Robert Powell for Kentucky Senate 17th District:

Because There is Something Wrong With Thayer's Traditional Values

Robert Powell, a Democrat, of Georgetown, is running against incumbent Republican State Senator Damon Thayer, also of Georgetown, for the 17th District. The difference between the candidates is stark and compelling. Even upon first introductions, these two stand apart. Having met each under circumstances where they had no idea as to my leanings or positions on various issues, I had the opportunity to see them as they should have been presenting themselves to an undecided voter. I found Robert Powell to be warm, genuine, and interested, perhaps even a little insecure, while Damon Thayer presented himself as condescending, dismissive, and simply glad-handing. My first impression was that Mr. Thayer doesn’t seem to believe that he needs the “common” people to get elected. Then I started looking into their backgrounds.
While Damon Thayer has spent his entire adult life lobbying for the Kentucky horse industry, Robert Powell has spent his in public service, working as a director for the Kentucky Department of Corrections (i.e. directly to keeping our communities and citizens safe) and as a small business owner, running a criminal justice consulting firm and family-owned lawn care business. Mr. Thayer, in his associations with the wealthy of the horse industry has distanced himself from the realities of everyday life and its problems, while Mr. Powell has been deeply involved with the worst and best that everyday life can bring a community and its people.

Damon Thayer talks a lot about serving the interests of the people of Kentucky, but all that this writer has been able to discern is his service to the interests of the wealthy in the horse industry and big business in general of Kentucky. While Mr. Thayer has been lauded for his efforts towards state campaign finance reform, it can be equally argued that these efforts are designed to prevent the unseating of incumbent office holders like himself. He sponsors a bill that mandates electronic reporting to the campaign finance authorities at the benchmark of collecting $25,000; this serves as an early warning mechanism for those already holding office in Frankfort. This early warning would allow the incumbent, Mr. Thayer, to marshal in-place mechanisms and supporters to effectively drown out the newly arisen challenge. His other efforts, including the elimination of Kentucky taxpayer support, while freeing taxpayer money from the election cycle, reflects only a very modest savings for taxpayers, and it effectively reduces the chances of a grassroots startup campaign being able to effectively assault a seated politician; again, legislation favoring, not Kentucky, but Mr. Thayer and his ability to continue to legislate for the wealthy in the horse racing industry.

Mr. Thayer claims to serve the interest of the people of Kentucky, but the majority of the people of Kentucky have little or no connection to the horse racing industry, not to the large businesses he actively supports at the cost of social programs that are in the interest of the people of Kentucky. Damon Thayer’s voting record reflects the sort of pro-business/anti-worker recklessness in Washington that has engulfed our country in the current financial crisis. Mr. Thayer believes in the failed economic philosophy of his Republican Big Brothers in Washington. Damon Thayer claims to have held the tax rate down; but he has paid for that by leading the call, though he’ll deny it and lie to your face about it, as he did during the NKY debate, for increases in State fees. These are the fees that you pay when you go to the DMV or call 911. These fees increases are small for the wealthy, but just as gas price increases showed over the summer, they hurt mostly the middle class. He claims that he helped reduce the education cuts of the last administration; but he says reduced, not stopped. For a state in the top ten spenders on education of the 50 we have in the U.S. to cut lightly is permissible, perhaps. For Kentucky, it should have sparked a public outrage. Especially is this made true by the fact that Mr. Thayer then went around and, with his buddies in the Senate, re-distributed that money amongst, whom else, the horse industry! Cutting education funding to better support an entertainment industry that practices cruelty to animals is irresponsible and immoral.

Robert Powell, on the other hand, wants to pass legislation that holds public officials, appointed, hired, and elected, accountable for their misdeeds. Robert Powell wants to see the Commonwealth of Kentucky better enable opportunities for the small business owner. Mr. Powell is also a staunch advocate of better funding for education; he wants to see the state budget for education increase, and he wants to find new streams of revenue specifically targeting the enhancement of education. These are issues which will prove a positive representation of the interests of the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Mr. Thayer claims to be an ardent supporter of “traditional” Kentucky values. Recently, there was a news release by Mr. Thayer’s opponent, Robert Powell. It was discovered, upon investigation of Damon Thayer’s financial disclosure, that Mr. Thayer had received a maximum individual campaign contribution from an individual in South Carolina. This individual was listed as a partner in VCG Holdings, which, it turned out, is the parent company for a series of strip clubs spanning across the U.S. from the East Coast to Colorado. Among other venues owned, VCG is proud owner of PT’s in Louisville, where many horse industry executives are known to hang out. Mr. Thayer’s response was to vehemently deny any knowledge of or connection with the contributor. Damon then gave the money to a women’s shelter and proclaimed his moral superiority. Problem is, Mr. Thayer’s declamation rings false. The contributor, Mr. Gregory K. Gaines, of South Carolina, is involved in a number of business enterprises, most of them are legitimate and socially acceptable, being focused on technology. If Mr. Thayer had wanted to mount a credible defense, then one might expect that he would have referred to one of Mr. Gaines’s other business endeavors and claimed no knowledge of the strip club connection; but, instead, Damon went for the wholesale denial, leaving his claim highly suspect. It seems more plausible that Mr. Thayer is a regular at PT’s or some other VCG strip club, and that his frequenting of said establishment is the reason behind the relationship and the contribution. There are other indications of the weight of the more plausible explanation, but I will leave those for another posting.

Robert Powell also received a donation from a former strip club owner; but Mr. Powell, a devoted monogamous family man of many years with his wife Barbara, is not running on a “traditional values” plank. He readily admitted to the donation and let the matter stand.

Damon Thayer, running on a claimed plank of “traditional values”, has well demonstrated his concept of “traditional values”. Mr. Thayer believes in taking public money from the public, stripping social programs and education, in order to support those who have plenty of money. Damon believes that treating animals cruelly through doping, over-breeding, beating, sorrelling, and other practices for the sake of entertainment is a positive thing and that Federal regulation should be avoided, because the industry committing these horrendous acts polices itself. He also believes in robbing the poor through fees to feed the rich through no “tax increase”. He also apparently believes in “strategic” church attendance, being in regular attendance only during the four months immediately preceding an election. Damon Thayer believes that big money and donors, not his interaction with and representation of the people, will get him re-elected. Mr. Thayer also believes that he can tell just about any lie necessary and that the people of northern Kentucky are ignorant enough to believe him. And, it seems, from thorough and ongoing analysis that he believes in the exploitation of young women and the promotion of lust through the adult entertainment industry. These are simply this writer’s opinions on the matter; opinions derived from looking at the voting record, contribution record, employment record, history, and statements of the candidates, as well as personal contact with them. In assessing which candidate to support, the choice for me is clear: Robert Powell should, even as an unknown in the political arena, replace the defective values, philosophy, and ideology of Damon Thayer.

Still, I am left with a nagging question: what other “traditional values” does Damon Thayer Support? Slavery? Lynching? Wife beating? Prostitution? Child labor? Incest? Child molesting? Just curious.