Hoosiers for Dan Borsch for Louisville Metro Council.

I suppose my first awareness of Dan Borsch was during the run-up to the pre-ordained Ohio River Bridges boondoggle.

We've actually met only a handful of times, if that. But I've always admired Dan's spot-on politics from afar, as well as his success in the restaurant and bar business. If you can make it THERE, in THAT unforgiving line of work, you can make it anywhere.

In this case, I hope Dan makes it to Louisville Metro Council. Here's one of his recent stump messages.

Right on, brother.

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Dan Borsch for Louisville Metro Council

When I took over a neighborhood diner 12 years ago I had no idea the education I was about to receive about society and how cities operate. I had led a privileged life attending the best schools in Louisville through the Traditional program at Male and then on to universities and professional jobs with a few stints in the service industry during high school and college, but only for spending money, not as a career. Taking over a worn-down diner in the most diverse neighborhood in Louisville opened my eyes to the everyday struggle so many of our neighbors go through, a struggle that is mostly a product of the system we have created.

Unless you see for yourself on a daily basis how hard it is to succeed in the world today for those without connections and/or professional backgrounds, and how the stresses of poverty shapes your outlook on life, it is nearly impossible to understand just how rigged our system is. Too many see no path to success. Too many have not had the access to opportunity they should have. Too many have had interactions with police that are degrading, insulting and sadly much worse. Too many have had work experiences that devalued them. I see the scars of these policy decisions too often. I see the product of a lack of respect for the black and working class population daily.

Our community has been focused on subsidizing luxury hotels and sprawl while we have ignored the suffering and lack of investment that surrounds us. We have not focused on the basics of good governing, instead choosing to focus on mega projects and splashy ribbon cuttings. I saw these failings firsthand and have for well over the last decade tried to educate my friends while speaking out against what I saw as a misplaced priorities in our community. I became persona non grata with some of the powers that be in our community for daring to speak out against the Bridges project, the Omni Hotel and convention center, the wastefulness of how we spend transportation money and where we choose to spend it, Urban Services District, 4th Street Live, the Urban Government Center, TIF districts.... the list goes on. I saw that we were not investing in areas of our city where the alleys and abandoned properties were piled with waste, where the schools had not been renovated in decades, where the sidewalks were not passible, where the corner store was boarded up or bulldozed into a vacant lot. I went before the Metro Council and advocated for a $15 minimum wage. I went to hearings and meetings to fight for changes. I filed open records requests to hold people accountable. But I failed to succeed in persuading the leadership in Louisville to change. The establishment saw a façade of success and were insulated from the pain that too many live with daily.

I saw it in the faces of my customers whose luxury dining out experience after the first of the month is a neighborhood diner. I felt it in the rage some had when they felt slighted or mistreated as a guest. I knew it in conversations with cooks, servers, and managers over the years about the life they led and while discussing their aspirations and dreams. Even though we grew up in the same city, we lived a world apart. No amount of mentoring and advice could break through the tough façade that so many have erected to protect themselves. I saw too many that had given up hope that they could move up in life and be successful in society. Bouncing from job to job with no hope for the future. I saw firsthand how the drug epidemic has ravished our society. How great people devolved into hard core addicts. I have seen the struggling mom fighting through treatment so she can once again see her children. The customers that were strung out and the ones that used my restrooms to shoot up.

I wish I could have done more, but life gets in the way of the best of intentions. We are reaping what we have sowed, and the only way forward is to look in the mirror and realize that if we don’t change the system in meaningful ways, we will not change the outcome we are getting today. When the FORBES 400 controls MORE WEALTH than the entire black community, we have FAILED. When our DEVELOPMENT FOCUS is based on SUBSIDIZING CORPORATIONS, we have FAILED. When our EDUCATION SYSTEM succeeds for a FRACTION OF OUR CHILDREN, we have FAILED. When we have THOUSAND OF HOMELESS AND ADDICTED LIVING ON OUR STREETS, we have FAILED. When we have TWO SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE, we have FAILED. When we DISRESPECT A CLASS OF CITIZENS AND MILITARIZE OUR POLICE, we have FAILED. When we have a SYSTEM THAT DOESN'T PROVIDE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND PATH TO SUCCESS, we have FAILED. We must change and we must accept that THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. We have many tough decisions ahead of us, but I believe we can change the path we are on and that we have been awaken from our slumber. The façade has been pulled away and the rotting structure exposed. Justice Brandeis wrote that the best disinfectant is sunlight, we must shine the light on a broken system and recognize it for what it is, a failure.

