My Old Kentucky Home

I lived in Kentucky for three years, and loved the state.  Not as much as I love Louisiana, but still.

I am heartened to learn that Kentucky has elected a new governor.  Some fellow named Bevin.  What truly heartens me is that Mr. Bevin, seemingly, has never held elective office.

Both Bevin and Hampton are Tea Party activists who have never held elective office.

His running mate, Ms. Hampton, is a black woman who bootstrapped herself into a solid record as a military officer and a manager of industrial concerns.

Born in Detroit, the 57-year-old Hampton and her three sisters were raised by a single mom who lacked a high school education and couldn’t afford a television or a car. But Hampton was determined to better herself. She graduated with a degree in industrial engineering and worked for five years in the automobile industry to pay off her college loans. She then joined the Air Force, retiring as a Captain. She earned an MBA from the University of Rochester, moved to Kentucky and became a plant manager in a corrugated packaging plant. Then she lost her job in 2012. 

Hooray for both of them, and Hooray for Kentucky,

It seems that every cycle, the national pundits decry the rise of the Tea Party, the grassroot conservative movement that wants to reduce taxes and government.  Each cycle, we hear that the movement is doomed, that it cannot last, and that we are certainly a political oddity, that won't note our passing.  Yet, every cycle we get a little stronger.

Congratulations to Mr. Bevin and Ms. Hampton.    May the Bluegrass State thrive under your administration.