Governor’s race is over; thank goodness

Viewpoints

Related Photos

Ronnie Ellis

November 13, 2011

By Ronnie Ellis CNHI News Service The Richmond Register Sun Nov 13, 2011, 10:00 AM EST

Frankfort — FRANKFORT — Well, thank goodness that’s over. I can’t recall a more uninspiring campaign than the 2011 governor’s race.

It’s easy to say now, but wasn’t Gov. Steve Beshear’s 20-point win over Republican David Williams inevitable and foreseeable?

Give Beshear credit; he learns from experience. In 1996 he was “Besheared” by Mitch McConnell, who raised a lot more money in their U.S. Senate race and defined Beshear in television ads.

In the 2007 gubernatorial primary, while reporters and pundits questioned why he was holed up in private and not on the campaign trail, Beshear was busy raising money and he won in a crowded field.

So, he was ready this time, raising $10 million and defining Williams before the Republican could recover from an unexpectedly close primary.

Beshear’s campaign was straight out of McConnell’s playbook, down to never ever straying from talking points and avoiding face-to-face encounters with Williams and independent Gatewood Galbraith.

It wasn’t too hard to define Williams, who had done much of the work himself over the past 10 years as the sometimes arrogant Senate President.

A wise Democrat told me this in January. “The political graveyard is full of people who thought they could be both candidate and campaign manager.”

Williams may not be ready for the political graveyard, but he proved my friend’s point. He simultaneously tried to be candidate and campaign manager as well as Senate President during contentious regular and special sessions when he was uncharacteristically outmaneuvered by Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo, Beshear and even Republican House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover.

That’s the problem with being smarter than a lot of the folks around you — and frequently trying to prove it. Sometimes you outsmart yourself. Like picking a flawed running mate.

In January, Richie Farmer was the most popular politician in the state. But, it didn’t take long for that to change. As Republican consultant Ted Jackson told me, “When you pick a novelty candidate — whether it’s Sarah Palin or Richie Farmer — the candidate becomes an issue.”

As Al Cross, one-time political reporter and columnist for The Courier-Journal and now director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, said, Williams picked Farmer to be the “sugar to his vinegar.” But, Farmer probably proved a net negative for Williams.

Williams couldn’t escape his image as an effective partisan warrior — Beshear called him “obstructionist.” Others called Williams “the Burkesville Bully.”

Over the years, he’d alienated some in his own party, not least among them a lot of county-level activists who are so important in building grassroots support for statewide candidates.

Those negative images were so ingrained among some voters even Williams acknowledged it during and after the campaign. But, he could never escape it.

“The message wasn’t wrong, and I was just too unpopular to be elected,” he said after losing to Beshear.

Depending on your ideology or perspective, the message may have been right or it may have been wrong. Still, give Williams credit. He had a message. He offered voters a serious plan, something Beshear never did.

Cross rightly said Beshear’s refusal to debate issues or lay out a vision was a disservice to voters. But, Beshear accurately identified and exploited voters’ mood. They’re weary of partisan bickering.

In his victory speech, Beshear said he asked voters to send a strong message that it’s time for bickering to end in Frankfort, for both parties to sit down and work on Kentucky’s problems together. Voters obliged.

Beshear’s characterization and voters’ perception of Williams may have been unfair because it takes both sides to achieve compromise. However, Williams seemed to personify partisanship for many voters.

He really should have seen it coming.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.

Text Only

Viewpoints

Republicans are making some noise
FRANKFORT — Last week’s news was mostly about Tuesday’s primary election but some Republicans who were not on the ballot also had interesting things to say.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Taking our Sunday night baths
There in the head of Blair Branch, when I was growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s, we always took our weekly baths, even during cold weather, every Sunday night, whether we needed one or not.

May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Obama pursues higher tax rates
In the run-up to this weekend’s G-8 summit at Camp David, journalists have unfavorably compared European “austerity” with Barack Obama’s economic policies.
European spending cuts, the argument goes, have hurt people and are arousing political opposition, while Obama’s proposals to keep federal spending at 24 percent of gross domestic product indefinitely are likely to succeed.

May 21, 2012 1 Photo
Graduation day
It’s that time of year. What’s the old song? “I can still remember...” And I do. It’s what I talk about when I’m invited to be a graduation speaker and what I write about every year at this time.
It’s about all those painful memories.

May 18, 2012 1 Photo
Recent news could cause panic for Obama campaign
Is it panic time at Obama headquarters in Chicago? You might get that impression from watching events – and the polls – over the past few weeks.

May 17, 2012 1 Photo
EPA goes medieval on Kentucky coal
EPA goes medieval on KRoman legions? Horrific crucifixions? Sacking dissenters and making examples out of their deaths?
These may sound like some of the gruesome tactics used by military commanders of the ancient world, but according to Al Armendariz, who, until recently, was regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, it’s much more relevant to modern America than we’d care to believe.

May 13, 2012 1 Photo
Don’t just pick out a card
When Anna Jarvis launched the movement for a Mother’s Day observance in 1908, her intention was to have everyone write their mother a letter, putting some thought and sincerity into thanking and telling her what she had meant to them.
Unsurprisingly, the idea caught on quickly and became very popular. But, Jarvis was disappointed with the outcome.

May 12, 2012 1 Photo
Returning to a calmer situation
FRANKFORT – After a two-month absence, I’ve returned to Frankfort where things seem calmer than when I left.

May 11, 2012 1 Photo
Saturday night with Bea
“They made me feel so small.”
Bea does my nails. I found her because she works seven days a week until 8 at night.
She sits at the front table, which in the world of Vietnamese nail salons means the money is in her drawer, and she’s the one who makes sure everyone gets their fair share of business.

May 10, 2012 1 Photo
Why are we in the dumps, again?
The many positive comments readers and friends have given my weekly column have motivated me to keep writing it.

May 5, 2012 1 Photo
More Viewpoints Headlines

Viewpoints

Search Results

Related Photos

Governor’s race is over; thank goodness

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map