| I love the Kentucky Wildcats and they have been my favorite team since 1990. Sorry WVU fans. I don't mean to be offensive. We Democrats need your votes in 2008 since West Virginia will be most definitely be a battleground state like it was in 2000 and 2004. We Democrats carrying Kentucky in 2008 would not only be very sweet but very shocking as well, and I'll tell you why in my diary. The 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election is one of the most intringuing gubernatorial elections ever. And believe it or not this usually nationally insignificant gubernatorial election could have national and even international ramifications for years to come..... And yes this could even impact the 2008 presidential elections in ways once thought impossible. Kentucky historically has been a "swing state" as far as presidential elections are concerned, and it's well deserved. Kentucky almost always votes for the winner of the presidential election itself. 1960 and I think 1968 - though not 100 percent sure about '68 - being the only exceptions Every presidential election since 1972 Kentucky has voted for the winner every single time. In 1976 Jimmy Carter carried Kentucky by a moderately large margin. Since then it has usually leaned Republican just like it's fellow Southern states, the only exceptions being in 1992 and 1996 when Bill Clinton carried it twice, and even that was helped by Ross Perot's independent candidacy where he probably received more Republican-leaning voters than Democratic-leaning ones. And West Virginia has always tended to vote the same way Kentucky has in presidential elections, the only exception being in 1988 when Republican George H. W. Bush carried Kentucky and Democrat Michael Dukakis carried West Virginia. Kentucky in many ways is West Virginia's "Big Brother." West Virginians and Kentuckians talk alike, eat alike, have similar educational and economic backgrounds, and are both socially conservative as well. Kentucky and West Virginia deservedly or not have been the most negatively stereotyped states in the nation. The joke in both states is that "neither the North nor South wants us" and that people in both states feel they have a "chip on our shoulder" and feel that "everybody is against us." Both states are usually ranked last or near last in almost every economic and social statistic in the country today. The evangelical vote is crucial for both the Democrats and Republicans in both states. Every since 2000 evangelicals have been very important reasons as to why both Kentucky and West Virginia have voted solidly Republican even though both of our states have very solid Democratic traditions and majority of voters registered as Democrats. In 2004 however Kentucky was more Republican red than it ever was before. Bush carried Kentucky by a 60-40 margin which was quite significant considering the fact that 57 percent of Kentucky voters are registered Democrats. And West Virginia as usual followed suit. Bush carried West Virginia by a 56-44 margin even though like its neighbor the Bluegrass State even though 60 percent of voters in West Virginia are registered Democrats. And in both states the pro-Republican trend has lasted for quite some time really since the Contract of America was used by Republicans in 1994 mid-term elections to take over both Houses of Congress for the very first time since the last true moderate "old-school" Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office. And in both states evangelicals and Pentecostals - even though the Pentecostal impact in Kentucky is not as great here as in West Virginia - have been the main reason why. But lately the Republican tide in both states has seemed to peak. We Democrats have finally started to take back both states again since the 2004 presidential election in West Virginia first and then Kentucky as well. A self-described liberal was even successful in flipping a US House seat Democratic in socially conservative Kentucky in 2006. John Yarmuth beat an establishment rubber-stamp Republican Anne Northup in the city of Louisville. Still in 2006 that was the biggest if not Democratic success in Kentucky as Republicans still won there for the most part but even then Democrats had been making modest gains in state legislative races. But My oh My since then how times have changed in the Bluegrass State since then, thanks in large part do a corrupt law-breaking Republican governor named Ernie Fletcher and an ultra-conservative and strongest Bush supporter in the US Senate named Mitch McConnell. Fletcher was the 1st Republican elected governor in Kentucky since the 1950s - I think though not 100 percent sure about the exact date - in 2003. At the time the Republican Party was riding high in Kentucky, winning just about every major statewide election at the time. But then McConnell and Fletcher especially have both almost single-handily handed Kentucky back to us Democrats. Governor Fletcher was indicted I believe in May 2007 of 3 misdemeanor accounts of political favoritism. 