No, it’s not true that both candidates to be Speaker of the State House have traveled the state. Only Jody Richards has done so. Greg Stumbo gave up long ago while he and Mary Karen spent weeks upon weeks in Florida on his fancy new boat. Even his friends like Jerry Lundergan have stopped helping push him toward a position of leadership and are openly backing other candidates.
And this?
And it’s only gotten more intense in the final days. For instance, incoming Democratic freshman Rep. Kelly Flood of Lexington, was criticized last week on one political blog** for outwardly backing Stumbo.
Flood, one of the rare lawmakers to publicly pick a side, said she decided to announce her pick to her colleagues because “I chose to start my legislative career by moving in as straightforward and transparent a way as possible.”
What Kelly Flood, the new hypocrite in the State House who has killed her career early neglected to say? She neglected to say that she had guaranteed her support to Jody Richards, Joni Jenkins and the rest of that slate and said she couldn’t go back on her word because she’s a minister. Then– you guessed it– she went back on her word. She’s allegedly now telling legislators that she can’t go back on her new promise to support Stumbo and homophobic woman-hater Bob Damron because she gave them her word as a minister.
More on the Kelly Flood front: Keep your eyes on her. No one from the Stumbo side or the Richards side trust her at this point. Prominent supporters of hers are asking for the return of their campaign contributions. And her former staff members are slowly cutting ties. It’s going to be a terrible couple of years for her.
Oh, and Kelly? The more you attack the messenger instead of the message, the more likely we are to have interns following you around 24/7 for the rest of your term. Your entire neighborhood and district has turned against you. You don’t need the entire Commonwealth to stand up against you.
And Stumbo has chastised Richards for doing little to advance proposals from Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, whose major proposal for allowing casino gambling died in the House without making it to a floor vote.
What Stumbo doesn’t say is that he doesn’t “negotiate” with David Williams– he gives in 100%. He doesn’t work for the benefit of the Commonwealth, he works for the benefit of himself. See: That big boat of his, his fancy golf course and home (that he doesn’t live in, the toilets don’t even work), that fancy condo in Lexington, the Ernie Fletcher debacle, yadda yadda. Greg doesn’t negotiate with David Williams OR stand up to him. He gives in 100%. That’s what he does. And he’s said– in print– that he’d like to concede more to Republicans (like there’s anything left to concede).
Long story short, Jody Richards has a comfortable majority of votes and will remain as Speaker of the House. Regardless of what Greg Stumbo’s lobbyist buddies and his wife would have you believe.
The real race in the House, though, is between Joni Jenkins and hack Larry Clark for Speaker Pro-Tem. We’re obviously aligned with Joni Jenkins and think this quote from her sums things up perfectly:
“I’m very low-pressure,” she said. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep and I don’t try to threaten anybody.”
Larry Clark? Well, just read about him on this website. There’s plenty of reason to toss him to the curb along with Greg Stumbo. And now, along with Kelly Flood.
After speaking with nearly every State Rep in the Commonwealth since Kelly Flood made her flip-flopping apparent, we’ve gotta say that for one of the first times in a decade, divisive and ignorant politics like those of Bob Damron are going to be tossed aside. No one wants to be bogged down with wedge issues and scare tactics. People are tired of threats like those that come from Larry Clark. No one wants to deal with Greg Stumbo as he rattles on about supporting a governor who hasn’t once bothered to communicate with anyone in the House. And no one in the House plans on doing anything for the governor until he starts working with the house.
** – Haha. What’s with still being afraid to name that elusive “political blog” ? It’s understandable for publications like the LA Times to… oh, wait, even they cite us appropriately. You’d think our own friends and colleagues here in the Commonwealth would get over the taboos of being afraid to identify us by name.
23 responses so far ↓
1 Pierce Whites // Jan 4, 2009 at 10:18 am
Hi Jake,
Love your sense of humor and dedication, really brightens up the day. But seems like you are dissing a veteran protector of civil rights for gays and lesbians and ignoring important history.
Pop quiz: Who “stealthily killed a bill that would refuse legal recognition for marriages of same-sex couples”? Answer: Greg Stumbo. Who said: “That’s nothing but a bill of bigotry . . . and I’m just not going to be a part of that”? Answer: Greg Stumbo. (Herald Leader, March 4, 1998.)
