Who are the real sore winners and losers from Kentucky’s recent election? | Opinion

Republican cooperation

As a Republican, I find Jake Cox’s recent opinion piece sadly laughable. While Eric Hyers’ piece was unfortunately worded, it was nonetheless true. I found many of the ads supporting Cameron to be totally despicable. Everything Republicans said Democrats did, Republican ads did in aces.

One theme of various Republican campaigns was that the legislature would work with them but would not work with Democrats. That sounded like a promise the legislature would ignore the governor. Over and over, we hear Gov. Andy Beshear doesn’t run anything by the legislature. But the legislature makes it obvious that even if Beshear were to grovel, they wouldn’t work with him unless it was something they wanted. It’s Kentucky Sens. Damon Thayer’s (R-Georgetown) and Robert Stiver’s (R-Manchester) way or no way at all.

The governor should get credit for bills he signs even if he didn’t initiate them. He, at least, didn’t block them.

Jon Larson accuses Democrats of the very acts Republicans are trying to accomplish - liberty only for the chosen; canceling anything they disagree with (book bans, sexual orientation, etc.); and lots of dead constituents (no health care or workplace safety requirements, no food or shelter for all); choosing which child will thrive (abortions).

Glenna Brouse, Lexington

Sore winners

In a recent opinion piece, Jake Cox made a good point about political manners, then proceeded to undermine his thesis. He pointed out state politicians who were good sports in defeat, then objected to Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign manager, Eric Hyers, calling Daniel Cameron’s campaign “disgusting,” “gross,” and “embarrassing.” If these remarks were made after the election, he should have accepted victory and let it go.

Then Cox goes on a rant about Beshear himself. Whenever he mentions Hyers, he ties him to “Beshear-world,” “Beshear’s Team,” or the “Beshear-orbit,” without suggesting or providing proof that Andy himself has said anything untoward. He uses phrases like “repulsed,” “shameless arrogance,” “petulant children,” “outright lies,” and “spit in the eye of Republicans” about Beshear and “his team.”

He then bragged that Republicans won nearly every other statewide race and said that because Republicans have a veto-proof supermajority in the legislature, Beshear will be relegated to a “ceremonial role” and that his political capital is “poisoned.”

But wait a minute – Cox is a winning Republican campaign manager in a state where his party won virtually every race. And his point was about “sore winners”? Am I missing something here?

Glen White, Lexington

Thayer speaks

Kentucky State Sen. Damon Thayer was quoted in the Lexington Herald-Leader saying that recently reelected Gov. Andy Beshear was “the least liked governor among legislators of both parties.” (Clearly Republican legislators don’t like Beshear, but I doubt Democrats don’t.)

If in fact Republican legislators don’t like Beshear, they are certainly at odds with the Kentucky electorate who for the last two gubernatorial elections have selected him as their leader. One would think that they would ask themselves, “Are we missing something here?” or “Why do people like him?”

Perhaps the reason Beshear is so popular is that he is not trying to take away basic freedoms that citizens have enjoyed for years. He has not, as Republican legislators have done, banned books, told women what they can do with their bodies, told teachers what they can teach, and restricted parents from dealing with their children’s health with their doctors.

My suggestion for Sen. Thayer and other Republican legislators who don’t like Beshear is to get a copy of his playbook because they will need it in coming elections. The electorate is tired of government curtailing basic freedoms and will say so loudly at future elections.

Alex Warren, Georgetown

Trump orbit

Daniel Cameron lost the election in more ways than one last week. In addition to being blown out of the water statistically, he did a disservice to the conservative party, a group of leaders who are struggling to understand their identity. Who’s the blame? The answer is clear: Donald Trump.

As the front runner in the Republican primary race, it’s clear that the national conservative voter base has to confront a classic case of cognitive dissonance. As former president Donald Trump gets passed from state to state in criminal court proceedings, it has driven the conservative voter base to either blindly back him or consider their allegiance to the party.