Now is the time to rebuild the city, and country, we deserve where everyone has the opportunities we read about and dreamed of. We are all in this together.

Candidate Vaughn's letter to INDOT about the Sherman Minton Bridge.

A cynic (who, me?) might assert that a letter from a candidate for county council stands to have little impact on bloated state bureaucracies like INDOT, but I disagree with this standpoint.

In my view, candidates like Nick Vaughn must articulate coherent positions on issues out in the real world, while at the same time revealing to voters something about what makes them tick in the sense of smarts, values and a willingness to get in the thick of it. 

In this letter, Vaughn demonstrates these qualities. He understands that coming on the heels of COVID's toll on independent small business, INDOT's "renewal" plans could easily constitute a death sentence for those entities managing to survive a pandemic, only to find unresponsive state government waiting at the gate with a bloody scythe.

I eagerly await the points of view of other candidates. 

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Nick Vaughn Sends Letter to INDOT Urging No Full Closure of Sherman Minton Bridge in 2021

New Albany, IN -- On Monday, May 11th, County Council Candidate Nick Vaughn sent a letter to the Indiana Department of Transportation urging them to remove a full closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge from consideration for the repairs scheduled for 2021.

In his letter, Vaughn makes note of the unprecedented times we are in due to COVID-19 and how hard the pandemic has made it to own a local business in Floyd County:

“Local businesses have already had to adapt or face closure during these current unprecedented times due to the pandemic.

I fear that a full closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge would be deadly to Floyd County’s local economy and cause an economic crisis which would require state intervention.”

Additionally, Vaughn called for an economic impact study to be carried out and released to the public and called on state leaders to create an economic stimulus package to protect Floyd County’s local economy during a partial bridge closure.

Included among such an economic stimulus plan should be:

• The ability for Floyd County residents to claim at least half of money spent on bridge tolls on their taxes for a credit.
• The authorization of funds to be dispersed to Floyd County for the purposes of small business loans.
• Advertising stipends for locally owned Floyd County businesses to use to market to Floyd County residents during the duration of the partial bridge closure.
• The formation of a cooperative local economic advisory board made up of locally elected officials and community stakeholders.

On the prospects of a full closure, Vaughn stated that “There is no doubt that the full closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge would be an economic disaster for Floyd County.”

Madam, I'm Adam: Local Dem's latest revolving door candidate for District 72 House makes the news.

You'd think Adam could find SOMEONE among the DemoDisneyDixiecrats to run against Ed Clere who isn't a teacher, a former teacher or married to a teacher. I mean, the law of averages, (center) right?

Don't get me wrong. My mother was a teacher, and I grew up around teachers. I made various ineffectual attempts to be a teacher, and often have pretended to be a (beer) teacher. Ed's wife Amy is a teacher. I respect teachers immensely.

It's just this: what's the statistical probability that the Democrats would continue to go to the same well for candidates when it never seems to work out for them?

The last candidate for 72 to fit this bill was shadowy city attorney Shane Gibson, who took time from a busy schedule of depositing big buck bond bonuses to contest the seat in 2010. He lost, thus establishing a pattern that persists to the present day.

Hell, I'll do it in 2022. Ed and I could stage an informative and collegial series of co-campaign events featuring an actual discussion of genuine issues. 

Nah, never mind. Squire Adam wouldn't go for THAT, would he?

Rep. Clere's one-time challenger in 2020 is Erica Lawrence, an educator and principal who works in Louisville, and she's kicking off her campaign at the Division Street School on Sunday, March 15. 

Let's allow the esteemed local party chairman sufficient time to rationalize the following. Surely the departed Kentucky governor Matt Bevin can be blamed for it.

Three more JCPS principals recommended for removal after state audits, by Kevin Wheatley (WDRB)

Three principals at Jefferson County Public Schools have been deemed unfit to lead their struggling schools’ turnaround efforts following diagnostic audits by the Kentucky Department of Education.

That means the state has recommended that nine JCPS principals at schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement shouldn’t be retained in their positions. JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio will decide whether to retain those principals.

One, former Mill Creek Elementary Principal Michelle Pennix, has already accepted a voluntary reassignment.

