Please sign the petition below to remove the statue of Jefferson Davis currently in Kentucky’s Capitol Rotunda, and replace it with a tribute to Muhammad Ali, “the Louisville Lip” and “the Greatest of All Time.”
I just heard from the Ali family: It is the Champ’s belief that Islam prohibits three-dimensional representations of living Muslims. Accordingly, I have adjusted the petition to call for a two-dimensional representation of Ali (a portrait, picture or mural) in lieu of a statue.
UPDATE (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)
In this interview with WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold, Governor Steve Beshear endorses the idea of honoring Muhammad Ali in the State Capitol (although he disagrees with removing Davis). Arnold explores the idea further on his weekly show, “The Powers that Be.”
Click here to check out WDRB-TV’s Lawrence Smith’s coverage of the story.
And here’s my op-ed in Ali’s hometown paper, the Louisville Courier-Journal.
UPDATE (Saturday, June 4, 2016)
In the wake of the 2015 Charlestown tragedy, in which a Confederate flag-waving murderer united the nation against racism, all of the most powerful Kentucky policymakers — U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Governor Matt Bevin, Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo — called for the removal of the Davis statue from the Rotunda. Today, as we commemorate last night’s passing of Muhammad Ali, there is no better moment to replace the symbol of Kentucky’s worst era with a tribute to The Greatest of All Time.
UPDATE (Wednesday, June 8, 2016):
Great piece by Lawrence Smith of WDRB-TV in Louisville on the petition drive to replace Jefferson Davis’ statue in the Capitol Rotunda with a tribute to Muhammad Ali.
UPDATE (Thursday, June 9, 2016):
Excellent piece on the petition drive by Jack Brammer that was featured on the front page of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Highlight of the article:
Miller said he has received a few “angry comments” on his call to honor Ali.
“One of them encouraged me to kill myself,” he said. “You can quote me that I have decided not to take their advice.”
UPDATE (Friday, June 10, 2016)
The petition drives continues to show the Big Mo(hammed): check out these stories from WKYU-FM public radio in Bowling Green and WKYT-TV, Channel 27 in Lexington:
UPDATE (Saturday, June 11, 2016):
Still not convinced? Check out this excerpt from today’s New York Times:
After two years of campaign, hundreds of pundit prognostications, and thousands of cable news sound bites, at long last, what you’ve been waiting for…
Our fearless contributors — Contributing RPs, Friends of RP and RP Staff — offer their predictions for tonight’s Iowa caucuses.
And you can too — please give us your predictions in the Comments section below.
Without further ado…(Click on their name to find out their background)…
The RP: Paul 30%; Romney 25%; Santorum 21%; Gingrich 7%; Perry 6%; Bachmann 4%, Huntsman 1%. I don’t think Rick “Man On Dog” Santorum’s organization is strong enough to take advantage of his surge. I also think Paul’s support is underestimated in the polls because his grassroots support is so fervant, and the tin foil hat crowd among his followers are fearful of pollsters. Remember Pat Robertson?
Jeff Smith: Santorum 27; Romney 23; Paul 23; Perry 11; Gingrich 9; Bachmann 6. I think some Bachmann/Gingrich/Perry folks walk in to their caucus, see how outnumbered they are by Sant-mentum, and get on the bandwagon.
Jason Grill: Romney, Paul, and Santorum will finish first, second, and third. The order though is more “up in the air” than George Clooney was in his recent Oscar nominated movie. Organization and friends twisting other friends arms at the caucuses will decide the order of the top three. If Romney finishes third that WILL be news and change the race somewhat moving forward. He will be seen as an even weaker front runner if this happens. Also, it will be interesting to see where Perry and Gingrich finish tonight. Keep a lookout for their percentages at the end of the night. A fourth place finish for Perry over Gingrich will signal a potential showdown with Romney in South Carolina. Lastly, I am anxious to see how Huntsman finishes in next week’s New Hampshire primary after skipping Iowa.
Mark Nickolas: Paul (25%); Romney (23%); Santorum (22%); Gingrich (11%); Perry (10%); Bachmann (6%). Iowa requires a level of commitment from supporters unlike anywhere else. Those with the best state organization and strongest levels of commitment do especially well (Paul and Paul). Also, since Independents and Dems can participate if they want to cross over — as Indies did for Obama in ’08 — that’s likely to help Paul the most. Nefarious (aka loyal) Dems are going to support anyone but Romney to ensure a protracted GOP race, with Paul and Santorum benefitting most.
