Talk about the bloom being off the rose. For a brief moment, everyone was marveling at Matt Vanderpool’s primary win, and thinking he just may give the Stache a run for his money. After all, in 2007, recall that Stan Lee did not even carry his own legislative district in his race against Jack Conway for Attorney General.
After his primary win, Vanderpool has been attending functions, meeting and greeting, and pounding the pavement of the 45th District, with plans to walk the entire district. It was encouraging. Very encouraging.
And unfortunately, just that quickly, he has gone Rand Paul. First, he made an announcement about rejecting funding from Victory Fund, which funds openly gay and lesbian political candidates. Then he said that taking too much of a public stand on such issues would be “political suicide.”
That dishonors any number of fearless candidates who helped move public opinion by being those first candidates to run as openly gay, here in Kentucky and across the nation. Talk to fearless and ferocious leaders like Ernesto Scorsone or Kathy Stein about taking public stands on issues that would be political suicide.
Then comes news that his campaign manager is apparently a Republican, and one with a horrible, disgraceful and scandal-laden past.
Palmer has done more for gay rights in Kentucky than anyone else. What other gay organization even cared about House Bill 350?
Who stands up for the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program?
Who stands up for gay people when they are discriminated against or suffer hate crimes?
Get over yourselves. Palmer is a powerful figure with powerful friends.
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First, the obvious: Mr. Palmer has NOT done more for gay rights in Kentucky than anyone else. Mr. Palmer is not even in the top 1,000, in my opinion. And if Palmer is a powerful figure with powerful friends, well, good for him. Perhaps they are powerful enough to encourage Palmer to get the help he needs.
Mr. Vanderpool, you have over 100 days. That’s plenty of time to put things on track. Good luck.
Mr. Vanderpool will not pursue or ask for money from the Victory Fund specifically, this does not mean he will not accept donations from any other LGBTI organization. The issue was specifically with the Victory Fund. Mr. Vanderpool supports: “No person should be discriminated against because of race, sex, religion, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.” The right-wing calls this a “gay-agenda,” Mr. Vanderpool does not believe this is a so-called “gay-agenda.”
Chair Richard Jones now with Kentucky Equality Federation and the people with the Discrimination, Hate Crimes, and School Bullying Committee continue to donate their time and do a wonderful job: http://www.kentuckylgbt.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/1289075
This is the second comment I have personally left on this blog, and the last. As I have always said “A House Divided Cannot Stand.”
No one at Kentucky Equality Federation (18 volunteers) is paid a dime for what they do. I am no longer with the organization, but Federation members do still share a static IP address that does not change so confidential files can be shared.
Also, if you really want to believe everything you read on Page One Kentucky, be my quest. What about things like this however: http://www.hillbillyreport.com/blog/2009/05/fake-jacob-payne-twitter-site-changes-background-i-wonder-why-.html
Mr. Palmer, I am not about to get into a pixxing contest, nor would I suggest what you should or shouldn’t do. I do suggest that Matt Vanderpool paddle his own canoe when it comes to his campaign. I know for a fact that some very dedicated and capable volunteers around him have committed to events and to assist his campaign, and that those people are capable of giving him a fighting chance against one of the most disappointing elected leaders in Lexington.
I urge Matt Vanderpool to consider taking personal responsibility for his campaign, which in my opinion, along with the volunteers he has committed to helping, will give him a pretty good shot at knocking off the ‘stache.
Jordan and others resigned when he did. now the campaign is falling apart. Jordan put all of him time and effort to support him.