Andy Barr, the representative from Kentucky’s 6th district since 2013, is now muscling in to succeed Mitch McConnell in the U.S. Senate. In the last few years Barr has gone from moderate business republican to now cozying up to the farthest right-wing elements, acting as a Trump Mini-Me , groveling for MAGA endorsements and corporate PAC cash. Don’t let the mild-mannered suit fool you. Underneath, it’s the same stale MAGA playbook and empty promises. Career Counselor to Wall Street When Andy Barr talks about “serving Kentucky,” he means the part of Kentucky that runs hedge funds and holds real estate portfolios. Not the folks in Eastern Kentucky struggling with hospital closures or the teachers paying for classroom supplies out of pocket. Barr didn’t build his career on Main Street; he built it lobbying for, and then legislating in favor of, America’s most powerful financial institutions . Before running for Congress, Barr cut his teeth as a staffer for Mitch McConnell and later worked...

While most Kentuckians are working hard just to make ends meet, Senate President Robert Stivers is hard at work consolidating power, cutting deals, and rewriting the rules to benefit his political allies. Behind the polished podium speeches and empty talk of “good governance” lies a record of insider favoritism, partisan purges, and backroom influence that’s left everyday Kentuckians behind. It’s time to shine a light on the man running the Senate like it’s his personal fiefdom.  Weaponizing Power Over Commissions In early 2025, Stivers pushed Senate Bill 8 to stack the Public Service Commission —adding partisan seats and forcing out members appointed by a Democratic governor . He claims it's about "expertise," but this is a blatant attempt to install his cronies and sideline independent regulators. Later, he quietly stalled the bill. J ust enough to avoid blowback . Strategy, not principle. Fundraising for Judges: Deep Conflicts Stivers publicly shrugged off conce...

James Comer wants you to think he’s a crusader for truth. A no-nonsense, God-fearing Kentuckian holding corrupt elites accountable from his seat atop the House Oversight Committee. But here’s the reality: James Comer isn’t investigating corruption. He’s part of it. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A Committee Chair Who Can't Chair a Meeting Since taking over the House Oversight Committee, Comer’s performance has been less "watchdog" and more wannabe Fox News host with a gavel . His so-called investigations have turned into embarrassments, filled with half-baked accusations, missing evidence, and made-for-TV soundbites that fizzle under real scrutiny. Instead of focusing on things that actually matter to Kentuckians, like healthcare access, rural infrastructure, or economic survival, Comer has wasted taxpayer time and money chasing political boogeymen . And when the heat’s on him? He d...

At a July 15 legislative committee hearing in Frankfort, Rep. Shane Baker, who once pushed to return the Ten Commandments to Kentucky’s Capitol, decided to interrogate a university course on Black Lives Matter, gender and women’s studies. He flat-out demanded to know why our tax dollars are funding lessons on equality and justice . Smokescreen of "Accountability" Rep. Shane Baker wants you to believe he’s just being a good steward of your tax dollars. That’s the role he plays in committee hearings, calmly asking bureaucrats why the University of Kentucky would dare offer courses that explore systemic inequality and gender justice. But don’t let the tone fool you. This isn’t budget oversight. It’s a censorship campaign wearing a fiscal mask. In the July 15 hearing, Baker singled out a UK course titled “Gender and Women’s Studies in the U.S.: Black Lives Matter.” He read the course description aloud to the committee with a tone of suspicion, pausing after this line: “The 14th...

T his week, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to tell his followers what he really thinks about Jeffrey Epstein: "Nobody cares about Epstein. Leave it alone." That wasn't a slip-up. That was a calculated attempt to shut down the very line of questioning that threatens to blow the lid off decades of elite abuse, corruption, and cover-ups. Let’s be clear. Trump partied with Epstein. Trump praised Epstein. Trump told New York Magazine in 2002 that Epstein was a "terrific guy" who "likes beautiful women as much as I do, many of them on the younger side." This isn't a conspiracy. It's a matter of public record. And now, facing increasing scrutiny after AG Pam Bondi was caught in the fallout of newly released Epstein files, Trump wants to change the subject. He doesn’t want the base he built on "draining the swamp" to look too hard at the real monsters who have always thrived in it. Trump's message to MAGA was loud and clear: Loyalty to...

Brett Guthrie is out here celebrating like he just handed every working family in Kentucky a golden ticket. He calls the new Republican-backed bill a “victory” and claims it “protects the most vulnerable” while “cutting waste.” But let’s be honest: this isn’t a victory. It’s a betrayal . A betrayal wrapped in talking points and tied up with a flag pin. Medicaid Reform? More Like Medicaid Gutting Guthrie says the bill “secures Medicaid for those who need it most,” but let’s read between the lines. What he really means is: cut off Medicaid for people who are poor, working-class, or too sick to meet some arbitrary definition of ‘deserving.’ He’s parroting the tired lie that Medicaid is overrun with “able-bodied adults who choose not to work.” In reality? Many of those adults are working  in jobs that don’t offer insurance Others are in school, caregiving, or living with untreated mental illness And let’s not forget rural Kentuckians who can’t drive 30 miles to the neares...

When Steve Meredith tells you to “take a deep breath,” he’s hoping you’ll forget to ask who lit the fire in the first place. The state senator from Leitchfield recently posted a long-winded defense of the legislature’s Medicaid budget cuts, painting himself as the sober-minded voice of reason in a storm of “fearmongering.” But if you know Steve Meredith’s past; not just his politics, but his career,  then you know exactly why his reassurances ring hollow. Because long before he was calling Medicaid unsustainable, he was profiting from it. From Hospital Exec to Political Opportunist. Before his election to the Kentucky Senate in 2016, Meredith ran a rural hospital system. Instead of being remembered as a bold reformer, he left a legacy of overworked nurses, underpaid staff, and a toxic culture that prioritized the bottom line over patient care. “Cutting the fat” in his world meant laying off frontline workers and slashing benefits while preserving bloated executive perks. And ...