3:27ish – Greg Stumbo was just nominated by Susan Westrom.
Check back for updates
3:40ish – Dennis Keene nominated Larry Clark.
4:18 – Folks are giving their speeches right now. Just now making it to the Whip race.
4:30 – Speeches are done, voting begins. Hold your horsies, kids! Take your restroom breaks now.
4:52 – HAHA! Stephenie Steitzer on Kathy Stein:
Newly-elected state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, said she has brought her own wireless microphone to Frankfort because “sometimes when you need to be heard, you need to be heard.”
Stein, who previously served in the House as one of the most vocal and liberal members, said her predecessor, former Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, “sometimes found his voice stilled when he attempted to speak out on behalf of his constituents.”
-SNIP-
When told of Stein’s microphone, Williams said, “Surely she said that in jest.”
When asked what the repercussions might be if Stein attempted to use the microphone, he said, “Nobody would do anything that ridiculous … except her.
4:57 – Dang. You folks are hitting refresh so frequently that we almost crashed. Ha.
5:04 – Forgot to tell you earlier… Repubs elected David Floyd to replace Stan Lee for minority whip. Jeff Hoover was re-elected as minority leader and Bob DeWeese was re-elected minority caucus chair.
5:15 – Never update with your iPhone! You’ll not only say the wrong thing but you’ll end up screwing everything else up! We’re hearing that Greg Stumbo may be elected. Stay tuned.
5:49 – Stumbo is the new Speaker of the House.
5:50 – Also: Larry Clark, Bob Damron, John Will Stacy and Rocky Adkins win.
5:51 – You can kiss the State House goodbye, Democrats, because there’s basically no way you’re not gonna get screwed by Greg Stumbo, Larry Clark and bigot Bob Damron. That said, good on electing John Will Stacy! He’ll do right by eastern Kentucky.
5:53 – Thoughts?
5:55 – Just received calls from progressive members of the House literally damning Kelly Flood. Wow. Can you believe Bob “Shoot the Gays!” Damron won? The House members certainly can’t.
5:56 – Awaiting reaction from others. Stay tuned.
6:04 – Haha. I’m “toast” now? Riiight. What you don’t understand, folks, is that this opens up TONS of opportunities for bloggers. Having a Speaker that everyone from all sides can hate? That’s a major win for opinionated bloviating on the internets.
6:12 – Here’s the governor’s statement:
“I want to congratulate Rep. Stumbo on his election as speaker along with the leadership team selected this evening. It is a strong affirmation of his leadership and longstanding commitment to helping move Kentucky forward on critical issues, ranging from education and the environment to health care. I also want to congratulate Speaker Richards and thank him for his many years of leadership and service. I look forward to continuing our important work together in the months and years ahead. Now, we have a great deal of work to do and a short period of time in which to do it. To that end, I hope to arrange a time, as soon as possible, to discuss with Rep. Stumbo and Sen. Williams how best to move forward on the current budget shortfall. I am confident that, working together, we can craft a bipartisan solution to the challenge before us. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the House and Senate leadership as we confront, together, the critical issues confronting Kentucky.”
So, will Stumbo actually lead or will he concede to Williams?
6:28 – Wow. More traffic today than some months combined. Pure insanity. How is this tiny story in Kentucky such big news? Unreal how many people are paying attention. State House aside, maybe this really is a turning point? Maybe more everyday folks really ARE paying attention?
6:30 – Stumbo only won by THREE (3) votes. That’s how tight the race was.
6:59 – Wow. the LRC works quickly! Already updated the Senate site and are working on the House site. Check it here.
56 responses so far ↓
1 DemGirl // Jan 6, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Do they vote for Speaker first?
2 cave dweller // Jan 6, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Keep us posted, please !
3 cave dweller // Jan 6, 2009 at 3:48 pm
What was Larry Clark nominated for ?
4 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Larry was re-nominated to be Speaker Pro-Tem, opposing Joni Jenkins.
5 DemGirl // Jan 6, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Larry Clark was nominated for the position he currently holds Speaker Pro Tem
6 Taylor // Jan 6, 2009 at 3:56 pm
how long does this shit take?
7 Tucker // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Update us please!
8 C.J.S. // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Taylor: I expect it will be at least 5:00 ET before we find anything out.
