"David Williams Brought Democrats Together".
David Williams brought Democrats together
Written by Joseph Gerth
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Democrats have long contended that Republican Senate President David Williams is the most divisive force in the Capital city.
But that couldn't be more incorrect today, just a few days after Gov. Steve Beshear, along with House Republicans and Democrats, worked together to turn Williams' Medicaid budget fix on its ear.
That's right — Williams did what George W. Bush boasted but could never really accomplish. He became “a uniter and not a divider.”
This wasn't necessarily an easy task.
If you recall, just a year ago, the 2010 legislative session ended with Democrats angry with one another.
Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo was saying such awful things about Beshear, a fellow Democrat, that some were wondering aloud if he would mount a bid to unseat him in this year's Democratic gubernatorial primary.
And if not him, maybe House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins would challenge Beshear, who some complained wasn't providing real leadership in Frankfort.
Among other things, Democrats, like Republicans, accused Beshear of abdicating his responsibility on the budget by proposing a spending plan that counted on hundreds of millions of dollars in expanded gambling revenue that had no chance of materializing.
The situation only got worse during a special session on the budget in early summer, when the House was ready to fight the Senate but Beshear undercut them by coming out in favor of the Senate plan, infuriating House Democrats.
But with a gubernatorial race on the horizon that early polls suggest will pit Beshear against Williams, the Frankfort Democrats have begun to rally together and work with Beshear.
The Medicaid budget is the most telling issue where Beshear and House Democrats have found commonalities.
They prevailed, in part, because Williams miscalculated on a couple of points.
The biggest was his demand that there be across-the-board budget cuts that included a small cut to education.
Three of the five Democratic House leaders were in the House when the Kentucky Education Reform Act passed two decades ago and were big supporters of the bill, especially Stumbo, who at the time was floor leader. ...
Editor's note: to continue reading, follow the linked caption.
Written by Joseph Gerth
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Democrats have long contended that Republican Senate President David Williams is the most divisive force in the Capital city.
But that couldn't be more incorrect today, just a few days after Gov. Steve Beshear, along with House Republicans and Democrats, worked together to turn Williams' Medicaid budget fix on its ear.
That's right — Williams did what George W. Bush boasted but could never really accomplish. He became “a uniter and not a divider.”
This wasn't necessarily an easy task.
If you recall, just a year ago, the 2010 legislative session ended with Democrats angry with one another.
Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo was saying such awful things about Beshear, a fellow Democrat, that some were wondering aloud if he would mount a bid to unseat him in this year's Democratic gubernatorial primary.
And if not him, maybe House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins would challenge Beshear, who some complained wasn't providing real leadership in Frankfort.
Among other things, Democrats, like Republicans, accused Beshear of abdicating his responsibility on the budget by proposing a spending plan that counted on hundreds of millions of dollars in expanded gambling revenue that had no chance of materializing.
The situation only got worse during a special session on the budget in early summer, when the House was ready to fight the Senate but Beshear undercut them by coming out in favor of the Senate plan, infuriating House Democrats.
But with a gubernatorial race on the horizon that early polls suggest will pit Beshear against Williams, the Frankfort Democrats have begun to rally together and work with Beshear.
The Medicaid budget is the most telling issue where Beshear and House Democrats have found commonalities.
They prevailed, in part, because Williams miscalculated on a couple of points.
The biggest was his demand that there be across-the-board budget cuts that included a small cut to education.
Three of the five Democratic House leaders were in the House when the Kentucky Education Reform Act passed two decades ago and were big supporters of the bill, especially Stumbo, who at the time was floor leader. ...
Editor's note: to continue reading, follow the linked caption.
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