Rod Jetton: I think Ron Paul will just nip Romney and Rick Santorum will get third. Newt probably finishes in 4th. The Ron Paul forces are dedicated and with his numbers going up they and their friends have started believing he can win. They will turn out and surprise all the experts.
Greg Harris: Santorum – 26%; Romney – 25%; Paul – 21%; Gingrich – 12%; Bachman – 8%; Perry – 7%; Huntsman – 1%. Santorum’s diligent grassroots work throughout the State this past year will pay off, resulting in more ardent caucus warriors advocating his case, and moving some on-the-fence Bachman and Perry supporters. Ron Paul’s fanatical base will still assure him over an over 20% showing. The minority moderate voters will hold their noses and back Romney.
Read the rest of… Our Contributors Predict the Iowa Caucuses…
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Tue Jan 3, 2012 at 4:00 PM ET
The Politics of Pigskin
The NFL regular season has concluded and our eyes have turned to the playoffs and the offseason. Peter King takes his MMQB column in the same directions and prepares us for the storylines and drama to come. [Sports Illustrated]
The NFL Playoffs. Here are your final conference standing and playoff schedule to guide you through them. [Yahoo! Sports]
Black Monday is traditionally the day after the last regular season Sunday on which organizations decide to make coaching or management changes and we see a slew of firings. Here is a ticker to help you keep track of who your favorite team may be looking at to fill their newly vacant coaching position. [CBS Sports]
ESPN’s John Clayton and Jeffri Chadiha receptively break down the AFC and NFC using a Q&A format. [Clayton][Chadiha]
On the amateur side of America’s game we have hit the home stretch of bowl games. There are only 6 games left including the national championship. Follow the link to get up to date on previous results and previews on the upcoming bowls. [ESPN]
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Jan 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is mad the the NBA didn’t have his team play in DC–he wanted to meet the President. But, when you are Mark Cuban, you can pretty much do whatever you want, so he scheduled a meeting between his team and Mr. Obama himself. [ESPN Dallas]
Deadspin is famous for taking sports journalism to places it never deigned to go before–like publishing leads about major NBA trades put out by rappers who haven’t been famous for years. [Deadspin]
Sacramento Kings 2nd year player Demarcus Cousins and coach Paul Westphal don’t get along, and never really have. The coach released a statement last week saying that Cousins would be staying home for a road trip because of Cousins’ trade demand. Cousins, for his part, denies requesting a trade. Here is a “debate” between a couple of Kings fans about what to do. [Sac Town Royalty]
Who doesn’t love those NBA commercials where they paste enlarged heads of stars onto small bodies? I know I do. The latest one is set to “Happy Together” by the Turtles. It’s supposed to imply that “all is well” with the NBA’s players and owners. Does anybody actually believe that? [The Big Lead]
Time Warner Cable and Madison Square Garden have been in a contract dispute for a long time now, and fans in New York city paid the price last week when they began missing Knicks games. Here is a good rundown of what is happening. [All Sports Everything]
Two of the best college games of last weekend were played within a 80 miles radius of my apartment this weekend–when #3 Kentucky beat #2 Louisville, and when #15 Indiana took down #2 Ohio State. For my money, those teams are out of order, and should be Kentucky-Ohio State-Indiana-Louisville. But nobody asked me. Here are game rundowns by the victor’s blogs. [Kentucky Sports Radio] [The Crimson Quarry]
For decades the 1% has managed to focus our attention on those beneath us financially.
For example, President Clinton’s Welfare-to-Work initiative in 1999 kept us from looking critically at the 1%.
In only a couple of months OWS (Occupy Wall Street) has turned our attention completely around, from looking down on the poor to looking down on the super rich.
Those supporting the 1 % are attempting to denigrate the OWS in many ways, including calling out law enforcement to support them and disperse those who are calling out for justice: economic, social and political.
Our Constitution sides with the 99%, saying that “Congress shall make no law prohibiting the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (No, it doesn’t mention tents.)
Had the OWS not existed when the Bank of America added a $5.00 fee to credit card holders, the public would have grumbled but would have succumbed. And the same with Verizon’s “Convenience Fee” and November’s “Bank Transfer Day.” But the 99% has encouraged the public to revolt.
Remember, our “Civil Rights” were not successfully achieved in two months.
By John Y. Brown III, on Tue Jan 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
U-Turns!
Driving in California is like being in the middle of a really bad video game where you never seem to figure out how to beat the system.
