Should Andy and Daniel Try To Be Like Mike (Adams)?
In the last edition of the Bluegrass Beat, I asked readers to email me about:
1. What they were satisfied with in terms of government/politics/policy in Kentucky or around the country in 2020
2. What disappointed them
3. What they were looking forward to in 2021 and
4. Any questions they had.
I’ll come back to the questions at a later date. But here are some of the responses to the other questions:
What You Were Satisfied With In 2020
“I was thrilled at the sometimes clunky but ultimately effective cooperation between Governor Beshear and Michael Adams to allow Kentuckians safe options for voting,” said Beth Silvers of Union, Kentucky, one of the hosts of a great politics podcast called Pantsuit Politics.
“I was delighted to see Pete Buttigieg on the scene. Even though I didn't vote for him, his spirit, style, and decency reminded me why I used to like politics,” said Jamie from San Diego.
“It’s gotta be the vaccine, especially the Oxford one. Outside of that, I’m satisfied with the furlough scheme in the UK but it could be better. (The government paid wages for a year),” said Alex from London.
“Not much. Wife and I were poll workers this year, so the actual mechanics of the election going smoothly was a happy surprise,” said Dave from Las Vegas.
“Some folks are unhappy and disappointed at the amount of money spent on the McGrath race resulting in a loss. One positive that I take away from that is the amount of work that was spent organizing Democrats and rebuilding the voter database in Kentucky. I think the rewards from that will be reaped by future Democrat candidates in Kentucky, possibly even Charles Booker,” said a reader who didn’t want their name used.
“Genuinely pleased to see Michael Adams, who ran vocally on making it harder to vote, strike deals with the governor to make it safer and easier amid crisis and a quite unhappy wing (hell, majority) of his own party. Was it perfect? No. But from the outside looking in, it felt like the best honest effort to protect democratic ideals (voting is good and everybody should do it),” said Ben from Washington, D.C.
“For the most part, Beshear's response to the pandemic,” said Lucas from Richmond, Kentucky.
“Joe Biden winning the election in Georgia. It is not because I would particularly like Joe Biden, but because it showed me progress is possible and that, electorally, things do not have to stay the same,” said Ondřej Fišer of Prague in the Czech Republic.
“I was super happy with KY’s Secretary of State working with Andy Beshear and also expressing the intent to continue the more accessible voting processes,” said a reader from Louisville who didn’t want their name used.
What Disappointed You
“There are plenty of things I’m disappointed about in the local and national response to myriad 2020 issues from basic public health trust to gross misinformation. However, one thing that bothers me greatly has been the wastefulness of large coronavirus bailout measures. Every American did not need a $1200 check this spring and we don’t need another $600 now. No one in my family of three has lost an income and we haven’t gotten sick or lost loved ones in 2020. Our government and policy wonks know how to target drastic relief to save businesses and people who ARE hurting and we are not using those levers.” Eric Ruppel from Louisville
“I was most disappointed when Elizabeth Warren lost in the primary, then when she was not selected as the vice presidential nominee, and lastly when she was not given any role in the emerging administration.” Ondřej from Prague
“Very annoyed by Daniel Cameron, specifically the lawsuit in Pennsylvania [to have some absentee ballots disqualified.] So, disappointed to see people mocking Mitch McConnell for falling down on a stage. And not loving Biden’s aide calling Republicans ‘fuckers”. It sounds like something Trump would say.” A reader who lives in Louisville
“I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I was incredibly sad at the number of Republicans who were comfortable putting power above democracy. The Texas letter [a lawsuit filed by Texas’s attorney general and embraced by about two thirds of Republicans in the House that urged the Supreme Court to effectively overturn the election results] was very frightening. What has scared me the most this year is not Donald Trump, but the people I once considered run-of-the-mill Republicans (Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio) who defended his anti-democratic behavior. I was also sad/disappointed that mask wearing became a political statement. This undoubtedly caused unnecessary deaths.” Jamie from San Diego
“That we are so polarized that many people seem to be losing faith in democracy, and that we have so many elected leaders who went along with all of the violations of democratic norms. I worry we have opened Pandora's Box with the way the presidential election was handled.” Lucas from Richmond, Ky
“For me, watching multiple institutions fail to respond appropriately and protect people in a pandemic was a special kind of horror reserved for people, like lawyers, who are definitionally institutionalists. (Like, why go to law school and invest (literally) in these institutions if you’re not—to one degree or another—an institutionalist?) And, I can’t resist considering what a better leader would have done with a pandemic in terms of using it as a transformative, consciousness-raising event,” said Ben Carter of Louisville.
“Many (most?) Americans don't give a shit about each other, wearing a mask is basically zero-cost and could save your neighbor. And the federal government, just in general ….” Dave from Las Vegas.