Cameron’s failure is a clear case of the indecisiveness of the voter base, unsure of whether to back him as a proxy of Trump, or to distance themselves from the man who’s currently in a relay race of criminal accusations.

It was the wrong time for Cameron to set the foundation for his campaign on Trump’s character, a sinking and sandy foundation at best. Maybe in 2020 a Trump endorsement would have benefited him, but in this case, it led to an easily foreseeable loss and a desperate campaign based on attacks.

Rhoman James, Lexington

McConnell long game

Al Cross is right about this. We might as well say so.

Those of us who watched KET’s Election Night program earlier this month heard Cross say that the Democratic Party is too deeply submerged nowadays into the agendas of special interest groups that have little appeal in our commonwealth.

That’s nothing new to us. We’ve seen this political handicap in the making for more than decade.

My hunch is that U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is smiling to himself. Never forget that McConnell has worked tirelessly throughout his political career to give more power, by law and court decisions, to special interest groups, their political action committees, and, most especially, their money.

So, it appears that McConnell painstakingly set a trap for the Kentucky Democratic Party and they eventually stepped into it. It took decades for McConnell to spring his trap, however.

Why did it take so long, we’ve got to wonder? Maybe McConnell’s long wait indicates Kentucky’s Democratic Party roots run much deeper than he recognized.

Tom Louderback, Louisville

Hamas war

Nothing you or I could have done would have prevented the war crimes committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

However, for weeks our government has abetted the war crimes committed by Israel. A war crime, a crime against humanity, whether committed by a single bloody hand or by mechanized death falling from the sky, is a criminal act. I ask the editors and publishers of this newspaper to voice to our Senators and Representatives our shared objection to complicity in war crimes and to appeal to them to call for an immediate ceasefire.

Josef Knoepfler, Lexington

Alternative opinion

The narrow spectrum of opinion easily available about Palestine and Israel may make you unaware of a number of views.

Gaza is an open-air prison or a concentration camp. Since around 2006 Israel has besieged Gaza and the West Bank with a blockade and an occupation that all but eliminates the free movement of Palestinians. The intent and logic of Israeli occupation have prevented recognizable institutional structures from existing in Palestine. There is less than subsistence demand in Palestine’s economy and no stable credit system operates in the national interest.

Israel is essentially a US military base, yearly receives billions in US “aid” and weaponry, and is one of the world’s most potent militaries. Few places on Earth are as densely populated as Gaza, and military violence by Israeli Defense Forces has caused the death of thousands of Gazans.

Israeli settlers are free to immigrate and colonize while Palestinians are forced from their homes.

Norman Finkelstein has compared the atrocities committed by Hamas recently to a slave rebellion. Oct. 7 did happen but so did Oct. 6, which was yet another day of Israeli prison maintenance and yet another day in the abandonment of Palestine.

Todd Kelly, Lexington

Cybersecurity

Technology and innovation have evolved to become the foundation to almost every aspect of our lives. The fact that technology touches every industry and aspect of our day-to-day lives means that cybersecurity has become even more important. As an Air Force veteran, I know that cybersecurity is also a critical part of national security.

School districts, universities, small businesses, hospitals, local governments, and more have found themselves in the crosshairs of this growing cyber threat, putting people’s data, information and security at risk. Morehead State University, Taylor Regional Hospital, and Norton Healthcare all suffered a cyberattack this year.

October marked Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a reminder of the importance of protecting and securing our digital assets. Thankfully, American tech companies are on the front lines of integrating enhanced cyber protections into their platforms and building cyber protections that are accessible to institutions of all sizes.

In our digital age, safeguarding our cyber infrastructure is essential. Cyberattacks will only continue to rise, and it’s important that we create an environment that allows technology companies to innovate to stay ahead to these threats and strengthen our cybersecurity.

Ret. Col. Steve Parker, Lexington

Compiled by Liz Carey