Fortunately, U-turns are all the rage out here and are great at minimizing time lost by inevitable driving mistakes.
And thank goodness for GPS systems. I have been so dependent on mine today that we are actually developing a relationship of sorts.
She–t…he monotone, always cool as a cumber, pleasant yet motherly voice from my GPS– has told me today at least a dozen times, “Take the next legal U-Turn.” A few minutes ago she said, “Take a right and then take the next legal U-Turn.”
I responded emphatically to her, “Lady, I was born ready to take the next legal U-Turn.” And I think I meant it.
And at some level, I think she heard me and smiled in that way that only the GPS voice-overs can smile to themselves.
Oh, and I know she has to always say “the next ‘legal’ U-Turn” but just once I’d like to hear her say, “Take the next U-Turn….Notice I didn’t say ‘legal’ either. I can’t explain it, I just want to be bad today.”
That would be cool. And I’d pay an extra dollar a month for the possibility of that happening. And I could say back, “Don’t worry sister, I already did.”
Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson’s announcement that he is retiring from the Senate can be seen in three different ways. One is that he simply confronted poor poll numbers, coupled with the politics of a state red enough that Barack Obama is guaranteed to lose it.
Second, Nelson’s demise can be seen as a final verdict on a maneuver that transpired almost exactly two years ago. In case you forgot, Nelson and his Arkansas counterpart, Blanche Lincoln, are the two conservative Democrats who saved the health-care overhaul in late December 2009. Had these two senators stuck to their criticisms of the bill, it would have died in the Senate in late 2009. The bill likely would have been downsized to a modest expansion of Medicaid and some tighter rules for pre-existing illness exclusions.
Instead, both senators, reluctant to be blamed for the failure of a 63-year-old Democratic-agenda piece and fearing nationally funded primary opposition from the left, swallowed hard and voted yes.
Neither Lincoln nor Nelson recovered. Lincoln lost in 2010. For Nelson, a significant infusion of off-year independent ad expenditures and relentless attention to Nebraska-based concerns failed to rescue his numbers from the depths they reached after the health-care vote. In Nelson’s case, the failure must be especially galling — given that he traded his vote for a provision that pumped extra federal Medicaid dollars into his state.
The “Nebraska compromise” was never honored, and it was a trade Nebraskans never liked anyway, given their resistance to the rest of the law and, perhaps, their indifference as residents of a low-poverty state to a poverty-based program like Medicaid.
By Michael Steele, on Mon Jan 2, 2012 at 3:06 PM ET
Happy New Year! And what a year it’s going to be. But first, the GOP has to nominate someone for president–and it all begins in Iowa.
Sitting atop some rather interesting scaffolding above the Polk Convention Center floor I got to thinking about the next 36 hours or so and how the worm has turned during this GOP primary. After recent, but brief rides on the Cain Train and the Gingrich bus is everyone now in the back of the Santorum pick-up truck? From what it sounds like on the ground, I think Rick is going to need a bigger truck.
From hanging out with folks at Java Joe’s (great coffee BTW) to a ride in an elevator, everyday Iowans have been offering up their thoughts on this race and Rick Santorum has become (at least for the moment) their kind of candidate.
So what does this mean for Romney? It’s all good as long as Rick remembers his place. Meaning: He shouldn’t let any success he may have on Tuesday night go to his head. If he does, the Romney Team and their 527s will make an “adjustment” for him. For now at least, Romney loves how Santorum has filled in the gaps for conservatives after the masterful filleting of Gingrich over the past two weeks. But trust me, if Santorum comes out of Iowa with a close 2nd or heaven forbid, outright wins the caucuses, then watch for those filet knives to come out for Santorum.
Why? Because a Santorum win in Iowa translates into an opportunity for the 75% of the GOP base which still can’t seem to bring themselves to support Romney to coalesce behind Rick (much like they started to do with Newt) and THAT won’t work for Romney. But, Rick has an advantage the other “anti-Romney” candidates did not have: it’s only one week until the next contest which will require some quick work in order to soften up support for Santorum and to make the ugly stuff stick.
One other thought, as the New Hampshire sun rises on Wednesday morning, watch for a different type of engagement from Gingrich (and Perry?) as attention shifts to the Nation’s first Primary. Yesterday in a back and forth with Chris Matthews, the former Speaker let it be known he had had enough of taking it on the chin from the Romney camp. Grab your popcorn. This is going to get good.
By Jonathan Miller, on Sun Jan 1, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Happy New Year!