9 Jinx // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Was Westrom expected to support Stumbo in this?
10 Andy // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Jinx – probably so. She’s been in line for a committee chair for a while and kept only as the functionary chair of the Enrollment Committee. She’d probably chair something under Stumbo…
11 Republican // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:26 pm
“Chair something under Stumbo.”
If one was so inclined, one could have a lot of fun with that statement.
12 K187 // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:40 pm
My money is on Stumbo. That SOB would prostitute his own mother to win this thing.
13 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Republican – It is unfair for you to tease us like that! You can’t just half make a joke! Come on!
14 Frank // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:48 pm
While we wait for the Dem results…how bout David Floyd replacing Stan Lee. Thank God we (self loathing repubs) finally made a good move.
Now if he can just get that tax reform bill moving.
15 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:50 pm
A good thing about Stan Lee: At least he’s always (pretty) honest and doesn’t waver on his convictions.
The same can’t be said for many Democrats, like Kelly Flood.
16 Frank // Jan 6, 2009 at 4:54 pm
The only “good thing” about Stan is his awesome stache. That’s the list.
17 David Adams // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:03 pm
It will be pretty funny if Stumbo wins.
18 BHG // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I thought DeWeese was reelected minority caucus chair and Hoover was reelected minority floor leader.
19 Andy // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Or Hoover is still the Floor Leader and DeWeese is still the Caucus Chair.
20 Frank // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:10 pm
That’s what I thought too.
21 Andy // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:10 pm
what he said
22 Shack // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Stumbo Wins
23 Jinx // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Stumbo would never win an open election. Shame on the members of the house that voted for this man.
24 Kevin // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Well progressive change continues to eddy around Kentucky. This will end badly.
25 K187 // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Jeepers!
And that’s putting it mildly.
26 Carter Burger // Jan 6, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Jake, where are you watching? It seems that KET took the house and senate feed off of WKPC’s digital subchannels.
27 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Carter – I had several folks (legislators and others) constantly messaging me during the caucus meeting.
28 David Adams // Jan 6, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Probably a good thing for Republican challengers in the next election. “Culture of Corruption,” anyone?
29 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 6:03 pm
David – I agree. This makes it very, very likely that a Republican will win the next gubernatorial election.
30 Steamer // Jan 6, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Well Jake, you did such a good jod predicting this outcome, calling a gubernatorial election 3 years from now should be a snap.
31 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Why, Mary Karen, you continue to comment on this site evades me. Good god.
32 Kevin // Jan 6, 2009 at 6:19 pm
What scary leadership: Stumbo, Clark, Damron (Yikes), and Stacy. All they are missing are the jack-boots.
Lets see, the rest of the democrats in the country recognize the pendulum is swinging back to the left, then there are the Kentucky Democrats. They’re vigorously trying to saw off the branch while standing on the wrong side. How embarrassing.
33 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 6:22 pm
John Will is pretty liberal these days. I’ve personally heard him express serious regrets about past votes that now visibly pain him.
He’s the best bet of the bunch.
34 WomanofaCertainAge // Jan 6, 2009 at 7:43 pm
So much for confidentiality, huh, Jake (re the comment to Mary Karen)? Oh well . . . youngsters can’t be expected to display proper manners. As for whether Stumbo will lead or concede to Williams? You must have confused him with FORMER Speaker Richards–he will definitely lead . . . ciao!
35 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Confidentiality? That’s only guaranteed to sources– Not meddling, lying political wives.
36 WomanofaCertainAge // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Oh, so this is a no-holds-barred zone, then? :) Surely you would expect any wife (political or otherwise) to stand by her man. And most all women are born meddlers. That’s what makes them good mothers, wives, and yes, even political pundits. And please, point me in the general direction of a single political figure in Kentucky (okay, anywhere in these here United States) who has never lied and I’ll spit-shine those athletic shoes you are undoubtedly wearing, Jake!
37 Steamer // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I’m not Mary Karen.
38 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Steamer: Not sure anyone referred to you as Mary Karen?
(I deleted three comments referring to me as a “fat cocksucker” with the same IP information as Mary Karen, so… oh, newsflash to MK? I may be a cocksucker, but I’m not fat. Anymore. Sweeite.)