14 additional counts were sealed in the case and in total I think 28 counts of political favoritism were issued against him and his Republican cronies in his cabinet. McConnell on the other hand while not in any legal trouble has recently been slammed and rightfully so in the press for being George W. Bush's biggest supporter in the US Senate. McConnell was even caught on video lying about his office not having anything to do with 12 year old Graeme Frost's intimidation by far right-wing bloggers such as Michelle Malkin who actually stalked the Frosts in their home community. Before then McConnell and to a lesser extent Fletcher had enjoyed tremendous success and popularity among Kentucky voters because of their ability to "bring home the bacon" and bring federal government dollars home to the Bluegrass State. Since then it's been all downhill for both of them, Fletcher especially. Kentuckians since then have not been pleased or impressed at all with either Fletcher or McConnell - Fletcher especially. And not only them but the entire Republican establishment as well. Enter in a brilliant and intelligent moderate middle-aged Democrat named Steve Beshear. Before this year's election Beshear had struggled somewhat politically in statewide elections, so much he and his campaigns have lost elections where most experts though he had a chance to win. But My oh My how Beshear learned from his mistakes. His campaigns both in the Democratic primary and the general election as well have been nothing short of impressive. He kicked Fletcher's butt in every single debate there and has united almost every single constituancy there evangelicals and Pentecostals included. After winning Kentucky's Democratic primary he inherited a 25 point lead off the bat. And he proved himself than able to retain it in a state that had been heavily trending Republican until just recently even though Fletcher and the Republicans threw everything at him but the kitchen sink. The closest Fletcher came to him was 15 points several weeks ago. Now Beshear leads at least by 15 points in every single national poll taken in Kentucky with the election being held Tuesday November 6, 2007. And now even many Kentucky Republicans are supporting Democrat Beshear, something virtually unheard of in any state much less a socially conservative one like Kentucky. And the economy in Kentucky is another major reason Fletcher is in so much trouble right now. Arguably my home state of W. Virginia might even have a stronger economy than Kentucky does right now especially in the eastern part of state which is almost exactly like my part of the state Southern W. Virginia in just about every single way. In other words, Democrat Beshear is a virtual lock to be Kentucky's next governor. And I and every proud Democrat in not only Kentucky but the nation as well should be very proud of him. I still don't understand how this intelligent man has never been elected to any major statewide office before. And not only has this KY gubernatorial election been major news in Kentucky, it has been new in the whole nation as well, and for many different reasons. It proves that the Democratic Party can win in socially conservative states with a strong evangelical presence. It proves that Democrats can at least be competitive in Southern states. Yes Kentucky is not Southern in the way that Alabama or Mississippi is concerned, but just like W. Virginians, Kentuckians are much more Southern in tradition and culture than Northern. It also give us Democrats hope that maybe for the first time in quite some time that maybe us Democrats can pick off a few Southern states even in the national presidential elections. Most polls have Hillary Clinton and John Edwards competitive in Kentucky and the Virginias right now and have both Edwards and Clinton especially winning a state similar to us in many ways the great state of Arkansas quite handily right now. Yes Hillary Clinton has Arkansas connections thanks to her famous husband but it proves that most experts myself included that Southerners especially in the Upper South states WV, VA, KY, TN, NC and in usually Democratic but still often Republican in most national elections Deep South state AR still are very much open to voting Democratic and even many evangelicals and Pentecostals in our region are starting to consider returning back to our Democratic roots for the 1st time in quite some while. That still remains to be seen as far as the presidential election is concerned but if we Democrats can pick off a few states like Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia, or most of all our beloved home state of West Virginia it will give us Democrats a much-needed huge lift as far as the presidential elections are concerned. And now the question is not whether Beshear will be elected because he will but can he win 60 percent of the vote? 60 percent is the goal we Democrats have set for ourselves in Kentucky Tuesday, November 6, 2007. And it would be sweet if we can get it in a state that voted 60 percent the other way in 2004. And ousting once popular ultra-conservative Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell who once many political experts thought was unbeatable. And all of America is watching Kentucky too right now knowing that a huge 60 percent Democratic win here in a once Republican-leaning socially conservative state could very well lead to a Democratic presidential blowout in 2008! And that would be the sweetest one of them all! |
