Kentucky Governor Talks The Talk, Won’t Walk The Walk (Prefers A Lincoln Town Car)
Kentucky Governor Talks The Talk, Won’t Walk The Walk (Prefers A Lincoln Town Car)
Indicted Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R-KY) has touted himself as a steward of the environment and a champion in the fight for fitness:
“We want our citizens to excel in efforts to improve Kentucky’s environment. … to reach beyond the legal minimum to do more for our environment than what our laws and regulations require.” [10/25/05]
“Exercise is just as essential as eating. … It needs to be stressed just as much.” [4/28/06]
But in reality, Fletcher is all talk. On Sunday, the AP reported that Fletcher wastes energy and key calorie-burning time by riding in a Lincoln Town Car to and from work each day:
Gov. Ernie Fletcher finishes a day at the office, but instead of walking through the idyllic scene across the street to the Governor’s Mansion, he gets into a Lincoln Town Car to be chauffeured to his door. In Kentucky, the lawns of the Capitol and the mansion are separated only by a narrow tree-shaded street, but Fletcher routinely rides to and from his office.
Here’s a map of the distance from the Governor’s Mansion to the Capitol building — a distance of under 150 yards:
Click here for full image.
UPDATE: We have updated the map to reflect the actual mansion, rather than the street address.
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Hypocrisy runs deep – I’m surprised he doesn’t have to charter a yacht to make the trip…
June 26th, 2006 at 12:50 pmmebbe he is scared of breathing the air on the long walk?
June 26th, 2006 at 12:55 pmIf I was a Republican governor and I had seen Bush’s performance over the last few years, I would be worried about walking to work too.
June 26th, 2006 at 12:56 pmwhen will Matt Drudge expound on his moral outrage over the sheer hypocrisy of this mans actions vs. his statements.
Umm never yeah okay.
June 26th, 2006 at 12:57 pmI heard he fuels his car with the tears of baby seals
June 26th, 2006 at 1:03 pmIt’s the old “Do as I say, not as I do” Republican dodge.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:04 pmHe was saying that OTHER PEOPLE should do these things, not him. Republicans are fond of applying standards to others that they have no intention of living up to themselves, and patting themselves on the back for what a good job they are doing.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:04 pmPerhaps he’s saving his energy for a hunting trip with the Dick – of course, while he’s at it, take GW – give them all guns and let’s see the shoot-out. :)
June 26th, 2006 at 1:07 pmNext he’ll be buying new invisible fabric for his new tailored garments… And no one of us wants to see this particularly cellulite Emporer naked…
June 26th, 2006 at 1:07 pm“I heard he fuels his car with the tears of baby seals
Comment by matthew”
But on the plus side, they give him nearly 40 MPG
June 26th, 2006 at 1:08 pmSo you want him to move farther away from the capital building so he has to drive? Wouldn’t that be even worse for the environment?
June 26th, 2006 at 1:14 pmWhy doesn’t he ride in the back of a Hummer and really show his committment to the “cause”. Then hop on a Segway for the last few meters.
What I don’t understand is why it is so hard for most people to just do what they say. Especially about these topics. Laziness? Calousness? Snobbiness?
June 26th, 2006 at 1:14 pmShouldn’t this guy resigned as Governor as he has been indicted?
What do you expect from a corrupt Republican.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:15 pmMaybe somebody could supply him a catapult and he could just launch himself from his mansion lawn right through an open window at the capitol…
June 26th, 2006 at 1:16 pmThis is just like Gore screaming about the environment and then flying a charter plane 1million+ miles a year. They are both losers.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:20 pmGoat
Gore specifically set out to make the movie carbon neutral via offsets. Look it up if you want.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:22 pmI thought I heard a ‘boo’
Nevermind it was nothing worth considering.
Like the rattling cough of a sick haggardly old woman, dark and hateful, at the back of the bus, psycho babbling madly, it was a wretched thing and the passengers learned to avoid the doomed figure and drown out it’s words.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:23 pmPlease correct the map. The governor’s mansion is actually to the right of your picture, across the circular drive around the Capitol from the side door of the Capitol. From the mansion’s front door to the Capitol side door is nowhere near 100 yards – it’s more like 100 feet. Also note that the AP quoted several previous governors who all walked to work from the mansion. One noted that it would take more time to get into the car, drive all the way around the Capitol (the drive is one-way) and get out of the car than it would take to walk across the drive.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:26 pmSo you want him to move farther away from the capital building so he has to drive? Wouldn’t that be even worse for the environment?