WCA: Ugh. I don’t wear athletic shoes. I wear Pumas (not the Hillary kind) or Ferragamo, because I am an elitist. But I will let you shine them.
Most political wives aren’t meddlers who openly use their name to say things– in public– that could harm their husbands (or wives, in the case of whomever Janet Reno is parntered with) in myriad ways.
39 Steamer // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Really!
40 WomanofaCertainAge // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Well, kudos to you, Jake, for being an elitist and being so proud of it. That puts you in the MINORITY in Kentucky–most of us are a little more down to earth. But hey, keep on making enemies by blasting people’s names and IP addresses out and pretty soon, you’ll just be the one-sided little “bloggette” you always dreamed of being, because nobody with an opposing thought would dare post it on your site. Is that really what you want?
41 WomanofaCertainAge // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Oh, and Jake? There was a condition on that shoe-shining thing–you have to come up with one political type that has never told a lie . . . I’ll be polishing my nails while you work on that one. :)
42 Taylor // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:54 pm
note to anybody: anonymous trolling on someone else’s blog without the expectation of being called out for it is just plain stupid. Nobody is guaranteed anonymity on the interwebs – just because you think nobody knows you’re a dog doesn’t mean it isn’t easy to figure out. it’s not about cutting out dissenting voices, it’s about transparency and anyone who would say something anonymously that they wouldn’t say with their own name is a tool (some exceptions granted). also, learn to understand sarcasm, it’ll help you when you read this site.
and as for an honest politician, I’ll throw Yarmuth out there for starters – not saying I’m 100% sure, but the dude is pretty straight forward.
43 Carter Burger // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:55 pm
I see jake. Thanks.
KET had a novel idea a few years ago where they would put the house and senate feed on two of WKPC’s HD subfeeds. It was a novel idea that broadcasters whined about to get this particular broadcasting system enacted. However in practice, very few of them use it.
44 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 8:57 pm
WCA: Get a sense of humor or a sarcasm detector.
One political type? Ray Crider has never once been even partially dishonest. I’ve never heard Jeff Noble be dishonest. He’s honest to a point that it’s not always good for him.
From what I can tell, Steve Pence is pretty honest.
David Huber? So honest he’ll probably lose his job as U.S. Attorney. And that’s a super-political role.
JYBIII has never told a lie that I’m aware of. He’s painfully honest.
Vicki Aubrey Welch.
I don’t think Jim Gray has lied. Nor Tia Ward-Pugh, whom I have publicly disagreed with.
While John Yarmuth is straight-forward, he did wiffle-waffle on the bailout. Can’t say he hasn’t lied. I’m pretty sure he did during the 2006 primary when it came to taxes, but I can’t remember exactly.
45 Republican // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:34 pm
General comments.
1.) Guess I shouldn’t have expected Democrats to do the right thing. Rarely have I done so in the past but I figured they’d act honorably in this instance. Guess I was fooled. Never again. (Cue The Who.)
2.) Will a list be made public of who voted for whom? I’m presuming the public vote was unanimous on the part of the D’s.
3.) Will Mary Karen be so defensive of her hubby the next time he dips his wick in someone else’s candle wax?
4.) John Will Stacy is a prick. The biggest prick I’ve ever met among elected officials (and I’ve met a lot of them on local, state and federal levels) and possibly the biggest prick I’ve ever met, period. I still think it’s a conflict of interest for state university employees or public school teachers to serve in the legislature when state employees can’t serve as partisan public officials on any level.
5.) It’s gonna be fun watching David Williams put Kathy Stein in her place — and watching him kick Speaker Stumbo around like a beer can on the sidewalk.
46 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:41 pm
How is JWS a prick? Elaboration and specifics are necessary.
And David put Kathy in her place? He can put Greg in his place, sure. But Kathy? There’s a reason she was the head of the bitch/lipstick caucus! She’ll castrate anyone, no questions asked, on-sight. FEAR!
47 Good call // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Jake – I have NEVER seen anybody be so wrong predicting things. Greg gave up, admitted he was down 15 votes, and still won! And the House Democrats did elect Bob Damron, a very intelligent and hard-working legislator who represents a district representative of Kentucky’s conservatism. And your girl Joni did get 17 whole votes!! Looks like having David Kaplan texting you the happenings in the caucus meeting just made you report your failure more quickly. Congrats.
