11 responses so far ↓

• 1 alan harbig // Mar 9, 2008 at 4:37 pm

  Can they mount a recall in his district? Seriously. What a whack!

• 2 JNo // Mar 9, 2008 at 6:20 pm

  Actually, Jim Gooch is who the residents of southern Daviess county and McLean, Hopkins & Webster counties elected to the state House of Representatives. The next time you drive down the Western Kentucky Pkwy, keep these residents in mind.

• 3 Jake // Mar 9, 2008 at 6:23 pm

  You mean those are the residents Jim Gooch has snowed and sold up the river.

  Most of the people I know in Gooch’s neck of the woods would die of embarrassment if they knew half the crap that walrus of a man tries to pull off in Frankfort.

• 4 Lannie // Mar 9, 2008 at 8:44 pm

  It seems from your comments that none of you actually know Rep. Gooch-you are just trying to be funny and clever (and failing) at the expense of a man who at least stands by what he believes and doesn’t sit on the fence like most politicians.

  I have lived in Frankfort and worked on the “Capitol Campus ” for over 30 years. If you think Mr. Gooch is an embarrassment to Kentucky, you should do a little more research into what else goes on around Frankfort. Gooch is not a liar, he has committed no crimes, and he is re-elected by his constituency over and over because they know he cares about western Kentucky. In addition, he is, very simply, a nice guy. Frankfort is full of people who lie to gain favor and sell their souls for power or money. THAT is the true embarrassment to Kentucky.

  Rep. Gooch is an honorable man and has not done anything wrong –except hold some views that the posters on this blog find laughable and backwards. (Does that make your blog “savvy?”) Go ahead and disagree with him. But taking cheap shots at someone who disagrees with you is sophomoric and ridiculing someone’s appearance is cruel and uncalled for. If any of you think you can better represent the people of Kentucky, put your name on the Sec. of State’s list and go for it.

• 5 Junction Jack // Mar 10, 2008 at 1:06 am

  You REALLY had a point going until the end … well, I take that point: Your point was mainly useless, but the finish takes the cake.

  Put your name on the ballot if you think you can do better?!?! What are we, five? “Oh, don’t you dare criticize Rick Pitino – if you can coach better, go on out there!”.

  He’s an elected official. We’re allowed to criticize him and not have to justify it by running for elected office. If you don’t like that, well, um, you put your name on the ballot (sorry, I ran out of witty rejoinders so I just stole yours).

  Yes, this blog is “savvy” (is that a bad thing?) and also a good place to point out the ills of the commonwealth. Like you said, Jim Gooch’s views ARE comical, backwards, laughable. They’re an embarrassment to anyone that has lived or does live in the state. His “hearing” on global warming is stuff even “The Daily Show” couldn’t create.

  Is the litmus test for criticism whether you lie or commit crimes? Don’t do those two and you’re scott free? I can think of hundreds of people (and groups) that say what they believe, keep their names off the police blotter, yet have views and beliefs so amazingly insane they should never hold public office.

  I’ve only lived around Kentucky politics thirty years, so I don’t know it all, but I got a pretty clear view on why people laugh at him. And if he wants to perpetuate these ridiculous views, so be it. We’ll continue to laugh and mock.

  (p.s. Could you also say this blog is “Rico Suave”? Then I can tell my friends I’m reading something super cool).

• 6 Jake10 // Mar 10, 2008 at 7:52 am

  Honest? I doubt it. Gooch is nothing more than the water boy for Big Coal. Do you think he carries Coal’s water out of idealism? His entire extended family lives on coal profits. This isn’t about principle, it’s about them keeping what is “theirs” at the expense to many others in watered down miner safety, stream pollution, acid rain and climate change.

• 7 scott // Mar 10, 2008 at 8:56 am

  Jim Gooch works in the coal industry as well as Frankfort. That said, instead of just critizing him, which is easy since he is such a baffoon, western Kentucky needs a democratic challenger to Gooch.
  Democrats like Gooch are not needed to keep numbers up in my opinion.

• 8 jake // Mar 10, 2008 at 9:01 am

  Us and dozens of others called for a challenger months ago to no avail.

• 9 Jeff Noble // Mar 10, 2008 at 10:47 am

  If Kentucky’s filing deadline day wasn’t so ridiculously early in the year, more people would know about their legislators and might take an interest in things. As it is, a little over three short weeks after the legislature convenes and makes its way back into the news, we have a filing deadline, before few if any bills have been passed, and fewer if any legislators have affirmed their usefulness or confirmed their uselessness.

  Our filing deadline is way too early, as is our Primary. Both should be moved until well later in the year, preferably in August or September. With the advent of 24-hour news cycles as well as the internet, that is plenty of time to make deicsions between the Primary and the General. Most of our electeds are chosen in the Primary cycle anyway. Having the space of April to August to make that decision is also plenty of time.

  There is a bill, SB3, which has been passed in the Senate which does the above, moving the filing deadline to late-April and the Primary to mid-August. It also moves our Presidential Primary up to Super Tuesday, which I think is silly, but acceptable to get the rest of the bill passed.

  The bill passed on a strictly party-line vote. If I had been voting, it would have been with the Republicans. It has since been passed on to the House, where it was assigned on February 4 to the Elections Committee. Chances are it will never be heard, which is a shame.

  If you have an interest in this bill, you should email or call your legislator, especially if she or he is a Democrat. Why Democrats oppose this bill is unclear, unless it is simply because it is sponsored by Senator Williams.

• 10 jake // Mar 10, 2008 at 2:54 pm

  Lannie: Why on earth would anyone attempt to claim that Jim Gooch is the golden boy– as you have done?

  How embarrassing.

• 11 Lannie // Mar 10, 2008 at 9:23 pm

  Jake, I don’t see the words “golden boy” in my post. I said Gooch is a nice guy and honest and he is both. Ask anyone who has worked around him for years. As I said, go ahead and disagree with his views since you think they are ignorant and laughable. That’s what you do. My point was that just because you disagree does not mean you have to make fun of his appearance. What does his appearance have to do with his opinions that you dislike so much? Those kind of cheap shots just make your blog look petty, as if you cannot argue strictly on the issues.

  As to his connections to the coal industry, so what? The coal industry is not Satan. Every legislator works for someone or something unless he or she is retired. Do you criticize those legislators who work in our schools or universities for promoting education? There are some who farm and they stand up for agriculture. Is this wrong? The coal industry employs thousands in western and eastern Kentucky and frankly, there are not a lot of other assets in some of the counties to provide livelihoods for the citizens. Coal mining is honorable work. Not all operators have raped and polluted the land. Just as in any industry- even the blogs- there are good managers and poor managers.

  Gooch has routinely passed on votes that relate directly to his family or his own interests, as all legislators are sworn to do. If not for coal, Kentucky would be several billions of dollars poorer than we are now. We are setting on an energy resource that if managed correctly, and it can be done, could go a long way in freeing us from dependence on foreign oil and we might not be paying $3.22 for gas. What about the good that coal severance money does for our counties? Without that money for the coal counties, there would be fewer water and sewer lines, playgrounds, parks, police and fire equipment, and lots of other infrastructure that is badly needed. For the record, I have never been in a coal mine, no one in my family has any connection with the industry and I don’t even know any coal producers, except by reputation. But I can read and research. Coal is not Kentucky’s enemy and neither is Jim Gooch.

  P. S. Neither am I. I was just stating my opinion. I thought that’s what your blog was for. You guys are like ducks on a June Bug!

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