I hope 2012 brings you joy, laughter, love, happiness, and many pints of tasty hummus. Here at The Recovering Politician, we plan some exciting new features that we will share with you in the weeks ahead.
For now, as you rest and recover from your New Year’s Eve celebration — and recharge your batteries for a busy January — I wanted to share with you some good reading material.
The first nine months at The Recovering Politician have seen more than 1200 posts from over three dozen contributors. I share my favorites below; please let me know what I missed in the comments section:
Our most popular writer, hands down, has been contributing RP and former Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith. Jeff’s first piece — the story of his rise into national celebrity, his dramatic fall that resulted in a prison term, and his hopes for redemption — put the RP on the national map, earning recognition from New York magazine’s “Approval Matrix.” Jeff’s followup — about love and sex behind bars — drew in nearly 100,000 readers, literally crashing the Web site. Jeff’s become a national sensation — expect much more from him in 2012.
Contributing RPMichael Steele was already a national sensation before he joined the site — you know him as the former Lt. Governor of Maryland, as well as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Now a regular contributor to MSNBC, Michael shared with RP readers his vision of the new American Dream, and assessed both President Barack Obama and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Over the next few days, Michael will report from the Iowa caucuses; and in the year ahead, he will share his lively take on politics — and other subjects as well.
Another familiar face at the site in 2011 was another former Lt. Governor of Maryland, contributing RPKathleen Kennedy Townsend. Kathleen elucidated her well-versed take on faith and politics, while slamming a then-ascendant Rick Perry for misusing faith, defended Sarah Palin(!), and shared her unique perspective as a member of the nation’s most iconic political family. Her most popular piece was on, of all things, home births. Expect the same kind of wide variety from Kathleen at The RP in the coming months.
One of the RP’s most prolific contributing RPs was former Alabama Congressman Artur Davis. Artur wrote a fascinating, insightful piece about political authenticity, plunged into the centuries-old debate on race and politics, and explored the Democratic Party’s faith gap. Some of his most popular pieces were book reviews, taking on new works about Harry Truman and Bobby Kennedy. Artur’s not been shy about controversy, angering conservatives by attacking his home state’s “ugly” immigration law, and riling liberals by supporting its new Voter ID law. Don’t expect Artur to pull any punches in 2012.
Contributing RP and former Missouri state House Speaker Rod Jetton is also one who is not a stranger to controversy. At the peak of his power, Rod was charged with ethics and criminal violations, and while he was cleared of everything, he stepped down to begin his second act. Rod’s 3-part series about his “Success, Scandal and Change” was one of the site’s most widely read, and he concluded the year with a touching 4-part series on his best friend, a fallen Marine. In the middle, he showed off a wry sense of humor in a video interview with his unlikely pal, contributing RP Jeff Smith (you have to see Rod’s imitation of Jeff).
Jason Atkinson, an Oregon State Senator and contributing RP, underwent a different kind of political recovery — he had to withdraw from a promising gubernatorial campaign after he accidentally shot himself while hunting. He writes about the experience — with graphic charts — in “A Real Political Recovery,” but also created an Internet sensation with short films he directed on more successful outdoor adventures fishing for trout in “Big Mo” and “Half Pounder.” He also showed off his own wicked sense of humor, imitating Abe Lincoln and citing the wisdom of Homer…Simpson that is.
Our newest contributing RP, former Virginia Congressional Democratic nominee Krystal Ball, has already generated considerable reader interest with her first piece about Why We Need More Women in Politics. Krystal should know; her first campaign for office was interrupted by a ridiculous media inquiry into pictures taken of her in college; PG-13 pictures that caused a mini-national-sensation only because of Krystal’s gender. As a regular contributor to MSNBC and here at The RP, Krystal will help us view politics in a much different way.
Finally, I feel very fortunate — and so is the RP Nation — to have convinced my good friend, contributing RP, and former Kentucky Secretary of State, John Y. Brown, III to share his incisive social and political commentary, along with his uproarious sense of humor, at The RP. John Y. helped set the theme and tone of the site with his early piece, “What Do We Do Now?,” in which he offered a 20-question quiz to help readers determine if they were in need of political recovery. More recently, we’ve launched a regular feature, John Y.’s Musings from the Middle, in which he shares his wit and wisdom on topics varying from fruitcake to the death penalty to Lindsay Lohan. We guarantee a lot of laughs, as well as thoughtful advice, in the year ahead.
Thanks for joining us in 2011. Stay tuned for a wild and wonderful 2012.
Blog this!
