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.)
