CN|2 Politics

Happy New Year! Pure Politics will be back on the air from its eight-day winter slumber on Tuesday, Jan. 3. In the meantime, thanks for keeping up with latest happenings online. In that spirit, I thought I’d kick off 2012 with a pair of columns looking ahead at some of the key people and storylines to watch. On Tuesday morning, I’ll publish the second part. First, I’ll start with some of the people who could have interesting years — beyond... Read more 

Perhaps the most fitting spotlight for the winners of the 2011 campaigns didn’t fall on them on Election Night but on inauguration day for Gov. Steve Beshear. All of the constitutional officers elected — or re-elected on Nov. 8 — walked down the Capitol steps from the Senate chambers with their significant others during the Grand March on inauguration night. That included the lone Republican, Agriculture Commissioner-elect James Comer, three re-elected Democrats (Beshear, Attorney General Jack Conway and Treasurer Todd... Read more 

The supercommittee of six Democrats and six Republicans might be struggling to make a “big deal” to reduce federal spending over 10 years by $1.2 trillion by its deadline later this week. But, on the bright side, at least there’s not an immediate threat of a government shutdown on top of that. Congress — with Kentucky U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Somerset at the forefront — made sure of that last week by passing the 2012 budget for several key... Read more 

In Washington, Republicans and Democrats say they both understand that bridges are stressed and crumbling across the country. In Kentucky, the Sherman Minton Bridge that carries I-64 traffic across the Ohio River to Louisville stands empty as its cracked steel beams are repaired. The Brent Spence Bridge between Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati is classified as “functionally obsolete.” Yet, this week, Republican and Democratic senators turned down each others’ proposals to deal with it. Congress still has a chance to deal with... Read more 

Kentucky candidates and officials popped up next to the newest model of the Toyota Camry, as well as a a $600,000 ham last week. Here’s the “Week in Review” in Kentucky politics for the week of Aug. 22-27. So, tell them what they’ve won:  Read more 

One state employee successfully called for an investigation into potential improper hiring in the Agriculture Department. At the same time last week, Gov. Steve Beshear signaled that he would seek to avoid requiring unpaid leave days for state employees in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. Both developments could have political implications on the governor’s race. A Personnel Board investigation into hiring in the Agriculture Department could be an unwelcome distraction for Richie Farmer, who is running for... Read more 

The most influential force in the last week of Kentucky politics wasn’t a candidate or an elected official. It was an agency — and not even one based in Kentucky. The most talked about — and verbally flogged — entity in Kentucky lately has been the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For instance, it was the subject of U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s June 1 speech in Lexington to the Kentucky Coal Association. McConnell described the EPA’s actions as... Read more 

Phil Moffett might not have won the Republican primary for governor last week, but he garnered enough support to win the respect of GOP leaders. Moffett and his lieutenant governor candidate state Rep. Mike Harmon of Danville lost the primary nomination by 10 points to David Williams, the Senate president, and his running mate, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer. But Williams and Farmer out-raised and out-spent Moffett and Harmon by about 10-1 (roughly $1.3 million to around $135,000). Now, Moffett’s popularity... Read more 

This week’s “Influencer Spotlight” shines the light on one of the few forces in Kentucky that could so thoroughly unite political adversaries: the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Last week, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and Republican Senate President David Williams — who have clashed frequently and are both running for governor — made the trip to Houston to watch UK in the Final Four. - Ryan Alessi  Read more 

Kentucky’s freshman Sen. Rand Paul announced last week that he would unveil a plan aimed at revamping Social Security to make it more financially stable. He also fueled speculation that he might jump in the Republican primary for president — if his dad, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, didn’t. The headlines that generated alone might have been enough to land Paul in the “Influencer Spotlight” segment for this week. But his admission that he’s considering a run for the White House also... Read more