“I appreciate all of the voters who served as our eyes and ears on the ground yesterday to report any voting irregularities,” General Conway said. “Be assured, each complaint will be thoroughly reviewed and the appropriate enforcement action will be taken for any that appear to be criminal in nature.”

22 calls were received yesterday, generating 25 complaints from 16 counties.

Here’s the summary:

• Bath: 1 call- Voting Machine
• Bourbon: 1 call–Procedural Question
• Boyle: 1 call-Voting Machine
• Fayette: 2 calls-Procedural Question, Voter Identification
• Greenup: 1 call generating two complaints-Election Official, Voting Machine
• Hopkins: 1 call-Electioneering within 300’ of polls
• Jefferson: 5 calls- Procedural Question, Special or Absentee Ballot, General Election Fraud-2 calls, Voting Machine
• Kenton: 1 call-Election Official
• Madison: 1 call generating two different complaints-Election Official, Electioneering within 300’ of Polls
• Magoffin: 2 calls generating three different complaints-General Election Fraud, Request for Assistance-Monitoring, Residency
• Marshall: 1 call-Election Official
• Mason: 1 call- Procedural Question
• McCracken: 1 call –Electioneering within 300’ of Polls
• Nicholas: 1 call-Residency
• Pike: 1 call, Election Official
• Whitley: 1 call –Special or Absentee Ballot

No allegations of vote-buyin?! We’re shocked. For real.

Note that during the November 2007 general election, 38 calls were received from 14 counties.

Bill Yung allegedly dropped his million bucks and then ran around the state telling every reporter who would listen to him how he was working hard for the campaign. Maybe that’ll refresh your memory.

KREF dismissed the RPK complaint, which effectively held that having identical donors is insufficient when proving coordination between a campaign and an outside group. They basically said that only the content of the ads could get them pulled from the airwaves – not their source of funding.

Yeah? You remember now? Funny how that works. Because the mainstream media certainly forgot.

As did Jennifer Moore, who was miraculously able to get Judge Wingate to sign an order (Wingate said that without disclosure of donors, coordination/collusion is impossible to prove. But KREF says coordination/collusion isn’t possible even if the donors are identical.) getting them pulled from the air just 30 minutes after they went live. Really – the Wingate order came down at 9:00 A.M. on an undocketed petition with ZERO notice to the opposing side. Some emergency that was because women and children were clearly at stake.

Which means he’s a flipping genius and can hammer those things out in seconds or Jennifer pre-wrote it and pushed him to sign it – as she tried to do with Scott Jennings last year. Rather, she called me begging me to file some complaint against him that ended up being one of the dumbest things KREF ever received. And then promptly started attacking me when I refused to play some partisan game (hello? I write about this shit, I don’t play the game). I’d bet a significant sum of money that she called Wingate with the weight of the governor’s office behind her.

Rambling done, back to my point: Wingate and the Democrats are Jack Conway-calibre hypocrites.

NOTE: Relevant excerpts from the KREF response in Republican Party of Kentucky v. Bluegrass Freedom Fund and Beshear/Mongiardo campaign can be seen after the jump…

EXCERPT:

Complainant further alleged the BFF made, and the Beshear campaign accepted, prohibited in-kind contributions as a result of the BFF’s production of the above-listed advertisements, which Complainant claimed were made in coordination, cooperation, or consultation with the Beshear campaign. Complainant pointed to the BFF’s two largest donors, William Yung and the DGA, and cited two meetings Mr. Yung had with candidate Beshear and public statements made by the DGA in support of candidate Beshear, as proof of coordination. The Beshear campaign countered that the Complainant’s allegations do not constitute evidence of coordination between the BFF and the Beshear campaign. Respondent BFF denied all allegations that the advertisements were produced in coordination, cooperation, or consultation with the Beshear campaign and cited as evidence the Affidavit of its President, Craig Varoga.

Mr. Varoga stated he was responsible for and made decisions concerning the content, timing, place, nature, and volume of the BFF’s television and Internet communications that called for the passage of real ethics reform legislation. Mr. Varoga further attested that he did not consult with William Yung, the DGA, or any candidate or agent of a candidate on the content, timing, place, nature or volume of its communications.

Complainant presented no evidence to controvert Mr. Varoga’s affidavit. There is no evidence of record showing the BFF coordinated its issue advertisements with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Beshear, the Beshear campaign or their agents regarding the content, timing, place, nature or volume of communications for which expenditures were made. To the extent the BFF’s largest donor, William Yung, met with candidate Beshear, there is no evidence that Yung was acting as an agent of the BFF in those meetings, let alone that he had any knowledge of the content, timing, place, nature, or volume of Respondent BFF’s communications. In addition, the the public statement of the DGA that “We’re intent on doing everything we can to support Steve Beshear” is not proof of improper coordination. While William Yung and the DGA clearly supported Steve Beshear in the gubernatorial race, there is no reasonable basis upon which to conclude that either Yung or the DGA had any knowledge of the BFF’s advertising strategies, let alone any authority to coordinate the BFF’s activities with the Beshear campaign.

