Jeff Hoover's ignoble exit from Kentucky legislature is well-earned

It's hard to think of a Kentucky legislator who's had a more degrading descent from power in recent years than Jeff Hoover.

Hoover, a Republican from Russell County in south-central Kentucky, went from the top of the mountain to an inglorious exit from public service in just three short years.

It didn't have to be this way, but something happened along the journey. Just as Hoover had made it to the pinnacle of power, he took himself down.

For years, Hoover toiled as a member, and then leader, of the minority in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He first took office in 1997, at a time when Democrats dominated the state's political scene. The governor's office and both houses of the legislature were under their power. The GOP had not gained leadership of the Senate at that point.

Hoover quickly worked his way into a leadership position in the Republican caucus, becoming minority leader in 2001. He was the longest serving GOP House leader in the state's history even before his elevation to House speaker following the Republicans' astonishing electoral success in 2016.

The GOP gradually made inroads on taking control of the House. Republicans began winning more and more elections, even in districts drawn when Jody Richards and Greg Stumbo were in control of the House to be friendly to Democrats. Finally, in 2016, the unthinkable happened: Riding Donald Trump's coattails, Republicans decisively took control of the House of Representatives. This followed the election of Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, only the third Republican to  hold that office since 1947, a year prior. Naturally, Hoover, who had led the GOP when they were a decided minority, was chosen speaker.

The wheels came off fast, though. Speaker Hoover got caught up in a sexual harassment and "sexting" scandal that forced his resignation as speaker. Bevin called for him to resign completely from the House, but he didn't. He won re-election in 2018, but decided not to seek office again this year. He'll be leaving office this month, a mere shadow of the well-respected leader he used to be.

Since his fall from grace, Hoover has obviously become bitter. He's been extremely critical of fellow Republicans, especially the most outspoken conservatives, and seems to go out of his way to heap praise on liberal Democrats. He's sided with Gov. Andy Beshear over members of his own party on a number of issues. He buddy-buddies with former political opponents, as if he's desperate for their praise and acceptance. He compliments them, and they pat him on the back in return.

Then again, this behavior shouldn't really come as a surprise. Hoover had tipped his hand long ago. Back in 2007, Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher was taking heat from the Democrats who were unhappy that he'd had the audacity to spoil their party. After all, they'd held the governorship from 1971, when Louie Nunn left office, until 2003. Control of Kentucky is the Democrats' birthright, or so they believe. Republicans should have presented a unified front to defend Fletcher, since they'd been victimized for years by the policies Fletcher was trying to reverse. Instead, too many notable GOP leaders remained silent, or worse, sided with the Democrats. Hoover didn't help. He joined a ticket with Fletcher's former congressional cohort Anne Northup to challenge Fletcher in the 2007 gubernatorial primary. Fletcher faced an uphill re-election battle as it was, but the primary siphoned valuable resources from him that he could have used in his general election campaign. The fact that the Republican leader in the House of Representatives couldn't see fit to fight alongside a governor of his own party -- one who had served for a time with Hoover in Frankfort -- was telling.

So, what comes next for Hoover as he leaves public service with his tail tucked between his legs? He's an attorney, so obviously he can continue to practice law while he draws his legislative pension. He's been hosting a talk show on a Lake Cumberland-area radio station, so no doubt that will continue. He'll probably maintain his Twitter account so he can take potshots at conservative Republicans and praise liberal Democrats. And since he's related by marriage to Al Cross, retired Courier-Journal political writer who still pens a statewide column, and they're from the same area of the state, he can be one of those unnamed "political observers" that pundits like to quote when they want to make a point.

Jeff Hoover had risen to the top. If not for his self-defeating acts, who knows what could have happened for him. The 2023 gubernatorial race is wide-open, and he could have run for the top spot as a relatively young 63-year-old statewide political leader. Or he could have opted to remain in the House, leading the GOP majority that Republicans worked so hard for so many years to obtain. But now, he pitifully leaves office as a shadow of himself, seeking validation from Kentucky's left. He could have chosen to go with dignity, but he seems intent on burning bridges. That makes it difficult to garner any sympathy for him. He deserves his fate. He's earned it. He won't be missed.

Hoover's story should serve as a good example of what not to do for current House Speaker David Osborne, or any other Republican in Kentucky who finally makes it to the top. Behave appropriately and stay loyal to the principles you claim to hold. Otherwise, you, too, can leave in dishonor and disgrace.

"Never Trumpers" claim to be conservatives, but they're not

A weekend Washington Post opinion piece by E.J. Dionne got a lot of traction among certain segments of political observers. Since it was paywalled, I was unable to read it, as there's no way I'd waste good money on a subscription to that liberal propaganda publication. But the summaries of the column and the amplification it got from particular groups and individuals were enough to prove that his take is based on an obvious fallacy that has been embraced by far too many.

Basically, Dionne said that Democrats owe a big debt of gratitude to those "Never Trump" conservatives who worked hard to defeat the president's re-election bid. And that's where his argument fails.