Maybe the reason Kelly Flood (who is a minister, as you point out) backs Greg is because he bravely said this, ten years ago, on the House floor, in an impassioned defense of gay civil liberties:
“You’re going to be judged by how you treated God’s children, each and every one of them.”
And when the bill passed despite his battle against it, Greg said on the floor: “It’s a pretty sad day, when you start trampling on the rights of others, you have taken the first step in destroying America.”
Hmmmm. Sounds like the kind of man Kelly Flood should be supporting!
By the way, guess who said the homophobic bill should be voted on? Your man, Jody Richards. Wow, Jake, bad call!
Read about the facts in the Herald Leader coverage of 2/27/98 (When Greg’s “impassioned speech” was front page news) as well as 3/4/98 and 3/12/98.
Ten years of fighting the good fight has to count for something. Greg paid a political price for doing the right thing. The least you can do is say so.
Thanks for listening, and I look forward to continuing reading your blog!
Pierce Whites
2 Mary Karen Stumbo // Jan 4, 2009 at 11:17 am
Jake, I am not even going to waste my time arguing with you about politics – we’ll agree to disagree. But I think you’ve sunk to a new low attacking Greg and me for spending “weeks upon weeks” in Florida.
For the record, my father was in a Tampa hospital for a month and passed away. Not only were we with him while he was ill, but obviously, as anyone who has lost a parent knows, there are many things to be taken care of afterwards.
3 Ryan Alessi // Jan 4, 2009 at 11:36 am
Jake,
One thing I didn’t get in the story was that Jody Richards confirmed that Rep. Flood hadn’t pledged her support to him. “She never was for me,” Richards said last week.
Richards went on to say he and Flood “had a pleasant conversation” when she eventually did call last month to say whom she was backing.
- ryan
4 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 11:57 am
Pierce– Since you worked for/with Greg, I’m not gonna take anything you say literally. Even with a grain of salt. Especially if it’s in honor of him. Also, nice work tag-teaming with Mary Karen.
That said– having known Greg for a long time and having paid hyper-close attention to his activity over the past year-and-a-half (even working for him for a portion of that time) and his alignments with Bob Damron, Larry Clark and Tommy Thompson say plenty. Greg may not have been a homophobe in the past or a woman hater in the past. But his actions now certainly speak louder than his words a decade ago. Jody’s the only one standing up against that crap these days. I’ve gotten to know him quite well over the past year and have seen him kill countless pieces of hatemonger legislation.
Mary Karen– Jesus Christ. You really are as crazy as you proved yourself to be when attacking Diane Brumback a few months ago and then trying to explain things away to me privately. I didn’t attack you or Greg for being in Florida. How is “Greg Stumbo gave up long ago while he and Mary Karen spent weeks upon weeks in Florida on his fancy new boat.” even remotely an attack?
The person who sank low is you for using your father’s death for sympathy.
My point was that you and Greg spend so much time in Florida– and have over the years, not just recently– that there’s no way he’s connected or even bothering to do anything positive for the state that shows leadership. And more to my point: you’ve been in Florida so much recently– regardless of the reason– that there’s no way he’s been working hard to win a leadership election.
It’s true. Your family is in Florida more than Kentucky. (I was going to say you’re in Florida more than Prestonsburg, but everyone already knows that– since you’re a realtor in Lexington and rarely step foot in the east). So don’t even try to act like it’s not true.
But you should be ashamed for bringing up the death of a loved one for sympathy. It’s something I’ve watched you do for nearly two years now– constantly play for sympathy and make excuses. It’s what you always fell back to during the gubernatorial campaign when you’d get confronted by staff for doing something potentially illegal or for fucking everything up. (Like the time you spent $6,300 on food at Jenny Wiley and then just threw it all away like it was nothing.)
I’ve played nice with you publicly but I’m not having it anymore. You and Greg need to give it up and live a nice, private life out of the public eye. Even though I want you to continue leaving comments like this on political sites so you keep cutting him down. Ha.
Ryan– Thanks for commenting. She did pledge her support to Jody. Maybe not directly to him, but I heard her say so on the night of JustFundKY in Lexington. She also pledged her support to Joni Jenkins. I’m sure Joni would confirm.