(END)

Many (read: most) of Steve Beshear’s 2007 campaign pledges remain undone. He didn’t balance the budget as he loves to bullshit, didn’t pass gambling, hasn’t solved the tax crisis, has pat-a-caked on education (save the spin, he’s done jack shit), nearly killed elder abuse legislation, hasn’t created jobs and continues to ignore the real problems of this state. [John Cheves]

Alison Grimes released some sort of thing about jobs. But let’s get real. The Secretary of State is a paper pusher and does not create jobs. She just needs to quit with the silliness and actually campaign. And maybe get a press handler who doesn’t constantly flake out on reporters who want their questions answered. [2011 Is Bad For Kentucky]

Way to go, rural America. Thanks for standing up to douche hats calling you inbred. [WFPL]

It’s official! Clay County is the armpit of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We thought it was Covington for a long time. Now there’s no disputing it. [H-L]

The next time you’re trying to claim someone suppresses the student voice, that of labor and Wall Street protesters… maybe you should make sure that someone hasn’t written about all three ad nauseam, hasn’t written about sending people to prison for taking advantage of students, doesn’t have a giant section of their website dedicated to organized labor, doesn’t publish op-eds from actual protesters. Just a thought. [We Get Crazy Ass Comments & Threats]

Your life has to be pretty horrible to steal flags from a memorial honoring service members. [WKYT]

Maybe someone should clue Al Cross in to the fact that the gubernatorial race has been a letdown primarily because people like him have refused to hold Steve Beshear or anyone else accountable. [C-J/AKN]

Really, Republicans, this is what you have to offer? An embarrassing teabagger cut from the same cloth as David Adams and Mica Sims? A guy who is in bankruptcy while running for auditor? You know my thoughts on Adam Edelen, as I’ve shared them for years, but he’s light years more competent than that guy. [More John Cheves]

Last night Adam Edelen pointed out what a hypocrite teabagger John Kemper is. Two bankruptcies, lying, hypocrisy. And he hadn’t even paid his taxes. [Page One]

At least one mainstream media outlet recognizes that Jack Conway’s flip-flop on the mortgage corruption is just that – a flip-flop. That’s how irrelevant Kentucky has become. [Fox Business]

Papaw says better financial days are ahead. But we all know that couldn’t be further from reality. At least for Kentucky. [CN|2]

We told you so! The feds have subpoenaed current and former Kentucky Retirement Systems executives. So much for you hateful hacks accusing me of fabricating reality. You had it coming. [STILL MORE John Cheves]

Thought it’d be a good idea to take a look at all the crap Steve Beshear’s done in an attempt to get votes, primarily doling out checks and claiming credit for jobs the media proved he hasn’t created:

Yep, there were way more but we decided to limit it to 200 instances. Yep, we spent way too much time getting the transitions just right – tried hard to make you want to puke.

How bout that?

Isn’t it nearly mind-blowing to hear Beshear say all of those things about ethics and corruption? Only to know that he’s single-handedly done everything he accused Ernie of doing?

Political firings, illegal campaign contributions, questionable special interest funding, wasting state tax dollars, allowing staff to get away with illegal and corrupt behavior, running around the state trying to explain things away.

Just mind-boggling.

What was that, again, about politicians only doing what’s best for them?

Unfortunately, David Williams is incapable of taking political advice and direction and he continues to make misstep after misstep. His top campaign brass have departed and only his longtime friends remain. We like David a lot, personally, but he’s his own worst enemy. He refuses to manage his reputation and doesn’t realize that Steve Beshear has decades of crap that can be used against him. So Kentuckians will never realize what a hypocritical, ridiculous four years of zero progress they’ve just lived through.

Why? Because he said he was going to pass it.

See for yourself in this old Ernest Lee video:

You know what didn’t happen? He didn’t pass it three times over.

He refused for years to discuss the realities of not passing expanded casino gambling legislation in the Commonwealth and he continues to avoid discussion of Frankfort’s bleak fiscal future.

Where has that leadership or lack thereof gotten us? Where has the refusal to take actual risks and get things done disappeared to?

We still want some answers.

What happens?

At a press conference held at Kentucky Democratic Party (KDP) headquarters, KDP Chairman Dan Logsdon today called on Moffett and Williams to open up their personal financial information. Kentuckians have a vested interest in understanding the finances of their potential leader, Logsdon noted, and called on Sen. Williams to release his tax information since he was first elected Senate Majority Leader and Moffett to release his information from the previous year.

“Kentuckians deserve to know what if any financial interests and conflicts a candidate may have,” said Chairman Logsdon. “I call on both candidates to release their tax returns, as Gov. Beshear has every year, to answer lingering questions about their finances.”

-SNIP-

“David Williams was right to say that a candidate’s refusal to release tax information raises questions about their fitness for office – and it’s as true today as when he said it years ago,” said Logsdon. “I think he’ll find that he hit it on the money in 1991. Failing to come clean with Kentucky about your financial past is no way to get elected Governor. So come on Senator Williams, do the right thing.”