You cannot be a conservative and oppose Trump. It's a logical fallacy. Those who claim they are a conservative yet did not support his re-election are fooling themselves.

I've frequently made the point that Trump himself may not be a conservative, but he has governed as a conservative. His accomplishments read like a wish list for the right: border security, putting American interests first, appointing constitutionalists to the Supreme Court and other judgeships, strengthening our military while reducing our involvement in places where our presence does not advance American interests, making partners in international pacts pull their fair share of the weight, withdrawing from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal and Paris climate change accord, and many more.

Why, then would a so-called conservative want Joe Biden to be president? These people would have supported whomever the Democrats nominated, even if it had been Bernie Sanders or Pete Buttigieg. The easiest and most apparent answer is that they're opposed to Trump himself. John McCain may have called himself a "maverick," but the descriptor fits Trump better. He brought a new approach to doing things, having not been contaminated by years in politics. He shot straight and didn't mince words when he said what was on his mind. For those who value style over substance, or decorum over doing, it was a drastic change from what they were used to. They couldn't abide someone who had come from outside the system and wasn't willing to do things they way they'd always been done.

They made the judgment that their own personal dislike for Trump overrode the fact that Trump's policies and theirs were on the same track. Personally, I find this incomprehensible. There have been plenty of times where I didn't like a particular Republican candidate, but I never advocated for the election of a candidate whose ideological views were totally opposite of mine. Take Mitch McConnell, for instance. He fell out of favor with me for a variety of reasons about 15 years ago, but I've never supported or voted for any of his opponents in his three elections since then. As bad and as much of a RINO as McConnell is, Amy McGrath would have been much worse. I didn't vote for McConnell, but I certainly didn't vote for or support McGrath.

So, keep in mind that these people who describe themselves as conservatives willingly threw their support to the liberal Biden, because they regard him as "decent" and "honest," over someone with whom they personally disapprove but who's on their side where policy is concerned.

But it gets worse. These same faux conservatives, most notably the traitors and turncoats who call themselves the Lincoln Project, are now openly working for Republicans to lose control of the Senate. As it stands now, the Senate is all that stands between Biden's agenda and America. And counting on a Senate controlled by McConnell and populated with squishes like Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins is risky enough as it is. The outcome of the Georgia Senate runoffs could change that, and the Lincoln Project has joined other liberals in going all-in to elect the Democrat challengers.

Consider this. The so-called conservatives with the Lincoln Project are willing to give over control of this country to a Biden presidency, a House of Representatives controlled by Nancy Pelosi, and a split Senate where Kamala Harris would hold the tiebreaking vote. There's nothing conservative about that.

But the Lincoln Project turncoats aren't the only ones falsely clinging to the conservative label. The thumbnail for the social media shares on Dionne's column featured a picture of Bill Kristol, who beclowns himself every time he fires off a tweet or writes a screed for National Review. Kristol long ago forfeited any right to call himself a conservative. He doesn't even make a good establishment Republican these days. He's turned into an out-and-out liberal, just like those Lincoln Project types who abandoned principle and policy for reasons known only to them.

If anyone is owed a debt, it's Donald Trump. For all his policy accomplishments, his biggest one is political -- which is a feat unto itself considering the fact that he came from the private business sector, not the public political one. He has exposed countless RINOs and COINs (conservatives only in name) for what they are. From elected officials like Romney to activists like those in the Lincoln Project to commentators like Kristol and others (George Will, Jennifer Rubin, David Brooks, David Frum, Kathleen Parker, and the list goes on) who call themselves conservatives but have spent the last four years savaging Trump, the 45th president has revealed their true character they try to hide beneath their misapplied labels.

The "never Trump" crowd is free to act in any way it wants. That's the beauty of American free speech and political activism. They just shouldn't do it under false pretenses or with untrue self-advertising. These people are not conservatives. Don't believe them when they claim they are. Their words and actions say differently.

A daily double of outrage for Kentucky liberals

A couple of things happened one day last week that, if taken separately, would have caused Kentucky liberals to erupt into fits of rage. But for both of them to happen on the same day ... well, let's just say that was like hitting the daily double for those of us who are entertained by watching the reactions of the left when they get triggered.

Anyone who's followed the news in Kentucky knows that we are currently in the midst of another government-mandated shutdown of private businesses in yet another overreaching, intrusive effort to respond to the Wuhan Chinese virus. This restriction is the closure of restaurants to indoor dining. With meteorological winter firmly upon us, this in effect means that restaurants are allowed to serve food only for carryout. No one's going to eat outside or in a poorly-insulated tent in 40-degree weather. The food service industry has already been crippled by previous shutdowns and continued capacity limitations, and many restaurants have announced their permanent closure. Bills remain even if revenue isn't coming in, and it's unrealistic to expect restaurants to be able to exist solely on in-person capacity limits of 50 percent, much less off-premises dining.

