Daniel Cameron is a master of doublespeak. Does he think Ky voters don’t notice? | Opinion

DOUBLESPEAK: noun. Evasive, ambiguous language that is intended to deceive or confuse.

As the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Daniel Cameron has been in the news a lot lately. As I’ve been listening to his remarks and reading his comments, it’s struck me how often he uses doublespeak.

For instance, as Attorney General, Cameron recently signed on to a letter protesting the extension of HIPAA regulations that would include the protection of patients’ privacy rights for out-of-state reproductive health care. If you are a woman seeking an abortion in another state, for example, Cameron thinks the state of Kentucky should have access to those medical records so that Kentucky abortion laws can be enforced. The regulation could also apply to those seeking gender-affirming care. When asked about his stance, he is quick to say that “We’re not prosecuting pregnant women.” This has a reassuring ring to it, until you realize that a woman who gets an abortion is no longer pregnant.

I taught in higher education for nearly three decades. We were required to follow FERPA regulations, which give students over the age of 18 the right to decide who has access to their academic and medical records. Unless students give their permission, even parents do not have the right to see those records. Yet as our Attorney General, Cameron feels it’s perfectly fine for the state of Kentucky to have access to them. (Watch out! Big Government really IS coming after you.)

Consider, too, the television ads that suggest that Beshear is taking away parents’ rights to make decisions about the gender-affirming care of their children. Actually, SB 150, which will deny such care to Kentucky’s children and was passed along party lines, does just that. The fact that SB 150 strips parents of decision-making power is precisely why Beshear vetoed this bill. Does Cameron think that Kentuckians are too ignorant to see through his doublespeak?

In another ad, Cameron claims that Beshear has enacted a “partisan takeover of Kentucky schools.” But recall that it was Republicans who pushed partisan elections for local school boards and city councils. This proposal was largely rejected by local governments and school officials. Beshear also opposed it, stating: “That means that you’re putting an ‘R’ or a “D” above people getting along and getting things done.” It’s important to know that under current law, cities can decide whether or not their elections are partisan. The Republican Party boasts less big government, yet our Republican leaders seem all too ready to take away local control when it benefits them.

And let’s look at Cameron’s claim that he brought in $900 million in opioid settlements, much of which will go to local communities to fight the opioid crisis. Cameron is proud to boast about his win: Cameron: $900 million; Beshear: $0. Yet it was Beshear who filed the lawsuits, and it was Beshear who kept them moving despite companies’ efforts to have them dismissed. Beshear has stated that “as an attorney, you’re always supposed to share credit with other lawyers on a lawsuit, especially the ones who filed it.” What kind of individual takes credit for lawsuits he never filed and then uses it to defame his opponent? Someone who uses doublespeak to confuse and deceive.

You think we won’t notice, Daniel. But many of us are smarter than you think.

Rebecca Powell is a former elementary teacher and professor of education at Georgetown College.