Conveniently ignoring that Beshear first refused to release his own tax documents, setting the precedent himself. Stupid of the Williams-Farmer campaign to ignore that.

Here’s what the Williams-Farmer campaign released in response:

“Steve Beshear’s grinder monkey promised ‘explosive’ details today but he missed the mark. Let me help him out. Unemployment when Steve Beshear took office was in the 5% range, Kentucky’s bond rating was good and the budget wasn’t a complete mess. Today, unemployment is over 10% and our state’s bond rating has been downgraded thanks to Beshear’s vetoing legislative mandates to stop spending money we don’t have. The only thing exploding is the number of people who can’t find a job, and the number of people who realize Steve Beshear is indifferent or incompetent when it comes to doing anything about it.

“Logsdon said in his release that ‘Kentuckians deserve to know what if any financial interests and conflicts a candidate may have.’ Let me educate Mr. Logsdon on the financial disclosure forms filed by legislators and candidates for governor in Kentucky. No other gubernatorial candidate in Kentucky history has such an extensive public disclosure of his personal financial history as David Williams. David has been filing financial disclosure forms with the legislative branch ethics commission since 1993, and this year filed an additional form with the executive branch ethics commission as a candidate. These forms outline financial interests, income, property holdings, gifts, business dealings, investments, and debts. All of this information is fully available to the public and press and we encourage anyone to obtain and review it.

“Today’s sad, pathetic press conference is an admission that Beshear has no agenda other than to distract from his own miserable record. Kentuckians have to decide whether Steve Beshear has done anything to make Kentucky a better place for job creation. From the budget mess, to his failure to address tax reform, to his lack of understanding about how to compete in a global economy, we are left to conclude that he is in over his head when it comes to creating opportunity for Kentucky families and businesses.”

While disingenuous to blame unemployment on Steve Beshear, it’s certainly true that Beshear has no record of accomplishment and he’s attempting to distract the already disinterested public.

David Williams needs to release his tax returns. Phil Moffett needs to release his. Steve Beshear needs to stop publicly obstructing a discussion about comprehensive tax reform. And Kentucky needs to stop getting effed in the you-know-what by this lot of shysters in Frankfort.

Though, we fully agree that if there is information about the Williams’ minor children in their tax returns, that information should be considered confidential.

Unfortunately, Senator Williams hasn’t stopped his false, misleading attacks on Kentucky’s schoolchildren, teachers and law enforcement. Instead, he has doubled down on his misleading rhetoric and cheap political stunts to court extremists prior to the Republican primary.

Bill Hyers

What was that, again, about cheap political stunts? *cough* Flying around the state for two days… *cough* ??

If that hypocrisy isn’t ripe enough for you, well, here’s a bit from a July 13, 2007 Associated Press story about Ernest Lee Fletcher calling a special session:

“Beshear accused Fletcher of failing to win consensus among lawmakers before calling the session, resulting in ‘wasted chaos’ at a cost to taxpayers.”

Mmmm hmmm. I know that’s right.

Just because it’s legal? Doesn’t mean it’s right. You should read this and take it to heart. [Ralph Long]

You should consider serving your community during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. [MLK Day]

Jim Gray decides not to hire Bob Ramsey but keeps Susan Straub and hires Jane Driskell. Hello, Twilight Zone! [H-L]

William Mapother narrated a documentary on Sudan called The New Sudan. now that the Southern Sudanese are voting on a referendum for secession and freedom, you should probably check it out. It’s now available on many on-demand cable services, though not on Insight. Proceeds benefit the Southern Sudanese. [William Mapother]

There are about eleventeen million meth heads in the Louisville-ish area. Very few in Eastern Kentucky. Just regular pill heads there? [H-L]

Kentucky politickin is settling in for the primary season. And Elaine Walker/Steve Beshear are gonna face tough ads over the Kentucky League of Cities scandal. [Ronnie Ellis]

Mitch McConnell says he learned his lesson in 2007. He won’t be endorsing int he 2011 Republican gubernatorial primary. He also says that George W. Bush is a liar. [Ryan Alessi & More Alessi]

Tonight’s edition of Comment on Kentucky airs at 8:00 P.M. Eastern on KET. Scheduled guests: Jack Brammer, Bill Bryant, Deborah Yetter. [Press Release]

Apparently, according to one lady who is obviously a horrible parent for smoking around her children, America isn’t free anymore. Really. Multiple children by the age of 23 and smoking around them. Imagine that. [WFIE]

Must be tough for Ben Chandler to be on the House Intelligence Committee instead of serving on Appropriations. [Bluegrass Politics]

Congressman John Yarmuth says higher security at public events would protect constituents. The teabaggers will lose their shiz over this in 3, 2… [WFPL]

Sarah The Quitter Snowbilly Palin is taking her blood libel show on the road to some big safari gun orgy with Larry the Cable Guy. [Wonkette]

Wait, wait. Wait for it. A teabagger senator from Utah says federal child labor laws are unconstitutional. PEE ALERT. [HuffPo]

Thank goodness for Tennessee this week. Their racism and ignorance finally edges Kentucky out of the headlines. For a moment, anyway. [TPM]