In the latest batch of diagnostic reviews released Monday, the state recommended that Engelhard Elementary Principal Ryan McCoy, Trunnell Elementary Principal Stephanie Smith and Young Elementary Principal Erica Lawrence be removed from their schools and reassigned to comparable positions.

Lawrence is a Democratic candidate for Indiana's House of Representatives, challenging Republican Rep. Ed Clere for his seat representing the New Albany area.

JCPS Communications Director Renee Murphy said Pollio will meet with the affected principals and determine next steps at a later date ...

Seeking re-election, county councilman Dale Bagshaw won't accept campaign donations from PACS, special interests or those doing business with Floyd County.

Just a few days ago we spied a healthy phenomenon.

Ryan Fenwick (Louisville) and Nick Vaughn (Floyd County) reject developer, contractor and special interest campaign donations. Shouldn't this be a trend, Jeffrey?

Bravo to Dale Bagshaw for this expression of principle. Let's hope more candidates in the 2020 local election cycle do the same. Maybe even Democrats ...

As most know, I am running for re-election to the Floyd County Council. The council is the fiscal body of the county and as such is solely responsible for allocating and appropriating funds spent in the county. The council does not negotiate contracts, and is not responsible for roads/bridges or zoning issues. That’s what the county commissioners are responsible for.

However, in the spirit of transparency and accountability: I have never, nor will I, accept donations this election from pacs, special interests, or those doing business with the county. I will instead accept donations from individuals and entities that believe in small fiscally conservative government, as I do.

Respectfully, Dale Bagshaw

Ryan Fenwick (Louisville) and Nick Vaughn (Floyd County) reject developer, contractor and special interest campaign donations. Shouldn't this be a trend, Jeffrey?

Back in January when Nick Vaughn announced for Floyd County council, I noticed this.

Can you imagine ranking Democratic office-holders in New Albany rejecting developer, contractor or special interest money? It's simply inconceivable given the voracious needs of the political patronage machine, as newcomers like Jason Applegate seem to have learned all too quickly.

Over in Louisville, Ryan Fenwick is making a principled stand similar to that of Vaughn. Fenwick is challenging the incumbent Pat Mulvihill in the Democratic Party primary.

Ryan Fenwick for Metro Council District 10

As Jeff Gillenwater noted: This, everywhere, now.

I AM NOT TAKING DEVELOPER MONEY

My opponent has received thousands in contributions from developers and high ranking Metro Government officials.

Since Metro Council has the final vote on project incentives, waivers, zoning and planning issues, and landmark status designation, as well as a regulatory role over Metro Government agencies, I am calling for an end to what appears to be a common practice.

At best, accepting such donations creates the appearance of a conflict of interest; at worst, it creates a regulatory environment where favoritism can outweigh merit when voting on development related issues. This can result in outcomes that are out of step with the community’s expectations and pernicious to taxpayer interests.

Today I pledged not to take any money from developers or high ranking members of Metro Government. This campaign will be funded by grassroots donors. Can you chip in?

Thomas Frank explains how Trump could win another term, and how genetically altered Democrats might prevent it.

There's no water at THIS reservoir.

"In the vast catalogue of social posturing, there are few more repugnant sights than rich people congratulating themselves for being righteous. In particular, it is a terrible way to win back the blue-collar white voters who were responsible, even more than were the Russians, for Trump’s win."
-- Thomas Frank

Frank's original essay at Harper's is a longer read, and I recommend it, but the Cliff Notes version is provided at The Nation.

Thomas Frank: Trump Could Win the 2020 Election, by Jon Wiener (The Nation)

Let's focus on two questions asked of Frank by Wiener.

JW: Okay, what about Mueller saving us?

TF: Every Democrat that I talked to is counting on Mueller to deliver the midterms for them. This has worked for Democrats before. The famous Watergate class in Congress in 1974 was entirely the doing of Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal, and the Democrats are basically expecting that to happen again. It looks like it will work.

JW: What’s wrong with that?

TF: It breeds a kind of passiveness among Democrats where they never have to think about their own message. They may succeed in the coming midterms, but that’s a recipe for disaster in the long term. If Trump is not running for reelection three years from now, there’s going to be another Trump. The Republicans are never going to retreat from what this guy showed them in 2016. They now understand how you beat the Democrats. The next Trump is not going to be so vulgar, he’s not going to have affairs with porn stars, he’s not going to pick fights with NFL players. So the Democrats have to be thinking bigger. They can’t think “Oh, he screwed up. Great! Now we get back in.”

