Kentucky Misses Race To The Top Dollars Again

The AP reports that the U.S. Department of Education has chosen Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island the Race to the Top winners.

TV Campaigns Begin This Week For Fischer And Heiner

Media buys for two mayoral candidates begin Wednesday.

Republican Hal Heiner will re-run a one-minute biographical spot from primary and Greg Fischer has a new 30-second ad. (Links lead to the ads.)

What are your thoughts on the campaign spots?

High, Middle And Elementary School Confidential

The word is out about the new blog JCPS Confidential. The site has one post now, and the author (nome de web Paul Friar) claims to be “a JCPS employee, parent and taxpayer who is interested in getting past the shields of bureaucracy and secrecy that obscure the inner workings of this government agency.”

Friar says the blog has three objectives:

1. Encourage whistleblowers

2. Give a voice to teachers, parents, students and other stakeholders

3. Hold JCPS accountable

Wells Fargo Limiting MTR Funding

Our colleagues at Ohio River Radio report that Wells Fargo is joining “the ranks of several other big firms that have decided to limit or stop funding mountaintop removal coal mining projects.”

It says pressure on the bank came from an unlikely source, the Rain Forest Action Network, which lobbied the bank for years.  JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America have also published policies that say they’re reducing ties with MTR projects, or submitting them to more scrutiny.

Pittsburgh-based PNC bank, as well as the Swiss firm UBS, have not made any such announcements, and still finance related projects.

It’s not yet clear what effect this drying up of funding will have on the mining industry.

Major Party Campaign Committees’ Funds Almost Even

We reported last week that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is planning to spend about $1.3 million in Kentucky, where Democrat Jack Conway is facing Republican Rand Paul. What we missed was that the DSCC has about as much cash on hand as its GOP counterpart:

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took in $4.4 million and spent $3.5 million July, leaving it with $22.5 million cash on hand. In the same period, the Republican National Senatorial Committee raised $4.2 million and spent $2.6 million, giving it $21.2 million in the bank.

Also, Chris Cillizza cited a recent CN2 Senate poll showing Conway and Paul tied (see the first link in this post for more on that), and has now put Kentucky’s race on his list of contests where a party switch is possible.

Ophthalmologist Rand Paul (R) has hit into a few potholes, including recently disrespecting the “Fancy Farm” event that is sacred in Kentucky politics. But next to Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle‘s struggles, Paul’s political sins seem relatively minor. Look for Democrats to press Paul on whether supports the federal legislative largesse that is the lifeblood of economically distressed areas in eastern Kentucky. (Legendary columnist Al Cross laid out Paul’s problems in that region expertly.) If Paul plays it smart and keeps his sometimes-unusual ideology in check, this should be a hold for the GOP in such a conservative state. (Previous ranking: N/A)

Tandy And King Endorse Fischer

From WFPL:

Former Louisville mayoral candidates David Tandy and Jim King formally endorsed Greg Fischer Friday.

Fischer defeated the two Metro Councilmen in the Democratic Primary in May. Fischer finished with 45 percent of the vote, behind him were Tandy and King, each with about 20%.

Shannon White, who won about 2% of the Democratic Primary vote, endorsed Republican candidate Hal Heiner last week.

A spokesperson for the Heiner campaign criticized Fischer for welcoming endorsements from two Metro Council members after calling Heiner, also a councilman, an insider.

The four other Democrats who ran in the primary have not offered public endorsements of either candidate.

In addition to Fischer and Heiner, independents Jackie Green, Nimbus Couzin and Jonathan Mills will also appear on the November ballot.

Here is the Fischer campaign statement:

Saying that Louisville needs a mayor who can unite the city, create jobs and put people back to work, Metro Councilmembers David Tandy and Jim King today endorsed Greg Fischer for Mayor.

“Greg is the leader our city desperately needs,” said King, a Democrat who represents the 10^th district. “He is the true job creator in the race – and he has the business experience to immediately step into the mayor’s office and lead our city towards growth and prosperity.”

