In Liberal Mind, Liberal Agenda Excuses Lack of Political Courtesy
Apparently if you’re a politician advancing a liberal agenda, you are above the need to provide common courtesy, at least according to David Hawpe.
Recently, Governor Beshear and some other Kentucky politicians wrote a letter to President Bush regarging some federal rules about where mining companies can dump fill dirt. David Hawpe ridicules some state legislators for wanting to represent their constituents:
First, unless I am mistaken about the way state government operates, two of those who signed those letters were elected by all the people of Kentucky, and are supposed to act on behalf of all the people of Kentucky. Beshear is not Lexington's governor, just because he was a Lexington lawyer before becoming the state's chief executive….
…Even more absurd is the notion that Yarmuth and Chandler should be required to have coalfield legislators sign off on their views about mining and the damage it continues to cause.
[State Representative Keith] Hall grumped, "I have great respect for these gentlemen, but was surprised and disappointed that they would speak on behalf of Kentucky's coal-producing counties about a subject so critical to our economic future and quality of life without contacting one legislator for input."
But it's not as if there hasn't been a big, continuing debate, in Kentucky and nationally, about mountaintop removal mining. It's not as if the industry's views, and the concerns of coal-producing counties, are a mystery.
Common tact and general good public relations would expect a governor to share with elected representatives if he were taking action that would affect their constituencies. Mr. Hawpe however seems to fall in the common liberal trap of assuming everyone must share your worldview and scolds the legislators for wanting to be included in discussions affecting the people they were elected to represent.
It is this mindset that creates ill-will and a lack of cooperation that is a barrier to creating real change in Kentucky.
Governor Beshear has repeatedly stumbled by hard-headedly attempting to implement policy and politics without including local representatives in discussions. The current budget shortfall is an evolving example and Senate Democratic Leader Ed Worley calls the governor out:
Worley, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said he expected the governor would have to work with lawmakers to solve the problem. Worley said he was "surprised" that talks between the Beshear administration and lawmakers had not already started.
"The executive branch cannot drive the train alone," Worley said. "This train is rolling too fast, and it's too big for them to handle just out of the governor's office."
This is counterproductive behavior, and Kentucky’s liberal editorialists are the greatest instigators.
