Whether or not one believes Governor Fletcher has done a good job, one has to admit that the effort to damage him by especially the Lexington Herald-Leader and even some in his own party has been beyond the pale. Boy Columnist (aka Larry Keeling) of the H-L editorial board began early with his appellation for Fletcher as “Boy Governor” – this appellation attached to a former fighter pilot, former state and congressional representative, current physician, ordained minister. This is reminiscent of the H-L’s editorial cartoonist Joel Pett’s depiction of former governor Wallace Wilkinson and his wife as weasels, a relentless ridicule of them 15 years ago…and they were democrats. One wonders why he hasn’t used the ferret, a domesticated usually albino, brownish, or silver-gray animal that is descended from the European polecat (M-W Collegiate, 11th Edition) as the proper depiction of Fletcher.
Perhaps Boy Columnist had an excuse when he began his “Boy Governor” and “Kiddy Korps” stuff early in the Fletcher tenure, noting in a column a while back his partial incapacitation due to inhaling the fumes from his lawnmower. Later, he got into the “blackberry jam” mode, when the state-of-the-art devices were misused by state officials in their ignorance of how information could be gathered by unintended parties…or parties who figured they were doing nothing any different from previous administrations – all democrat-controlled for the previous 32 years and beyond reproach, especially since no attorneys-general (all democrats) had made much of a ruckus over the same operations…but perhaps more egregiously in 2004 under A-G Stumbo because of the statute of limitations. Perhaps Boy Columnist has engaged in producing “elderberry jam” as he ages in the commentator mode.
Then, there was Boy Columnist’s being shocked and appalled when the governor had a door installed between two offices in the capitol…something that might be expected of any governor, but is still mentioned as some nefarious shenanigan to keep the public from information or the press at bay or both. Who knows? And what about the time (still mentioned occasionally, though Fletcher had nothing to do with it) when the guv’s airplane misdirected itself over bad territory? And…of course there’s always that three-misdemeanor trial coming up in November – a sitting governor absolutely flirting with 20-to-life! Lawnmower fumes at work another summer?
Over the weekend, Boy Columnist got mired in his elderberry jam or mowed the lawn (those fumes again) just before heading out to Fancy Farm and wound up saying some good things about Fletcher, all hedged, of course, by the usual. He actually didn’t castigate the governor for believing that marriage should be between only a male and female, probably BC’s favorite cause these days. That was surprising, though the fact that the H-L and Courier-Journal have put out hundreds of damaging accounts regarding the governor since 2003 is not surprising.
The governor has been more seriously beset recently by the leadership in his own party than by anything BC has to say, especially since few folks take the Herald-Leader seriously, in the first place. Lt. Gov. Pence waited until the governor was out of state before administering his sword a few weeks ago, perhaps making sure that he would get the proper attention undiluted by any afforded Fletcher at the same time. An army officer, both active and reserve, he might have been expected to have a greater degree of – if not friendship – respect for Fletcher, or at least for the office.
The statements made recently by Senate President David Williams as to the electability of Fletcher in 2007 were not helpful. Statements by others, such as Jack Richardson IV of Jefferson County, also have not been helpful, nor have the proposed candidacies of Lonnie Napier and Billy Harper and the latest, Secretary of State Trey Grayson. The pardons are the reason, of course, though the governor can’t be faulted for that action…nor could he be faulted for pardoning himself, whether or not the trial amounts to anything. Everyone in this state who has paid attention through the years understands that the “merit mess” activity by the A-G’s office is purely political, and even more so on the basis of A-G Stumbo’s recent announcements that he has no plans to run for the governorship next year. This is another way of saying that he has; otherwise, he would simply have said that he will not run. The “Palimony Chant” at Fancy Farm may have more to do with his decision than anything else, especially since the peccadilloes of Governor Patton are still remarked in the news, sordid enough to remind citizens of Stumbo’s “family” habits, as well as being drunk that time in his pickup.
Governor Fletcher is not the most astute politician…but his policies have been good ones. He can say the wrong things and maybe pick the wrong people sometimes, but he’s been as good a governor, practically speaking, as any in recent memory. His friends early in his administration – even perhaps with some help from him, given the enduring practice repeated in previous administrations – let him down. It might be well for folks to consider all this before next year. The state could do worse.
And so it goes.
Jim Clark
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