“Greg will be a mayor for all of Louisville, from downtown to the suburbs, from the east to the west and the south,” said Tandy, who represents the 4^th district. “He will put our neighborhoods first and will build a efficient government that is open, honest and accountable to the people.”

Tandy and King were primary opponents of Fischer – and, among the three, they garnered 85 percent of the votes.  Tandy and King said they, along with other Democrats, are united in their support for Fischer’s fresh vision and leadership for Louisville.

Fischer said he was honored to have their endorsement.

“David, Jim and I share a common belief that Louisville can be a better place – a place where our children and grandchildren can find good-paying jobs and raise their families,” Fischer said.

And the response from Heiner’s campaign spokesperson, Joe Burgan:

While spending the summer bashing Hal for  serving on the Metro Council, Greg Fischer runs to the arms of two democratic council members who have served the city just like Hal.  I guess this proves that Greg believes experience like Hal’s matters when running for mayor.

Senate Updates

Since we last posted about Senate polls, a few new surveys have been released, with one showing Democrat Jack Conway and Republican Rand Paul tied. As Marion County Line points out, it’s still likely that Paul is leading Conway by about 5-7 points.

And in other Senate news, the DSCC will spend $1.3 million on ads in Kentucky.

Louisville Declared Underrated

The Huffington Post has named Louisville the 5th most underrated city in America. Fort Worth, Akron, Sacramento and Portland were also on the list, along with 13 others.

The Kentucky Derby may be its claim to fame, but the famous horse race isn’t all Louisville has to offer. Nestled on the banks of the Ohio River, this Southern underrated city has loads of small-town charm, a cosmopolitan riverfront district, a diverse art scene–thanks to the Kentucky Center for the Arts–and a growing foodie market with its own Restaurant Row. Sports lovers should make a stop at the Louisville Slugger Museum, while history lovers can sip mint juleps on a river cruise aboard the Belle of Louisville, a National Historic Landmark.

Your thoughts?

(via)

More On The Bridges Authority Meeting

The Bi-State Bridges Authority is putting together a financing plan for two new bridges and a reworked Spaghetti Junction. Tolls could be used to pay for part of the project, and at the authority’s meeting Thursday, they were presented with a few tolling scenarios. This PDF is the Wilbur-Smith tolling study. It outlines how tolls between fifty cents and three dollars on any combination of old bridges, new bridges and Spaghetti Junction will affect traffic.

As you can see, higher tolls will make some drivers change their plans and take less expensive routes. When he presented this data, Tim Sorenson from Wilbur-Smith pointed out that $3 was not so high that projected revenues actually decreased. If you look extrapolate what’s shown on the the graph on page 14 of the presentation, the lines keep going up. Sorenson says if lines were drawn representing tolls higher than $3, they would not follow the same course. In other words, the higher tolls wouldn’t be cost-effective.

And the authority hasn’t decided how high the tolls need to be, if they’re needed at all. They hope to have a financing plan completed by December. Authority co-chair Kerry Stemler says the plan will outline how to pay for two new bridges and a reworked Spaghetti Junction, despite the fact that a recent CN2 poll showed a majority of likely voters favor an east-end bridge only.

It will be interesting to see, then, how the authority treats an item it added to its next meeting agenda. The authority has decided to discuss the 8664 plan and the multiple-phase bridges project in St. Louis. Stemler says he’s already reviewed those plans, and the authority is looking to “answer questions” by publicly discussing alternatives to the ORBP.

The Say No To Bridge Tolls group suggested splitting up the project into three phases (one for each bridge and one for Spaghetti Junction) and building them separately with the east-end bridge first and the rest following, if necessary.

Update: Republican Mayoral candidate Hal Heiner‘s campaign released this statement about tolls:

I oppose tolling spaghetti junction. Asking our citizens to pay a toll every time they visit and leave our new arena, restaurants, museums or even hospitals is the kind of idea that will hurt jobs and families in Louisville.

We should be working to pull Louisville out of this recession, not adding more of a financial burden on Louisvillians as they travel within our city. If this is the financing option to move forward with this project, I think we should make the responsible decision and break the project into phases, while moving forward with the portion we can afford, the east end bridge. During that time we will work to streamline the remaining phases.

