Tasteless ‘Meat Substitute’ Attack Ad
Deconstruction of ad reveals unfounded criticism
Sixth in a revived Kentucky Conservatives Unite! Series
The first ‘attack ad’ of the KY Republican gubernatorial race had no substance.
Let’s take a look at its backing and content.
The ad was paid for by Commonwealth Bank, aka Commonwealth PAC, Lexington, KY. This PAC was set up in early February 2023 by agent Greg Couch, president of Meridian Wealth Management LLC and a board member of AppHarvest.
Courier-Journal political writer Joe Sonka has stated that candidate Kelly Craft is behind this unauthorized campaign committee.
There are a few versions of the ad, and to be thorough we will deconstruct the one-minute radio ad. The script follows, sentence by sentence, with accompanying refutations. The YouTube video shows the 30-second TV ad.
Daniel Cameron is nice but he’s no strong Kentucky conservative.
No, KY Attorney General (AG) Daniel Cameron IS a strong conservative. His website news releases illustrate this. His priorities reveal an activist dedication to
Protecting Life —perhaps more than any KY Attorney General ever has— and
When the Biden Administration tried to stop construction of the border wall, Republican Attorneys General filed suit against Biden’s woke agenda but Daniel Cameron refused to sign… refused to sign.
“Refused to sign” is repeated for emphasis.
In 2021, Attorneys General from Missouri and Texas filed a suit against the Biden administration to stop construction of the southern border wall.
The MO-TX case went to Appeals Court and from there was taken behind closed doors (after the General Land Office of the State of Texas, George P. Bush, Commissioner, joined the case).
One amicus brief for the TX-MO case was filed by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI)— an excellent brief.
AN ASIDE: A news article stated:
The federal government counted almost 190,000 people trying to illegally cross the southwest border into the United States in June, a 5 percent increase from May — putting US Customs and Border Protection on track to make its 1 millionth border stop of the year this month.
AG Cameron has strongly supported the IRLI work through numerous initiatives to combat human trafficking.
In April of 2022 AG Cameron joined 18 other AGs in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a TX-MO lawsuit to prevent the Biden administration from striking Trump’s policy for migrants to ‘Remain in Mexico’ until their immigration court date.
In May of 2022, AZ, LA and MO brought a suit against Biden as follows:
This suit challenges an imminent, man-made, self-inflicted calamity: the abrupt elimination of the only safety valve preventing this Administration’s disastrous border policies from devolving into an unmitigated chaos and catastrophe. Specifically, this action challenges the Biden Administration’s revocation of Title 42 border control measures, which will, absent judicial relief, become effective May 23, 2022.
Biden’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had announced it would “end the policy allowing border officials to expel migrants who attempt to enter the US from a country where a communicable disease — such as COVID-19 — is present, effective May 23.”
This AZ-LA-MO suit was also supported by AG Cameron along with 18 other AGs.
Any reader comments to bring to light information to the contrary are welcomed.
And not long ago the real Daniel Cameron worked alongside the ACLU trying to eliminate felony charges for some drug possessions, and even to eliminate cash bail.
Again, where is any evidence of these charges?
Recent actions by Cameron OPPOSE any leniency for drug possession.
And rather than eliminating cash bail, our AG doubled a bond on a criminal who was out on bail for human trafficking. Read here.
He also stood with Commonwealth Attorney Jackie Steele to oppose KY’s Parole Board’s decision to give convicted murderers a second parole hearing.
How’s that working out in San Francisco? With drug overdoses killing thousands in Kentucky and crime rampant, who would we rather have leading Kentucky? A conservative grizzly bear (growl) or Kentucky’s soft establishment teddy bear?
WHOM, not WHO would we rather have, but OK, it’s ad’dy to say who. Whom sounds so proper.
And again, this charge is easy to disprove! Below are some news releases that outline the AG’s work to fight the spread of illegal drugs.
Attorney General Cameron Launches ‘Operation Fight Fentanyl’ Initiative to Combat Opioid Epidemic, Feb 1, 2023
OP-ED: Historic Settlement of More Than $460 Million Brings Hope in Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic, July 28, 2021
Attorney General Cameron Sues CVS for Company’s Role in Opioid Epidemic, Jun 2, 2021
Attorney General Cameron Joins Bipartisan Coalition of Attorneys General Pushing FDA to Examine Progress in Opioid Fight, Jan 12, 2021
Even this week on Tuesday, March 14, he urged the DOJ to respond to the Fentanyl Crisis.
A ‘soft conservative teddy bear’? More news release headlines that run counter to that label:
Attorney General Daniel Cameron Joins 21-State Coalition in Filing Lawsuit Against Biden’s Unconstitutional Cancellation of Keystone XL Pipeline, Mar 18, 2021
Attorney General Cameron Challenges Biden Administration’s Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers, Nov 23, 2021
Attorney General Cameron Continues Support and Advocacy for American Energy Independence, Mar 3, 2022
Attorney General Cameron Voices Opposition to Biden Administration’s ‘Disinformation Governance Board’, May 5, 2022
Attorney General Cameron Announces Multi-State Investigation into Six Major Banks for ESG Investment Practices, Oct 19, 2022
The McConnell Connection
It’s true that Mitch McConnell, a ‘soft establishment teddy’ in some ways, encouraged a rule change in Kentucky law so that, should he step down before the end of his current term, someone from his own Party would replace him, rather than one appointed by Gov. Beshear. This rule change was accomplished during the 2021 Regular Session.
Mitch named Cameron to the list of three whom he would like to be his successor. Also on the list are, yup, Kelly Craft, and Michael Adams.
Most know that Cameron served as legal counsel in McConnell’s office where he helped with the confirmation processes for President Trump’s conservative federal judges. He is endorsed by Trump.
He was portrayed in an article as changing his stand on medical marijuana in the Republican GOP/Spectrum 1 debate. However, his exact words were:
We need to have those law enforcement stakeholders at the table… Fentanyl is now being laced with marijuana… If we have members of our law enforcement community and folks in the medical field to come to the table to have this conversation, and if they say that they can get around a framework that is responsible— if that came to my desk I would ultimately sign it.
The segment starts at about 41:49 minutes.
Paid for by Commonwealth Bank, PO Box 491, Lexington, Ky 40508.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Commonweath bank is responsible for the content of this advertising.
Since the attack ad was sponsored by a “bank” you may think that the impetus to malign Cameron came from his investigation into banks with ESG policies. However, an OpEd by Kelly Craft on March 10, 2023, We’re moving away from coal too fast, hurting Ky’s security, low costs, may point to a different reason for the attack.
Cameron, the current frontrunner in the race for KY Governor, is indicted in her OpEd and on her YouTube channel, lumping him with Beshear.
It’s despicable that when Andy Beshear and Daniel Cameron had the chance in 2021 to prevent the early closure of the Mitchell power plant that serves Eastern Kentucky, both men failed to do so. The utility advised them that operating the Mitchell plant through 2040 was the least-cost option and it was needed to maintain capacity obligations to the power grid. Beshear and Cameron ignored the utility’s advice.
The Mitchell Plant litigation was a complex case before the KY Public Service Commission, overseen by an attorney whose analysis and recommendations were accepted by Cameron. Numerous issues, both financial and industrial, were argued.
Cameron has enemies— BLM, the Louisville NAACP, ACLU, and all who support CRT, vaccines, masking, more. At the first Republican debate, a small group of African American protestors with signs condemning him stood at the front door. And he has Republican detractors, too.
Are we in for another defeat in November? Wake up, Republicans!