5 gene // Jan 4, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Jody standing up to David Williams??? As you would say HaHaHa!!!
6 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 12:24 pm
“gene” – he did that very thing all session long.
And he prevented bullshit legislation from getting TO David Williams, who would have certainly pushed it into law.
What’d Greg do? He conceded 100% to David, literally helping to put this state in the financial bind it’s in.
It’s kind of like what Greg did with Ernie Fletcher. What’d he do? He backed off and cut a deal, letting Ernie Fletcher off the hook so he could run for office.
7 gene // Jan 4, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Jake, try to regain your objectivity on issues. It does not help to rant about “gay” issues. Most of Ky will vote against any gay agenda issue, mostly depending on where you live.
Don’t be a sean hannity or keith obberman, just be yourself.
8 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I love how you asshats continually go on and on about how I should be a “journalist” or retain my “objectivity” – two things I have denounced for nearly two years.
I’m neither a journalist nor objective when it comes to politics.
Spare me the bullshit. I don’t have time for it– not from Mary Karen, not from any lobbyist, not even from people I’m close with.
9 Amy Mischler // Jan 4, 2009 at 1:11 pm
To: Mr. Whites,
You need to look up the word hypocrisy. For example you quote Mr. Stumbo as stating “You’re going to be judged by how you treated God’s children, each and every one of them.”
Please explain to the public how you Mr. Whites, and Mr. Stumbo treated me during his tenure as attorney general.
Explain how you covered up illegal judicial misconduct when Julie Paxton, married to Mr. Stumbo’s former law partner Martin Osborne, (and campaign contributor) conducted sham legal proceedings in 2002 without being granted jurisdiction from the Chief Regional Judge, convicted me of domestic violence because I marched in public with a sign (2006), had multiple ex parte communications, refused to follow the law.
Or better yet explain this.
Explain how you and Mr. Stumbo covered the criminal official misconduct of another one of Stumbo’s campaign contributors; Pike County Attorney Howard Keith Hall. Explain how the letter I received from the OAG states that the OAG and PAC do not have jurisdiction over prosecutors in Kentucky. (A completely false statement)
And then explain how you, Mr. Stumbo and the OAG assured Howard Keith Hall in that letter claiming no jurisdiction; how the OAG would assist Hall in anyway which he received on a Friday. Explain how you and Mr. Stumbo then allowed Hall to type a one sentence warrant for my arrest the following Monday. Or how you allowed Hall to further conduct his conflict of interest prosecution for five months against me until I had to intervene and file upon the record myself to notice the court of the conflict of interest.
[The DVO was vacated. I was falsely prosecuted for a year until finally the Pike County Grand Jury refused to indict me on the baseless charge.]
Since Mr. Stumbo claims to be accountable to God; exactly how is Mr. Stumbo going to explain how he had actual knowledge that Hall refused to prosecute child support for nine months (before my little march). And how Mr. Stumbo, nor you Mr. Whites ever held Hall accountable in any manner for his malfeasance; in fact as OAG stated in the letter. You, Mr. Stumbo, and OAG assisted Hall in covering up the prosecutor misconduct.
To Mrs. Stumbo:
Since obviously children are so near and dear to your heart. I put in the court records in 2005 how both my children needed dental care, especially my youngest son who had never seen a dentist and he was six years old.
My ex husband, Attorney Jonah Stevens, who your husband has been protecting refused to take the boy to the dentist. Nor would Hall above, or any judge force Stevens to do so. Further, I also reported it to Pike County Social Worker Shereena Hamilton who falsified her report claiming that there were no dental concerns.
The cavity which I was concerned about in 2005; it resulted in a root canal in February 2008 which was the first time the child had seen the dentist.
I did everything humanly possible to get the Courts to order my children to have a visit with the dentist. Your husband had a duty to intervene in the situation since CRIMES were being committed. Yet he covered it up because of politics.
How is your husband going to explain that one to Jesus what he allowed to happen to my little boy?; How your husband, Greg Stumbo sold out to political favor and left a child in a neglectful home for his teeth to rot.
And you all dare to talk about honor, civil rights, and God???