Comment by squegeeboo — June 26, 2006 @ 1:14
Not if he’s out of office.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:35 pmSecond what KY Dem said–it’s actrually a lot closer than what you have marked. If you look at the full image, to the right of the Capitol, and on the other side of Capital Avenue, you see a path with a square of sidewalks (sort of like a four-square court from when we were kids) partway up and then the path continues to the building–that’s the Mansion.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:36 pm#18 I thought the same thing. The picture is wrong, much closer and just off to the right from the arial view of the capitol.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:36 pmIf ALL of Gore’s flying thoughout his political career plus all driving he has done is carbon neutral, I will eat my words. My guess is that Gore’s emissions are 100 times or more that of us normal folks.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:36 pmMy guess is that Gore’s emissions are 100 times or more that of us normal folks.
Comment by Goat — June 26, 2006 @ 1:36 pm
Nope. i’m guessing you emit more crap than any of us.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:39 pmMy guess is that Gore’s emissions are 100 times or more that of us normal folks.
Comment by Goat — June 26, 2006
And what of the decider? How much do you think he contributes to the problem, with his entourage of thousands? His emissions for those canned townhall meetings must dwarf Gore’s by several orders of magnitude.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:41 pmEmbarrassing
June 26th, 2006 at 1:45 pmOh this ain’t political. I believe that both Gore, Bush, all of Dems, and all of Republicans are big time emission hogs. To me, it is just funny listening to any of them talk about the problem when they ALL are far worse polluters then any of us. I would love for one single congress person to prove they are living there life carbon neutral. There is no way in hell and furthermore, they are worse then any regular joe riding his SUV to work. These guys fly across the country on a regular basis simply to speak at a conference or fundraiser. Talk about hypocrits.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:48 pmHe is probably too fat to walk a 150 yds > lol.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:49 pmMy mayor (Bloomberg) rides the subway.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:52 pmMy governor is retarded so he rides the short bus.
#14: but when, when i say, will catapult travel be feasible for the rest of us? yet another case of those with money and power getting to have all the fun…
June 26th, 2006 at 1:55 pmBush is the biggest problem because he wastes our taxpayers money using Air Force one all the time.
He should stay at the WH and do his job being President instead of running all over this country.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:00 pmLets see, the lazy hypocrit cannot walk one and half times a footballfield???
June 26th, 2006 at 2:00 pmsheesh
Your map is a little off. The Mansion is about half that distance just on the right of the map. It must be noted that the Governors office is also on the far right side of the capital building making the walk even shorter.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:01 pmShortly after Fletcher was elected governor, he and his wife, Glenna, purchased a new home north of town and like the Mansion (as we refer to it here in the Commonwealth), bordering on the beautiful Kentucky River, although on the opposite bank. It is the sincere hope of many in the Commonwealth that he will indeed need that Town Car to get to and from places, as his new home is about four miles from the Capital. Of course, we aren’t planning on needing him at the Capital come December, 2007.
The distance between the side door of the Capital and the side door of the Mansion is about 360 feet. But, technically, it is just across the street.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:10 pmThe posting of Stuart Webster is correct and the photo should be shifted to the right to pick up the Governor’s Mansion. It is a very short walk indeed. I bet as a doctor Ernie even told his patients to get some exercise every day even if it was walking for a short time.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:10 pmGov. Jeb Bush in Florida will walk that distance, but he has to have 200 police guards with him at all times > lol.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:11 pmDo you all have an address for the mansion, that shows it’s even closer? The address we found put it right there…thanks!
June 26th, 2006 at 2:12 pm704 Capital Avenue, 40601
June 26th, 2006 at 2:14 pmGreat, thanks — that’s the same address I used, so I guess it just maps it imprecisely. 150 yds…still very close.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:17 pmThanks everyone! We’ve updated!
June 26th, 2006 at 2:44 pmThe only excuse I can think of for Fletcher is that he was recently in the hospital. But a short walk now and then would probably be good for him.
