Here are some comments from Larry Dale Keeling on Fancy Farm. Keeling, a columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader goes by the Ky Kurmudgeon

Scenes from Fancy Farm

There was no blackberry jam on the food menu at today's 125th Fancy Farm Picnic (blackberry cobbler was), but the BlackBerry Jam Boy Governor and his Kiddie Korps created for themselves was prominent on the speechifying menu. And working the crowds, House Speaker Jody Richards frequently pulled out a jar of the sweet stuff that he had relabeled "Fletcher's BlackBerry Jam."

Before the speechifying began, though, former Superintendent of Public Instruction (that's a job title I haven't written in a while) John Stephenson sang and whistled his way through "My Old Kentucky Home," stopping in the middle to coax Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Attorney General Greg Stumbo into shaking hands in front of the crowd. That would be the end of the congeniality.

Normally relaxed and comfortable delivering a speech (particularly since winning the 2003 election), Fletcher appeared to be pressing, sometimes stumbling over his words and saying at one point, "It's long overdue that we have the mediocrity that we've seen ..." I'm fairly sure that's not what he intended to say. But he did have a good line about Stumbo having the best job because he gets paid $90,000 "and you spend all your time fishing in Frankfort."

Lt. Gov. Steve Pence went on the attack and scored with a reference to Stumbo's lavish home adjacent to StoneCrest, a Floyd County golf course built with public money on a former strip mine. "How can I get the taxpayers to build a private golf course behind my house?" Pence asked. But Pence appeared in need of a reality check when he showed the crowd letters of recommendation Stumbo and Richards wrote in the past in support of people seeking merit system jobs. BG and his KK have tried this excuse before, and it's failed because the ongoing special grand jury investigation of this administration's hiring practices isn't about letters of recommendations. It's about hirings and firings that allegedly violated the law prohibiting consideration of political affiliation in filling merit system jobs.

House Speaker Richards had several good lines. "I went by the Governor's Office the other day," he said, "and all I could hear was, 'Oh, pardon me.'" Responding to BG's "fishing in Frankfort" remark, Richards said of Stumbo, "He's already landed some big fish, and he's about to get the biggest one." Richards also recited a poem about "Ernie Wonka" (returning a poetic "favor" BG bestowed on him last year) that included the line: "Sweet Ernie is in a BlackBerry Jam."

Speaking as a proxy for indicted state Republican Party Chairman Darrell Brock Jr., Larry Forgy was introduced as the "acting chairman of the Republican Party" and delivered a manic recitation of past Democratic officeholders and their family members convicted of various crimes that he obviously thought were more serious than the violations allegedly committed by members of BG's Kiddie Korps. Hello, at last count, that special grand jury had delivered 22 felony indictments. Forgy may not agree, but I consider felony indictments to be serious.

One of the Democrats included in Forgy's recitation was Jerry Lundergan, the current party chairman whose own past conviction was overturned on a technicality. When he followed Forgy to the podium, I thought from his opening remarks emphasizing Democratic values that he might be smart enough not to mention the current mess in Frankfort. But he did, thereby emphasizing the fact that Democrats should put a muzzle on him. Whenever he says anything about this BlackBerry Jam, his own past makes him and his party look hypocritical.

But I must admit that Lundergan scored the symbolic victory of the day, at least until he opened his mouth again. When BG and several other Republicans (including indicted Transportation Cabinet Secretary Bill Nighbert) abandoned the stage before Stumbo's speech, Lundergan met BG and presented him a large basket of fresh blackberries, leading to this exchange captured on tape by Kentucky Public Radio's Tony McVeigh:

Lundergan: "You help the first lady enjoy these blackberries. Put some milk on them. Put some milk on them."

BG: "Did you acquire these legally or not?"

Lundergan: "Most things I do, I try to do it by the law."

BG: "Most. I think that's a pretty good statement."

In his speech, Stumbo called attention to BG's early departure by recycling the old saying: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." He went on to note that BG, at a Republican breakfast this morning, declared war on the attorney general's office. Stumbo noted that BG has a superior air force (which he wants to add to), more technological expertise, and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers to help him in a cover-up. But "the law will prevail," Stumbo said, adding that "no man, no business, no politician is above the law." Earlier, Stumbo had responded to BG's criticism of him by saying, "I've been called a lot worse things by a lot better men."

Although Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson made a few references to Stumbo, he and Democratic Auditor Crit Luallen, who is rumored to be considering a run for governor in 2007, took a somewhat higher road than most of the other speakers.

In addition to Richards' jar of "Fletcher's BlackBerry Jam" and Lundergan's basket of fresh blackberries,
the props, T-shirts and signs that grabbed my attention included:

"Whistle-blower Whistles," which Democrats used loudly when BG arrived at the picnic and during any Republican's speech.

"I'm on Crit's List" buttons.

"Where's McConnell" fans.

"KgBI" T-shirts sported by Republicans.

A T-shirt with Stumbo's face beneath the legend "WANTED Deadbeat or Live."


Response

It looks like the war rages on. If I didn't know better I'd say this was an election year. I'd say next year, politically will be vicious and by the time 2007 rolls around, assuming the entire administration isn't impeached, the campaign will be absolutely vile. I look forward to it. The Republicans have continued to try and run this country and this state into the ground. While the Democrats have their faults, they certainly don't bring the vile disgust I feel when I look at Fletcher and the Bush administration.

posted by Stithmeister @ 7:48 PM
 
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At 8:33 PM,  Rachael Clark said...

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