Some restaurants, though, decided that they would defy the orders of Gov. Andy Beshear and remain open. Most prominent among them, judging by news coverage, are Wingz 2.0 of London, Brewed in Lexington, and Beans from Dry Ridge. An incident that occurred at the latter got under the skin of Kentucky liberals who have worshiped the ground the governor walks on since he began his daily updates on the virus.

Separately, State Rep. Savannah Maddox and State Sen. Damon Thayer seem to generate the most outrage among the left. Maddox, who's fairly new to politics, has been an outspoken critic of the governor's response to the virus, and Thayer has been a thorn in the side of many his entire career. Both Maddox and Thayer represent Grant County, where Dry Ridge is located, in the General Assembly. Imagine the uproar when the two of them join forces.

Maddox has been promoting and championing Beans since the eatery decided to remain open in opposition to Beshear's closure decree. She decided to have lunch there last Thursday, Dec. 4, and eat in the dining room to show support. While she was there, Thayer happened to pop in for lunch, quite by chance. Maddox posted a picture of the two of them eating lunch together to her social media accounts, and the detractors of the conservative firebrand sprang into action. Their outrage filled Facebook and Twitter.

Another similar anger-producing moment occurred when State Rep.-elect Josh Bray, the Mt. Vernon Republican who defeated first-term RINO R. Travis Brenda in May and cruised to election in the November general election, shared photos of his visit to Brewed, the Lexington coffee shop that also defied the governor. For some reason, probably because he was a classroom teacher, Brenda was one of the few Republicans who found favor with the radical 120 Strong group (not so affectionately referred to here as "120 Wrong.") The 120 Strong group are some of Beshear's biggest fangirls, so naturally they weren't thrilled when Bray expressed his opinion.

But the happenstance lunch meeting between two legislators the left loves to hate wasn't the only triggering event that day. A month ago, Kentuckians elected a slew of new legislators, particularly in the House of Representatives, where the GOP will enjoy a 75-25 supermajority. The short 2021 legislative session begins on Jan. 5, when the legislature meets to select its leaders and begin consideration of bills deemed vital, so the freshman class gathered in Frankfort last Thursday for orientation.

Most of the Republicans opted not to participate in the Democrats' political theater and didn't wear masks to the meeting. The reaction of the superminority was predictable. Many Democrats made righteously indignant posts to social media, the party's legislative leaders issued statements of outrage, and the fangirls of "120 Wrong" piled on. One northern Kentucky Democrat even claimed, without any basis in fact, that she would not be able to see an elderly parent for whom she cares for a week because she was around people who didn't wear masks. (News flash for the drama queen: Unless one of those maskless people has the virus, and you were within six feet of them for more than 15 minutes, you don't have anything to worry about.)

It was a thing of beauty for those of us who are amused by all this spittle-spewing rage. And like Clark W. Griswold's "Jelly of the Month Club" Christmas bonus, it was the gift that keeps on giving. Later in the weekend, another Democrat pulled out the sarcasm, asking "for a caucus" in a tweet what advice medical professionals would give to protect one's self if they were around people who didn't wear masks. The correct answer, of course, is that if she is wearing her own mask, she need not be concerned about what others are doing.

Republicans are frequently criticized for politicizing the virus, but that's not the case here. There's no indication that the GOP House frosh consulted with each other, or party leaders, when they decided not to wear masks to orientation. It was the Democrats, not the Republicans, who spoke as a party on the matter. And as to the general idea that Republicans have turned it into a partisan issue, keep in mind that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is a registered Republican, yet it's Republicans in the legislature who have begun impeachment proceedings against him over the way he's handled the virus. It might be more correct to say there's an ideological divide between those who prefer that individuals make their own decisions on how they're going to respond to the virus, vs. those who want the government to take restrictive action to limit freedoms. The infamous Ben Franklin quote about trading liberty for safety has often been cited since spring.

Make no mistake, stakes are high for our state and nation. It's hard to see liberties and livelihoods taken away, watching businesses close and people losing their jobs even as the edicts governments impose on the citizenry fail to do what they're intended to do -- that being, stopping the virus. It's even worse for those of us who aren't fans of what's coming to America next month in the way of a Joe Biden presidency. So we take our joy where we can find it. And if that joy includes watching liberals spaz out when a couple of Republicans eat in a restaurant, a group of incoming legislators don't don their "face diapers," or President Trump and his supporters and surrogates point out election irregularities, then we'll enjoy the show for as long as it lasts.

The upcoming Kentucky General Assembly session appears to be a fertile breeding ground for "120 Wrong" exploding heads. And it couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch. The legislature is already signaling that it plans to address executive authority when the session convenes, perhaps even in that first week that's usually reserved for organization and selection of leaders. There are rumblings that they might even tackle sorely-needed public pension reform to preserve the retirement incomes of current employees and retirees, and ensure that a viable system remains in place for future hires. It would be worth following some of the loudest voices on social media just to see how they react. It will probably be a better show than the 1992 NCAA Tournament East Region finals. (All but the final 2.1 seconds, of course.)