June 26th, 2006 at 3:10 pmAmanda, here is the link to an aerial view of both the Capitol and the mansion – the mansion is to the right and a little above the Capitol.
http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=16&X=3430&Y=21143&W=2
June 26th, 2006 at 3:30 pmMaybe somebody could supply him a catapult and he could just launch himself from his mansion lawn right through an open window at the capitol…
June 26th, 2006 at 3:46 pm————————–
There is no ‘transparency’ in the capitol building. But, I agree. Maybe we should try it anyway..nahh actually I am interested to see how dense a politician is, I mean, I figure they are like lead. Dense dead weight, yet denser, an oxymoron of sorts.
I say the leaden dense politician will easily abrogate the exterior wall if catapulted from said mansion and that we could save millions of dollars a year if they, Bush Cheney Inc., used these leaden leaders as bunker busters
If I were the governor of KY, I wouldn’t do too much walking anywhere. Too many nuts out there with ‘coon huntin’ rifles. I doubt if walking alone anywhere in the state would be safe for this guy. Lets’ hear more about the criminal activities – who cares about the limo service – it’s much ado about not much. Ya have to pick your battles.
June 26th, 2006 at 4:52 pmFletcher should take a lesson in walking to and fro from Patrick Kennedy….
June 26th, 2006 at 6:52 pmBush has a DUI and Cheney has two… perhaps they would be far better tutors for Mr. Fletcher on walking to and fro…
June 26th, 2006 at 8:47 pmGov. Fletcher should give a lecture on ethics too, since he is so knowledgeable on the subject.
June 26th, 2006 at 8:54 pmThis is beyond hilarious. I wonder who outed the old boy?
June 26th, 2006 at 9:07 pmHe gets in a Lincoln Town Car every day to travel 150 yards from his house to his office?? And doing it on the taxpayer dime to boot??
Disgraceful…utterly despicable. Most of the people where I live have to walk further than that in order to catch public transportation to work — never mind to actually arrive to work. One can only hope that Mother Nature will have her revenge on this lazy, hypocritical so-and-so on the day he leaves office — and finds that he’s some 100 pounds heavier than he was when he entered it.
June 26th, 2006 at 10:30 pmErnie is soooo worn out each and every day from pardoning everyone who did his dirty deeds and working hard to hide the facts from the press…Attorney General and the people that he does not have the strength to walk..or do anything constructive for the state
June 26th, 2006 at 10:51 pmFletcher should take a lesson in walking to and fro from Patrick Kennedy….
Comment by mighty hypocrite
Just had to get in a dig at one of the Kennedys, didn’t you, Mighty? So since you brought it up, maybe Fletcher could take a driving-trhough-stop-sign lesson from Laura Bush, too.
June 27th, 2006 at 1:41 amThe chauffeur and the Lincoln are part of his remuneration so i guess NOT using them could be seen as waste too, right? If Republicans can see the Iraq war as a succes, the deficit as being ok and the Bush-administration as acting within the constitution, I’m sure they can see this as ‘good use of taxpayers’ money’.
June 27th, 2006 at 6:38 am[...] Out the door again but at some point I shall return to comment on what is surely the biggest political scandal of the decade — maybe even the century. It turns out that Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher is being — I am not making this up — being driven to work. Here is the shocking photographic evidence: [...]
June 27th, 2006 at 11:25 amDid anyone consider that the drive may be a matter of security?
June 27th, 2006 at 12:42 pmI happen to know for a fact that the Governor, like the President, or any other official who has a mandatory security detail do not get to make decisions relating to their transportation and security. It’s in their best interest to ride in an enclosed, controlled enviroment where if necessary can make a quick getaway. Security protocol for the Kentucky Governor says that their must always be a car waiting near the Governor at all times in the event that a sudden departure is necessary for whatever reason. So, if the Governor were to walk to the capital, the state troopers would first have to walk him over to his office. Then, one would have to walk back to the mansion, get the car, and bring it over to the capital. Then, the same routine would have to be repeated for the evening walk back to the mansion. So you see, it doesn’t matter if he walks or rides, the car will make the trip each and every day. This is a security protocol in which he has no control over, just like the Secret Service and the President. The lead critic, former governor and now state rep. Julian Carroll, once asked the legislature to approve funding for an underground tunnel connecting the mansion to the capital building for his own safety, but of course this fact is forgotten. Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black.
August 6th, 2006 at 3:08 amI Walk Alone…
Finally someone rants about this. Why don’t you also come to my iPod…
January 10th, 2007 at 9:15 pm