My Turn

Our election is over. Lots of views on why what happened, happened.

Gov.- elect Beshear thinks he won because he kept it local, talked about family issues across the dining table, turned his school teacher base out, avoided nationalizing it. Gov. Bevin had other views, but I'm going to agree with Beshear and add one point: years ago in a similar race in Ohio the Dem incumbent lost, and when asked why, he replied with remarkable (and true) candor, "people voted against me." This was so unusual at the time it made the national press and the network evening newscasts.

So, I think, it was with Bevin, a guy who seemed to go out of his way to insult people, make totally UNnecessary inflammatory statements, toss his own Lt.-Gov. candidate in an historic row which went to the courts--and triggered her base staying home. Bevin lost a N. Ky solidly GOP county for the first time in years. and came out of other more recent Republican strongholds with diminished margins. Fayette & Jefferson counties provided extra margins over 4 years ago for Beshear, and so the deed was done.

Note for Rep. Comer and Sec. Quarles--if you consider a run in 2023, remember for the 2nd straight time a GOP guv got only one term. The situations were very different, but (...)
That said, allow me to point out that for all his gaffes and un-political behavior, we all owe Gov. Bevin a debt of gratitude. He focused as a laser on the overwhelming need for pension reform, and he was right. That will be his legacy, and one hopes the new guv and legislature can carry on and do something practical about the dire situation; which past guvs and legislatures of both parties failed to do.

Now we can keep a weather eye on the new split-responsibility in Frankfort and hope the need for pension reform, and a lot of other issues, gets statesmanlike consideration, not just partisan posturing for 2020 and beyond.

Will the Kentucky media, my colleagues, be up to their job of keeping tabs on the new administration in Frankfort. With the Loss of some major reporters, Tom Loftus of course, I wonder. We can hope the broadcast media do a better job, and wonder whether the new player in town, WLEX under new ownership, will seize the opportunity of opening a bureau in the Capital, which WKYT has allowed to languish.

Hopefully, though staff and budget have been reduced, we may still count on KET to cover the legislature as ably as it has done in the past. Now, more than ever, we need this gem of Kentucky. (And speaking of "gems", I hope you all saw the 25th anniversary show of KET's Kentucky Life. What a joy and what great reasons to be proud of being a Kentuckian. If you didn't, it is on again Thursday the 5th at 9:30 p.m.with more repeats later, and a DVD available for purchase. Please take a look, and wonder why our Lexington stations don't emulate this type of commonwealth feature reporting. 

I'm just sayin'...