State Senator Aaron Reed wants to look like a man of the people, boots, cowboy hat, and all, but his political playbook is pure MAGA cosplay. Beneath the costume lies a calculated career built on culture war posturing, military fetishism, and barely concealed far-right sympathies. With ambitions for higher office and a business that caters to gun culture, Reed isn’t just another right-wing state senator. He’s a walking billboard for Kentucky’s hard-right undercurrent. From Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots: Building a Brand on Macho Mythology Aaron Reed wears his military background like armor. Not just on his campaign materials, but in nearly every public appearance, policy pitch, and photo op. He leans hard into a narrative of discipline, duty, and strength, presenting himself as the hard-nosed patriot Kentucky needs. But scratch beneath the surface of this tactical persona, and what emerges is less a servant-leader and more a man obsessed with performance. Reed’s public image is carefull...

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...

Kentucky’s legislative session took a hard turn this summer. Not to audit overspending, but to purge diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from our campuses. HB 4, passed this year, was sold as a cost-cutting, viewpoint-neutral reform. But when state officials leaned on universities about DEI and courses like UK’s Gender & Women’s Studies, the conversation suddenly shifted from policy to political fear-mongering. DEI Didn’t Cost the State Much But They Still Targeted It Let’s get something straight: this wasn’t about saving money. At the July 15 hearing , representatives from Kentucky’s public universities reported how much money was "saved" by complying with HB 4’s DEI restrictions, and the numbers are laughable. Western Kentucky University reported just $13,000 in savings. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) redirected about $2.5 million (>1% of the total budget) from DEI programs to generalized student support. Not cut, just reallocated. ...

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...

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 ...