48 Andy // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:52 pm
How is it that Republicans have the only woman in leadership?
49 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Good call – Guess you’ve never heard of politicking and supporting your candidate?
Greg did, indeed, give up. Jerry Lundergan was working to help Jody and Joni.
Look at the vote totals. Greg won by THREE votes. Yeah, BIIIIIIIIG win, there. Such a big win that you can totally discount all the times Jody was confident he had the votes necessary. One would have to be an idiot not to realize how close the race was and that it’s possible people defected from Jody– like Kelly Flood.
House Democrats, the shit-for-brains that they are, did elected bigot Bob Damron. (Stan Lee is also intelligent and hard-working and he represents his district. Doesn’t mean he’s not a bigot.)
I’ve never so much as ONCE spoken on the phone with David Kaplan, exchanged emails or text messages with him. The last time I saw him was on election night as I was remarking to some friends how drunk Denise Harper Angel was as she shoveled food into her mouth in Champion’s. They all looked in David’s direction and I was reminded how David had once run against her.
50 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Andy – Larry Clark isn’t a woman. (Sorry to disappoint you, there)
51 Republican // Jan 6, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Jake — I’ve encountered John Will several times. In West Liberty, in Morehead, in Frankfort and on the phone. (I don’t live in his district but I do have to deal professionally with him from time to time).
Each time he’s been rude, uncouth, disinterested, abrasive, arrogant and just generally pricky. Since you’re from there, you probably know him better than me, but he’s just generally come across as a prick to me.
Now his neighbor Rocky Adkins … I’ve been acquainted with Rocky for 25 years, dating back to the early 80s, and don’t have any trouble getting along with him. He’s not the kind of guy I envisioned going into politics, though, back when he was a skinny, prematurely-balding guard for the MSU Eagles.
Speaking of Morgan County politicos — how does Doc Blevins get by with living in Morgan yet representing Rowan in the Senate? Back in the day, he worked in Morehead and lived in West Liberty. Now I understand the reverse is true, yet he gets elected from a district in which he really doesn’t live.
52 jake // Jan 6, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Walter Jr has a house inside his district (Elliott Co).
And his office is in West Liberty. He also owns property in Morgan County and obviously has family there. I think he has a house there, where he no doubt stays on occasion.
The bigger question there, though, is how did he keep getting re-elected all those years he was married to his ex-wife? She was insane. At one point, if I remember correctly, she was cracked out and plowed into a state trooper on Main Street in Morehead and it NEVER made the news. He eventually had to stop writing prescriptions because she was doing what every crackhead dreams of.
53 Republican // Jan 7, 2009 at 9:06 am
Years ago, Doc Blevins had an office in the “mini-mall” part of Trademore Shopping Center in Morehead. At the time I was dating the daughter of a man who was involved in one of Rowan County’s leading businesses (it was a family tradition with them, just about all the siblings went into variations of the same field) and was also one of the few prominent Republicans in the county. So as a result I heard quite a bit of Morehead news, the kind of news that didn’t make it into The Morehead News. Common speculation at the time was that Doc Blevins was fast and loose with the prescription pad, and that he also had a fondness for the co-eds. At the time he was still living in West Liberty but was practicing in Morehead.
54 Don // Jan 7, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Serious question: what will Jonathan Hurst be doing now?
And who will run in the special senate election February 10?
55 jake // Jan 7, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Don – I don’t expect Jonathan to stick around. Though it’s clear to me that Greg likes him.
Kentucky Democrats, honestly, will suffer if he leaves. But I think he should. Let the bigots fend for themselves. Under Jonathan’s leadership, love him or hate him, the House Dems have been the most successful political organization in the Commonwealth. He’s won all kinds of seats, raised all kinds of money and run a caucus without any hiccups– outside of the bullshit Joe Meyer, Mark Nickolas and Jennifer Miller alleged in 2006/2007– which turned out to be bullshit.
56 Olivia Anne // Jan 7, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Without the savvy leadership of Jonathan our Commonwealth and party will be the worse for it. He has few competitors for sheer knowledge and tenacity. And, I know Greg values his skills and friendship, as we all have.
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