From Jeff Noble

(This originally appeared as a comment over at The Bluegrass Report. He would love to respond to his fellow committee members on his "well-intentioned" thoughts or to the 3rd CD person over there. He tried posting replies over there tonight but Typepad has been acting up tonight. If you have questions, please comment and I'm sure that Jeff will gladly reply.)

First, as with the emails from Mr. Housh a few weeks ago, they are astonishing in their presentation. I am glad he has resigned. He should have. I was prepared to address my fellow members of the State Central Committee if he didn't. I do not know Mr. Housh, but I do know Eddie Jacobs and agree with Mr. Housh that Eddie is a good man and a good campaigner. Eddie was a good Fayette County chair, and a good Executive Director at HQ in Frankfort. Neither do I know your Sheriff or her opponent Mr. Flynn. I wish her well though.

As to Chairwoman Groob from Kenton County, I only met her last Friday night at the cocktail party at Chez Nora in Covington. I have seen comments in this blog placing her every where on the political spectrum from right to left. I have no idea where she is and do not care, as I am of the belief she is contributing to the overall success of the Democratic Party in her region, which in turn, contributes to the overall success throughout the Commonwealth. I do know she is well aware of the Vice Chair vacancy, as another northern Kentuckian, Millie Diehl, serves on the State Central Committee Nominations Committee which is actively trying to find a woman to serve in that post. Mark, whether or not the party would "be that smart" first requires Ms. Groob, or any other female to express an interest, or have someone nominate her, after first confirming with her she has an interest. I have been approached by only one woman expressing an interest, and she has reservations, although they aren't based on anything having to do with Chairman Lundergan.

I agree with you that there has been an resurgence in the Democratic Party and I will suggest, at known peril, that is has coincided with Lundergan's ascension to the chair, although I am sure it will be pointed out to me he is not responsible for it. I will add that while you have repeatedly ridiculed the "good ol' boys" over at HQ, in this post you praise two members of the State Central Committee, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Nowland-Curry, both of whom serve as members from the 6th CD. There are others of merit, and some who may not be, but wholesale criticism is both inaccurate and unhelpful. I am pleased to finally see in this post that you are not against the Party, but against what you call the loud minority who are in it for themselves. I wholly agree, even though I have been a Lundergan supporter, probably the most liberal supporter he has on the Committee. But he came with a plan certain, and slowly, he has begun to put that plan in place, to the chagrin of those who opposed him and to the delight of those of us who supported him and caught hell for doing so I, which I for one did. As an aside, one of the county chairs I met at the Friday night event at Chez Nora said to me they were pleasantly surprised at Lundergan and what he has accomplished in the ten months he has served as chair. I am not sure to what this person was referring, and I know the two successes I have seen, the Family Day event, and Senator Biden's visit on Saturday, received no positive play here, one person calling the latter a pseudo-successful fundraiser. I am not quite sure what the means, unless the $40 and $100, and other dollar tickets were paid for with Monopoly money.

I have called before for action, not words, from the bitchers and moaners, and I hope more people do take action. But there must be a system or process, and in this state, that process is vested in the local parties and ultimately the State Party. There is a reorganization from bottom to top every four years, the last one in 2004.

The solution is to back good candidates and issues and local parties, according to you Mark. I agree. Most of the members of the State Central Committee come from, or serve simultaneously on their local committee in their home county. Amazingly, every fourth year, very, very few people participate. I know this for a fact and I challenge those who are yelling the loudest to do things, 1) participate, and 2) yell louder and longer than the minority Mark insists is in control of the party.

Jeff Noble
3rd CD Elected Member
State Central Committee