10 Amy Mischler // Jan 4, 2009 at 1:19 pm
And as for God,
During 10:18 and 11:17 most Churches in Kentucky were conducting services. As scripture goes, the Lord inhabits the praises of his people. All the true believers had appointments with the Big Guy himself at the above times. So unless Mr. Whites and Mrs. Stumbo were posting during Sunday School and church service; they weren’t in church.
[Sorry if this post offends you Jake,- I just couldn't resist pointing the timing out]
11 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I can’t find anything offensive in your comment?
I think it’s rather funny that they weren’t in church, trolling the internets instead.
12 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Further, who are you people kidding?
Greg Stumbo is not fit for leadership. He’s so corrupt that it took a private citizen to spend over $15,000 on attorneys and legal feels to get the Office of the Attorney General to open an investigation re: Steve Henry.
And for the next year, Greg and his cronies (not the KSP folks or others in the OAG, but Greg and his personal friends) pressured me to destroy any evidence I had on Henry and tried to prevent me from speaking with investigators. And he still thinks he has what it takes to be in leadership after covering up corruption of a friend.
13 gene // Jan 4, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Oh snap!
14 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 6:19 pm
gene: Thank you for having a sense of humor despite our obvious disagreement.
15 of note // Jan 4, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Ironically, Pierce sends his children to the Frankfort Christian Academy.
16 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 7:42 pm
There’s no reason to attack Pierce or his family.
17 of note // Jan 4, 2009 at 7:48 pm
no attack intended…just the irony re: comments by you and others regarding church as well as the guy’s defense of Stumbo on certain issues…issues which he trumpets Stumbo’s stand even though the school is opposed to the same.
18 David Adams // Jan 4, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Oh snap, indeed…
19 Republican // Jan 4, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I have about as much respect for Pierce Whites as I do the stuff that’s in my septic tank. After watching Whites lie constantly in front of the cameras during Ernie Fletcher’s administration, I got to the point of being nearly physically ill every time I saw him, Crawford-Sutherland and the spokeswitch Vicki Glass on television. Whites, you helped destroy the greatest governor Kentucky has seen in my lifetime (nearly 50 years) and I will never forget that.
Mary Karen … a woman’s defense of her husband is usually admirable, but I have nothing but pity for you for continuing to defend your husband. The fact that you would remain married to such a worthless human, knowing as much as you do about him, really makes me wonder.
Amy … keep fighting the good fight. It’s too late to help Ernie Fletcher, but the bastards that took him down can be dealt with. Hang in there.
I still don’t understand how any legislator with a modicum of decency or morality can support Greg Stumbo for any leadership position. He is morally unfit to lead anything except a whore to bed. My state rep is a Democrat and I have a good personal relationship with him. I have contacted him to urge him to vote for Jody. Not that I’m any fan of Jody, but he’s miles better than Stumbo.
20 Steamer // Jan 4, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Repug, Neither Stumbo nor Pierce took Ernie down; Ernie did. The Attorney General’s Office just did its job. As for the speakers race– Does anyone onther than me remember the last session? It was a disaster and Jodie lead the way. The house needs new leadership. It is as simple as that.
21 jake // Jan 4, 2009 at 9:58 pm
It’s Jody, with a Y.
Jody lead the way? I believe it was he who kept hate legislation off the floor and pushed the governor to actually work with the House– instead of trying to force votes and pressure people into supporting him.
22 of note // Jan 4, 2009 at 10:48 pm
just to set the record straight…
quit asking for a speaker to work with the governor. the legislature is an equal branch of government as designed by people smarter than most of us many years ago.
as for richards role in 08 session, agree with Jake (that’s rare). it was the governor who was completely disengaged in the session. gave his casino proposal in February even though that was his campaign. couldn’t even get his own party to support it. he failed on that. he failed on ethics reform although he did take credit for bills that had been introduced in previous sessions and debated. he failed on so many fronts even elections for the legislature in special elections.
in previous sessions, governor’s have shown strong leadership as the state’s executive officer. this one has failed in leadership…period!!!
23 Republican // Jan 5, 2009 at 9:20 am
Repug, Neither Stumbo nor Pierce took Ernie down; Ernie did. The Attorney General’s Office just did its job.
If so, where was the AG’s office during all those years of Democrat patronage? Where was AG Stumbo when the Democrats were still trying to run a patronage scheme during the Fletcher administration? Where was AG Beshear when Gov. Brown was raping the merit system for sport?
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