Or, as Frank put it at greater length at Harper's:

How do Democrats change course without sounding like they’re criticizing Obama or the Clintons — or, by extension, the neoliberal fantasy that has sustained the party since the Nineties? The answer is that they can’t, and so they don’t. They would rather sit back and expect Robert Mueller to rescue them. They would rather count on demographic change to give them a majority somewhere down the road. So they “do nothing and wait for the other side to implode,” observed Bill Curry, a former adviser to President Clinton who has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s strongest internal critics. “That’s been their strategy for most of my adult life. Well, how’s that been working out?”

Curry continued his critique. The party, he said, desperately needs to get over its infatuation with its glorious past: “The mistakes of the Democratic Party are the mistakes of Obama and Clinton. Taking responsibility for those mistakes means holding them accountable. And so many people have such deep, positive feelings for Obama and the Clintons that they can’t bear to have that conversation.” His conclusion was as blunt as what I heard from so many others: “Trump wins by the Democrats not changing.”

It would be enjoyable to speak of these matters with our local Democratic horizontal hierarchy, serial drinkers of the DNC's by-the-numbers-bot-speaking Kool-Aid for so very long. But it remains a tableau of circled wagons, dedicated first and foremost to maintaining grassroots beak-wetting at the expense of ideas.

Frank persists in offering the solution to our miasma.

Get that great majority back together, I think, and it would be unstoppable. There is really only one set of successful politics for an age of inequality like this one, and it naturally favors the party of Roosevelt. Trump succeeded by pretending to be the heir of populists past, acting the role of a rough-hewn reformer who detested the powerful and cared about working-class people. Now it is the turn of Democrats to take it back from him. They may have to fire their consultants. They may have to stand up to their donors. They will certainly have to find the courage to change, to dump the ideology of the Nineties, the catechism of tech, bank, and globe that everyone now knows is nothing but an excuse for an out-of-touch elite. But the time has come. History is calling.

Our Revolution: "It Is Not Our Job to Fit Into the Democratic Establishment."

As though economics don't exist, these two Clintonites call for the Democratic Party to court the center.

The path back to power for the Democratic Party today, as it was in the 1990s, is unquestionably to move to the center and reject the siren calls of the left, whose policies and ideas have weakened the party.

To which Robert Reich plausibly rebutted:

Almost everything in the oped is dead wrong. For the last 40 years, Republicans have been moving to the right and Democrats have been moving to the so-called “center,” with the result that the center keeps shifting rightward and the Democrats have lost their way.

Nor can Democrats expect to win simply by being against Trump.

Democrats have to take a bold stand to make America work for the many -- reversing the unprecedented concentration of income, wealth, and political power in the hands of a few.

I wonder which of these costumes Chairman Adam will be inhabiting this week, and how often he'll be switching between one and the other? That's a lot of non-existent phone booths for someone who isn't even Superman.

Nina Turner: It Is Not Our Job to Fit Into the Democratic Establishment, by Collier Meyerson (The Nation)

The new president of Our Revolution on race, class, electoral strategy, and whether we’ll feel the Bern in 2020.

Nina Turner is a “proud homegirl” of Cleveland, Ohio, where she was a state senator from 2008 to 2014 and a candidate for secretary of state in 2014. Long viewed as a rising star inside the Democratic Party, Turner began 2015 affiliated with the Ready for Hillary Super PAC, only to throw her support behind Bernie Sanders later in the year. During the primary, Turner became one of the most prominent black voices to stump for Sanders, and she has remained an active Sanders ally, joining the board of Our Revolution. On Thursday, the organization announced that Turner would take over as president, replacing Jeff Weaver, who was Sanders’s campaign manager in 2016. The Nation spoke with Turner about her goals for the group. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I'll leave this q/a right here.

CM: How will Our Revolution relate to the DNC, the DCCC, the DSCC, that kind of establishment that so many activists and politicians, including you, have frequently criticized?

NT: I don’t think it is our job nor our obligation to fit in. It’s their job to fit in with us. But the overwhelming majority of registered voters in this country, I think it’s 53 percent or maybe 54 percent, identify as independent. Now, we know independents lean one way or the other but they identify as independent so that means that both political parties need to do some soul searching. I’m certainly willing to sit across the table with almost anybody if we gonna work towards the collective good, but it is not Our Revolution’s job to fit in with them.