Today I am calling on the Bridges Authority to include in any analysis, the economic impact of tolls on the following Louisville businesses when considering financing options for the bridges project.

Democrat Greg Fischer says

I’m all for creative funding ideas, but that’s the most outlandish thing I’ve ever heard. I won’t support that — and the people of Louisville won’t support that.

The National Media, Context And The Senate Race

How’s that for an attractive headline?

No matter what your feelings about Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul, do you ever think national stories about Paul essentially say little more than “Get a load of this guy?” It seems like Paul is unbelievable to people outside the commonwealth (and to some Kentuckians, too). This can go either way for Paul. Sometimes people praise him as a refreshing candidate bringing certain ideas to the mainstream for the first time. Other times, people wonder how he won the primary against a less extreme candidate.

This approach isn’t the reporters’ fault. (After all, Paul didn’t really make a splash on the national scene until late May, and by that time, Kentuckians were fairly familiar with his existence, though not necessarily all of his opinions.) It can certainly be argued that each story chips away another piece of the mysterious aura that surrounds Paul’s specific ideology–something that perhaps every candidate should be subjected to in some way. But it’s understandable that some people find occasional lack of context in Paul’s national treatment patronizing.

Well, JL Weill recently took to the virtual pages of The Awl to try and offer outsiders context on the Senate race.

Kentucky used to—and in most corners of the state still proudly does—consider itself rough-hewn frontier country. Colonially an extension of Virginia, it was originally inhabited mostly by the intrepid and the damned, those restless souls who sought fortune or anonymity among its bountiful poplars and fertile soil.

But bolder pioneers kept moving west in search of riches, and the more industrious fled north to growing cities along the Ohio River and up to Chicago. Those who remained settled in for the long haul, for better and worse. As a result, what evolved was a proud people, girded by personal strength in the face of adversity, closely tied to a raw spirit of individuality and fiercely protective of their hard-earned freedom from the meddling intrusion of outsiders; in short, the kind of people you might expect to find in a mostly rural, often poor, landlocked region.

This is projection. But that zeitgeist, that preternatural urge for self-preservation and a natural distrust of the other, posits itself still among the Bluegrass masses, from its politics to its beloved basketball prowess.

From this came much of the support I witnessed last spring for Rand Paul.

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Bearing the state’s aforementioned history in mind is instructional when looking at the so-far success of Paul’s candidacy for U.S. Senate. In a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans mightily(despite recent trend of right-wing presidential winners there), it’s not surprising that it’s the state’s Republicans and Independents who most reflect the “us against the world” vibe. You’re looking at the skeptical and often insecure core of an already wary populace. No wonder, then, that Paul’s brand of Libertarianism plays well in these pockets.

This is not to dismiss those who find kinship with the substance of his governing philosophy (in that there is any governance in it). A hands-off, regulatory-free government fits the Kentucky mold neatly, appealing to the defensive and the free in equal measure, be they gun-toting or bong-loading.

But mostly, it’s been Paul’s shrewd use of the perception that they are all out to get him, and, by proxy, the citizens he represents, that has resonated. Ask many of his less dogmatic advocates for his policy positions and beyond a general “smaller government” theme, you’re more likely to get a diatribe on the media and governing elite rather than an exegesis of his tax proposals.

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And yet, while the feeding frenzy on the Sunday talk shows and chatter at the white wine brunches in Prospect Park might appear to inflict irreparable damage on candidate Paul, back home he continues on his merry way, greeting an increasing horde of well-wishers—principally independents and disgruntled Republicans finding in Paul’s emergence their own brand of “Change We Can Believe In.”

It’s all a bit schizophrenic, and I’d be hesitant to credit some balding political operative with creating it whole cloth, but it’s working for him right now. If these are pieces adding up to a mythology around what is, ostensibly, a politically nerdy and overly paranoid ophthalmologist from a sleepy country town in one of the least populous states in America, then it’s a little nugget of organic political beauty. Can you even name his Democratic opponent?