[Anywho6]

2. This is a great article!

I'm willing to bet that Kentucky will be going blue faster than a K-Mart blue light special this November (Go John Yarmuth beat Ann Northup!!!) and into 2007. I think this article is a very well-written glimpse into classic Kentucky politics (I spent my first 35 years there). It's a long article, but an easy read--I encourage everyone to read it!

:kick:

Peace...

[Robbien]

3. Yes the whole article is good

It was so hard to limit the thread to just four paragraphs.

I see Fletcher is still using the standard excuse "partisan witch-hunt" after the courts have convicted everyone involved. Geeze.

[Igel]

4. Convicted?

It sounds like "indicted and pre-emptively pardoned" from the article, but this is just one article.

[Robbien]

5. Yes pardoned

Sorry, in my mind if a person is indicted and then pardoned guilt is assumed.

[alfredo]

6. There more dirty dealing going on

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/editorial/14858072.htm


Writing for the majority in a Supreme Court decision issued last week, Chief Justice Joseph Lambert added a seemingly extraneous footnote that must have set Gov. Ernie Fletcher's criminal defense lawyers to salivating.

In that footnote to a case totally unrelated to Fletcher's legal problems, Lambert said "a strong argument" could be made that a sitting governor is immune from criminal prosecution for actions taken while in office.

Suggesting that a sitting governor might literally be able to get away with murder strikes us as a rather novel idea.

But if you don't think that gem is going to pop up soon in a motion to dismiss the misdemeanor indictments Fletcher faces, you haven't been paying attention to all the legal wiggling he has done over the course of the last year as he tried to keep an investigation of his administration's hiring practices from touching him personally.

[tanyev]

7. That headline is written like indictments are some sort of separate

entity coming after the poor, defenseless GOP. How about "Rampant criminal behavior threatening GOP's new hold on Kentucky"?

[nonconformist]

8. Fletcher's "sizable victory" in 2003 was Patton fallout

Now that the state has had a taste of good old Republicanism at work, they'll run screaming back to the Democrats.

[Cha]

9. bush should be right down

there with him..afterall bush is responsible for sending soldiers to their deaths based on LIES.

This repuke just kicks Democrats outta their jobs and give them to his Disciples. Fuckin' Devil Worshippers.

[Dubiosus]

10. WAAAAAKE UPPPP!!!

you won't be able to sue your "president"

I really don't know if anybody discussed this issue before, (this DU is so big that it's very

possible) but I was wondering if you know that your bush is acting absolutely untouchable if you can

not show other evidence or even if so he is perpectly acting within HIS law as Commander in Chief!

That seems to be more than a title...

Was just investigating a fact that I heard and scared me a lot.

just try this link and see that nothing is what it seems!!!


http://www.criminalgovernment.com/pix/water.html

:banghead:

[Cha]

11. We don't claim him

as our bush but yeah, I see your point. If Americans aren't Outraged they're not paying attention!

[Dubiosus]

12. ok, I apologize!! of course he is not your bush!

he is sitting behind your bush :)

I want to cry and scream each time when I see our european "leaders" especially chancellor Merkel,

newbie, more than devoted "politician-**ore" of this snake putting their heads right up his *ss,

kissing it while passing thru rectally. Same class as Condi-lizard and PM Blair. When they are with

him, don't you think they do old fashion "Yale-stile" games?

Today I can see a sea of black-red-golden flags around and last night I had this naughty dream that

after our football party, here in Germany all of my people feel as free and strong as meant to be

and tell these loosers in charge, what we want and what we need.

Incompetence cannot be a requirement to be a north-western-hemispheric politician.

Think ther's something behind that!!}(