Al Cross: McConnell never evolved so quickly, and then in reverse
The 50-year political career of Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr. is a study in evolution. When he was running for and…
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Al Cross: McConnell makes play to sideline Trump as he has chance to remake how he’ll be remembered
“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune. . ….
Al Cross: McConnell’s speech was a turning point, at last, as he stands up for the truth
On one of the most dramatic days in American history, Kentucky’s senior senator saw he would lose control of the…
Al Cross: Mischievous Christmas gifts for Kentucky politicians, a tradition continued
Thirty-nine years ago, Ed Ryan, then the Frankfort Bureau chief of The Courier-Journal, wrote a column headlined “Possible gifts for…
Al Cross: Governor Beshear needs help with preventive pandemic messaging
It’s rare for a high-ranking official to seek advice publicly, but that’s exactly what Gov. Andy Beshear did Wednesday at…
Al Cross: Mitch McConnell has the switch to turn off The Trump Show, but will he use it?
As far as we know, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hasn’t told President Trump to throw in the towel and…
Al Cross: Republicans cement Frankfort power; will they overreach?
Well, that was a whoopin’. Tuesday’s election was a political disaster for Kentucky Democrats, and it has the makings of…
Al Cross: Good, evil, McConnell and the Supreme Court
After decades of writing about politics, never have I been so eager – anxious may be a better word –…
Al Cross: Amendment 2, on the ballot, has a hidden agenda but it’s a good one
As our tumultuous, pandemic-extended election consumes the country, this space takes a breath to offer a closer look at something…
Al Cross: McConnell’s good at politics but for whom?
In the only debate of their race, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Amy McGrath painted very different pictures of the incumbent,…
Al Cross: Trump gets an F, Beshear a B so far; what pandemic grade will local officials get?
As we approach a crucial election, it’s time to think about the sort of leaders we want and need at…
Al Cross: Power, precedents, and political pyromania — yes, indeed, McConnell is playing with fire
There is logic in Sen. Mitch McConnell’s argument for quickly filling the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of…
Al Cross: McConnell should get Trump to stop contradicting science — that’s bad for public health
When I was a child growing up in one of the poorest counties in the nation, with one of the…
Stack goes another round with legislators, pushes back on data questions, answers queries on schools
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Republican legislators kept up their questioning of the state’s coronavirus data Thursday, and the…
Al Cross: Beshear sees his limits; now it’s time for an individual character test and for you to carry the ball
There’s no shortage of subjects for a Kentucky political column: the U.S. Senate race (Mitch McConnell’s got a leg up,…
Al Cross: McConnell, his power tested, needs a deal at this critical time for him and the nation
The last two times Kentuckians have re-elected Mitch McConnell to the U.S. Senate, his best logical argument has been his…
Al Cross: Local, trusted voices are needed in a pandemic and doing the right thing should be exalted
Norman Chaffins and Donnie Keeton probably never expected to see their name in a column about Kentucky politics. But they’re…
Al Cross: There’s no question Cameron’s timing was bad, but Beshear’s attitude is far from perfect
“The coronavirus is not involved in American politics.” So says Mitch McConnell, who has gotten most things right about the…
Al Cross: Does Amy McGrath have any chance against Mitch McConnell?
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell surely smiled as he watched Amy McGrath slip, stumble and nearly fall to state Rep….
Al Cross: Any doubt about the vote count could resonate long past the primary
Voting for the Democratic nomination to face Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is over, but the election is not, because…
Al Cross: Charles Booker, Mike Broihier harvest votes on a field Amy McGrath planted
When Amy McGrath ran for the U.S. House in 2018, Cameron French was with her. He was a campus organizer…
Al Cross: National shift makes Booker the Senate candidate of the moment, at least for some
It is easy for some to say that the Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd was an outlier, not…