“I completely understand how reasonable people can disagree about various Covid restrictions, but I am something past sad and bewildered that voluntary-mask-wearing became a partisan issue.” Beth Silvers from Kentucky.
“I’m really disappointed by the way officials in the USA politicized the pandemic. In the UK, it’s upsetting to look at the government’s inaction on free school meals. It took a football player to step in to make sure kids were fed.” Alex from London.
“I think you're asking for a trend, and this behavior feels like it was informed by the broader failures in leadership your suggestion touches on, but there's an anecdote that has burned into my brain. From a May story in the Washington Post about Atlanta reopening:
“I think you have to live life,” said Jeff Lampel, taking a sip of beer.
“When you start seeing where the cases are coming from and the demographics I’m not worried,” agreed his friend Scott Friedel.
My God.” Ben from D.C.
What You Are Curious About In 2021
“I fear Biden's push for bipartisanship will blow up in his face and he'll waste time and political capital, just like Obama. I hope Trump and his enablers face consequences for their actions, legal or otherwise.” Dave from Las Vegas.
“Curious to see if Booker will accomplish something similar to Abrams in KY. Seeing people in Paintsville, KY march for Breonna was so shocking, it would be incredible if that unity continued.” A reader who lives in Louisville
“I’m curious to see what Trump does with his time, and nervous as hell about Brexit. I’m also curious to see where the Republicans go after Trump - who will lead the party?” Alex from London
“Does the Trump playbook (boorish, norm-breaking, anti-democratic) translate well to other elected officials? Example: When Marco tried to go in the mud with Trump during the 2016 Republican primary (“have you seen how small his hands are”), it just didn't land. He looked foolish. Would it be considered foolish now? I don't know. Also, is the coarsening of our politics here to stay? For example, I don't want to hear Biden administration officials call Republicans ‘fuckers’ in the press.” Jamie from San Diego
“I’m curious about the Biden administration’s ability to steer us back toward a more reasonable/cooperative form of governance and whether and how the administration’s approach will influence state governments.” Beth Silvers from Kentucky
“Here in MO-1 we elected Cori Bush who — along with Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones from NY — will increase what I would consider the Progressive Caucus in the house (side note: they need a snappy name like the Freedom Caucus). I’m very interested to see whether these added voices will increase the influence of the Progressive Caucus at all in terms of policy or if they will continue to be loud voices but be without enough votes to move leadership in their direction.” Ethan from St. Louis
“How the new federal government functions/negotiates and if any legislation at all gets passed. Whether Trump remains part of the news cycle. And what are the impacts of the pandemic to all facets of Kentucky's economy, but especially higher education. Lucas from Richmond, Ky.
“I am curious about how active and how progressive the Biden administration will be. Will they be progressive internationally? Will they in any way push for Medicare for All? Will there be any kind of student debt forgiveness? Will they regulate the tech industry (both in terms of competition and in terms of privacy protection) ? Will they effectively try to solve the voter suppression issue? What policies will they push regarding climate?” Ondřej from Prague
“I work with NYC transit [NYCT]. I am concerned and curious about the looming budget cuts to mass transit across the country. Commuter rail and subway ridership has plummeted due to Covid and has been slow to recover. In response, the MTA has proposed 40% cuts to service that would drastically impact lower income New Yorkers.” A reader who didn’t want their name used.
“I really like Charles Booker, but I wish he would run for mayor of Louisville in 2022. He'd be a great senator -- no doubt about that -- but I think he has even greater potential to help Louisville become a better city. No single person can heal our racial divide, and it's unfair to put that burden on a Black man or expect him to feel obligated to ‘fix’ all the ignorant and/or naive white people who are the bulk of the problem. That said, I think Louisville is long overdue for a person of color in that office, and Booker would bring West Louisville to a position of true power while also appealing to white liberals in the established power structure. He talks about radical ideas in a persuasive manner, but also seems savvy about the need to practice politics as a way to get what you want.” Tom from Louisville.
“We need doctors, musicians, community, religious and elected leaders on network TV who sound more like the greeter at Cracker Barrel than Lawrence O’Donnell. Why? People assume that conservative, white voters don't believe in climate change. But can you name one folksy, southern-talking, climate scientist laying it down that appeared on any MSM show? Conservatives seem to have a lock on evangelicals voters but what progressive Baptist preacher have you seen reminding us that it mentions feeding the poor 2000 times in the Bible and homosexuality only twice? Or that the Jesus of today would be in the streets protesting and would have been wrote off as a crazy, liberal radical by Fox News? I’d like to think I’m a well-rounded, large consumer of news who believes in progressive values but I’ve yet to hear someone other than a mildly drunk James Carville represent my southern, progressive views to the rest of the country.” Matt Daley of Lexington, Kentucky
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