If it walks like a duck

The Kentucky Legislature has a new caucus: the Commonwealth Caucus (CC). An article in the Northern Kentucky Tribune notes:

A group of junior members of Kentucky’s House of Representatives, representing House districts from across the state, announced the formation of the bi-partisan Commonwealth Caucus. (emphasis added)

Fed up with a broken political process that puts millionaires, billionaires and giant corporations ahead of everyone else, caucus members are committed to prioritizing the needs of everyday Kentuckians, their families, and local communities.

Read more.

So far the only other Kentucky media that show up in a Google search for this caucus is Forward Kentucky, a socialist-leaning news and political organization located in Louisville.

Will this new group help the pro-life cause in our state? Are their statements (above quoted) true?

1. Is it really bi-partisan? The CC members are all Democrats. Why, then, is it stated to be bi-partisan? Because they feel they will help all Kentuckians, no matter their party affiliation.

2. Are all Caucus democrats “junior members” of the House of Representatives? You can look at their pictures by clicking the links below and decide if you think they are the youngest ones. Some were elected in 2018 and began to serve in 2019, and some were elected in previous years. Also noted are the margins by which they won their race in 2018— If this won’t encourage Republicans to get out and vote, what will?

• Cherlynn Stevenson (HD-88-Fayette-part), democrat - won by 48 votes
• Charles Booker (HD-43-Jefferson-part), democrat - won by large margin
• Chris Harris (HD-93-Martin, Pike-part), democrat - won by 2567
• Angie Hatton (HD-94-Letcher, Pike-part), democrat - uncontested
• Kathy Hinkle (HD-96-Carter, Lawrence), democrat - won by 5 votes
• Maria Sorolis (HD-48-Jefferson-part), Oldham-part), democrat - won by 326 votes
• Rob Wiederstein (HD-11-Daviess-part), Henderson-part), democrat - won by 1124 votes

Note: Cherlynn’s District 88 was created following the last U.S. Census under the guidance of House Speaker Greg Stumbo who currently is running for AG.

3. Does Kentucky have a ‘broken political process’ that favors ‘millionaires, billionaires and giant corporations’? It was proven that Kentucky had a flawed political process that favored Democrats. Read more here, here and here. The suit brought against Kentucky by Judicial Watch has been addressed in some measure.

4. Who are Kentucky’s billionaires, etc.? There are numerous millionaires, among them John Yarmuth. The Yarmuth family business, Almost Family, is a ‘giant corporation’ providing senior healthcare services. Many major Kentucky corporations are healthcare providers whose revenues gain from tax-funded sources such as Medicaid. As such, it could be said that those who favor more taxpayer funding for healthcare are the ones helping the giant corporations that are benefiting from the political process. This would include the CC which wants to ensure that every Kentuckian “has real access to affordable, quality healthcare” and wants “investments in public health”. Read CC’s platform values on ForwardKy.com.

The Bevin Administration has shown leadership by encouraging review of the state’s Medicaid budget and program. There is no such thing as “free” healthcare.

Given that CC’s members are all democrats who want to “improve access to voting” (see platform) it is unlikely this new caucus will benefit Kentucky’s pro-life movement.

Improving access to a voting process seems to suggest breaching common sense standards. It may mean finagling the polls and precincts to get more votes for democrats.

The pro-life cause depends on honest, upright elections. Most Kentuckians are pro-life. Be vigilant. Please share this article with friends and associates.